Category — Lamar Odom

As expected, the NBA season will open with a bang.
The Heat will clash with the Celtics in the opener on Oct. 26 in Boston. The Lakers host the Rockets in the second game of the doubleheader. Both games will be broadcast on TNT.
As expected, the Christmas Day extravaganza, which will feature 5 games, concludes with an anticipated meeting of the Heat and the Lakers in L.A.
NBA.com

ESPN spiked a story by writer Arash Markazi, who got to tag along with LeBron James and his crew last weekend in Las Vegas, and tell all. James and company partied at Tao, located at the Venetian resort and one of the hottest clubs in Vegas, and several other spots at the Palazzo, where they were surrounded by scantily-clad ladies and a few other freaks. There also were encounters with Lamar Odom and Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who’s reaction of it all is priceless.
Markazi was like a kid in a candy store. And getting to write about it had to be even better. But there was one problem: The story appeared on ESPN LA’s website for a short period before it was spiked. No word from ESPN on why.
But that didn’t mean the story just disappeared. Read on. Definitely recommended.
Deadspin.com

By the way, what is Memphis’ cut for the Lakers winning back-to-back championships?
So if you’re Dell Demps, the new Hornets’ GM, what do you do? You know Chris Paul isn’t returning when he becomes a free agent after the 2010-11 season, so do you deal him now and get some valuable pieces for a rebuilding project? Or does your ego get in the way and convince you that you can convince the NBA’s best point guard to stay? And why would he since you won’t be a contender anytime soon?
With what the Heat did, I’m sure the Lakers are drooling at the possibilities of Paul in Purple and Gold. Couldn’t you just hear the howls around the NBA if the Lakers pulled that off? Just the thought gets Gregg Popovich all riled up.
I’m sure Mitch Kupchak has already made the call. Is Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Steve Blake or Derek Fisher or whoever else you want enough? How can we help you?
Unless New Orleans pulls a Memphis and just hands Paul to the Lakers, it seems doubtful. But no one imagined the Grizzlies giving the Lakers Pau Gasol.
CBS Sports.com

I’m almost ashamed (then again, maybe not) that we’re addressing this, but you know how we like a good fight and we especially love a good laugh. Besides, what goes on in the City of Angels never stays in the City of Angels. So…
Vanessa Bryant vs. Khloe Kardashian Odom: For the undisputed championship of Hollywood. This could go for a few more rounds, so sit a spell.
Just wondering: Since Khloe bought Lamar a new drop-top Rolls as a gift for the NBA title, what will Vanessa buy Kobe? Maybe one of those million-dollar rings like he bought her to get his ass out of a sling after that slip in Colorado?
In Touch Weekly

The Laker coach has said his health will dictate whether he returns next season. We say he doesn’t. His health is obviously one thing since Jackson is 64 and suffers from an array of maladies. He’s had both hips replaced and also has knee and back problems. And he has some major issues with Laker owner Jerry Buss, who seems to be misguided in his old age. Jackson says he will officially make his decision on June 27. Until then, Laker Nation will be on pins and needles.
Money isn’t the issue with Jackson. Whether Buss’ issues with Jackson involve the coach’s relationship with his daughter Jeanie is up for speculation, but money is a central theme with him. Go figure. Buss apparently doesn’t want to dish out $12 million per year to Jackson despite him guiding the Lakers to 5 titles in his 10 seasons as coach. No NBA coach comes close to his success and the 11 championships speak for themselves. So what gives?
Only a fly on the wall and Laker insiders would begin to have a clue, but we’ll refer to Mark Whicker’s piece about possible replacements. Byron Scott is probably at the top of the list, but Laker assistant Brian Shaw, a distant relative of mine (yep, couldn’t resist throwing that in), is in the mix too.
P.S. Though it covers Jackson’s first run (and his final season with the Lakers in his initial run, which also was the last one of the Shaq-Kobe era), we highly recommend his book “The Last Season.” It’s an excellent read. For the Kobe haters, it will enhance their disgust for him despite some of the stories being years old.
O.C. Register

Lakers 83, Celtics 79. For the 1st time in 5 tries, the Lakers beat the Celtics in Game 7.
More TK.

The Lakers beat the Celtics from start to finish. Unlike Game 5, when they were outhustled and beaten down in every aspect of the game, this time they returned the favor, diving for loose balls and punching the Celtics in the mouth with their backs against the wall. Literally. Ask Rajon Rondo who caught a wicked elbow from Ron Artest that sent him sprawling to the court and down for the count.
To put it simply, the Lakers pounded Boston. On the boards, on offense and they contested shots unlike any game in the series. They held a 20-point lead at the half and the Celtics were cooked for the rest of the way.
It comes down to Game 7 on Thursday, when the two teams meet for the NBA title. Obviously, someone has to lose and someone will be drenched in the sweet taste of champagne. For the record, the Lakers have lost 9 of 11 NBA Finals to the Celtics. Expect rioting in the streets if they fail this time. But Laker fans are expecting a different ending this time.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals as they got out to an early lead and coasted for a lopsided victory in Game 6 Tuesday night before a raucous crowd in L.A. Pau Gasol almost recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds (5 on the offensive end) and 9 assists. He also had 3 blocks.
In addition to the damage the Lakers did, the Celtics were hurt by a knee injury to Kendrick Perkins, who went down in the 1st quarter. It didn’t look good. The initial prognosis was a sprained knee, but it looked a lot more serious than that. His status for Game 7 is unknown.
Ray Allen, who got off to a hot start, led the Celtics with 19 points. Paulie Pierce managed just 13 points and wasn’t much of factor in the outcome.

When a team is playing 1 against 5, it’s usually a losing proposition. Such was the case for the Lakers. They got a spectacular performance from Kobe Bryant, but the Lakers’ star didn’t get any help from his supporting cast.
Paulie Pierce didn’t have those problems. While the Celtics’ guard played his best game of the NBA Finals, he also got a boost from his support network to back up his superb effort.
Pierce led the Celtics with 27 points, 15 of those coming in the 1st half, and Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo added 18 apiece as the Celtics closed the door on a late Laker rally for a 92-86 victory in Game 5 Sunday in Boston to take a 3-2 series lead in the NBA Finals.
Boston shot the lights out against a porous Laker defense. The Celtics shot 56.3%, a sizzling 65.6% in the 1st half, compared to 39.7% for the Lakers, but still needed some heroics down the stretch to clinch the victory.
They also got help from the officials, who missed a crucial call late in the contest when they ruled a Ray Allen air ball hit the rim as the shot clock expired. That call practically sunk the Lakers, who head back to L.A. hoping they can win 2 straight to defend their NBA title. But it wasn’t what beat them, the Celtics again outplaying them and beating them to the punch again.
Phil Jackson said the game was won in the 3rd quarter, when the Celtics bolted to a 13-point lead and forced the Lakers to fight an uphill battle the rest of the way.
“They broke the game open in the 3rd quarter and it was a struggle for us to get back in the ball game,” Jackson said.
Bryant though kept the Lakers within striking distance with a remarkable performance in the 3rd. He scored 19 straight points on 7 of 9 field goals, hitting contested shots on almost every attempt, when the Celtics could have easily salted the game away.
“Kobe struggled in the 1st half, but he was his dynamic self in the 2nd half,” Jackson said.
But he had no help. Pau Gasol, who resorted to his soft shell again, was the only Laker in double figures, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. But Garnett kept Gasol off balance all night, then Tony Allen put another ring around his collar with an outstanding block in the 4th quarter. Derek Fisher, who also resorted to his old ways, managed only 9 points on 2 of 9 shooting and Lamar Odom and Ron Artest performed another disappearing act, finishing with 8 and 7 points respectively. Artest also got torched by Pierce for much of the game.
Andrew Bynum, who had only 6 points and 1 rebound, got off to a good start, but he wasn’t a factor in the 2nd half.

There is no bigger enigma on the Lakers than Lamar Odom. A day after the Lakers suffered their 4th-quarter meltdown in Boston, Odom took the brunt of criticism for it. Glen Davis had his way with the Laker forward, scoring 18 points and keying the Celtics’ rally to even the series at 2 apiece. With no Andrew Bynum in the middle of the Lakers’ defense, Big Baby took Odom to school.
Phil Jackson even admitted after Game 4 Thursday that he expected Odom “to sit it out.” Ouch.
A long line of L.A. sports talk radio hosts, among others, teed off today on Odom’s passive play. Odom didn’t help himself either by saying after the game that it wasn’t his responsibility to shoulder the load.
L.A. Times

The officials finally let them play tonight, but the Lakers weren’t ready for the physical nature of the contest. The Celtics were more than happy to oblige, outplaying the Lakers, outhustling them and playing with much more fire and passion. The result was a 96-89 Boston victory, tying the series at 2 games each, in a rough and tumble affair tonight in the Garden.
Boston forced the Lakers out of their offense in the second half and found its own down the stretch. The Celtics’ bench played a major role in the outcome as Glen “Big Baby” Davis and the latest version of the leprechaun, point guard Nate Robinson, keyed a run in the 4th quarter and wiped out a 2-point Laker lead to pull away.
Davis, who finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds, was one of 6 Celtics in double figures, but none exhibited more zeal that the 300-pound forward, who has a habit of slobbering like a mad dog. The emotional Robinson also was a spark plug with 12 points and his short-man attitude.
Davis and Robinson ignited Boston’s 9-0 run to start the 4th and it never looked back.
“This is what legends are made of (and) this is where you grasp the moment,” Davis told the Associated Press.
Paulie Pierce led the Celtics with 19 points, shaking off a sub-par performance in Tuesday’s Game 4 loss. Kevin Garnett (13 points and 6 rebounds) and Ray Allen (12 points) also made crucial contributions when Boston needed it most.
The Lakers were hurt by the limited play of center Andrew Bynum, who played only 12 minutes because of his ailing right knee. He played only 7 minutes in the 1st half and didn’t emerge from the locker room until after the start of the 3rd quarter. His status for Game 5 is unknown.
Bynum’s absence was pivotal. It allowed the Celtics to push Pau Gasol out of his comfort zone inside and forced the Lakers to become a jump-shooting team, negating their effectiveness on offense.
The Celtics also hammered the Lakers on the boards, finishing with a 41 to 34 advantage. But Boston had 16 offensive boards to only 8 for the Lakers with several coming in key moments late when the Lakers tried to rally.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 33 points, but he was practically a 1-man show when they needed offense. Gasol finished with 21 points, but he wasn’t a factor with the outcome on the line.