ESPN

This is going to leave a mark.

Lakers lose, 103-100 and now trail 3-1 heading back to Oklahoma City for Monday's Game 5.

On tonight's show, we review the fourth quarter collapse, from a huge mistake down the stretch from Pau Gasol to a horrible 12 minutes of shooting for Kobe Bryant (2-of-10) to dominant play from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. From there, we reflect on a season on the edge of extinction, and leaving the locker room tonight with a sense not just that this season is over, but that the era is done, too.

This band won't be touring much longer.



Click below for video of Bryant, Ramon Sessions, Bynum, Gasol, and Metta World Peace.

(Read full post)

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

To say the least, after another disappointing road loss, the natives weren't happy. Can't say I blame them, because there was much to discuss following Tuesday's game, and little of it was sunshine and moonpies. Among the big topics of conversation:

• Andrew Bynum's senseless ejection near the end of the third quarter, and what could turn out to be the most expensive high fives in league history.
• A very poor defensive effort, whether on the perimeter, inside, or on the glass. (Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln...)
• The typing skills of chat participant Wally7462.
• A bad shooting night from Kobe Bryant (10-of-27), and larger questions about offensive balance and how the team (and Kobe particularly) need to adjust to having Ramon Sessions available, particularly down the stretch. It won't happen instantly, but needs to happen.

All that, plus head slapping and Mike Brown impressions!

There was much to like about Tuesday's 108-99 win over the Rockets at Staples Center, and because we're positive fellows, we focused on those things following the game.

The "Big Three" topics...

1. Kobe Bryant. He overcame a slow start to post a stellar line of 37 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, against only two turnovers. His shot total was again high-- 29 FGA's, with 14 finding cord-- but the distribution was totally different. After the game, Mike Brown talked about how they did a much better job putting Bryant in his comfort zones, as opposed to leaving him on an island at the top of the floor. Clearly he reads the blog. Would a little more balance be nice? Sure. But there was a night and day difference between Sunday's game and Tuesday's.
   
2. Andrew Bynum notched his first career 20/20 game, with three blocks tossed in for good measure. We break down his game, and play a couple interesting clips indicating growth in Bynum as a player and professional.
3. Point guards. Asked if Steve Blake was officially his fourth quarter PG, Brown hedged, noting how pleased he was with both Blake and Derek Fisher. While it will never be a strength, are there reasons to think the Lakers might actually get more production at the point than people expect?

Postgame videos inside the show include Brown on Kobe, Blake, and Fisher, and Bynum on another strong game.



More video below, from Brown and Bynum....

(Read full post)

The Lakers made it three straight Saturday at Staples, beating Denver in a hard fought game, 92-89. In his first game of the season, Andrew Bynum led the way with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and a pair of blocks.

In tonight's Lakers Late Night, we break down his performance and what he'll mean going forward. All that, plus...

• The culture change this season, led by Mike Brown. The Lakers have re-discovered a defensive identity, and for a fourth time in five games played a strong game on their own end. Is it sustainable?
• There's also a lot of grit to this group in the early going. The good kind, not the sort left behind by poorly rinsed spinach.
• Derek Fisher played his 500th straight game Saturday. Worthy of a few comments.
• Matt Barnes starting in place of Devin Ebanks at small forward.

In-show vids include Brown, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Bynum, and Fisher. All that, and bad movie line readings. Happy new year!



Click below for more postgame video, from Brown, Bryant, Bynum, Fisher, Gasol, and Steve Blake.

(Read full post)

As NBA camps opened Friday in the wake of a months long lockout, one major question facing every team in the league centered around player fitness. Specifically, which guys had any. The last time the NBA went through this process in '98-'99, scores of players arrived out of shape-- people still mock then-Cavs forward Shawn Kemp for the 34 extra pounds he carried back to Cleveland-- and the negative impact was one big reason quality of play suffered throughout the year.

Regarding Lakers, those of you picking Metta World Peace as the favorite for "First Player on the Team Admitting He's Out of Shape," please step up and claim your prize.

For more, check out the videos below. After detailing Mike Brown's emphasis on defense and his defensive principles throughout L.A.'s first practice of the year, World Peace explains what got him off the rails (simply put, he didn't think they'd start before Christmas) and what he'll need to do to get his body right. There's also some funny stuff in there about Metta's, um... short time on Dancing With the Stars.

I'll just say this: Hopefully he practices harder this year for the Lakers.



One more video below the jump...

(Read full post)

It was a busy day in El Segundo, as the Lakers kicked off the 2010-11 season with their annual media day. We were there, broadcasting live on ESPNLA.com. Two hours of commercial free Lakerness. If you missed it, no worries. Click here for the full show, or should you want to hear individual players and coaches, catch up on all the interviews below:

• Ron Artest
• Kobe Bryant
• Steve Blake
• Phil Jackson
• Lamar Odom
• Pau Gasol
• Matt Barnes
• Derek Fisher
• Andrew Bynum (He provided the day's biggest news, saying he hopes to be ready by the end of November. We talk to him about the surgery, and his timetable.)
• Sasha Vujacic

Here it is. If you missed the fun, well shame on you. We're currently slotted for every Wednesday, 10:30 am PT. Topics covered include Ron Artest's head, Lamar Odom's play, Kobe Bryant's MVP candidacy, the bench, and more.

You can always feel free to fire off questions to our mailbag (though we're still learning how to actually use that thing...) and to the Land O'Lakers Twitter page. That we can handle.