Laker Nation

Somewhere between Doug Collins nightly reminder that he once coached a young Michael Jordan and Vince Carters not-so-magical transformation into an ice cream sandwich during the Eastern Conference Finals, an unprecedented shift took place between a pair of fan bases in the NBA. Lakers and Celtics fans were... (gulp)… rooting for each other.

The Forum. Showtime. The Lake Show. Those are just a few of the words that helped define my childhood. In grade school, I was a skinny white kid with beachy blonde hair – hardly the prototype of a basketball junkie. I remember parading around school in a #32 Lakers jersey that was large enough for #32 to wear himself. It wasn’t until years later that I learned I would never be 6’9”, dashing my dreams of becoming the next Magic Johnson.

TLN’s Jason Riley and Chris Manning joined Rey Moralde of The No Look Pass and the ESPN Land O’ Lakers guys to preview the Lakers, Suns Western Conference Finals series. Click here to check it out!

Kobe v. Lebron, #23 v. #24, The Black Mamba v. King James… on and on we can go with clichéd comparisons between two exceptionally gifted NBA basketball players. One, a proven NBA champion; the other, a proven media champion.

This week, Manning and Riley continue to suffer from playoff fever. Does the road get easier for the Lakers? Is this the year of Lebron? What happened to the Dallas Mavericks? Also, Riley tries to defend his Miami Heat in 6 games prediction, Manning jumps on the Celtics bandwagon and the guys break down the Lakers/Jazz series.

The sky is falling in Los Angeles; or does it just appear that way? In this special Lakers edition of Basketball Taboo, Manning and Riley discuss the state of the Lake Show heading into a must-win Game 5 tonight at Staples Center.

TLN's Jason Riley provides a recap of Game 3 of the Lakers, Thunder series exclusively using Twitter posts from Lakers fans.

Just in case you have been living in 2008, Twitter is the new Facebook… which, by the way, was totally the new MySpace… I mean, dialing a phone number is so last decade. Instead of writing a column with my observations from tonight’s game 3 vs. Oak City, I want you guys to write it, via Twitter.

For as much as we talk about greatness around here, we sure do complain an awful lot when we’re presented with the rare opportunity for it. The idea of greatness is subjective, but is most commonly expressed about an individual – or in this case a team – when factual critics are silenced, long odds are overcome and the seeming impossible is achieved.

The playoffs are set; and Riley and Manning are back with their thoughts and predictions in this mega-playoff extended edition of Basketball Taboo.

Years before Pau Gasol breathed life back into the Lakers organization, Derek Fisher cemented his crunch-time legacy and Kobe surged into the GOAT conversation… they were there. Pinched between generational periods of Boston sport-hate, disgust for the overconfident Denver Nuggets and the hushed arrogance of NBA poster boy Kobe East (Lebron James)… they were there.

Jason Riley and Chris Manning are back for Episode #5 of 'Basketball Taboo'. This week, they talk Mark Cuban, Lebron James, Rasheed Wallace vs. Ron Artest, the Lakers playoff chances, Kobe's injuries, Bill Simmons and, of course, get to your questions in an all-new Taboo Mailbag!

Jason Riley and Chris Manning are back with Episode #4 of Basketball Taboo. This week, the guys talk Lebron James to the Clippers, the Lakers playoff match-ups, Ron Artest vs. Trevor Ariza and respond to your questions in a brand-new Mailbag segment.

The Lakers Nation is such a spoiled and self-important fan base – and if you’re offended by that, you’re really just proving my point. In all fairness, we have inherited our egotism from the franchise we passionately support – and why shouldn’t we feel a certain sense of entitlement?