Tonight the Lakers break in a new building in Ontario versus the team that used to be in Seattle. Sorry fans in the Midwest, but I’m still a little bitter about how it went down and as this is the first time the Lakers have faced Kevin Durant’s team, this is the first chance I […]
Game Preview
Preseason Chat: Lakers v. Raptors
The Lakers are not the only team trying to get a “twin towers” front line going this preseason, the Raptors are doing it as well with Chris Bosh and a reportedly healthy Jermaine O’Neal. I look forward to watching that matchup unfold tonight. While you’re waiting for the game to start, here are some previews […]
Preseason Game Thread: Lakers v. Barcelona
I think the Lakers are in trouble here. Kobe is a very good on-ball defender, but I don’t see how he can mark Messi….. Now that the obligatory soccer joke is out of the way, let’s talk hoops. For a look into what we can expect from Barcelona, we turn to one of the long-time […]
Preseason Game Three Chat: Vegas Baby!
After all the time Kobe has spent playing basketball in Vegas the last couple of summers with Team USA, will that give him a home court advantage tonight? Whatever Kobe does, what I think we’re all looking for is growth, improvement, signs of thing gelling together. As this is the third game for the Lakers, […]
Lakers Preseason Game 2: Welcome To Fresno
Just a few things to look for as many of us bounce back and forth between the Dodgers and the Lakers tonight. • Will we get to see Gasol and Bynum on the court at the same time? I hope so. We need to at some point. • Lamar Odom. One preseason game is less […]
Preseason Chat Thread: Lakers vs. Jazz
What we are going to see tonight is far from a full picture. What we will see tonight are the first few brushstrokes of a painting that will take all season to complete. By about 20 games in we can get a pretty good idea of the form the painting will take, but even then […]
Gold Medal Game Time
Here’s my prediction — not only is the USA going to win the gold in Beijing, it will win it in London in 2012, too. I’ll explain the second prediction first. One thing has been pretty clear in these Olympics and said by Kelly Dwyer among others — the USA is the best NBA-style team […]
USA vs. Argentina, and the Semis
I think my premise here is pretty simple: Argentina may well give the USA their toughest test to date, but I don’t think Argentina can beat the USA unless the Americans help out. A few thoughts to flesh that out. Argentina will try to slow the game down (the USA is at 81 possessions per […]
USA v. Australia, and the Quarter Finals
UPDATE: My worst-case scenario held sway for about the first 15-minutes of the game, but in the third quarter in particular the USA’s defense took over, and that was the difference. KD emphasized the defense and Kobe’s role in his great roundup. Craig W. said the same thing in the comments: All the flash and […]
Lakers/Celtics Game 6 Chat
Let’s be honest: This is the game that scares Lakers fans. We know that the Celtics fans will come and be loud, expecting a coronation. We know that the Celtics themselves will come out and play like this is their game seven. We know it will be physical and the refs are not going to […]