The Association

Lakers Steal Game One from Denver

By Craig Kwasniewski  

Whew! As series go, one chapter down and this feels like the makings of an epic series. The Lakers overcame their now typical lackluster start and some very questionable officiating to pull out a 105-103 victory over a very confident Denver Nuggets team in Los Angeles. Here are a few thoughts from my seat high up in Section 316 of Le Stade de Staples:  

Carmelo Anthony wanted to send a clear message... LeBron, Dwight Howard and Kobe aren't the only superstars left in the playoffs. Remember last year when Melo called out the Nuggets for quitting? That player is long gone... Melo was straight up ballin' on BOTH ends of the floor. He held his own down the stretch, hitting clutch hoops and holding his own defensively.

Kobe v. Melo... The never told story. These two superstars really haven't had the famous one-on-one battles like Wade-LeBron or Kobe-Wade. Both guys went at it at both ends of the floor tonight combining for 79 and despite the high scoring, playing impressive defense down the stretch. Melo was able to keep Kobe on the outside forcing him into difficult and deep fadeaways late in the game (see the photo below). Kobe was only able to close it out on the freethrow line after an ill-advised reach in foul by K-Mart... Melo really didn't need help on the play. Anyway, rivalries and made in the playoffs and hopefully this series brings us more of Kobe vs. Melo. 

The "only so many points to go around" theory applies to Melo and Chauncey. Unless you're completely giving up on your head coach like New Orleans, the scoring ceiling the playoffs is usually around 110 points.  So people can always argue "well... just wait until (these several guys) get hot" but no matter what, they still won't exceed 110 points... Simply there's only so many shots to go around. Anyway, this is why we'll never see a game where both Chauncey and Melo get 30 a night. It's either one or the other. Tonight Melo dominated on offense but Chauncey was held in check... Well except for those sick threes late in the game.  Denver seems more dangerous when Chauncey is hot, I think the Lakers are willing to accept the occasional Melo scoring outburst as long as it's not late in the game.

The Lakers stole this one. Denver dominted the first quarter right from the tip, taking advantage of the Lakers now typical slow start. (BTW - these slow starts are VERY disturbing!  How hard is it to get motivated for the playoffs? CLEARLY the Lakers started off like this game's on a Sunday in November, this whole "let the game come to you" crap is getting old.  It wouldn't hurt to put a mentally weak team down in the early stages instead waiting 12 minutes to finally show up.)

But I digress...

Denver blew their chances at blowing this game wide open by missing early freethrows and not riding Melo's hot hand for the rest of the first half.  Clearly the Ariza/Walton tandem were being dominated by Melo, so why not play him most of the first half and grab a big halftime lead? (BTW - Luke Walton on Carmelo Anthony?  REALLY???? Did Phil bet on Denver?) Anyway, George Karl needed to get a feel for the game and adjust his rotations accordingly. 

The Lakers bench circa November finally showed up in the second quarter and rallied the Lakers back into the game.  Early in the season, the Lakers earned the reputation of having one of the deeper teams in the NBA from the stellar and enegertic efforts of their bench in the 2nd and late 3rd quarters.  Several times this year the Lakers starting 5 didn't open with the right energy and they relied on the bench to change the pace of the game, which happened again tonight.

The starting five showed up in the second half and the Laker rode a heroic effort by Kobe to steal the W.

Moving on to Game 2.  A big if still falls on the Lakers.  If the Lakers starters open with the same effort they did against Houston in game 7, they win easily on Thurdsay.  The Nuggets feasted on weak opponents this postseason and have yet to ever show resilience when trailing.  They know they lost a great chance at stealing game 1 and I'm curious how they bounce back.  One thing I do know is that you won't get a game where Bynum, Gasol and Odom all don't show up offensively.  I see a better effort from Gasol in game 2.

But if the Lakers follow their 2009 postseason pattern, they'll take Denver lightly and lose Game 2.  And like everyone else familiar with these Lakers anything is possible...



Melo got the best of Kobe on this one.  He was right in his face and forces Kobe to come up short.

Los Lakers Drop the Ball on Noche Latina

What, no free XXXXXL white tee shirts, no halftime donkey shows, no Mariachi Band playing the "defense" song, no free admission with a ticket stub to cock fights in the IE, no "find the Virgin de Guadalupe in the pool of sweat" contest... How can the Lakers celebrate Latina Noche night and not properly honor La Raza? All we got was the Lakers wearing "Los Lakers" jerseys and a few Los Lobos songs during los timeouts (sorry too many los's). At least have the Lakers girls surgically remove their torsos... Okay maybe that was bad but where was the celebration of the Latino culture in LA without any semblance of Latino Culture? Oh wait, they did give away free tacos from El Jacko en el Boxeo after the Lakers beat Memphis 99 to 89. 

At least give us hot dogs wrapped in bacon (btw - the best/worst/worst food ever, I once bought one before a game a few years ago... 30 minutes of pleasure followed by 10 days of indigestion and most likely a tape worm, yet somehow worth it). Anyway, a few other thoughts from the game from my seats in Section 316: 

Memphis, the Mos Eisley of the NBA: On the Grizzlies are Darko Milicic, Darius Miles, Quentin Ross, Chris Mihm and Damon Stoudamire with Henry Bibby as a coach ... You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... Either their front office sees something in these guys on the cheap or the Grizz are the last stop/last chance before D-League-ville. There's nothing wrong with taking a cheap feeler on a few long shots, but 1/3 of the team is too much! BTW - couldn't you just picture that "He doesn't like you, I don't like you either" exchange between Darius Miles and Marc Gasol? 

Gasol vs. Gasol: People thought the Pau Gasol trade last year was the most one-sided trade in the millenium but we easily forget that Marc Gasol was a throw in. The guy can straight up play! He's just a rookie but he has great passing skills and is a capable rebounder. Give him a season or two to develop a low post game and Memphis has a true all star. You can see that he already commands respect from his teammates for his basketball IQ. Which makes me wonder: Luke Walton, Ronnie Turiaf and Marc Gasol... Mitch Kupchak really knows how to draft in the second round! 

Oh and Marc Gasol outplayed his brother Pau, who was clearly frustrated all night. 

First impressions on OJ Mayo: I read somewhere that Mayo has a Kobe-like work habbit and he's a star in the making. Maybe, but I didn't see it tonight. Certain players, like Kevin Durant, command attention whether being a rookie or not, yet Mayo seemed caught between facilitator and scorer. Because of the beard he does he rally looks like a 30 year old grizzled veteran. 

Moment of the night: Actually there were two of them. The first involved DJ Mbenga, who got the Lakers bench all riled up with a block on defense followed with a 12-foot jumper on the next possession (Derek Fisher was laughing so hard he fell on the floor). But the true moment of the night or La Noche was Adam Sandler kissing Jack Nicholson during the kiss me cam segment. Hilarious!

It's official, Charlotte owns the Lakers!

By Craig Kwasniewski

That Larry Brown is one hell of a coach! Who else can find a way to: get Trevor Ariza concussed, force Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol to be a complete no-show (I hope I read about flu-like symptoms for Gasol because he was terrible!), force the Lakers to play Luke Walton key minutes down the stretch, force the Lakers to freeze out Bynun, their best player in the second OT and foul out Kobe Bryant. Only the brilliant Larry Brown could find a way... (standing clap)... This bud's for you!

Yep, the above happened and the Lakers STILL almost pulled out the W against a very stubborn Bobcats but instead they dropped a very entertaining game in double OT 117-110. A few thoughts from my seat in 316:

Charlotte owns the Lakers: The numbers don't lie, the Bobcats have won 5 their last 6 against the Lakers. Despite heavy warnings in Tuesday's LA Times, the Lakers still took the Bobcats for granted and CLEARLY didn't show up defensively. The best/worst thing about the NBA regular season is that talent doesn't always triumph over effort. But props to Charlotte for battling and neutralizing most of the Lakers front court with they typical Larry Brown D.

A watershed moment that almost happened. Kobe fouls out in the first OT and with Pau Gasol a complete no-show, the Lakers were forced to call on Andrew Bynum's number to win... and for the first two possessions it worked! Flashback to the pound-it-inside Shaq era as Bynum carried the Lakers early in the second OT with excellent and very patient post moves. And like much of the Shaq era, the Lakers stopped calling Bynum's number, which totally makes sense! Bynum is 2 for 2 with Staples Center feeding off his energy and instead Odom and Vujacic jack up a few terrible shots and provide stellar masonry work... Ballgame Charlotte!

Bynum showed a lot early by willing to shoulder the Lakers offense. Unlike Odom and Gasol, who always fight bouts of sphincteritis down the stretch, Bymum calmly demanded the ball, gathered himself down low and performed well in the post. It's good to see Bynum hold his own with the team relying on him. 

Luke W. no longer deserves the Walton moniker. Horribbble... Terrrribbble...Give up your name Luke! Bill Walton made a name with superb fundamentals and a high hoops IQ. So what does Son of Walton do tonight? With the game tied with 6 seconds left in the first OT he throws away an inbounds pass (despite having Sasha Vujacic W-I-D-E O-P- E-N five feet away), killing the Lakers chance at a last second win (they didn't even take a shot!). Instead Charlotte gets possession with a chance to win with 4 seconds left and because Walton wears forum blue and gold, they didn't turnover the inbounds pass. How do you not pass to the open man FIVE FEET AWAY???

The Lakers Achilles Three. Once again up three with the game on the line, the Lakers defense fails to guard the three ball. The NBA is a drive and kick league so defenses are keyed in on containing penetration. But you NEED to stay at home when a three is the only thing that can hurt you! The Lakers "brain trust" of Odom, Radmanovic and Vujacic continue to struggle at defending the three with the game on the line. This could be a problem come playoff time.

A great game! Very rarely do I leave a Lakers loss feeling satisfied but so many things had to happen for Charlotte to win... and they did. Obviously, if the Lakers gave the same effort as they did on Sunday we're looking at a 15-point win. Credit Charlotte for playing hard on both ends, but also credit the Lakers for their fierce rally to send it into overtime. Charlotte missed several freethrows down the stretch to close out the game and Kobe and Fisher hit clutch threes to tie it up. Mix in the oddity of Kobe fouling out, Gerald Wallace's collapsed lung (BTW - it really didn't look like a hard foul at first, but let's hope Wallace get well soon... will Bynum get suspended?) and the clutch game-tying shot by Fisher at the buzzer and it was a good time at Staples Center.

 

Kobe Goes Bladerunner in W Over Cleveland

by Craig Kwasniewski

Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant...

Special police squads - BLADE RUNNER UNITS - had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant This was not called execution. It was called retirement.

Did you see Kobe's hands? All I think about is Harrison Ford's character Decker in Blade Runner when the Replicant bends back his ring finger... it's all gnashed up and bent in like 75 places... THAT was Kobe's hands right after he dislocated his ring finger literally seconds into yesterday's Lakers-Cavs clash. Give LeBron the MVP but give severe big ups to Kobe for out-gritting LeBron with only 2 good fingers on his hand (have you forgotten the torn ligament on his pinky finger?) and leading the Lakers to a big 105-88 win over Cleveland. Here are a few thoughts from my seat in Section 316:

Kobe knows how to play hurt. Unlike Pussy Pierce and his wheelchair, Kobe goes old school when he's banged up; never let your opponent on to how serious the injury. Literally seconds into the game Kobe dislocates his finger! He slowly jogs over to Lakers trainer Gary Vitti for treatment. He has that "dayum this f-ing hurts!" Damn! We've been looking forward to Kobe vs LeBron for weeks and POOF! it's over (seriously, the way Kobe was playing it I seriously thought Kobe was done simply because be never let's on to the pain). Vitti gives the finger a once-over and Kobe returns to play decoy/facilitator for the rest of the half. Clearly with his shot waaaay off, Kobe found other ways to keep LA in the game by defending LeBron in his "lock-down corner" way and the Lakers bigs pounded the Ilgauskus-less Cavs to keep it close 50-49 at the half.

Lakers showed up tonight. Maybe it was the fear of a three game losing streak (yes) or the Lakers truely respect the Cavs (also yes), but the Lakers showed up tonight with the same kind of intensity as the Celtics game. The second unit of Vujacic, Ariza and Odom used length and intensity and exposed the short handed Cavs (without both Ilgauskus and Delonte West).

Orlando Magic is NOT a Contender. Btw - you're honestly telling me that over a very long 82 game season that opponents give Orlando the same intense effort as when they face Cleveland, Boston or LA? I went to both the Magic and Cavs games and there was a definite difference in attitude by the fans and players. Whereas the Orlando game was a date night (and trust me, the crowd was very "talented"), the Cavs game is a total guys night out... you never waste a great game like this on a chick! Anwyay, if advancing to the second round of the playoffs defines being a contender, then add in Orlando. But they lack that clear-it-out-and-take-over guy needed to win in the playoffs like a Kobe, Paul Pierce or LeBron.

The Lakers key adjustment.  Derek Fisher's play of late is killing the Lakers!  It's hard to say it considering that he's possibly the truest "good guy" in the NBA, but playing 40-plus minutes a game since Farmar's injury is taking a toll on his body.  Opposing point guards look like All-Stars (Jameer Nelson... are you kidding me??) and shots are clanging hard off the rim.  FINALLY, Phil Jackson made an adjustment and had Odom bring the ball up the court.  Seems like minor adjustment but that extra break along with reducing his minutes to 34 tonight was the right move as Fisher was fresh down the stretch.  Farmar's still 3 weeks away from returning so Jackson needs to do everything he can to keep Fisher to 30 minutes a night for him to be effective.

2006 is why Wade should not win the MVP.

by Craig Kwasniewski

The Miami Heat are very competitive and Dwyane Wade is having an MVP-type of year very much like Kobe did in 2005-06... and that is exactly why he should *NOT* get the MVP. Kobe had one of the most dominant offensive seasons by a backcourt player ever, leading a very average Lakers squad (Smush Parker started and Brian Cook had mad minutes... need I sat more?) to an near upset of the Suns. Yet Kobe finished a distant 4th (???) in the MVP voting despite averaging 35.4 points including those memorable 62 and 81 point games. The arguement was that that as a 7-seed the Lakers weren't good enough, which makes sense to finish second to Steve Nash (who was clearly the best player on the best team, as many people noted while voting) but not 4th. That's because Kobe was still pulling Barry Bonds level of hatred back then. Anyway, Wade is having a stellar season and along with Erik Spoelstra's coaching, the Heat are playoff bound. But they are not even close to the Lakers, Cavs or Magic (but maybe Boston, but does that even count?)... they won't even get past the first round. So give the MVP to LeBron or Kobe and give Wade a 3rd place vote but the media needs to live by their own rules set in 2006.

Anyway, here are a few other thoughts on the Lakers 108-105 win over Miami from my seat high up in Section 316:

Phil Jackson almost cost the Lakers the game tonight. I know PJ coaches over the entire season instead of game-to-game but he needs to get a better feel of momentum during the 4th quarter. Much like the NOLA game last week, Jackson kept Kobe out too long and the Lakers lost all offensive momentum. The only things that saved LA tonight is that Miami's an average team, but the Lakers went from a comfortable 8 point lead to trailing by 2 with Kobe out for 5 minutes in the 4th. Miami was rolling and LA couldn't buy a hoop. Kobe comes around the 7 minute mark completely cold and the Lakers are predictably scrambling to regain control. PJ needs to get a better feel of the game down the stretch or more better he needs to not be so damn stubborn with his rotations and put Kobe back in faster.

Pau Gasol was very impressive despite being cold offensively. Andrew Bynum dominated the smaller Heat, but the real story is how Gasol adjusted to an off night offensively by hitting the glass for 18 boards. He saw that Bynum was on tonight and stayed out of the key, giving the youngster space to create in the post. Not many players in today's game will sacrifice points (especially offensive-oriented guys) and do the dirty work on the boards. I'm really enjoying the high basketball IQ in the Gasol era.

The Lakers need to work on defending the three. For the second game in a row the opposing team got W-I-D-E O-P-E-N looks from beyond the arc with the game on the line. Unlike Friday, where Mike Dunleavy tied the score up after his own W-I-D-E O-P-E-N three, Chris Quinn missed his from the corner with a chance to win it. How are these guys getting open??? I know the defense is keyed on Wade as he drives and looks to kick, but it's okay to singe guard a guy and give up a two if you're up three with the clock winding down.... no seriously, it's okay. This goes back to the type of players the Lakers are forced to play down the stretch with Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom... I'm talking specifically about you Vladi! Forget the 18 points tonight, Radmanovic had several serious head scratchers on defense that almost cost the Lakers. On Friday both he and Sasha Vujacic rotated into the low post, both allowing Dunleavy that uncontested three and tonight Radman turned the ball over and committed a dumb foul on an uncontested break.

Kobe's Best Offensive Game of the Season Saves the Lakers Against Indiana

by Craig Kwasniewski

Kobe caps of one of his best all-around offensive nights with a game winning jumper as the Lakers beat Indiana 121-119. Lost in the LeBron and Wade MVP duel is Kobe's efficient offensive game this season (he's shooting a career-high 48.4% from the field!). Tonight Kobe not only hits the game winner but he scores the last 11 for the Lakers and drops 13 dimes along the way. And just like last season, where started slowly with quiet November and December only to catch fire on the way to his first MVP award, Kobe is slowly rounding into mid-season form. So with Kobe officially tossing his hat into the MVP ring (though a very distant second to LeBron), here are a few other thoughts from my seat high in Section 316:

How the hell are the Pacers 13-23??? They beat Phoenx a few days ago, and came seconds away from sweeping the Lakers (they also beat Boston, but that's not too impressive these days). So why aren't the Pacers a top tier team in the East? They definately know how to score, they have a true all star in Danny Granger, they all seem to buy into Jim O'Brien's sytem and from 1-12 they all are good passers so what gives? Maybe it's youth or just bad luck but if I'm in the front office I wouldn't change a thing. This team is talented and has a good mix of youth and veterans. All they need to do is pick up the defensive effort and they should contend next season.

The NBA has figured out Bymum. Notice any of those alley oops from Andrew Bynum? How about those points from the post? Yeah, not really. The book on Bynum is quite simple, because of his poor footwork all you have to do is body him out of the lane and he gets frustrated and loses his tenacity. He really needs a full offseason to strengthen his legs and learn the proper footwork. So say goodbye to the alley oops against teams with decent bigs (sorry Golden State).

You might want to double Kobe with the game on the line. O'Brien single-guarded Kobe with Jarrett Jack with the game tied and the clock running down. So what happened? Kobe patiently dribbled the clock down, backed Jack to just inside the freethrow line and... BALLGAME! Call me crazy, the Lakers are more beatable with anyone else but Kobe taking the game winner. But O'Brien made up for it with the Pacers last possession, right? Ummmm not really.

Can Danny Granger get some love? This guys is pure offensive talent. He has the range, the slash-ability (is that a word?) and the confidence of a top NBA baller... yet nobody knows about this guy. The Lakers threw Ariza, their best one-on-one defender, on him and immediately Granger went right at him and put Ariza back on the bench with foul trouble. That's LeBron-type of awareness! The guy gets no love playing for a low-tier team in the east but he definitely deserves and all-star spot.

Breaking Down Bynum vs. Oden

by Craig Kwasniewski

Instead of a typical 316 report on the Lakers 100-86 win over Portland I'd like to break down the first real match-up (Oden injured his knee and barely played back on opening night) between Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum. In all reality we are at least 2 years before both players are relevant focal points so I'm really focusing on the little things like footwork and post skills:

Advantage Oden: His lower leg strength. Oden was able to get low post position and back down Bynum any time he wanted to. Despite being a rookie, Oden's footwork is very polished as he moved Bynum all over the place by lowering his center of gravity and using those boat-sized feet. Bynum simply doesn't know how to use his legs to leverage his man out on the low block on offense. Kenderick Perkins bodied him away from the key a few weeks ago and I thought it had more to do with intimidation until I saw that Oden did the same tonght. And Bynum doesn't have a mid-range post game so he just looks awkward with the ball in the post. Despite the excellent footwork, Oden's offensive skills are very raw. His post move (no "s" he only has one move) is a Chris Webber-like shot put hook shot. And like a Webber it barely comes close to going in. But we know that with Oden's work ethic he will eventually get an offensive game to match his post up ability. Bynum needs to work on leg strength and lowering his center of gravity on the post.

Advantage Bynum: His offensive rebounding skills. Bynum reminds me of Marcus Camby on the offensive glass. A mix of good timing, quick hands and LENGTH allowed Bynum to get his hands on a fair share of offensive boards tonight. Oden works the glass with brute strength but Bynum's wiry physique actually got over and around Oden for a few boards... Just like Camby.

Who's better? That's hard to call considering both teams don't depend on either to carry them. But right now I'd say Greg Oden is more NBA-ready simply based his footwork and efficient use of his size. He knows how to clog the lane defensively and is a good rebounder. Bynum's not playing with the same confidence as last season and it shows as Phil Jackson rarely uses him down the stretch. So right now it's Oden, but if Bynum stops sulking then maybe it's a different story.

The present and future: Both players clearly have the skills and work ethic to be a factor for years but they just aren't there right now. Oden needs to work on his offensive skills and Bynum needs to work on his footwork. But both benefit from playing on quality franchises that have the patience to allow them to develop. Basically they're not asked to carry their respective teams right now. In fact both franchises are stable and are able to see the "big picture" with these guys.

Ariza's Message is Clear: Play Me Down the Stretch!!!!

by Craig Kwasniewski

Trevor Ariza provided the necessary spark late in the fourth quarter as the Lakers held off a late Jazz rally on their way to a 113-100 victory. Ariza capped off a night of several key hustle plays with back-to-back steals late in the 4th quarter that led to highlight fastbreak points denying the Jazz any hope of a late rally. Every team needs that guy who's willing to sacrifice his body and scoring to do the small things and Ariza is clearly that guy for the Lakers. Tonight he he seemed one step ahead of the Jazz and got a hand in on every one of their passes. Anyway, here are a few other thoughts from my seat high up in section 316:

Kobe always kills Utah. Kobe had one of his better offensive nights of the year on his way to 40 points. But doesn't it always seem like he kills Utah? Two seasons ago he had 30 points in the 3rd quarter on his way to 52 and last spring he was able to score at will. Is he jealous of Kirilenko's deal with his wife? Is he a Mormon hater? All I know is that Utah's defensive scheme allows Kobe to roam free inside the freethrow line for an open J or a quick pass to any backdoor cutters.... which totally makes sense against the defending MVP. Utah just might want to mix in a double-team on Kobe every now and then.

Deron Williams almost single handedly rallied Utah. This game had shades of the 2008 Playoffs where Williams played possum in the first half and laid low from the perimeter only to ferociously attack the rim in the second half. Williams continued to drive and break down the Lakers interior defense the entire second half creating open jumpers for everyone and cutting a 20 point deficit all the way down to 3 several times. So why wait so long to take over? CLEARLY he can take Fisher to the rack any time so why not break down the Lakers defense early on so Utah's not trailing 37-20 after one quarter?

Lakers look more November than December. They're not playing with the same intensity as they did early in the season where every game seemed like a 30 point blowout, but the Lakers are learning how to play with more focus and effort. They aren't disappearing for long stretches like they did a few weeks ago. On the surface it looks like that team meeting really worked but beneath the surface the key has been Phil Jackson shaking up the lineup and playing Kobe when it appears that the bench is struggling offensively. Also Ariza and Vujacic, the Lakers most active defenders, are playing more minutes especially now with Farmar out.

Please no Ty Lue!!!!!! I can't type enough exclamation points but the Lakers can *NOT* trade for Tyronn Lue!!!!!!! Rumors persist that with Farmar's injury the Lakers ate looking to shore up backcourt dept by trading Chris Mihm's corpse to Milwaukee for Ty Lue. Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! Do the Lakers need a crappy point guard who has waived off two of the game's best closers down the stretch? Seriously, playing with the Jordan-led Wizards, Lue countlessly decided that he alone was a better option with the game on the line and instead of Michael Jordan... and OF COURSE he missed every time! Lue has limited offensive skills with unlimited confidence which makes him the worst player ever. Just in case Lakers fans need any reminder, here is Tyronn Lue's greatest moment as a NBA player (A.I. stepping over him in the 2001 NBA Finals):

Rondo is *NOT* an All-Star

by Craig Kwasniewski

Lost in the Pau Gasol finally grew a pair talk was just how thoroughly unimpressive Rajon Rondo was in Boston's 92-83 loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day. For weeks I keep hearing how Rondo is the secret behind THE GREATEST WINNING STREAK EVER and that he's definitely All-Star material. Are you kidding me???? Here's what I saw in person yesterday: several bad passes, several missed WIDE OPEN shots, several blown layups and a heated moment with Ray Allen that got so out of hand that Paul Pierce had to intervene... any signs of an All-Star there? Okay so maybe he had an off night. Everyone's allowed that.

But here's a little secret to Rondo's "success" in 2008: NOBODY'S GUARDING HIM!!!!

Everyone guarding Rondo cheats off him to help out against the big three. So yeah, let's give Rondo an All-Star appearance, after all he's hitting W-I-D-E O-P-E-N jump shots. (Kobe cheated off him all night and he still couldn't produce. And those 12 assists... he had two sweet behind-the-back passes but otherwise they came from feeding the big three... whatever!)

So will he be the worst player to ever make an NBA All-Star team? Close but that title goes to David Stern's reverse affirmative-action effort with Wally Szczerbiak back in 2002. Devin Harris deserves that spot!

Anyway, here are a few other very very brief thoughts on the game from my seat in Section 316:

The Upside to Farmar's Injury - This forces Phil Jackson to play Kobe, Vujacic and Ariza on the floor at the same time, giving the Lakers their best hustle/athletic/defensive lineup available. Add in Odom and Bynum and you have serious length and athleticism across the board. As great of a coach Jackson is he still tends to frustratingly stick to the same rotation throughout the year. Losing Farmar will force the Lakers to go big at all five positions... which worked well with Jackson's Bulls and 99-00 Lakers.

The REAL reason Pierce scorches the Lakers. Paul Pierce is from LA... we get it. But that has nothing to do with why he continues to dominate the Lakers over the years. It has more to do with Rick Fox, Devean George, Luke Walton and all the other slower small forwards that Phil Jackson continues to match up on Pierce. Clearly, Pierce is quicker and stronger than Walton and when all else fails he finds a way to get to the freethrow line. Now if Pierce dominates a Kobe-Ariza tandem, then I'll be impressed. Instead, Jackson feels the Lakers can withstand a Pierce barrage and still win.... and it worked yesterday.

The refs were not the deciding factor!!!! Despite whatever Boston homers write, the refs were not a factor yesterday. Just because the Celtics were not allow to clutch, grab, hold, push and pull on defense does not mean the refs were helping LA. The Celtics play with the mantra "you can't call every single foul" and bring a very physical style that pushes the defensive rules to the limit. As a result they tend to get away with A LOT! So when a crew actually takes hold of a game and calls it fairly... well Boston media whines.

The Lakers offense bogged down in the 3rd quarter. Boston almost took control of the game halfway through the third quarter as their defense forced the Lakers into too many one-on-one possessions on offense. Ball movement, ball movement, ball movement... that's the key to beating the Celtics' defensive schemes. I haven't seen the C's enough to truly break them down but simply their defensive premise is to force the opposition into one-on-one basketball and collapse on all penetration. The Lakers lost their offensive rhythm halfway through the 3rd quarter and held on the ball instead of swinging it around the perimeter for an open J. Instead they got a lot of ugly heaves with the shot clock winding down.
It really wasn't until Lamar Odom's back-to-back threes that the Lakers finally regained their rhythm. Make or miss, I initially thought they were awful shots but Odom took them early in the shot clock and changed the pace.... which helped the Lakers confidence. And his sweet runner from the left side down the stretch was pure confidence overflowing.

KG for MVP? The prospect of Pierce getting MVP run really pisses me off. Yes he's their best scorer down the stretch and yes he's had some monster offensive games but Kevin Garnett is the heart and soul of that franchise. Pierce has been with the C's through the lean years and he wasn't carrying them to 50-plus wins. It wasn't until KG arrived that the C's became the proud and intimidating franchise it is today and for that along KG deserves some MVP run. Hell, even the scrubs (and trust me, there are a lot of them on Boston!) were on their feet cheering down the stretch. You could totally see KG getting in their faces ordering them to participate in any way they can. Give Pierce the Finals MVP but give KG the franchise MVP!

Celtics scrubs were just that... scrubs. Nothing much to say except that Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins and Eddie House all run their mouths like they actually brought #17 to Boston by themselves. Know your role and shut your mouth! You guys benefit and live off the Big Three and nothing else! Haven't you noticed that defenses double off you giving you W-I-D-E O-P-E-N looks? Yet one lay-up equals a stare-down, primal scream and a chest thump. Just be thankful that Boston is so far over the cap that they NEED your cheap contract. The scrubs did nothing today except for exposing the Celtics lack of depth. But as long as KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce can continue to bring heir Hall of Fame games, the Celtics will be there every single night.... despite having Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins and Eddie House on their roster.

Love/Hate for Christmas Day games. I love the NBA on Christmas Day... on TV. In person, well that's a different story. This is my 10th season as a Lakers season ticket holder and this was the first time I attended a Christmas Day game. Being married and having a Catholic upbringing (meaning I fall prey to the powers of guilt) I never have a chance to see the annual Lakers Christmas Day game in person. There are just too many family members to offend. "You're missing Christmas for a basketball game?" is always the response. They just don't understand...

Well with the renewal of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry I had no choice but to let Santa down. So props to the wife for understanding this year and providing a unified front to all the family members who gave me a hard time for going. The game was worth all the hype, the crowd was more electric than the Finals (there were a ton of serious hoops fans who represented with several "Boston Sucks!" chants) and I got to see it in person. I love it!

D'Antoni Deserves Some Run for Coach of the Year

by Craig Kwasniewski

They say it's hard to change a franchise mired for years from the culture of losing to winning but Mike D'Antoni has done just that in NYC in literally weeks. He's taken the same roster that Isiah Thomas failed miserably with and not only got them to play hard but they're very competitive. And simply for changing attitudes and returning hope to MSG D'Antoni deserves MAJOR run at coach of the year. (Also because the award is never given to consistent winners like Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich and especially Jerry Sloan because the media embraces the rags to riches or the we-never-expected-this stories... which completely diminishes the award, but I digress...) Give it to D'Antoni for simply re-injecting life into MSG and for banishing the malcontents from the Thomas era (more on that later).

Anyway here are a few other thoughts from the Lakers 116-114 win over New York from my seat high up in Section 316:

I love when the Knicks come to town! Spike Lee, Clyde Frazier, NY Media and especially the most boisterous fans win or lose (sorry Boston but you bailed on the C's from 1992 to 2008... Bandwagoners!!!), when the Knicks come to town there's a special buzz in the arena. No matter the record the game is always close and the NY fans are quick to run smack if they even sniff a lead. This always wakes up the somber Lakers fans who fire back a rousing "New York Sucks!" chant. This is my 14th Lakers-Knicks game in a row and not one has disappointed. From Kurt Thomas throwing down Dennis Rodman in 1999 to Chris Childs and Kobe brawling in 2000 to Allan Houston dropping 53 in 2003, the game never disappoints.

Andrew Bynum is tired??? Maybe he's experiencing an upper respiratory infection or he's still jet lagged from being raised on the east coast or he's hitting the LA clubs on an all-night drinking/hookering bender all I know is that Drew looked gassed in the first half. The absolute worst moment was when Nate Robinson got a backdoor alley oop in right behind Bynum. You mean to tell me that 5'9" Nate Robinson out jumped 7'0" Andrew Bynum for a tip in? Let's do some math here: 69 inches versus 84 inches! How the hell is a 21 year old getting gassed in the first half? Does his workout guru in Atlanta not believe in running a few wind sprints? Come on Drew you starting to come off as Benoit Benjamin.

Lakers fell for the SSOL trap. You can’t get sucked into matching the SSOL (7 Seconds or Less, I’m tired of writing it out) offense by jacking threes early in the shot clock.... which the Lakers did for the first 44 minutes of the game. This ain’t brain surgery! Just like the 2006 PHX-LAL series, all you need to do is slow the pace and pound it inside. Trevor Ariza was the biggest culprit shooting 1-6 from beyond the arc in only 25 minutes. This plays into SSOL's hands. Long shot = long miss = quick fast break = uptempo pace which is exactly what the Knicks want you to do.

Starbury in da hizzie! I didn't make this the main story here just because that's exactly what Marbury was trying to do by stalking the Knicks from courtside last night. Though I was hoping he'd break out one of those cheap knock off Marbury #3 jerseys or at least a Kobe jersey. And the Lakers totally blew it by not putting a split screen of him and D'Antoni on for the kiss me cam. But really the whole Marbury thing needs to go away... and all the Knicks have to do is make an official announcement that they aren't trading or playing him for the rest of the season. Just let him as his $21 million fade away.