The Association

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.

NBA Draft Trade Roundup: Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for T.J. Ford Is the Biggie

by Brett Edwards

A few quick trades to report today as we get ready for tomorrow night's draft.

Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors in exchange for T.J. Ford: Good deal for both clubs. Indiana gets to rebuild with two first-rounders, and Toronto gets to team Chris Bosh and JO together (for at least the 50 games that O'Neal's healthy). Also, solves that silly point guard feud about who should start for the Raps.

Nuggets give trade their only pick to the Bobcats: Looks like Denver has no interest in the players who might be available at 20, and looks like Charlotte gets a chance to improve quickly with two first round picks. Nice move for the Bobcats, curious one for the Nuggets. Some possible reasons Denver might have done this.

Portland buys New Orleans' #27 Pick for $3M: Interesting move by the Blazers, who already seemed to have too many picks and players to begin with. Could they be stockpiling to move WAY up in the draft? Stay tuned.

316 Report: Lakers vs. Pacers

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Lakers starters had to bail out the second unit in their 112-96 win over the Pacers Sunday night. Here's a few brief takes from last night's game from my seat high up in Section 316:

The starters went into *Screw You* mode in the 4th to save the day: The Lakers' second unit continues to have trouble protecting big leads in the 4th quarter. The starters built up an 18-point lead after three and they were waiting to ice down like the late 90's Bulls. Remember watching Pippen and Jordan laughing it up with those huge packs of ice on their knees as Scott Burrell was pumping his stats in garbage time? Well, the Lakers are trying to start that trend, but the second unit keeps blowing huge leads. With a lineup of Ronnie Turiaf, Kwame Brown (still trying to find his game shape and rhythm), Jordan Farmar (in a slump), Trevor Ariza (WNBA offensive skills) and Javaris Crittenton (turnover happy) the question remains: who's going to score? In this case, the Pacers cut the Lakers lead down to 7 before Jackson had to reluctantly put the starters back in. Led by a pissed off Kobe (who wanted a Jordan-esque ice down), the Lakers stormed back with a 13-0 run with three VERY SWEET D-Fish jumpers and and a very fired-up Kobe, who did a Mutombo-like finger wave to the fans after they regained control.

My favorite Andrew Bynum moment: In the 3rd quarter with the ball in the post, Bynum gets a big two-handed shove from Jermaine O'Neal. While in the lane, Bynum throws the ref a "are you gonna call that shit?" look. (The ref completely ignores him.) So Bynum gathers himself, takes a power dribble and dunks on the other side of the rim for a monstrous And-1. Not many players have that type of patience and veteran attitude in the post (hell, Kwame Brown acts like there's a 0.5-second shot clock every time he touches the ball). Mix in the soft hands, the quick learning-curve and his age and it's easy to understand why Mitch Kupchak chose Bynum over Jermaine O'Neal.

Ariza over Walton: Luke Walton brings experience and excellent offensive vision and Trevor Ariza brings athleticism, hustle and most importantly defense. So who deserves to start? The Lakers are a very good defensive team with Ariza on the floor and his energy pumps up the Staples Center, carrying the Lakers when things bog down. And Walton seems be a better fit with the offensively slumping second unit. Ariza started in huge wins over Western Conference contenders Utah and Phoenix and Jackson needs to keep him there.

I'm completely impressed with the way the Lakers rebounded from the loss to Boston: The Lakers got their asses thoroughly kicked by Boston last Sunday. Here's the difference between 06-07 and 07-08; last season that would have started a small losing streak, followed by finger pointing from Kobe. This year they bounced back with huge wins over Philadelphia (124-93) and Indiana. Granted, both teams suck, but it's the fact that the Lakers came out roaring against these teams after a brutal loss that matters. The pessimist in me is starting to believe...

A quick look at the Pacers: They played their best ball with O'Neal in foul trouble. Former Laker, Kareem Rush went into revenge mode in the 1st half, but like his Laker career, he couldn't sustain the effort. Coach O'Brien has them playing better defense and they have a few good jump shooters. But can a nucleus of Tinsley, O'Neal, Dunleavy and Troy Murphy (all locked up until 2009-10) really be considered a contender? The problem is that only O'Neal is a desired commodity. So they're locked in mediocrity until Isiah Thomas bails the out this summer (can't you picture Thomas trading for Tinsley and ONeal in June?).

I am so glad the Lakers didn't pull the trigger on the O'Neal for Bynum and Odom trade!

Photos: Lottery Hell

By Craig Kwasniewski

Now that the lottery is behind us let's take a break from all the draft speculation (and comedy at the Celtics expense) and take a look at my favorite part of the NBA Draft Lottery, the misery of former NBA greats after losing out to the Pacific Northwest. I'm talking about Tommy Heinsohn, Larry Bird and Jerry West. All three were great players in their day and exceptional head coaches. Success has followed them through most of their lives, but on Tuesday they were brought to the beautiful berg of Secaucus, New Jersey because the teams they represent for lack of a better word... suck. All three brought in their best therapeutic smiles, good luck charms and attitudes hoping against hope to bag the big one.

SNNNAAAAPPPPP!!!! Portland wins the lottery and all three are left with the best/worst/best faces of misery (they're too old to fake their way into happiness so the true emotions of the moment come through). Check it out:

(BTW - my favorite is Jerry West, talk about misery. It's a damn shame that The Logo can't get along with Phil Jackson and save the Lakers. Right now Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak are looking very much like the 2004 version of Wyc Grousebeck and Danny Ainge.)

Thursday Hoops Preview

By Craig Kwasniewski

Playing injured today as I just had a root canal, so bear with me as I go over tonight's doubleheader on TNT, all times are Pacific.

Indiana at Miami (4:00 PM): Will he or won't he... or more like it, will he ever? So the latest Shaq news is that he's out for at least two more games. That means that the earliest return will be against Dallas on Sunday. Given that all the talk on Sunday will be the NFL playoffs (and the NBA loaning Dick Bavetta for the Saints-Bears fix game), Shaq returns to relative obscurity. Good planning by The Big Lazy, return from a faux-injury and look bad in a loss to Dallas while everyone will be talking about America's Team: The New Orleans Saints. (btw - Go Bears!)

Anyway, Miami wins easily against a thin Indiana squad, who are waiting for all the players to arrive from yesterday's 8-player trade with Golden State. But even a full Pacers roster couldn't hang with a Shaq-less Heat team that seems to be trying after coasting for the first 2 1/2 months. Watching the Heat-Lakers game last Monday, guys like Antoine Walker, James Posey and Jason Kapono are playing their asses off and the Heat (coming off a nice 4-2 road trip) are looking more like the defending champs.

L.A. Lakers at Dallas (6:30 PM): First off, no way did I think that the Lakers had a chance last night against the Spurs. The Spurs were coming off a bad loss at Chicago and the Lakers are very average away from Staples Center and are still missing two of their starters (Chocolate Cake and Odom). It was a very impressive win, but Phil Jackson cautioned (along with doing his best impression of The Wolf):

"You know that line in that movie, 'Let's not start patting each other on the back quite yet.' That's one of those things. San Antonio's a little bit hurt, they're playing a little bit down right now. We're happy for the win, but we're not going to crown ourselves yet."

Tonight is a different story. I expect playoff-level intensity tonight as Dallas will look to avenge their January 7th loss to the Lakers. The Lakers play to the level of their opponents and should make this a close game. However, given that the weather is causing the Lakers to travel from San Antonio to Dallas by bus and given that the Lakers are coming off a tough road win last night, I see Dallas pulling away midway through the 4th quarter and eventually winning 107-101.

A Quick Take on the Warriors-Pacers Trade

By Craig Kwasniewski

The Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers (FYI - two of the five NBA teams not named after their host city) had a blockbuster trade today. According to yahoo.com, the trade goes as follows:

Golden State Traded:
-Troy Murphy
-Mike Dunleavy
-Ike Diogu
-Keith McLeod

Indiana Traded:
-Al Harrington
-Stephen Jackson
-Sarunas Jasikevicius
-Josh Powell

So what's my initial impression? Indiana is looking to improve their "image" by bringing in a bunch of white guys. Given the gun/stripper incident with Jackson and given the conservative fanbase, a trade of some kind was imminent. But did they really need to send off two of their best scorers for two overrated white guys? Also, weren't they supposed to rebuild? So how is taking on two horrible contracts gonna help?

Brett summed up the trade in an email, "Larry Bird is smoking crack."

Murphy lost his starting center job and Dunleavy has been trade bait the minute after he signed that ridiculous contract a last season. Now Golden State ships two players they never really needed (plus a big with decent upside in Diogu) and get two good scorers that'll make up for the Richardson injury. Does this mean that Jason Richardson will be traded soon?

Both Jackson and Harrington will thrive at Nellie-ball. I expect a similar season-ending push like what happened after the Warriors initially traded for Davis a few years ago. Given the depth of the Western Conference, all that means is a seven seed and a first-round loss to Phoenix...which will be fun to watch.

To me, the biggest upside of the trade is the end of the asenine Dunleavy-to-Clippers trade rumor that's been going on the past two years.

Outside A Strip Club At 3am

By Craig Kwasniewski

“I’m going back to my car, get my other gun. I’m shooting everybody!”

Stephen Jackson fired his 9mm pistol five times outside a strip club early Friday, according to Police.

Already in midseason form, Jackson and three of his teammates (Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter) got into an altercation outside a strip club in the early morning. Suddenly things got out of hand and Jackson was slugged in the mouth and struck by a car leading to Jackson firing his gun in the air in self-defense.

There were no reports of anyone getting hit by gunfire, though the police did find a small amount of marajuana in the passenger side door of Tinsley's car. Officers looked the other way could not determine the car's driver or whom the marijuana belonged, so no arrests were made.

What are the odds that a Cincinnati Bengal was in the car throwing up?

Maybe Ron Artest wasn't that crazy afterall.

Pacers Could Have Used Reggie Tonight

by Brett Edwards

Reggie Miller had his number retired tonight, and I'm sure the rest of the Pacers wished he was in uniform for their game against the Suns. With Stephen Jackson scoring only 1 point in 15 minutes, and then sitting out the rest of the game with an ankle (why do we never say what's wrong with the body part any more), the Pacers had problems, well, keeping pace.

The Suns led comfortably throughout, and ended their 2-game losing streak with an easy 10-point win. The game was never in doubt, as the suns led by 9-18 points the entire second half. It seems they have come to terms with the fact that their team "is what it is," and that they will most likely have to enter the post-season without Amare.

As for Reggie Miller, he's no doubt one of the all-time clutch shooters in the game. His antics against the Knicks in the playoffs at MSG are legendary, and in my book he's a definite Hall-Of-Famer. And oh yeah, I got myself one of these shirts to commemorate the occasion.

Western Race Tightens Up

by Craig Kwasniewski

The race for the final playoff spots out west just got a little tighter Friday night. Here's a look at three key games:

Indiana 92 - NOOCH 90: At All-Star break NOOCH was on fire! They were the surprise of the season, with stellar play from Chris Paul, a great home court advantage in OK City and an attractive up-tempo style, what's NOT to like about them.

Going 2-7 since All-Star break... that's what. (Including an awful 16 point second half flop against the Clips.) They have dropped from sixth to eighth in the race with a 1 game lead over Sacramento in the loss column.

NOOCH lost at home to a decent Indiana team on Friday as forward David West came up short on a 3-pointer from the right wing. West is the only NBA player with three game-winning shots in the final 2 seconds of games this season.

Lazy sports writers will say that NOOCH's cold streak is because Chris Paul's hitting the wall. On the contrary, Paul is averaging 18.2 points and 9.4 assists, both above his season averages, during the 2-7 stretch. I just think they are hitting a difficult portion of their schedule and have lost some confidence.

LA Lakers 100 - San Antonio 92: Just where the hell was this game last Monday? I could have saved a few nights on the couch if the Lakers could have shown the same effort.

Anyway, San Antonio looked tired Friday night. They played 4 games in five nights, including a late game in Phoenix on Thursday. Luke Walton (13 points, 10 rebounds) played his best game since Game 2 of the 2004 NBA Finals. Kwame Brown held his own, guarding Duncan one-on-one in the post, thus preventing the Spurs from seeing the wide open threes they had last Monday. Mix in some sick Kobe drives in the 4th quarter and the Lakers held off any Spurs rally. Added bonus: LeDev (Devean George) sitting out for the second game in a row with a ruptured vagina.

The Lakers sit in the seventh spot in the Western Conference standings.

Sacramento 105 - Memphis 93: One of the hotter teams in the west, Sacramento used a 13-2 run in the third quarter to beat the Grizz. During the run, Sactown kept Pau Gasol from getting the ball on the block. They threw several bigs on Gasol, forcing other Grizz to step up. Need I remind you that Chucky Atkins is on Memphis?

(As great of a mid-season pick-up that Atkins was, he still is Chucky EFFING Atkins. I went all last season watching the guy play for the Lakers. He sucks at perimeter defense, forcing rotating bigs into foul trouble as he is constantly beat by his man. He's a decent scorer, but makes several poor passing decisions a game. He's more of a two guard, but injuries have forced Memphis to play him at the one. This will not end well for them.)

Anyway, Sactown is 7-2 since All-Star break and with Bonzi Wells retuning, they have their top seven players back from injury. They are learning how to play with Artest and the team defense is improving. Of all the teams competing for the final playoff spot (Lakers, NOOCH, Houston, Utah), Sac is a lock to make the postseason. They are too deep in talent to miss out.

National TV Takes

by Brett Edwards

Just to get rid of the obnoxious post we had most recently, I thought I would give my takes on the two nationally televised ABC games we had on Sunday. In case your local affiliate screwed you, here's what went on:

- Pacers at Sixers: This was the third time this week the Sixers were featured on national television. The first time was against the Rockets, where they came back to get a 5 point win on the road. The second time was against the Wizards, where they managed to hold off Washington in a high scoring affair. In Sunday's game against the Pacers, they couldn't get their third straight. C-Webb had a bad game, shooting only 7-22 from the field, including letting the shot clock expire with the ball in his hands down the stretch, and missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Sixers really should have won this game, but allowed Steven Jackson to get an uncontested layup with 2 seconds left. Once again, let me remind you that the Pacers are winning without Jermaine O'Neal, and with both Jeff Foster and Scot Pollard in their starting lineup.

- Suns at Mavericks: The Mavs lead for most of this game, but much like the game against the Spurs earlier this week, Dallas' second half defense left something to be desired. The Mavs allowed 64 second half points at home to let the Suns snap their 16-game home winning streak. Somewhat disgustingly, the Mavs gave up 34 points in the 4th to the Suns, en route to getting outscored by 16 in the quarter to blow the game. The highlight was when Nash took best buddy Dirk to the rack and made a circus shot over his head and over Dirk for a key bucket with 43 seconds left to put the Suns up 4 and effectually seal the game. It should be noted that the Mavs were without Josh Howard and Keith Van Horn, but they had the 8-point lead to start the 4th at home and should have sealed the deal.