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Sometimes it really is all about making shots.

Two years ago, in Game 7 against the Suns, Kobe didn’t take many shots and deferred to his teammates, and everyone chastised him about it. Charles Barkley, for example, said that Kobe “throwing the game” was unforgiveable. And yet, in Game 5 against the Jazz this past Wednesday, Kobe did the exact same thing: he didn’t take many shots and deferred to his teammates. However, this time he was praised for being efficient and playing intelligently and showing how far he’s grown. What was the difference this time?

Simply put: his teammates actually made baskets. That’s all it really boils down to. If his teammates actually made their shots two years ago, he probably would have been similarly praised. But they didn’t, so instead he became the selfish player who tried to irrationally prove a point at the expense of their postseason. You gotta wonder: if his current teammates didn’t come through this past Game 5, would Kobe have received a lashing from the media?

But I know a lot of people will ask: is it fair to compare the two games? Definitely. I mean, it’s almost eerie how similar the circumstances were. Both games were preceded by a game where Kobe scored a large chunk of points (50 against the Suns and 33 against the Jazz) but only after taking a ton of shots (35 and 33). In both instances, the Lakers lost in overtime and Kobe was questioned for taking the bulk of the teams’ shots and not getting his teammates properly involved. So what happened in the following games? The exact same thing: Kobe realized that his team cannot win if he takes the majority of the shots (41% and 35% of the shots in those two overtime losses). So, in the game two years ago, he tried to get his team involved. They failed to make shots and Kobe gets the third degree for not trying to score enough. This year, however, he tries the same thing and this time his teammates come through. And now he’s praised for scoring 33 points with only 10 shots.

Don’t get me wrong: I do believe Kobe has improved his team-oriented play significantly since that series against the Suns. But it’s just interesting to me how much of a difference some made shots by his teammates make.

- J.C.

Note: In my last post, I totally forgot about Maurice Cheeks, making it 8 Afircan American coaches out of 16… 50%! That’s even more impressive.

There’s a lot of crap on TV. Some of it annoys me …

- Beemer windshield wipers operating at “autobahn speeds” … What fucking idiot drives an SUV over 80 miles per hour in the pouring rain? Good lord, DO NOT encourage these people!! This is exactly the kind of socially irresponsible advertising that ends in some poor sucker rolling around all over the freeway in an SUV before taking flight off the side of road. That’s not a good look, BMW.

- In fact, all car commercials are dumb. The 2007 Dodge Charger had over 300 horsepower. Who the hell would ask for a more powerful engine on that bulldozer of a car? Seriously, there has got to be an upper limit on these things. After a certain point, nobody cares about improvements. Also how did that woman even get past the Dodge design lab security?! Someone needs to get fired.

- Kevin Durant jersey swap commercial … Yeah, cuz everybody dreams of playing in a city where the stadium wants to leave.

- All Carls Jr. commercials are retarded.

Speaking of advertising, if you check out the banner up top you’ll see various commercials for basketball-related stuff. But when i signed up for AdSense, the first advertisement that appeared was for a dating service for people with HIV. How crazy is that??

Also, Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets to advance beyond the first round for the first time since Shaq left. But we’re supposed to be playing it cool cuz LA is gonna bring home a championship this year.

Two years ago, Superbowl XLI made a lot of noise. A lot was written about how history was going to be made because either Tony Dungy of the Indiana Colts or Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears would become the first African American head coach to win the Superbowl. That fact made many headlines, and people started taking note of which sport was the most diverse. And by far, the NBA came out on top.

Which is why it is interesting to me that, this year, no one has made a bigger deal about the fact that out of 16 teams in the NBA playoffs, we have 7 African American head coaches. That’s almost half of the coaches. In the Eastern Conference, over half of the coaches are African American. Three series have African American coaches pitted against each other. The Hornets’ Byron Scott is up against the Maverick’s Avery Johnson. The Celtics’ Doc Rivers is up against the Hawks’ Mike Woodson. And finally, the Cavaliers’ Mike Brown is up against the Wizards’ Eddie Jordan. (The last coach is Sam Mitchell of the Raptors who has been, sadly, just eliminated.) In just this one season, we have have three series that, in the NFL, made headlines. It’s interesting to me that nary a word has been said about it in the mainstream media, even though it would make a great story about how progressive and diverse the NBA is and just how far the sport has come since the early days of the sport’s existence.

But…

Perhaps the ultimate proof of how far the sport has come is the fact that no one has noticed.

- J.C.

Everyone knows that Magic vs Bird put basketball on the pop culture map and that NBA Finals television ratings have been declining steadily since Jordan retired (for the second time). This season has turned into something of a resurgence, due mostly to several blockbuster trades and a historically competitive Western Conference race.

That said, it would be a disaster if we ended up with another Spurs vs Pistons matchup at the end of the line. I’ve got a ton of respect for both of those teams. They stress solid, defensive fundamentals and they’re not afraid to put in the work. But they’re both boring to watch. It takes a Tim Duncan buzzer beater three pointer to make the Spurs borderline entertaining.

You know what? Scratch that. I hate the Pistons. All this time i thought i respected them, but i was mistaken. They never come through for us. In the past four years, they’ve beaten the Lakers in the NBA Finals, lost to the Miami Dwaqs in the Eastern Conference Finals, and lost to the heavy underdog Cleveland LeBrons. Basically every time someone has an opportunity to make Kobe or the Lakers look bad, Detroit is there to make it happen. And now they’re losing to the Philadelphia 0.488s in the first round. Nice.

The last time San Antonio and Detroit met in the NBA Finals, it resulted in a seven game series wherein the score cralwed over the 100 point mark exactly once. Everyone would consider it a monumental disappointment if we had another lullaby like that.

Lakers vs Celtics in the NBA Finals … now that’s gonna be big. And it’s still the most likely result, so i’m sure all of those marketing execs are salivating. However, there are quite a few exciting matchups that might never happen. Lakers vs Nuggets has turned into a one-sided contest while none of the Hornets vs Mavericks games have been close. I can’t help but wonder how much more exciting it would have been to see Lakers vs Warriors, Hornets vs Jazz, and Spurs vs Mavericks.

Lakers vs Suns is the other big one, but it’s looking nearly impossible at this stage. What’s worse is that Spurs vs Suns was supposed to be one of the more exciting matcups, yet the Suns could very well get swept.

It’s no big deal though. Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher have history with everyone …

Lakers vs Celtics: Throwback to Legend.
Lakers vs Pistons: Payback.
Lakers vs Spurs: Passing of the Guard.
Lakers vs Suns: Playoff Rivalry + Kobe vs Shaq.
Lakers vs Hornets: MVP Battle.

It’s a shame that only one of the above Western Conference matchups will happen.

So now that the Playoffs have been running for a few days, I’d like to take the time to revise my original Playoff Predictions. Well, not necessarily revise them, but follow-up on them. Here we go:

Hornets Vs. Mavericks: Wow. I said the Mavs could possibly choke again and they are well on their way. It’s making me actually sad to see how badly they are getting stomped. I think if the Mavs lose again, we’re gonna see wholesale changes. I predict Avery Johnson will be gone and Nowitzki could possibly end up on the trading block.

Spurs Vs. Suns: With their big lead in the 2nd game in the first half, someone I was watching the game with worried the Suns might pull off the victory. “Don’t worry,” I said. “The Suns will let them back in it. They always do.” And sure enough, they did. The Suns will fight hard at home for sure, but don’t worry. The Suns will eventually lose. They always do.

Rockets Vs. Jazz: I really do feel bad for Tracy McGrady. But to be honest, I don’t think the McGrady + Yao experiment can work. McGrady needs a 2nd scoring option so he won’t get so damned tired, but Yao slows the game down, which is bad for McGrady. Maybe it’s time to perform a little shake-up in Houston as well. ‘Cause I believe they are going to get swept.

Celtics Vs Hawks: Who? What? Are they playing? I didn’t notice.

Pistons Vs. Sixers: Losing that first game might be the best thing to happen to them. Had it happened to a more capable team, their swagger might not have been enough to bring them back so dominantly and assert themselves the next game. Maybe since it happened so early this time, the Pistons will have more to prove and will play hard for the rest of the postseason having already had everyone call out their lackidaisical attitudes. But I’m glad to say that the Sixers would make it closer than people expected, and winning that first game, I think, counts.

Magic Vs. Raptors: Didn’t I say it was gonna happen? I told you Turkoglu was going to hit a really clutch shot. And that driving layup he hit at the end of Game 2 was huge. And man oh man… I gotta say it, but Orlando is Dwight POWERED. Wow. The numbers this guy is putting up are ridiculous. Averaging 20/20, right now, is crazy. Especially since he’s not up against some loser. Bosh is holding his own!

Cavaliers Vs. Wizards: I agree with Barkley. The Wizards have to be the dumbest franchise in the history of the NBA. Why are you taunting Lebron? I predicted the Wizards before the series started, and I would stick to those guns if it weren’t for the fact that the Wizards are giving Lebron motivation to torch them. Now that I’ve heard all this stupid nonsense coming from the Wizards, I predict their gonna lose and lose badly. And although I am not a fan of Lebron, I have to say that he’s playing like a MAN right now. He’s really looked good so far this post-season. I have no criticisms of him this year. Just don’t make him angry! That’s like doing something as stupid as taunting or trash talking Kobe Bryant! No one in their right mind would ever do that!

Lakers Vs. Nuggets: Oh wait, someone did. And Kobe gave you 49 reasons why you shouldn’t have.

- J.C.

In no particular order …

Joel Meyers: Fish is now 6 of 9 with 16.
Stu Lantz: They better find him!
Joel: Gasol, back in transition, taps it away from Horford.
Joel: That’ll take us to a time out as the Lakers cling to a 3-point lead.
Stu: When you’re as hot as Derek Fisher is, you have to recognize that as a teammate.
Stu: Make sure you find him every opportunity.
Stu: Say, “Derek, ride us … wuh … on your back tonight!”
- Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks, Wed 02/06/2008, 2:51 left in 3rd Q

Stu Lantz: Makes it look easy. It’s not.
- Lakers vs Portland Trailblazers, Tue 02/26/2008, 2:38 left in 4th Q
(thanks for the insightful clarification Stu)

Stu Lantz: Kobe comes up with it.
Stu Lantz: Derek’s wide open.
Stu Lantz: Derek says, “Hey, I’m wide open.” Splash!
- Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks, Tue 03/18/2008, 8:33 left in 3rd Q

Stu needs to make a list of phrases to bring out for time outs. There’s no shame in copying them from Chick Hearn’s page either.

Speaking of lame announcer jokes, one of the best i’ve ever heard happened during the recent Los Angeles vs Phoenix playoff series. The Lakers were behind by a ton of points in the second half and the game was practically over, so of course Stu was busy stating the obvious. Then Joel says something like, “Yeah they’ve really evaporated!” You gotta admit, that’s pretty clever for a quick joke on the spot. Stu didn’t get it though so he just repeated the same sentence with a different adjective.

I think the Playoffs are a good place to start for my inaugural post on our lovely Lakers blog. But before I start commenting on things that have happened, I figured I’d post up my early Playoffs predictions. I wrote a long e-mail to some friends indicating what I believed the first round would be like, and obviously, after basking in the glow of 8 playoff games in the first weekend, I have a lot of new insights to my original predictions. But in order to understand my new point of views, you gotta see where I came from. So although a bit late, here are my First Round Playoff predictions for 2008:

Lakers Vs. Nuggets: The Western Conference could not have fallen into better position for the Lakers, IMO. I mean, if we look at it carefully, I think the scariest teams to face in the Playoffs are: Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, and New Orleans. And the Lakers are guaranteed only to face one of them, because those four teams will be busy eliminating themselves. Meanwhile, we are playing the Nuggets (which, though dangerous, is still less dangerous than any of the other 7 teams) and then, if we pass the Nuggets, we will end up facing off against a Yao-less Rockets team or a road-weak Jazz team before finally needing to play one of those other four teams. Frankly, I think the Lakers chances of making it to the Finals are pretty good. I think they’ll make quick work of the no-defense Nuggets, as the combination of Gasol and Bryant will far outweigh the combination of Iverson and Anthony.

Hornets Vs. Mavs: I also predict Dallas will beat New Orleans, with upset still fresh on their tongues after last year’s loss. I’m sure they are salivating at the chance to be the upsetters this time as opposed to the “upsettees.” Plus they are just more experienced. However, it is very much in them, obviously, to choke and lose anyhow. So this one will be tough. I give it Mavs in 6 games.

Rockets Vs. Jazz: Houston Vs. Utah is tough, since Utah does NOT have home court advantage despite being 4th seed. If they had home court, I’d give the edge to Utah. But because they are so bad on the road, it’s tough to say. Houston is much faster-paced without Yao, and more athletic. But the fact that Rafer Alston is injured and won’t play in the few games pushes the favor towards the Jazz. I predict the Jazz win in 6, because they will miraculously win one of the first three games on the road, and not lose any of their home games.

Spurs Vs. Suns: Wow. The Spurs just manhandled the Jazz in their last game with Parker, Duncan, and Ginobli all back. But the Suns manhandled the Spurs in their last meeting this past month. This one is really tough to call. It probably will depend on if Horry body-tackles Nash again or something. Having Shaq to battle Duncan is nice, but I somehow think the Suns will learn that Shaq is getting old, just as everyone else already has. The lack of Marion gives the Spurs an easier focus on stopping Stoudemire. If they can contain Stoudemire, the Spurs can definitely win. I don’t think the Suns have enough people to contain Parker (who will flourish against the pick-and-roll defenseless Shaq), Ginobli (will probably be covered by Bell, so Ginobli may have some troubles), and Duncan (will be covered by Shaq, but Duncan is too fast and skilled and can shoot outside shots to pull Shaq away from the bucket, where Shaq doesn’t like to be). So I give the favor to the Spurs. Spurs win it on the road in 6.

Celtics Vs. Hawks: Boston Vs. Atlanta isn’t worth discussing. Boston in 4.

Pistons Vs 76ers: Detroit vs. Philly will be interesting. Philly has been on a roll, and it’s funny to me that their playoff chances are better than the Nuggets. Weren’t they supposed to be the short end of the stick after trading Iverson? This will be a telltale series, and will show us which Pistons are showing up this year: the “we are the underdogs vs. Boston so we will play hard” Pistons, or the “I hope we can make it to the Finals without effort” Pistons. Frankly, I think the Pistons will still win in 5, but the games will be closer than people give Philadelphia credit for.

Magic Vs. Raptors: Orlando vs. Toronto is a tough one. Toronto has been solid all season long with a Bosh injury causing them to plummet to 6th place. I predict the Magic will win this, and this will be a big coming out party for Turkoglu. He’s been THE MAN all season long, and I predict he’s gonna have some crazy clutch games this series to pull out close wins, and the TV broadcasts are gonna make a pretty big deal out of him. It’s gonna be close. I predict Magic in 6 or 7.

Cavs Vs. Wizards: I think the Cavs will lose to Washington. The trade the Cavs made has not paid off for them, and you KNOW the Wizards are waiting for revenge. They’ve been ousted twice by the Cavs two years in a row, and the team has been gelling well without Arenas… so with Arenas now coming off the bench, they can maintain their chemistry AND have a 30-point potential spark coming off the bench. I predict this year shows the world just how pathetic the East was last year and the Cavs, and Golden Boy Lebron, will not make it out of the first round. Wizard in 6.

-J.C.

With blowout wins against San Antonio and against Sacramento, the Lakers closed out the season by clinching the top spot in the Western Conference. New Orleans still has a chance to tie LA’s 57-25 record, but the Lakers own the tiebreaker due to conference record.

Without a doubt, this has been the most exciting season in recent memory. I definitely didn’t expect to be making so many posts ending in exclamation points, but the Lakers have accomplished so many good things in the past month that it couldn’t be helped. All of the teams in the West deserve credit for the excitement. It sucks to see Golden State being left out of the NBA Playoffs, but i hope they can come back even better next season.

Now the question is, who will the Lakers play in the first round? It’s either Dallas or Denver, based on the results of today’s games. Denver would be the safer bet, but personally i’m hoping for Dallas because it would make for more exciting games. And i don’t doubt that the Lakers would come out ahead.

He wrote this to argue AGAINST Kobe winning MVP…

“”Yes, he’s the game’s best player, but also give credit to Andrew Bynum, Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar for improving on their own, to Lamar Odom for staying healthy, and to Mitch Kupchak for signing Derek Fisher and acquiring Pau Gasol.”

This is my response…

Dude, seriously, c’mon…

“Give Lamar credit for staying healthy”? you’re gonna knock Kobe because ONE big man stayed healthy? that’s pretty sad.

“improving on their own” is the biggest knock to the concept of “making your teamates better” anyone has ever heard. Well, that’s unless you define making your teamates better as SOLELY the ability to draw double teams and pass to OPEN shooters so that they can drain shots like they do in practice.

The difference between what Paul and Nash were doing and what Kobe’s doing (By the way, i love those two guys) is that if you move Sasha, Farmar, and Bynum to other teams….they’ll still be good because they ACTUALLY IMPROVED AS BALL PLAYERS…..not just got put into an ideal system. And how can you say that one of the smartest, most fundamental, most skilled, most experienced, most hard-working players we have in the NBA on BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR wasn’t a big part of their improvement it? Especially when EVERY MEMBER OF THE LAKERS TEAM EVEN CLAIMS THAT KOBE IS THE REASON THEY GOT BETTER.

As for the Mitch Kupchak theory. Wow That’s the worst argument he has...

Every MVP has won an award on a team with good players….good players that were acquired because of GM’s….last time i checked Steve Nash didn’t Sign Amare and Jordan didn’t sign Pippen…In fact…..ironically enough….Kobe had MORE to do with Mitch Kupchak’s moves in getting Fisher and Gasol than ANY other MVP candidate in the past-ever-since-i’ve-been-alive did.

Like i told my brother. This MVP race is going to come down to one thing. How many Kobe supporters get ballots and how many Kobe Haters get ballots. Every Kobe supporter will vote for him (unlike in the past 2 seasons) and every Kobe hater will find a reason to place Lebron, KG, or CP3 over him.

Kobe’s MVP chances are looking pretty good after the victory against New Orleans, and today the Lakers are at the top of the Western Conference. For a minute i was worried that the Lakers couldn’t get to the number one spot.

I’ve read a few articles which suggested awarding the MVP to Chris Paul if the Hornets end the season atop the Western Conference, or giving it to Kobe if they weren’t. So for a second, i thought maybe Kobe would get more votes if San Antonio ended up at the top, but that seems completely pointless now that we’ve got a legitimate shot at finishing first. Go Lakers!

As you can tell, i’m not entirely sure i buy into the whole seeding race this year. I’m actually hoping that the Warriors secure the eigth spot over the Nuggets. If that happens, i’d say the number one seed is going to face a more dangerous first round matchup than the number two seed, which will probably be up against the vulnerable-looking Mavericks. Either way, nobody is getting a bye. That leaves only home court advantage, which is a relatively minor accomplishment compared to seeding. Take a look at the current Eastern Conference matchups to see the importance of seeding in a typical one-sided conference.

Most of all, i’m hoping that the Warriors win both of their remaining games. That way, either they make it to the NBA Playoffs, or they get left out with 50 wins for the season. Nine teams at 50+ wins! How crazy would that be? It’s even crazier when you look at the Eastern Conference rankings. Boston’s crazy 64-16 record puts the eighth seed Atlanta Hawks at 27 games behind! Absurd.

The funniest thing is, Cleveland and Washington are only one and a half games apart and they’ve split their season series. Imagine if they somehow end up with identical overall records. Then the tiebreaker would be decided by comparing their conference records, and the team with the better record against the Eastern Conference would be awarded the higher spot. How messed up would that be?