Sweet 16!

It's been two weeks since the Lakers clinched their 16th NBA title against Boston in seven games. Kobe earned his second straight NBA Finals MVP. The L.A. riots were in full force that night, as if right on cue. The parade has already come and gone. Phil Jackson has already announced he'll be back for one more year. And the free agency drama is already in full swing.

The Finals were certainly very entertaining, that is, if you enjoy watching the refs control them. But still, it was very entertaining. It was a see-saw battle throughout. The Lakers won Game One at home, then got beat in Game Two. The series shifted to Boston and Derek Fisher took over in Game three. The Celtics won the next two games in Boston, playing solid defense to stifle the Lakers. But Lakers returned the favor in the final two games back in L.A. with two insane defensive efforts to keep the Celtics at bay, at win their 16th NBA title, second most in NBA history behind Boston's 17, second in a row, and third win over the Celtics in their last four meetings head-to-head.

With all that behind them, the Lakers are looking forward to next season. The off-season drama began with the annual Phil Jackson watch. After meeting with doctors, he was cleared to resume his coaching duties, and elected to return for one more final year.

As for the players, Shannon Brown opted out of his contract, and Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Adam Morrison all became free agents, as well. They've already agreed to a four-year deal with guard Steve Blake, essentially marking the end of Farmar's Laker stay, at the very least. Blake can officially sign his contract on July 8th.

The Lakers and Fisher would like to continue their relationship, but Fisher wants a multi-year deal worth about $5MM per year, while the Lakers are only willing to go as high as $2.5 or $3MM per year. Is their a compromise somewhere in the middle? Sure. I'm pretty sure both would like to find some sort of resolution to this sooner rather than later.

The Lakers had been linked to guard-forward Mike Miller the day before signing Blake, but Blake's signing all but takes the Lakers out of the running for Miller. A sign-and-trade is always possible, but highly unlikely. Earlier in the off-season, it had been reported that the Lakers were very interested in guard Raja Bell, and they could very well still be interested. Bell has stated his first choice is Miami, so this is still in a wait-and-see mode until all the other top free agents find homes.

Aside from Fisher, the starting lineup figures to remain intact, assuming they don't trade Andrew Bynum. The bench appears to have been thinned out, and depending on how they fill out the bottom end of the roster, Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton will probably be given more playing time next year than this. Both struggled immensely this season off the bench, Walton in large part due to an injury-plagued season, and Vujacic also battled nagging ailments, as well.

At least one of the Lakers draft picks this year is likely to make the roster. West Virginia small forward Devin Ebanks has a very good chance of not only making the team, but of becoming an key bench player for the Lakers. His biggest upside is his defense, and that's why the Lakers drafted him.

At this point regardless of how the off-season plays out for everyone, Lakers included, it would be foolish and hard-pressed to bet against the Lakers winning their third NBA title in a row next season. With so many key players on the market right now, and teams such as Miami, Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Cleveland all in play to not only bring back their key players, but also to add to them, it's still too early to tell who the Lakers primary opposition will be.

But one thing is for certain, the Lakers are the back-to-back defending NBA Champions!!

Ouch! That Hurt...

After the Lakers struggled some, and looked relatively inconsistent in the initial couple weeks after Kobe's return from his ankle injury, they ran off seven straight wins. The first couple of those seven games weren't pretty, but they were wins. They started to play well again, as a team, and consistently enough that they reeled off seven straight wins.

Then they ran into a buzzsaw.

I didn't see any of last night's game, but I have to imagine from some of the score updates I saw that it was ugly. The score after three quarters was 80-47. In favor of Oklahoma City.

And for a change, Kobe had a lot to do with the 91-75 loss. He turned the ball over eight times. Seriously.

And it doesn't get any easier tonight. The Lakers are back at in the second of back-to-back games in Houston. Let's hope they don't have to call in any problems.

This team better get its act together when the playoffs arrive otherwise there won't be another parade through L.A. in June.

**********

A quick update: Andrew Bynum is expected to be back in action late next week after suffering a strained Achilles last week. And Luke Walton is inching closer to his return, as well.

Walton Out Six Weeks

Luke Walton, who missed last night's game with a sore back, is expected to miss the next six weeks after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve.

The Quest For 15 Continues...

And it's back to the Finals for the 30th time in franchise history.

The Lakers completely dominated this game in every aspect, and used another solid balance scoring attack, coming away with a 119-92 blasting of the Nuggets. Kobe topped off his Game Five performance with an even better one in Game Six, pouring in 35 points, while shooting 60% from the floor, making all nine of his free throws, and most importantly, dishing out 10 assists. The Lakers got solid contributions from Paul Gasol, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Luke Walton. All four scored in double figures, with Gasol and Odom scoring 20 and Ariza 17. Gasol and Odom also combined for 20 rebounds. Walton hit a couple of big baskets along the way for 10 solid points.

Game One of the Finals is June 4th. If Orlando wins the East Finals, they'll open in L.A. If the Cavs win, the Lakers will travel to Cleveland for Game One.

The Lakers dominated this game inside and outside, playing aggressive basketball, smothering defense, and penetrating and breaking down the Nuggets defense. In the process, they shot 57% from the floor and made all 24 of their free throws. They came with a purpose, the executed their game plan, played with a sense of urgency, and they conquered. This was, arguably, the Lakers best performance of the season, and most certainly, of the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 for Denver, and J.R. Smith added 24. Chauncey Billips took just seven shots in the game again, five before halftime, and finished with 10 very quiet points. Denver shot just 43% from the field while missing 11 of 19 from behind the three-point line.

The Nuggets gave the Lakers a series in the first four and a half games, but the Lakers took control of the series mid-way through the third quarter of Game Five and never really looked back. They exposed the Nuggets weaknesses, and tonight, they nailed Denver's coffin shut.

Goodnight, "Birdman."

Catching Up: Lakers Play; Officiating

I didn't get a chance to blog at all during the past week, but I was finally able to watch the games. I saw the final two games of the Houston series, and have watched Games 1 and 2 of this series with Denver. And two things have become increasingly apparent. One, the Lakers do not look like a title contender with their Jeckyl and Hyde play. And two, the officiating is getting ridiculously worse and worse as the playoffs get closer to the Finals.

First, the Lakers play. How does one explain a team that wins by 40, then loses by 20, then wins by 20 in three straight games? Kobe said it best earlier in the week on Mason and Ireland on 710 when he said, and I'm just paraphrasing here, that the Lakers are bi-polar. This team, probably more than any other Laker team that I can remember, gives their fans major heartburn and headaches. I have never seen a team play so inconsistent through 48 minutes than this one. It makes me wonder sometimes, how this team ever won 65 regular season games. It's probably a miracle they got this far, as well. And when I say "this team" I'm referencing to last year's team, as well.

I could sit here and break down how each of the 12 players on the team has been brutally horrid at one point or another in the playoffs. But let's stick to what we already know. Lamar Odom is the most passive-aggressive player I've ever seen. I've never seen a guy try to do more than he has to to make an easy layup. Luke Walton is probably worse. As smart of a player as he is, he's also the most mistake-prone. He, too, like Odom, can't seem to make a simple layup. And where do we begin with Andrew Bynum? Phil Jackson has literally lost all confidence in him because of his defensive deficiencies, as well as his inability to dominate the glass, that his playing time has been cut nearly in half. And Derek Fisher, while he can still hit a big three when they need one once in a blue moon, just isn't the same player he once was. The smaller, quicker guards in the league are just simply abusing him defensively. It might be time for Jordan Farmar to take over the point guard duties.

Now my rant on the officiating. Bottom line: it stinks! The officiating has gotten worse and worse every year, and it has become more prevalent in the post-season. And I'm not just talking about how bad it has been against the Lakers, it's been bad for everyone. One example: Dallas got robbed of a win in one of their games in their Denver series. It wouldn't have made a big difference in the series outcome, but the point is that the horrific officiating has taken the games out of the players hands, and right into the referees hands. The games aren't being decided by the players anymore. And it's been like that for years now.

As for the officiating against the Lakers, Lamar Odom nearly had his jersey pulled right off his back in Game 7 of the Rockets series after he made a steal, and no call was made. Chauncey Billups clearly stepped out of bounds late in Game 1 when he made a key three-pointer right in front of a referee, and it wasn't called. Kobe suffered a dislocated finger again when he got hacked in the same game, and no call was made. Trevor Ariza got hit on top of his shoulder after he made that steal of the inbounds pass late in Game 1, and no call was made.

The technical and flagrant fouls have gotten way out of hand, as well. Again, I know the league and officials, probably in light of the Detroit-Indiana brawl of a few seasons ago, are trying to control the games before they get out of hand, but it seems as if they're taking control of the games instead.

I know the league would prefer to have the higher profiled teams in the Finals because the ratings would be higher, and you'd have two of the biggest profiled players in the league in the Finals going head-to-head. Sometimes I wonder if the league is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites because one day you get the feeling the league is doing whatever it can to avoid having certain teams advance, and then the next day its the complete opposite. You almost get the feeling that the league is fixed, that the games are fixed.

But here's my real problem with the officiating in the NBA. The officials in the NBA hold grudges against teams and players moreso than in any other sport. And they become that much more magnified on a bigger stage such as the playoffs. There is also no consistency what-so-ever. There never is. It's gotten worse every year. The officiating isn't the same now as it was 10 or 15 years ago. I do wonder if the ever-changing rule changes every year might have something to do with it, or if perhaps Commissioner David Stern is just dictating to the refs what he wants for his own personal agenda.

It has gotten to a point now where if it weren't for the Lakers, I would probably never watch the NBA. In fact, I really don't anymore. And as big of a Laker fan as I am, living outside of Southern California, I refuse to pay extra for the Full Court satellite package so I can watch the Lakers when they aren't on national television (ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBA TV). I refuse to give the NBA any of my money. I would rather watch an NHL playoff game instead, because the officiating is consistent from game to game, and they let the players on the ice decide the game. Seriously, turn on an NHL playoff game and you will rarely see penalties called late in the game, or in overtime if it gets that far. NHL officials, in my opinion, are probably the best of the four major sports in America. NBA officials? The absolute worse. And it's not even close. And what makes it even worse is when it is brought to David Stern's attention, he refuses to acknowledge that it's a big problem.

I could probably go on and on about this but there's no point in beating a dead horse. But my points are made. If the Lakers somehow win this series, and even the next one, it will be a miracle at this point. Their inconsistent play is their biggest achilles heel at this point, and they better turn it around quick or its going to be another long off-season of finger-pointing and what-ifs. They need to get tough. They need to care. They need to play these playoff games as such, as if every game is a game seven, not a regular season game in November. And as for the officiating, good riddance to the team that does win because chances are they'll get plenty help on the court from the guys in stripes.

Houston Has A Problem

I've obviously been slacking here, but for good reason. I'll leave it at that and get to the point. In the last three months, we know the Lakers clinched the best record in the West, and then dismantled a very good Utah team in five games in what I thought would be the Lakers toughest opponent in the playoffs based on match-ups. Now, before I get dive into what has become a very touchy and physical series between the Purple & Gold and the Rockets, keep in mind everything I know about this series is what I've seen of the highlights and read up on the game recaps online. I have not been able to watch a game in over a week for various reasons.

Here's what we know: the Lakers have a two-games-to-one series lead heading into Game Four tomorrow afternoon in Houston. But it hasn't been pretty. They looked lost in a Game One loss at Staples. Tensions began to boil over in this game when Houston's Shane Battier took an inadvertent elbow from Sasha Vujacic.

The Lakers rebounded nicely in Game Two defending their home court, but with what seemed like a chip on their shoulder. Ron Artest was ejected late in the game for making a threatening gesture to Kobe from across the court, but not before Derek Fisher threw an unexpected elbow at Luis Scola and was eventually suspended for Game Three. There was plenty of jawing going on as Scola, Lamar Odom and Luke Walton were all given technical fouls. Kobe was assessed a technical foul which the league ruled a Flagrant Foul 1 the following day. Can someone please explain to me what the hell a Flagrant Foul 1 is?

The Lakers then marched into the Toyota Center in Houston and won back home-court with an impressive Game Three win over the Rockets, minus Derek Fisher. The game was a much cleaner, well played game on both ends by both teams in what seemed like see-saw battle in the middle of the game. But the end of the game turned testy, as it did in Game Two, and Artest was ejected for a hard foul on Pau Gasol. In the end, the Lakers kept their cool, and roll into tomorrow's Game Four with a chance to take a very commanding three-games-to-one lead heading back to L.A. for Game Five.

Stay tuned!

Pre-season Notes

First, and most important, Kobe Bryant's hyper-extended knee suffered in Tuesday night's pre-season game in San Diego against Charlotte is fine and he is expected to play in tonight's pre-season game, also against Charlotte.

Sasha Vujacic, who suffered a foot injury early in training camp, is expected to see a foot specialist to determine his availability for the final two pre-season games before next Tuesday's opening night game against Portland.

The Lakers waived 2008 second round draft pick Joe Crawford, and C.J. Giles yesterday, trimming the roster down to the required 15. All indications are Coby Karl has made the opening night roster.

As of today, the roster is as follows:

Forwards: Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Josh Powell, Valdimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton and Sun Yue.
Guards: Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Coby Karl and Sasha Vujacic.
Centers: Andrew Bynum, DJ Mbenga and Chris Mihm.

Lakers Dominate S.A. Heading to Texas

Talk about two games completely opposite of each other. The Lakers looked lost, confused and tired for about two and a half quarters in game one Wednesday, and found themselves trailing by 20 points with a little over five minutes left in the third quarter. Since then, the Lakers have outscored the Spurs by a whopping 54 points. They rallied to beat the Spurs in Game 1, 89-85, behind Kobe Bryant's 25 second half points, and then demolished the Spurs last night in Game 2, 101-71.

Last night's game was a pretty evenly matched game, until the Lakers broke a 37-37 tie with a 9-0 run to end the first half. They never looked back. They've been getting some expected contributions from the usual suspects: Kobe, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher; and from the role players: Vladdy Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Rony Turiaf. And it's generally been someone different stepping up with key baskets and big plays defensively. In Game 1, it was Sasha. Last night it was Farmar. And in the meantime, everyone else has been consistent offensively and defensively.

The series heads to San Antonio now for Games 3 (Sunday night at 7:30pm CT) and 4 (Tuesday night), and it's obviously extremely pertinent for the Lakers to maintain, and even increase their intensity. The Spurs won't be a pushover on their home court. Split on the road and come home and take care of business!

10 down, 6 wins to go to #15.

Series Tied; Kobe Hurting

Don't mind me while I homer up for a second here, but the officiating in this series has been brutal, especially in yesterday's game four in Utah. I don't think I've ever seen such one-sided calls in a long time. It was atrocious all game. Utah was getting every little "ticky-tack" foul all afternoon.

On the flip side, every time the Lakers did get to the free throw line, they were lucky to get one out of two. They were hitting free throws about as often as one couldn't hit water if they fell out of a damn boat. And Lamar Odom, bless his little heart for having a great game otherwise, and Luke Walton have got to be the two worst players lay-up shooters I have ever seen. It seemed like they were missing them all day. I don't understand why, when they have an open shot that close underneath the basket, they just don't go up and be more aggressive. It seemed like Utah blocked half of their attempts. I wish these two morons would just learn to be a little more aggressive and little less lackadaisical when it comes to easy, open shots under the basket.

Can't have a Laker blog that doesn't include Kobe. Another two solid performances for the MVP. But more importantly, and probably more concerning is his stiff back that suddenly developed over the weekend. If it happened during the either of the games, then I missed it. But it just pained me to watch him in the fourth quarter because as much as he was trying, he just couldn't get any lift in his legs. His shots were flat, too long, or too short.

Around the five minute mark of the fourth yesterday, I had pretty much conceded the game to Utah. The Jazz had a commanding 10-point lead, and it looked like they were about to blow the game open even more. (I had conceded to the point that I switched over to watch Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers take his no-hitter against Houston into the 7th inning.) To my surprise, the Lakers had made a couple of defensive stops and the next thing I knew, Utah's lead was down to 104-103 with under a minute left. The Lakers had kept chipping away at the lead all afternoon but every time they got it close, Utah would break it back open to 9-, 10-, 11-point leads. So when I heard the lead was down to one, of course I gave up on the no-hitter (smart idea, Mike!) to watch the end of the Lakers. Lamar Odom had taken over the game to score five big points down the stretch to force OT. Unfortunately, the Lakers had nothing left for OT. Kobe was basically ineffective at that point.

So we head back to L.A. and Staples for Game 5 on Wednesday night. Lakers don't want to head back to Utah down 3-2, so this is a definite must-win for either team, but more so for the Lakers. And let's hope Kobe (who intends to play) and his back don't become a hindering problem for the Lakers!