NBA Playoff series at 2-0, Tinseltown still mum on Lakers deals

• New Orleans Hornets win lottery for No. 1 draft pick | NBA.com
• Thunder needs to get ugly to beat Spurs
• Heat Survive Rondo's huge night, win 115-111 in OT | NBA.com
• Rajon Rondo outstanding but LeBron James, Heat rally for 2-0 lead | ESPN
• David Stern unsure of keeping veteran NBA players in Olympics | ESPN
• NBA's problematic ownership of Hornets opens door to rigged talk over draft lottery | Yahoo! Sports

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Starring the Western and Eastern Conference Finals

• Thunder unfazed after blowing lead in Game 1 | NBA.com
• Allen hobbled & missing in Game 1 | NBA.com
• James scores 32 as Heat run past Celtics in Game 1 | NBA.com
• Metta World Peace appears in Drew League game | LA Times
• Ramon Sessions says it’s very different being a Laker | ProBasketball Talk
• Report: Brian Shaw to interview with Bobcats this week | ProBasketball Talk

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers officially capped the blisteringly fast and tumultuous 2011-2012 shortened-season with their exit interviews with management and the media yesterday. Every player, except Kobe (he will meet later with them, over lunch, for a more lengthy discussion), participated in a sit-down with Mitch Kupchak and Mike Brown, and then followed that with a meeting with the assembled media for a fifteen minute or so Q&A session.

Here are the highlights:

Mike Brown:

"I feel like I could've done a lot better," Brown said.

"The toughest part is, I'm not using this as an excuse," Brown said. "We had as much time as everybody else. But it was tough from the standpoint that you didn't get to practice. We wouldn't have practiced that much harder because we have an older and veteran team. I still need to be conscious of not running those guys in the ground in the course of the regular season."

Pau Gasol:

I wish I could have clarification (about his future with the team) but they can’t give it to me right now. I think management still has to talk to ownership to see what direction this team will be going next year. We really didn’t talk much about the future. We talked about this year, how things have gone. Everything was really positive and encouraging for potential next season.

Andrew Bynum:

"I like telling the truth, what’s on my mind and how I feel … people will read three to four words and take what they want from there. My statements are a bit long-winded at times, and the whole statement should be heard … I don’t plan on monitoring my comments … I don’t really care if you guys criticize me. I have to go play regardless of what you guys write or do." Have to respect his honesty; many athletes, and people in general, don’t say what’s on their mind and stand by it. He’s not malevolent in any way about this, he just is going to say what he thinks.

Bynum acknowledged that he has lots of grey hair as a 24-year-old, smiling as he explained it was better to have hair than not. Both of his parents are all grey, apparently.

Steve Blake:

"Over time you get more comfortable with your teammates, you figure each other out, and for me I as definitely much more comfortable throughout the season and the playoffs. I really loved playing with everybody and enjoyed it, and look forward to coming back and doing it again."

Rooks and Scrubs:

"Please don't cut us" :(

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers as they wrap things up with their exit interviews.

• Mitch Kupchak: 2012 Exit Interview | Lakers Blog
• Mike Brown: 2012 Exit Interview | Lakers Blog
• Lakers will debate overhaul after playoff exit | NBA.com
• Kupchak: Lakers Will Pursue Trades | NBA.com
• Andrew Bynum to have Orthokine therapy in Germany | ESPN LA
• Pau Gasol can't get clarification from Lakers about his future | LA Times
• Andrew Bynum says he wants to stay a Laker | ProBasketball Talk

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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Well then.

Not a lot of positive things can be said when your basketball team is pummeled 90-119 in the first game of a playoff series. The Lakers played as hard as they could for as long as their legs allowed them too, before the younger, more talented, better rested and so, so much better coached team decided to turn things up and run the old vets out of the gym.

The first few minutes (and first quarter in general) offered some sort of hope for Lakers fans, as Bynum kept us close with ten quick points to go along with five rebounds. It was a respectable end to the first quarter, that saw the Lakers down just seven points, with Kobe and Pau yet to make their marks on the game. Good news, right? Problem is, the Thunder were just about to make their mark on the series.

Things quickly fell apart in the second quarter as the Thunder started heating up, making shot after shot. It was soon evident the Lakers were in for a long night as OKC went into the break leading fifteen, and then broke the game wide, wide open. Via NBA.com:

The Lakers finished the first half on shaky ground trailing by 15 points but you had the feeling a little regrouping in the locker room, a few words from Kobe and things might tighten up. The Thunder though had other thoughts and opened the second half by sending the Lakers into deep water with a 9-0 run that turned into a 15-2 run that expanded to a 24-6 run and an 83-50 Thunder lead halfway through the third quarter.

Welp. Nothing more to be said. I'll let these guys take it away:

It got out of hand just after halftime, in highlight-reel fashion. Durant lobbed the ball to Westbrook for a two-handed slam, then connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing to draw a timeout from Lakers coach Mike Brown.

That still didn't slow down Oklahoma City, which got what could have been a costly two-handed dunk from Perkins on its next trip and then another 3 from Durant before Thabo Sefolosha swiped the ball from Bryant and ran out for a layup that made it 74-46 with 8:39 left in the period.

Both coaches started going to their benches with 8 1/2 minutes left, and Los Angeles reserve Devin Ebanks ended up getting ejected with 2:18 to play after walking up to a scrum for the ball after the whistle. Official Greg Willard said at the scorer's table that he was ejected for "what he said" in drawing a technical foul. It ended up tying for the 12th-worst blowout in Lakers playoff history.

Scott Brooks:

We were a little worried about rust but we did a lot of scrimmaging to stay sharp (during the layoff). We just have a team full of gym rats, our guys just wanna play basketball. But this is just one game it doesn't matter if we won by one point or 30 points we have to play well Wednesday night.

Rust wasn't a problem, but Russ was. Speaking of which:

Oklahoma City is 17-1 when Westbrook has two turnovers or less.

Damn.

Mike Brown:

Give OKC credit they did a terrific job. Westbrook and Durant got loose for jump shots that weren't contested. We had problems defending the pick & roll and our weakside defense wasn't very good. They were very physical and made our offense look stagnant at times.

Next massacre game, Wednesday night.

Starring the Oklahoma City Thunder as they put a beat down on our Los Angeles Lakers

• Gameday: Thunder 119, Lakers 90 | Lakers.com
• Thunder clobber Lakers 119-90 in Game 1 | NBA.com
• Rapid Reaction, Game 1: Thunder 119, Lakers 90 | ESPN LA
• Thunder's energy is just too much for the Lakers | LA Times
• Lakers look like rookies during Thunder Jam session | OC Register
• Lakers-Thunder Game 1: Lakers suffer a Thundertality

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Lakers and Nuggets return to Los Angeles tonight, with the Lakers firmly in control with a 3-1 lead. Appropriately dubbed "Gentlemen's Sweep Tuesday" by Matt Moore, the Lakers will be part of a four-game slate of 3-1 series playing their respective Game 5.

Tuesday night in the NBA playoffs is Gentleman's Sweep Night. Four teams enter action Tuesday with a chance to finish off their opponent and head home for some rest while the rest of the first round plays out. It's not absolute dominance, but it's as close as it gets. The Celtics, Lakers, Sixers and Pacers have all reached this point through different means, and none of them in the archetype manner, but a win on Tuesday and the result is the same -- a first-round win with time to rest before the second round.

As such, most of the talking points in practice yesterday centered around how the Lakers would go about closing out the Nuggets. Mike Brown with the typical coach answer, via ESPN LA:

"For me, I'm not a guy that will talk about, 'Hey, we got to win this because of this or because of that,' " Brown said. "The players know it. They know this is a close-out game. They know if we win this game (instead of Game 6 or Game 7), we don't have to get on a plane right away and fly to Oklahoma City. I mean, my ninth grade boy knows it and he's not interested in basketball."

Andrew Bynum had a different, more direct response:

"Close-out games are actually kind of easy," Bynum said. "Teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning, so we want to come out and establish an early lead and protect it."

And of course, Kobe Bryant gave the veteran savvy response:

"Patience and intelligence," said Kobe Bryant. "You just really have to take the time to execute and also come out with the right energy to carry a game."

Summary: Nobody wants to go back to Denver.

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers as they try and close-out the Denver Nuggets.

• Rookie View: The Playoff Shift | Lakers.com
• Lakers looking to close - Monday practice videos | ESPN LA
• Lakers perform well in closeout games | LA Times
• Lakers learning to trust more than Kobe Bryant down the stretch | OC Register
• Lakers are focusing on beating Denver now | OC Register
• Devin Ebanks maintains he's not thinking about free agency | LA Times

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets last night, 92-88, in a crucial Game 4 that would have changed the landscape of the series had Denver won. Thankfully, that didn't happen and instead we were treated to a classic Lakers road victory. I mean, seriously, how much more Laker-ish can you get? Win the first two at home (check), throw up a stinker the third game (check), then crush the hearts of opposing fans when you grind out a win and head back home for the clincher (discount double-check!). I'm pretty sure this has been a staple of Los Angeles basketball, much like our win-less Sunday Whites record, that has led to 16 Banners. Numbers don't lie*, folks.

*Need to double check my numbers.

So when the Lakers found themselves in need of a big shot late in the fourth quarter, you know folks were gonna step up. Via Lakers.com:

Reserve Jordan Hill was big for L.A., posting a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Steve Blake scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a six-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.

"This was fun," Blake said. "It doesn't get any better than this. Playoff basketball, this is what it's all about."

Ramon Sessions scored 12 points and also had a big 3 in the final minute for L.A.

With the game tied at 86, Danilo Gallinari was covering Bryant when a hard screen from Pau Gasol sent him to the floor grabbing his face. Bryant worked the ball to Sessions, whose 3-pointer from just in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining.

I'm sorry Gallinari, I know you're Forza Milan like me and we're probably sad that they lost to Inter today and thus Juventus won the Scudetto, but last night was not the time to feel down about it! Others saw it differently, via Kevin Ding:

While Sessions was answering question about Pau's pick/Gallinari's flop, Bynum chimed in from next locker: "Soccer swag!"

So it's all up in the air at this point, unlike this series. Next game Tuesday night.

Starring Lakers Superstar, Steve Blake.

• Lakers 92, Nuggets 88 | Lakers.com
• Bryant, Bynum lead Lakers to 3-1 edge over Nuggets | NBA.com
• Lakers Late Night Replay - Game 4 vs. Denver | ESPN LA
• Lakers' Pau Gasol picks a good time to show his toughness | LA Times
• LA Lakers head home with 3-1 NBA playoffs lead
• Lakers Finish Strong in Denver, Top Nuggets 92-88 | Lakers Nation

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The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Denver with a 2-0 Series lead, ready to play their first road game of the post-season. During the regular season, the Lakers were a terrible 15-18 on the road. Back on February 3rd, the Lakers defeated the Nuggets in Denver, 93-89, in what was the first of a six game road-trip.

That game back in February came off of two off-days, much like tomorrow's game will. The Lakers will need as much energy as they can muster, as the Nuggets will try and run the Purple & Gold out of Mile High City. As always, if Los Angeles stands any chance of getting a win tomorrow, they'll need their big guy Andrew Bynum focused and sharp:

I left a lot on the court today," Bynum said. "I worked way too hard before the game to let that happen. I could have had a perfect game."

Bynum couldn’t define his perfect game, but it was certainly more than the stat line he produced Tuesday night. He wanted to get at least another rebound and at least a few more blocked shots. After getting a triple-double in Game 1, Bynum isn’t satisfied with anything less than a double-double now.I just left stats out there. That’s about it," Bynum said.

"I left a double-double out there, I left some block shots out there, I left points out there. I left a lot of things out there tonight.

That's the type of thinking that everyone, including Kobe Bryant, can get behind of

A smile crept over Bryant’s face when he heard the way Bynum reacted after his performance on Tuesday night. It was exactly the way Bryant would have reacted and the way he wants Bynum to react now.

"He expects greatness out of himself," Bryant said. "He believes that he can have monster games on a consistent basis like he did the last game so it’s a great thing to hear."

Switching gears now, Kobe Bryant is auctioning off his mask, which is great news for people who collect Kobe Bryant masks. Tyson Chandler wins DPOY, and Mike Trudell talks with the Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman for insight on Game 3.

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers as they try and win Game 2 against the Nuggets.

• Stoudemire Punches Glass, Injures Hand | NBA.com
• Jordan Hill Statement | Lakers Blog
• 2012 Playoff Podcast No. 1: Kevin Ding | Lakers Blog
• Jordan Hill charged with assault, expects to play Tuesday | ESPN LA
• Lakers' Devin Ebanks successfully fills in for Metta World Peace | LA Times

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers opened up their quest for Banner 17 last night, in a defensive clinic led by No. 17, Andrew Bynum. With 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots, Bynum became the first Lakers player to record a triple-double in the Playoffs since 1991. Throughout the game, Drew disrupted Nuggets' players from driving down the lane, forcing them to kick the ball out for a contested, rushed shot.

His 10 blocks placed him in a three-way tie for the NBA record in a game, alongside Mark Eaton and the great Hakeem Olajuwon. Along the way, Bynum broke the Lakers franchise record for blocks in a game, 9, previously held by Kareem. As C.A Clark wrote:

Just one game. That's how long it took the Los Angeles Lakers to show they mean business this postseason. Or, at least, that's how long it took Andrew Bynum to show that he can mean business, and meaning business for Bynum means trouble for the rest of the league. In compiling only the 2nd playoff triple double of points, blocks, and rebounds ever, the precocious Lakers big man showed that defensive dominance is still very much one of the tricks in his bag.

As a team, the Lakers had 15 blocked shots and held the Nuggets to 36% shooting, with notable "Lakers Killer" Ty Lawson going just 3-11 for seven points.

Kobe added 31, doing most of his damage in the 2nd Half as young Laker Devin Ebanks chose to do his damage in the 1st. Solid contributions came from everyone on the Lakers bench, as Jordan Hill picked up a double-double and Pau Gasol was only two rebounds and two assists from a triple-double himself. Pau Gasol added his thoughts and the key to the Lakers this post-season:

We’re consistent defensively. The opportunities are going to be there for us and we’re going to be very effective. Offensively, we have enough to match up against any team but defense is what makes the biggest difference with our team. We just have to be mentally ready for every game to give this kind of effort.

Elsewhere Around the League, the Spurs march on, Rondo is ejected as the Celtics fall to the Hawks, and the Clippers come back from 24 down to stun the Grizz, but lose Caron Butler to injury.

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers as they open up the 2012 Playoffs with a win against the Denver Nuggets

• Bynum's triple-double leads Lakers past Nuggets
• Lakers take 1-0 lead behind Kobe Bryant's 31, Andrew Bynum's 10-block triple-double | ESPN LA
• Andrew Bynum controls Game 1 for the Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN LA
• Lakers' Kobe Bryant a tower of empowerment | LA Times
• Andrew Bynum reaches new heights with Lakers
• Lakers/Nuggets Game 1: Getting Defensive | Forum Blue & Gold

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers enter tonight's game, against the Sacramento Kings, with their playoff position secured. With the Clippers losing on Tuesday, (and again last night, lulz) the Lakers won the Pacific Division and clinched the 3rd seed in the West.

With literally nothing on the line tonight, the smartest thing the Lakers could do is rest their players, and that's just what Mike Brown intends to do. Via ESPN LA:

With the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs already locked up heading into Thursday's regular-season finale against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff is planning to sit the team's stars and use the game as a talent evaluator for its young players.

"We'll probably rest guys, but it won't just be me saying, 'Hey, I'm going to sit you down,' " Lakers coach Mike Brown said after practice on Wednesday. "I give guys some ownership in this."

Well done, Mike Brown. Of course, Kobe Bryant will likely play tonight since he only sits out when he's injured.

"I'm not on vacation," Bryant told reporters in San Antonio after his first game back in the lineup. "I was hurt. If I'm healthy, I play."

In any case, it's good that the Lakers youngsters will get some playing time, we may even have an Eyenga sighting. We'll keep an eye on all that plus have a proper game preview up a little later today.

It's been a crazy schedule, with BasketballOverload setting in a few times, so it's good to finally see this thing come to an end. ONWARD!!!

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers, as they end the regular season tonight with a road game against the Sacramento Kings.

• Kobe Bryant 'absolutely' expects Lakers to win NBA championship | ESPN LA
• Lakers may rest all starters but Kobe Bryant in regular-season finale against Sacramento Kings | ESPN LA
• Metta World Peace addresses elbow to James Harden | ESPN LA
• Ramon Sessions' Present and Future with the Lakers | Lakers Nation
• Report: Billy Hunter sought $7 million-plus NBPA investment to bank with ties to son | Eye On Basketball
• Ask the Dust | Searching for Slava

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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With the Lakers not playing a basketball game for another 48hrs, there is nothing to do but watch as other potential playoff teams battle for position. The Lakers currently sit 3rd in the West, just a game-and-a half ahead of the Clippers. If the playoffs were to start today, the 6th-Seed Nuggets would be our first round opponent. The Lakers won the season-series 3-1 against Denver.

Here is a breakdown of what could transpire for the 6th Seed, via Lakers.com:

Denver defeated Orlando on Sunday evening to improve to 36-28 on the season, one half game ahead of Dallas (36-29), with two games to play at Oklahoma City and Minnesota. Since the Mavericks own the tiebreaker, they can get the No. 6 seed with a win in their final game at Atlanta and one Nuggets loss. Denver will get the No. 6 seed to face the No. 3 team by going 2-0, or 1-1 should Dallas lose to Atlanta. The Hawks are thus quite important in the Western seedings, as they face both the Clippers and Mavericks to close the season.

On the Lakers side, they NEED to win at Sacramento to maintain the 3rd Seed or else they fall to the 4th Seed. Here is the breakdown, via Lakers.com:

If LAL (41-24) wins its final game at Sacramento on Thursday, or if the Clippers (40-24) lose at either Atlanta or New York, the three seed goes to the Purple and Gold, who hold the tiebreaker over the Clips thanks to a 2-1 season series win.

With the win over OKC, the Lakers also clinched – at worst – the No. 4 seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Even with a loss at Sacramento and 2-0 finishes for both the Clippers and Grizzlies (39-25), LAL would match a possible 41-25 Memphis record (the Lakers also own the tiebreaker against the Grizz).

Switching gears now to Metta World Peace, as of last night the NBA had not ruled on MWP's suspension. Expect the league office to issue a statement today regarding the suspension and the reasoning behind it. Don't be surprised if the number of games goes above 5, as the NBA might look to set an example for all future incidents. This whole thing has been really terrible, anyway you put it.

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers and their three days off.

• Lakers Magic No. for 3 Seed: 1 | Lakers Blog
• This wacky season makes award picks all the more difficult
• 5-on-5: What happens now with Metta World Peace? | ESPN LA
• Lakers, Metta World Peace wait for other shoe, or hammer, to drop | LA Times
• The Breakdown: Defending The Pick & Roll | Forum Blue & Gold

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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This season truly is one to remember.

Yesterday afternoon, the Lakers came back from an 18-point hole to defeat the Thunder in double overtime as Jordan Hill and Devin Ebanks, with the help of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-106.

The Lakers' rally began in the fourth quarter, as they came alive after great hustle on both ends of the floor from Jordan Hill. He was playing so well that Mike Brown stuck with him and the same lineup the entire 4th and both OT periods. In fact, Mike Brown had so much foresight that he called Hill at 2am just to let him know, via NBA.com:

On my ride back from the airport after our loss to San Antonio I just had a gut feel. I picked up the phone and called Jordan Hill at 2 in the morning and I said ‘Jordan, you ready to play?’ ‘Coach, whatever you need.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’m thinking about throwing you out on the floor in this next game so there are things I need from you – I’m not sure if I’m going to do it, but if I throw you out there I want to see some athleticism, I want to see you sprinting to pick and rolls, I want to see you playing and defending pick and rolls right and blocking shots and patrolling that paint.’ He said, ‘Yes sir, I’ll do it.

For as much criticism as Mike Brown has received, kudos to him for sticking with the hot hands and the players who got us out of the deficit. Other notables were Steve Blake, who played another strong game and contributed a couple of crucial three-pointers to keep the Lakers close, and Pau Gasol who had a very low-key line of 20-14-9.

Here is what Kobe Bryant had to say about the importance of this win:

It was good to have one like that. We really hadn’t had a deficit that we overcame successfully throughout the course of the season against a good team. In playoff basketball, you’re going to see a lot of that, especially on the road when a crowd gets behind a team and all of a sudden, you find yourself down 15 or 17 points just off momentum. So you’ll have to keep chipping away and find the poise to get back in the game

Unfortunately, it wasn't all fun and games. Oklahoma City came out strong to start the 2nd half as they rallied in response to the irresponsible and downright dangerous elbow Metta World Peace decided to launch at Harden's head. Thoughts go out to James Harden, hoping he makes a sound recovery and can make it back in time for OKC's playoff run.

Starring the men clad in the Purple and Gold armor, never ceasing to fight.

• Gameday: Lakers 114, Thunder 106 | Lakers.com
• Lakers' World Peace ejected for elbowing Harden | NBA.com
• Lakers rally for 2OT win after Metta World Peace ejected for vicious elbow | ESPN
• Andrew Bynum acknowledges poor effort in win over Thunder | LA Times
• Matt Barnes has moderately sprained right ankle | LA Times
• Andrew Bynum: I played "terrible", should have been benched | OC Register
• Video: Clippers F Reggie Evans executes flop of the year against Hornets? | Eye On Basketball
• Why intent shouldn’t factor into Metta World Peace’s suspension | The Basketball Jones

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors, 99-87, in a game that was over by the third quarter. Led by their big men, the Lakers dominated the short-handed Warriors as Bynum and Gasol combined for fifty-three points. The final score was not indicative of the actual drubbing the Dubs received, as the Purple & Gold were up 23 at one point. Bynum and Sessions did not play a single second of the fourth quarter as Mike Brown opted to play his bench. Classic garbage time, folks.

Bynum had his way early on in the game, scoring seventeen first-quarter points against uh, Michell Gladness. Pau Gasol had his fifth career triple-double as he controlled the offense and pace of the game (but unlike his Catalan counterparts, he also got a win. Go Blues!) in the 2nd Half. He was especially phenomenal in the third quarter, dishing out four assists along with eight points as the Warriors were content with shooting jumpers.

Mike Brown had this to say about Pau, via Lakers.com:

I can’t say enough about Pau [Gasol]. We talked about it earlier in the year that this is the type of guy we can play in a lot of different areas. We could play him on the post, off the elbow, we could play him out at the wing sometimes, and he could help in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it’s scoring, sometimes rebounding, and sometimes finding the teammates to make the basket. For him to come up with a triple-double at 7 foot 1 this way is remarkable. I would be surprised to see how many seven footers would have a triple-double this way choosing points, blocks, assists, and rebounds.

So, finally, the Lakers pick up a "looks like a win" type win and get set to travel down to San Antonio. Kobe back?

Via Mike Trudell:

Good news for LAL: Kobe says he's good to go, with no minute restrictions. His shin is "good," has no worries.

KOBE BACK!

Three. Games. Left.

Lakers pick up easy win in Oakland, will travel to San Antonio for the final stretch of games.

• Bynum, Gasol lead Lakers' 99-87 rout of Warriors
• Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol lead Lakers ahead of Kobe's likely return
• It's a local race for third place in West | LA Times
• Popovich says Ginobili has same competitive fire as Kobe, Jordan
• Lakers/Warriors: Beat Da Warriors | Forum Blue & Gold
• Why the Laker offense works without Kobe Bryant | HoopSpeak.com
• Kobe Bryant says he'll return Friday against San Antonio | Eye On Basketball

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs tonight, the second game of the season series. Back on April 11th, the Lakers smacked the Spurs, 98-84, in a game where Andrew Bynum grabbed 30 rebounds and eventually earned himself Player of the Week honors, with total week averages at 21.8 points, 16.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks. MVP, anyone? No? Gotcha.

Coach Gregg Popovich, after last week's game, said:

They beat us to death. There's nothing else you can say about it. They rebounded well and were physical. It was a really poor performance execution wise and competitiveness wise.

The Lakers will try and duplicate the result again tonight, and will do so without Kobe Bryant (again). Via Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter):

Kobe shin update: he did some light shooting today, but did not do any running. He remains officially listed as "day to day."

Also, via the LA Times:

Kobe Bryant did some shooting Monday at the team’s training facility in El Segundo but is not expected to play Tuesday at against San Antonio, according to an NBA official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

It would be the sixth game Bryant has missed because of a sore left shin. The Lakers are 4-1 in his absence. They beat the Spurs last week, 98-84, in San Antonio and Andrew Bynum had 30 rebounds and Metta World Peace had 26 points in that win.

The Lakers had the day off yesterday, and the Spurs played last night but Coach Pop rested his Big3. Without Kobe Bryant, it will be up to the Twin Towers to step up and get solid contributions from everyone for a chance at a win and to maintain 3rd seed in the West.

Last night, the Clippers smacked the Thunder. Five. Games. Left.

The Los Angeles Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs for the second time in ten days, and just six days after defeating them in Texas.

• Three signs of a generally upward trajectory | ESPN LA
• Kobe Bryant practices shooting, but is expected to miss Spurs match | LA Times
• Kobe resumes shooting but won’t play Tuesday | OC Register
• Lakers vs. Spurs (42-16) - Preview | OC Register
• Don’t expect Kobe back for Lakers vs. Spurs Tuesday
• Has Devin Ebanks Earned A Rotation Spot? | Forum Blue & Gold
• The Seersucker Season | Searching for Slava

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks last night, 112-108, to sweep the season series and maintain position as the 3rd Seed in the Western Conference. Kobe Bryant did not feature in this game, his fifth missed game in a row. The Lakers are 4-1 without their captain and leader on the court.

Coach Mike Brown went into a rather long explanation on how his team has played without Kobe Bryant. Via Lakers.com:

The first thing is we’ve done a better job understanding tempo. Before, when Kobe was playing, with him being on the floor, we started playing a little too fast. He can himself, even though he’s not the point guard, he can subtly effect the tempo of the game by running to the block. When he runs to the block, obviously he’s a pretty dominating factor out on the floor. So our guys are going to try and get him the ball, and when they get him the ball it just kind of brings everything to a stop to a certain degree. Having him on the floor helped us control the pace of the game a lot of times. Without him on the floor, we had to kind of find out how to do that on our own. And it started in the Phoenix game where we didn’t do a good job of that. We got into a rat race of a game with them, and they won the game. But, the great thing about that is that he helped us, we felt like we helped the players and the players helped each other. And we learned from that game in terms of how we can do a better job of controlling the pace when he’s not on the floor. For me that’s probably one of the biggest things we’ve gotten from his absence so far. Then you can go into the confidence factor, you can go into guys stepping up at different parts of the game, doing big things for us, and so on and so forth.

Ramon Sessions and Andrew Bynum, players that have struggled at times with Kobe Bryant on the bench, had this to say via Lakers.com:

RS: That’s Coach Bryant now. He’s like a coach over there. He’s over there helping everybody out and drawing stuff up on the board. He’s pulling for us over on the side and he’s helping us out tremendously

AB: He’s coming up with plays, watching things that are going on and just telling us where they’re coming from.

The Lakers have five more games left in the season, with the final back-to-back set on Tue/Wed. If Kobe Bryant returns, look for him to play the last three games as he tries to regain the rhythm he displayed earlier this month.

During the first two minutes of last night's game, a 98-84 win over the Spurs, we were treated to eight combined misses, perhaps hinting toward a slow battle of attrition between two West rivals. During these two minutes, Andrew Bynum picked up three of his career-high and NBA season-high thirty rebounds. If that doesn't sound impressive enough, how about this:

Per NBA.com:

Bynum had eight offensive rebounds, and the Spurs got one -- and that was from Parker. As a team San Antonio only had three more total rebounds than Bynum. This translated into the Lakers having a 16-3 advantage in second-chance opportunities.

The Lakers as a team held the Spurs to only 40.7% from inside the arc, but the Spurs still managed to shoot 52.4% from downtown as they made thirteen long-balls. The Lakers led most of the game, however, and at one point were up 26 points in the fourth quarter. Under-the-radar contributions came from Matt Barnes and Steve Blake, as both continue to work hard in their respective roles.

Enter Metta World Peace, or should we say, Ron Artest.

Last night, MWP had a throwback Ron Artest performance, back to the Pacers days were he was excellent throughout. I can't do MWP justice, just read this:

San Antonio only trailed by five at halftime, and it still was a single-digit ballgame when Green hit a pair of free throws with 7:13 to go in the third quarter. That's when World Peace got ridiculously hot. During a 13-2 run he scored nine of those points, including a 4-of-4 showing from the floor. The Lakers led 71-51 with just less than four minutes to go in the quarter.

Metta World Peace finished the game 10-for-15 from the floor, and he was 5-for-6 when the Lakers outscored San Antonio 27-16 in the third quarter. It got so silly at one point that on one possession when the shot clock was winding down the ball was kicked back out to him at the 3-point line where -- flat-footed -- he knocked that one down too. Over the last three games he's 8-for-13 from the 3-point line and had an 8-for-10 showing from the floor two games back against Phoenix.

Say Queensbridge!!!

Los Angeles Lakers administer beatdown, Bynum smashes and World Peace slices.

• Lakers manhandle Spurs behind Bynum's 30 rebounds | Lakers.com
• Andrew Bynum grabs 30 rebounds as Lakers easily beat Spurs | ESPN
• Five things to take from Lakers' 98-84 victory over the Spurs | LA Times
• Lakers/Spurs: Club 17 Paint Job | Forum Blue & Gold
• They Play After Dark | Searching for Slava

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The Los Angeles Lakers will go to battle tonight against the San Antonio Spurs without their commander and captain as Kobe Bryant will sit out for the third straight game. Bryant suffered the injury back on March 31st, when he was kicked on the shin in a game against the New Orleans Hornets. Even though he has shown improvement, Vitti and the medical staff have decided that a completely rested and healed Kobe is better for the long-term success of the Lakers as they enter the playoffs.

Per ESPN LA:

Really, the only way to stop [the inflammation] is to shut him down," longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti said Saturday.

Vitti re-evaluated Bryant on Monday in New Orleans and Tuesday in San Antonio and reported improvements after each examination. Bryant's status remains day to day, according to the team.

The silver lining in all of this, is that Kobe finally gets the rest he so badly needed as his body had begun to give out on him. A healthy Kobe for the Lakers is imperative as they look for Banner 17, and in this, Mike Brown and Gary Vitti see eye-to-eye.

Per Lakers.com:

Head athletic trainer Gary Vitti said that shutting Bryant down was the only way to ensure he’d heal fully and be healthy heading into the stretch run of the regular season and playoffs, and head coach Mike Brown has repeatedly supported the plan of making sure Kobe’s both healthy and rested.

Tonight will mark the first of three meetings in the span of ten days against the Spurs. The Lakers only sit 2.5 games ahead of the fourth-place Clippers, so any win is important if the Purple & Gold wish to maintain the third seed heading into the playoffs.

The Los Angeles Lakers played a terrible game of basketball last night, and yet somehow managed to pull together a decent run down the stretch and steal the win from the Hornets. How close was this game, you ask? Dexter Fishmore supplies us with some stats:

The Lakers had 83 possessions tonight, the Hornets 82. Points per trip: Lakers - 1.12, Hornets - 1.11

The Lakers stole this in the fourth quarter with clutch shots from Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Metta World Peace and Ramon Sessions. In fact, Ramon Sessions had his first game-winner in the Purple & Gold (H/T SoCalGal). The win was all but cemented until Metta World Peace stunned us all.

With 1.2 seconds left in the game, he stands ready to inbound the ball on the Hornets' side of the court, only to throw the rock back across the floor toward Matt Barnes who was standing near the Lakers bench. The pass was slow and low to the ground, and had Jason Smith been just a little faster, he might have gotten that ball and sent the game to OT. Here is video of the last play, and this is what MWP had to say regarding the last sequence:

I’m a math major. Jason (Smith) was not getting that ball. 1.3 seconds. I’m a math major. It’s an easy calculation. Matt (Barnes) was going to get the ball no matter what.

Coach Mike Brown commented on the win and on Steve Blake's performance:

I thought that our composure was there, which was fun to watch our guys have (tonight). Throughout the course of the game, I thought we made big play after big play. I thought, having our composure, (that) the tempo was there. Having (the Hornets) at 91 points is more our speed or more in our favor when it gets there.

I thought that his aggressive play on both sides of the floor (was great). I thought that he was aggressive offensively. I thought that he was aggressive defensively. He came up with some big shots down the stretch, too. I thought that his aggressive play was a factor (tonight).

Travel day and light practice, I assume, today for the Lakers. The showdown with the well-rested San Antonio Spurs is tomorrow night. Gulp.

Starring Metta World Peace and his ridiculous pass that almost cost the Lakers the win.

• Gasol leads Lakers past Hornets, 93-91 | NBA.com
• LAL 93, NOH 91: April 9 Running Diary | Lakers Blog
• Phil Jackson not concerned about Andrew Bynum's recent troubles | LA Times
• Say it ain't so: Andrew Bynum follows in Kobe Bryant's footsteps | LA Times
• Without Kobe Bryant, Lakers come back in 4th quarter to top Hornets | ESPN
• Grizzlies sink Clippers, move to within half-game for No. 4 in West | ESPN
• Dallas Mavericks, Lamar Odom to sever ties immediately | ESPN

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