Category — Lakers

Magic Johnson said last night on ESPN that Mike Brown will be sacked if the Nuggets beat the Lakers tonight.
Sheridan Hoops
Brown responds: The Lakers head coach says he has bigger fish to fry than Magic.
ESPN LA

We’d be stunned if the Lakers gagged in Game 7, but stranger things have happened. If they do make it to the next round to face the Thunder, OKC in 5 (that was our call before the playoffs started) doesn’t seem so outrageous anymore, huh Laker fans?
ESPN LA

So much for the “theory” that the Lakers would blow Game 5 so Metta World Peace would be ready for the OKC series. Right, right.
ESPN LA

All night long…
We can’t tell the story better than the local popo. Banned and she sneaked in again? Courtside? You kidding me Sherlock?
Deadspin

Looking for Laker fans? We think so. And they seriously want to kick your ass.
Daily Dime

We believe that’s game 4 of the jail sentence?
Nuggets 99, Lakers 84.
Wouldn’t be an L.A. kind of day if we didn’t have a Metta World Peace sighting, no?
Oh and the Lakers got their asses kicked.
ESPN LA

Jerry Stackhouse rides the pine with the Hawks, who are tied at 1 apiece with the C’s in a Best of 7 series. But if he had to put his “analyst hat” on, he’d pick the Heat to win it all. He also isn’t dismissing the Lakers.
JerryStackhouse.com

Our daily thread.
We understand the NBA suspending Rajon Rondo for 1 game for bumping official Marc Davis. There is no excuse for it despite Doc Rivers, Paul Pierce and Charles Barkley, among others, offering them. He tripped? No shit Sherlock?
But shouldn’t Davis receive a time out or 2 for his awful officiating and missing calls, particularly the 1 that lead to the incident?
Boston Globe
Timing seems suspicious to us: Laker reserve Jordan Hill was charged with choking his ex-girlfriend, an alleged incident that occurred 2 months ago. Surely the DA’s office in Houston wouldn’t be guilty of a little grandstanding, no? Didn’t think so.
ESPN LA
Addition by subtraction: No offense to Caron, but with Butler out with a broken hand, Nick Young, who was instrumental in the Clip Joint’s huge rally Sunday night and 1 of its top performers the past month, will see an increase in minutes.
ESPN.com
What about Paul?: Who would have guessed this? Paul Silas not returning to the Bobcats as head coach? What’s the problem?
Charlotte Observer
Panic? Not Albert: Any and almost everyone connected with the Angels these days are tight under the collar. But just because Albert Pujols hasn’t hit a homer this month (don’t panic Albert, but today is the last day) doesn’t mean anything to him. Pujols and the Angels host the Twinkies tonight.
Fox Sports

Andrew Bynum’s hot line: 10 points (on 5 of 7 shooting), 13 rebounds and 10 blocks in the Lakers 103-88 beatdown of the Nuggets in Game 1 of NBA playoffs.

We said it back in December, when the NBA season tipped off. Everyone and their mother picked the Heat, the favorite to win it all, while idiots like us took the Thunder.
The smart money says the Heat, and we get that. But for credibility sakes, we can’t change horses in the middle of the street. Can’t do it.
Our only reservation about the Thunder is Kendrick Perkins (and Russell Westbrook not getting out of hand and shooting them out of a contest) matching up with some of the big men in the Western Conference. Against the Heat, though, it’s even money since they don’t have a significant presence inside either.
So here’s how we see the playoffs playing out. Happy trails.
East
Bulls over 76ers in 6; Heat over Knicks in 5; Pacers over Magic in 5; Hawks over Celtics in 7.
Semis: Bulls over Hawks in 5; Heat over Pacers in 7.
Final: Heat over Bulls in 7.
West
Spurs over Jazz in 5; Thunder over Mavs in 6; Lakers over Nuggets in 7; Grizzlies over Clippers in 6.
Semis: Spurs over Grizzlies in 7; Thunder over Lakers in 5.
Final: Thunder over Spurs in 7.
For all the marbles: Thunder over Heat in 6.