Stoudemire Rumor?

From Rotoworld:

A Twitter account belonging to @amareisreal states "Amar'e Stoudemire to the Lakers on Friday!"

The Twitter page looks like the real deal and is attributed to Stoudemire by two different verification sites. While we doubt Stoudemire actually posted the Tweet in question, it is possible. But it seems more likely that this may be a prank. Or should we say, 'Twank.'

So, am I the only one who chuckled at this? Seems hard to believe... and too good to be true. Lakers have confirmed this to be a hoax, as well.

Another Pick Traded

The Lakers traded the draft rights of 42nd pick Patrick Beverley to the Miami Heat for a future second-round pick and cash. Maybe Farmar isn't being shopped afterall.

Lakers Take Elonu With 59th Pick

That's Chinemelu Elonu, a big 6'10" PF out of Texas A&M. This could be a steal for the Lakers as he probably would have been a first rounder next year had he stayed in school one more year.

Lakers Make First Second-Round Pick

The Lakers have selected 6'1" PG Patrick Beverley with the 42nd pick in tonight's draft, their first of two second round picks. Beverley played in Ukraine last season after playing two years at the University of Arkansas before dropping out. He should provide immediate experience off the bench.

Does this mean the Lakers are still shopping Jordan Farmar? We'll known soon enough.

Lakers Make First Round Pick For Knicks

Apparently the deal for the 29th pick wasn't finalized before the draft, so the Lakers made the selection and took PG Toney Douglas out of Florida State. Douglas' rights were then officially traded to the Knicks.

Lakers Trade First Round Pick

As expected, the Lakers have dealt their first round pick in tonight's draft. The 29th pick was purchased by the Knicks. More on this as the draft nears.

On a related note, the L.A. Times reported that the Lakers engaged the Rockets in trade talks for either Jordan Farmar or the first round pick they just sold to the Knicks, but the Lakers were turned down. No word on whether the Lakers are still shopping Farmar.

More on Shaq Trade

The deal is supposedly done. Cleveland also sent $500K in cash and their 46th pick in the second round of today's draft to Phoenix. As for the Suns, this was a straight up salary dump. Ben Wallace is expected to accept a buy-out of the final year of his contract and then retire, and Sasha Pavlovic is likely to be waived before camp begins with only $1.5MM of his $4.8MM contract guaranteed making him a free agent. Could he re-sign with the Cavs if this all plays out?

Meanwhile, Shaq also has one year left on his contract, so the Cavs decided to go for all the marbles now, and then when Shaq's contract expires after this coming season, the Cavs could make a run at Chris Bosh.

Shaq Traded Again

BREAKING NEWS: This just came across the wire moments ago...

According to ESPN and ESPN.com, sources say the Phoenix Suns have agreed in principle on a pre-draft deal that would send former Laker center Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, pending ownership and league approval. The deal is expected to be finalized Thursday. The Cavaliers would be Shaq's fifth team. He previously played for Orlando, the Lakers and Miami.

All I can say about this is, "Wow!" Cleveland is serious about winning now.

More on this as it become available tomorrow morning.

Looking to Next Season, Tomorrow's Draft, Phil & Kobe

Now that people have had a chance to let the title run sink in, and enjoy the parade and the hoopla that came with it all, it's time to look ahead to next season. The Lakers, like most NBA teams, have some things to take care of that need to be addressed.

The first order of business is tomorrow's draft. The Lakers have the 29th pick of the draft/first round, but it is becoming more and more apparent that they don't want to add any more guaranteed contracts to the payroll, so chances are pretty good at this point that pick will be dealt. They also have two second round picks (Nos. 42 and 59). Part of the reasoning behind all this is they want to re-sign two of their own unrestricted free agents, Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, both small forwards who were two key components of their title run.

I was sure, that because of the uncertainty of whether or not they could re-sign both Ariza and Odom, the Lakers would use that first round pick and draft some insurance at the forward position, such as 6'9' Georgetown power forward DaJuan Summers, or possibly even go for point guard depth and draft UCLA's Darren Collison, even though Collison's size doesn't really fit into Phil Jackson's likeness for bigger guards. Either way, late word suggests the Lakers really aren't expected to make a splash at the draft tomorrow night in New York.

The only certainty of tomorrow's draft, by the way, is that L.A.'s other team will be drafting Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin with the first overall pick. After that, the rest of the draft is a crapshoot.

Back to the Lakers. The Lakers have made it clear that they will do everything in their power to re-sign both Ariza and Odom. And both players have said they not only want be back with the team, but that team also expressed the same willingness to want them both back. Whether or not they can actually do it remains to be seen. Both players, especially Ariza, will command a hefty pay raise in free agency this summer, so the Lakers will have their work cut out for them to try and get them both re-signed.

The Lakers very own human highlight reel, Shannon Brown, is also a free agent, and it is believed the Lakers want him back, as well.

The situation with Phil Jackson is more simple. He's either coming back, or he's not, but health issues have put any decision on hold until early July. There was speculation as early as yesterday that the Lakers might allow him to coach only home games, and let assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach road games. But GM Mitch Kupchak shot that idea down today saying if he comes back, he'll coach all the games. There will be no in-between. My guess is as good as anyone's but my gut tells me he will be back next season.

Finally, there's Kobe Bryant. This much we know: he will be back next year, and the year after. He does have an opt-out clause in his contract, and there was speculation he could do that to renegotiate his contract to save the team some money to allow them to re-sign Ariza, Odom and Brown. But even if that scenario played out, Kobe wouldn't get that much less than he's already making, and the Lakers wouldn't save that much on Kobe to free up addition money to re-sign Ariza, Odom and Brown. That said, its very likely Bryant will not use the opt out, and play out the final two years of his contract.

Obviously, the Lakers do have a lot issues to settle before training camp next season, but I'm pretty convinced that everything will work to the Lakers favor, and all of this talk will have been for naught.

Another D-Fish Message and the Parade

In light of the violence that took place on Sunday night after the Lakers clinched their 15th NBA title in 30 tries, Laker guard Derek Fisher made another plea to the fans to act like adults and celebrate responsibly at tomorrow's parade. I won't get into the logistics again of what transpired Sunday night, but I just hope the fans can be civil, and show some respect to each other, the city, the team and the local businesses around the downtown and the parade route.

As for the parade itself, it will begin at Staples Center at 11am PT, and make its way south on Figueroa through south downtown, and end up at the Coliseum for a monster rally. The first 95,000 fans who arrive at the Coliseum will be allowed in, where the rally will take place inside the Coliseum. In years past, the parade would start at City Hall, and come down Figueroa to Staples Center, where the rally would be held outside the front of the building. But because L.A. Live now sits where the empty parking lot across from Staples on Chick Hearn Court used to sit, where hundreds of thousands of fans stood for the previous three rallies, the city and team re-routed the parade route.

The Lakers are paying for half of the parade costs, while private investors have picked up about 90% of the city's half of the costs. The parade will be televised on FSN West for four hours beginning at 9:30am.

A Disgusted Fan

Nine years ago, when the Lakers won the NBA title for the first time in 12 years, it ended a long drought of frustration for Laker fans, who had seen their team come so close several times since they had last won in 1988. That year, in 2000, the Lakers clinched the title against Indiana at Staples Center in front of their home-town fans in six games.

While the game was going on inside, it was being televised on a large screen just outside in the main concourse on 11th Street. Back then, there was a large parking lot across the street, where L.A. Live now sits. That night, there were roughly 10,000 additional fans outside the arena when the final buzzer sounded inside.

As the celebration began inside, it also began outside. The fans had become so delirious, almost to a point where they didn't know what to do or how to celebrate, many resorted to violence. Police cars were damaged or destroyed outside the arena, small fires were set along 11th Street, nearby business were looted, and the fans and players inside the building were locked down until the rowdiness subsided several hours later.

At one point during the melee outside, then-Laker forward A.C. Green came on television, and sent a message to Laker fans around the city to celebrate responsibly. That message was broadcasted on the big screen outside Staples Center to everyone outside the building. It took a long while for the rowdy fans to disperse, but it took a valient effort by the LAPD.

The following two years, the celebrations went on peacefully without any major incidents like those in 2000.

Unfortunately, things got out of hand last night again, and as a Laker fan, living afar now, I'm disgusted by the cowards who decided to act out again. While the crowds weren't nearly as big as what I witnessed in 2000, they were just as irresponsible and immature last night. More fires were set, more looting took place, and rocks were thrown at police officers just doing their job (five of them suffered minor injuries).

Most of the problems took place in East L.A., where there was looting last week after the Game 3 loss. But there were idiots who felt the need to attempt to vandalize, at the very least, the statues outside Staples Center last night.

Don't people care about their city? Don't they care that millions of people around the country, around the world, are watching them? It's sickening. It's embarrassing. It's because of incidents like last night, and back in 2000, that gives L.A. a bad reputation. And it's because of incidents like that why people are leaving L.A. and moving elsewhere.

This past weekend here in Dallas, the Dodgers were in town for the first time in who-knows-how long. It was the first time they've been here since I moved here from L.A. two years ago. And I know in the last five years, many other Angelinos have left L.A. for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. And let me tell you, there are plenty of us here. I see them everyday driving. I see their California license plates with their plate frames from various dealerships around Southern California. L.A. fans were out in full force for all three games, and we behaved ourselves with dignity and class. We represented our native city, and our team, with respect to the fans and the city here. Why couldn't the fans back in L.A. act with the same class last night?

And what's sad is last night during his post-game press conference, Derek Fisher made a plea to the fans in L.A. to celebrate repsonsibly, and act with class and dignity, to represent the city, the rest of the fans, and the team. And they still didn't listen.

What's even more sad is that I don't think the fans who were destructive last night are real fans. To them, the win was just another reason to party and act like morons. It gave them a reason to get drunk, and be stupid. They weren't celebrating responsibly, they were acting like drunk savages. Real, die-hard fans don't disrespect their city, the other fans or the team like that.

I'm proud to say I acted responsibly. I'm proud to say I'm a die-hard Dodger and Laker fan. But I'm disgusted and embarrassed by the display of disrespect shown by the drunks last night back in L.A. who felt the need to be destructive for no apparent reason. I'm glad I left L.A. when I did. I'm almost proud to say, I no longer live among those idiots.

Mission: Quest for 15 - COMPLETE!

Your Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Champions for the 15th time in franchise history after an impressive Game 5 victory over the Orlando Magic last night by a final score of 99-86. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP after securing his legacy with one of the great Finals performances we've seen since Michael Jordan. Kobe averaged 32 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the five games against Orlando, just the second player ever to accomplish that in an NBA Finals series.

For Kobe and Derek Fisher, this is their fourth title together as teammates, who joined the league at the same time in 1996. Kobe was part of the Vlade Divac trade on draft day in 1996 that sent Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to Kobe, who was drafted by the Hornets for the Lakers as part of the deal. Fisher was the Lakers first round draft pick later that night. The two struggled through three playoff seasons from 1997 to 1999, and finally won their first of three straight in 2000, against Indiana in six games, when Phil Jackson took over as head coach at the beginning of that season in 1999. The Lakers beat Philadelphia in five games in 2001, and swept New Jersey in 2002.

Jackson, with the win, becomes the winningest coach in NBA Finals history with his 10th title as a head coach, surpassing the late, great Red Auerbach, who won nine titles with Boston in the 50s and 60s. Jackson won six with the Bulls from 1991 to 1998, including three-peats twice, from 1991-1993, and 1996-1998, before coming to the Lakers in 1999. He has now won 10 of the last 19 NBA titles as a head coach, and is 10-2 overall in the NBA Finals, the two losses coming in 2004 against Detroit, and last season against Boston.

As for the game last night, the Lakers thoroughly frustrated Orlando after the Magic started off quickly and ran off to a nine point lead early. The Lakers battled back, weathered the storm, and then ran off a 16-0 run that would essentially seal the deal as the Magic never really challenged them again.

Not to be forgotten, are the performances of Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza throughout the game, and the series. And of course, not mentioned yet and surely not forgotten, here in this space, were the two big three-pointers by Fisher in Game 4, the first sending the game into overtime, and the second helping ice the game in overtime that led to the all important 99-91 win.

In that game, the Lakers trailed at the half, after looking lost for 24 minutes. The Lakers battled through adversity, and early foul trouble, and came out of the locker room at halftime a much more aggressive team, led by Ariza's 13 third quarter points, and it carried over into Game 5. As aggressive as the Lakers were in the second half and overtime in Game 4, they did not shoot a single free throw after the third quarter. But it didn't matter.

The Magic made costly turnovers and missed numerous key free throws late Game 4, much like the Lakers did in Game 3, that enabled the Lakers to rally from five points down, and gave Fisher the opportunity to hit that game-tying three pointer with just under five seconds left in regulation.

In the decisive Game 5 win last night, the Lakers dominated many of the key components of the game, including the boards, offensively and defensively, and kept the Magic off balance much of the game, forcing them into key turnovers that led to key Laker points. As a result, the Magic played frustrated all night, and it was never more evident than in the play of Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu.

Congratulations to the Lakers on a remarkable season that saw them win 65 regular season games, third most in frachise history. Congratulations to the 15-time NBA Champion, Los Angeles Lakers!

Lakers Lose Game 3, But All Is Still Good

Talk about a weird game last night. Orlando shot an insane 63% from the floor, and Kobe missed some critical free throws late in the game, and turned the ball over and missed a layup, also late in the game, and the Lakers lost a tough one, 108-104 in Orlando.

Kobe scored 17 first quarter points but was relatively ineffective the rest of the night in spite of the miscues and missed free throws in the fourth quarter. Kobe led five Lakers in double figures, finishing with 31 points and eight assists for the third straight game. Pau Gasol had 23 points, Trevor Ariza finished with 13 points and Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar added 11 apiece off the bench for the Lakers, who shot a respectable 51% from the floor.

Meanwhile, the Magic had three players score 20 or more points, led by Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard's 21 points apiece. But the key to Orlando's win last night was a breakout performance in the series by Magic point guard Rafer Alston, who finished with 20 points.

The Lakers overall played a solid game, and well enough to win. But Kobe's mistakes, miscues and misses would prove costly, and a bit too much to overcome late in the game.

If the Lakers continue to play as well as they have in the series, they should be in great shape as they continue their march to their 15th NBA title. I don't expect Orlando to shoot 63% from the floor again, and you can bet Kobe won't have the kind of fourth quarter as he did last night again. That said, I expect the Lakers to come out victorious in Game 4 tomorrow night in Orlando.

**********
By the way, I heard on local ESPN Radio 103.3 FM here in the Dallas area today that the L.A.P.D. sent a memo out to the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles, that should the Lakers clinch the title on Sunday in Game 5, they could be ready for a parade on Monday morning. The memo apparently also said that if it takes the Lakers longer, a parade could take place next Wednesday, next Friday, or the following Monday. The L.A.P.D. has apparently already mapped out a parade route that would begin at Staples Center, and wind through downtown, ending up at the Coliseum where the rally would take place.

Now if you ask me, this is a very bold move by the L.A.P.D. because they're already under the assumption that the Lakers will win. The department's reasoning for the memo will obviously be that they're planning ahead to be prepared from a security standpoint, and chances are the city would buy into that. I just hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Lakers and they wind up not winning this at all.

Lakers Go Up 2-0

It wasn't pretty, but the Lakers made the defensive stops when they needed it, and they made the big shots and free throws when they had to, and escaped with a 101-96 win in overtime in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The Lakers used another balanced scoring attack as Kobe had a team high 29 points to go with eight assists. Pau Gasol added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Lamar Odom had another great game off the bench, scoring 19 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

The Lakers shot 46% from the floor, but early in the game it looked like both teams were struggling to make their shots. At one point in the second quarter, both teams were shooting under 35% for the game. Orlando wound up shooting 42% for the game with a better showing in the second half, but made just 10 of 30 from three-point land. Rashard Lewis led all scorers with 34 points. Lewis also chipped in with 11 rebounds, while Hedo Turkoglu added 22 points, and Dwight Howard had 17 points to go with his game high 16 rebounds.

The Lakers were badly beaten on the boards tonight, 44-35, but they out-scored the Magic at free throw line 24-20.

The game was tied after the first quarter, but the Lakers stretched it out to a five-point half-time lead, 40-35. The Magic came out of the locker room poised to send this series back to Orlando tied, and would lead after three quarters, 65-63. The game was a see-saw battle throughout the fourth quarter, and the Lakers had a chance to win it with just nine seconds left. But Hedo Turkoglu blocked Kobe's shot with :00.6 seconds left in regulation. The Magic tried one last lob and shoot play, but Courtney Lee missed the open lay-up from the inbounds lob pass, sending the game into overtime.

Teams taking a 2-0 playoff series lead in the NBA have historically won 94% of the time, so the percentages favor the Lakers heading into Game 3. The Magic have a chance now to regain home court as the next three games are in Orlando. Game 3 is Tuesday night, with Game 4 on Thursday night, and Game 5 a week from tonight if the magic win either of the next two games.

Total Domination

If Game 1 is any indication how the rest of the series will be played out, the Lakers can book their 15th NBA title now. The Lakers played their third straight impressive performance going back to Games 5 and 6 of the West Finals, by completely dominating the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of the NBA Finals with a 100-75 rout. Kobe did his thing as usual, nearly putting up a triple-double, scoring a personal Finals-best 40 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Lakers dominated every aspect of the game from late in the first quarter. They pounded the glass and dominated the inside game, out-rebounding the Magic 55-41, and in the process, played stifling defense that kept the Magic off-balanced offensively for much of the night. The end result left the Magic with just three players in double-figures in scoring, led by Michael Pietrus' 14 points. Dwight Howard had 12 points and 15 rebounds while Hedo Turkoglu finished with 13 points. Orlando shot just 30% from the floor tonight, thanks in large part to the Lakers defensive efforts.

For the Lakers, Pau Gasol chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds, Lamar Odom added 11 and 14, and Andrew Bynum had nine points and nine rebounds.

Game 2 is Sunday night at Staples.

T-Minus Two Hours

Well, we've finally reached that time of the day when we can really begin to prepare and get ready for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. There isn't a whole lot new to report on the Lakers side, but there might be some on the Magic side.

Earlier in the week, Jameer Nelson (shoulder) began full-contact drills and workouts with the Magic in hopes he might be activated and ready for the Finals. After the first two practices, teammates proclaimed Nelson ready, and that he would play in the Finals. Then earlier today, we heard the Magic rule him out and Nelson would not be activated for the series. Now late word out of Staples Center is that he will be activated for the series. But how effective he will be if he even plays remains to be seen.

Nelson was an intrigal part of the Magic's two wins against the Lakers during the regular season. However, those games were back in December, roughly 61 games ago for the Lakers.

Back on the Lakers injury front, both Lamar Odom (sore back) and Trevor Ariza (hip/groin) both practiced at 100% today are both expected to be ready for tonight. Ariza will continue to start while Odom comes off the bench.

Lakers Have A Magic-al Opponent

Orlando defeated Cleveland tonight 103-90 in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals to eliminate Lebron James and the Cavs from the playoffs. That means the Lakers will have home court advantage in the Finals and will host Game One on Thursday night. For the rest of the Finals schedule, check out Dodger Thoughts' Jon Weisman's post connecting the Lakers and Dodgers schedule correlations.

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."

Lakers Lead Game 6 at the Half

So far, so good. Lakers showed up tonight. At the break, they're up 53-40. They're attacking the baket, they're playing aggressively, they're playing with a purpose tonight.

Lakers are shooting 60% to Denver's 37%. They're also shooting 60% from behind the three-point line. Kobe leads all scorers with 18 points, but he also has six assists. Ariza has 13.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

Well, that was a better performance by the Lakers last night. A well-balanced scoring attack propelled the Lakers to the brink of another trip to the NBA Finals with a 103-94 win at Staples. The Lakers slashed and dashed their way through the Nuggets defense all night, in particular from the middle of the third quarter to the end of the game. Kobe penetrated, drew double- and triple-teams while breaking down the Nuggets defense, and dished the ball out to the open man all night, racking up eight assists in the process, to go along with his 22 points on just 13 shots.

The result was a big night for Lamar Odom, who poured in 19 points with 14 boards, and Pau Gasol, who added 14 and 10, as the big men dominated the inside game.

The game was tied at the end of the first three quarters, but the Lakers used a 21-3 run that began mid-way through the third. They started the fourth with an 11-0 run to bust the game open. The balanced attack also featured 12 points each from Trevor Ariza and Derek Fisher. And Shannon Brown, who had just six points, hit a big shot late in the game to beat the 24 second clock that would turn out to be a huge basket.

Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 31 points, but unlike Game Four, when Denver had seven players in double figures, he had very little support from his teammates. hauncey Billips was limited to just seven shots all night for 12 points, the second highest scorer for the Nuggets. Only two others scored in double figures for Denver, who now trail the Lakers 3-2 in the series with Game Six back in Denver tomorrow night.

The Lakers were out-rebounded again, but this time by one board, but they did a much better job on the offensive glass, finishing with 14 offensive rebounds to Denver's 10. The game was more balanced from an officiating standpoint, as the Lakers shot just five more free throws than Denver. And despite that, Nuggets coach George Karl, much like Phil Jackson did after Game Four, criticsized the officiating after the game, although using much lighter words. Jackson was fined $25,000 for his comments. The league didn't fine Karl.

A little something to ponder heading into tomorrow's showdown...

Quick Update

Along with rescinding Bynum's flagrant foul as noted below, the league has issued a flagrant-1 foul on Dahntay Jones for tripping Kobe. That is Jones' third of the playoffs, which means, one more, and he'll earn an automatic one-game suspension.

A Mile High Embarassment

Well, that was fun, wasn't it?! Last night's game has to rank as one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a Laker team in the playoffs. They were out-played, out-hustled, out-rebounded, out-coached in every aspect of the game. Sure, Kobe did his thing with 34 points despite showing signs of fatigued carried over from the end of Game Three. Pau added 21 and 10, and Bynum chipped in another 14. But they displayed no sense of urgency last night, and played the game as if it were another regular season game in November instead of a key playoff game in a seven-game series. And while the Nuggets went to the free line 49 times to the Lakers 35, the Lakers have no one to blame but themselves for that, as well. They just weren't aggressive enough. And it showed, even on the offensive glass where they were badly out-rebounded 20-9 (58-40 overall). The bench added no support, either. Jordan Farmar led all Laker reserves with just 10 points.

Once again, Chauncey Billups was a thorn in the Lakers side, pouring in 24 points. Nuggets reserve J.R. Smith, who's been cocky and arrogant all series, displaying unsportsmanlike gestures throughout, also added 24. Five other Nuggets scored in double-figures for Denver, who won 120-101.

And, for whatever reason, Kobe was on the bench for a good part of the 4th quarter, again, which seemed to be a hot topic on numerous post-game shows last night on both radio and television. Many people suggested that Phil Jackson was throwing in the towel for this game much too early by sitting Kobe when he did.

Pau Gasol questioned the way the offense lacked the involvement of the 'big men' more, as well. And while I understand his frustrations and being the spokesperson for the 'big men', I personally am still not convinced that Andrew Bynum is altogether with it defensively. His inability to dominate the boards as a seven-footer has not warranted the playing time he commands, thus, making his availability to be an intregal part of the offense limited.

Of lesser concern, both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, are both recovering from minor injuries. It is believed that their injuries limited their effectiveness last night. Neither are expected to lose any significant playing time, and both hope to be more effective in Game Five tomorrow night at Staples.

Also, Andrew Bynum was assessed with a flagrant foul last night after making a hard foul on Nuggets forward Chris "Birdman" Anderson. Bynum brought both of his arms down hard on Anderson late in the game while Anderson was driving to the basket. When the play occurred, and ended, Anderson's headband was down over his eyes. However, replays showed that Bynum made every effort to hit the ball when this arms came down on Anderson, that there was no intent to injure Anderson, and the league today rescinded the flagrant foul on Bynum after further review.

Likely still under review, however, is the tripping of Kobe in third quarter by Dahntay Jones. Unintentional or not, Phil called it unsportsmanlike; Kobe said it was good defense and added, sarcastically, that he was a "klutz."

Having said all that, with the series dead even at two games apiece, the Lakers did what they set out to do when they arrived in Denver: they regained home court advantage, and have two chances at home versus one for Denver, so the odds are still in their favor. Hopefully they'll take advantage of it.

Lake Show Regains Home Court

This series is really turning into a closely contested battle between two teams looking to gain whatever edge they can. Tonight, Kobe, Ariza and Gasol stepped it up and carried the Lakers, making the big shots and the big plays when they needed it, and the Lakers gutted out a 103-97 win from the Nuggets up in the Mile High City.

The Lakers trailed much of the game, and as was the case in the first two games, both teams had to overcome inconsistent officiating from the referees. But in the end, the Lakers were victorious as they held their cool over an emotional Nuggets team that made some costly mistakes again late in the game. The biggest play of the game, no doubt, was a replica of a play that turned out to be the biggest play of the Lakers Game 1 win. Trevor Ariza stole an inbounds pass at midcourt from the Nuggets, and was fouled in process, making the two free throws that gave the Lakers a four-point lead.

Kobe finished with 41 points, his second 40-point effort in the series. Game 4 is Monday night.

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.

Well, Talk About Payback...

Once again, I did not see any of the game. However, just from looking at the score, it's quite obvious the Lakers took this game a lot more seriously than they did Sunday's game. How does a 40-point blowout sound? Not bad, huh?! Now let's see if they can take that energy and head back to Houston and play the same way they did tonight and wrap up this series. There's no excuse for them to not get it done. Just do it!

I'll share some more thoughts tomorrow after I've had a chance to read up on the game summaries and post-game comments from the players, and see some of the highlights.