Random: Joakim Noah, and some quotes from Black Mamba

Besides Ron Artest, I think Joakim Noah is my favorite source of amazing soundbites in the NBA. From SportsCenter Rundown:

"Kevin Garnett will not -- will not -- get a Christmas gift from me...He's a very mean guy...Where's the love? None at all. Ugly, too." (Joakim Noah of the Bulls doesn't seem to like Kevin Garnett of the Celtics very much.)

I laughed a lot reading that! KG is actually one of the only Celtics I can tolerate, but lately I've heard enough about him picking on young guys and European players that I can believe his mean streak. Kind of a bully.

And there's the always classic "I don't know about Cleveland, man, there is nothing going on," Noah said Sunday, lamenting the options for his off day on a typical cloudy and chilly spring day. "It's bad, man." When asked if his dislike for the town would motivate him more in the series, Noah continued. "What, that Cleveland really sucks?" Noah said. AWESOME! Players are rarely so candid these days, more worried about PR and whatnot than saying what they really think. I love players that speak their minds. There was also a really interesting article about Noah in last week's Sports Illustrated, about how he's grown as a player and become an important part of the Bulls. Good read.


Just found an amusing short article with Kobe talking about the bench, "Killer B's and KB" by Arash Markazi:

One of the biggest reasons Kobe Bryant is averaging just 31.8 minutes per game this season has been the stellar play of bench players Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Shannon Brown, who have been nicknamed "The Killer B's."

Bryant wasn't familiar with the nickname when he was asked about the trio Tuesday.

"The Killer B's? Barnes, Blake and Brown?" Bryant said. "Sounds like a law firm."

Barnes and Brown are each averaging 9 points off the bench for the Lakers while Brown and Blake are both hitting 50% of their three-point shots. Blake and Barnes, who are each averaging 2.4 assists per game, have adapted to the Triangle offense quickly in their first season with the Lakers.

"They're playing really, really well," Bryant said. "Our bench is solid with the three B's. The Killer B's implies they're small in stature and I don't think any of them would be OK with that. Especially Shannon, he's got a small man complex."

If Phil Jackson decides to bring Andrew Bynum along slowly off the bench when he returns to the team next month, the Killer B's may have a new B on the team, but for now there are three coming off the bench and one in the starting lineup.

"Don't go grouping me in with them," Bryant said. "My B stands for 'Black Mamba.' No 'Killer B' over here."

Aww Kobe hahah, I heart you!!

Game 8, where we almost got eaten by Wolves

I know that we're 8-0 but (to steal a phrase from Chris Berman) cmon man!! That is the second game out of the last three where the lakers looked genuinely sloppy and lazy. The rebounding wasn't there, and neither was the defense. First quarter started out alright with good ball movement, Kobe hitting beautiful shots and Pau with a sweet ball fake and scoop under the basket. The Wolves were hanging in, but the game looked good at that point. I tuned back in during the 3rd quarter (stupid DVR was recording too many things, so I watched Glee haha), and was shocked to find the score tied!! What the eff... Joel and Stu kept remarking on what a bizarre game it was and I believe them. It didn't help that Lamar and Ron were both in foul trouble. Lamar has been such a huge factor in the team's dominance so far that it was easy to see the difference with him on the bench. Of course he chipped in 7 key 4th quarter points, which was great. Huge 3 plus an and 1 play (missed the FT, but whatever). The Lakers went on a run in the 3rd quarter at one point and seemed poised to pull away, but they couldn't shake Minnesota all game. Kevin Love was a beast, putting up 23 points and 24 REBOUNDS!!! He's such a great talent... I was thinking last night that he seems like the new version of Kevin Garnett, inasmuch that he's very talented and stuck on a crappy Minnesota team. I hope he doesn't languish there in his prime like KG had to. That would be a shame. I love that Bill Simmons is trying to start a Twitter keyword #freekevinlove hahaha.

- a couple plays that I liked:
-a steal and fastbreak by Matt Barnes; made the layup but missed the free
throw. Still, good extra effort.
-the Pau ball fake and shot I mentioned earlier, plus finishing from an extra
pass sent his way via Shannon Brown and a beautiful soft touch baseline layup.
-the 3rd quarter buzzer beater by Minnesota, just because buzzer beaters are
cool unless the other team hits one at the end of the 4th or OT to win hahah.

I was struck by how many graceful shots Pau had during the game. He always does, but I guess I just noticed it more this time. And one of the most beautiful things in my opinion is Kobe's pull up jumper. I love seeing him swing the ball, jab his foot and just pull up and swish the basket. Gorgeous. His game fell off a bit in the second half, but that happens. I did NOT like how much Luke was shooting the ball. 1-5 from 3 point. That's a bit excessive in my opinion, but I'm not the biggest Luke fan in general. Also, thanks for the airball at the end of the game, Fish. Jesus. I wasn't thrilled with all of Steve Blake's turnovers either, but he's still new and has been so great the first 7 games that he gets a free pass haha. I miss Kurt Rambis being on our staff by the way, so it's always bittersweet to see him during the season now. He would have been a good Phil replacement, but I think Brian Shaw will be excellent. Assuming he eventually gets the job (which I think he will).

Also... UTAH BEAT MIAMI IN OT!!!! Paul Millsap was going off last night, I saw the replay on Sportscenter. Three 3s in the last minute, and a put back two at the buzzer to send the game to OT. Seriously insane.

And here's another classic interview by Ron Artest. "I ain't goin' back to sleep," Artest said. "Freddy's scary as (heck)." hahah made me laugh so hard at work. He was saying how the Lakers fell asleep during the game and Freddy Krueger got into their dreams and scared them awake. Or something like that :) He does make some intuitive observations about Brandon Roy, which was pretty cool.

So yeah, the Lakers escaped what would have been a very embarassing loss. I doubt the Lakers are going to underestimate Denver or Phoenix this weekend, so hopefully they'll come out looking good. LO and Fish were so pissed during their postgame interviews! You could tell that they knew the team hadn't played as hard as they should against Minnesota. I liked Lamar drawing attention to the great game by his USA teammate Kevin Love, that was awesome. I'm also stoked that New Orleans is good again this year, I love Chris Paul and think a Lakers-Hornets series would be fun!

Game 7 vs. Portland

So I've come to discover that my blogging adventure might be a little more difficult than I first imagined... it's hard coming up with interesting or exciting things to say about every game! It does, however, give me a chance to work on my writing skills and to follow through with something I've promised to do.

In any case, the game against Portland! I had momentarily forgotten that it was in LA so going into the game I was a lot more nervous about it. The Lakers do not fare well in the Rose Garden for whatever reason, and the Blazers are a tough team despite their constant injury issues. Brandon Roy is pretty great. And when I saw Greg Oden on the bench in a suit, I just started laughing. I didn't know that he REINJURED himself AGAIN! Super ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen him play and this is his third NBA season. But yeah, Lakers had this one in the bag, they were up by double digits the entire game. It was really great seeing Pau continue to flourish and get a triple double. Really sweet dunk off a Steve Blake backboard pass in the third quarter! Kobe had a bummer game, but when you have other guys stepping up and giving MVP caliber performances, it's not nearly as big a deal as it would have been in the past. His finger isn't as bandaged as last year either, which will help his shooting I'm sure. He has this nifty little finger sweatband thing with "24" stitched on it also haha.

Since I'm a fan of reminiscing in my posts, I taped another Lakers Classic game, Game 7 vs. Portland in the 2000 Western Conference Finals aka Road to Modern Championship #1. I don't have very clear memories of that game compared to other games, but I know I watched it and remember how incredible it was to come back from 17 down to earn a trip to Finals for the first time in my "adult" memory. The iconic image of that game is the Kobe to Shaq alley oop of course... and how pissed Scottie Pippen was afterwards, knocking down that stack of towels on the way to the locker room. To be honest, I forgot for a couple years that the game was in LA, which made the comeback win even sweeter. I can't wait to go home and watch the game now :) I love Kobe with the 'fro haha.

In conclusion, bear with me if my posts aren't always that exciting. There are still 73+ games to go ;) Just wait until that first buzzer beater of the season... I'll probably type my post in all caps!!

Game 6: when we almost got eaten by the Raptors

Well that was an ugly game: No defense, completely outrebounded, sluggish... but the Lakers came out with a W. Offensively things were alright, with Pau getting 30 and Kobe doing relatively well. Steve Blake came off the bench to hit his first four shots, all of which were 3s. But Lamar had his worst game of the young season, and Pau had rebounds in the single digits- how does that happen when you're over 7 feet tall?! Oh well. Everyone's entitled to an off night. And the Lakers hadn't been challenged much thus far, so they were due for a "slacker game" I guess. Watching the boys play complacent basketball during the regular season is nothing new, but I never enjoy it. They allowed the Raptors to stay in the game all the way until the last few minutes, but like I said, it's early in the season and at least we got the win. Way too many uncontested layups, but Kobe got a really sweet block from behind at the end of the game. I liked that LakersNation had a status update on facebook that said "The game comes to a merciful end in Los Angeles" hahah so funny. And also " True Fans are the Ones that Can Watch a Game like tonight's Game vs. Toronto". I couldn't agree more :)

81 points

They replayed Kobe's 81 point game last night on tv, and I definitely taped it. It all went down in January 2006 vs. the Raptors (with Chris Bosh HAH and Jalen Rose! I didn't remember he still played as recently as 4 years ago). And the thing that struck me the most as I watched the game this time around was the score: the Lakers were down by 12 in the 3rd quarter when I turned it on! They were down for most of the game in fact, and absolutely no one on the Lakers was able to do a thing about it besides KB24. I mean this was the period of Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Brian Cook, Devean George, Chris Mihm, Lamar.... gag me. What a terrible lineup. At the time, I would defend them to anyone but only because they were wearing purple and gold. Now, I can appreciate how truly awful and useless they really were. But anyway, Kobe was trying to get the Lakers back in the game and only regained the lead towards the end of the 3rd- he already had 40 or 50 something points by then, which is crazy in and of itself. He was hitting the sickest shots from all over the court. I saw him hit at least three 3's in a row at one point, one of which was so far out it looked like his body folded into itself from the follow through of his arms and the kick of his legs. Lots of free throws too, which weren't exciting save for the fact that they added to his RIDICULOUS point total and helped the Lakers win. Just incredible. It's hard to believe it happened, and watching it again didn't make it that much more believable haha. The points quickly and somewhat quietly accumulated until everyone realized that something insanely special was unfolding. I can't wait to go home and finish watching the game (I got way too tired last night, and I figured staying up til 1am watching a taped game from 4 years ago was a little much...even for me). He literally carried the entire team on his back to erase the deficit, get a W and etch a new place for himself in basketball history. Love it.


*side note: my mom just texted me "I had a dream last night that you got a HUGE double Lakers logo tattoo that covered your whole back! It was insane! I was glad when I woke up and it was just a dream! haha". OMG what an awesome dream!! I wonder what my tattoo looked like exactly :)

Game 5: I still wish there was a real rivalry

Whenever the Lakers play Sacramento, I'm transported back to the glorious days of the first three peat. Earlier this century, the Kings (or Queens as I liked to call them) were worthy opponents who clawed at the Lakers and gave them a run for their money. Starting with that first playoff run for a championship and including 2001 and 2002 as well. There wasn't a team I disliked more than Sacramento; I hated them with a passion. Mike Bibby the Baby, Vlade the Flopper (I had a great shirt with Sacramento Queens on the front and Flopper on the back with Vlade's number 21), Peja with his pesky 3's, Bobby Jackson, Chris Webber and of course, Doug Christie. My two favorite Lakers-Kings memories:

-the preseason game where Doug Christie and Rick Fox got into a fight on the court two minutes into the game and both got ejected. Then you saw Rick sprinting through the tunnel and coming out the other side to pound on Christie as he headed to the visitors' locker room. Both benches were involved and both players were suspended for a number of games. I freakin LOVED it! Fights are always fun in sports and the feistyness and bad blood evident between the two teams was on full view. Great things for a rivalry.

-Robert Horry's iconic game winning shot in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. I remember I was at my grandparent's house during a birthday party for my sister. It was looking dire and I took everything so seriously back then, even worse than I do now, so I was getting pretty upset. But watching that ball bounce around, then Vlade hitting it out to the arc, and then Big Shot Rob picking it up and swishing a 3. It was literally one of the best moments of my life, and one of the first iconic Lakers buzzer beaters that I remember with perfect clarity. My eyes welled up with happy tears for the first time- I had never cried over something happy before even though I do it quite often now haha. I actually found a replay of the game on tv a couple years ago and tuned in during the 4th quarter. Even though I knew what happened and knew that we went on to win the championship, it was absolutely terrifying to watch a second time. It felt brand new, and my heart was pounding like I didn't know the shot would go in. Who does that happen to except weirdo Laker fans like me?! hahaha I got caught up in a REPLAY that was at least 6 years old at the time! Lordy lordy lordy.

But I digress! On to last night's game:
- It's hard to think of things to say that I haven't already said about the Lakers thus far, so I'll keep it short and sweet- they are looking scaaary good this season! It's incredible; the shots keep falling especially from beyond the arc, and the Pau-Lamar tandem is doing work in the paint. They work so well together and Lamar looks like a new man. I honestly think Phil should have Andrew come off the bench when he comes back. No need to mess with what's working. Also, really sick dunk by Lamar in the third off a feed from the Mamba!
-Ron added 17 points along with Pau and Lamar's double doubles, and Derek came out of nowhere to ice the game in the 4 quarter, hitting that magical 3 of his and driving through the lane to draw the foul. That play in particular reminded me of his monster game 3 last year in Boston, when he ran down the court, got swallowed by three Celtics and still hit the running layup. Awesome.
-Kobe got a triple double!! the 17th of his career. And he made it look so damn easy while he did it. They really seem unstoppable when Kobe is playing that well because it allows the rest of the team to thrive too. He was three away from tying his career high in assists, which is awesome. And he was taking good shots, which is always nice to see. Circus shots are fun, but I hate when he's forcing things too much. He also got in a little scuffle with one of the Kings players, can't remember who.... Head, I think. Kobe got fouled, and Head got in his face and didn't back down. The officials ran over of course, but I respect players that get in Kobe's face and I know he does too. Plus like I mentioned before, I like confrontations :)
-It was the first back to back of the season and the Lakers did really well. Up by 20 at one point, got whittled down to 8, but they kept the lead in the whole second half. Only 6 turnovers the whole game, which is crazy. But yeah, nice to stay unbeaten against a feisty team.
-The Kings have some good young talent, and they're fast; it was more of a game in the first half, but they definitely kept the whole thing interesting even though it was a mini-blowout. I was entertained the whole time. They gave the Lakers some headaches last year, and who could forget Kobe's buzzer beater from the corner in Sacramento. Beautiful shot, and remarkably uncontested. They somehow let Kobe get wide open in the corner and he drained it in front of the Kings' bench. Loooove it.

Alright, this was longer than I thought haha, but mainly because I reminisced quite a bit. Man, I love my boys. I still can't believe the summer went so fast and that basketball is back. In some ways, it felt like it never left. And my stress levels are still low, luckily.... for now!

Games 3 and 4, and a Disclaimer

I probably should have written this disclaimer in my first post, but it didn't cross my mind until the other night haha. For whatever reason, I don't get Fox Sports West on the tv in my room, so I can only watch those games in the living room. My roommate and I dvr a lot of shows though, so if we're recording two at a time I can't watch the game. And I can't watch ANY games that are on Kcal :( Stupid Orange County channel.... once I get my internet to work properly again, I'll be able to but until then I might miss a few parts of games... and I'll be posting a bit late as well.

I've been taking notes as I watch, and even brought a notepad with me to the bar on Halloween, so I'm trying my best to be diligent! Anyway, onto condensed reviews for Games 3 and 4 (versus Golden State and Memphis, respectively)-

-I tuned in to Gasol Brothers showdown at the beginning of the second quarter and found the score sitting at a comfortable 38-23 lead. Matt Barnes already had 7 boards on his want to a 16 pt, 14 rebound performance, and the Lakers were shooting a delightful 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. The excellent 3 point shooting continued throughout the game.

-Lamar had a record setting night of his own, becoming 10th fastest to 11,000 points with 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists; nice to see someone other than Kobe recognized for an amazing achievement, not to mention his continued fantastic play stemming from his Team USA stint. He's playing the way we always expected him to play. Great to see. Speaking of, Kobe committed to playing in London in 2012 for Team USA!!! Excitedddd.

-ummm so at half, the score was a ridiculous 73-46! Can't even believe it. Hardly anything to criticize the whole game, except for a number of turnovers once again. It's really good to see the Lakers playing hard and playing focused as opposed to playing down to their competition like past years. I'm sure it'll happen eventually, but so far everything is looking good. Kobe was in a groove, Pau got another double double, the bench continues to be crazy good (loved that alley oop pass from Steve Blake to Devin Ebanks! so awesome). Bench combined for 50 points and Kobe got to rest for practically the whole second half. Even though it's not always super exciting, it's good to see some concentrated blowouts and quality minutes for the bench and rookies. It's scary (in the best possible way) how deep our team is!! I'm really starting to love Matt Barnes and Steve Blake, and my love for Shannon continues- it's encouraging to hear how hard he worked over the summer on his outside shot. I think Theo Ratliff adds a great presence as well, especially in the locker room. It's been awhile since I've truly loved 95% of our team (I'm excluding Sasha as usual hah). I'm always willing to support them against outside arguments, but I can't say that I'll ever miss chris mihm or mbenga or some players like that.

-loved this quote from Stu Lantz talking about Kobe's arsenal of moves: "Most players have A, B, C. Kobe's got the alphabet, he can take you all the way to Z."

-random thoughts:
- I love this article about Lebron's sense of entitlement and how Pat Riley is cracking down on him.

-I also love this video of John Wall dancing during team introductions! The fact that he missed a triple double by 1 steal and a quadruple double by two turnovers makes it even more awesome and ridiculous. I'm so excited to watch him play!

-My roommate is a die hard Giants fan, which I think I've mentioned, so I've been watching tons of baseball and really getting into it (which I didn't think was possible haha). We were out for part of almost every game during the playoffs and watched Game 6 at Millers. I really felt like I was in San Francisco; there are sooo many people from Norcal down here that it made it a really fun crazy atmosphere. After they won, it was pandemonium and the enthusiasm was infectious. It really made me wish I had been out in public for Game 5 versus the Magic and Game 7 last year.... in both instances (ESPECIALLY game 7), I was too frightened of losing and consequently crying in public hahah. But I should have had more faith in my team and gone out. I won't make that mistake again :) Game 5 I watched by myself and Game 7 with a few people, and that was hard enough. But the payoff of that crazy experience would have been incredible. I watch enough games in public though, especially during playoffs, where I do feel the energy of the crowd a lot, but clinching the title would be a whole other thing. I'll be brave and ready for the three-peat this year!

P.S. Kobe knows what he's doing. And he's still sarcastically hilarious too haha.