Quick Note

Lakers are an NBA-best 15-1 since the All-Star Break.

Any questions?

I didn't think so.

And that triple-overtime 139-135 win last week against Phoenix was insane!

Seriously, insane!

Ok that's all. You may carry on...

Rocked in Cleveland

So much for that 55-point blowout win two weeks ago against the Cavs at Staples...

Gasol's 30 & 20 not enough tonight.

Lakers finish trip 4-3 after starting 4-0.

All-Star Break this weekend at Staples.

Kobe, Pau and Blake Griffin to rep the local teams.

Ouch, That Hurt!

Another ugly loss. But is anyone surprised they lost in Charlotte?

There was no magic in Orlando yesterday either.

One more stop on the seven-game roadie Wednesday.

Time to rock Cleveland!

Should We Just Call Them the Lakerbockers?

Because the Lakers just simply own the Knicks at MSG. Or shall we call it, KSG:

Kobe Square Garden.

Season sweep complete against Knicks.

Kobe blew up for 19 in first; finished with 33 in rout.

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Cavs ended an NBA-record 26-game losing streak tonight with an overtime win against the Clippers in Cleveland. Had the Cavs lost again tonight, they would have surpassed the 1973 & 1974 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak by any North American team sport among the four major sports.

Beantown Beatdown

It's gotta be the throwbacks! Strangely, they wore their 1971-72 home throwbacks on the road, and still won.

Five Lakers scored in double-figures lead by Kobe's 23.

Ray Allen passed Reggie Miller for most career three-pointers made.

On to take a bite out of the Big Apple tomorrow night.

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One other hoops note... Utah head coach Jerry Sloan retired today after 23 seasons.

One Week

The Lakers lost to Boston and San Antonio at home last week, two teams with the top records in their respective conferences, but needed overtime to beat Houston at Staples and barely got by New Orleans on the road.

They played pretty good hoops in all four games but they had their lapses. Life doesn't get any easier for them.

The New Orleans win started a seven-game road trip that includes Memphis tonight, where they typically don't play well, Boston and New York on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday, and Orlando Sunday afternoon. The trip concludes with a stop in Charlotte next Monday, another place they don't generally play well, and Cleveland next Wednesday, against a Cavs team they walloped by 55 points last month at Staples.

They will need to play better than they have been if they even want to consider finishing above .500 on the trip.

The time is now! Let's rock!

A Common Problem

Another ugly loss. They earned it. Kobe's 41 not enough.

Kings of Staples

And it's not the Lakers. (And I'm not talking pucks either.)

So much for that beating they gave the Jazz the other night.

Ugly loss. Not for lack of trying. But ugly nonetheless.

This team's inconsistencies still make me cringe.

The C's arrive at Staples tomorrow. Should be uh... interesting.

Kobe passes "The Dream" for eighth all-time in scoring.

He's also starting another All-Star Game. Thirteen in a row!

Five Years Ago Today

Kobe dumped 81 points on Toronto.

It was January 22, 2006. Lakers had a Sunday night home game against the Raptors, and little did anyone know that Kobe was about to make history. He finished with the most points ever scored by a Laker in a game, and second most ever in NBA history since Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 points on the Knicks on March 2, 1962 while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors.

My how time flies.

Meanwhile, after losing to the Clippers last Sunday as the road team at Staples, the Lakers beat Oklahoma City the following night at Staples. They then took to the road and lost to a struggling Mavs team Wednesday night in Dallas, but rebounded nicely to beat the Nuggets in Denver last night.

Next up: The Jazz at Staples on Tuesday night.

And the Winning Streak...

Goes bye-bye.

The Clippers halt the Lakers streak at seven today with a solid 99-92 win at Staples. This time, it wasn't Kobe or the Lakers that stepped it up in the fourth quarter. Instead, they showed their frustration at the end of the game, and two players from each team were tossed after a minor altercation ensued.

Lamar Odom, Ron-Ron, Blake Griffin and Baron Davis were all ejected. And Phil Jackson had some choice words for the refs afterwards.

In any case, both teams have home games tomorrow at Staples: the Clippers vs Indiana with a matinee affair, and the Lakers vs Oklahoma City in the nightcap.

Seventh Heaven

That's where the win streak is at now after wins over the Warriors and Nets. They struggled in both games but Kobe came up big in the fourth quarter in both games, as usual.

They get another good test tomorrow: a red-hot Blake Griffin and the cross-arena Clippers.

112-57

No, that score is not a typo. That was last night's final. A rather historical night to say the least.

Most lopsided win in Laker history: 55 points; third most in NBA history.

Fewest points allowed by Lakers in shot-clock era.

Fewest points ever scored by Cavs.

Had Lakers scored just one point in second half, they would have still won 58-57.

Ouch!

Hope they saved room for the Warriors tonight...

Back in the Saddle Again

Ron-Ron setting the tone early with a P.J. Carlesimo-like hand-to-the-neck move, check.

Stellar defense shutting down prolific offense, check.

Bynum with his best game of the season, check.

"What can Brown do for you?" with the exclamation point three-pointer and dunk, check.

Rout of the Knicks, check.

Four-game winning streak, check.

And That, My Friends...

Is a winning streak! Three in a row.

So Much For That

Another ugly loss last night to Memphis. Horrible effort all around. Very disappointing.

Breaking News?

Lakers snapped their three-game skid last night with a 103-88 win in New Orleans. Well, that was easy.

Awful

Merry Christmas to you too, Lakers. What a horrible game, effort, performance, whatever... you name it.

Bastards...

Trade

The Lakers have agreed to trade Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic to New Jersey in a three-team deal that would net the Lakers Joe Smith from Houston. Because Smith can't be traded until tomorrow, the 15th, the deal can't become official until then. Houston will get Terrence Williams from Jersey in the deal, which could include other elements once the deal is completed.

The Lakers are probably making this deal for two reasons: one, to rid themselves of Sasha's contract, and two, they're probably concern enough about Theo Ratliff's injury that they felt they needed to add more depth in the middle.

Meanwhile, Andrew Bynum made his season debut tonight in the Lakers win in Washington after a long recovery from a knee injury he suffered in the middle of last season. Bynum didn't start tonight, and he will probably be eased slowly back into the rotation.

New Season

It's been a relatively busy four months for the Lakers since they won their second consecutive NBA title and their 16th overall. Here's a little recap of the off-season and a brief look ahead to the new 2010-2011 season as the Lakers begin to defend their title again tomorrow night against Houston when they raise that 16th banner to the rafters in Staples Center.

The Lakers drafted Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter, waved goodbye to Jordan Farmar, Josh Powell, DJ Mbenga, and Adam Morrison, who all left via free agency, and welcomed Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Theo Ratliff. Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown also re-signed with the team, as well.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum are still nursing and recovering from last season's injuries. Both players had off-season surgery and while Kobe is ready to go tomorrow night, Bynum is still not completely healed and will start the season inactive. He is not expected to be ready until at least Thanksgiving, if not later.

Meanwhile, both Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton are dealing with new injuries. Vujacic is out indefinitely while he recovers from a concussion after getting an inadvertent elbow to the head by teammate Lamar Odom during practice recently. And Walton suffered a groin injury in a pre-season game over the weekend, and is also out indefinitely.

As for Odom, he went to the FIBA World Championships with Team USA and came home with a Gold Medal.

Apparently, only Pau Gasol and Ron Artest had relatively quiet off-seasons and pre-seasons.

The Lakers are expected to be a favorite to repeat as champions again heading into the season. Out West, their main competition will be the usual suspects, such as San Antontio, Dallas, Phoenix, Utah and Oklahoma City. However, there has been a shift in the East, and the Lakers will no doubt have another team to be concerned about besides Boston and Orlando.

The Miami Heat completely revamped their roster in the off-season when they not only re-signed Dwayne Wade, but added LeBron James and Chris Bosh as free agents. Add to the mix the likes of Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Udonis Haslem, the Miami Heat have suddenly become not only relevant again, but the favorites in the East.

The Celtics were able to re-sign Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and add Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal, but their age, along with Kevin Garnett's recent injury history, has to still be of concern to Celtics. Injuries are already beginning to mount in Boston and the season hasn't even started yet.

The 2010-2011 season should be one of the more exciting seasons in recent years with so many players on new teams, and the emergence of new teams as serious contenders. But in the end, it would be foolish to pick against the Lakers to repeat for a third straight year. It won't be as easy this year for the Lakers, but the title is theirs until someone takes it from them.

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!!

It's Been a While... Again

Sometimes, life just gets in the way of being able to keep this space up-to-date, but with the holiday weekend upon us and the NBA season down to two teams after an interesting first three rounds of playoff hoops, It's time to get back down to business.

When we last spoke here, Kobe had just inked his three-extension and the Lakers were preparing for the playoffs. Since then, the Lakers have rolled through three rounds, though it was interesting for a while.

As the top seed in the West, they drew a very good eight-seed in Oklahoma City. The Thunder won two games in the series, and pushed the Lakers in a couple of the other games. But in the end, it was just too much Kobe, and too much Laker experience for the Thunder.

The Lakers then got a match-up with the Utah Jazz, and promptly swept them right out of round two. They manhandled the Phoenix Suns in the first two games at Staples in the Conference Finals, but looked lost in games three and four in Phoenix. With the series tied 2-2 in Game Five, the Lakers looked like they were on their way to another home blowout against the Suns. Instead, the Suns erased an 18-point deficit and with the score tied with 3.5 seconds left, the Lakers got some more of the playoff magic.

Ron Artest continued his hot streak in Game Six at Phoenix last night, and although the Lakers nearly blew another large lead, they hung on for an eight-point win and a third straight trip to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers will get a rematch, and home court, against the Boston Celtics. They split the season series 1-1, with each team winning on the road by one point. But the C's have the Lakers number when it comes to the Finals. In the previous 11 match-ups, the Lakers are just 2-9 overall against Boston in the Finals, including a six-game thumping by the Celtics in 2008. You can bet the Lakers are looking for revenge.

And for what it's worth, the Lakers are making their league-high 31st appearance in the Finals to go with their 15 titles, second most in the league behind Boston, who have 18 titles in just 21 total appearances in the Finals.

It should be a fun series.

More to come as it closer to Game One on Thursday night at Staples.

Lakers Extend Kobe

Just days after completing a very disappointing 2-3 road trip as they prepare for the playoffs, the Lakers announced today they have inked Kobe Bryant to a three-year max extension, likely to be around $90MM.

Think it's a coincidence that Kobe's extension, Pau's extension and Ron Artest's contract all run through the 2013-2014 season? I think not. The Lakers have all but assured themselves they will be one of the top teams in the league through that season.

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.

And So It Goes...

Kobe returns after a five-game injury absence in which the Lakers went 4-1 without him, only to look listless and effortless for two-plus games since. You kind of had to think this would happen. Their "main man" goes down and the other 11 guys suddenly feel a sense of urgency and play out of their minds for five games. Then the guy comes back and the rest of the team takes a deep breathe and a sigh of relief and they wait for something to happen through four games in which they looked dreadful in two-plus of them.

In any case, Kobe's back and hopefully the last 18 minutes of Sunday's win over Denver is a sign of things to come.

In the meantime, I stumbled across this little ditty of a rumor early this morning. In a nutshell, the rumor suggests Lebron James is quietly campaigning to join the Lakers in the off-season after his contract with Cleveland expires.

Now, as the article suggests, a lot would have to happen for this to ever come to fruition. The Lakers would have to shrug Kobe off to the sidelines and end all possible contract extension negotiations. Would they dare do that to the franchise's all-time leading scorer and the second most popular player in franchise history?

I just don't see it happening, but it does make for a fun little conversation.

Celtics Barely Escape Kobe-less Lakers

Lakers lose by one, 87-86. They had several chances to take the lead in the last two minutes of the game but came up empty. Pau Gasol had 22 points for the Lakers in the loss.

The Lakers are off until next Tuesday when they begin a short two game trip in Memphis, followed by a stop in Dallas. Hopefully the extra off days between games will be plenty for Kobe to get back into a game. Lakers are 4-1 now without him, 42-14 overall.