Quote of the Day 1/8/09

"I've always approached the season like the Tour de France. I've approached it in stages. I'm not going to sprint the hill every time. I'm going to let my teammates pull me up, and then I'm going to wait..." -Kobe Bryant

Bill Walton brings earnest enthusiasm to ESPN

Bill Walton is now in his 35th season being part of the NBA, his 19th as a broadcaster. He is 56 years old and suffered in (self-imposed) silence while healing from a bad back during last year's playoffs that led to Boston beating Los Angeles in the Finals. He's back on the air at ESPN now, not for all the network's "NBA Shootaround" shows, but enough. He debuted on Christmas Day and he'll be back again Feb. 6 when ESPN has a doubleheader of Denver at Washington and Golden State at Phoenix. Walton's earnest enthusiasm for the league is...read full article

Lakers Looking For Payback Against Indiana

The Indiana Pacers look like they've finally shaken their season-long struggle to win close games. That might not do them much good if they can't stay competitive against the Western Conference-best Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers look to improve to 19-2 at Staples Center as they go for their eighth win in nine games overall Friday night against the Pacers. Indiana (13-22) is stuck at the bottom of the Central Division in large part because of its inability to win tight games. The Pacers are 0-4 in overtime and were 3-11 in games decided by six points or fewer after...read full article

With the injuries, Sun Yue gets his opportunity

For the Lakers, a void has to be filled because of injuries. And that means even a rookie such as Sun Yue has to be Sun got the call from Lakers Coach Phil Jackson on Wednesday night, but it was not a shining moment for the 6-foot-9 guard from China. It was not so much that he didn't score. It was more about how uneasy he looked on the court against the Golden State Warriors. "For me, every game on the court I feel more better, more comfortable," Sun said. "I might not be getting used to the whole system...read full article

Win or lose, Lakers still best in West

With auditions ongoing for two months, there's been a painfully obvious truth on the Western stage. No one seemed capable of playing a credible Joker to the Los Angeles Lakers' Batman. The Lakers have been local heroes with no foils, a team so successful it sucked the drama out of this movie. New Orleans was an early favorite to fill the role of chief antagonist, but coming into Tuesday night's game at Staples Center, the Hornets didn't seem up to it. The first two times they met in N'awlins, the Lakers gobbled up the home team like tasty bowls of...read full article

After Tonight's Game The NBA Orders Pau Gasol To Take Gender Test

After tonight's victory for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Golden State Warriors. David Stern decides to have an NBA official determine the gender of Pau Gasol. The reason for the test, according to Stern: "This is a man's league." Stern was very upset with Gasol for three reasons—it's constant whining to the refs, it's version of the tennis grunt when taking a shot, and lastly for hanging on the rim after a dunk. Usually, the league administers a urine test and of course always with advanced notice, but Stern was too pissed off, so he decided that it...read full article

Lakers vs Warriors highlights 1/7/09