Category — Pau Gasol

Still want the Spurs Laker fans? Whaddya say again Magic?

Like the NCAA Tournament, some NBA player makes a name for himself during the playoffs. Stephen Curry, 1 of the best shooters we’ve ever watched and 1 who almost helped the Warriors stun the Nuggets today in Denver, could be 1 of those players. Writer Shaun Powell compiles a good list of some who might emerge. Another name we would add to it is San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard. He isn’t spectacular at anything but good at plenty of things.
Sports On Earth

The Heat are the overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title again, and why shouldn’t they be? We’re hard-headed though. Actually, we’re sticking with our betting slip.
Eastern Conference
Heat over Bucks in 5; Nets over Bulls in 7; Pacers over Hawks in 5; Knicks over Celtics in 6.
Heat over Nets in 5; Pacers over Knicks in 6.
Heat over Pacers in 6.
Western Conference
Thunder over Rockets in 6; Clippers over Grizzlies in 7 (the Charles Barkley factor); Nuggets over Warriors in 7; Spurs over Lakers in 5.
Thunder over Clippers in 6; Spurs over Nuggets in 5.
Spurs over Thunder in 6.
Championship: Spurs over Heat in 7.

We knew Laker fans would lower themselves to such things, but are you kidding us?
Although Laker fans are all giddy (hmmm, last time that’s happened?) with the No. 7 seed, do they really believe this squad is actually capable of anything in the NBA playoffs? Forgive us. I lost $5 to my old lady cuz I bet the Lakers wouldn’t make it, so maybe I’m a little bitter. And I surely forgot how the NBA sometimes figures into these things.
They don’t want to face my homies and the OKC Thunder. They want no part of that can of whip ass. Russell Westbrook again? Oh no, let’s take Timmy Duncan and his choir boy friends. Is that you T-Mac?
Some folks believe the Lakers are better off (is that you Magic Johnson?) making the playoffs instead of tanking for the lottery, like many of us dreamers gamble on everyday. But Dwight and the boys failing Kobe on the final night of the regulation…well the suicide hotline would have been working overtime.
The Lakers are 200-1 to win it all. Your point is?
We’re also pissed seeing the Spurs getting 8-1 since we bet them at 4-1. Someone trying to tell us something? Didn’t think so.
VegasInsider.com

We said months ago the Lakers wouldn’t make the playoffs. Ain’t no reason for us to punk out now. But does that mean Mike D’Antoni retuns as coach? Unfortunately, probably. Would the Lakers be on the hook for 2 ex-coaches? That plus a luxury tax? Probably not.
For Laker fans, that’s not a good thing.
Neither was that beatdown the Clip Joint gave the Lakers. With the win the Clippers clinch the Pacific Division.

They lead the league in points in the paint, mainly because they blow past defenders in their sometimes high-octane offense. The Nuggets won in Oklahoma City tonight by 10 and made them prime candidate to nail that No. 3 spot in the West. Laker fans, some of them still dreaming dreams of grandeur, want no parts of Denver. Go ahead Warrior fans.
Did we mention the Nuggets have captured 12 in a row? Didn’t think so.

Laker fans and Kobe Bryant. Neither should expect much sympathy around the NBA, particularly with the Lakers clinging to their playoff lives.
But was Dahntay Jones being as dirty as Kobe portrays? Was it premediated? Many seem to think it was.
Us? We know he’s a Duke guy, and their is history between he and Kobe, but is Dahntay that quick of a thinker on his feet?

We’re trolling around in our 2nd home, the always entertaining Las Vegas. Hit the over (202.5) for the Spurs-Clips blowout, but due to a brief case of blindness at the betting window, we bet the Clips instead of the Spurs. And the old lady wondered why I was cussing?
Anyway…
Your favorites for the NBA championship? The Heat (+165) and the Thunder (+280) are the picks now, but we all know how quickly that can change. The rest: Spurs (5-1); Clippers (6-1); Lakers (13-1); Knicks (12-1); Bulls (14-1); Warriors (16-1); Pacers (25-1); Celtics and Nuggets (35-1); and Rockets (60-1).
Us? We like the Spurs. That could change too. If we’re wrong, we’ll plead another case of blindness. Seriously.

“When someone as celebrated and charismatic as Jerry Buss dies, we are reminded of 2 things. First, just how much 1 person with vision and strength of will can accomplish. Second, how fragile each of us is, regardless of how powerful we were. Those 2 things combine to inspire us to reach for the stars, but also to remain with our feet firmly on the ground among our loved ones. Dr. Buss embodied that compassionate entrepreneurial spirit. He strove to reach greater heights without forgetting his community roots. During his stewardship, the Lakers exemplified his personal standards of excellence and became one of the dominant teams in the NBA and a force of good within the community. The man may be gone, but he has made us all better people for knowing him.”
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The greatest owner in sports, who turned the Lakers into 1 of the NBA’s hottest franchises, passed this morning in L.A. after complications of cancer. He was 80.
L.A. Times