The Worst Timeline

It was a rough couple weeks to be a Lakers fan. I can tell you that. 

I'm going to be 100% transparent, I did not care about this season at all. I slept walk throughout the NBA regular season as the Lakers bore me with their inconsistent play. But hey, they won the inaugural NBA Cup, right? 

But, the playoffs rolled around and I took the initiative to pay attention a bit more. Clearly, the Lakers were easily dispatched by the Nuggets again, I wasn't surprised. I knew the outcome. If we can't stop Jamal Murray, the season is over. And he burned us...twice...at the buzzer.

I watched the playoffs a bit more, got up to the point of the NBA Finals. Once the Boston Celtics went up 3-0 over the Dallas Mavericks, I decided to watch no more. I knew the outcome was inevitable. Boston would one up on us yet again for the most NBA Championships.

I can only look back at the previous years the Lakers have squandered every opportunity to surpass those leprechauns from the East. After winning the 2020 championship (still disputed to this day), they had every chance to fully return to glory. And each time, they somehow fumble the bag year after year since they acquired LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

This month, it was L after L for the Lakers this offseason. First, their surprise top coaching candidate, UConn's Dan Hurley, spurned them to stay out East in hopes to chase after a 3-peat in the collegiate ranks. An 11th hour surprise ignited some hope for Laker fans. The hope that they can snag a coach that may not have NBA experience, but has experience coaching nonetheless, over another experimental hire like JJ Redick. Turns out, it was never meant to be. 

There's pros and cons from picking a coach from the college ranks. They can either be Brad Stevens levels of great or they can be Rick Pitino / John Calipari levels of awful. But the Lakers believed Hurley was the guy that could be their Brad Stevens: a strategic coach and a proven program builder. But the difference is he has a personality that is somewhat over the top, but you just can't help but love his passion on the sidelines. The Lakers were prepared to give him a lucrative offer to make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA. And it's no secret Hurley wanted to try his luck on the NBA level. What better way with one of the prestigious organizations?

The expectation was that they were going to offer Dan Hurley $100M for six years. In reality, they only offered him $70M for six years. Lowballing at its finest. But I understand Hurley's decision to stay. He gets a shot to make history for a 3-peat with UConn. Not to mention, the Lakers coaching position is heavily scrutinized. When you coach the best player in the world, a legendary organization, you are under a heavy microscope. But still, this team was prepared to break the bank for him. And the Lakers being the cheap organization they are, pitched a "strong" proposal for Hurley. But they failed to make the money work. Can somebody tell this team, whatever money they pay the coach doesn't go toward the cap? And let me guess their pitch: we're the Lakers? It's LA? We have 17 championships and an IST (in-season tournament) trophy?

Then, sad news broke last Wednesday with the passing of the Logo, "Mr. Clutch", Jerry West. He was already a Laker great as a player. But he was even better as an executive, laying down the foundations of the Showtime dynasty in the 80s and later the Kobe-Shaq dynasty in the early 2000s. You can even make the argument he helped produced the late 2000s roster as well by gifting them Pau Gasol.

Perhaps the tragic part of Mr. West's passing is that he and the Laker organization were at odds with each other, especially with the Buss family. This organization had many years to mend fences with him and bring him back in a front office role. Even Kobe was demanding his return way back then! But too many times, they passed up on hiring him in an executive/consultant role. How the Lakers honored him after his passing was weak. When the Clippers offered a more sentimental statement, you know it's levels of bad. It's unfortunate fences will never be mended. At least he didn't have to see the Celtics win another title as many would say.

Because we have to, sitting through another Celtics finals appearance and championship win. Where do I begin? They showed the Lakers how long-term building is done. The Celtics were a rebuild project 11 years in the making and it all capped off with the franchise's 18th title in their domination over the Dallas Mavericks. Their road to the championship was highly questionable. But it is no excuse to discredit how they got there. They faced what's in front of them and did what they were expected to do.

I've always argued in the past that the Lakers should follow the same blueprint of their rival as well as other well-run organizations like the Spurs or *cough* the Warriors: build through the draft, develop the core, sign veteran players that fit, make the hard decisions when the team feels that it's ready to compete for a championship. But we are fickle and impatient to the core. And this results in too many short sighted results in an attempt to win now. Chase everybody's superstars is the goal, no matter the cost. And it is a blueprint that is very archaic in today's NBA, especially with the new CBA looming that emphasizes on teams to build from the ground up and develop young players.

The thing about this is the Lakers are stuck to this philosophy that they can't get themselves out of. Since the waning days of Kobe Bryant's career, it was always about chasing the stars. And year after year, they swing for the fences and they miss badly on players in their prime. However, it's a different story when they successfully add stars to their roster...when they're past their prime. They draft really promising young players, but are too impatient to develop them because they're too impatient and we're too impatient. I mean could you imagine if you put today's Laker fans in 1996? They'll be calling for Kobe's head, a rookie Kobe I might add, to be traded after firing 3 air balls against Utah. 

There is no process to follow, no long-term plan in place for this organization. They whiffed on a promising coach. They never made amends with a legend of their own. They sit there as they watch their biggest rival, the rival they desired to chase, one up them again for most championships. Honestly, the cherry on top for this organization is if they just hire JJ Redick as coach and draft Bronny James all to please LeBron. If LeBron does the funniest thing and leave the Lakers via free agency this offseason, I wouldn't be surprised. You can't "out-nepotism" the biggest Nepo baby of all no matter how much nepotism the Lakers developed over the years. We are truly living in the worst timeline here. The Lakers are making headlines, but it's all for the wrong reasons.

Who's to blame? Maybe it's Jeanie for setting up unrealistic expectations. Maybe it's Rob not putting together strong rosters and hiring the right coach. Maybe it's the Rambis family that keeps giving bad advices from the shadows. Maybe it's LeBron for putting this once proud organization in a choke hold. Or maybe it's us, the Laker fans for expecting too much, being the loudest voices in the room.

But hey, at the end of day, it's just basketball, right?

Lakers Weekly Roundup #15: Post All-Star Push

02/21: vs. Memphis 105-117 [W] (42-12)

The Lakers are back and are locked and loaded for the 2nd half of the season after the All-Star break. Their opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, have playoff aspirations, but face an uphill battle. An uphill battle they had for the first half of this game as LA locked them down in the first half. Though AD's lower leg injury marred this game for a bit, he was able to return in the 2nd quarter. The Lakers at one point had a 21 point lead and it was squandered away by silly fouls and the team overall losing their collective sh*t at the refs. Honestly, I'm not surprised at this. The Lakers will give their opponents some life until LeBron and AD knock the day lights out of them in the 4th quarter. That's what transpired this game. But hey, the "Carushow" had another highlight reel to start the 2nd half of the season with a putback dunk off an AD missed free throw. With this win, the drought of losing seasons is over as the team cannot finish below .500 at this point.

02/23: vs. Boston 112-114 [W] (43-12)

This game will go down as another classic in the NBA's historic rivalry. The last time the Lakers and Celtics met this season, it was an ugly blowout loss on the road. The Lakers were humiliated for a team that has been impressive on the road all season long. This matchup, they're looking to exact revenge. It wasn't pretty. The Lakers jumped to an 11-point lead with great play early on from Rajon Rondo on both ends of the floor. But, the Celtics wouldn't be denied as they roared back behind a career day from Jayson Tatum. Honestly, there was nothing the Lakers can do defensively. Tatum was cooking all game long. But, Frank Vogel made quite the adjustment to stop Tatum dead in his tracks: assign a double team on him and trap him whenever he has the ball. The double team worked and the Celtics were forced to have another player step up and win theme the game. Despite their struggles from the free throw line, the duo LeBron James and Anthony Davis rallied the Lakers as they combined for 41 points as well as Kyle Kuzma chipping in 16 points and being involved in key defensive stops when the Lakers needed it.

BONUS: Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant, A Celebration of Life

I spent a majority of my workday today, listening and watching bits and pieces of the public memorial of Kobe Bryant and daughter, Gianna Bryant. Though it has been a full month since the tragic helicopter accident, it was still hard to process Kobe, Gigi, and 7 others are gone. As Captain America once said in a teaser for Avengers Endgame: "some people move on, but not us. Not us." We have reached the "endgame" with a public memorial to celebrate the life of Kobe and Gigi.

Like Michael Jackson's public memorial 11 years ago, we didn't know what to expect. Who will be speaking, who will be performing was kept under wraps. As many gave their eulogies, without question, the eulogies that stood out the most was Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, and Kobe's wife and widow, Vanessa Bryant. Shaq reflected on the ups and the downs of the brotherhood with Kobe, when they dominated the first three years of the 2000's. But surprisingly, we hear from the GOAT himself. This was not via recording nor was it via a press statement, this was MJ speaking from the heart about his good friend and little brother, Kobe Bryant.

I thought Jordan gave a good analogy because it is organic about how the big brother-little brother relationship cycles. The little brother always gets on the big brother's nerves. He becomes nuisance as MJ pointed out. But at the end of the day, it was all love and admiration. It takes a lot to to get the GOAT himself to open up and for one final time, Kobe got to MJ as he always tried to do in his early basketball career. He even got him to acknowledge the viral Crying Jordan meme! This was a prime example of greatness recognizing greatness. And Kobe and Jordan fans, through the wars we've been through over the years on debating who's better, this event brought us together to bury the hatchet and to stop comparing and appreciate greatness.

Though, she was first to give a speech, it was good to see Vanessa breaking her silence in front of a huge crowd full of fans, friends, legends, and adversaries that Kobe has gained the trust of throughout his basketball career. She did a fantastic job giving Gigi her moment and giving Kobe his moment.  Vanessa won the hearts of many when she closed her speech, telling Kobe to take care of Gigi while she takes care of Natalia, Bianca, and Capri. Though it's still hard to process, I'd like to thank Vanessa for approving this public memorial. I'd like to thank her for giving us a sense of closure by having this event as we find the strength to move on from this tragedy. To conclude this post, I'd like to share a little bit of my Christian roots in prayer...

Eternal rest grant unto Kobe, Gigi, and the 7 other lives who were lost in that tragic accident O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon them
May all their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace
Amen.

Lakers Weekly Roundup (03/10): Disneyland & Cancun Mode: Activated

*Some NSFW language*

Wave the white flag! Throw in the damn towel! By the looks of how this March is going, it looks like the Lakers will be eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth straight season. Playoff Mode was activated, but the Lakers did not purchase the full version of it. As I said, this month was going to be integral for the Lakers to run the table and win out despite that fact that this stretch is their toughest test of their playoff-bound fortitude. However, by the looks of what transpired this week, it's time to stick a fork in these Lakers. This is your Lakers' Weekly Roundup.

03/04: vs. LA Clippers 113-105 [L] (30-34)

HIGHLIGHTS

As if the start of March can't get anymore pathetic for the Purple and Gold. This was a MUST-WIN for the Lakers as they are about three games back from the Clippers for the 8th seed. Any win against little brother affects playoff implications and helps the Lakers creep closer to within striking distance for the final playoff spot. I was not surprised that they drop this game. Let's spot the Lakers this: Brandon Ingram was hurt this game from carrying this team. To lose him in a desperate time like this is a microcosm of how the season is dwindling in a downward spiral since the decisive victory against Golden State in December. Prior to this game, Ivica Zubac provided what should've been major ammo for the Lakers. He basically said that he was having more fun with the Clippers than he did with the Lakers and these Clippers are "locked in" with their eyes on the prize of the postseason. Back in the day, teams will take this as bulletin board material and try to make their former teammate's life a living Hell. Not today in this day and age of the NBA.

In this game, both the Clippers and Lakers were pretty much neck and neck. Though the close game doesn't overshadow any lowlights on the Lakers' end, particularly centering around LeBron James. You know it's bad when Kuzma has to push you to play D. Or it's bad when you let the ball roll across the timeline, pick it up, and try to pull up from deep and it rattles out in an epic fail fashion. Or when you're infatuated in passing the GOAT on the all-time scoring list rather than leading the team to a much-needed W. Oh and outside of Rondo, the supporting cast wasn't any better either.

The Clippers ultimately pulled away as Lou Williams did what he usually did in the 2nd half, take over the scoring. This was an all-around team win for the Clippers, something that is missing in the Lakers' English language dictionary as of late. As the Lakers try to gear up against the current #2 seed Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, it looks like they'll be even more shorthanded as Kyle Kuzma sustained an ankle injury late in this game. This is March Madness for the Lakers and not in a good way as those playoff chances continue to dwindle.

03/06: vs. Denver 115-99 [L] (30-35)

HIGHLIGHTS

Congratulations LeBron! You've surpassed Michael Jordan as the #4 all-time leading scorer in league history. One GOAT overlapping another GOAT, that's great. Now, the previous ruler of Laker Land that spanned a 20-year reign stands in your way. Honestly, it'd be super bipolar when LeBron passes Kobe on the all-time scoring list. Well, there goes 15-minutes of greatness personified. Let's not distract us from the fact that you went 0-4 from the free throw line to start and finished with a 38% shooting from the stripe. GOAT! Or when you did the same thing in the Clippers game where you rolled the ball across the timeline and lost control of it resulting in a turnover. GOAT! Destroying the upward trend of this team after an improved 35-47 campaign. GOAT! Proving me right that there would be baggage on you when the Lakers planned on bringing you in. GOAT! "But, ma groin." "I have no help." "Luke sucks." Not a single thing changes the fact that you're still a stat whore and chemistry killer that we grew to disdain even beyond the head-to-head wars vs. Kobe. Be lucky that a shortened season, Ray Allen, Kyrie Irving, and the league saved your legacy from being the best player in the world to never win a championship.

To no surprise, the Nuggets took advantage of the Lakers' lack of depth with injuries to Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Lonzo Ball. Though they almost did choke it away in the 2nd half. Let's be honest, they were on a losing skid because of shit like this. They couldn't close out a game for a team that's currently the #2 seed in the West. The Lakers had every chance to come back. But, stupid turnovers, missed shots, missed free throws, just a typical night of the Lakers throwing opportunity away. As if this team couldn't get any toxic, Rajon Rondo sat away from the rest of the team, next to some courtside fans as the game winded down. To make matters worse, now Brandon Ingram wants out of LA according to some rumors. I thought the Lakers cleaned the dysfunction out by firing Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak, but it's clear as day, that they let the dysfunction back in. As the Lakers continue to plummet down the standings, Lonzo Ball may not return at all this season. Maybe because LaVar is holding him out until Luke Walton gets the axe. And LeBron might be on a minutes restriction going forward. "Play Off" Mode activated.

03/09: vs. Boston 120-107 [L] (30-36)

HIGHLIGHTS

Let's get to some serious news first: Brandon Ingram will be loss for the rest of the season due to a deep venous thromosis (DVT) in his right arm. At this point, it's not clear if B.I. will pick up a basketball again. I'm no doctor, but anything related to blood clots has to be taken seriously. Chris Bosh's NBA career was cut short due to this kind of ailment. And it's quite sad that Ingram's scoring rampage since the All-Star break comes to a screeching halt like this. Especially, since this jeopardizes his young career. All we can hope for is B.I.'s speedy recovery and that this condition will not be recurring that he may have to step away from basketball for good. Godspeed B.I.

Now onto this game, with all the injuries, the playoff chances for the Lakers are dead at this point. They took so many L's at the beginning of this month against more of the better teams (with the exception of Phoenix). And the schedule ahead is still difficult for the Lakers to pull off a miraculous playoff push. Their next obstacle is against their arch-rival Celtics. This is not the same Celtics team that the Lakers played. After the beating they put on Golden State at Oracle on Thursday, one can assume those "Ugly, Green Leprechauns" have finally figured things out and turned the corner. Honestly, that team is at full strength while the Lakers had a patchwork "Fab Five" of Rondo, Caldwell-Pope, James, Wagner, and McGee. Despite a competitive first quarter, it was inevitable that the Lakers had no shot against a Celtics team at full strength. The only good things to take away here here is that Moe Wagner went off for 22 points and LeBron, of course, got his triple-double stats. Honestly, I would've rather saw Wagner develop as the Lakers' long-term "Stretch 5" this season. It doesn't make sense that you'd spend a first round pick on that guy and then trade for Muscala mid-season to fill in that role. Then again, he missed significant time at the beginning of the season with an injury. That hurt his growth. But at this point, let his feet get wet as this point from here on out is team evaluation to see who's good enough to the roster cut next season.

Lakers Weekly Roundup: All-Star Week Edition

*Some NSFW language*

With all the trade drama unfolding before the All-Star weekend, all I can say is I'm glad the NBA moved the trade deadline before All-Star weekend so that all this don't clout what should be a fun week for the league, its superstars, its players, and above all, the fans. With teams making moves for a playoff run and a run for the championship, one that stands above all was the shitstorm that went down in the Big Easy surrounding Anthony Davis and the Pelicans' trade dilemma. I've seen this shit way too many times since the fall of the glorious Purple and Gold after the 2012-13 season. Star players use the Lakers as a bargaining chip that if their demands aren't met, they'll bolt their team to play for the Purple and Gold.

And despite all them smoke and mirrors, nothing happens. The Anthony Davis trade saga has been added to the long list of failed recruitment of a superstar on the Lakers' part. Well, with the exception of LeBron, but even LeBron is an elephant in the room that other superstars don't want to deal with it.

It turns out that the Pelicans' played with our emotions of Anthony Davis coming to LA. The trade was nothing more but a ploy to destroy the morale of the Lakers and create a rift among King James and the Laker youngins. It was evident considering how Dell Demps never answered any of Rob Pelinka's calls to discuss a deal. Or the fact that he actually listened to Gregg Popovich's advice not to give the Lakers any life. This isn't the first time the New Orleans Pelicans showed the middle finger to the Lakers. Remember the deal in 2011 that would've sent Chris Paul to the Lakers? This time, the NBA wasn't involved in vetoing the deal. The Pelicans did this to the Lakers on their OWN volition. Smells like negotiating in bad faith doesn't it?

But as I look at it more clearly, it shows a weakness of the Lakers that has plagued them for quite some time now: they can't groom their own superstars. They're more inclined to pry away superstars from other teams, but not develop their own. This is a statement of fact: you shoot for the sure-thing rather than on potential. That is the Lakers' mentality and who can blame them? Lakers fans have had it of 6 years of organizational ineptitude and want this team to get back into championship form right away. That in itself is a good thing and a bad thing. The Lakers were content on growing their young core. But in order to please the King, they have to scrap that. I've addressed this like four years ago? It dates back to the dilemma in Kobe's later years. The Lakers put themselves in a limbo of building for the future and winning now. You must commit to one or the other and not have a balance of both. And it seems that the Lakers have not learned from their history with the hole they're in now.

But enough of my rant. A.D. or no A.D., the Lakers have a season to finish up. And they have a steep hill to climb if they want to return to glory. Keep in mind, I merged this week with last week's because the Lakers only had one game to play this week and it was off to the All-Star weekend. Here is a special Lakers' Weekly Roundup - NBA All-Star Week Edition!

02/05: @ Indiana 94-136 [L] (27-27)

HIGHLIGHTS

This is the same Pacers team that just lost Victor Oladipo for the season. And the Lakers still get their ass kicked. To bring out some advance LeBron stats: this is the worst loss by any LeBron-lead team in history! There's my ESPN impression for the day with non-stop LeBron coverage. There's not much to gauge from this ugly loss. The Pacers were on fire from beyond the arc. The Pacers 2nd unit also brought their A-game on this. And to add insult to injury, the Pacers fans brought their troll game on, chanting "LeBron's gonna trade you" to Ingram or that McGee was "not worth trading." I wanted to do a "Days of Our Steelers-esque" segment with this loss, but I'd be stealing from UrinatingTree. This loss definitely created more tension in the internal civil war that was LeBron vs. the Lakers

Trades for Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala

The NBA's "Hunger Games" has come to past at on Thursday, 3:00 PST. Despite the foiled Anthony Davis deal, the Lakers weren't going to stop making moves to get turn this team into a championship team. The Lakers deal Svi Mykhailiuk to the Pistons for Reggie Bullock and they acquired Mike Muscala from the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley. These are moves championship teams aspire to make indeed. Seriously? There are two purposes when NBA teams make trades: 1) to free up some cap space or accumulate some draft capital 2) get a quality player in return with either 1 or 2 years left on his contract that could help the team to get where they want to be which is postseason or the finals. What the hell kind of moves were these? The Lakers get a guy who's pretty much Jodie Meeks with hair and another stretch 5 in Muscala. Truly Zubac was a sacrifice to up his trade value by breaking out during this stretch of the season and send him packing for another stretch 5 who may not see significant playing time. Isn't that the reason why they grabbed Wagner in this year's draft? These moves were definite head-scratchers. Perhaps the Bullock trade was justifiable. The Lakers need as many shooters as they can. Inconsistency will once again play a major issue.

Team LeBron Assembly

LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo held their respective drafts for their All-Star teams last Thursday. Let's get a look at LeBron's roster. Such names include: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, etc. Notice a pattern here? This is not just picking an All-Star team. This is LeBron's sales pitch to get these players to come play for him in LA. Only hindrance is the salary cap.

02/07: @ Boston 129-128 [W] (28-27)

HIGHLIGHTS

Forget the records. Forget which team is better at the moment. Forget that the Lakers just got blown out the other night by 42 freakin' points. This is the Lakers and Celtics we are talking about. The NBA's best rivalry right here. Don't be surprise if this comes down to the wire like all games do whenever the Lakers play at the TD Garden as of late. But the Celtics got a off to a hot start, leading as many as 13 at the half. Just like in Indiana, the Lakers' morale is broken with all the trade rumors and they could never recover. But a light shined upon the Purple and Gold as the King rode to battle on Kuz Control. The Lakers caught fire late lead by James and Kuzma. Final seconds ticked. No timeouts. The Celtics took the lead off a Kyrie Irving layup. Let's be honest, the Lakers rarely get it done in the final seconds with the ball in their hands nowadays. *Rondo hits game-winner* YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! RONDO BABY!!!!!! SCREW YOU CELTICS!!!!! WE'RE BACK!!!!!!  Poetic justice indeed as Rondo comes back to Boston to break the hearts of his former-team. Let's be honest, the Lakers needed this win to boost the morale of the team. As the saying goes, winning cures all and what better way to bounce back against a perennial rival. Take notes Dodgers and Rams on how to beat a team from Boston.

02/10: @ Philadelphia 120-143 [L] (28-28)

HIGHLIGHTS

To ease all wounds sustained from the trade drama, Magic Johnson decided to fly over to the team and "hug-it-out." Everybody get in a circle, sing "Kumbaya" or whatever. Let's put this behind and start playing as a team again. However the Philadelphia 76ers could care less about the trade drama getting in the Lakers feelings. KuzMania ran wild for the Lakers in the first quarter. But, that was the only positive as the 76ers commenced the ass-whooping process. Lead by their new Big 4 with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, Philly Philly took care of some business. After an inspiring win, the Lakers outside Kyle Kuzma fell flatter than LeBron James' defense on a Ben Simmons dunk this game. And also, why the hell did Luke Walton thought it was a good idea to insert Reggie Bullock into the starting lineup immediately? To quote Rob Pelinka "teams should fear the Lakers in the playoffs." Well, there goes that statement after this blowout loss. It was just one game Rob. Just one game.

02/12: @ Atlanta 113-117 [L] (28-29)

HIGHLIGHTS

Rewind back to December of 2018, the Lakers despite having the superior talent were taken to the limit against a Hawks team that's in rebuilding mode. The difference was a game-saving block by Tyson Chandler to win it for the Lakers. That seemed like eons ago when the Lakers were among the Top 5 teams in the West. The Lakers play the Hawks and my goodness are they playing down to their level again. This team isn't even that good and yet you still stoop down to their level. The 4th quarter was as bad as NBA basketball can get as both teams missed shots and were playing sloppy basketball down the stretch. But, this one will go down as a gut-wrencher. You're playing for your playoff lives and you lose to the Hawks among all teams. Shame. Shame. Shame. Hello sub .500 my old friend.

Pelicans GM Dell Demps Fired

Karma works in mysterious ways. Prior to All-Star Weekend, the Pelicans announced that they've parted ways with longtime GM Dell Demps. The major factor of course was how he handled the Anthony Davis trade saga. And now AD is hurt. Well, that part is unpredictable. You can never predict when an injury might occur. But it was at that moment Demps should've known he f'd up. Could've had the entire Lakers roster. Then again, the Lakers are glad to have their roster in tact and not have to deal with the "Bayou Shitshow" anymore.

Lakers Hold On For Third Win vs. Celtics

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Celtics where the Lakers sneak out a too close for comfort victory, beating the current #1 seed in the East 107-108 to notch their third win in a row!

The Lakers-Celtics rivalry always brings out the best moments regardless if they're not on equal footing with each other. What a win. I can't be happier about the gritty effort that this Lakers squad pulled out tonight. The way this game was set up, you knew that this was going to be a dog fight to finish. It was like the 12th round of a boxing match and both boxers were exchanging haymaker after haymaker down the to the final seconds and the victor came down to a split decision. This game had that feeling. The Celtics weren't gonna go down easily even if the Lakers built a good enough lead down the final minute of the 4th quarter. Marcus Smart had a good look on three for the win and the Lakers dodged a major bullet to preserve a confidence-boosting victory in the latest chapter of the NBA's most historic rivalry.

(+)

Kyle Kuzma, 28 points, 10-16 shooting, 5 three pointers. Words cannot describe how big Kuzma was down the stretch of this game. He slowed down a bit since pouring on 31 points against the Timberwolves on Christmas, but we all knew he was due for a big one once he tasted the rookie wall. And luckily, tonight was that night. All Kuz did in that 4th quarter was get buckets, especially from deep. He added a few aggressive moves to the basket and showed off some nice playmaking highlights. His behind-the-back pass to set up a Larry Nance Jr. dunk was probably the highlight of the game.

2nd chance opportunities. The Celtics tried to counter the Lakers' small ball lineup with a small ball lineup of their own. The big issue was that their lineup was a little too small. The Lakers still had the length with Ingram and Kuzma and they just ate up the boards to set up some big 2nd chance possessions. It especially helped that Randle and Lopez drew Boston's traditional big men into some foul trouble.

Jordan Clarkson, 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals. It's a question of how long Clarkson can sustain this kind of play as long Lonzo is held out indefinitely. But so far, so good. He's played terrific during this 3-game home stand by the Lakers in terms not just being a scorer, but being an all-around player. And, yes he hit some pretty big free throws in between critical misses by Josh Hart and KCP.

(-)

Free throws. Made free throws will win a team some games. Missed free throws will lose a team some games. And luckily, the Lakers were fortunate that free throws didn't come back to haunt them, especially down the stretch. You talk about critical misses by Josh Hart and KCP. KCP's missed free throws in the final seconds were the most shocking. The guy is like an 84% career free throw shooter and he missed both free throws to give the Lakers some cushion and pressure the Celtics more to draw up a good three point play with no timeouts. There's no denying it, the free throws gotta be better especially in crunch time.

MVP 

Kyle Kuzma, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 10-16 shooting

Kuz exploded in the 4th quarter and helped shifted the momentum for the Lakers. He was due to put up these kind of numbers again and he unleashed all of his offensive arsenal against a very stingy Celtics defense.



Conclusion

If there is something that this three-game win streak tells us, it's that the Lakers can actually win without their main playmaker in Lonzo Ball. It all starts with the commitment to team defense and players have to keep moving around to keep the ball moving and play with a fast-paced edge. The Lakers have done that in these past three games. It's not always gonna be pretty, but it's important that the Lakers keep scratching and clawing in order to find a way to win. And with that, they're playing as a team again and playing with a lot of confidence and swagger and they're playing with a competitive edge. Playoff talk is slowly creeping its way back with the way the Lakers are playing right now. The 8th seed in the West is still wide open at this point of the season. But, I'm not ready to buy into that yet. That doesn't mean that I don't like what I'm seeing. This team is starting to mold itself into what Magic and Luke envisioned this team to be in the future. I'll see you guys later.

01/23: LAKERS vs. Celtics 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of the Lakers-Celtics matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q4

BOS 107 LAL 108

Hey...Zeus! Free throws were an issue down the stretch and this game could've turned into a heart breaker with Boston making a final push. To be honest, Marcus Smart had a very good look from deep. It just rimmed out. They also had a chance to go inside for the win. But, luckily that didn't happen. The biggest thing that matters is that this team survived against a very good team in the East. A win against the Celtics is always special. What a game! Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

BOS 74 LAL 76

Now, that was a good quarter from the Lakers! I said it before, the starters played poorly in the first half and this quarter, Randle and Lopez picked it up. They're going to them inside and the Celtics are having all kinds of trouble. Randle overpowered Al Horford. Aron Baynes got in foul trouble. Both Randle and Lopez had nice sequences on the defensive end. The defensive activity picked up this quarter and we're looking at a fight to the finish in the 4th quarter between these two longtime rival franchises.

01/23: LAKERS vs. Celtics 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Rivalry renewed. Welcome to the first half open thread of the Lakers-Celtics matchup on Tuesday night. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

BOS 53 LAL 45

Big break for the Lakers that Clarkson made that layup down to the final seconds to cut it to eight. He, along with Kuzma were the main story this quarter to jump start the scoring for the Lakers after a low scoring affair the last quarter. But, the Celtics kept responding with basket after basket. Marcus Smart hit a pair of three pointers to give the Celtics some cushion. Kyrie Irving is having his way to start. It's a microcosm to the lack of defensive activity during this half from the Lakers. They're not gonna win in a shootout if the defense is non-existent. The starting five especially did not have a good outing. Hopefully, we see a better showing from either Randle or Ingram in the 2nd half to jump start the unit. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

BOS 21 LAL 15

Low scoring start to the game. We know the Celtics will play good defense and find ways to score. Lakers are up in their alley so far in terms of that to start. They were in the bonus to start, putting the Celtics in early foul trouble. They just couldn't hit those pesky free throws, which has been a problem for them this season. It's only a matter of sustaining this competitive edge throughout the next three quarters of the game.

Lakers Couldn't Finish vs. Celtics

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Boston Celtics in a back-to-back road trip. The Lakers rallied from 21 down to start this game against their bitter rivals. But, the Lakers couldn't maintain their run as they ultimately fell to the Celtics 96-107 as Boston keeps the streak rolling with their 10th straight win.

This will be a distorted full recap since I missed all of the first quarter and a portion of the second quarter. The Lakers did well enough to make this is a game down the stretch, cutting it to an eight point deficit. Then in the 3rd quarter, they kept the train rolling early on. But down the stretch in 3rd, they went absolutely ice cold. I don't know if the Lakers ever took a lead in this game. I'm sure they did early on before the Celtics went on an offensive clinic. But at times, they had a chance to take the lead. They just couldn't buy a bucket and those missed shots eventually came back to bite them after they did a better job on the defensive end. And they also turned the ball over, which has shot the Lakers in the foot for years.

(+)

Brandon Ingram, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 7-11 shooting. It's a recurring theme that Ingram is at his best when he's taking the ball to the rim. I saw spurts of his performance during the 2nd quarter and in the 2nd half in its entirety. When B.I. attacks, that's when the Lakers are at their best and he was a key cog in why the Lakers were able to come back after a very slow start in the game.

Julius Randle, 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5-9 shooting. If I'm correct, this has to be Randle's first double-double since accepting his role off the bench. He was the only player in plus figures for this team. Randle was also a key cog in making this loss more respectable. He stuck to his strength, which is playing bully ball inside the paint. He drew a couple of contact on those plays to get to the line for the and 1. He's been up and down on the free throw stripe, but he hit all of his free throws tonight.

Team defense 2nd-4th quarter. I'm sure the Lakers were having a tough time containing Kyrie Irving and the Celtics. Boston kept attacking the basket and played some really unselfish basketball to start the game. I'd say mid 2nd quarter-the entire 4th quarter, the Lakers made the adjustments and started to put more pressure on the ball against the Celtics. They were able to come up with a couple of turnovers and it helped ignited the Lakers to get back to basics in pushing towards the basket.

(-)

Turnovers. It's not rocket science. When the Lakers commit more turnovers than the other team, they wound up losing the game. Most of the turnovers the Lakers had tonight, they were careless. This in terms of ball movement and not being aware that the Celtics were gonna provide 100% on defense. They weren't sharp in moving the ball with a couple of lazy passes. They were too nonchalant with the basketball and the Celtics took advantage of that with sneaky steals.

Rebounding. The Celtics had the close edge in terms of offensive rebounding against the Lakers 16-12. The Lakers completely forgot how to box out in some of those rebounds. Particularly in the 4th quarter, the Lakers executed a good defensive possession. But, somehow they were for naught because the Celtics were able to sneak in for the offensive rebound, Marcus Smart for example. For instance, there were about 3-4 yellow jerseys in the paint ready for the rebound, but you have one green jersey sneaking in and getting the rebound. Nobody boxed out. They were standing there waiting for the ball to come to them.

Missed shots in the 3rd-4th quarter. These hurt big time. When the Lakers played good defense and were able to secure rebounds, they couldn't hit a shot to either tie the game or take the lead. They were down as many as 2-3 points and it would've been a different story if they hit those shots. Instead, the shots couldn't fall in and it presented all kinds of missed opportunities and wasted possessions for the Lakers when they made the run in the 2nd quarter and early in the 3rd quarter.

Kyle Kuzma, 10 points, 4-10 shooting, 5 fouls. We found out that Kuz is not immune to a rookie off game. Tonight was one of those nights where he had an off game. 40% shooting, 10 points, 6 rebounds is still not too bad, but it shows struggle and he did show that he can make mental errors tonight.

MVP

Julius Randle, 16 points, 12 rebounds

As mentioned, Julius is the only Laker in plus figures this game and this was his first double-double coming off the bench. Combined with bully ball and 100% free throw shooting, Randle rekindled the reputation as the "double-double" machine.



Conclusion

This is very similar to last season. The Lakers would compete in road games, but they just couldn't figure a way to finish strong or close out. Let alone, they can't do a shootout against the better teams. Again, they're a young team and this is something where they ask themselves "how can they get over this hump?" Hats off to the Celtics. They found a way to win despite being short handed and their train keeps rolling with 10 straight wins. It's gonna be tough in the rematch this season when they have all players healthy (minus Gordon Hayward of course). Nonetheless, the Lakers gotta hit the next game and they're flying to D.C. for a rematch against the Wizards. No question, John Wall and company are gonna be looking for some redemption against Lonzo Ball and this Laker squad. Next nationally televised game, they play the 76ers next Wednesday night. Ben Simmons, Zo, and Kuz are all front runners for Rookie of the Year. More specifically, it's gonna be a passing war between Simmons and Ball. Should be fun to watch. I'll see you guys for that game. Meanwhile, keep out on the Quick Fact Check and Commentary posts between this game and next Wednesday's game. I'll see you guys later.

11/08: Rivalries Never Die - LAKERS @ Boston Celtics 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of Lakers-Celtics. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts throughout the game.

Q4

LAL 96 BOS 107

Well, this is part of the growing pains. The silver lining here is that they erased that 21 point deficit and just got back to the basics that made them successful so far in this season. Unfortunately, they couldn't maintain the run. They went ice cold in scoring, committed a whole lot of mental errors, and they forgot to box out after some great defensive efforts. The opportunities were there, but they just didn't capitalize enough and the Celtics hold on for their 10th straight win. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3

LAL 81 BOS 87

The Lakers remain in striking distance. They've cut it to as small as two. There were a lot of chances that they could've taken the lead by the end of the quarter, but they missed some shots that might come back to haunt them down the stretch. And, there's a lot ticky tack calls going against the Lakers this quarter. The Lakers tried to draw contact, no whistle. Celtics do and at the littlest of contact, the refs blow the whistle. Bogus officiating this game so far. No matter, it's important that they keep within striking distance. Get some key stops and push to the basket down the stretch of the 4th quarter.

11/08: Rivalries Never Die - LAKERS @ Boston Celtics 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Lakers vs. Celtics...enough said. This is first half open thread and discussion of the NBA's historic rivalry. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts throughout the game. 

Q2

LAL 52 BOS 61

The team has found a way for a strong finish in the 1st half. Obviously, the Celtics are the Lakers toughest test in this early part of the schedule. I didn't see the first quarter, but in the 2nd quarter, it was obvious that Boston got the big lead because they were attacking the basket and played tough defense. Irving had his way early on. Fortunately, the Lakers made a run to close this out. They had to get back into the basics: attack and press. They picked those up down the stretch to cut it to single digits. It's a brand new game now and the Lakers have to ride the momentum from the end of the 2nd quarter. 2nd half will open up momentarily. 

Q1

LAL 0 BOS 0

*Hi guys! I could be running a little late for the game due to work. I'll miss the 1st quarter. I could miss a little bit of the 2nd quarter or miss the 1st half entirely. But, open thread will still be up. So keep doing what you're doing. Thanks! ~ MG*

Woeful Shooting Dooms Lakers vs. Celtics

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup against their old nemesis in the Boston Celtics. The Lakers couldn't buy a three-point bucket until late in the game as they fall to the Celtics 107-113 engineered by Isaiah Thomas' 38 point performance.

Celtics gotta 1-up the Lakers all the time. They lead by one more in terms of most NBA titles and they lead by one more after this game in terms of all-time regular season victories over the Lakers. Disdain for the Celtics runs deep. But, I gotta question the logic here. The Lakers have gone ice cold in 3-pointers since the 2nd quarter, but they heat up in the 4th quarter when the game is out of reach. I'll go more in depth in that category, but that was really frustrating to watch.

(+)

Larry Nance, Jr., 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals. Talk about a breakout game for Jr. He was all energy tonight on both ends of the floor. When Luke Walton inserted the 3-guard lineup with Ingram and Nance at the Power Forward and Center spot, respectively, that's when Nance started to eat. He was the main driver for the Lakers' 2nd chance opportunities tonight, cleaning up the boards, muscling his way to the paint for easy points. He's starting to get back the feel of the rotation since coming off of injury.

Brandon Ingram, 14 points, 6 rebounds. We need to see more of this Brandon Ingram this month. We saw the progress of his jump shot on full display tonight. That was his game when the Lakers drafted him out of Duke. Tonight I saw a Brandon Ingram who not only brought back the assertiveness to get to the basket from January, but I saw him look pretty confident with his offensive game and shooting stroke. We'd like to see him build off of this game.

D'Angelo Russell, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists. That "Kobe-esque" shooting though, 8-20 from the field. I'd like to see D'Lo post up more rather than settle for three's like he did tonight along with other Laker players. Isaiah Thomas posed a big time mismatch for D'Lo and when he settled to post up and score, it worked. That should be D'Lo's main strength, attacking the basket and taking full advantage of mismatch opportunities given his size to play point. Also, he took better care of the ball tonight after committing 7 turnovers last night at Washington. Those turnovers were courtesy of good defense by Marcus Smart.

(-)

3-point shooting. My goodness, was the 3-point shooting horrendous tonight. Nick Young, D'Lo, and Sweet Lou hit a couple of threes late to curve the final shooting percentage, which was around 37% from beyond the arc (courtesy of Yahoo Sports). However, that doesn't change the fact that this was a big time dent in the Lakers' game tonight. Too many times tonight, players were settling for three's when the Lakers put themselves in 2nd chance opportunities. Two possessions in particular. They had the ball three times in the 2nd quarter and they couldn't connect on a 3-point shot. Late in the 4th, when the Lakers made a push, Larry Nance hustled through every rebound and the Lakers missed on all four of their 3-point attempts in the 2nd chance opportunities. I was yelling at the T.V. "attack the basket!" They were down 7. There was a lot of time left for the Lakers to come back and make stops if they cut the deficit to five. But they wasted it because they kept jacking up threes! When they started to hit the 3-pointers in the final seconds in the 4th, I was like "wow." I don't understand the logic of going ice cold behind the 3-point line for a majority of the game and heating up at the same spot when the game's out of reach. 

Jordan Clarkson, 2 points, 1-7 shooting. It was a tough game for Clarkson overall. He had a solid game last night in Washington, putting up 20 points, but aside from the nice reverse layup in the first half, JC got blanked out by the Celtics. Clarkson will have those games, but he's not wildly inconsistent.

MVP

Larry Nance Jr., 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

Larry Nance is 100% hustle and energy. That was on full display tonight in a losing effort vs. the Celtics. It's too bad most of his effort tonight were in vain because of the high amount of 3-point bricks.

Conclusion

And here we go again. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but the Lakers are gonna have to learn to win on the road at some point in the season. The woeful starts in the first quarter are getting ridiculous to see. Also, it's a hot-cold game in terms of the Lakers' shooting in these games. Tonight was an example that they were not hitting their 3's and they should've done more to attack the basket and draw contact, which is what brought them back late in the game. The Lakers are currently 0-2 in this 5-game road trip. It will be a huge disappointment if they don't snatch at least one game. They have their work cut out. Monday's Lakers-Knicks game was supposed to air on TNT, but I think they flexed out of that game. So, expect a Quick Fact Check on that one instead along with the rest of the games that are shown exclusive to the local T.V. market. I'll see you guys later for the next nationally televised game.