Kobe Bryant finally has the hardware to validate his status as the world's best basketball player.

When Shaquille O'Neal branded Bryant "the best player in the game" back in the 2001 playoffs, it has only been spoken but never printed that Kobe is the most valuable player in the league. Now, it's official. When the King, David Stern, handed Bryant the Maurice Podoloff trophy Wednesday night before the Lakers dismantled the Jazz in Game 2, the moment felt more like an overdue coronation. The MVP trophy finally landed in the capable hands of the best player in the game rather than the best team player.

Continue reading "M.V.P. STANDS FOR K.O.B.E."

Even if the Utah Jazz manage to tie up this seven-game series, I still feel very confident about the Lakers chances of advancing to the Western Conference finals. Here are five reasons why:

1) The Jazz still looks like a one-trick pony. Utah is a great home team but have yet to put a dent on the Lakers home-court armor. The Jazz won Game 3 by outhustling the Lakers, which is a direct product of playing at home. I don't see that happening in Game 5 when the Lakers return to Staples Center.

2) Deron Williams is not healthy. The Jazz point guard is playing through some pain and is obvious that he is not 100%. For the Jazz to win this series, Williams needs to be averaging 25 points a game and so far he is right around 18-20.

3) Utah still has no answer for Kobe Bryant. Unless the Jazz can come up with a defensive scheme that Kobe and the Lakers have never seen before, there is no stopping the newly minted NBA MVP.

Continue reading "JAZZ POSE NO THREAT TO LAKERS"

 

The Lakers-Jazz series went six games but I never felt the Jazz really threatened the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Jazz are a nice team but they lack a true superstar. They don't have a player who Shaquille O'Neal calls "assassins." Utah has borderline all-stars in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, but it doesn't have a player who can single-handedly destroy an opponent's gameplan. A player who can put a team on his shoulders on offense and carry them to victory. A player like Kobe Bryant.

There are only a handful of players like Bryant in the NBA - a true game-changer with a killer instinct. The Cleveland Cavaliers have that player in swingman LeBron James. The San Antonio Spurs have center Tim Duncan. And the New Orleans Hornets have point guard Chris Paul. The other player I would consider in this class is Dwyane Wade of the Miami (the 2006 version). It's no surprise that the Cavs, Spurs, and Hornets are all still alive in the playoffs.

Continue reading "LAKERS: BRING ON CP3 AND HORNETS OR DUNCAN AND SPURS"

 

This must be old news: The San Antonio Spurs are in the Western Conference finals.

Oh, it's true. The Spurs are playing the Lakers in one half of the NBA's version of the Final Four. For those who care, the Boston Celtics and (yawn!) the Detroits Pistons are playing in the Eastern Conference finals. This also means the NBA's worst nightmare ratings wise is still alive: a Spurs-Pistons NBA Finals. Yikes!

Dear David Stern, please make sure Spurs-Pistons doesn't happen because we as fans cannot bear to watch BORING and STALE in the Finals. Where's Tim Donaghy when you need him.

Continue reading "SAME OLD SPURS"

Most coaches use Game 1 as a feeling out process. Sort of like Round 1 in boxing when both fighters barely throw punches and use the whole round to study how each fighter moves.

Well, the Lakers and Spurs know each other so well that both teams' scouting departments will be taking the next two weeks off. There is no need to study. The Lakers are all too familiar with the Spurs' discipline on offense and defense and the Spurs are well versed in the triangle offense.

Game 1 on Wednesday night is critical. Both teams want to land the first hard punch and force the other to adjust. Most likely, Lakers coach Phil Jackson will make the first move and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will counter.

Jackson is notorious for throwing curveballs in Game 1.

In 1998 when the Chicago Bulls faced the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, Jackson had 6-8 forward Scottie Pippen guard 6-1 poing guard Mark Jackson in Game 1. Pippen's length and quickness bothered Jackson so much the Pacers were unable to run their normal offense the whole series. The Bulls won in seven.

Continue reading "GAME 1 WILL TELL WHOLE LAKERS-SPURS STORY"

 

After the Lakers' unbelievable 89-85 comeback victory in Game 1, a few thoughts ran across my mind.

One, the San Antonio Spurs cannot guard Kobe Bryant. Never had. Never will. Kobe was absolutely right when he said, "I can get off any time I want" (he meant basketball term "getting off"). Once Kobe finally escaped the bermuda triangle he was on in the first half, the league's MVP took control of the game.

Two, Manu Ginobili looked fatigued. I've always believed that the key to the Spurs is Ginobili. You have to keep him out of the paint and make him work hard on defense. As much as I wanted to think that the Lakers defense had everything to do with Ginobili's poor showing in Game 1, the reality of it was Manu looked completely worn out and I'm not sure one day's rest will cure it.

Continue reading "LAKERS OWN THE SPURS"

Kobe Bryant can feel it. He can see it. He can almost taste it.

Like a true Black Mamba, Bryant senses that his prey, the San Antonio Spurs, are weak, wounded and ready to be taken out. The Lakers took a 3-1 series lead Tuesday night in San Antonio thanks to Bryant and can close out the Spurs Thursday night at Staples Center.

Bryant has waited four years to get to this point. A lot of sweat, a lot of grief and a whole lotta stress. Now, he's 48 minutes away from getting back to the stage that he practically grew up in .... the NBA Finals.

The journey was not easy and certainly wasn't very pleasant. Even the ever-confident Bryant had his doubts about returning back to the mountain top.

He hit rock bottom in 2005 when the Lakers missed the playoffs entirely and the franchise was on shaky ground. Then came the playoff collapse in 2006 when the Lakers blew a 3-1 series lead on Phoenix and Kobe was crucified for not shooting enough in the Suns' run-away victory in Game 7. To make matters worse, Bryant was forced to watch from home as former teammate Shaquille O'Neal hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2006.

Continue reading "LAKERS, KOBE ONE WIN AWAY FROM NBA FINALS"

Did Derek Fisher foul Brent Barry? Did the San Antonio Spurs get robbed of a victory? Is the NBA leaning heavily towards a Boston Celtics-L.A. Lakers NBA Finals matchup?

The answers: Yes. No. Yes.

Fisher fouled Brent Barry. The Spurs know it. The Lakers and coach Phil Jackson acknowledged it. And the NBA league official issued a statement to confirm it.

Why did the league office respond to this hot-button issue? Because the Gregg Popovich and the Spurs filed a complaint to the NBA and demanded an explanation on what happened in the final two seconds of Game 5 before 18,000 angry San Antonio fanatics.

That's right. The Spurs went to the league office to whine about the play that they felt cost them a chance to tie the series. Popovich and the Spurs all said the right things after the game, which is standard procedure for these guys, and Pop said "if I were the official I would not make that (foul) call."

Continue reading "SPURS ARE CRYING FOUL? TOO BAD."

It was so good that it deserves an encore. Here it goes:

Dust off those old VHS tapes and grab that Michael Jackson Thriller leather jacket off the coat room because the '80s are making a comeback.All signs have been pointing to the '80s flashback for a while now we just haven't fully realized it. Case in point: Bret Michaels and his bandana is relevant again thanks to VH1's Rock of Love and Kylie Minogue's name is back on the billboard charts.And now the NBA is joining in on the '80s theme.The Lakers and Celtics were destined to play in the NBA Finals. At least that's what David Stern has been hoping and praying for since the playoffs began.Two storied franchises.Two teams that have combined to win 30 NBA titles.Two teams that launched a popular slogan in the 1980's...NBA

Continue reading "LAKERS VS. CELTICS: I LOVE THE '80S"