All Business

Now that’s what I’m talking about. Game 2 of the first round series between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers came with higher stakes than much of Laker Nation would have hoped. They turned in a disappoint effort in Game 1, after years of waiting to return to the postseason. Another loss would spell disaster for Laker fans everywhere, and to some, seal their fate to a first round exit. But, much to their pleasure, the Lakers turned in a performance that should undoubtedly remind the Blazers and the entire NBA that they were indeed the team … Continue reading All Business

God-Dame…

Any self-respecting Laker fan last week should have cheered aggressively for Phoenix, Memphis, Brooklyn, and then Memphis again. And tonight showed you why. You do not want any part of Damian Lillard in these playoffs. Lakers lost Game 1 of this first round series to Portland 100-93, making sure to check the box for every weakness they had going in while they did it. Poor guard play overall, even poorer half-court offense, and horrid three point shooting. Now it’s just one game, but the Lakers need some relatively quick fixes without much to work with. Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope … Continue reading God-Dame…

Bubble Thoughts

Hey world, long time no see. Since we last spoke, I moved back home, earned my degree, and upgraded pretty much every technological aspect of my life to eliminate all potential excuses to not hammer out posts for you. But you know how I am, so we can never be sure. I have a spattering of thoughts about the NBA, the whole bubble experience, and on some other things, so here they go. Of course we’ll start with the purple and gold. Assessing the Lakers bubble experience kind of depends on what you expected from them. I pretty much got … Continue reading Bubble Thoughts

So Far, So Good: Lakers Opening Strong

The Lakers took care of business Sunday night, besting the Charlotte Hornets 120-101 at home to improve to 2-1 on the young season. The Lakers will play Memphis tonight at Staples Center before traveling to Dallas for a Friday night battle with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Through the first week of the season, the Lakers are largely what we expected them to be: a team with plenty of size playing at a much slower pace, but defends much better than any Laker team previous (especially in the paint), and actually has three point shooters capable of cashing in wide … Continue reading So Far, So Good: Lakers Opening Strong

Boogie-less Nights & the Return of ‘Stuperman’

“STUPERMAN IS IN THE BUILDING!” Sorry, I had to. Shout out Kenny Smith. Who would’ve thought though, huh? Dwight Howard is a Laker. And no, you didn’t stumble across a blog post from 2012. After another tragic injury to Demarcus Cousins, the Lakers had to scramble to cover themselves at center and settled on a non-guaranteed deal for center Dwight Howard. Due to fans’ displeasure with his aforementioned “unsuccessful” 2012-2013 campaign, and his inability to stick everywhere else he’s gone, the surprise signing has been met with a magnitude of criticism. But first, I have to say tough fuckin’ luck … Continue reading Boogie-less Nights & the Return of ‘Stuperman’

Grading the New Look Lakers

After a disappointing first year of the LeBron James era in Los Angeles, the Lakers set out to surround him with the right pieces in his second summer with the purple and gold. Last season’s “experiment” to pair James with playmaking veterans with some edge turned out to be a miscalculation; couple that unruly fit with major injuries to LeBron and other key players like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Javale McGee over the course of most of the season led the Lakers back to the drawing board once again rather than the postseason. It appears Rob Pelinka and company … Continue reading Grading the New Look Lakers

Lowly Hawks Take Flight on Struggling Lakers, Put Season In Question

Heading into the 2018-2019 season, the timeline seemed pretty easy to predict: LeBron James plays like LeBron James, the young guys learn and develop with the league’s best player captaining them, and the Lakers coast to, at worst, the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Now, limping to the All-Star break at 28-29, with losses that include giving up 143 points to Philly, a bad loss to a Hawks team that’s playing for a lottery pick, and home defeats to New York and Cleveland, hitting the panic button has never looked better. L.A.’s 117-113 loss in Atlanta Tuesday night dropped … Continue reading Lowly Hawks Take Flight on Struggling Lakers, Put Season In Question

Two Styles, One Lebron

Emphatic (and even Grandiloquent) Power. Grace. Excellence. These words and more have defined LeBron James for the entirety of his NBA career. No other player has polarized the sport since arguably the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan. Equally impressive to the undying legacy he has built on the court with his skill, is the unnerving influence he has left off of it in underprivileged communities. Perhaps LeBron’s most emphatic aspect of his game is the pure power that he exerts over his opponents. 6’9″, 250 pounds of lean, mean, dunking machine is an impossible force to stop for opposing teams night in … Continue reading Two Styles, One Lebron