Hey Spur lovers!  I got a question for you to ponder during the slow parts of tonight's LAL @ SAS match up.  And given the way both teams have been playing I am expecting plenty of garbage time tonight.  (I personally will consider it a moral victory if the Lakers are within 10 at any point during the 2nd half.) 

So here's the question. 

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OK, the playoffs and parades are over.  (Wow! weren't they just super?)  The draft is even complete.  And here we stand just days away from finding out where LeBron will go.  I'm figuring a 95%+ chance he stays in the east so who gives a frick?

Now the trade rumors are a-flyin' and with all big name free agents this year the NBA landscape is likely to look quite different by the time the season starts.  With all that up in the air, trying to project how how the teams will place next year is futile.

But I do wonder which team is poised to drop the farthest from where they finished last year?  For example, I remember back to 2008 when New Orleans pushed the Spurs in the conference semis only to drop like a stone.  Or 2009 when Portland were "world beaters" only to fall to Houston and then to killer injuries.  In 2010 Phx made the conference finals but have they peaked?

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Things are a little glum this week in Spursville and I figure everyone could use a good chuckle.  So how about if we post up some of our favorite jokes?  I'll start with the first one since it was my idea.  (I could post it below to get to the minimum 75 words but I'll just post it in the 1st comment.  There, that should be 75 words now.)

If you have any jokes you think are funny, post them below.  And if you read one you like. Rec it.

Now I'm not a Clippers fan but we were offered some free last minute tickets.  So we decided to load up the car and brave the disaster that is L A's freeways in the rain.

Thankfully the roads were mostly dry and clear.  But the game?  What a disaster!  I took some pictures and got nothing else to do with them so I thought I'd post them here. (As you'll see I'm not much of a photographer or storyteller.)

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The Lakers (especially Kobe) are a bit banged up.  They are still tired from the recent trip and not playing particularly well.  Thank goodness the all-star break is near.  It should do us a lot of good.

But I was perusing the Lakers' pre-all-star-break schedule and I noticed it is filled with particularly annoying teams.   (I'm old school so I consider the Celtics to be the Lakers' ultimate rivals.  But these teams can be major pains.)  

Here's what awaits the Lakers before the break:

• Fri Denver@LAL
  They are 2nd in the West but Melo is questionable for the game.  They especially hate us for knocking them out of the playoffs last couple of years. We often play them like they bore us and we can’t be bothered to try too hard.
• Sat LAL@Portland
  The Blazers are way more than just banged up but they especially hate us too and treat the game like it is their Superbowl, World Series and Finals game 7 rolled into one.  And we haven't won up there this century or something.
• Mon Spurs@LAL
  Those annoying Spurs play the Clips on Saturday night and have a few days R & R in L. A. to rest their ancient bones before we face them.  I am hoping that a couple of their youngsters like Blair & Hill will get into trouble while partying in Hollywood.  But I figure it is just as likely to be Lamar and Artest who over-party. And oh yeah, guess what?  Like the others they would especially enjoy beating us.  Plus we've been playing sloppily lately and that is usually the worst way to play vs. the Spurs.
• Wed LAL@Utah
  Brrr!  Guess what, they especially hate us for knocking them out of the playoffs last couple of years. We often play them like they bore us and we can’t be bothered to try.

So with all that said, here's our question:

I'm disappointed that the Lakers lost the game to the Grizzlies last night.  But not surprised for several reasons:

• It was at the end of long road trip
• They had a tough game in Boston the day before
• The way they played they really didn't deserve to win
• They have won so many games on last second shots already this year that they were due to lose one.

I was out after the game and turned on the ESPN710 post game show for a bit.  They were discussing the fact that while Drew had a big game the day before in Boston, he only shot 1 for 3 against the Grizz.  Pau shot 4 of 7 and Kobe was 16 for 28.  (Kobe passed Jerry West as the Lakers' all time leading scorer - congrats Kobster.)

Anyway, they discussed for sometime how the Lakers need to get the ball inside more.  One host was adamant that Drew (& Pau presumably) needs to make himself more available so they can get him the ball.  The other host was blaming Kobe jacking up shots and the rest of the team for not getting the ball inside.

I also will give the Grizzly defense 50% of the credit.  But last night was a bit of an unusual game being the end of the road trip and Kobe setting the Laker scoring record.  So my question is more broad. 

Who is MOST responsible for the Lakers failure to get the ball inside consistently?

Ed. note: Oops, I forgot to reference Dexter's item about Pau's remarks regarding pounding the ball inside.  (But now I am late for a meeting.)

Before the holiday break there was a poll regarding which team in the west was most likely to move up into playoff contention.  54% voted for the ninth place OKC Thunder.    

Fast-forward a couple of weeks and the standings look a bit different.  The Spurs of course are already in the 3rd spot in the west and it is not even time for the RRT yet.  Plus Oklahoma City has indeed climbed past Utah into 8th.

So let's change it up and figure out who will fall out of playoff contention.  Based on what you've seen so far, which of the following teams is most likely to MISS the playoffs this season?

It is a little over 1/4 of the way through the season already and while it is still very early, some things are starting to take shape. 

So based on what you've seen so far, which of the following teams is most likely to make the playoffs at the end of this season? 

(In the spirit of the holiday season I decided to focus on the positive.  Perhaps after the new year there will be another poll asking which of the top 8 teams in the West is most likely to miss the playoffs.)

Playoff Race Fun Fact:  Miami is currently the 5th seed in the East with a record of 13-11 (.542).  That record would only earn them the 9th in the West and a lottery pick.

So tell us which of these teams will move up enough to make the playoffs this season?

During Sunday night's Lakers vs. Hawk's game FSWest broadcast short interviews with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Pat Riley describing Elgin's retirement, the 33-game win streek and the first Laker championship in L A.  They followed that up by showing a Classic 1972 NBA Finals game - Lakers vs. Knicks.

I only watched a bit of it but it was fun seeing West & Chamberlain out on the court.  They look so different than even the 80's Lakers.  I was surprised to see a young Phil Jackson out on the floor playing for the Knicks.  (I keep forgetting that he has also won two rings as a player.)  

To me Jerry West, Pat Riley and even Elgin Baylor will ALWAYS be Lakers even though Riley is in Miami, West was in Memphis and Elgin ran the Clips for many long years.  But I realized that because Phil accomplished so much with the Bulls and Jordan that I still think of him as a Bull first.  However when you look at it, he has taken the Lakers to 6 NBA Finals and won 4 Championships.  So his Laker record is getting close to matching his Bull record.

(Disclaimer: I don't mean this post as a burn against Phil.  While noone is perfect, he is obviously a great coach and the Lakers are lucky to have him.)

So now on to the question. . .