December 27th, 2009 by Chase

While everyone is quick to point out the Lakers efforts or lack their of in their loss to the Cleveland Cavs on Christmas Day, I have a different take. I watched the game just like i’m sure many of you did. I was astonished by the number of bad calls (or non calls) in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, nearly all of which affected the Los Angeles Lakers negatively.

I’m always intrigued by many of the NBA fans out their who claim that bad calls don’t affect the outcome of games. I am one who thinks they do. Especially in this situation. I challenge anyone who disagrees with me to playback the 3rd quarter of this game between the Lakers and Cavs on Christmas Day, then honestly tell me that the 10 no calls on Kobe Bryant in one Quarter did not change the outcome of this game.

Could The Lakers Have Played Better? Sure.

Sure the Lakers could have played a little harder. They could have shot the ball a little better. But just because these two things didn’t happen, doesn’t excuse the Referees from doing the job they are payed to do. Bynum, Gasol, and Odom basically didn’t show up for this game. Which doesn’t help the teams odds. The the Laker bench was basically non-exsistent. And Derek Fisher’s game was just a little bit off.

And that all together and yes, the Lakers would have a good chance of loosing any night. But when you have Kobe Bryant on your team you always have a chance to win. And it’s unfortunate the the Refs took that chance from Kobe by not making the right calls.

Final Thoughts

All I want as an NBA fan is to understand what’s going on. Referees miss calls from time to time. Of course they do. They are only human just like you and I. But at the same time, they are damn good at what they do! There’s no excuse for missing as many calls as were missed on Christmas Day. Laker fans have the right to know what’s going on.

I think this all has to do with a bigger picture that is being painted by the NBA and by Commissioner David Stern. They desperatly want LeBron James to be the ambassador of their league. Even though LeBron can never be as great as Kobe Bryant, the NBA is determined to market LeBron James as if he is. And the blown calls and the fixed loss handed to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers by the NBA on Christmas Day, is one stroke more towards painting their masterpiece!

December 19th, 2009 by Chase

After being named by a panel of NBA experts on ESPN.com the player of the decade, it got me thinking. Let’s take a look at the statistics Kobe has put up this decade year by year. Those have got to be some amazing stats don’t you think? Well no surprise, they actually are. Now i’m not one to base everything on numbers and statistics alone, as I am a big believer in the hidden tangibles that make players great in basketball. But I will admit that numbers don’t lie, and can give quite the insight into how great a player actually is.

Kobe’s number don’t lie. It’s not a matter of opinion that he is the greatest player of the last decade, it’s a statistical fact. Put these numbers up against anyone in the league in the past decade and Kobe Bryant always comes out on top. Let’s take a look!

These statistics show us a few things about what Kobe Bryant has done over the last 10 years. Year by year Kobe has impressed us. But when you look at the whole body of work over a decade, you can’t help but to be in awe of how great the guys really is. Four things I want to point out.

1. Consistency

These numbers show an amazing level of consistency rarely ever seen in this game. Kobe has never had a “bad year” in the last 10 years. Every single year has been great in it’s own right.

2. Constantly Winning

The guy made the playoffs 9 of the last 10 seasons. That’s incredible especially considering the fact that his team’s relied so much on his efforts in order to be a contender of any kind. You can really only put Tim Duncan in this category with him. Even then, Kobe has been to the NBA Finals 6 times during those 10 seasons. 60% of the time the finals featured Kobe in the last decade. Amazing!

3. Playing Through Injuries

As you can see with in the statistics, Kobe didn’t miss very many games. In the last 10 seasons he has missed a combined 72 games. That number may seem like a lot, but when you factor in the long playoff runs and the injuries he has had to sustain that number truly is remarkable.

4. More Yet To Come

All of this and we are still enjoying Kobe’s game at the peak of his career. Athough he probably won’t play another 10 seasons, we can definitely be excited by the next 4 or 5. That’s why there is no question that Kobe Bryant is the Best Basketball Player on the Planet! And has been for quite some time now.

December 18th, 2009 by Chase

This time the victims were the Milwaukee Bucks. They out played the Lakers for 4 ½ Quarters of play (overtime) and the Lakers were still able to steal the game at the end thanks to the heroics of one Kobe Bryant. Most of you I’m sure have seen the highlights. But it’s such an important event that I’m writing a post about it anyways. Here’s the highlight from last nights Laker win over the Bucks and Kobe’s dramatic game winning jump-shot:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I decided to post the game as called by the Laker broadcasters rather than the Bucks broadcasters because of the unprofessional-ism the Bucks broadcasters displayed during the last 2 minutes of the ballgame. Here’s a mix a Youtube user put together that’s pretty cool as well, dramatizing the last second heroics from Kobe Bryant’s shot last night!

Click here to view the embedded video.

What other word can be used to describe Kobe Bryant’s ability in clutch situations other than AMAZING! He’s truly one of the most clutch performers the game has ever seen. Anyone who says they woud rather have someone else with the ball and the game on the line is biased and flat out lying to themselves! The Black Mamba Strikes Again!

December 15th, 2009 by Chase

After breaking his right index finger on Friday night against the T-Wolves, then playing through a stomach virus on Saturday in Utah, I think it might be time for Kobe Bryant to take a couple games off and rest his ailing body. But Kobe being Kobe, we all know that the chances of him actually taking a couple games off are slim to none. But let’s look at why he should and also why he shouldn’t.

Why He Should Rest a Couple Games

• It’s a long grueling 82 game season. And with the Lakers playing a majority of the first quarter of this early season at home, many road games lie ahead. And the schedule just doesn’t get any easier from here. The Lakers are shooting towards repeating as champions. They are going to need #24 in April-June. The earlier in the season you take a couple games off the better.
• Pau Gasol needs more touches to get better integrated with the team. After sitting out the first 10 games or so, Pau Gasol could use the extra offensive attention to get him back into sync with the offense. It’s not that he’s not playing well right now. It’s just that his teammates are not looking for him enough. Kobe out a couple games could help cure this.
• The broken finger is going to be an issue all season, there is just no getting around this. But the worst thing that can happen is to re-injure the same finger just days after the initial injury. A couple days off will prevent this.

Why He Should Not Rest a Couple Games

• The Lakers just seem to not function well without Kobe. You would think that with all the talent around him they could pick up the slack a few games. But it just seems that everytime Kobe is on the bench the Lakers are under-performing. The NBA is a long season, but the Western Conference is always a battle to the end. A few game slippage at any point during the season could cost you home-court advantage.
• Kobe Bryant is on pace to win another MVP award. The usual competitors stand in the way namely LeBron, Dwade, and Carmelo. How important is it for Kobe’s legacy to win the MVP again? Pretty important. And you know Kobe is aware of this. A few games off could throw Kobe off the MVP tracks a bit.

What Do You Think?

What do you think Kobe Bryant should do? Do you think he should rest a couple games? Do you think he shouldn’t? Why? I’m interested to know what other Laker Fans have to think about this situation other than myself. If you have a second, drop a few lines in the comment form below and let your opinion be heard. GO LAKERS!!!

December 12th, 2009 by Chase

Not so good news coming from yesterdays win over the Minnesota Twolves. Kobe Bryant has a small break in his right index finger after jamming it late in the first quarter of last nights game. All indications from the Team are that he will be fine. Kobe has stated that he plans on playing through the injury. Not much of a surprise considering the guy is always playing through his injuries.

Bryant returned to the game after the injury occurred, and ended up playing the rest of the game. You could tell that he was using his left hand as much as he could. Remember, this is the same hand that he injured his pinky on a couple seasons back. We know he’s tough and that he will play through it. The question is how will it affect his jumpshot? I guess we will have to wait and see.

December 8th, 2009 by Chase

Things are going good in Lakerland, or should we say in “Kobeland”. Kobe has very quietly led his team to the best record in the NBA thus far, and has very quitly put up some amazing statistical numbers to back up his efforts. Let’s take a look at some of the important notes of the Lakers and Kobe Bryant thus far.. in case you missed any of it.

1. The Incredible One Legged 3-pointer Buzzer Beater

As if Kobe has not had enough amazing buzzer beaters to win games in his career, he entertained us with yet another one last Friday evening against the Miami Heat. Down by 2 points with seconds to go, Kobe launched a running 3 pointer off one leg, over defender Dwyane Wade at the buzzer to win the game. Truly one of the more difficult game winning shots in league history.

2. The Lakers are 16-3

The Lakers have quietly achieved the best record in the NBA up to this point, even though star forward Pau Gasol was out with a hamstring injury for 10 or so games. They have also managed to achieve this record while still integrating newcomer Ron Artest into the lineup. Something that will still need some more time. The Lakers have played the majority of their games at home thus far, and many of those games have also been against sub .500 teams. So the challenges of the regular season mostly lie ahead for these Lakers.

3. Artest Says Kobe Is Making Him Better

In a recent interview, Ron Artest said “Kobe gets up for everybody. He’s actually making me a better player, feel like I’m better now than I was ever. He’s just always going for blood. And I learned that now. That’s what I’ve been doing now when I’m out there.”

The last thing the league wants to see is a new and improved Ron Artest! Ron brings many unique skills to the Lakers. And with his competitiveness and toughness, I think he will be the X factor for the Lakers winning another championship this season.

4. Sporting News Poll Says Kobe Bryant Is The Best

We already know Kobe Bryant is the best player in the game, and has been for quite some time now. But media outlets such as Sporting News have to put together polls taken by hall of fame basketball players in order to satisfy the haters. Well the poll was taken. And it’s official. Kobe is the best! A total of 62 first place votes with the nearest being Lebron with 34.

Sorry Kobe haters. What other ammunition do you have if any?

5. Kobe’s Advice to Lebron, Or Lack There Of

Kobe was recently asked in an interview if he had extended or would be willing to extend any advice to LeBron James for playing with Shaq. Here was Kobe’s response. “I clearly know, but I’m not saying nothing,” Bryant said. “That’s something that I had to do.”

So what did you do?

“I figured it out,” Bryant said. “That’s something that [James] needs to do. I won’t give him advice.”

Did James call you for advice on O’Neal?

“I won’t give him none. I’ve given him enough already.”

Gotta love that response. Kobe’s not interested in helping anyone or anything who might stand in the way of another championship. Especially if that person is Shaquille O’neal. You gotta believe as a Kobe fan that Kobe is very motivated about getting to that fifth championship before Shaq does.