Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake probably knew he would take a lot of heat for missing a potential go-ahead three-pointer with just a few seconds left in the Lakers‘ 77-75 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday night.
However, he couldn’t of envisioned death threats.
That’s right. In a fit of rage, some Laker fans forgot that basketball is just a game and though it may seem like life or death, it was really only a loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. These same fans then took to Twitter to attack Blake and his wife, Kristen.
Kobe Bryant’s never been one for disappearing acts—especially during the postseason—but he managed to fool everyone Wednesday night.
Bryant missed all four of his shots in the final 5:31, had a turnover that led directly to a Durant dunk and had another tipped pass go off his arm and out of bounds. On top of all that, the Black Mamba didn’t score a single point the final 6:43 of the fourth quarter.
Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals was a wake-up call for the Los Angeles Lakers. After narrowly sneaking past the Denver Nuggets in the first round, the Lakers learned the hard way that things will only be that much more difficult playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Led by Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points and nine assists, and Kevin Durant, who added 25 points, the Thunder demolished the Lakers 119-90 Monday night.
The Thunder were not only the more well-rested team Monday night, they were also the more dominant one. In every facet of the game.
Oy! Really? I need to kvetch for just a moment about how my Lakers have somehow allowed the Nuggets to stay in this series when it should have ended two games ago. But, the Nuggets are still here and the Lakers are not playing the way they should be. I guess we could chock it up to a long and pretty crappy year, but, I think there is something mental going on. How does a team that has Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant lose twice in a row to the Nuggets when the Nuggets are just a good team, but they are not great? I just don’t understand.
With how dominant Andrew Bynum has been at both ends of the court this season for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s sometimes easy to forget that he is still 24 years old.
Last night, he should that he still has plenty of learning, and growing up to do.
When asked about having the chance to close out the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 at Staples Center, Bynum candidly replied that “closeout games are actually kind of easy” because “teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning.”
During the first half of Game 3 in Denver against the Los Angeles Lakers, a woman sitting court side began to wonder away from her seat and onto the court, getting as much as near the three-point line before being escorted by security.
The woman, who was revealed to be named Savannah McMillan-Christmas, a 20-year old native of Denver, looked confused and disoriented as she stumbled on the court with 1:10 left in the second quarter and was near Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson and Kobe Bryant and the referees blew their whistle to stop play. She caused a 2-3 minute delay while being escorted off the court to the boos of the home crowd.
If you’ve ever wanted an incredibly unique piece of basketball memorabilia, Kobe Bryant is here to indulge you.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is currently auctioning off the famous mask he wore earlier in the season to protect his broken nose. Kobe rocked the face plastic after breaking his nose in this year’s All-Star game, but the 16-year NBA veteran didn’t let the injury slow him down. Not only is the mask signed by the Black Mamba, but it carries a little bit of history seeing as how Bryant scored his 29,000th career point while wearing the mask.
If you though the Lakers‘ 2012 postseason would be one free of controversy, think again.
Lakers’ center Jordan Hill has been charged with felony assault for allegedly choking his girlfriend, Darlene Luna. The catch—the incident took place back on Feb. 29 at his Houston apartment when he was still a member of the Houston Rockets.
After news broke, Hill took to his Twitter account to apologize.
“I’m saddened to learn of the accusations that were filed against me today,” he said. “At this time I cannot comment further other than to say that my attorneys are working to gather all of the facts and evidence and I plan to cooperate completely with the authorities.
The first week of the hectic 2012 NBA Playoffs are in the books and already there are plenty of story lines and drama that will likely ensure to become a very entertaining 40 nights to decide a champion. From the match ups to the injuries and records being broken, every game this weekend had worth watching and plenty of things to discuss: The Magic and Clippers are up 1-0, Derrick Rose is out and the Spurs and Heat look like the best teams in the postseason. Highlights from Weekend 1 include:
Andrew Bynum tied the record for blocks in a single playoff game, carded a triple-double, and led the Lakers to a convincing win over the Nuggets in the first game of their first round playoff series.
10 blocks for anyone is obscene, so, when Andrew Bynum has 10 of them and Kobe scores 31, that’s enough. Now, the show is finally running. The defensive presence that Bynum exudes down low is enough to force any Laker opponents to steer clear. Surely he won’t have 10 blocks in a game every game, but, it’s enough to give people pause when they go looking for easy buckets in the paint.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake probably knew he would take a lot of heat for missing a potential go-ahead three-pointer with just a few seconds left in the Lakers‘ 77-75 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday night.
