May6
With so much expectations for the Lakers to win this year championship, they’re on the brink of getting knocked off by the Houston Rockets if they don’t win tonight. How will they respond this time?
With their backs against the wall, its critical for them to win tonights game, otherwise their season will be over in no time. Given that the Lakers are the best road team in the NBA this year, it is no doubt that they’ll be able to win, but how much of an urgency can they show?
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Look for the Lakers to come out strong tonight and with huge performances by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Odom, in my opinion, was the most valuable player against the Utah Jazz in the first round series. With his versatility to handle the ball and driving to the hoop, there’s no one on the Rockets that can match him.
Apr25
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY — It took Kobe Bryant only a few minutes to end his shooting slump.
Bryant scored Los Angeles’ first 11 points and once his teammates joined in, the Lakers overwhelmed the Jazz 108-94 on Saturday night and moved within one game of advancing to the second round.
Moving up
In the first half, Kobe Bryant passed Hakeem Olajuwon and John Havlicek for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring list. Here’s a look:
| Player |
Points |
| Michael Jordan |
5,987 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
5,762 |
| Shaquille O’Neal |
5,121 |
| Karl Malone |
4,761 |
| Jerry West |
4,457 |
| Larry Bird |
3,897 |
| Kobe Bryant |
3,792 |
| John Havlicek |
3,776 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon |
3,755 |
| Magic Johnson |
3,701 |
| Tim Duncan |
3,694 |
“It was important for me to come out and be a little more assertive,” said Bryant, who scored 38 two nights after one of his worst shooting games in years.Bryant went 16-for-24, erasing any memories of his 5-for-24 night Thursday in the Lakers’ only loss of the series.”We never could get close enough to guard him,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “I think he put everyone on his back and got them off to the way they wanted to play.”He scored in double figures in each of the first three quarters and more than doubled his scoring from Game 4.”Coming off that semi-bad performance — that horrible performance I had in that last game,” Bryant said with a grin, “it feels good to respond with a game like this.” (read more..)
Apr23
You can pretty much pencil in the Lakers for Round 2. Same with the Cavs and Nuggets. But who will join them? Hollinger’s PER Diem »
