Laker Nation

A Laker game on Christmas Day usually means little to even the Lakers themselves. But with a shortened, not to mention accelerated, NBA season, every game, every victory and certainly every loss, counts. Tonight the Lakers started counting down from 66, beginning with their first official loss. Though fans know not to expect much from the Lakers during holidays, especially [...]

Kobe Bryant’s right wrist was wrapped and secured by a brace, but even a torn ligament in his shooting hand couldn’t keep him from pumping his fist into the air at the sight of teammate, Andrew Bynum catching a lob from Derek Fisher (7 points, 8 assists) and dunking with some authority. Without Bryant on the floor, there is always [...]

Well, no one said change would be easy; the Lakers least of all. After an embarrassing elimination in the second round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, there was the long lockout, then the Chris Paul / Pau Gasol / Lamar Odom deal that went south, then the exits of Odom and Shannon Brown, a new coaching staff, a [...]

We waited…and waited…and waited some more, but the miracles never came. We truly believed that Kobe Bryant’s hot start could shoulder this heavy burden, but inside we all knew that those back to back championships weren’t one-man shows. We had faith that despite his struggles in these playoffs, and whatever was going on inside of him, that Pau Gasol would [...]

Kobe Bryant drew in a double team then kicked out a pass to Derek Fisher who hit a wide open three pointer to give the Lakers a 58-51 lead in the third quarter. Bryant gave Fisher a look as they double-slapped hands after. It’s a look we’ve seen him give his co-captain often. It’s a look that says, simply, “I [...]

They say that pride comes before the fall. Had the Lakers shown any pride in this game, that saying might apply. Unfortunately, they showed very little to none of it in this game. For a 2-time defending championship team in the second round of the playoffs, in the year they can achieve a threepeat, that pride shouldn’t have to be [...]

…literally. Like candy on Halloween. The Lakers had home court advantage, they received a nicely wrapped Dallas meltdown to end the first half (four points on four free throws with not even a whole second on the game clock!), they built a 16-point lead in the third quarter, they got 36 points from Kobe Bryant and even a double-double each [...]

Well…that was easy. In a series that they were pegged to sweep, the Lakers were challenged for five games by a New Orleans Hornets team who played like they had nothing to lose, led by an elite point guard who couldn’t be stopped. No home court advantage? So? A rookie coach? No problem. No David West, the leading scorer on [...]

“I didn’t see him limp one time – did you?” Chris Paul said from the podium when asked about Kobe Bryant’s ankle. The reporter answered that he did indeed see him limp a few times, to which Paul answered, “You probably weren’t watching the same game.” You’re right, CP, we didn’t see Kobe Bryant limp either. We did, however, see [...]

Sting us once, shame on you. Sting us twice, shame on us. That’s what it should say on the Laker white board before Game 5, because if this were a game of missed opportunities, the Lakers would have won, hands down. They had a nine-point lead in the first quarter, then squandered it with careless offense and absent defense (I’m [...]

Pau Gasol grabbed a rebound off of Andrew Bynum’s miss and tossed it up. He missed but grabbed the ball again and dunked it in with a showcase of aggression that we haven’t seen from him in this series. The shot didn’t count but he got two free throws which, for the first time in these playoffs, put him in [...]

Lamar Odom stood by the Laker bench before the game, with Mitch Kupchak at center court getting ready to present him with the Sixth Man of the Year trophy. Odom looked to his left at his captain, Kobe Bryant, who gave him a fist bump to go along with a giant smile. Bryant knows what Odom means to this Laker [...]

Andrew Bynum sat on the bench, his face resting on his folded hands. He looked on as his teammates finished the game on the floor, probably wondering what more he could have done. Bynum’s been on and off the active roster due to injuries this past season, but he has never allowed it to affect his enthusiasm for his game, [...]

With 9.6 seconds left in the game, and his team behind by three points, Kobe Bryant received the ball, weaved his way behind the three-point line, and sent a shot over 7-foot Samuel Dalembert – swish! In the ensuing possession, 4.8 seconds left and the Kings with an opportunity to win the game, Bryant glued himself to Marcus Thornton and [...]