Summer News

Ever since Lamar Odom finally re-signed with the Lakers last month, I was hoping things would quiet down for the Lakers until camp started, but lo and behold, it's been anything but for the World Champions. That said, here's a brief chronological rundown/recap on some of the key news items since Odom's signing:

• The Lakers waived guard Sun Yue. I don't think anyone will miss him.
• Guard Sasha Vujacic underwent minor knee surgery following a minor injury suffered while playing for Slovenia's national team this summer. He has since fully recovered and has resumed full basketball activities. Barring any setbacks, he'll be ready for camp.
• Former Laker forward and assistant coach Kurt Rambis was named head coach of the Timberwolves. Congratulations, and good luck in Minnesota! You'll need it.
• Forward Pau Gasol broke his left middle finger (his non-shooting hand) while practicing with the Spanish national team. The injury required surgery but it's not considered a serious injury and he was expected to miss only three weeks. This timetable means Gasol should be more than ready when camp opens up in October, but to be safe, Lakers trainer Gary Vitti is flying later this month to Spain to check on Gasol, and to make sure the reports of the three-week setback are accurate.

That should about cover it. This space is now current and up-to-date!

Odom To Re-Sign With Lakers

About time. Now can we move on and not talk about this anymore? Here's the ESPN.com report...

As L.O.'s World Turns

We haven't heard much on the Lamar Odom drama in a few days, but there's an interesting rumor floating around the internet.

Last week, we learned that Odom reached out to Laker owner Jerry Buss in hopes of fixing the mess Odom created by rejecting the Laker offers. One source claimed the two met last night. Yesterday we also heard Kobe say he's confident that Odom will return to the Lakers. Now today, Black Sports Online is reporting that their sources say the Lakers and Odom have reached an agreement.

However, John Ireland says in his blog that after talking with his sources within the organization, no such deal has been reached. He also says that Odom will have to take a lesser offer than the ones he turned down if he's to re-sign with the Lakers. The Lakers will not put either of the offers (the 3- or 4-year deals) back on the table, and no offer is currently on the table. Finally, Ireland also says it was Odom who turned down the Lakers, not his agent, Jeff Schwartz.

This all sounds like something you might find on the Soap Opera cable network at 3am.

Lakers Pull Offers for Odom

The Lamar Odom saga has taken a new twist. The Lakers yesterday pulled their two offers on the table for Odom, saying that they were growing frustrated with him and his agent, Jeff Schwartz. The two offers are reported to be around $9MM per year for four years, and around $10MM per year for three.

According to a report today in the L.A. Times, people within the Lakers organization, and people close to Odom, however, believe that Odom wants to re-sign with the Lakers and accept one of the offers. However, his agent isn't convinced of that. Well, last time I checked, the agent works for the player, not the other way around. If a player says he wants to sign one of the contracts, it's the agent's responsibility to make sure that happens. The agent is an adviser and a negotiator, nothing more. The agent isn't the decision-maker, the player is.

Last weekend Mitch Kupchak admitted he was growing frustrated with Odom and his agent, and at the time didn't like his chances of being able to re-sign Odom, although he had hoped for a resolution 'in a couple of days.' Well those couple of days have come and gone, and no resolution has been reached, unless you count the retraction of the two offers the Lakers way of saying, ' we have reached a resolution.'

The Lakers say they will be more than willing to re-open negotiations, but Odom and his agent will have to come to them, and the two offers pulled yesterday are no longer on the table. Any new offers made by the Lakers could very well be for less than those retracted yesterday.

This all has an eerie similarity to the Dodgers situation with Manny Ramirez this past spring, doesn't it? I would guess the Lakers have grown tired of the lack of communication from the Odom Camp, and are ready to move on. It also appears obvious the Lakers have no intention what-so-ever of getting into a bidding war with themselves, as there are no other known offers from any other team for Odom. There does appear to be some lukewarm interest from at least four other teams (Dallas, Miami, Utah and Portland), but no serious talks have apparently taken place, and no offers have been made.

My advice to the Lakers is this: if re-signing Odom is going to hinder their chances of re-signing Pau Gasol when his contract is up in two years, I pass on Odom. Odom's a nice role player to have coming off the bench, and when he's on top of his game, and focused on the task at hand, he's one of the best players in the game. But his inconsistencies make him a liability. Gasol, to me, is a much more important piece of the puzzle for the future beyond the next two years. Let Odom walk, I say.

Stay tuned as this may get even stickier before it all irons out.

Artest Signing Official

Here is the story on the Lakers official website with an official press release. All free agent signings in the NBA can officially take place starting today as the moratorium period has concluded.

Artest will be wearing No. 37 for the Lakers in honor of Michael Jackson's album Thriller, which spent a record 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200 Albums chart in 1984 and 1985. Jackson died unexpectedly 13 days ago at the age of 50 in Los Angeles.

Shannon Brown has also officially signed a new two-year deal with the Lakers. Here is his official announcement.

Phil and L.O.

Well you knew Phil would return next season, especially if he was cleared medically. Well, it's now confirmed.

Not confirmed yet is the rumored three-year, $23-$24MM offer coming to Lamar Odom, as suggested by ESPN's Chirs Broussard. We'll find out soon enough.

Also, according to the NY Post, the Lakers, along with Orlando, have made "serious inquiries" about Knicks RFA PG Nate Robinson. The same report also says Robinson could very well just accept the Knicks one-year qualifying offer. Should the Lakers make him an offer for the Knicks to match, and the Knicks don't match it, you can almost bet Jordan Farmar will be out of the picture next season.

An Insider's Take on Artest, Plus Ariza To Houston

I just happened to be rummaging through some of the Laker blogs on the big WWW to see what was being said about the Ron Artest deal, and came across this posting by John Ireland, who covers the Lakers for KCAL 9, and is the co-host of the Mason and Ireland Show on 710 ESPN in L.A. from 10am to 2pm.

Also, in reaction to the Artest agreement, Trevor Ariza has accepted the Rockets offer of their full mid-level exception of five years, $32MM. Artest reportedly is getting part of the Lakers mid-level exception of three years and roughly $18MM. As Ireland notes, this leaves more than enough for the Lakers to re-sign Lamar Odom, a childhood friend of Artest.

Lakers Agree with Artest

According to the L.A. Times, the Daily News and CBS Sports, the Lakers and Ron Artest have agreed on a deal. The Lakers, and Kobe, have coveted Artest for several years now, and almost traded for him two seasons ago when he was traded by Sacramento to Houston. Now, they apparently have their man.

The addition of Artest will take the sting away from the possibility of losing Trevor Ariza. Ariza is said to be upset with the Lakers for the way they've handled his free agency and is now talking with Cleveland and Houston, among other teams. Meanwhile, Artest is expected to sign for the Lakers full mid-level exception, which is roughly five years and about $32MM, and should give the Lakers enough in their budget to re-sign Lamar Odom, as well.

Artest has been meeting with Jerry Buss and other members of the Lakers management team, including Phil Jackson for much of the day. His agent says an official announcement of the agreement could come later today.

Is Ariza a Goner?

According to this ESPN article just posted a bit ago, all signs point to swingman Trevor Ariza signing elsewhere, perhaps with Cleveland. The article suggests that both the Lakers and Cavs are offering just their mid-level exception for him, but Ariza is apparently not happy with the Lakers "blase attitude towards his free agency." The Rockets, Clippers, Raptors and Blazers are also said to be interested.

Stay tuned as this story continues to develop.

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.

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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.