A House Divided: SoCal Crosstown Rivalry Fandom-Which Side Of The Fence Are You On?

For every sports fan out there one of the most common questions that they have very likely been asked at some point is what team or teams do they like to root for. Finding out the answer to that question is likely more interesting if a particular city, state or country has more than one team that plays in the same league.

For example, in the greater Los Angeles area where my family and I live, both of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels (who play in Anaheim, California), play their games as members of the Major League Baseball (MLB) professional sports league. The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play in the City of Angels for the National Football League (NFL). Both of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers are yearly participants of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks call the National Hockey League (NHL) their home.

For those sports cities like Los Angeles who have more than one professional sports team in each league, fans will usually have only one team that is their favorite to root for most of the time. Up to this point in my life I don't think I have ever met or come across someone who has said that they root for both teams equally in a particular sport. They will usually have only one team or teams that they root for or are a fan of in a given sport. These various rooting interests for only one team in a particular sport served as the inspiration for this new series of blog posts at Tim's Sports World about crosstown rivalry fandom.

Without further ado I now present the first installment of this brand new series about crosstown rivalry fandom which will focus on the sports teams that play in the Southern California region or area!:

Clayton Kershaw Photo (Top) Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia and Arturo Pardavila III on Flickr

Under CC BY 2.0 License.

Mike Trout Photo (Bottom) Courtesy Of:

 Wikimedia and Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA  Under CC BY-SA 2.0 License.                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                 

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD) Vs. Los Angeles Angels (LAA) (MLB)

Both of the Angels and Dodgers baseball teams of Major League Baseball (MLB) have called the Southern California area their home now for the last 50 to 60 years or so.

The Dodgers moved to the Los Angeles area from Brooklyn in New York in 1958 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1958 to 1961 before moving in to Dodger Stadium in 1962, while the Angels franchise played their first ever season in team history in 1961 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. After the 1961 season the Angels played their home games at Chavez Ravine (A.K.A. Dodger Stadium) from 1962 to 1965. Since the 1966 season the Angels have called Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, California their home ballpark.

Both teams also play their games in two separate leagues with the Dodgers playing in the National League while the Angels take on competitors from the American League. Even though these two teams have played in separate leagues throughout their history, there are times throughout the season each year when both teams have played each other. When that happens, those series of games are referred to as the "Freeway Series" due to the fact that many of the fans can go to the games by driving on the freeways in the Los Angeles area. As a matter of fact, the one freeway that has access to both cities and stadiums is the 5 Freeway.

When it comes to figuring out the rooting interest of both teams, this is probably the one that is the most easy call for me to make as a fan. Since my family and I have been fans of the Angels for as long as I can remember, it's a no-brainer that they would come out on top in this contest.

There was even a period of time for a few years during which my dislike for the Dodgers was so intense that I would be really mad or upset if they were either beating the Angels in the head-to-head match ups or were having a much better season than the Angels were.

If I remember things correctly, this was also around the same time that Frank McCourt owned the Dodgers which also added to the intensity of my animosity of the Boys in Blue. Now that Frank McCourt no longer owns the team however, my negative views of the Dodgers have changed considerably over the last few years but not enough to the point where I would choose to root for them over the Angels when they play against each other.

Jared Goff Photo (Top) Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia and Jeffrey Beall Under

CC BY 4.0 License.

Philip Rivers Photo (Bottom) Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia and Jeffrey Beall Under

CC BY 4.0 License. 

2. Los Angeles Rams (LAR) Vs. Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) (NFL)

This same city National Football League (NFL) sports rivalry is the newest one to have arrived recently in the Southern California area. For the Rams this is now the second time in their franchise history that they have played a large part of their games in the state of California after a long detour in St. Louis, Missouri while the Chargers are currently playing in only their second season ever in the city of Los Angeles. Before that of course, they spent their previous seasons playing in the city of San Diego, California.

In terms of now having not one, but two football teams in Los Angeles after an absence of over 20 years, I'm still not quite used to knowing that the NFL has now had two teams come back and or move to the area once again and playing here over the last couple of years. As a sports fan when I was growing up, I actually got very used to not having a football team or teams in the city of Los Angeles for quite some time. As a result, I started to like the freedom of being able to choose which football team to root for if I wanted to do so. It was during that time that I became a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for a little while.

As of right now though, I have not really been a fan of any one football team in particular. That being said, if I had to choose which L.A. team football team that I currently prefer over the other, I guess I would have to go with the Rams due to their recent overall success. That endorsement however is not a ringing one when compared to some of the other rivalries that are included in this article.

Kobe Bryant Photo (Top) Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia and Keith Allison from Kinston, USA

Under CC BY-SA 3.0 License.

Chris Paul Photo (Bottom) Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia and Verse Photography

Under CC BY-SA 2.0 License.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (LAL) Vs. Los Angeles Clippers (also abbreviated as LAC) (NBA)

The next Southern California crosstown rivalry comes from the third of the four biggest professional sports leagues in North America. That is the rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This is a Southern California sports rivalry that has, for the most part, been very one-sided throughout its overall history.

For the majority of time that this rivalry has been around, it has been dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the last few years though, the Clippers have done a good job at fielding some very competitive teams while the Lakers were not very competitive. That being said though, the overall dominance of the Lakers as one of the marquee franchises in the NBA cannot be ignored. From watching some of the greatest basketball players that have played for the purple and gold during my lifetime in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to enjoying the excellent deep playoff runs of the three-peat championship Lakers teams from 2000-2002, there is one clear winner in this rivalry and that is the Lakers!

Now that they have added LeBron James to the fold as a free agent to start the 2018-2019 season, it will be interesting to see if the team can be good enough once again to get back to the playoffs after a drought of a few years and compete for a championship.


Dustin Brown Photo (Below) Courtesy Of:
Wikimedia and JulieAndSteve
Under CC BY 2.0 License.

4. Los Angeles Kings (LAK) Vs. Anaheim Ducks (ANA) (NHL)

The last Southern California crosstown rivalry comes from the sport that I have watched the least of. That is the rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Even though I don't really watch that many hockey games to begin with, I have watched enough of them to have a favorite team to root for and follow in this rivalry. That team would be the Los Angeles Kings.

Since my dad has been a fan of the team throughout the years, that is one factor which made it easier for me to be a fan of the team as well. Another factor that also influenced me along the way were the few years that they put together a solid stretch of being in the Stanley Cup playoffs from 2009 to 2014. During this time the team would end up winning the Stanley Cup at the end of the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 seasons.

As for the Anaheim Ducks, even though they have also won a Stanley Cup championship in 2007 and did so before the Kings won a pair of their own a few years later, I have never really been a fan of that team at all since the time they were established in 1993 as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. At this point in my life when it comes to the Ducks team and how I view them, I probably feel a stronger connection to the Ducks' teams that were featured in the Disney movie franchise of the 1990's which served as the inspiration for the real team.

Since those teams weren't real ones though, I think I'll just stick with my original team allegiance pick of the Los Angeles Kings. That being said though, since my level of interest in the sport hasn't been at the same level of the other sports such as baseball, if either the Kings or Ducks are in the playoffs in a given year as has been the case previously, it wouldn't bother me too much to root for both of them. If that scenario were to happen in the future however, I would give a slight edge to the Kings.

Closing Thoughts:

As the famous saying at the end of the Looney Tunes cartoon series goes, "That's all folks!" With the exception of the local college teams that are in the area as well as those other teams who play for the Major League Soccer (MLS) professional sports league, I have discussed all the professional sports teams that play their respective games in the Southern California area and my subsequent rooting interests for each of them. The main reason why I chose to not include any of the other college or pro sports teams in the Southern California area such as the UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans and the Los Angeles Galaxy is because I don't follow those sports as closely as I do when compared to the four main sports leagues that I chose to be a part of the discussion.

Now that you guys know where I stand as a fan with regards to those teams, it would be interesting to find out if we're on the same page or if there will have to be some lines drawn in the sand. In any case, feel free to continue rooting for whoever you want and I hope we can still be friends, even if we happen to be on opposite sides of the sports rivalry fence.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2018-All Rights Reserved

  

The City of Angels is Now Truly #LABron: Welcome To Los Angeles King James!

Photo Courtesy Of:

Wikimedia

and

Keith Allison

Under

CC BY-SA 2.0 License.

During the era of the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers teams of the late '70's to early '90's, the big marquee name team players were Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "Big Game James" Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper just to name a few.

From 1996 to 2004 there was the dynasty era of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. After that Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and the Lakers were essentially Kobe Bryant's team then for a few more years until 2016 when Bryant officially retired as a player.

Over the last couple of years since Kobe's retirement there have not been too many good or great individual players or teams that have led to the one thing that the entire franchise and its fans want at the end of the season which is an appearance in the NBA Finals round of the NBA Playoffs and a subsequent NBA Championship. The light at the end of the championship tunnel may be near in 2018 however with the arrival via free agency from the Cleveland Cavaliers of arguably the best basketball player in the NBA currently in LeBron James!

Sometime over the course of the next few years, LeBron James and company can hopefully bring the Lakers back to their glory days that the fans of the team have become so familiar with throughout their time in the city of Los Angeles. I know that I'm definitely very excited and am looking forward to seeing how the whole team will perform during this upcoming season as well as for years to come.

Over the last few years I have not watched too many Lakers games myself for a couple of reasons. The first is that out of all of the TV sports channels that my family and I do get at our house, Spectrum Sportsnet is not one of them. The other reason is that the team itself has not been doing very good over the last couple years for me to want to watch them and therefore become very interested in seeing how well they may or may not have been doing during the season. Now that LeBron James is about to start his first season as a player for the Lakers, I think there is a very good chance that I will want to watch them play on national game broadcasts such as those on ESPN/ABC, TNT and NBA TV at least.

Another interesting aspect of Lebron James choosing to join the Lakers over the summer was seeing all the billboards that were put up around the city of Los Angeles and the suburbs as part of a recruiting campaign by local attorney and Lakers fan Jacob Emrani. Unfortunately the Lakers did not end up winning the Paul George sweepstakes to go along with the addition of LeBron but I guess getting 1 out of 2 of the biggest players that were available during this past offseason is not bad, especially if the one player they did get just so happens to be the best player in the sport right now.

While it is still to be determined how well the Los Angeles Lakers will do during the upcoming NBA season, it has certainly been very interesting and exciting to see how the whole free agency period in 2018 has played out up to this point. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers front office team also deserve some credit for their efforts in trying to put together what looks like the start of a good team on paper after a few down years performance wise.

Hopefully with more moves like this being made over the next few years, the Lakers can get back to the promise land of the playoffs and the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. Until then I will wait very patiently to see how things unfold as the team will no doubt try its best to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy back to the city of Los Angeles and its fans for a 17th time in franchise history! For now I'll just say welcome to Los Angeles LeBron!

Tim Musick.
Copyright 2018.
All Rights Reserved.

Phil Jackson Heading To A Big City With Bright Lights And Big Stars

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

The Zen Master has decided to take his talents to the footlights of Broadway to oversee the Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks.  Those collective cries of anguish you hear are most definitely coming from the bright sunny shores in Southern California.

At this point, it's a pretty smart move on Phil's part to not give serious consideration for the same kind of position in La La land.  Sure it would be nice to bring someone with his kind of pedigree into the Lakers front office, but I'm fairly certain that's not going to happen and let's face it, the Purple and Gold aren't going to be a quick fix as currently constructed.  I know what I'm about to say is going to hurt, but as Laker fans we need to get out of the mindset that Jackson is a knight in shining armor riding in to save the day when things are bad in Laker land.

The only downsides I see from Jackson's perspective in New York are that the Knicks aren't much better than the Lakers and he would be spending a lot of time apart from his fiance and longtime partner Jeanie Buss.  In any case, Jackson might just be looking for a new challenge in life.  

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

Los Angeles Lakers Slipping Into Irrelevancy

Jerry Buss must be turning over in his grave over the state of his once beloved franchise.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia 

flipchip/LasVegasVegas.com under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

The above headline is nothing shocking if you're a sports fan living the L.A. area.  The fact is over the past couple of years, the Lakers have just flat out stunk on all levels as a whole.  Don't be fooled into thinking their recent 2-game mini win streak has cured all that ails them.  That said 2-game win spurt came to an end last night at Staples Center in a 132 to 125 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. 

This year, the team has been beset by injury after injury to just about every player who at the beginning of the season were considered crucial to the team in order to have any sustained success.  They have a coach in Mike D'Antoni and an Executive VP of Player Personnel in Jim Buss, the son of the late owner Jerry Buss, who players, fans and even former Laker great Magic Johnson have little faith and trust in.

Now the franchise has entered the territory of what I would call a dumpster fire.  They are quickly getting passed up in popularity by the exciting and energetic squad of the co-tenants of Staples center, the Clippers. The sad part is I see no end in sight to this train wreck of a mess.  They need to clean house and start rebuilding the franchise back to the glory days that fans should come to expect from such a storied franchise.    

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved

Are Lakers Ready to Put the Nail in the Thunder's Coffin?

Many fans are hopeful that happens sooner than later.  The bottom line is this series now has seven games written all over it. 

We all know that the Thunder are the more athletic team, but they are also the youngest.  They have been held in check at Staples Center while dominating the Lakers at home.  That's the way it goes in the NBA.  Teams do better when they're at home.  With that in mind, don't be surprised if the Thunder pull off the win in game 6 and struggle in game 7, if it gets that far.  As a fan, I would like to see the Lakers end it tonight.

Photo Courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Eric Kilby under CC-SA 2.0 License

Lakers Set to Begin Playoffs?

Depending on how they start out, the answer to that question has yet to be determined, as they get set to take on Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Kobe Bryant hasn't been the same through the second half of the regular season.  The same could be said for the whole team though. 

Since the All Star break, the Purple and Gold have seemed disinterested in playing quality basketball.  Their road record hasn't been as good as last year.  They have lost to teams they should have beaten.  The players will say that they'll be ready when the time comes.  That translates to we'll turn on the switch when it matters, but I've never been a fan of that philosophy.  This could be the year where that mantra could come back to bite them in the butt.

I wouldn't be surprised if Oklahoma City doesn't give them a run for their money.  While I think Phil Jackson and company will get past the Thunder, the rest of the West will not be so easy.  Even if the Lakers do survive in the Western Conference and play in the Finals, I don't think they will be on the winning side this time around against the Magic or Cavaliers.  One thing that is for certain, we should have the answers to these concerns come Sunday.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA under CC-BY-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-March 8

Lakers in Unfamiliar Territory.  It's finally happened.  The Lakers have lost three straight for the first time in two years with a 96 to 94 loss against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic yesterday.  Not even Ron Artest's new hair do could stop the downward spiral. 

I'm fairly certain that the sports radio scene in Los Angeles is in a panic today.  I am not worried however.  We've seen the Lakers go through this before and they are playing more road games now.  A lot of teams struggle on the road.  They will look to end the losing streak tomorrow against the Toronto Raptors, a team they should beat, at Staples Center. 

Phoyo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Eric Molina from San Francisco, USA, under CC-BY 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-February 17

Amare Stoudemire Headed to Cleveland?  This may seem like a good move on the surface as the NBA Trade Deadline nears.  I am not a fan of this possible move.  This has all the signs of a desperation move on Cleveland's part.  It's getting to the point where I wish LeBron would leave the Cavs no matter what happens. 

It's also not a good move to make organizational decisions just to appease one player.  Last time I checked, one player doesn't make a team good.  Remember this Cavs, there's no "I" in "Team."

Meanwhile, the Lakers keep rolling without Kobe as they won their fourth straight without the Black Mamba against the Golden State Warriors 104 to 94 last night.  Keep it up Purple and Gold!

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-February 10

Kobe Bryant Questionable for All Star Game.  The Laker guard said yesterday that he would play in the All Star game if he's healthy.  My advice is to skip the game, healthy or not, and rest his tender left ankle.  A few days off would do some good.  To his credit, he has sat out the last two games, both of which the Lakers won and is a game time decision for tonight's game at Utah.  Let's not forget that Andrew Bynum also missed Monday's game against the Spurs with a hip injury.  I say let them sit out at this point of the season.  As long as the Lakers are winning, I see nothing wrong with it. 

It is more important to have a healthy Kobe Bryant down the stretch for the playoffs.  For the Lakers to make a deep run in the playoffs, a healthy Kobe Bryant is essential.  Anyone who says otherwise is living in a fantasy.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and michael248 under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-February 4

Phil Jackson Reaches Coaching Milestone.  What do you know?  Last night's Laker game played out almost according to my earlier prediction. 

I said that the Lakers would get Jackson his 534th win as a Laker coach within the next two games, passing Pat Riley with 533.  Check.  I said the Charlotte Bobcats would give the Lakers all they could handle.  The final score was 99 to 97.  Check.  The only thing I didn't see coming was Kobe Bryant scoring only 5 points and aggravating his injured ankle.  Lamar Odom deserves credit for stepping up his production last night as he led the Purple and Gold with 19 points off the bench.  Way to go L.O.! 

Next up is the Denver Nuggets on Friday.  It looks like right now, Carmelo Anthony will not play for Denver because of his ankle injury.  Let's see if the Lakers can use that to their advantage to get another win!

LaDainian Tomlinson's Future in Question.  The Chargers running back says he won't take a pay cut to play in the NFL next season.  That essentially means his days in San Diego are numbered.  It's possible his days in the NFL are numbered too. 

In his career, Tomlinson has been one of the most dynamic running backs in the league, but his production has been declining over the last few years.  Compared to his regular season production, Tomlinson has been almost nonexistent in the playoffs the last few seasons, due to various injuries and decreased playing time. 

Tomlinson needs to figure out if he's willing to accept a lesser role with another team.  If not, there just aren't very many opportunities where he can be a star running back.  I just don't see it.  He's the Vladimir Guerrero of the NFL, an aging star who is no longer the star player to build your franchise around.

Photos courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, under CC-SA 2.0 License
Wikimedia Commons and SD Dirk under CC-BY 2.0 License     

Tim's Two Cents-February 2

Kobe Bryant Reaches Peak of Laker Summit.  Thanks to a 44 point performance in a 95 to 93 loss, Kobe is now all alone as the Lakers all time leading scorer surpassing Jerry West of NBA logo fame.  If the purple and gold would have come away with the win, not only would my road trip prediction have come true, but Phil Jackson would have become the Lakers all time leader in wins as a coach, surpassing Pat Riley.

Good for Kobe on acheiving another milestone in a stellar career.  I'm not surprised he is now at the top of the Lakers franchise in scoring.  It will be a longshot for him to become the leading scorer in NBA history.  I don't think it will happen even if he stays reasonably healthy, but he will get very close. 

As for the Zen Master, he should get the all time wins mark within the next few days.  The Lakers will return to Staples Center on Wednesday to face the Charlotte Bobcats.  This has the makings of a trap game as the Bobcats have given the Lakers a run for their money over the last few years.  That is followed by Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles on Friday.  Let's hope they can get a win or two in these games because the Purple and Gold will head to the house of horrors that is the Rose Garden in Portland on Saturday.   

Tim's Two Cents-February 1

Lakers Stun Celitics.  Kobe does it again.  Ray Allen played about as good on defense as you could possibly play and it still didn't phase Kobe with 7.3 seconds left as the Lakers commit grand theft with a 90 to 89 triumph against their rivals from Beantown.  They were down at one point 81 to 70 in the fourth quarter.  Ron Artest set the tone before the game even started.  It was nice to see him jawing with Paul Pierce from the get go.  That's how you show your opponent that you're not going to be pushed around.

With the win, my original prediction for the road trip is still intact.  If they beat the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, which they should, the Lakers will finish having won 6 out of 8.

Roger Federer Sparkles Down Under.  New year, familiar result.  Make it 16 and counting for the Swiss gem.  The latest victim was Andy Murray as the Australian Open came to a close yesterday.  We didn't get to see the Federer-Nadal matchup due to Nadal retiring in an earlier match with a knee injury.  That definitely increased the odds in Federer's favor. 

Federer will most likely go down in history as the greatest men's tennis player ever once his story comes to an end.  For right now, his story will continue in May on the clay of Roland Garros, where he will defend last year's title.  It was special last year because it was his first title in Paris, completing the career grand slam, having won in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York.

Photos courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison from Kinston, USA under CC-SA 3.0 License
Wikimedia Commons and Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia under CC-BY 2.0 License 

Tim's Two Cents-January 27

Lakers Longest Road Trip of the Year at the Halfway Marker.  With the Lakers beating the Washington Wizards yesterday 115 to 103, they have now played four games and are in the middle of an eight game road trip, the longest of the year. 

It was a nice time in the nation's capital for the purple and gold.  They got to exchange pleasantries with the President, who couldn't help himself to saying how much better he liked the Chicago Bulls when Phil Jackson was the coach.  Come on Barack, the Bulls haven't even been close to winning a championship since Jackson left.  What a way to disrespect the (not Chicago Bulls) guests of honor.  Good one Obama.  The Lakers did what they should have done by beating the Wizards.

The road trip continues tonight against the Indiana Pacers.  That is followed by matchups with the 76ers, Celtics and Grizzlies.  I know I predicted the Lakers would win 6 of 8 on the trip.  I'm not backing off.  That means they would have to gio undefeated for the rest of the trip.  One thing that didn't help was the loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.    

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 22

Cavs Sweep Season Series With Lakers.  It is just me, or do the Lakers seem to be playing like they did two seasons ago when they lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals?  They just don't seem to have the same intensity and focus as last year. 

It was nice to see Kobe Bryant become the youngest player ever to reach 25,000 career points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.  If he stays reasonably healthy, he has a chance to become the league's all-time leading scorer.  The only problem was that LeBron James put up better numbers once again with 37 points compared to Bryant's 31 in a 93 to 87 loss.

I have no doubt in my mind that the Lakers will do reasonably well come playoff time, but it is becoming quite clear that they need to ramp up their intensity and focus in their overall game.  Otherwise this season will end as a failure.  Playing for home court advantage throughout the playoffs would certainly help. 

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License 

Tim's Two Cents-January 19

Lakers Embark on Longest Road Trip of the Year.  After spending much of the season in the friendly confines of Staples Center, the Lakers now hit the road for an 8 game, 13 day road trip after beating the Orlando Magic 98 to 92 yesterday.  We will finally see what they're really made of.

It all starts on Thursday with LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers.  That is followed by tilts with the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

This has the makings to be a very good road trip for the purple and gold.  They just need to keep their focus and concentration at the highest level.  I can almost certainly guarantee that Kobe Bryant will play injured or not injured.  Pau Gasol and Ron are slowly but surely settling into a groove since coming back from their injuries.  Right off the bat, I think the Lakers will end up winning 6 out of 8 on the road trip.  If previous history is any indication though, my prediction isn't worth the screen it's typed on.   

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Eric Kilby under CC-SA 2.0 License

Tim's Two Cents-January 14

Are the Clippers Cursed?  News broke yesterday that this year's number one draft pick Blake Griffin is going to have season-ending knee surgery.  So that means Griffin will have to wait until next season to make his NBA debut.  The various reactions to the news centered around whether the Clippers are a cursed franchise.  I'm not holding my breath.

Ever since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they've always existed under the shadow of the other, more successful Los Angeles team.  The Clippers have tried so much to be like the Lakers that they even play in the same building.  How sorry of a franchise must you be if you have to share your arena with another team in the same sport?  This team should have moved to Anaheim a long time ago when they had the chance.  They probably still have the chance to move elsewhere but they will probably screw it up once again somehow.

As for the Griffin injury excuse for a curse, I don't buy it at all.  L.A.'s other team has more key players injured than any other team in the NBA right now: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest.  Those are three star players who have been dealing with injuries all season long.  As of last night, their record is 30-9.  The Clippers, who still have the likes of Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and Sebastian Telfair, are 17-20.  So don't give me any of this "we're cursed" nonsense.

The bottom line is the Lakers are a much better run franchise than the Clippers.  They're not a very good team to begin with, living in the shadow of the big brother.  Some other notable first round picks by the Clippers include Michael Olowokandi and Shaun Livingston.  They are now both virtually nonexistent in the NBA today.  Olowokandi never panned out as a premiere athlete in the sport and Livingston was a walking bandaid with numerous injuries. 

As far as I'm concerned, the Clippers will never be a viable franchise as long as Donald Sterling owns the team.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Conman33 under CC-BY 3.0 License   

Lakers End Two Game Skid

Laker fans can stop panicking for the moment thanks to a 95 to 77 win over the Milwaukee Bucks last night, ending a two game losing streak after losses to the Clippers and the Trail Blazers.  So the world is not going to end.  Even though Kobe had a poor shooting effort, the Lakers found a way to win.  I will say that if you told me Kobe Bryant would go 4 for 21 in field goals and the Lakers would still win, I would say you're crazy.  Funny thing is that's exactly what happened!

For the Lakers, Andrew Bynum had himself quite a game.  Bynum had 17 points and 18 rebounds while Bryant had only 12 points and 5 rebounds.  This game was not a masterpiece on offense though.  Both teams struggled to knock down wide open shots, so I don't know how much of it was good defense or bad luck.

At least today sports radio in Los Angeles can talk about a Lakers win instead of a three game losing streak.  The Lakers will head out on the road to face the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow. 

As for the Clippers, they continue to win.  Their latest victim was the Miami Heat yesterday afternoon with a 104 to 94 victory.  They are getting more confident as the season goes on following victories against both the Lakers and the Celtics.     

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and michael248 under CC-SA 2.0 License

Kobe is Clutch Once Again

We've seen this movie many times before.  What I want to know is how many more times is it going to happen?

For the third time in the last few weeks,Kobe Bryant hit a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Lakers steal another one from the Sacramento Kings 109 to 108.  Once again, the purple and gold got off to a slow start in the first half, down by as many as 20 points in the second quarter.  They would have to come out like gang busters in the second half to get back in it and like clockwork, they did. 

Lamar Odom and the rest the team decided to join the party in the third quarter as the Lakers fought their way back and made it a very entertaining game to say the least.  It quickly became a back and forth contest as Phil Jackson's squad kept trimming the deficit and finally tied it at 93.  It was soon after that the Black Mamba started "dancing" in an effort to will his team to another victory.  Many Laker fans, including myself, probably thought the game was all but over when Ime Udoka was headed to the free throw line to attempt two shots with Sacramento ahead 108 to 106.  To the Lakers delight, Udoka missed both free throws and the Lakers had a chance with a little over four seconds remaining.  Like many other situations, the Lakers turned to their go to guy in Bryant.  Bryant looked like he got away with a little push off to create some space in front of the Kings bench and the rest was history.  In what was actually a closer buzzer beater after looking at the replay, the Lakers stunned the Kings for the second time in a week despite Spencer Hawes career high 30 points and Omri Casspi's 23 points.

It looks like 2010 will be another good year for the Lakers, but for the sake of the fans, I hope they don't have rely on Kobe to bail them out each and every time.      

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and michael248 under CC-SA 2.0 License
 

Lakers Survive in Double Overtime

One day after getting a beatdown from King James and the Cavaliers, the Lakers hit the road in Sacramento, minus Ron Artest who suffered a concussion after falling down some stairs at his home in Los Angeles.  If you missed most of the first three quarters, like I did, you didn't miss much of the action.

As it always seems to be, the Lakers were in a close one in the fourth quarter.  Toward the end of the fourth, Pau Gasol was fouled and had a chance to give the Lakers the lead with just under 24 seconds remaining.  In a rare occurrence, Gasol missed both free throws.  The Kings then had a chance to win it in regulation but Tyreke Evans was unable to get a shot off thanks to some stellar defense by Kobe Bryant.  Oh, and not to mention that Bryant suffered an elbow injury earlier in the game.  As many Laker fans know though, it takes a lot more than an elbow injury to keep Kobe from playing.

In the first overtime the Kings got off to a fast start with a 101 to 94 lead with a little over two minutes remaining.  The Lakers were seemingly on life support, but these are the Lakers.  They somehow managed to fight their way back to a 101 tie, forcing a second overtime.

The turning point in the second overtime was when Kobe Bryant, bad elbow and all, hit back-to-back three pointers to give the Lakers a 109 to 103 lead.  In the end, Bryant had 38 points and the Lakers shocked Kings fans with a 112 to 103 win.  It was somewhat hard to figure out who the Kings fans were because it seemed like there was a huge contingent of Laker fans in attendance.  It would make sense because they are the number one draw on the road and Sacramento isn't that far from Los Angeles.

The Lakers will stay on the road as they head for the scorching heat of the Phoenix desert to take on Steve Nash and the Suns tomorrow night.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Keith Allison under CC-SA 2.0 License     

Lakers Lay an Egg for Santa on Christmas

Yesterday the Lakers did something they haven't done in 11 games at Staples Center.  Lose.  LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were hands down, the better team on Friday after a 102 to 87 victory.

The Lakers were only really in this game in the early stages of the first quarter with leads of 6 to nothing and 8 to 2.  After that, there was a power outage on the overall game for the Lakers.  They had stretches where they couldn't make any shots and they weren't playing championship caliber defense.  Give the Cavaliers credit though for playing some outstanding defense that was too much for the Lakers throughout.  Once again, the Lakers were down at halftime 51 to 42.  It would have been 54 to 42 if LeBron James would have gotten his full court shot off a little quicker.

As the Lakers always do, they made a push to begin the second half, cutting the lead to six at 54 to 48 early in the third quarter.  The Cavs proved to be the better team once again stretching the lead to as large as 20 points. 

The big subplot to the game was the Laker players growing frustration with how the game was being officiated.  It was established very early on that the refs were going to call a very physical game and they were going to let the players play.  That did not sit well with Phil Jackson's squad however, as Lamar Odom was ejected in the fourth quarter after being assessed a second technical foul.  Kobe Bryant also had a technical foul.

Things really started to boil over though when frustrated Laker fans started throwing souvenir foam fingers from the stands.  Someone even threw a water bottle on the court.  I thought Laker fans had more class than that.  Regardless of the fans frustrations with the officiating, the truth is the Lakers were outplayed yesterday in every facet of the game and could not make any significant adjustments to stop the Cavaliers. 

I expect the purple and gold to bounce back against the Sacramento Queens...oh I mean Kings tonight in cowbell territory.  If they don't, the Lakers will have a long rest of the weekend.

In other basketball news, L.A.'s other team, the Clippers, were scorched by the Suns in Phoenix 124 to 93.

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and michael248 under CC-SA 2.0 License