Records: Lakers 47-20 (3rd in the West), Magic 42-25 (4th in East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.6 (3rd in NBA), Magic 108.2 (11th in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.6 (8th in NBA), Magic 102.1 (4th in NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Magic: Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, […]
Preview and Chat: The Dallas Mavericks
Records: Lakers 46-20 (3rd in West), Mavericks 47-18 (2nd in West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.7 (2nd in NBA), Mavericks 110.2 (8th in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.6 (8th in NBA), Mavericks 105.8 (12th in NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Mavericks: Jason Kidd, Rodrigue Beaubois, Shawn […]
Friday Afternoon Reading
Last night’s game has stuck with some folks into today. That tends to happen when a very winnable game turns into a loss and the opponent is of the marquee variety. And while I don’t want to dwell too much longer on last night’s contest – especially with a much more important game, strategically, tomorrow in […]
Preview and Chat: The Miami Heat
Records: Lakers 46-19 (3rd in West), Heat 43-21 (3rd in East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.7 (2nd in NBA), Heat 110.6 (6th in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.5 (8th in NBA), Heat 103.5 (6th in NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Heat: Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron […]
Exploring Meaning, Motivation, and Miami
The Heat are floundering. Five consecutive losses, especially of the variety that the Heat have had, can put any team on tilt. Stories like Cry-Gate or deeper examinations of your best players’ clutch performances just make the hole deeper. But this is now the reality for the Heat. When a team is one of the […]
Lakers/Hawks: And The Wins Keep Coming
There seems to be a pattern developing here. Using their defense as the catalyst and crisp offensive execution to remove any doubt about the outcome, the Lakers defeated the Hawks 101-87 to earn their 8th straight win and continue their hot streak. At this point, when trying to summarize the action from this game, I […]
Preview and Chat: The Atlanta Hawks
Records: Lakers 45-19 (3rd in West), Hawks 37-26 (5th in East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.6 (2nd in NBA), Hawks 106.5 (18th in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.5 (8th in NBA), Hawks 105.9 (13th in NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers:Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Hawks: Kirk Hinrich, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, […]
Revisiting The Steve Blake Signing
Steve Blake was the “marquee” Laker acquistion this past off-season. When the news first broke that the Lakers had signed him, I thought it was a very good idea and praised the pick up. Afterall, he has all the requisite skills to be a very good Triangle PG and his history as a solid contributor […]
Lakers/Spurs: Picturesque Play Silences The Spurs
Whether or not you believe in statement games, the Lakers certainly made a statement today versus the Spurs. By controlling the game from the opening tip and cruising to a 99-83 win (a score that didn’t reflect just how handily the Lakers controlled this contest, by the way), the Lakers moved to their post all-star […]
Preview and Chat: The San Antonio Spurs
Records: Lakers 44-19 (3rd in West), Spurs 51-11 (1st in West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 111.5 (3rd in NBA), Spurs 111.6 (2nd in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.6 (8th in NBA), Spurs 103.9 (7th in NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Spurs: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard […]