There will be a new NBA Champion this year. This is something that the Lakers players, coaches, executives, and fans face today. Sometime in June there will be a final buzzer with confetti, tears of joy, and champagne spraying and the guys we root for will be missing from the celebration. They’ll be on vacation somewhere while […]
Lakers/Mavs Game 4: A Premature End
Well, it’s all over now. The Lakers season. Phil Jackson pacing the Laker sidelines. The hope of another three-peat. All of it. The Mavs completed what seemed improbable a week ago, sweeping the Lakers out of the playoffs with a dominant performance. 122-86 was the final count and that 36 point margin actually does sum […]
Game 4 Preview & Chat: Lakers vs. Mavericks
If we’re being honest with ourselves, game 4 is pretty scary. The Lakers are looking at being swept out of the playoffs in a series that they were unanimously predicted to advance past. Entering the playoffs they were one of a handful of teams that were thought to be legitimate contenders and were the betting […]
When There’s Nothing Else, There’s Hope
Yesterday, in recapping the Lakers’ most recent gut wrenching loss our closing thoughts were on supporting this team until the very end. The thinking goes that while this series certainly has the look and feel (and historical precedence) of one that’s all but over, fans turn their focus to “all but” portion of that phrase […]
The Roller Coaster Is At Its Low Point
Here at FB&G we’ve always talked about the peaks and valleys of a season. How you have to enjoy the ride and appreciate the wins rather than expect them. Right now, I think it’s fair to say that no one is enjoying this part of the ride as we’ve entered the deepest and darkest valley […]
Game 3 Preview & Chat: Lakers vs. Mavericks
It’s better if this is no longer thought of as a 7 game series. In the big picture, I know that a series comeback is on all of our minds but this series is now a one game affair. A Laker loss tonight puts them down 3-0 and unless you want to cite hockey or […]
Circling The Wagons
The Lakers are in a hole. Few envisioned this series unfolding the way that it has and it’s a credit to the Mavericks for turning the perceptions of their team – and thus their match up with the Lakers – upside down. Not that people didn’t recognize how great a player Dirk is nor the […]
Lakers/Mavs Game 2: The Hole Just Got Deeper
If today was a must win (and before the game I stated that this was as close to that as there was), the Lakers just came up short in their most important game of the season. In the game preview I mentioned that the Lakers needed to play harder and smarter for longer than the […]
Game 2 Preview & Chat: Lakers vs. Mavs
The Lakers have been here before (just last round, in fact), which is both good and bad. On the one hand, they know how to dig themselves out of a 1-0 hole to come back and win a series. On the other hand, consistently losing game 1 is a very much like walking a tightrope without […]
Around The World (Wide Web)
From Sebastian Pruiti, NBA Playbook (with video breakdown): Outside Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, there isn’t really anyone on the Dallas Mavericks who can create their own shot, and this is what makes defending Dirk Nowitzki so important, because if you can stop him, you have a good chance of stopping the Mavericks’ offense and beating them. […]