Are there really no twists in this plot? Nearly eight weeks removed from their lone, 24-hour peek over the .500 threshold, and losers of five straight since last sporting as many wins as losses, the Lakers took the Staples Center floor Friday night desperate, desperate to put a tally in the left hand column of […]
Preview and Chat: The New York Knicks
Records: Lakers 13-14 (11th in the West). Knicks 20-7 (2nd in the East) Offensive ratings: Lakers 106.3 (6th in NBA), Knicks 109.8 (2nd in NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 102.2 (15th in NBA), Knicks 102.4 (16th in NBA) Projected starting lineups: Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Devin Ebanks, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard Knicks: Carmelo Anthony, Tyson […]
Preview and Chat: The Houston Rockets
Records: Lakers 8-9 (9th in the West), Rockets 8-8 (7th in the West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 105.1 (5th in the NBA), Rockets 104.1 (t-7th in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers 99.4 (8th in the NBA), Rockets 103.4 (21st in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Chris Duhon, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Antawn Jamison, Dwight Howard Rockets: Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, Omer Asik […]
Preview and Chat: The Sacramento Kings
Records: Lakers 6-5 (6th in the West), Kings 2-8 (15th in the West) Offensive ratings*: Lakers 105.9 (5th in the NBA), Kings 94.5 (27th in the NBA) Defensive ratings*: Lakers 98.4 (8th in the NBA), Kings 102.1 (18th in the NBA) Probable Starting Lineups: Lakers: Darius Morris, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight […]
Conflict Resolution
Imagine watching your dad parking a brand new Corvette in the garage, knowing that it’s all yours, but having to wait six months to get your license. With the strangest summer since… well, yet another strange summer in Lakerland in the rearview, the goings-on of recent months have begun to take root in reality. Learning […]
The Laker Way
I stand corrected. It appears the “new Laker fandom” will bear a striking resemblance to that which preceded it. Ever since Andrew Bynum schooled J.J. Barea on the nuances of Newtonian physics in the spring of 2011, it was apparent that the Lakers — as then constituted — required a facelift. As that spring gave […]
Help Steve Nash Help You
During his eight-year run in Phoenix, Steve Nash led the NBA in assists six times, and five times in assists per game and Assist Rate, finishing in the top three in each category every year. He turned in a record four seasons in which he made 50% of his field goals, 40% of his 3-pointers […]
Game 2 Preview and Chat: Lakers vs. Nuggets
Well, that was fun. A year after a playoff home opener in which they were brutally craved up by Chris Paul and after a(nother) regular season in which a double-digit leads made frequent cameos but were often unable to carry a show, on Sunday the Lakers physically dominated an overmatched foe in a manner that […]
Preview and Chat: The Oklahoma City Thunder
Records: Lakers: 40-23 (3rd in the West), Thunder: 46-17 (2nd in the West) Offensive ratings: Lakers: 106.1 (11th in the NBA), Thunder: 109.8 (2nd in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers: 104.3 (13th in the NBA), Thunder: 102.9 (9th in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Ramon Sessions, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew […]
Preview and Chat: The Dallas Mavericks
Records: Lakers: 38-22 (3rd in the West), Mavericks: 34-26 (6th in the West) Offensive ratings: Lakers: 106.1 (8th in the NBA), Mavericks: 102.8 (23rd in the NBA) Defensive ratings: Lakers: 103.6 (13th in the NBA), Mavericks: 101.4 (7th in the NBA) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Ramon Sessions, Devin Ebanks, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Andrew […]