You Better Be A Laker Fan

Happy Thanksgiving from The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers wishes you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Lakers turn it into a blowout

After leading by two at the half, they run away from the Nets as Pau Gasol scores 26.

The Lakers sputtered and wheezed, Kobe Bryant foremost among them, before gaining control of the New Jersey Nets and continuing along the path of a blissful one-loss team.

This was supposed to be an end-of-the-month stroll against one of the league's mediocre teams, but the Lakers again made it interesting, allowing the Nets to play along for the better part of three quarters before pulling away with ease in a 120-93 victory Tuesday at Staples Center. The second unit was again first rate, pushing the Lakers from languid to lively and preventing a home loss against the neither-here-nor-there Nets (6-7).

Along the way, the Lakers established their largest margin of victory in 32 years of playing the Nets, eclipsing a 109-84 decision over them in March 1997. The Lakers' starters undeniably needed the...read full article

Phil Jackson understands the angst

Lakers coach knows that not all the news will be positive, even with a successful team.

The headlines scream from the pages.

Luke Walton can't get any playing time. Sasha Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic aren't making their three-point shots. The Lakers' defense was unacceptable against Sacramento. Sun Yue is probably going down to the Development League. OK, maybe the headlines are sometimes more whispers than screams, but the Lakers are 12-1 and still facing some questions and shrugs from reporters.

Not that Coach Phil Jackson is complaining. "You couldn't write everything positive, could you? It wouldn't be any fun. No fun," he said, smiling. In fact, Jackson tends to be more critical than complimentary in video sessions before practice. "I have to," he said. "That's what coaching's about." 

Jackson acknowledged there was even some nitpicking in stories during the Chicago Bulls' record-setting 72-10 season in 1995-96. "I'm sure there was [criticism]: ' Luc Longley couldn't run...read full article

Lakers trying to upgrade their 'D'

Coach Phil Jackson and players use Monday's practice to address defensive deficiencies that resurfaced in Sunday's win over Sacramento. Stopping dribble penetration is top priority. 

The Lakers went back to work Monday in search of ways to correct a defense that failed them Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, even though the Lakers won the game. The theme at practice was simple: Stop dribble penetration. Contain the guards. The Lakers were unsuccessful in doing that against Sacramento's trio of guards. John Salmons, Bobby Brown and Bobby Jackson accounted for 60 of the Kings' 108 points. They shot a sizzling 57.7% (26 for 45) from the field and seemingly got to the basket at will.

The Lakers' backcourt will be challenged again tonight when it faces New Jersey's guard duo of Vince Carter and Devin Harris at Staples Center. "The first sequence that comes in a situation like that is stopping penetration," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "You stop that and usually the ball stops. We didn't do a relatively good job on defense, I thought, containing some of the better...read full article

Western Conference Insider: Lakers resemble '95-96 Bulls

Sacramento Kings assistant coach Randy Brown knows what a 70-win NBA team looks like. He was on one. Or should I say, he was on it, because the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls are the lone team in league history to reach the 70-win plateau during their record-setting 72-10 season. 

You might remember Brown, a role player who wore No. 0 on the Bulls' 1996-98 championship team, for trying to wrestle the game ball away from Michael Jordan after Chicago downed Seattle in Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals.

"I went for that ball," Brown told me before his Kings played the Lakers on Sunday. "It's Toni Kukoc's fault. I told him to give me the ball and as you can see, Michael and I are running for it and then it hit me: It's Father's Day, let the guy have the ball. So, I let it go. He was destined for it, so it was no big deal." With a 118-108 win over Sacramento, Los Angeles pushed its record to 11-1, moving ahead of Chicago's pace in '95-96. The Bulls started their season 10-2, losing to the Sonics on Nov. 26 before going on a 13-game winning streak to set their record at 23-2 by Christmas.

Only seven out of the Lakers' next 16 games leading up to their Finals rematch against Boston Celtics on Dec. 25 are against teams with .500 records or better. Brown thinks that this Lakers team...read full article

Trading Shaq brightened future for Lakers

Shaquille O’Neal walked off the Phoenix Suns’ practice court and into the arms of Phil Jackson, wrapping his old coach in a hug. He whispered a few words in Jackson’s ear then gave him a kiss that left sweat pooling on Jackson’s cheek and brow. “You know I wouldn’t do you like that,” O’Neal cooed.

This is how it goes with Shaq. He raps about Kobe Bryant smelling his ass. He calls San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a coward. He says Jackson orchestrated the riff between him and Kobe. And then he says he was joking or taken out of context, or both. He’s forever 36 going on 13, and that’s what makes him so lovable. The Big Eraser, making history then deleting it as he sees fit.

By the time Kobe and Phil arrived at US Airways Center Thursday evening, Shaq had already waxed nostalgic about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe? He and Kobe never had problems. Kobe called him fat and he called Kobe selfish, but evidently those were just terms of endearment. Phil? How could he ever say anything bad about Phil? Phil always took care of him. Had the three of them stayed together, Shaq guesses they would have won several more...read full article

Race To MVP: Why Kobe is not #1

Kobe Bryant is last years MVP (Finally!) and if he wants to retain his MVP Award this season. 1 of 2 things has to happen. Lebron James and the Cleveland Caveliers has to start losing or Kobe Bryant has to put up better numbers. I think the Cavs is going to start losing and Kobe will retain his MVP Awards.

1. LeBron James, Cavaliers

2. Kobe Bryant, Lakers

3. Amare Stoudemire, Suns

4. Dwight Howard, Magic

5. Chris Paul, Hornets

6. Paul Pierce, Celtics

7. Dwyane Wade, Heat

8. Chris Bosh, Raptors

9. Joe Johnson, Hawks

10. C. Billups, Nuggets

Kareem preaches patience to Andrew Bynum

Young center wants to be more assertive, but Hall of Famer says opportunities will come.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer has one word for Andrew Bynum -- patience. Bynum has struggled with his shot and recently said he wanted to be more assertive once he got the basketball in the post. To paraphrase Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it will happen in time. "The offense is designed to spread it around, but if you're getting high-percentage shots in the post, they're of great value to a team," said Abdul-Jabbar, in his fourth season as a Lakers' special assistant coach in charge of Bynum's development.

"It's a situation where he has to prove that he can deliver and then maybe the offense can look for him more than it is right now. He just has to be patient." After getting outscored and outrebounded by Detroit center Kwame Brown, Bynum lamented that he hadn't scored enough in the low post this season, feeding instead off screen-and-rolls, lob passes and offensive rebounds. Bynum, who signed a four-year, $57.4-million contract extension last month, was averaging 9.9 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 45.5% before Tuesday's game against...read full article

Pau Gasol scores 34 points to lead Lakers

Lakers get back to winning. Top pick Derrick Rose has 25 points for the Bulls.

Memo to the Eastern Conference: One in a row.

OK, so The Lakers didn't beat Boston, Detroit or even Cleveland, but they jumped all over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, 116-109, a welcome sight for them after all their issues with the Pistons last Friday. Pau Gasol had 34 points, Kobe Bryant had 21 and the Lakers returned to the winning side after a long weekend of "What happened?" queries.

Chicago is a middle-of-the-road team from the East, lucky to even to be called a Boston Lite or Mini-Detroit, but the Bulls play with enough punch to earn a "gritty" tag from Bryant the day before the game.

It wasn't quite enough to push away the memory of an 11-point home loss to Detroit, but the Lakers will...read full article

Lakers rally to stay undefeated

Reporting from Dallas -- Funny thing, life in the NBA. Phil Jackson had been preaching the importance of winning a gritty game and declined to compare the toughness of the current Lakers team to those that won three championships earlier this decade. 

So the present-day rendition went out and presented a "for your consideration" game. They collected floor burns, rang up a blocked shot at a critical time and held the Dallas Mavericks to 39 second-half points in a tense 106-99 victory Tuesday at American Airlines Center. It wasn't poetic, it won't make the year-end highlight video and it started out more Slowtime than Showtime, but it ended with the Lakers' sixth consecutive victory to start the season.

There were sighs and smiles after it ended, the Lakers now 3-0 in road games. Pau Gasol was again a steadying influence with 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant had 27 points, but this was one for the reserves.

Trevor Ariza had 13 points, played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter and had the play of the game, blocking a late three-point attempt by Jerry Stackhouse.

Lamar Odom had 12 points and played almost 10 minutes in...read full article

Lakers' Pau Gasol makes a stand on defense

He shuts down Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki in the second half, a key part of the Lakers' come-from-behind victory.

Reporting from Dallas -- Even Pau Gasol has bought into the new Lakers' defense . . . surprisingly. Gasol never has been known for his defense, for being a stopper, for being something other than a skilled offensive player.

But there Gasol was Tuesday night, grinding it out against Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, putting the clamps on the Mavericks' All-Star forward during the Lakers' 106-99 victory over the Mavericks. "Definitely, defense was a big challenge tonight for me, to be able to step out and make it tough for him and I think I was pretty successful," Gasol said. "It's a big key when you stop Dirk on their team."

It was Gasol's job to contain his counterpart at power forward, and he did. Nowitzki finished with 14 points, but he missed 12 of his 17 shots. Gasol had a lot to do with that. Nowitzki was one for nine in the second half, his last basket coming with 10:14 left in the third quarter. He missed all five of his shots in the fourth quarter. Gasol played a major role in that happening. "Pau is really a great player, both at center and power forward," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "He was a good matchup for us tonight. Dirk's a great shooter and we were able to contain him at least somewhat, and Pau had a big hand in...read full article

Unplugged with Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom on the mic talking about how he is 100% sure he can win a game in NFL if he is the quarterback if he picks his teammates. Watch the video and find out who he picks.

Lakers hit the big 5-0 with ease

They win their fifth straight to start the season, erasing early 16-point deficit and routing Rockets by 29. Their average victory margin is 22.4 points.

Wait, when exactly is that challenge supposed to come? The Lakers powered through another alleged contender, overcoming a numbingly slow start (seriously, a 16-point deficit in the second quarter) on the way to a breezy 111-82 victory Sunday over the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. Pau Gasol was steady as could be, Jordan Farmar donated a 16-point, six-assist effort in a reserve role, and early-game boos turned into standing ovations as the Lakers tied their third-largest margin of victory in a 41-year history of playing the Rockets.

Through five games, the only people who have toyed with the Lakers have been, well, the Lakers. They needed Kobe Bryant's fourth-quarter bailout for a victory in Denver. They needed a 22-0 run to dispatch the Clippers. They trailed Houston, 32-16, before finally awakening. Actually, "awakening" might be the understatement of the Lakers' young season. The final score represented a 45-point swing from their early deficit. From that rickety point in the second quarter, when boos began to seep out of fans after a three-second violation on Lamar Odom, the Lakers outscored Houston the rest of the way, 95-50 (not a typo).

"The momentum of this game just turned upside down after the first quarter," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.

Andrew Bynum's Birthday Bash at Club Ivar

Andrew Bynum was making it rain dollars at Club Ivar for his 21th birthday. Check it out!