Kobe Bryant

10) They were spotted in Kobe's escalade at an 'N and Out drive-through. And yes, they both got "animal style."

9) When on road trips in Denver, Kobe's got Artest covered for booty calls.

Continue reading "Top 10 Reasons Kobe and Artest will work out"

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote and published my first blog in this here forum of journalistic excellence and opinionated sports debate. I recounted the pitfalls of a thoroughly disappointing Lakers-Celtics Finals, one that should have been steeped in drama, history and haymakers but was instead hampered by flops, bricks, and poor decision-making. I find it fitting to sit here on this most unceremonious of anniversaries (does anyone still read this? if you’re out there, send money) and begrudgingly opine on yet another, equally disappointing Finals. 

Continue reading "Another Disappointing Finals"

NBA FINALS; Orlando Magic give LA a Battle of a Game, but Lakers Take It in Overtime!!!!
  Orlando came out of the gate a little sloppy, but so did the Lakers. Last night LA did not control the paint. This game was was a real fight and a really good game.  After the 1st period it was 15-15, an even game. The Magic really shut down Kobe in the first half, and played really great defense all around. D. Howard was getting his rebounds, 16 a game high and made some nice moves to help out the Magic's offense, scoring 17-points and 4 assists, a lot better than last game, and at half it was a 5 point LA lead.

Continue reading "Lakers in Overtime"

NBA FINALS GAME 1; Kobe and the LA Lakers Show the Orlando Magic their on a Mission!!
I thought that this was going to be a close game and a battle, even Vegas had the spread at 6 thinking it would be close, but it ended up being a blowout!!

Continue reading "LA Blows Out The Magic"

Or is it dilemmi? Either way.

As the entire NBA world eagerly awaits the potential match-up of Kobe and LeBron in this year's finals, they also can't help observe it's getting increasingly difficult for them to get there. The Magic and Nuggets are hitting their strides at the right time, with bench players stepping up at crucial moments, Van Panic and Karl making good coaching moves, and both team's point guards acting as the leaders they can be. Even if the current and future MJ's of our time average 50 a game for the rest of the playoffs, it won't matter. That's not how you reach the Golden Summit (Yes, I just used "Golden Summit" as an analogy for the Finals. Deal with it. I like it.).

Continue reading "Kobe and LeBron facing similar dilemmas"

The only way the Rockets are going to beat the Lakers is if Ron Artest literally KILLS Kobe Bryant. That's the only way. Lakers take Game 7 in a blowout.

The Nuggets are going to lose to the

Continue reading "Top 10 Things Mark Cuban MEANT TO ..."

Steroids has officially gone postal.

The list of all-star players who have been revealed to be using steroids: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, now.......MANNY RAMIREZ.

Continue reading "Manny being Manny: The Latest twist ..."

If Kobe Bryant expects to win a championship this June, he needs to trust his teammates more. If he doesn't, the Lakers will not only struggle to win the Finals, they may have trouble even getting there. Last night's loss to the Houston Rockets, putting them down 1-0 in the series, is to me, enough cause for concern. Phil Jackson needs to sit down Kobe and tell him the same thing he told Jordan: trust your teammates more.

Continue reading "Memo to Kobe: Be like Mike"

Say Swine Flu keeps spreading. Say it gets worse, like "Outbreak" worse, and the majority of people in the US get it, including LeBron James. I still don't think I could beat him one-on-one. Even if it was first to score. Or if we played "PIG." Remember when Jordan had the flu in the '88 playoffs, and he dropped 47 against the Knicks, AT the Garden??? We spectators/bloggers/sports fans seriously over-estimate the flu. If LeBron had swine flu, not only would he stuff me like a Quizno's Torpedo, he would still be able to beat the following athletes/teams:

Continue reading "LeBron could beat me with Swine Flu"

I'm a Kobe fan. Huge Kobe fan. He's practically my generation's MJ. Nothing against MJ, I just never saw him play much. I went to the United Center once, when I was seven, and all I remember is Scottie Pippen's crew-cut and cotton candy. Also, I'm from D.C., so the fact that MJ ruined the entire development and chemistry of an up-and-coming Washington Wizards team, just so he could milk a little more limelight, doesn't really sit well.

Continue reading "Why Lakers fans should worry about ..."

because Radmanovic should have been a very useful player for the Lakers, providing floor space for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and bringing high-percentage shooting from downtown as well as the free throw stripe. If Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and Radmanovic were considered Los Angeles' trio of small forwards, I'd rank Radmanovic either first or second out of the set. Ariza's probably a better all-around player, but I'd definitely take Radmanovic over Walton, who oddly enough, is the one who gets the bulk of the minutes.

Continue reading "Radmanovic trade a mistake for Lakers"

Without him they're second -- again. Kobe Bryant is, without a doubt, the premier basketball player in the universe, but Pau Gasol is his only reliable partner in crime.

Bynum made for a dangerous third option, and role that will now have to be occupied by the enigmatic, headache-inducing Lamar Odom. 

Continue reading "NBA Power Rankings"

I know there's a long way to go this season, but I'm over 90 percent confident that Kobe Bryant will again go to war against Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett in June.

I'll tell you why. On Boston's side, their team defense is as tenacious and relentless as ever, and offensively, their ball movement my even be superior to last year. Ray Allen looks to be in phenomenal physical condition, and shows no signs of slowing down. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett seem a little banged up at times, but they are both warriors, and minor aches and pains can't truly slow them down.

Continue reading "We're headed for a Lakers/Celtics ..."

p;        After hitting a three with less than 15 seconds to go, Kobe Bryant (who at this point was so hot that I'm surprised he didn't melt through the floor) nailed a contested three-pointer to give the Lakers a 111-109 lead, and a timeout was called.  In celebration, Kobe struts down the floor and sets an NBA record for consecutive chest bumps in a regular season game.  Kobe celebrated so exuberantly; you’d have thought he’d won the Spanish National Lottery or something.  Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d have thought for sure the game clock read all zeros. 

Continue reading "A Quick Aside... (NOT!)"

re NBA in scoring, and he's in good company...

Granger trails only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant -- the league's top three players. Though it goes Wade, LeBron, and Kobe in active scoring, if I were listing the best players in order it would be (1) Kobe, (2) LeBron, and (3) Wade. But that's a different discussion for another time. As for Granger, his 25.9 point per game average is incredibly impressive, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Continue reading "The NBA's most pleasant surprises"

You can't turn on a TV or pick up a newspaper in the greater Boston area these days without the same never-ending argument slapping you squarely in the face: Does Paul Pierce rank among the top 10 players in the NBA?

Continue reading "Truth Time"

Europe’s nurtured sport-child, soccer, is just that: an only child that’s captured the attention of Europeans for over 150 years.  The sport has yet to pull American interest on the same level… and probably won’t.

Continue reading "Europe set to take hold over sports…other ..."

d is actually worse.  The first warning sign is when Alex Rodriguez started being compared to Kobe Bryant (by the way, I'd like to thank Jamele Hill for constantly being my own personal cannon fodder every time I need a sports media punchline.  Honorable mention: Simmons).  Yeah, that sinking feeling in your stomach is the painful realization that despite Manny's bizarre antics and all of the baggage he has been forced to carry by the Boston Sports media (say it ain't so, Shaughnessy!), Ramirez doesn't stack up.  

Continue reading "Just Hit"

igh school players to go to college to mature, where do players like LeBron James, Martell Webster, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Rashard Lewis, Amare Stoudemire, Monta Ellis or Al Jefferson fit in?  What about those guys with NBA ready bodies and/or minds?  Is it fair to keep them from something that they're obviously ready for just because some of their peers are not?  How can we really justify robbing those players (and many others) of several years (or potentially a lifetime, if a player gets hurt in college) of NBA salary?

Continue reading "Bull-Plop!"

Are you like me? Are you thinking that last week’s NBA Finals should go down as one of the biggest disappointments in league history? Lakers-Celtics was supposed to rekindle the drama and mystique of the Finals; a match-up steeped in tradition, the best team from each conference squaring off in a best-of-seven, no-holes-bared, knockout, high-caliber glitz-fest. The glitz was plentiful, but the high-caliber basketball never really materialized.

Continue reading "Disappointing Finals"

, no better.  Now you’re probably saying, “But Dave, Mark Jackson said that ‘Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player on the planet’ 73 times in the first quarter alone, it must be true.”  Don’t get me wrong,

Continue reading "Defense Dominates"

I'm somewhat at a loss for words today (surprising, no?).  All I can say is that the Lakers got lucky last night in more ways than just the favorable officiating (Kobe just about hacked Paul Pierce's arm off on the decisive steal, but the game was not lost there).  The Lakers are lucky that KG missed two crucial free-throws (which, should the Celtics lose will become the mother of all albatrosses hanging around the Big TIcket's neck), and especially lucky that 3 of 5 Celtic starters are hurt during the biggest games of the entire season.  Knowing that, the Lakers should be ahead, they should be cruising to a championship, but they aren't.  The Celtics botched game five and spoiled a brilliant performance by Paul Pierce that could have, and should have clinched the series. The bad news for LA is that the Celtics know that, and they won't let it happen again.

Continue reading "Redraw"

How quickly we forget. Just last year Kobe Bryant was a whining malcontent who was estimated by just about everybody to be a cancer to the Lakers organization. He was a ball hog who shot first, and thought about winning second. He was the type of player who would rag on his teammates in front of a camera in a department store parking lot, and the type of employee who would throw his employers under the Buss any chance he got. It seems that winning changes a lot of things for Kobe, but even more so for Laker fans.

Continue reading "MVP or FWT? (Fair Weather Teammate)"

...  (pause) ... Did that really happen?  Was I dreaming (or possibly too fucked up to really see the TV)?  You mean to tell me that the Celtics rallied from an 18-point halftime deficite to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 and put a hammer lock on this series?  And Kobe only scored 17, in LA?  You can't be serious.

Continue reading "Hallucinating in Tandem, or Real?"

s bandwagon.  Not to be a diehard fan but to root for them in this NBA Finals.  I figured Kobe Bryant was ready to take that final step in becoming an all-time great and win his first Shaq-less title.  Now, four games into the NBA Finals, with the Lakers down 3-1 after blowing a 24 point lead in game 4, I am ready to end this Kobe talk until further notice.  And that could be never again.

Continue reading "The Black Mamba? How about the Gardner Snake"

verybody not named Timmy Legs or Simmons the Homer picked LA to win easily, citing the dominance of Kobe Bryant and the superiority of Phil Jackson.  The predictions ranged from Lakers-in-5 to Lakers-in-7, but nearly everybody thought that LA would steal one (or both!) of the first two games in Boston.

Continue reading "Cyclical History and Boxing Tips"

ped, I'm guessing).  Despite his electric third quarter and the lock down defense he played on Kobe Bryant, I'm scared as hell for the Celtics in the coming months weeks of this year's Finals. 

Continue reading "Joyful Panic"

  If Odom and Pau are ineffective, the Lakers offensive system will break down and turn into a Kobe Bryant chuck-fest before most of the Lakers fans are even in their seats.

Speaking of defending Odom and Gasol, this is why Kendrick Perkins will be a huge factor in this series.  He has played good, physical basketball against the Lakers this season, and played very well in the last few games of the Conference Finals against the Pistons.  His size and length should be irritating to a slender, finesse player like Pau Gasol if Perk can stay out of foul trouble for the majority of the series.  perkins is also great at using his body to show on the pick & roll and disrupt the rhythm of the play, which could be crucial against the high screens for Kobe that Gasol will set.  Finally, if Perk can force Gasol to work a little bit on defense, fatigue could be a factor down the stretch for the lanky Spaniard.

Continue reading "Middle Men"

depth and talent that they have on their roster.  The Lakers feature the league's best player, Kobe Bryant, as well as the NBA's greatest living coach, Phil Jackson, as well as a host of other talented players that make the Lakers an efficient and exciting offensive team.  How do you build a team that good?  Simple: You have to have two GMs, in this case Mitch Kupchak, who was responsible for building the Lakers' supporting cast of Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic, and Chris Wallace, who was responsible for gift wrapping Pau Gasol for Los Angeles (seriously, Pau for Kwame Brown, there should be an investigation into that robbery).

Continue reading "Throwback"

If you don't know what the scoop is for today, I suggest you take a look at my first post from today (the one before this post about the Wizards/Cavs).  For anyone who says that San Antonio plays boring basketball, I refer you to this game.  The atmosphere is intense, and the level of play couldn't be higher.  It's overtime, Suns up by 3 butStoudemire has just fouled out.  San Antonio has the ball with 12.6 left on the clock, and after Phoenix blankets Manu Ginobili, he finds Tim Duncan who just drilled the game tying 3-pointer (his first of the season) with three seconds to go (Mike D'Antoni's  facial expression was priceless).  This season's NBA playoffs are already surpassing all expectations, as we are now headed to double overtime in just the second game (LeBron's throw-down in the first game was also unreal) of this year's playoffs.

Continue reading "Playoff Extravaganza Part Two: Suns v. Spurs"

Don't blame me for this, it's just that time of year.  Sadly, the Celtics are still in cruise control and I have to do something to fill the void between now and Saturday.  So, for lack of anything better to write about, I suppose I'll put my two bits in about the various award races going on in the NBA.  If I eventually tail off and stop writing mid-sentence, it's because I'm just as bored with the subject as you'll be (actually, if you stick with it longer than I do, I'll be impressed!).  And I suppose it is the popular question du-jour, so let's get down to it.

Continue reading "Award Tour"

You can't spell "Los Andgeles" without a 'd.'  Oh wait, yes you can!  "Los Angeles," see?  No 'd,' there you have it (Look what my college degree gets me!).  Maybe that's why the Los Angeles Lakers (no "d" there either!) don't play it very well.  I don't even need to back that statement up, either (but fear not, I'm going to!).  The proof is in the pudding, and by pudding I mean last night's loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland.

Continue reading "There's No 'D' in Los Angeles"

Kobe Bryant

Why he’s the MVP:  He is Kobe, that’s why.  This guy can take over any game and win it by himself.  He has matured this year and has become a better team leader.  I often see him giving the younger guys on his team some advice.  He went from wanting out of LA to being the leader we all waited for him to become after Shaq left.  He is an assassin and I wouldn’t want anyone else in the world right now if I had one shot to win a game.

Continue reading "Tight NBA MVP Race? Not In My Eyes"

We have been waiting for this moment for months.  No, I’m not talking about the Jason Kidd trade to go through (which it did today).  I am talking to about the second half of the NBA season to begin.  The first three and a half months can be such a drag, and usually are but in the second half, everything picks up.  It is a two-month stretch run to the playoffs.  This is the time when teams like San Antonio and Detroit flip their switch on and look to be playing their best when the playoffs begin.  The flurry of trades that have gone on in the last two or three weeks has just made the second half that much more interesting.  The NBA season is about 20 games too long and it kills ratings but now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.  These next couple months of the regular season and the playoffs are going to be some of the best basketball since the ‘80’s.  The NBA, where exciting happens.

Continue reading "The NBA, Where Only the Second Half ..."