Well I've been dropping the ball a bit... I'll be getting back on track though! And I don't find it pleasant to dwell on losses hah. One of the perks of being home for Thanksgiving has been the ability to watch KCAL Laker games. I watched the Jazz game with my parents the other night and it started out fantastic: 20 point Laker lead. I was skeptical though because the Jazz have made a habit this season of coming back from double digit deficits, and unfortunately this game ended up being no different. LA's three point shooting was abysmal; they made one the entire game until the end of the 4th quarter, when Kobe hit two in a row to bring the Lakers back. I had forgotten how thrilling a Kobe comeback can be- luckily we hadn't had to have one yet this year! But yeah, he hit the first and I clapped. He hit the second and I thrust both hand into the air. It was fantastic. Hit some free throws, and it was looking good, but we ended up losing. I didn't get to see the Pacers game on Sunday night because I was visiting my old roommates in LA who don't watch basketball. I honestly thought it would be an easy W. When I checked the score on my phone, I couldn't believe it: 41 points from Kobe and we lost by 3. Apparently he had the chance to tie it at the end but missed two good shots. I can't be mad about it though because he's hit sooo many shots for us in the past that he definitely gets a free pass this time. I heard Matt Barnes had a good game at least. Not happy to hear that Ron and Phil are apparently butting heads a bit, but I'm sure that will be resolved. Ron is a rhythm shooter, and he hasn't been getting as many minutes, so he's cold, so he goes to the bench, etc. Vicious cycle. It'll work itself out. Glad to hear that Andrew should be back in time for Christmas.
I'm very excited to watch the Cleveland-Miami game on Thursday btw, it should be a scene and a half. And I really wish this commercial was real. Epic.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Game 15 vs. the Bulls
In which I got my very first article ever published, on Lakers Nation!!! Should have posted this a few days ago, whoops. Here is the article:
When the Lakers face off with the Chicago Bulls, it is usually guaranteed to be a good game: the Bulls are young, athletic, and fast and always come to play. There are also a myriad of storylines surrounding any Lakers-Bulls matchup, including (but not limited to) a rematch of the 1991 Finals, Phil Jackson winning his first six rings with the Bulls and his last five (and counting) with the Lakers and the media’s quest to compare Kobe with MJ.
This time around, we are able to add to the mix: Chicago native Shannon Brown facing the team he loved growing up, a Bulls team that is currently first in their division (this deep into the season) for the first time since Phil left and of course, the Kobe Bryant-Tom Thibodeau connection. I only just learned of it and thought it was fascinating! As an assistant coach in Philadelphia, while Kobe was at Lower Merion High School, Thibodeau was there to witness scrimmages between Kobe and NBA players set up by 76ers coach John Lucas. Thibodeau says he saw something special in him at that early age. Kobe himself credits Thibodeau with helping him learn about preparedness and the fundamentals of the game, calling him crucial to his development - quite a compliment coming from the hardest working man in the NBA.
As for last night's game, I though it was a well-fought contest; the Bulls brought everything they had against the Lakers. Coming into the game, both teams were two of the top rebounding teams in the league and at the top of their respective divisions as well. Kobe started off hot, scoring seven points in the first two minutes; including a spectacular left handed scoop shot between three defenders! LO had a good start in the first quarter as well, with seven points and three boards of his own. Unfortunately Pau’s perfect game did not carry over in any respect; Joakim Noah had a lot to do with it, being the manic scrappy defender that he is. Noah is so energetic and is really the emotional heart of his team - his tremendous hustle and defense is often more important than the double doubles he routinely registers.
The Bulls definitely beat the Lakers on boards and hustle for most of the night, but they were unable to capitalize on them due to turnovers and missed free throws. Ron-Ron had another quiet night, getting into some early foul trouble followed by a cold stretch of shooting in the third. I kept expecting at least one or two of them to fall, but the ball stayed stubbornly out of the basket.
The real stars of the game were of course the "Killer B’s." With one second left in the first quarter, Shannon hit an extremely long three and the first thought that crossed my mind was “Downtown Shannon Brown”!! That’s my vote for his individual nickname; although I’m also partial to “What can Brown do for you”, but “Downtown” has a good old-fashioned ring to it. That was just the start of Shannon’s hot shooting: he racked up 15 points in the second quarter and had 18 at the half, after starting out four of four from the 3-point line. Factoring in a missed dunk that would have brought the house down, and a speed race with Derrick Rose all night, his entire arsenal of athletic ability was on display once again.
Quick digression to talk about D Rose: the man is incredible! He has to be one of the fastest point guards in the NBA, and he had some crazy circus shots last night. Two of them were back to back beautiful layups under and around the basket. Rose also utilized his floating, eight foot runner for much of the night as well. He basically did whatever he wanted in the paint.
But yes, the Killer B’s went on a run in the second half and really put the game away for us. Kobe and Lamar contributed to the run as well, with the Mamba hitting his patented fadeaway jumper as the shot clock was down to three and Lamar converting on an insane over-the-shoulder shot in major traffic. LO had a sweet spin move for an and-one that the Lakers were desperate for at the time. To cap it off, Lamar slammed home a put back dunk off of a Gasol miss to tie the game with 55 seconds left in the third. Lamar and Shannon ended the game with 21 points each to lead the Lakers. The Lakers' ball movement was excellent, and just one extra pass from Barnes allowed Shannon to hit a huge three with a hand in his face to put the Lakers up by one. Not long after, Steve Blake hit his first shot of the game (a three with six minutes left in the 4th). Next Lakers possession: a three from Matt Barnes! And immediately following that, another three from Blake! It put the Lakers up 95-83 and they never looked back. I loved when Patrick O’Neal interviewed Lamar in the locker room after the win and asked him about the play of the bench:
“What do you guys call them, Killer B’s?”- Lamar
“Yeah. Or the Renegades.” –Patrick O’Neal
“I like the Killer B’s.” –Lamar, smiling
Phil used a short rotation in this game, which I thought was a smart move. Only eight guys were utilized, besides rookie Derrick Caracter playing a couple early 4th quarter minutes to give Pau some rest. He did well, accumulating a rebound and basket to clean up a miss, and on the ensuing possession he blocked Luol Deng’s shot. Not a bad night for the rookie. It was the Lakers’ seventh consecutive victory over the Bulls, with a final score of 98-91. The real heroes were of course the bench, which outscored Chicago’s 39-10. More importantly, they came through at critical moments in the game, and during his press conference, Phil mentioned the great defense by the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Kobe only took 18 shots, but he made eight of them and kept his teammates involved. That’s how I like the Lakers to win.
Overall, the game was very entertaining and I really enjoyed watching the two clubs battle. I really think the effort of the Bulls was what kept them in the game, as opposed to the Lakers, who are prone to laziness. That wasn’t the case in this game at all. I also enjoyed seeing Kobe talk to Rose and Noah after the game, as Stu Lantz said that Kobe respects anyone who works hard and gives maximum effort at all times; which those two certainly do. I can’t wait to see what the Bulls do in the Eastern Conference this year, and especially in the playoffs. I’m hoping for another epic series like the Chicago-Boston one a couple years ago – the best non-Lakers series I’ve ever watched!
I’m also looking forward to see how the Lakers respond against Utah. We beat them handily last year in the playoffs, but they seem like a different team right now and I’d be lying if I said their penchant for double digit comebacks wasn’t a little scary. I’m confident our boys will step up to the challenge though.
When the Lakers face off with the Chicago Bulls, it is usually guaranteed to be a good game: the Bulls are young, athletic, and fast and always come to play. There are also a myriad of storylines surrounding any Lakers-Bulls matchup, including (but not limited to) a rematch of the 1991 Finals, Phil Jackson winning his first six rings with the Bulls and his last five (and counting) with the Lakers and the media’s quest to compare Kobe with MJ.
This time around, we are able to add to the mix: Chicago native Shannon Brown facing the team he loved growing up, a Bulls team that is currently first in their division (this deep into the season) for the first time since Phil left and of course, the Kobe Bryant-Tom Thibodeau connection. I only just learned of it and thought it was fascinating! As an assistant coach in Philadelphia, while Kobe was at Lower Merion High School, Thibodeau was there to witness scrimmages between Kobe and NBA players set up by 76ers coach John Lucas. Thibodeau says he saw something special in him at that early age. Kobe himself credits Thibodeau with helping him learn about preparedness and the fundamentals of the game, calling him crucial to his development - quite a compliment coming from the hardest working man in the NBA.
As for last night's game, I though it was a well-fought contest; the Bulls brought everything they had against the Lakers. Coming into the game, both teams were two of the top rebounding teams in the league and at the top of their respective divisions as well. Kobe started off hot, scoring seven points in the first two minutes; including a spectacular left handed scoop shot between three defenders! LO had a good start in the first quarter as well, with seven points and three boards of his own. Unfortunately Pau’s perfect game did not carry over in any respect; Joakim Noah had a lot to do with it, being the manic scrappy defender that he is. Noah is so energetic and is really the emotional heart of his team - his tremendous hustle and defense is often more important than the double doubles he routinely registers.
The Bulls definitely beat the Lakers on boards and hustle for most of the night, but they were unable to capitalize on them due to turnovers and missed free throws. Ron-Ron had another quiet night, getting into some early foul trouble followed by a cold stretch of shooting in the third. I kept expecting at least one or two of them to fall, but the ball stayed stubbornly out of the basket.
The real stars of the game were of course the "Killer B’s." With one second left in the first quarter, Shannon hit an extremely long three and the first thought that crossed my mind was “Downtown Shannon Brown”!! That’s my vote for his individual nickname; although I’m also partial to “What can Brown do for you”, but “Downtown” has a good old-fashioned ring to it. That was just the start of Shannon’s hot shooting: he racked up 15 points in the second quarter and had 18 at the half, after starting out four of four from the 3-point line. Factoring in a missed dunk that would have brought the house down, and a speed race with Derrick Rose all night, his entire arsenal of athletic ability was on display once again.
Quick digression to talk about D Rose: the man is incredible! He has to be one of the fastest point guards in the NBA, and he had some crazy circus shots last night. Two of them were back to back beautiful layups under and around the basket. Rose also utilized his floating, eight foot runner for much of the night as well. He basically did whatever he wanted in the paint.
But yes, the Killer B’s went on a run in the second half and really put the game away for us. Kobe and Lamar contributed to the run as well, with the Mamba hitting his patented fadeaway jumper as the shot clock was down to three and Lamar converting on an insane over-the-shoulder shot in major traffic. LO had a sweet spin move for an and-one that the Lakers were desperate for at the time. To cap it off, Lamar slammed home a put back dunk off of a Gasol miss to tie the game with 55 seconds left in the third. Lamar and Shannon ended the game with 21 points each to lead the Lakers. The Lakers' ball movement was excellent, and just one extra pass from Barnes allowed Shannon to hit a huge three with a hand in his face to put the Lakers up by one. Not long after, Steve Blake hit his first shot of the game (a three with six minutes left in the 4th). Next Lakers possession: a three from Matt Barnes! And immediately following that, another three from Blake! It put the Lakers up 95-83 and they never looked back. I loved when Patrick O’Neal interviewed Lamar in the locker room after the win and asked him about the play of the bench:
“What do you guys call them, Killer B’s?”- Lamar
“Yeah. Or the Renegades.” –Patrick O’Neal
“I like the Killer B’s.” –Lamar, smiling
Phil used a short rotation in this game, which I thought was a smart move. Only eight guys were utilized, besides rookie Derrick Caracter playing a couple early 4th quarter minutes to give Pau some rest. He did well, accumulating a rebound and basket to clean up a miss, and on the ensuing possession he blocked Luol Deng’s shot. Not a bad night for the rookie. It was the Lakers’ seventh consecutive victory over the Bulls, with a final score of 98-91. The real heroes were of course the bench, which outscored Chicago’s 39-10. More importantly, they came through at critical moments in the game, and during his press conference, Phil mentioned the great defense by the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Kobe only took 18 shots, but he made eight of them and kept his teammates involved. That’s how I like the Lakers to win.
Overall, the game was very entertaining and I really enjoyed watching the two clubs battle. I really think the effort of the Bulls was what kept them in the game, as opposed to the Lakers, who are prone to laziness. That wasn’t the case in this game at all. I also enjoyed seeing Kobe talk to Rose and Noah after the game, as Stu Lantz said that Kobe respects anyone who works hard and gives maximum effort at all times; which those two certainly do. I can’t wait to see what the Bulls do in the Eastern Conference this year, and especially in the playoffs. I’m hoping for another epic series like the Chicago-Boston one a couple years ago – the best non-Lakers series I’ve ever watched!
I’m also looking forward to see how the Lakers respond against Utah. We beat them handily last year in the playoffs, but they seem like a different team right now and I’d be lying if I said their penchant for double digit comebacks wasn’t a little scary. I’m confident our boys will step up to the challenge though.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Pau just had to upstage Matt Barnes hahah :) Another perfect game!! I taped the game because I was out at my friend's pre-thanksgiving Thanksgiving feast (delicious btw), but once I heard it was such a rout, I didn't end up watching it. Funny story though: I was watching Sportscenter before I went to bed the other night and they showed a quick clip of the game, and Kobe in particular, and when I saw him my first thought was "I miss him!" hahaha. It's been at least a week since I've seen a live Lakers game and I miss my boys, so I'm even more excited for the game against the Bulls tonight than normal. I think 13-2 is within our grasp for sure. The Bulls are a good young team though, I love watching them. The Bulls-Celtics first round series two years ago was literally the BEST series I've ever watched (that wasn't related to the Lakers hehe). Every game was so incredible, so hard fought, so many overtimes!!! The best one was obviously Game 6; I remember I came home and was bummed I'd only catch the 4th quarter. And then, the game went on to triple overtime and last two more hours. AND the celtics lost that game! Great sequence at the end, with Joakim Noah blocking a shot and then getting a dunk and one on the other end, and then Derrick Rose blocking a last second shot attempt to seal the win. Only time I've ever been screaming on my feet for a non-Lakers, non-Olympic moment.
Also, here is a really fascinating article about how Michael Jackson was a huge influence on Kobe, especially about his work ethic and determination. And Kobe talks in depth about his motivations and why he really understands now what it means to make teammates better.... it sounds like he's grasped "The Secret" haha (from The Book of Basketball).
Also, here is a really fascinating article about how Michael Jackson was a huge influence on Kobe, especially about his work ethic and determination. And Kobe talks in depth about his motivations and why he really understands now what it means to make teammates better.... it sounds like he's grasped "The Secret" haha (from The Book of Basketball).
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Game 13: Massacre of the Wolves
Matty Barnes!!! You have officially been moved off my "Cautionary Love For New Lakers Probation List" onto my "I Love You Because You're Officially a Ballin' Laker" list! Saw the replays on SC and he scored 24 points on 7 for 7 shooting, 5 for 5 from 3 point land! BAM. Throw in 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and you have yourself an exemplary game, especially by a bench player. Everyone else seemed to do their usual work, and Lamar particularly went to town on his Team USA compadre Kevin Love (0 points?! boo...bad for my fantasy team haha). Kobe had an aaaamazing, Jordanesque reverse layup in the third, which was so beautiful.
Oh and good news: I FIXED MY HOME INTERNET CONNECTION!!!!! Finally figured out how to disable the proxy settings, which means I can now watch all the Laker games I want thanks to atdhe.net (amazingly good quality for free streaming live sports- it's how I watch football at work lol). AHHHH SO EXCITEDDDD! Besides now I can use my instant view on Netflix and just do whatever I want. Love it.
Oh and good news: I FIXED MY HOME INTERNET CONNECTION!!!!! Finally figured out how to disable the proxy settings, which means I can now watch all the Laker games I want thanks to atdhe.net (amazingly good quality for free streaming live sports- it's how I watch football at work lol). AHHHH SO EXCITEDDDD! Besides now I can use my instant view on Netflix and just do whatever I want. Love it.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The (Main) Reason Why I Love The Sports Guy
I love Bill Simmons. I love that he is so passionate about sports and his teams, I love his random pop culture references, and I love the hilarious stories and quotes from his wife. He is by far my favorite columnist and my day is always better when I find a brand new Sports Guy article on espn. Most people find this funny because he is a Bostonian through and through and hates the Lakers with a passion... BUT the reason I love him is that he loves good basketball and respects the sanctity of sports more than he loves his Boston teams (if that makes sense). Yes, he hates the Lakers but he respects what they bring to the NBA, what Magic and Kobe bring to the history of basketball. Every once in awhile, he'll even write a whole paragraph about LA with nary a negative comment in sight. Rare, but it happens- like in today's retro-preview rankings of the Western Conference
1. L.A. LAKERS
Preseason Prediction: 56 wins (2nd)
Revised Prediction: 65 wins
I thought for sure the Lakers would have one of those "We already have a couple of rings, our guys are a little banged up, let's just get through the regular season and turn it on in April" seasons, just like the 2008 Spurs (57 wins), 2003 Lakers (50 wins), 1991 Pistons (50 wins) and 1989 Lakers (57 wins) did before them. Wrong. Both the Celtics and Lakers seem to be playing with a similar chip on their shoulders: We're tired of hearing about Miami. You're pissing us off. The road through the title still goes through us. If you could tell how much the Celtics relished beating Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat that second time -- with Paul Pierce's "just got finished taking my talents to South Beach" postgame tweet symbolizing everything -- just wait until the Lakers get their hands on Wade's team Christmas Day.
Upon further review, the Summer of South Beach gave the Lakers an edge that's atypical for most two-time defending champs. Three Lakers are playing their best basketball ever: Pau Gasol (doing an '86 McHale impersonation), Lamar Odom (a top-20 player this season) and Shannon Brown (outstanding off the bench). Kobe seems more invested than ever. Their bench is better thanks to Steve Blake and Matt Barnes. They're 10-2 without Andrew Bynum, and like Boston, both their losses came in the final minute. When you watch Miami, it's like watching a White Stripes concert -- tons of talent, great music, but still just a little bit gimmicky because it's only two people. The Celtics and Lakers are trotting out full bands. You might hear a lead guitar one song, a sax player the next, an acoustic song, a hard rock song, a blues song … you just don't know. They can go big, they can go small, they can play fast, they can play slow. They have an answer for everything. Miami does not.
Wade and his sidekick LeBron were right about one thing: By joining forces, they did affect the Finals. They just won't be playing in it. Not this year, anyway.
Reason No. 14,736 I love the NBA: The rubber match. June 2011. It's coming.
*side note: I'm super excited to buy the paperback edition of Simmons' "The Book of Basketball"! He's added chapters on The Decision, "what if" featuring Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, and bumped Kobe a couple spots up his Best Players Ever Pyramid :) It is a fantastic book if you're a basketball fan; really intriguing look at the history of the league and the players with great anecdotes thrown in as well. I plowed through it and found myself immersed in stories about players I had never heard of, or games I didn't know I cared about. Really fantastic, and classic Simmons (tons of pop culture references and footnotes). Naturally, I got a severe case of strep throat the day before his book signing at my local Borders in Mission Valley... I was soooo bummed! I had really been looking forward to it, but hopefully I'll catch him some time in the future. I have signed books or letters from all of my other favorite authors, which is something I'm quite proud of :)
1. L.A. LAKERS
Preseason Prediction: 56 wins (2nd)
Revised Prediction: 65 wins
I thought for sure the Lakers would have one of those "We already have a couple of rings, our guys are a little banged up, let's just get through the regular season and turn it on in April" seasons, just like the 2008 Spurs (57 wins), 2003 Lakers (50 wins), 1991 Pistons (50 wins) and 1989 Lakers (57 wins) did before them. Wrong. Both the Celtics and Lakers seem to be playing with a similar chip on their shoulders: We're tired of hearing about Miami. You're pissing us off. The road through the title still goes through us. If you could tell how much the Celtics relished beating Dwyane Wade's Miami Heat that second time -- with Paul Pierce's "just got finished taking my talents to South Beach" postgame tweet symbolizing everything -- just wait until the Lakers get their hands on Wade's team Christmas Day.
Upon further review, the Summer of South Beach gave the Lakers an edge that's atypical for most two-time defending champs. Three Lakers are playing their best basketball ever: Pau Gasol (doing an '86 McHale impersonation), Lamar Odom (a top-20 player this season) and Shannon Brown (outstanding off the bench). Kobe seems more invested than ever. Their bench is better thanks to Steve Blake and Matt Barnes. They're 10-2 without Andrew Bynum, and like Boston, both their losses came in the final minute. When you watch Miami, it's like watching a White Stripes concert -- tons of talent, great music, but still just a little bit gimmicky because it's only two people. The Celtics and Lakers are trotting out full bands. You might hear a lead guitar one song, a sax player the next, an acoustic song, a hard rock song, a blues song … you just don't know. They can go big, they can go small, they can play fast, they can play slow. They have an answer for everything. Miami does not.
Wade and his sidekick LeBron were right about one thing: By joining forces, they did affect the Finals. They just won't be playing in it. Not this year, anyway.
Reason No. 14,736 I love the NBA: The rubber match. June 2011. It's coming.
*side note: I'm super excited to buy the paperback edition of Simmons' "The Book of Basketball"! He's added chapters on The Decision, "what if" featuring Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, and bumped Kobe a couple spots up his Best Players Ever Pyramid :) It is a fantastic book if you're a basketball fan; really intriguing look at the history of the league and the players with great anecdotes thrown in as well. I plowed through it and found myself immersed in stories about players I had never heard of, or games I didn't know I cared about. Really fantastic, and classic Simmons (tons of pop culture references and footnotes). Naturally, I got a severe case of strep throat the day before his book signing at my local Borders in Mission Valley... I was soooo bummed! I had really been looking forward to it, but hopefully I'll catch him some time in the future. I have signed books or letters from all of my other favorite authors, which is something I'm quite proud of :)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Game 12 vs. Detroit
Once again, I was unable to see any of this game but I wanted to add a couple things in any case. Pau and Lamar have become reliable double-double men every night, which is so fantastic! And Kobe had one of his most efficient games of the season, going 11 of 20 from the field and practically getting a double-double of his own. I have so much confidence in this team, and I think that is the main reason that I won't flip out much when they lose. I know that they'll get it done when it counts. I felt that way most of the time last year, and this year's bench is so vastly improved that I don't think I'll ever truly doubt them. I find it hilarious that Shannon is having a twitter contest to pick a new nickname for himself haha. I like "Downtown Shannon Brown", it has an old school ring to it.
The funny thing about the Pistons is I constantly forget that they beat us in 2004 for the championship (I think I block it out of my mind most of the time haha). The Lakers were imploding, Karl Malone was old and hurt, Gary Payton was annoying and the Pistons took advantage. I remember exactly where I was when we lost Game 5. I had just come back from my senior trip to Knott's Berry Farm and went to Rubino's (the local pizza place by my high school) with Josh, Ashlie and...my sister I think. Possibly Katie too. But yeah, I just sat there in stony silence with a scowl on my face- Ashlie took a pretty hilarious picture, although it didn't seem funny at all at the time. Went to the pool after that even though it was nighttime and that was that. It sucked. And the Lakers sucked for the next 3 years. It's not often tough to be a Lakers fan, but it really truly felt difficult during that period of time. Yeah, we only missed the playoffs one year, but then Phoenix knocked us out the next two. Everyone hated Kobe still because of Colorado, and because he "forced out" Shaq. I still loved him, but yeah. Difficult.
Anyway last night in Detroit was a fairly easy win. I'm glad the Lakers have been stepping up to the challenge the past couple games against somewhat inferior teams. It's always good to win on the road. Their defense has still been pretty abysmal, but I'm sure the kinks will work themselves out.
One last thought: I know we need Andrew Bynum because of his size and his skill, the fact that he gives Pau and Lamar some rest, and to compete against Boston and Miami specifically....but I still don't care that much when he comes back. Just that he does eventually. He's never been my favorite, although I thought it was amazing and I totally appreciated how much he put himself through during the playoffs and especially the Finals last year. However, I hated that he postponed his knee surgery during the summer. Then I just found out he was going 110mph in his Porshe in LA? Seriously? I know you're only 22 with millions of dollars, but come on. He doesn't always show me that he's focused, and that's what I want out of my favorite athletes: focus. Also, he looks eerily like Tracy Morgan. But anyway, haha.
The funny thing about the Pistons is I constantly forget that they beat us in 2004 for the championship (I think I block it out of my mind most of the time haha). The Lakers were imploding, Karl Malone was old and hurt, Gary Payton was annoying and the Pistons took advantage. I remember exactly where I was when we lost Game 5. I had just come back from my senior trip to Knott's Berry Farm and went to Rubino's (the local pizza place by my high school) with Josh, Ashlie and...my sister I think. Possibly Katie too. But yeah, I just sat there in stony silence with a scowl on my face- Ashlie took a pretty hilarious picture, although it didn't seem funny at all at the time. Went to the pool after that even though it was nighttime and that was that. It sucked. And the Lakers sucked for the next 3 years. It's not often tough to be a Lakers fan, but it really truly felt difficult during that period of time. Yeah, we only missed the playoffs one year, but then Phoenix knocked us out the next two. Everyone hated Kobe still because of Colorado, and because he "forced out" Shaq. I still loved him, but yeah. Difficult.
Anyway last night in Detroit was a fairly easy win. I'm glad the Lakers have been stepping up to the challenge the past couple games against somewhat inferior teams. It's always good to win on the road. Their defense has still been pretty abysmal, but I'm sure the kinks will work themselves out.
One last thought: I know we need Andrew Bynum because of his size and his skill, the fact that he gives Pau and Lamar some rest, and to compete against Boston and Miami specifically....but I still don't care that much when he comes back. Just that he does eventually. He's never been my favorite, although I thought it was amazing and I totally appreciated how much he put himself through during the playoffs and especially the Finals last year. However, I hated that he postponed his knee surgery during the summer. Then I just found out he was going 110mph in his Porshe in LA? Seriously? I know you're only 22 with millions of dollars, but come on. He doesn't always show me that he's focused, and that's what I want out of my favorite athletes: focus. Also, he looks eerily like Tracy Morgan. But anyway, haha.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Apologies
I feel like a terrible Lakers fan...I've only seen bits of the 4th quarter in their last three games :( I was watching football on Sunday night and went out to dinner with my family last night- if only the game hadn't started at the ridiculously early 5pm!! And tonight the game is on at 430, on KCAL. And I'm sick, so I really shouldn't be going out to a bar to watch it. I know not that many people read my blog, and it really is for my own enjoyment, but I feel like it's been a letdown recently. I'll work really hard on getting it back up to speed! I was very proud of the game Shannon had last night- 16 points in the 4th quarter is ridiculous! And as far as the Sunday game goes, we should have had that. And the stupid new technical rule reared its ugly head against Lamar in a crucial part of the game. The defense has been super sloppy lately, but I'm really not that worried about their performance in general. It's very early. Sad news about Theo Ratliff being done for 6 weeks, hopefully he'll come back better than ever.
Go Lakers!
Go Lakers!
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