LATEST STORIES FROM THE ASSOCIATION
LeBron Will NEVER Be Better than MJ or Magic or Bird or...
By Craig Kwasniewski
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on a much-deserved championship. As a basketball fan I stand and applaud the Mavs. Thanks for crashing the Heat Index bandwagon, thanks for rendering LeBron James's soccer mom fans helpless, thanks to Mark Cuban for checking the ego for this postseason and thanks for Dirk for being such a gracious champion...
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June 14, 2011
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June 14, 2011
Discuss
Five Questions (Not WTF X 5) After The Lakers Lose Game 4
By Craig Kwasniewski
Nothing gets me out of a year long writer's block faster than a terrible Lakers loss. Terrible you say, but didn't they steal back home court advantage on Friday? Aren't they playing with house money, just a chance to steal a 3-1 lead with a shot at closing out the series on Tuesday? Yes for any other team in the NBA, but these...
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April 25, 2011
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April 25, 2011
Bynum's Best Performance of the Season Keys a Smart Lakers Win
By Craig Kwasniewski
It took half of a quarter, but once the Lakers were able to adjust to the Knicks pace, they put together a collective defensive effort not seen in weeks and easily beat New York 109-87. Here are a few brief observations from my seat high up in section 316:
Tonight was easily Bynum's best effort of the season. Somewhere in a pub in the South Bay Jim Buss...
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January 10, 2011
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January 10, 2011
The 2011 Lakers Have a 2003 Stench to Them
By Craig Kwasniewski
Another day another Lakers blowout loss to... Memphis??? What's happened to the two-time defending champs? I'll address their problem another day but in the meantime I keep reading all the past Lakers squads people are comparing this team to. Sure they have some 2004 in them with the collection of talent and the mid-season losing...
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January 03, 2011
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January 03, 2011
Six Predictions for the 2010-11 Season
By Craig Kwasniewski
Hey stranger... long time no talk. And just in time for the season...
In all reality I just want to get in a few predictions just to block quote myself in "I told you so" post this June. (BTW - I've been "making predictions" for years and have yet to furnish an "I told you so" post if you know...
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October 26, 2010
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October 26, 2010
Is Matt Barnes a Case of Good From Far, Far From Good?
By Craig Kwasniewski
Ever look at what appears to be a hot chick from a distance only to see up close and think, "Yikes! Damn, what was I thinking?!?" Back in the day, we coined the phrase good from far, far from good. No matter what the situation the phrase always made me giggle.Well the Matt Barnes era just might be the hoops version of that phrase... and...
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September 10, 2010
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September 10, 2010
Grading Trades and Acquisitions... So Far
By Craig Kwasniewski
Why bother wasting time talking about the impacts of all the summer trades and free agent signings? After all LeBron, Wade and especially Bosh are all mortal locks for the next 6 NBA championships, a World Cup title in 2014, finding the cure for AIDS and solving the "Is the Hills real or not?" crises. There's no competition these ...
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July 15, 2010
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July 15, 2010
Hey Jerry Buss... Get Over the 80's!!!
By Craig Kwasniewski
Jerry Buss, put down your Atari 2600, hit the stop button on your walkman (Paula Abdul, They Way That You Love Me, right?), remove your "Where's the Beef?" mesh hat, stop saying "That's Sooooo Choice!"... the 80's are lone gone my man. Gone. Rubik's Cube... gone. Ronald Reagan... gone. Pacman...
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June 29, 2010
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June 29, 2010
Could A Storybook Ending Motivate Phil Jackson for One More Year?
By Craig Kwasniewski
We all agree that the greatest non-ending of a professional career was Jordan's game winner over Utah in the '98 Finals. The follow-thru, the crowd with "OH NO!!!" looks on their faces... the championship. Simply the perfect ending... if only the DC years didn't exist.
So what's the perfect ending to a coaching legend that...
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June 27, 2010
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June 27, 2010
Wall Street Quotes and Five Things Heading Into Game 6
By Craig Kwasniewski
Okay this is it... or is it? The final home game for the Lakers, the final game in Phil Jackson's career, Derek Fisher's final game as a Laker, the beginning of the end with Byron Scott taking PJ's place on the bench (and it WILL happen when Jackson leaves... this year or next)... all these things could possibly be on the line as Boston looks...
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June 14, 2010
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June 14, 2010
Is It Safe to Call It The Kobe Rules?
By Craig Kwasniewski
Okay I'll get out and say it: the Celtics have figured out how to defend Kobe. Sorry Lakers fans, but your savior hasn't shown the patience to properly defeat the Celtics' well-organized team defense. He's shooting a paltry 39.4% from the field and while working extremely hard to get his 26.7 points. I know, I know... you can never keep an...
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June 09, 2010
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June 09, 2010
Pardon Me But These Aren't Games 7 Thru 11 of the 2008 Finals
By Craig Kwasniewski
Pop question hotshot: who are the defending champs? The Los Angeles Lakers
No seriously, check the record books, look at the banner in Staples Center or just ask Kobe. As hard as this sounds, the Lakers are the defending champs. I know, I know... that's crazy. But if you'll just do me a solid, look at your calendar and tell me what...
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June 02, 2010
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June 02, 2010
Kobe Can Never Be the Greatest Laker Until He Beats Boston
By Craig Kwasniewski
Notice how focused Kobe was after beating the Suns? Those sick shots, the concentration down the stretch as the game got tight. Typical Kobe traits, yes, but much more than that. He had an edge... it's like he was tasting the NBA Finals on the tip of his tongue and wanted to dive in. You can see him get locked in as the series moved on. His game taken...
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June 01, 2010
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June 01, 2010
The Suns Didn't Get The Memo and a Few Other Thoughts
By Craig Kwasniewski
The Suns didn't get the memo... you know the one that states they're too small to really contend for a title. I mean seriously, they're supposed to be the cutesy team led by the wacky Canadian that scored a ton, didn't play defense but never really contended for a championship. This was supposed to be the team that we all love while the big...
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May 26, 2010
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May 26, 2010
While Gallinari's Presser is at the Sistine Chapel, Prokhorov's is at a Hotel Banquet Hall
By Craig Kwasniewski
Mikhail Prokhorov is a Russian kajillionaire yet his introduction to the New York media is the Sapphire Banquet Room? Seriously?!? At least hold it at some Russian Vodka Bar with some hot Eastern European models as security.
But this is the reality of the New Jersey Nets. The Ryan Air to Virgin Atlantic, the RC Cola to Coke, the Burger King to McDonald...
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May 20, 2010
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May 20, 2010
Photos: The Bestest Missed Dunk of Shannon Brown's Career!
By Craig Kwasniewski No seriously you gotta see these photos. Shannon Brown brought down the house when he tried to Frederic Weiss (yep, he's a verb) Jason Richardson in the second half of the Lakers blowout win over Phoenix. The game was on the brink of getting out of hand when Brown got a clean look (or so he thought he did) at the rim and went for the ultimate highlight dunk...
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May 18, 2010
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May 18, 2010
Lakers - Suns... A Quick Prediction
By Craig Kwasniewski
Straight to the point: Lakers in Five. And now some unanswered questions about the series:
1 - Wait a second, you just took the Lakers in five. How is that possible when so many "experts" are taking the Suns?
Yeah how is that possible? After all the Suns are the hottest team, they beat the high and mighty Spurs and hey... the Suns play defense...
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May 17, 2010
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May 17, 2010
LeBron on Rondo? 4 Reasons Why That's a Bad Idea
By Craig Kwasniewski
Hey well he IS the MVP and as THE MVP, you SHOULD save your teams collective arses.... but not this way. LeBron wanting to defend Rajon Rondo on for game 5 is a bad idea. No actually it's a stupid idea and I have four reasons why: 1 - LeBron's not that great of an on-the-ball defender to contain Rondo from the get go. There's a huge...
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May 11, 2010
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May 11, 2010
The Outrage Over LeBron's MVP Vote is Foolish and Arrogant
By Craig Kwasniewski
LeBron ONLY got 116 out of 123 first place votes? Such an outrage! This is preposterous, outlandish, unbelievable, atrocious, a crime against all humanity, an insult to us all... how dare they! Don't the know LeBron is the only true MVP this year! Don't they know LeBron was such a dominant force that he should get all the first, second, and third...
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May 03, 2010
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May 03, 2010
Lakers Barely Hold on to Beat the Jazz in Game 1
By Craig Kwasniewski
Nice of the Lakers to "grant" us an exciting Game 1 by completely scrapping a successful offensive game plan most of the second half (ummm I believe they call it the Triangle) to barely beat Utah 104-99.
Here are a few observations from my seat high up in Section 316:
That game should NOT have been this close. Let's be honest here the Lakers are...
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May 02, 2010
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May 02, 2010
Durant Had Nothing and Everything to do with Shutting Down Kobe
By Craig Kwasniewski
It wasn't his length, it wasn't his hands, it wasn't his footwork, it's wasn't defensive positioning, it wasn't THAT block but it was all Kevin Durant in shutting down Kobe late late on the way to a 101-96 win for Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant the future, Kevin Durant the league's leading scorer, Kevin Durant the humble leader...
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April 23, 2010
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April 23, 2010
Amar'e Stoudemire Rocks the Elliot Perry Look at the Postgame Presser
By Craig Kwasniewski Going for the most obscure 90's hoops reference here...
Nice of Ammar'e to go retro 90's with the Elliot Perry specs to the postgame press conference. Perry ditched the goggles once his NBA career got going but he had 'em at Memphis back in the early 90's (back when it was Memphis State... you know before they seceded from...
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April 21, 2010
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April 21, 2010
Bynum Return Keys Lakers Win... Oh and Artest Wasn't Too Shabby Either
By Craig Kwasniewski
Strength, aggression, focus, power... Words that never ever come to mind with Andrew Bynum. But that changed today after the Lakers grinded out a 87-79 home win over Oklahoma City to take a 1-0 lead. Andrew Bynum came out this afternoon with one goal in mind: to have an impact on the series. That he did with thunderous dunks (kicking out his legs a...
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April 19, 2010
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April 19, 2010
Lakers-Portland: So Frustrating that I Can't Come Up With a Decent Headline
By Craig Kwasniewski
How do I spin this? It seems like eons since the Lakers beat a quality team not from Utah. Really, how do I look at yet another Sunday loss against a potential first round opponent? Okay yeah, they're bored. They clinched the #1 seed in the west and have been in coast mode for weeks. Fine, but would it kill anyone to get some momentum heading into the...
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April 12, 2010
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April 12, 2010
A Game-by-Game Breakdown of the Lakers Since All-Star Break
By Craig Kwasniewski Panic is everywhere, people are rioting! Run for your lives! The Lakers are headed for doom... DOOM I tell ya. They can't shoot, they can't defend, they can't beat anybody. How is this team the #1 seed in the Western Conference? How??? All I know is that I'm picking (insert #8 seed here) to upset the Lakers in the first round. AAAANNNNDDDD scene...
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April 05, 2010
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April 05, 2010
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