The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers have been completely remodeled, as each franchise has acquired new players and conducted personnel changes in the pursuit of one goal: winning a NBA championship. The Lakers would subsequently endure a seemingly interminable rollercoaster of a season while Clippers fans gloated at their coup of Chris Paul. For once, Clippers fans could celebrate as frustrated Lakers fans shook their heads in dismay.
Interestingly enough, both teams would flame out together in the second round of the playoffs. Both teams also made major offseason moves. As Arash Markazi noted in his column for ESPN Los Angeles, the Chris Paul trade has created a deep schism in Los Angeles sports fans. This very divide is only reason to love this year's L.A. basketball.
Simply put, every single game these teams play will matter. Each game will be fun to watch. These teams were already entertaining. Fans have grown accustomed to Blake Griffin slamming dazzling dunks and Kobe, well, being Kobe.
Now, there are many, many more elements to watch for. First of all, Los Angeles finally has a legitimate basketball rivalry. For years, fans could nonchalantly root for both teams under the mentality that a win for either time is a win for the City of Angeles. Such a mentality is no longer valid. Animosity has grown. Tensions have flared. Career trajectories have been altered. Trades have been made, or with respect to Chris Paul and the Lakers, not made. Finally, both sides have formidable components.
Besides competing between themselves, they must face the other elite squads. The Lakers and Clippers were not the only ones improving their rosters in the hopes of unveiling a banner. The Boston Celtics were actively reloading. The Oklahoma City Thunder are still explosive and a force to be reckoned with. Every year, the San Antonio Spurs dispel the myth that they're too old and somehow defy Father Time, albeit with the help of a few young upstarts. The Miami Heat, as the defending champions, are still the team to beat.
Within each of these teams are a vast number of threats. Whereas an injury to Kobe Bryant in the past may have devastated the Lakers, the starting lineup still has four other All-Stars. Similarly, the Clippers' second-unit, renowned for blowing leads, might consist of the best reserves in the league.
Angelenos, enjoy the moment: We are now amidst a Golden Age of Los Angeles Basketball.
The following is a recap of last night's U.S-Costa Rica friendly that I wrote for He Wrote. Here it is: As the saying goes, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” The United States men’s national soccer team proved that yesterday with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in a friendly played at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The game marked the team’s second under the guidance of their recently hired manager, Juergen Klinsmann. After a 1-1 draw in a friendly with Mexico last month, fans were hoping for a better showcase from the American squad. However, it is important to remember that these initial friendlies are experimental exhibitions; in theory, the outcome is meaningless and the coach has an opportunity to get acquainted with the players and mess with formations. Despite the disappointing result, fans can take solace in the fact that the team is gradually picking up on Klinsmann’s attacking style and improving its amount of possession. During the Bob Bradley era, the Americans were restrained under a conservative approach in which the primary focus appeared to be defense – though they were not necessarily masters of that, either – and goals seemed to be an afterthought, or perhaps a bonus for good play. Obviously, the objective in soccer is to score and Klinsmann is still in the process of recruiting the right players, as well as showing the U.S. team the patience and tactics necessary to get that ball into the net. Contrary to the last few years, the U.S. dominated the game early on. During the first half an hour, the Americans looked like Spain from the way they owned possession. In fact, the team’s most threatening opportunity came in the sixth minute, in which Donovan got a dangerous shot off that was just slightly right of the goal. Although the team was patient with possession, the fact that they could not materialize translated into increasing momentum for Costa Rica. Leading up to halftime, the visitors showed signs of life, though American goalkeeper Tim Howard heroically prevented any score before halftime. The second half was a completely different story for the U.S. In typical American fashion, the opponent scored the first goal and the Red, White, and Blue were forced to play catch-up yet again. As desperation heightened, so did emotions. The teams got tangled up a couple times, but order was soon restored, albeit with questionable yellow cards to Brek Shea and Sacha Kljestan. On the bright side, aside from not connecting for a goal, the U.S. executed the way it was supposed to. In hindsight, both Klinsmann and the players were acknowledged the result, but expressed satisfaction from the overall play. “You get chances in front of the goal and they don’t go in,” Torres said. ”Overall though, we had a lot of possession, attacked a lot from the wings and we played well.” As with any game, certain players stepped up while others did not represent themselves well in front of their new coach. Midfielder Jose Torres was the MVP of the U.S. squad, having done a brilliant job in maintaining possession as well as making smart passes. Juan Agudelo once again proved to be a spark off the bench and deserves to start. While Klinsmann chose not to pair him with Altidore in the front this time around, do not be surprised to see Agudelo and Altidore play alongside each other in the near future. As for the veterans, midfielder Maurice Edu, who was robbed of a goal in the 2010 World Cup, played in control but needed some more help from his teammates. Altidore looked fit as ever and had some good chances, but he still needs work on creating a goal. Donovan had an off-night, but was arguably the most effective player after Torres. Carlos Bocanegra, in his 95th cap, proved to be a beneficial veteran presence, but will he last another World Cup cycle? On the other hand, Brek Shea was not as impressive as he was against Mexico and made some rather lazy passes on what could have led to potentially threatening attacks. Edgar Castillo has stood out but for the wrong reasons in the past two friendlies, to the point where fans may start to miss defender Jonathan Bornstein. Timmy Chandler was a decent call-up, but Steve Cherundolo is certainly a more worthy starter. It was tough to evaluate Robbie Rogers; he continued to move well off the ball, but admittedly squadered the ball in some dangerous positions. The experimentation will continue on Tuesday when the squad heads overseas to play in a friendly against Belgium. Who knows, maybe back-up goalkeeper Bill Hamid will finally see some playing time. There will definitely be different players in the mix with Donovan heading back to join the L.A. Galaxy, while midfiedlers Kyle Beckerman and Clint Dempsey, as well as defender Steve Cherundolo join the team in Belgium. “Every game you learn a lot things,” Klinsmann said after the match. “The players come away from this game with a lot of good information. Every situation they saw out there was different and it was a challenge for them…Belgium will be another good experience for them. We want to try to develop that style of play that we are confident on the ball and that we try to pass our way through difficult situations and tight spaces. It will take time.”
After a hiatus, Halftime Hype returns...
The playoffs have come around and guess who's been leading the Los Angeles Lakers thus far? If you guessed Kobe Bryant, you're incorrect. The native New Yorkers of the squad, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest, have kept their team afloat. Indeed, Pau Gasol has shot a poor 4-for-19 from the field (21%), while Bryant only scored 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting in Game 2.
Interestingly enough, throughout the course of the season, Odom and Artest probably received more criticism than any of their teammates. In fact, when Odom won the Sixth Man of the Year award on Wednesday, Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote of how the forward's new reality show would provide a major distraction. Although Plaschke's column was credible, the versatile Odom responded with a commendable 16 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
True, Odom did not have a notable outing in the first game of the series - 10 points, but only one board to show for 30 minutes of playing time. However, unlike the rest of the team, the media, and Lakers fans, he wasn't phased by a Game 1 loss to the lowly Hornets. When everyone flipped out about Gasol's no-show, Odom shrugged it off.
"There isn't a player in the world who plays a sport that hasn't had a bad game," Odom told reporters.
Then there's his buddy from Queens, Artest. The former defensive player of the year has been averaging 15.5 points, 45.5% shooting, a couple three's a game, and 8.5 rebounds during the series. The 11 boards Ron grabbed on Wednesday night was a season-high. Yes, this is the same guy who began the month with point totals of 7, 5,9, and 2. There were multiple dry spells during the season, too. About a month before the All-Star break, TNT analyst Charles Barkley asked, "Does Ron Artest know the season has started already?"
Well, Artest is certainly aware that the playoffs have started.
"Ron was probably the best player we had out there," Coach Phil Jackson said after Game 1. "Kobe had a lot of points, but Ron was, I thought, keyed and ready to go and played well."
In retrospect, if someone predicted Gasol would average 8 points and 5.5 rebounds in the first two games, I would be skeptical of the Lakers' chances. If someone told me that Odom and Artest would be the key players, I would laugh. Sure, Bynum has been big - that was to be expected. Okay, Bryant scored a ton in Game 1. Yet, it is interesting that the players who constantly received flak for their unimpressive stat sheets during the season are the ones being praised during the playoffs.
Last night's Lakers loss, in which the team squandered a 19-point lead, certainly did not exemplify how defending champions are supposed to play. However, before everyone jumps to conclusions - "Lakers-haters" that includes you too - the game must be put into context.
First and foremost, the Lake Show is missing the entire cast, with injuries to starting center Andrew Bynum and back-up Theo Ratliff. What once appeared to be depth at the center position with 'Drew, Ratliff, and recent draft pick Derrick Caracter, has dwindled down to the rookie.
What if Bynum had been available in a game like this? Well, I would rather not think about it, because he would probably sustain an injury against the brutal Utah Jazz. However, a sturdy, big body like Ratliff could definitely do a better job holding his own against the likes of Al Jefferson than Caracter could. In all seriousness, though, the presence of a veteran seven-footer - either Bynum or Ratliff - in addition to Gasol would have made a tremendous difference on the boards.
Also, the Killer B's took a break. Rather than extending leads like they usually do, Phil Jackson's "Renegades" could not produce a spark off the bench. In fact, Steve Blake shot 0-7. To make matters worse, Utah's bench was feeling it, lead by a 11-0 run from Earl Watson and Ronnie Price.
It wasn't just the Lakers bench who shot poorly. Derek Fisher was 1-7 and Ron Artest was 3-8, missing a crucial three-pointer in the closing minutes. Whereas, on the other end, Deron Williams had a stellar performance and Al Jefferson hurt the Lakers in the post. Kobe Bryant is the greatest, but even the Black Mamba needs help guiding his squad to a victory. What more can you ask from a guy who scored 14 consecutive points, including a trio of three's, for the team toward the end of the game?
Perhaps most irritating were the shot-clock malfunctions in the final minutes. Trailing by 2 points, the Lakers fast-break opportunity was interrupted with 27 ticks remaining because of a shot-clock error.
"What was going on there?" Jackson asked after the game. "That stopped a break on our part. ... Fish had a nice rhythm going on a transition with a 3-point deficit, and it stops the ball and starts it out of bounds. It's not right; it's just not right."
The verdict: Don't take this game too seriously. Utah is one of the most difficult places to play in the entire league for any team. The bench was due for a bad game and with a decent, but not impressive output from the starters the team was bound to lose.
Nights like this happen - except for the shot-clock malfunctions, which were an unfortunate coincidence - and there's not really much that can be done about them. Tribulations on the road are part of a 82-game season. For the Lakers, it's just a matter of moving onto the next one: what should be an easy home victory Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.
Is Kobe Bryant promoting guns and violence? That is what the sports world is busy debating at the moment. In case you haven't heard, the Black Mamba was in an ad promoting the recently-released video game Call of Duty: Black Ops. The fact that he was holding a gun has caused quite a controversy.
Some are infuriated by a lack of response from Commissioner David Stern. Others simply feel that the most popular player in the NBA should not be smiling with an armed weapon. Whatever the case, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
However, at the end of the day, we're talking about a video game. Think of Allen Iverson's practice rant and just substitute "practice" with "video game." Why are we obsessing over the man's role in an advertisement for a friggin' video game? Are there not more important things to worry about? I guess not.
For those that think Stern should chastise Bryant, keep dreaming. If anything, Stern will kneel and kiss Kobe's feet for all the jersey sales he has racked and his impact on the league's TV ratings. Plus, the ad doesn't concern the commissioner; it is a personal endeavor on Bryant's part.
Could the ad be misconceived? Of course, but that does not mean people are going to say, "Oh, look, Kobe is shooting a gun. Guns are cool!" Bryant's involvement is only to encourage people to buy a video game - not purchase a rifle. Plus, it's not like the superstar's involvement completely changed the potential success of the video game.
Call of Duty was benefiting from heavy word-of-mouth advertisement as well as other ads without the NBA player. Upwards of six million people have bought the game thus far. Clearly, those who wanted the game were going to get their hands on it, with or without Kobe Bryant being in an advertisement.
For Bryant's sake, his life might have been easier if he had decided not to participate in the campaign. Why take a chance with your image? Then again, #24 has never been one to care what others think about him. Exhibit A: His "Hate it or Love it" campaign with Nike.
While the latest hobby may be to bash LeBron James, his Thanksgiving endeavors are admirable. In case you haven't heard, the Miami Heat star is organizing 700 Thanksgiving dinners in his native city of Akron, Ohio. Perhaps it is time to step back, take a break from our criticisms of the former Cleveland Cavalier, and appreciate his charitable efforts.
Sure, some may argue that James is simply trying to improve his image. However, if his hour-long "Decision" special and recent Nike commercial have been any indication, the man could care less about his PR.
In sports, it's too easy to fixate on players as athletes and overlook who they are as human beings. For example, the past few years, Jazz fans have consistently been hostile to their former point guard, Derek Fisher. Fisher, now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, was forced to migrate to L.A. because of the medical facilities it offered for his daughter, Tatum, who has a form of eye cancer. It didn't matter that Fisher was taking a multi-million dollar pay-cut or that he was leaving for the sake of his child's life; people still give him a tough time in Salt Lake City.
In case you are new to the blog, I am not an avid supporter of LeBron James. There are numerous moments, and my previous posts will attest to this, where I disagree with his actions and egotistic antics. Heck, even James himself has expressed he would have done "The Decision" differently. Regardless, James deserves praise for reaching out to Akron. We're talking about the hometown "fans" that burned his jersey. His native brethren have even posted signs dubbing him "2010 NBA Traitor of the Year."
“I’ve always said when I was growing up, being in a small city like Akron, that if I ever became successful or was ever blessed enough to give back to the community, I’ll always do that,” James said before the Heat faced the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. “Especially around holiday times, when you’re supposed to be with your family.”
This time, James certainly made the right "decision."
Even in trash talking, there is a certain line that must not be crossed - a line which the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett is apparently unaware of. As an athlete, Garnett is allowed to talk smack and rattle up opponents, even anger them if need be. However, a reference to a medical illness, especially to a disease which one is born with and basically has no control over, has no place in trash talk.
If you haven't heard yet, the Detroit Pistons' Charlie Villanueva tweeted on Tuesday: "KG called me a cancer patient, I'm pissed because, u know how many people died from cancer, and he's tossing it like it's a joke."
Garnett, in what appears to be a statement his PR staffers worked hard on, answered back with "My comment to Charlie Villanueva was in fact 'You are cancerous to your team and our league.' I would never be insensitive to the brave struggle that cancer patients endure. I have lost loved ones to this deadly disease and have a family member currently undergoing treatment. I would never say anything that distasteful. The game of life is far bigger than the game of basketball."
For the record, Villanueva suffers from Alopecia Universalis, a disease that results in hair loss on the body. Personally, I am starting to theorize that Garnett has a disease in which he cannot shut his mouth. In the 21st century, athletes are long past the "role model" responsibility. It is bad enough having Garnett romp around the court yelling, I'll bet several expletives, the entire evening. Now, he's making cancerous references too?
Let's pretend to take Garnett's word for it and say you did not mean to call Villanueva a cancer patient. Why even blurt out that he's cancerous? You obviously have eyes that can see that perhaps Villanueva may have some health issues, if you aren't already aware of it from being one of his NBA colleagues. By dubbing him "cancerous", Garnett was very likely playing off the assumed pun that Villanueva is a cancer patient, thus taking a shot at the Piston for his illness.
Surprisingly, Garnett has people in his defense. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers have backed their player, even turning the tables to criticize Villanueva for divulging the matter on Twitter.
"Both players have completely different stories," Ainge said. "One guy has a Twitter account where he blurts things out, that's the first thing. Doc said he heard what KG said and I believe Doc. Doc isn't going to say that if it's not true. I believe Doc and I believe KG."
Really, Ainge? You believe Doc Rivers? We're talking about the same coach who said this past summer that "[the Lakers] have not beaten our starting five. Our starting five against the Lakers starting five has a ring," when in reality the Lakers played without starting center Andrew Bynum against the Celtics in the 2008 Finals and starting forward Trevor Ariza was playing limited minutes due to injury. I would not trust Rivers, especially with facts.
Really, Ainge? You believe KG? Have you seen this guy during an NBA game? He just keeps mouthing away at everyone. Between elbowing and tripping players, he still has the nerve to continually verbally jab on and on. Sometimes it feels like the technical foul was made for the man and his emotions. I would not be surprised if KG actually said Villanueva was an f'ing weak cancer patient. His mouth simply knows no limits. For goodness sake, he starts fights out of nothing.
Here's the right thing to do Ainge: Instead of coming off as defensive and attacking Villanueva, you should just approach Garnett for a brief chat. Remind him that cancer is no joke. Fans may be entertained by his emotions, but at the end of the day, they also demand a degree of civility and sanity.
Garnett would most likely reassure you that he did not mean any harm by his comments, which is extremely debatable. When you make your appearance on public radio, rather than saying what you said, you should reassure fans that you've spoken with Garnett, he told you he did not have any bad intentions, and apologize if anyone misinterpreted the comment.
All I have to say is that I honestly hope Garnett is sorry. In spite of the fact that he has a cancer patient in his family, he should be aware of the struggle at hand. Indeed, "the game of life is far bigger than the game of basketball." Garnett would be best served to take his own words to heart and starting acting accordingly.