Bleacher Report - Articles by Jeff Little

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks NBA Preview

Jeff Little — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0500

The Lakers are back on the hardwood tonight against a talented Atlanta Hawks team. Hopefully, the Lakers will bring and employ their defense tonight at the Staples Center.

The Lakers took one on the chin and were beaten by the Mavericks on Friday because of poor shooting and not being able to stop a familiar tactic: the pick and roll play.

The loss was their worst at home in two years.

Los Angeles needs to shake off the rust and put on a bounce-back performance. Being stunned at home by an opponent that you had beaten six times in a row could be the type of wake up call this team needs.

The Lakers have a favorable schedule to start the season that could easily vault them in the Western Conference Standings but they’ll have to play night-and-day better than what we saw against Dallas.

Los Angeles is still playing without All-Star Power Forward Pau Gasol who has yet to make his 2009-2010 season debut, it is doubtful that it will be tonight.

The team doesn’t look the same without him.

The ironic thing is that Gasol was the third pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies on draft day.

However, it must be said that I have no idea how Kwame Brown & Tyson Chandler were selected ahead of him.

His absence is no excuse for how lethargic the team was defensively. The coaching staff will have film of the game as a teaching tool. It is necessary because the Atlanta Hawks are averaging 110 points per game.

All-Star Shooting Guard Joe Johnson is averaging 21 points per game and has shot 50 percent or better against the Lakers in six of his last seven games in Los Angeles. Josh Smith is averaging 19 points per game. Running the offense for the Hawks is veteran Point Guard Mike Bibby who has played well against the Lakers on more than one occasion.

Andrew Bynum has been solid this season, averaging 20 points and 11.5 rebounds but he will need help against Atlanta’s talented young front court of Al Horford, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. Horford is averaging 17 points 14 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game.

*The remainder of the Preview is in the Locker Room*

Lakers vs Mavericks Preview

Jeff Little — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:42:00 -0400

The Lakers raised another banner, got their rings in a star studded ring ceremony as Lakers legends honored the reigning champions. The team officially put the 2008-2009 season behind them then it was just like that Jay Z track “On To The Next One” and began their title defense by dispatching the Clippers.

Pau Gasol sat out with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of tonight’s contest as well. Ron Artest fit in well in his Lakers debut as expected. Kobe led the Lakers with a game high 33 points; Andrew Bynum celebrated his 22nd birthday with a 26 point 13 rebound effort putting aside any doubts about his health.

Despite Bynum’s game and a few nice Kobe Bryant reverse lay ups, there wasn’t a lot for the sold out crowd to cheer about as the Clippers kept the game close. The Lakers bench contributed a full nine points collectively and remains a concern. The Lakers defense has to improve and get back to a championship level it’s early in the season and not there yet.

Los Angeles faces the Dallas Mavericks tonight, a team that is coming off of a terrible loss at home to the Wizards. The team is still led by Jason Kidd, who is a year older and a step slower, but still effective. Dirk Nowitski was provided front court help with the additions of Shawn Marion & Drew Gooden.

The above mentioned additions will really help Nowitski by defending and crashing the boards. Whenever he is asked to rebound he appears to wear down.

Last year’s solid five–man nucleus of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitski and Brandon Bass is no longer intact for various reasons. The Mavericks can’t match the versatility of the Lakers roster even with the absence of Pau Gasol and their ability to cause match up problems.

Dallas needs someone to take the pressure off of Dirk Nowitski. The Mavericks need Jason Terry’s points off of the bench to be effective. He didn’t give them much in the first game, nor did the new additions.

One would think that this game has the makings of a shootout. However, the Lakers will start their offense from the inside out by getting the ball to Andrew Bynum early and often, and allowing him to go to work.

You should also see Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom spend some time in the post as well. The Lakers have to shoot better, and their bench has to step up and contribute. Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and Shannon Brown have to knock down open shots, and the second unit has to come in and change the pace of the game.

Defensively the Lakers have to control the tempo of the game and play at their pace, own the boards, stop the dribble penetration, limit Dallas to one shot per possession, and challenge every shot. I want to see the Lakers play defense without fouling and make it a point to rotate out to three point shooters.

Tip-off: 7:30 PM PST

Television -
• Los Angeles: ESPN & FSW (Joel Myers & Stu Lantz)
• Dallas: ESPN & TXA 21 (Mark Followill & Brad Davis)

Radio -
• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
• Dallas: ESPN 103.3 KTXA FWB 980 (Bob Ortegal & Chuck Cooperstein)
Injuries -

Lakers:
• Pau Gasol (Hamstring)
Mavericks:
• SF Josh Howard (Ankle)

Photo Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

L.A. Lakers Won't Need Lady Luck vs. Sacramento Kings in Las Vegas Exhibition

Jeff Little — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:40:00 -0400

The Lakers are in Las Vegas, NV for a preseason run against the Kings at the Thomas and Mack Center. In the previous game, the Lakers returned to The Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, CA, only to have the nostalgic run end in defeat to the Warriors, who shot better than Los Angeles in the second of back to back games.

The Kings have made several additions to the squad in the offseason, such as first round picks PG/SG Tyreke Evans & F Omri Casspi, SG/SF Desmond Mason, SF Andres Nocioni and PF Sean May. Their new head coach, Paul Westphal, is big on versatility in his players, and he will employ a three-guard lineup against the Lakers tonight.

It appears to me that the move is more of a gimmick than a solution to what ails the team. Don’t get me wrong. Versatility is good for any team, and will benefit a team in the long run.

Beno Udrih is an effective point guard, and Tyreke Evans can be a very effective combo guard as well, but losing Francisco Garcia for a while—in the second high-profile weight lifting accident in sports—causes a need to attempt to replace his point production, which will cause a team to make adjustments.

No disrespect, but the Kings are a team that will be lucky to sniff 30 wins this season. In my opinion, it is not really about positions, but more about putting the best five guys on the floor.

The theory has worked for the Warriors, Suns and Mavericks when the goal was to score a ton of points and concern themselves with the classic low-post matchups at the four and five spots.

The Kings also have more depth at the guard positions and at small forward. The Lakers have one of the most versatile rosters in the league; it will be on full display tonight. Los Angeles will use defense as their calling card tonight, as they will the entire season. The Lakers could match the Kings' three-guard lineup with Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest and Shannon Brown.

Derek Fisher is the starter at point guard, but matched up against a 6’6” Tyreke Evans in the post, it might be necessary to double-team, which will force the defense to rotate. The Kings will have to adjust to the Lakers regardless of what lineup is on the floor. Los Angeles will focus on player movement and ball movement, as well as executing their offense.

The fact that Luke Walton hasn’t played a lot of minutes is due to the fact that more time was given to Ron Artest and Adam Morrison. The coaching staff has big plans on how they’ll deploy both players. Morrison will come off of the bench, but Coach Jackson wants the opponents to figure out how Artest will be utilized.

Look for the Lakers to play inside-out and allow Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to go to work. You might see Kobe Bryant in the post as well. I want to see Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic & Adam Morrison consistently knock down open shots.

Tip-off: 7:00 p.m. PDT

Television

• Los Angeles: KCAL 9 (HD)
• Sacramento: KXTV News10 (HD)

Radio

• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
• Sacramento: KHTK 1140 (Gary Gerould)

Injuries

Lakers:
• PF/C Pau Gasol (Hamstring Strain)
• C DJ Mbenga ( Misalignment of his hips/ hip flexors)
• SF Luke Walton (Minor Back Pain)

Kings:
• SG Francisco Garcia (Forearm)

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors Game Two Preview

Jeff Little — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:20:00 -0400

I’ve got goose bumps by simply hearing the phrase “the Lakers will face the Warriors at the Forum in Inglewood, CA tonight.” Call it a blast from the past but great to hear. The Lakers started the 2009-2010 Pre-Season right where they ended last season convincingly beating their opponent.

The exhibition run gave everyone a look at what this team is capable of doing.
Ron Artest had a nice debut for Los Angeles with a 12 point, 9 rebound, and 7 assist night. Andrew Bynum lead the Lakers is scoring with 24 points showing a lot of athleticism finishing at the rim early and often.

He also showed that he is fully recovered from the knee injury that plagued him in the playoffs and prepared to be a presence in the paint. Hopefully for the Lakers on both ends of the court.

Kobe Bryant put up 22 points and grabbed 9 boards as the defending NBA champions used a balanced scoring effort to win their preseason opener big in Anaheim.

The same two teams will match up again this evening under a different roof. Always great to see the start of another basketball season but and even better sight on Wednesday night was to see the Lakers reserves put up 47 points. The bench production in 2009 wasn’t as solid or consistent as it was in 2008.

Earlier indications are that this area was addressed by the coaching staff and will improve with Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar & Adam Morrison consistently knocking down open shots. The Lakers won it all last year by playing solid defense and that needs to be their calling card this season. The addition of Ron Artest works toward accomplishing that goal.

the rest of the article is in the Locker Room

Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors Preview

Jeff Little — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:33:00 -0400

The Lakers showed that they had the desire, experience and toughness to compete at the highest level. These facts are some of the reasons that the Los Angeles Lakers challenged for the title in 2008, won it all in 2009 and will repeat in 2010.

A versatile and talented roster from top to bottom that includes All Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol has also meant a lot and Mitch Kupchak needs to be applauded for that. The roster number per game is 12; we all have a pretty good idea of who will be on the roster.

The only question here is about potential additions; The Lakers signed Tony Gaffney, Mickael Gelebale, David Monds, Michael Fey and Thomas Kelati. Gaffney and Monds played on the summer league team but the question is will any of them make the 15-man roster.

It is too early to tell, but Gaffney and Monds have a good understanding of the offense. In addition, both guys have the size that Coach Phil Jackson likes.

Gaffney is a solid defensive player who ranked third in the nation in blocked shots (3.8) in his senior season at UMASS en route to being name the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player the Year.

The drive to repeat officially starts 20 days from now but today the pre-season and the first of two exhibition games against the Golden State Warriors begins. The Warriors can put up points in bunches but have endured team turmoil all off-season.

The rest of the story is in the locker room.

Raiders-Texans: Which Team's Young Players Will Step Up?

Jeff Little — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:10:00 -0400

A battle of two 1-2 teams takes place in Houston, when the Raiders and Texans clash. This isn’t the game of the week in the NFL, but is sure is for the Raider Nation and the Texans faithful.

The sad reality is once the final gun sounds, one team is going to have a record of 1-3. Then coaches and players alike will be forced to walk the plank by their owners, the media, and most importantly their fan base.

As it is with every game in the NFL, there’s a tremendous amount on the line. Both teams at times have shown glimpses of success, moments of ineptitude, reasons to cheer and cause for concern in this young season.

This game has the potential of being a very competitive game, but in this writer’s opinion, it is a must win for both teams.

In week 16 of the 2008 season the Raiders beat a hot Texans team that was on a roll. The Texans were in the process of attempting to extend their win streak to five straight, but the Oakland Raiders weren’t having any of that, winning 27-16.

The best thing about that game for Oakland was that it showed that this team has some playmakers, and even better than that, was the fact that the young players showed up and had an impact. The Raiders won with a total team effort, playing well in all three phases of the game.

From that moment, I was under the impression that this team would continue to build upon the success of this game and become much more competitive. Several key players that helped Oakland beat Houston in 2008 will not participate this Sunday. Gone and definitely missed are C Jake Grove, LG Robert Gallery, FB Justin Griffith and WR Chaz Schilens.

Flash forward to 2009 and my vision of the team’s future has changed. To say that the Oakland Raiders have struggled would be an understatement, but this week gives the team a great opportunity to right the ship. Houston is at, or near, the bottom in several defensive categories and Oakland needs to take advantage of that fact.

Offensively, now is the time for the Raiders to run the ball at least 35-45 times. Oakland needs to get all of their runners involved. Fifteen carries a piece for Michael Bush and Justin Fargas, and a total of 15 touches for Darren McFadden would be nice to see.

The Raiders should be able to get the passing game going against the Texans, but it is time for the team to use Louis Murphy and Javon Walker as the starters. I’m bringing up Walker because of the fact that he is a veteran and he’s being paid too much money to be a spectator. At the very least, he can catch the ball and run precise routes.

...the remainder of the article is in the Locker Room

Will the Lack of DT Depth Be the Oakland Raiders' Achilles Heel in 2009?

Jeff Little — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:34:53 -0400

Halfway through the 2009 preseason for the Raiders and as fans we’ve seen some good things and some bad things but most disturbing is the fact that the team still can’t stop the run.

Reminiscent of a cold that you just can’t seem to shake, similar to having a sheet of flypaper stuck to your hand, the Oakland Raiders can’t dodge the fact that they’ve had great difficulty stopping the run for the past six years quickly going on seven.

Oakland has surrendered 150+ rushing yards per game, on average, for the better part of the last six years. To ask what is the problem or what has gone wrong are questions that are too obvious to ask.

The message to the new defensive coordinator couldn’t have been spelled out clearer: stop the run and get after the quarterback. It is way too early to say that they’ve failed because they haven’t. I applauded the selection of John Marshall and Dwaine Board as defensive line coach but these guys weren’t given the tools to succeed.

Defensive tackle is a position of need that has been neglected in the draft by Oakland for far too long. 2009 has started and this team needs two defensive tackles in the 2010 draft.

The last time the Raiders were stout up the middle against the run was 2002. I hate to have to call anyone out but we as Raider fans knew that this was a major area of need, that it had to be addressed and that the two best defensive tackles on the team were Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren.

Tommy Kelly is a talented DT who gets double teamed on almost every play. I'm tired of seeing him getting up off of the ground and if he had some help in terms depth at the position this could change.

The blame has to be placed at the doorstep of Al Davis for consistently not addressing this position in the draft. As a Raiders fan I have also been a fan of Al Davis however there is no excuse for this happening.

The importance of the position has been overlooked, the idea of drawing a line in the sand and making a definitive stand on correcting this error has been put on the back burner for over a decade and it continues to be a major weakness.

When you talk of improving any team the first thing that needs to happen would be to improve the defense. Oakland has gone through another draft where the defensive tackle position wasn’t addressed, again, and it has been the Achilles heel for the Raiders as well as the reason for their demise.

The last five defensive tackles drafted by Oakland were Anttaj Hawthorne (2005), Junior Ioane (2000), Leon Bender (1998), Darrell Russell (1997), and Grady Jackson (1997).

http://jllockerroom.blogspot.com/

NFL: Look to the Backups

Jeff Little — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:27:00 -0400

NFL franchises are officially back to work, their training camps in full swing. Adversity in the form of injuries has also affected teams as it has every year; several key players have gone down with significant injuries.

When it comes to injuries in the NFL, it is identical to riding a motorcycle. It is a known fact that if you ride one, you will go down at some point in time, and hopefully you can recover from any injuries. Coincidentally, when it comes to injuries in the NFL, it isn’t a matter of if it happens but a matter of when.

Let’s be honest: injuries suck, but they’re part of the game and a setback that has to be overcome. It is also an opportunity for the backup player to step up and prove he can be the guy.

Can Joe Mays be the guy in Philadelphia? Can Corey Irvin, Nick Hayden or Marlon Favorite step up in Carolina? One thing is for certain: both clubs and us fans we’ll find out right away.

Here are a couple of guys who have made it happen before.

1. Kurt Warner stepped in for Trent Green in 1999
2. Tom Brady stepped in for Drew Bledsoe in 2001
3. Kerry Collins stepped in for Rich Gannon in 2003
4. James Harrison stepped in for Clark Haggans in 2005

If the entire organization (owner, front office, scouting department & coaching staff) is on the same page and has properly built their team, they’ll be prepared for this scenario. This is accomplished by drafting well with a three to five year vision in mind and clearly defined attainable goals.

In theory, a team's first and second round draft picks should be integral pieces to the puzzle that have the potential to be longtime fixtures for a franchise. A team should be drafting potential starters or players that can develop into starters in every round. However, a team is actually built in rounds three through seven. Let’s not forget selecting undrafted free agents to develop.

It has been said more than once that the best laid plans can and will go awry. Injuries have negatively affected the outcome of the season of several teams. It brings to mind the John Madden Football curse. I know to some people this might sound just a tad out of context, but follow me if you will, and it will make sense.

It must be stated that this isn’t a knock on John Madden Football. I absolutely love the game and have been playing it for years. Going back over the last ten years, significant player injuries and being on the cover of the game have been synonymous. NFL players were featured on the cover of the game for the first time in 1999.

• 1999 Garrison Hearst—He had an outstanding regular season, finishing third in rushing yards. However, he suffered a broken ankle in the Divisional Playoff game against the Falcons. The severe break caused Hearst to miss two full NFL seasons. The team went 8-8 and third place in the division.

• 2000 Barry Sanders—He is pictured over Madden’s left shoulder on the cover. Sanders abruptly retired in July before the start of the '99 season. The team went 8-8, third place in the division.

• 2001 Eddie George—George’s curse came in '01 in the form of him failing to break 1,000 yards rushing and the Titans going 7-9 and missing the playoffs.

• 2002 Dante Culpepper—Culpepper missed four games due to injury, threw for 1,300 fewer yards and 19 fewer TD passes than in 2000. The Vikings went 5-11, their worst record since 1984.

• 2003 Marshall Faulk—Faulk played in the same number of games, but ran for 430 yards less and had four fewer TDs than in 2001, which was his worst season since 1996. The Rams scored only 16 more points then their 1996 team that had Tony Banks at QB and Lawrence Phillips at RB. The team went 7-9 and finished third in the division.

• 2004 Michael Vick—Vick missed the first 11 games of the season with a broken leg. Vick’s QB rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt were all down from 2002. (This is clearly a statistic Vince Young wasn’t aware of when he stated in a September interview with Esquire magazine that playing QB was all about your legs.) The team went 5-11 and took fourth place in the division.

• 2005 Ray Lewis—Lewis, for the most part, avoided the curse. His numbers were slightly down from the previous year and he missed one game. However, he didn’t record an interception in 2004, the first time in his career.

• 2006 Donovan McNabb—After Week 9, McNabb suffered a hernia and was lost for the season. McNabb threw for more interceptions; his yards per attempt and completion percentage were down from 2004. The Eagles finished 6-10, in last place, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

• 2007 Shaun Alexander—Alexander missed six regular season games with a broken foot. He finished the season with 896 yards and six TDs, his lowest numbers since his rookie season. He had a 3.6 yards per carry average—his career average was 4.4 yards per carry. The team went 10-6, went to the playoffs, and lost in the divisional round to the Packers.

• 2008 Vince Young—Vince Young threw for 2,546 yards, nine TDs and 17 interceptions. He did complete 62 percent of his passes and Tennessee went 10-6, losing to the Chargers in the playoffs.

• 2009 Bret Favre—Favre passed for 3,472 yards, 22 TDs and 22 interceptions. Favre and the Jets experienced a hot start, but faded late after Favre injured his throwing arm, and the season collapsed. Brett threw six fewer TDs and seven more INTs than in 2007. The Jets finished 9-7 after an 8-3 start and missed the playoffs, losing to the Dolphins with their former QB at the helm.

The NFL is the epitome of the next man up. Overcoming adversity and moving on is the name of the game. A highly important factor in answering the obvious question—can the team trust the backup and rally around him?

Lakers-Nuggets: Kobe Bryant and Co. Crush Denver, Advance to the NBA Finals

Jeff Little — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:58:00 -0400

Lakers+being+presented+the+WCF+Title.jpg">The Lakers saved their best game of the series for last in administering a season-ending beatdown to the Nuggets, 119-92, and making their return to the NBA Finals on Friday night. Los Angeles showed it was focused and ready to play from the start of the game.

Trevor Ariza set the tone early by knocking down three shots from behind the arc; he finished the game with 17 points.

Los Angeles was active, aggressive, attacking the basket, and had everything working. Kobe Bryant wore the hat of the facilitator early, getting all of his teammates involved, and then showed why he is the best closer in the game.

Nine Lakers had taken a shot in the first half prior to his taking over the game. Los Angeles used a focused, total-team effort.

Kobe had 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, six assists, and one huge blocked shot in the first half. He scored 11 of those points during a decisive, 21-7 Lakers scoring run that gave Los Angeles a 53-40 lead at halftime.

Bryant’s stat line for the game showed that he scored 35 points, handed out 10 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds. All of his scoring was accomplished by efficiently using 20 shots. But stats couldn't convey the leadership, teaching, and motivating he did to raise his teammates' level of play.

The Lakers used all of their weapons to increase their lead and had five players score in double-digits.

Pau Gasol scored 20 points and notched 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Lamar Odom had another great game, leading the second unit with 20 points and eight rebounds. Luke Walton contributed 10 points off the bench.

Los Angeles held the lead for the majority of the game and increased the margin to as much as 29 points. The Nuggets faithful headed for the the exits with more than four minutes left in regulation.

The Lakers bench outscored the Nuggets bench 40-34. Los Angeles outplayed Denver in every way possible in Game Six. The Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 38-27, shot 57.3 percent from the field, 56.3 percent from behind the arc, and knocked down all 24 of their free throws.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on his 25th birthday, and J.R. Smith pumped in 24 points, but to say this wasn’t the Nuggets' day would be an understatement. Denver trailed for all but a few seconds of the game and never mounted a serious charge after halftime.

The Lakers' 4-2 series win over the Nuggets means that it is the 16th straight time that team has won a series after winning Game One.

Bryant has scored at least 500 points in four different postseasons; only Michael Jordan, who accomplished the feat eight times, has done it more.

The Lakers have advanced to the NBA Finals for the second straight season and their 30th appearance overall.

They're seeking the franchise's 15th title, head coach Phil Jackson's 10th, and Bryant's fourth. Los Angeles becomes the first team to make consecutive NBA Finals appearances since the Pistons in 2004 and 2005.

Compared to last year's cruise through the rest of the West, the Lakers' 2009 playoff journey has been a much more bruising and difficult task. Los Angeles had done battle with Utah and Houston before engaging in a tough series with Denver.

The road to the Finals this year has taken the Lakers through an arduous, grueling, and physical two weeks of basketball. Ending the series in six games has allowed them some much needed rest.

Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier & Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

The Lakers Win 103-94 Using A Balanced Attack & A Strong Close

Jeff Little — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:12:00 -0400

The Lakers and Nuggets played this game even. The teams were tied after three quarters when Los Angeles put on a 23-5 run to separate themselves from Denver and take a 3-2 series lead. The Lakers got an excellent start from their reserves.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points but he did it by shooting 13 shots. He wore the hat of the facilitator and drew countless double-teams, findind open teammates. Those teammates knocked down shots.

Everyone who touched the floor contributed to this win. However, reserve Shannon Brown might’ve had the shot of the game when he got out on the fast break and put Chris Andersen on one of his posters by dunking over him.

Lamar Odom banged on Chris "the Birdman" Andersen as well and could easily challenge him for the shot of the game. The Lakers played with a sense of urgency, with passion and did an excellent job of executing down the stretch.

The Lakers were aggressive, attacked the basket and didn’t settle for jump shots. Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum combined to score 21 points. Pau Gasol had another solid outing recording his eighth straight double-double scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

Lamar Odom was active and finally put his stamp on this series. Odom stepped his game up and filled the stat sheet, scoring 19 points, pulling down 14 rebounds, handing out three assists while blocking four shots.

He played like a man possessed.

The Lakers played solid defense in the fourth quarter causing the Nuggets to miss 11 straight shots. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets in scoring with 31 points, despite shooting nine-of-23 from the field.

The Nuggets are now on the brink of elimination and will have to bounce back at home on Friday. The Lakers have to continue to put the pressure on the Nuggets by playing well defensively, getting a contribution from everyone while getting Pau Gasol more shots.

Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Nuggets blow out the Lakers 120-101 to tie series

Jeff Little — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:08:00 -0400

The Nuggets crushed the Lakers to knot the series at two games apiece. Only 48 hours removed from an outstanding effort by Los Angeles in the Pepsi Center to take a 2-1 advantage, the Lakers came out lethargic and got beat.

The Lakers were out-hustled, out-rebounded, out-muscled, out-worked and out-played in game four. They could be fatigued—showing the effects of going through a tough seven–game series with Houston.

The worse part about it was that the loss came on a night that Denver was playing with a sub-par Carmelo Anthony. Chauncey Billups also had an off-night but finished with 24 points. Anthony & Billups combined to shoot 10-for-32 from the field.

The Nuggets received a strong contribution from everyone on the team—all of their starters were in double-digits. The Nuggets bench, led by JR Smith’s 24 points, out-scored the Lakers bench 42-24. The Lakers were destroyed in the rebounding category 58-40.

The Lakers trailed in this game from start to finish and really didn’t even compete in this author’s opinion. The officials unfortunately became part of the story by allowing the game to get out of hand.

I’m never one to say that the officials took a game from a particular team and I’m not going to start now. Nor am I going to say that the officials were the reason the Nuggets won. Plain and simple, the Lakers took a beating by the Nuggets.

However, the officials were too involved in this game as evidenced by the unfair advantage given by the disparity of free throw attempts, 49-35. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in scoring with 34 points on 10-for-26 shooting from the field and 2-10 from behind the arc.

Eighteen was a magic number for Denver in this game. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Lakers by 18 and out-scored them in the paint by 18. Denver also had 10 more points than Los Angeles on fast break points.

The Lakers as a team shot way too many three point shots (31), when you consider that they have a size advantage in the post. Pau Gasol is shooting 62.5-percent from the field and not getting enough touches. The Lakers need to make the adjustment of running their offense through the post.

The series is now tied at two games apiece heading back to Los Angeles.

Oakland Raiders: Don't Sleep on Frantz Joseph

Jeff Little — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:00:00 -0400

Who is Frantz Joseph?

On the surface, you can consider Frantz Joseph a priority undrafted free agent linebacker, capable of playing all three linebacker positions, that the Oakland Raiders signed to a two-year deal.

You would be correct in that assumption—but it doesn’t answer the question.

You would also be correct if you saw this tackling machine as a hidden gem. You would imagine that with his body of work, the guy would be invited to the NFL Combine. But he was denied that privilege, and it just made him work harder.

A guy projected to be the first player from Florida Atlantic University ever drafted (some experts had him as high as a third or fourth round pick, while others had him as a sixth round pick), Joseph was denied and went undrafted. It simply made him work harder.

Joseph is a strong inside presence and a tremendous competitor with great range and instincts. He is an excellent fit for the Raiders, a team seeking to improve their run defense by adding a tackling machine.

If he were drafted by an NFL club, it would’ve been great not only for Florida Atlantic University and their fans, but also for the Sun Belt Conference.

Several times when it comes to the Raiders' draft, the focus is on measurables as opposed to production on the field. Some people seem to view undrafted players as merely guys that are being brought in as simply training camp bodies.

I would beg to differ.

There is a long list of undrafted players that have had success in the NFL.

That list would include names like Adewale Ogunleye, Brian Waters, Wes Welker, Priest Holmes, Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard, Jeff Saturday, Gary Brackett, Willie Parker, Stephen Neal, Rob Bironas, Tony Romo, Antonio Gates, Kris Dielman, Jason Peters, Joshua Cribbs, and 2008 Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison.

Upon further review, when you look deeper into answering the question posed above, you find a solid football player who in 2008 was the second-ranked tackler in the nation, recording 154, with all the tools to make an impact at the NFL level.

His journey to the NFL started as a kid in south Florida. Frantz Joseph played for David Martin on the Fort Lauderdale High School football team, where he earned 4A All-County honors as a senior linebacker. He led the Flying L’s in tackles in 2002 and 2003.

Joseph also amassed 73 tackles in five games during the 2002 season. He followed that up with 96 tackles in seven games. He also found the time to force seven fumbles and acquire two interceptions as Ft. Lauderdale’s captain in 2003. He earned the team MVP honors and also won the All-American student athlete award.

He attended Boston College in 2004 but did not play at all during his freshman year. He transferred in 2005 to FAU to be closer to his mother, who was having health issues, but he practiced with the team.

Two years removed from the game, Joseph came back with a vengeance. He was moved into the starting lineup and made an immediate impact. After 11 games, he finished the year with 61 tackles, which was third on the team. Joseph's most productive game that year came against Lafayette, when he recorded a team-high 14 tackles.

He became known for his hard hits and sure tackling. He earned the team’s “Bone” award, an honor earned following each victory for the hardest hit. The season-ending honor is named the Ramon Rickards Memorial Bone Award for the squad’s inaugural defensive end, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in June 2006.

In 2007, Joseph was one of just two Sun Belt Conference players listed on the Butkus Watch List. He has played hurt on more than one occasion, as he did against OSU. He put up double-digit tackles against Minnesota, a team-high 14 tackles, and in a victory over North Texas with 12.

He posted double-digit tackle totals in seven games, and his lowest tackle total was seven. Plus, while playing Division I football, he completed a double major in business and management as well as working odd jobs to help support his mother.

Frantz Joseph had a solid game in Florida Atlantic University’s win in the Motor City Bowl, posting 13 tackles. He followed that effort with a great game in the Texas vs. The Nation game, where he was named the MVP after making plays all over the field.

He is a stand-up guy that understands the importance of preparation and will do whatever it takes to win. More importantly, he is a hard-working guy, possessing great leadership skills and a hard-working attitude, who plays the game the way it is supposed to be played.

He also has the desire to bring the missing ingredients of physicality and intimidation back to the silver and black defense. They’ve been missing from this team for too long.

Everything I’ve seen and read about Frantz Joseph tells me that this is a guy deserving of a shot and is a guy that you can’t sleep on.

Kobe Bryant Drop's 41 in Los Angeles Lakers Win Over Denver Nuggets,103-97

Jeff Little — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:36:02 -0400

Kobe Bryant knocked down a huge fourth quarter 24-foot three point shot over J.R. Smith to give the Lakers a 96-95 lead and five clutch free throws to seal the win.

Game three was another nail biter that went down to the wire. The Lakers started off to a sluggish start but stayed close. The Nuggets took the lead early in the first quarter and held onto said lead, the score at the end of the quarter was 28-26 Denver.

Carmelo Anthony got off to a fast start for the third straight game he scored 21 points prior to fouling out 18 of which were scored in the first half. The Nuggets received a huge lift from Chris Anderson and J.R.Smith who combined for 25 points off the bench.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with an 8-3 scoring run to increase their lead; the Lakers continued to hang around.

The score was 39-all when both teams closed the quarter with scoring runs; this run was 12-8 in favor of the Nuggets. The score at halftime was 52-48 Denver.

The Lakers 13 missed free throws, bad defensive rotations and not boxing out the Nuggets front line were some of the main reasons the team was facing a deficit at the end of the first half.

The Lakers and Nuggets continued to battle in the third quarter and took an eight point lead at the end of the quarter on a J.R. Smith three pointer.

The game statistics won't show this but Luke Walton played a solid game and had an excellent third quarter defensively on Carmelo Anthony.

Emotions got the best of him as he got in the face of Sasha Vujacic; who defended him on the shot, and started barking at him. He was called for a technical foul for taunting the score at the end of third quarter was 79-71 Denver.

The fourth quarter started with Kobe Bryant knocking down the technical free throw. The teams slugged it out toe-to-toe throughout the quarter, the lead changed hands multiple times but the Lakers defense improved and the team executed in the fourth quarter.

Once again Trevor Ariza made an important steal late in the game.

The Lakers fueled by a 21-12 run the Lakers outscored the Nuggets 32-18 in the quarter to earn a 2-1 series lead.

Carmelo Anthony & Kenyon Martin both fouled out of the game. Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter which topped his own Lakers’ record for points scored in the first three games of a conference final with 113; the previous record was 109. This was a heart breaking loss for the Denver Nuggets; it also snapped their 16-game home win streak.

The win was also the Lakers seventh straight road playoff win against the Nuggets which ties an NBA record for consecutive road wins against a single opponent.

Kobe Bryant Drop's 41 in Los Angeles Lakers Win Over Denver Nuggets

Jeff Little — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:33:00 -0400

Kobe Bryant knocked down a huge fourth quarter 24-foot three-point shot over J.R. Smith to give the Lakers a 96-95 lead and five clutch free throws to seal the win.

Game Three was another nail biter that went down to the wire. The Lakers started off to a sluggish start but stayed close. The Nuggets took the lead early in the first quarter and held onto it. The score at the end of the quarter was 28-26 Denver.

Carmelo Anthony got off to a fast start for the third straight game, scoring 21 points prior to fouling out, 18 of which were scored in the first half.

The Nuggets received a huge lift from Chris Anderson and J.R.Smith, who combined for 25 points off the bench.

The Nuggets opened the second quarter with an 8-3 scoring run to increase their lead but the Lakers continued to hang around. The score was 39-39 when both teams closed the quarter with scoring runs. This run was 12-8 in favor of the Nuggets, leaving the score at halftime as 52-48 Denver.

The Lakers' 13 missed free throws, bad defensive rotations, and not boxing out the Nuggets front line were some of the main reasons the team was facing a deficit at the end of the first half. The Lakers and Nuggets continued to battle in the third quarter and took an eight point lead at the end of the quarter on a J.R. Smith three-pointer.

The game statistics won't show this but Luke Walton played a solid game and had an excellent third quarter defensively on Carmelo Anthony. The Lakers made defensive adjustments in defending Anthony that turned out to be effective. Anthony and Billups both saw constant double-teams and four hands in their faces at all times.

Emotions got the best of JR Smith as he got in the face of Sasha Vujacic, who defended him on a shot, and started barking at him. He was called for a technical foul for taunting him following a successful three-pointer. The score at the end of third quarter was 79-71 Denver.

The fourth quarter started with Kobe Bryant knocking down the technical free throw. The teams slugged it out toe-to-toe throughout the quarter and the lead changed hands multiple times but the Lakers' defense improved and the team executed in the fourth quarter.

Once again Trevor Ariza made an important steal late in the game.

The Lakers, fueled by a 21-12 run, outscored the Nuggets 32-18 in the quarter to earn a 2-1 series lead. Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin both fouled out of the game.

Kobe Bryant scored 13 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, which topped his own Lakers’ record for points scored in the first three games of a conference final with 113; the previous record was 109.

This was a heartbreaking loss for the Denver Nuggets and it also snapped their 16-game home win streak. The win was the Lakers' seventh straight road playoff win against the Nuggets, which ties an NBA record for consecutive road wins against a single opponent.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Nuggets: Nuggets, Behind Carmelo's 34 Points, Win 106-103 and Tie Series

Jeff Little — Sun, 24 May 2009 11:29:00 -0400

Nuggets Forward Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds and led his team to a 106-103 road win to knot the series at a game a piece. The win also snapped the two decade plus long playoff dominance the Lakers have had over Denver.

The playoff win was the first for Denver over Los Angeles since 1985, the second-longest post season winning streak against one team in NBA History a span that lasted 11 games.

Chauncey Billups made his mark on the game by scoring 27 points, 17 of those points came in the second half and knocking down three of four free throws to seal the win.

This game was eerily similar to the first game. Give the Nuggets credit the team did what it had to do to avoid going home looking up at a two game deficit to overcome. This game it was the Lakers jumping out to an early 14 point lead, playing highly efficient basketball and solid defense.

All of the momentum that the Lakers built to start the game was erased by a 14-2 Denver scoring run along with excellent defense that allowed them to get back into the game. The score was 55-54 Lakers at halftime.

Linas Kleiza came off the bench for Denver and had an immediate impact scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Unlike game one, the Lakers were the ones who missed free throws and the clutch shots made in game one didn’t fall the Lakers in game two.

The second half started with the Lakers increasing their lead but the Nuggets stayed close, the score at the end of the third quarter was 81-80 Lakers. The lead changed hands multiple times in the fourth quarter.

Identical to game one, this game came down to executing in the fourth quarter and in the first game the Lakers were the ones that executed down the stretch but in game two it was the Nuggets.

The game came down to a critical jump ball situation, Trevor Ariza got control of the tip and then lost it when he was bumped. Denver outscored the Lakers 26-22 in the fourth quarter.

A foul could’ve been called but it wasn’t, in addition to that a jump ball violation was made by J.R. Smith for entering the jump ball circle which wasn’t called as well.

It was water under the bridge so to speak and the bounce of the ball didn’t go the Lakers way and the reality is that the series is tied and the Lakers need to make adjustments and rebound in Denver where the series shifts to for games three and four.

The Lakers front line played much better in the game as oppose to game one. Kobe Bryant led the in scoring with 32 points.

Lakers-Nuggets: Lakers Led by Kobe Come Back to beat Nuggets, 105-103

Jeff Little — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:23:00 -0400

The Los Angeles Lakers got off to another sluggish start, clearly functioning on tired legs against the well-rested Denver Nuggets. Denver came out on fire and knocked down almost every shot that the team put up.

Carmelo Anthony was held to 14 points per game against the Lakers all season. He sought to break out of his scoring slump against L.A. and the Nuggets followed the hot hand. Anthony had 39 points in the game; 16 came in the first quarter.

This helped Denver take a double digit lead, which the Lakers cut down to eight by the end of the quarter. The score at the end of the first quarter was 31-23 Denver.

The second quarter appeared to mirror the first quarter in terms of scoring, but the difference was that the momentum had shifted into the Lakers favor.

Los Angeles outscored Denver 32-23 in the second period, capped off by a play where Kobe Bryant drove to the basket, drew two defenders, and passed to Derek Fisher for a 25-foot three point basket to give the Lakers a slim 55-54 lead at halftime.

You could sense in the second quarter that this would be an epic playoff battle that would go down to the wire. The third quarter didn’t disappoint as Denver continued to play well and knock down shots led by Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

This was a matchup where we saw both teams continue to fight. The Lakers used an 11-2 scoring run to take a four point lead, only to see that lead vanish; the score at the end of the third quarter was 76-74 Denver.

The Nuggets maintained their lead in the fourth quarter and increased the margin to as many as six points. Bryant kept the Lakers close—he finished the game with 40 points—dropping 18 points on Denver in the fourth quarter.

Whenever Los Angeles needed a basket, Bryant was the one that provided it.

The Lakers continued to chip away at the Nuggets' lead and eventually took it on a timely Derek Fisher three point play after Bryant attacked the painted area and drew a double team and made the score 97-96.

Nuggets PF Kenyon Martin then made the first of his two ridiculous fouls late in the quarter to send Pau Gasol to the free throw line. Denver escaped that blunder as Gasol missed both free throws.

Chauncey Billups knocked down a 27-foot three pointer to give Denver a 99-97 lead. Gasol was fouled again and given the opportunity to redeem himself at the line. This time he made both free throws to knot the score at 99 all.

There were 30 seconds on the clock and the game was on the line. Bryant made the correct decision when he decided to attack the basket. He was fouled by Martin and calmly knocked down both free throws to make the score 101-99 Lakers.

An interesting coaching move was made by each side that would seal the fate of both teams. Nuggets coach George Karl made the decision to insert Anthony Carter into the game for J.R. Smith. Lakers coach Phil Jackson replaced Luke Walton with Trevor Ariza.

On the inbounds play, the 6’2” Carter attempted to lob a pass over the 6’10” Lamar Odom. Ariza, who was out of the vision of Chauncey Billups, read the play, shot the gap, and made arguably his biggest play ever as a Laker by stealing the ball.

He got the ball to Bryant, who was fouled and sent to the free throw line where he knocked down both shots again, making it 103-99 Lakers. On the very next play, Chauncey Billups knocked down a controversial three pointer to cut the lead to one.

It was controversial due to the fact that the replay showed that his right foot was on the line as he jab stepped to shake free of Ariza’s defense. Kobe Bryant was fouled on the next possession and calmly knocked down another pair of free throws to secure the win for Los Angeles, 105-103.

The Lakers used energy, guts, and experience to come from 13 points down and literally stole this game from the Nuggets, who played well enough to win. The Nuggets were ahead the majority of the game and their front line destroyed the Lakers by scoring 68 points.

The problem was that Denver missed 12 free throws, didn’t get the defensive stops they needed and made some bad decisions at the end of the game. Anthony and Billups were nothing short of spectacular and the Nuggets wasted an excellent performance by the duo.

This was an epic battle of basketball played at its highest level. Bryant refused to lose this matchup as evidenced by his 40 points, but a point made clearer by the six clutch free throws down the stretch.

Bryant was able to will his team to victory in game one but he will need help from his teammates who were wildly inconsistent to win the series. The same could be said for Anthony.

It will be difficult for the Nuggets to recover from the loss mentally, but they’ve no choice but to forget about it. Game two in the series is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. PST.

Lakers-Rockets: It's a Wrap; LA Blows Out Houston 89-70 To Win Series

Jeff Little — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:53:00 -0400

The series win took the Lakers 13 days and 7 games and came down to an anti-climatic series-ending blowout by the Los Angeles Lakers. Some might say that the Lakers woke up, broke out of their doldrums, or finally decided to show up.

Facing elimination, Kobe Bryant set the tone early; he played the role of facilitator and scored 14 points.

All of the pressure in this game was on the Lakers, but the team knew what they had to do to end this series. The team played hard; they were active and aggressive from the start.

The fast start afforded Los Angeles an 8-0 run to start the game.

The Lakers defense was the story in this The defense Los Angeles played in Game Seven forced the Rockets to miss their first 12 shots and forced them into 15 turnovers, from which the Lakers turned into 20 points.

The Rockets went scoreless for the first five minutes of the game and notched their first field goal of the game seven minutes and fifteen seconds into the contest. The purple and gold clad team from Los Angeles raced out to a lead and never looked back.

Los Angeles increased their lead to take a double-digit lead into the end of the quarter. The score at the end of the first quarter was 22-12. The team that has won the first quarter has won the game several times.

The Lakers were playing through the post, with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum were dominating the paint. The two big men combined for 35 points, 24 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Los Angeles owned the glass and out-rebounded Houston 55-33.

The team continued to play well and build on the lead acquired in the first quarter. The Los Angeles lead reached as many as 25 points; the team held a 51-31 lead at halftime.

The game was essentially over at that point and a bit of a sigh of relief came over the Lakers and some of their fans. The ones in the know realized that the team had to play just as well, if not better, in the second half to secure victory.

The Rockets, working off of the directive of head coach Rick Adelman, looked to cut into the Los Angeles lead and get back into the game. The directive was heard but the Rockets were out of gas and could not muster a charge.

The Rockets traded a few baskets with the Lakers but never got the much-needed stops defensively. Los Angeles was able to maintain their lead and close out Houston to take the series four games to three and advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij & Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Game Seven Keys for the Los Angeles Lakers

Jeff Little — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:58:00 -0400

The pressure is on the Los Angeles Lakers—no one expected the series to go seven games but it has. The good news is that the Lakers are back at home. The bad news is that the Lakers didn't take care of business lost Game Six and have to play in an all important Game Seven.

This isn’t the type of situation that the Lakers wanted to be in, as they haven’t been in this position in a while. This is the playoffs folks, this is the epitome of the phrase “win or go home,” this speaks to the finality of the situation.

The Lakers know what they have to do, the team fought to earn the home court advantage in the event they were put into this situation. But, this is a different Rockets team than the one the Lakers faced this season, and Los Angeles has to adjust to this team on the fly.

The Lakers need to adjust to the Rockets being physical with them on the block by being physical themselves. Too many times when teams are physical with the Lakers, the team settles for jump shots. That can not happen today—the Lakers need to use ball movement and player movement to find the open man who needs to take a high percentage shot.

The Lakers need to attack the basket early and often, this is the attack-the-rim time of the year. It is what it is; the Lakers know what is at stake and will deal with it. The real question is: What type of energy, effort, and resolve the team will bring into this game?

The Lakers have been wildly inconsistent from game-to-game. The Lakers need to have a high energy level, increased effort, and play with a sense of urgency. They need to play hard & commit to playing solid defense, the type of defense that the team played in the 40-point beat-down administered in Game Five.

It is imperative that the Lakers increase the intensity of their defense and get off to a fast start so they aren’t playing uphill. The team that has won the 1st quarter has won the game several times in this series. Kobe Bryant will provide a stellar performance, as usual, but the rest of team has to knock down shots.

The Lakers will win by doing something that they haven’t done with any consistency. They need to control the tempo, the glass, get back in transition, stop the dribble penetration, and, most importantly, rotate out to three point shooters.

Nothing can be left to chance, the Lakers need to stop the pick-and-roll play of Aaron Brooks and make the screener Chuck Hayes beat you. When the Lakers got back into the game the Rockets used the pick-and-roll play to distance themselves.
This game and the rest of the playoffs for the Lakers is about their defensive intensity, focus and controlling the painted area.

The Lakers know what they’re dealing with—a scrappy trio of energy and effort guys in Luis Scola, Carl Landry, and Chuck Hayes. They need to match the intensity, effort, and energy of these guys and the entire Rockets team.

L.A. needs to limit the Rockets to one shot per possession and contest every shot. Despite the fact that Houston was able to dominate the paint in Game 6; that will not happen again. This has been an action packed playoff series the will end today, the Lakers will be ready to play.

To be a champion you have to rise to the occasion and overcome obstacles like this. You’ll see a game-ready focus from the Lakers. Kobe Bryant will start fast, aggressive start and set the tone his teammates will follow his lead. The world watched the Spike Lee Joint, "Kobe Doin' Work" on ESPN over the weekend, and we will have the opportunity to see him doin' work again today live on ABC.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Rockets win 95-80 and Force a Game Seven Showdown

Jeff Little — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:52:00 -0400

The Lakers came into Game 6 with an opportunity to closeout the Rockets and this series. The key term in that sentence was opportunity and it was apparently a concept lost on the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers put on an excellent performance in Game 5 and all of the momentum built from the success of that game was left in Los Angeles with their defense because I know for a fact that neither made the trip to Houston.

The lessons learned from prior success in the series did nothing for them in this game, partly because it wasn’t put into action.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points, he is in my opinion the best player in basketball, but he can’t do it by himself. His teammates have to knock down shots.

Houston has something that several other teams don’t; two players that can defend Bryant.

Kobe will get his points, but Shane Battier and Ron Artest will make him work for it. The Lakers are a talented team but entirely too inconsistent from game to game. This was a lazy defensive performance of epic proportions.

I am of the belief that if the Lakers weren’t going to show up they should’ve simply forfeited this game and informed the league office stating they were going to wait to play in Game 7.

The Rockets are a formidable team that plays with a tremendous amount of effort and energy at home, as the Lakers can attest to. The Houston Rockets refused to be closed out at home. This Houston team played with a high energy level and out-worked the Lakers.

Houston was looking to make amends for the beating that the team took in Game 5. They really put it on the Lakers right from the tip off. The Rockets got off to a fast start and the Lakers appeared to be either sleepwalking or walking in quicksand, the start I’m speaking of 21-3.

The Rockets forced the Lakers into a horrible shooting night, as they were 1-11 with three turnovers. The first quarter ended with the Rockets on top 27-15.

The Lakers were immediately playing uphill on the road, again. The Rockets bombarded the Lakers scoring at will playing screen-and-roll basketball and the Lakers never adjusted. The Rockets were on a roll and proceeded to increase their lead, the first half ended with the Rockets on top 52-36.

The Lakers came out of the locker room with a little more resolve as well as a higher energy level and fought their way back into the game with a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The Lakers dramatically cut the lead and got to within a basket when the score was 52-54.

The Lakers put on a furious 16-2 rally to tighten the score, the Rockets re-grouped with a 8-2 run of their own and were able to hold off the Lakers and proceeded to increase their lead to 74-65, at the end of the third quarter.

The Rockets held on and maintained their lead by continuing to play pick-and-roll basketball. Chuck Hayes was the screen on numerous occasions and the Lakers decided to play him as oppose to the more dangerous Aaron Brooks.

The Rockets got a tremendous contribution and effort from the entire team and staved off elimination. Houston forced a series deciding game seven which will be played in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Lakers-Rockets: Los Angeles Makes a Statement in 118-78 win

Jeff Little — Sun, 17 May 2009 12:42:00 -0400

The Lakers came out aggressive and played with a much needed sense of urgency. They had to overcome an early deficit but took the lead by ending the first quarter on a 22-4 run.

Conventional wisdom said that after the fall Lamar Odom took in the third game of the series that he wouldn’t play in this game. Not only did he play—he played well and served as an inspiration to the team, scoring 10 points and six rebounds.

Andrew Bynum showed up and put up 14 points and grabbed six rebounds; meaning that it’s time to officially welcome him to the playoffs.

The Lakers played smart basketball, using their size advantage and playing offense through the post. Their defense was active, aggressive with timely rotations and much improved, leading to a 35-24 lead after the first quarter.

Los Angeles played the game at their pace and tempo and continued to increase their lead. The Lakers defense was solid and the team forced the Rockets into multiple turnovers that L.A. was able to score points off of. This allowed them to get out in transition and score 20 fast break points.

The Lakers' shooting was much improved in Game Five as compared to their Game Four performance; they knocked down shots and continued to outscore the Rockets. Los Angeles was clicking on all cylinders and ended the quarter on a 23-6 run. The score at halftime was 64-39.

The Lakers started the second half with the same aggression that the team began the game with, jumping out with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter. L.A. continued to pour it on and never looked back; the Lakers' lead quickly became insurmountable.

The Lakers solid play continued throughout the third quarter, the score at the end of the quarter was an amazing 94-54. They put on the dominate performance that the team and their fans were waiting to see.

The performance was so dominate that if the Lakers would’ve been completely shutout and held scoreless in the third quarter, the Rockets would’ve still been down by ten points.

The Lakers showed the killer instinct that was missing earlier in the series and continued to score putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the Rockets. They received a contribution from everyone, with seven players scoring 10 points or more.

The 40-point beat-down that the Lakers laid on the Rockets was the worst playoff loss in franchise history. It was the Lakers seventh 40 point win in franchise history, their first since the 1986 season. The Lakers now have the opportunity to close out the series with a win in Houston.

Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier & Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Oakland Raiders 2009 Training Camp: The Top Battles To Keep an Eye On

Jeff Little — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:21:00 -0400

There will be several positional battles in Oakland worth watching. It is way too early to start making predictions as to what will happen without attaching the phrase “until proven otherwise.”

It appears that the Raiders will have a nice mix of youth and veterans at almost every spot. The first mini-camp of the year gave us all a glimpse of the new players. The main thing it did was give the coaching staff a chance to play with their new toys.

You can’t come away from it with any definitive answers, as it is premature to do so, but with that being said, some people did. Look forward to one of the most competitive training camps you’ve seen as the team works toward respectability. Coach Tom Cable is prepared to right the ship and lead the team in the right direction.

Here are some of the highly anticipated training camp battles to look forward to.

LT Mario Henderson vs. Khalif Barnes

Mario Henderson played well in the opportunities that he had last year. In my opinion he should’ve started the remainder of the season after the week two game in Kansas City. He had a prominent role in all of the Raiders' five wins last season. He earned the right to be the starter of the left side.

Barnes was brought in to challenge him; he will have the opportunity to compete for the starting job, but it is Henderson’s job, and it will be up to him to remain the starter or lose it to Barnes. There is also a good chance that the loser starts on the right side.

RT Cornell Green vs. Erik Pears, Khalif Barnes, and James Marten

Cornell Green was the starter on the right side last season but did not play well and didn’t cause anyone to forget about Lincoln Kennedy. He was the starter on the right side in the team’s recent mini-camp, but it isn’t a mystery to say that the Raiders really want someone to take that position from him. You’ll see a tremendous amount of competition at the position from Khalif Barnes, Erik Pears and James Marten.

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey vs. Johnnie Lee Higgins, Louis Murphy, Todd Watkins, Sammie Parker, and Arman Shields

Al Davis wanted more targets with Raider speed for JaMarcus Russell to throw to. Al has his track team and a talented group of young receivers. The team has a total of 11 receivers on the roster right now. Obviously several won’t make the roster, but more than likely five or six will be the number of receivers carried on the roster.

I’ll use a wait and see approach with this statement, but I don’t think that Javon Walker will be on the active roster. He appears to be ready to go on IR. Look for a talented young group of wideouts that will be able to make plays all over the field. You’ll see a few of the other receivers factor into the return game.

SLB Ricky Brown vs. Frantz Joseph and David Nixon

This position and the DT position are the two most neglected positions on the team and have been for a while. The team has started Robert Thomas, Ricky Brown, and Sam Williams at the position. Thomas is no longer on the team, Brown has returned from injury, and Williams was re-signed.

The team needs to have a lot of competition at the position between Brown, Frantz Joseph, and David Nixon. The team should come out of training camp two or three deep at the position.

MLB Kirk Morrison vs. Frantz Joseph

Kirk Morrison has been the starter in the middle for a few years now. He has been the team’s leading tackler for years. However, too many of his tackles have been after the runner has gained substantial yardage. This isn’t a knock on him or his play, nor is it a demotion; it speaks more to the problems the team has had at the DT position.

Frantz Joseph is a talented player, and if he can show in training camp that he can play in the middle, it would be better for the team to move Morrison to the SLB position. He played the SLB when he came to the Raiders. One of the reasons he was drafted was his versatility and showing he can play all three linebacker positions.

This would allow the team to have three solid young linebackers on the field at the same time.

Joseph is a very versatile 6’2”, 243-lb. linebacker that can play all three of the positions. He has what is known as natural violence, which is the trademark of a solid linebacker. He takes on blocks very well and shows a lot of desire, effort, instincts, and playmaking ability. He has the ability to change the culture of a defense.

LDE Jay Richardson vs. Derrick Gray, Matt Shaughnessy, Stryker Sulak, and Desmond Bryant

The team added depth at the position, selecting three players at the position in the draft and adding one as an undrafted free agent. All of the players mentioned won’t make the roster, but this group will have brought healthy competition to the position.

Jay Richardson is in his third year but hasn’t seized the position. Derrick Gray was an undrafted player that came off of the practice squad last year. It appears that players were brought in to compete with and will have the opportunity to beat out Richardson.

Expect the team to come out of training camp two or three players deep at the position, while the remainder will have a chance to make the team on special teams.

RDE Derrick Burgess vs. Trevor Scott, Greyson Gunheim, and Slade Norris

Derrick Burgess is the starter and is in a contract year, so I fully expect him to have a good year, but it all depends on him remaining healthy and injury free. Perhaps the team can use him more on passing downs as opposed to running plays to keep him healthy.

Trevor Scott had a great first year and made an impact as a sixth round draft choice with five sacks. Greyson Gunheim came off of the practice squad to contribute and show the coaching staff what he could do.

The unknown factor right now is Slade Norris. He played both defensive end and linebacker in college, and right now he is being penciled in as a developmental pass rusher.

Expect the team to come out of training camp three or four deep at the position.

TE Zack Miller vs. Tony Stewart, Darrel Strong, Brandon Myers, Chris O’Neill, and John Paul Foschi

Zack Miller is the unquestioned starter. The reason this position is put down as a position that will have a training camp battle is due to the fact that he is recovering from sports hernia surgery.

Miller is scheduled to be ready for training camp, but it also appears that the Raiders will run more two tight-end sets, which will help improve the running game and provide more pass protection while allowing Miller to be more involved in the passing game.

Brandon Myers was drafted for his size and blocking ability. Chris O’Neill is a talented player that is an excellent receiver and a decent blocker. The Raiders brought back veteran John Paul Foschi, who was with the team from 2004-2006; he played fullback, tight end, and on special teams. He is an excellent blocker and a good receiver over the middle and on the seam routes.

The article isn’t going to predict the Raiders' regular season record either. The goal of this article is to point out a few of the training camp battles that will go down in Oakland, Ca.

I want to be realistic, and with that concept in mind, first things first, I want to see the Oakland Raiders play better, be more consistent, show improvement, and be far more competitive. These are all attainable goals for the team.

Al Davis wanted his track team at the wide receiver position, and he has it. As a matter of fact, the team’s got the height, weight, and speed combination at every position with the exception of the offensive line and defensive tackle positions, where you need more power than speed.

Speed does you no good in the middle. Speaking of the middle, the Raiders didn’t draft any defensive tackles, which I didn’t agree with, but it wasn’t my decision to make. This means that the team will count on the current players at the position. These guys have to get the job done, or this will be the main need area in the 2010 draft.

New defensive coordinator John Marshall will not talk to the media, but word has gotten out through head coach Tom Cable that the team will address their issues against the run with scheme and technique, as well as that the team wants to be more aggressive on defense.

That could mean several things; however, try this on for size—the Raiders playing multiple fronts. The Raiders are focusing a lot on fundamentals, making sure players are in the right position. They're also adding a lot of pressure packages but focusing on the fundamentals. Teaching them and coaching them is a welcome sign.

The Raiders could keep the 4-3 as their base defensive look but also show a 3-4 look. I know some might scoff when that statement is read, but a good way to mask the issues at DT is playing with fewer of them.

To be successful in the 3-4 you need a NT who is big enough to demand a double-team block, as well as one willing to sacrifice himself and his body for the good of the team. I don’t feel that the team has that right now, but the hope is that Terdell Sands can be a stopgap toward say a Terrence Cody next year.

The next step would be having the necessary linebackers to pull it off. This is all speculation, but imagine this if you will: LDE Desmond Bryant, NT Terdell Sands, RDE Tommy Kelly, LOLB Thomas Howard, LILB Kirk Morrison, RILB Frantz Joseph, ROLB David Nixon, LCB Nnamdi Asomugha, RCB Chris Johnson, FS Hiram Eugene, and SS Mike Mitchell.

Reminiscing About the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders

Jeff Little — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:13:00 -0400

As I reminisce about my favorite Raiders team of all time several thoughts come to mind, how satisfying 1976 was, providing equal vindication was the 1980 team but I have to talk about 1983.

Taking you back to a time prior to free agency in the NFL; this didn’t start until 1992 known as “Plan A Free Agency” which remains in the league today. Actually the first form of free agency was known as “Plan B Free Agency” which was the norm from 1989-1992.

Speaking of free agency, the Raiders acquired CB Mike Haynes from the Patriots mid-season to shore up the secondary and form one of the strongest CB duos in the league. Being awarded his contract in a settlement the Patriots received a 1st round pick in 1984 and a 2nd round pick in 1985.

The Raiders franchise that started in 1960 in Oakland had moved 343 miles south to Los Angeles in 1982. The team had won two super bowls prior to coming to Los Angeles so the expectations were high. The Raiders second year in Los Angeles started with a successful draft.

The 1983 NFL draft was one of the leagues best ever, when you factor in the performance of the players drafted. This is the draft that is widely thought of as the draft that produced the QB bonanza of Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and John Elway.

However the fact that 15 of the 28 prospects selected in the first round participated in at least one Pro Bowl makes a definitive statement in my opinion. The draft was 12 rounds in those days and the Raiders got a lot of production out of several their selections that year.

First Round pick Center Don Mosebar played 173 games, Second Round pick Nose Tackle Bill Pickel played 174 games, Defensive End Greg Townsend played 190 games, Wide Receiver Mervyn Fernandez played in 86 games and Wide Receiver Dokie Williams played in 74 games.

When you consider that the players selected in 1983 were in addition to the second year players selected in 1982 Running Back Marcus Allen, Linebacker Jack Squirek, Free Safety Vann McElroy. This provided the Raiders an excellent mix of veterans and youth.

That mix produced a team that put up 20 points or better every game of the year. In fact, the Los Angeles Raiders scored 442 points (27.6 points per game) third in the league and allowed 338 points (21.1 points per game) 13th in the league.

One of the more intriguing games of that year was a wide open high scoring week five game against the Washington Redskins, the Raiders came into the game undefeated. A game won by the Redskins 37-35, in which the Raiders rushed for 105 yards and Jim Plunkett passed for 372 yards and four touchdowns.

Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann passed for 417 yards and three touchdowns and Running Back John Riggins rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

An impressive game seeing the Redskins score 17 points in the final six minutes of the game, but an interesting note about the game was the fact that two future Hall of Fame players Marcus Allen & Mike Haynes didn’t play in that game.

Even in defeat the Raiders knew that they could play with and beat the Redskins and to a man still wanted a piece of the Washington Redskins as well as another shot to prove their point. That chance would come in the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

After posting a 12-4 regular season record, winning the AFC Western Division in the process, the Raiders earned a playoff appearance. In the post-season the Los Angeles Raiders outscored the opposition 68-21 by beating the Steelers and the Seahawks.

The outstanding playoff run led to a Super Bowl match-up against the Washington Redskins on January 22, 1984 at Tampa Stadium. The Redskins were winners of Super Bowl XVII.

The Redskins were favored to win the game by three. Due to their stellar play all season, a 14-2 record, setting a NFL record scoring 541 points (later broken by the 1998 Vikings & 2007 Patriots) and the fact that the Redskins had the top rated defense. Washington defense allowed the fewest yards against the run.

Not to mention Joe Theismann was the league MVP, the second rated passer in the league that year. He had WR’s Art Monk & Charlie Brown at his disposal in concert with RB John Riggins and the always dangerous, Multi-talented Joe Washington.

Former NFL player Bronco Nagurski performed the coin toss, Barry Manilow sang the National Anthem and fittingly Pat Summerall & John Madden were in the Broadcast booth for CBS Sports. A total of 72,920 fans were at the game with millions more watching on television.

What we all witnessed was a Raiders blowout, seeing as the Redskins came in as the favorites and left after a humiliating defeat it become known as ‘Black Sunday’ in reference to one of the Raiders colors.

History buffs will associate the name ‘Black Sunday’ with the 1977 novel written by Thomas Harris and the film with the same name in 1977. The win gave the city of Los Angeles its first NFL championship since the Rams victory in 1951.

The starting lineup for the Raiders:

Offense Defense

QB Jim Plunkett LDE Howie Long

RB Marcus Allen NT Reggie Kinlaw

FB Kenny King RDE Lyle Alzado

WR Malcolm Barnwell LOLB Ted Hendricks

WR Cliff Branch LILB Matt Millen

TE Todd Christiansen RILB Bob Nelson

LT Bruce E. Davis ROLB Rod Martin

LG Charley Hannah LCB Lester Hayes

C Dave Dalby RCB Mike Haynes

RG Mickey Marvin SS Mike Davis

RT Henry Lawrence FS Vann McElroy

For those who don’t know the Raiders played a 3-4 defensive front and not the four-man line that the team has played for years.

The Raiders took an early one touchdown lead off of a Jeff Hayes punt that was blocked by Derrick Jensen deep in Redskins territory and never looked back.

Early in the second quarter Jim Plunkett connected with Cliff Branch on a 50-yard pass to advance the ball to the Redskins 15-yard line. Two plays later; Jim Plunkett found Branch again for a 14-point lead. The Redskins put together a 73 yard drive but it stalled in Raiders territory and Washington had to settle for a 27-yard field goal.

The score was 14-3 and the Raiders drive stalled leading to a punt, Ray Guy did the honors and pinned the Redskins at their own 12-yard line with .12 seconds left in the half. Linebacker coach Charlie Sumner made a last second substitution and sent in LB Jack Squirek for Matt Millen.

The Redskins called the play that the Raiders were ready for and waiting on “Rocket Screen”, but Jack Squirek read the play intercepted Theismann’s pass and returned it for a touchdown to make the score 21-3 at halftime.

Going back to week five, the Redskins ran the same play to Joe Washington and it resulted in a 67-yard gain. The Redskins put together a nine-play 70 yard drive capped off by a John Riggins TD but Mark Moseley’s extra point attempt was blocked by reserve Tight End Don Hasselbeck making the score 21-9.

On the next drive Redskins CB Darrell Green was called for a 38-yard pass interference penalty while defending WR Malcolm Barnwell, setting up Marcus Allen’s 5-yard TD run. The next Raider drive Marcus Allen broke free on a 74-yard run the made the statement that this game was officially over.

You know about all the stars of the game but what isn’t mentioned enough are the unsung hero’s like Punter Ray Guy (who should’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame years ago), Linebacker Jack Squirek, Special Teams player Derrick Jensen to name a few.

When I think of my favorite Raiders teams, several thoughts come to mind but I can’t forget the 1983 Los Angeles Raiders.

Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Oakland Raiders are on the Right Path, Forget what you've heard

Jeff Little — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:38:00 -0400

The Raiders are putting together a competitive nucleus. Following free agency and the draft, the Oakland Raiders still had holes to fill on the roster at defensive tackle, linebacker and fullback.

The Raiders have been besieged with criticism after drafting WR Darrius Heyward-Bey in the first round and then Safety Michael Mitchell in the second round. Both are talented players and the criticism is more of where the players were drafted than the actual players.

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey will unfortunately be the most scrutinized player from the 2009 draft not named Matthew Stafford. Heyward-Bey and Michael Crabtree will be compared to each other their entire careers.

The decision was made to provide QB JaMarcus Russell with more weapons to open up the passing game, which is needed, but stopping the run in my opinion is just as big a need. The Raiders have a lot of speed and young talent at WR, and a total of 11 players at the position. Several of them will not make the opening day roster. A serious question at the position has to be will Javon Walker?

Don’t be surprised if someone in the Bay Area just happens to chart both Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Crabtree’s receptions, yards per catch, yards gained after the catch, total yardage, touchdowns, and dropped passes side by side.

Seeing as he was the first wide receiver drafted and selected in the top 10 to be a number one or go to wide receiver, he will have to put up consecutive 80-catch seasons or better to avoid people glossing him with the bust label. I don’t feel that it is right or fair, but seeing it happen will not surprise me.

He is a talented player that provides QB JaMarcus Russell a deep threat that fits the Raiders scheme and possesses all the tools to be a playmaker in silver and black.

The Raiders made a huge pickup in signing veteran fullback Lorenzo Neal; his blend of experience and toughness will make him a leader on this young team as well as vastly improve the Raiders running game. He has blocked for a total of 11 1,000-yard running backs in his career.

Check out the clips for reference, but disregard the bolts shown.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-preseason/09000d5d8013fba4/The-importance-of-Lorenzo-Neal

http://www.nfl.com/players/lorenzoneal/profile?id=NEA237924

Several people in the media have taken their shots at Al Davis and the Raiders for the draft as opposed to taking a wait-and-see approach before dooming the drafted players to failure. The fact of the matter is that the draft is in the rearview mirror at this time.

So after the draft, the Raiders signed a group of undrafted free agents to fill the above mentioned needs on the roster in LB Frantz Joseph, DL Desmond Bryant, S Jerome Boyd, LB David Nixon, G Jon Compas, WR Nick Miller, WR Shawn Bayes, and TE Chris O’Neill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNstliEo4Hs LB Frantz Joseph

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-IEZJdPEAM SS Jerome Boyd

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRhZCByOJYw OLB David Nixon

The only exception was the defensive tackle position, although Desmond Bryant has played both positions on the D-line. This position has been neglected by the Raiders for far too long. To be specific, the Raiders have drafted a total of five defensive tackles in the last 10 years, and none of them are still on the roster.

Coincidently, at a need position, the Raiders have had the top defensive tackle prospect in the draft fall to them for the second year in a row, and Al Davis declined to fill the need—in any round. This means that the Raiders are content with the four defensive tackles currently on the roster.

Head Coach Tom Cable stated the team has good defensive tackles, and at issue is that they haven’t played like it. The statement made could be debatable, based upon past performance, but the need to stop the run isn’t. The Raiders brought back Tommy Kelly, Gerard Warren, William Joseph, and Terdell Sands.

The Raiders are content with the players at the position and these five veteran players are being counted on to get the job done. Terdell Sands reportedly appears to be a lot lighter than last year. My biggest concern on the team is the defensive tackle rotation. If the defensive tackles hold up, the defense has a chance to improve. We’ll have to use a wait-and-see approach on the matter.

The Raiders did add one defensive tackle via free agency, Ryan Boschetti, a little-used undrafted free agent out of UCLA, formerly with the Washington Redskins. He is a tenacious player with size and talent that will not be outworked by anyone.

The Raiders have ranked at or near the bottom of the league at stopping the run for the last six years. This trend has to stop and it appears to be a top goal for the coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

The intriguing news for Raiders fans is it's been rumored that new defensive coordinator John Marshall, through scheme and technique, will address their issues stopping the run and play a more aggressive approach.

This could mean several things, but just to know that the team has decided to stop playing with a conservative approach and plans to dictate to the opponent how the game will be played as opposed to the opposite happening.

Lakers-Rockets: Houston Flattens L.A., 99-87

Jeff Little — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:36:00 -0400

The Rockets got the bad news on Saturday that Yao Ming has a broken foot and will miss the remainder of the NBA Playoffs, but the team that suffered most in his absence was Los Angeles

The Lakers came into Game 4 thinking they had an advantage. Little did they realize they had walked right into a trap game.

The Rockets lost their biggest player and, in some ways, were undersized and undermanned. But the way Houston played, injuries didn't slow them down, they set the Rockets free to open the floor and run.

The Lakers had an embarrassing effort and couldn't match the intensity or energy level of the Rockets. Houston came out with a tremendous amount of energy, beneficiaries of a total team effort that helped them take a 9-point lead and never look back.

The Rockets destroyed the Lakers with the dribble penetration of Aaron Brooks, who played pick-and-roll basketball to perfection, knocking down shots. The Rockets also used excellent ball movement and made the extra pass to find the open man.

Houston held a 29-16 lead at the end of the first quarter and continued to increase their lead. At halftime, the score was 54-36.

The only Rocket who didn’t knock down his shots was Ron Artest. Brooks put on an excellent 30-point performance. Shane Battier had a solid 20-point effort, knocking down five three-point shots.

The defense of Battier, Artest, and Chuck Hayes were also huge in this game, but offensively the dribble penetration, ball movement, and lack of defensive effort by the Lakers were enough to provided several open shots and Houston took full advantage of the space provided.

The Rockets were on fire and never took their foot off the accelerator, continuing to increase their lead, which reached as high as 29 points. The score at the end of the third quarter was an amazing 83-54.

The Lakers put up a modest effort in the fourth quarter to cut the lead down to 13 points, but the game was already over by halftime.

Los Angeles was outplayed in every way and will have to make some adjustments to be ready for Game 5 back at Staples Center.

The Lakers took a beat down and, in the process, missed out on a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead in this series.

This is now a three game series, and the Lakers have to bounce back in Game 5.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Lakers 108-94 As the Rockets Have a Failure To Launch

Jeff Little — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:36:34 -0400

The Lakers made a definitive statement by bouncing back and winning Game Two of the series. That statement was confirmed on May 8 as the Lakers took care of business, came out and played with a sense of urgency from the tip-off in Houston.

Los Angeles was playing this game without starting point guard Derek Fisher, but the Lakers and their fans got a glimpse of the future with Jordan Farmar starting. Led by a strong start by Kobe Bryant, who had 11 points in the first quarter and set the tone, Los Angeles started the game active and aggressive.

Both teams played well in the first quarter and almost played even the score was 30-28 at the end of the quarter. The Lakers got into a rhythm on both ends of the court, shot 60-percent from the field and had only one turnover.

The Lakers understanding what was at stake started to display excellent ball movement and excellent player movement and literally outplayed the home team. Los Angeles was able to knock down shots and started building momentum.

The Lakers gained the upper hand after the lead changed hands in the second quarter but the Rockets were right there at halftime with the score 50-48.

The Lakers took control of the game in the second half by continuing to outscore the Rockets and playing stellar defense. The Lakers held the Rockets to 14 points in the quarter on 6-of-25 shooting from the field.

The Lakers continued to increase their lead which was 71-62 until Kobe Bryant’s 33-foot three point shot put an exclamation point on the Lakers dominance in this game and on the series in the final three seconds of the third quarter for a 74-62 lead.

The Lakers maintained their lead by outplaying the Rockets despite the 32 points scored in the quarter by Houston this game was already over. The Lakers scored 34 points in the quarter to seal the deal for a 108-94 win. The Rockets got 25 points from Ron Artest before he was ejected for a flagrant foul on Pau Gasol.

Yao Ming had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds; he also finished the game with a sprained ankle that could unfortunately affect his performance for the rest of the series.

The difference in this game was the Lakers defense, forcing the Rockets into a poor shooting night and 17 huge turnovers. Another factor in Game Three was that the Lakers shot 55-percent from behind the arc going 11-of-20.

Kobe Bryant scored 30+ points in the playoffs for the 54th time; he has scored 3,928 career post-season points and passed Larry Bird (3,897) in the process.

He had another stellar playoff performance filling out the stat sheet with 33 points (11-of-28), four-for-six from behind the arc, seven-for-eight from the free throw line and three huge blocks while leading his team to a crucial win that ended the Rockets nine-game home winning streak.

Kobe showing excellent leadership led his team to a big win and showed something that we already know he had in his arsenal the ability to score and defend as well as take over a game.

Jordan Farmar played an excellent all-around game in 32 minutes he had 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds and one blocked shot and most importantly only one turnover. Including the effort of Shannon Brown, the Lakers point guards scored 20 points.

The Lakers received an excellent performance from everyone as all of their starters were in double digits and also received a contribution from the reserves.

The win gives the Lakers a two-one advantage in the series going into Game Four on 5/10 that might be played with an injured Yao Ming. The Lakers have won six of the seven games that they’ve played against the Rockets this season. Game Four will be on ABC.

Photo Credit: Wally Skalij /Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets Game 2: Lakers Bounce Back with 111-98 Win to Tie the Series

Jeff Little — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:44:00 -0400

The Lakers knew what was at stake and understood the importance of winning Game 2 and came out and played determined playoff basketball. The Lakers were able to raise their level of play and perform with a much-needed sense of urgency.

There was a bit of angst in the air in Los Angeles prior to the start of this game. The Lakers realized that they’re being challenged and planned to respond by being aggressive and active from the start.

The first half was really the tale of two different quarters of basketball. The Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant, came out on-fire, knocking down shots. Los Angeles with Lamar Odom in the starting lineup was able to play the game at their pace and control the tempo.

The Lakers shot 86 percent from the field, with Kobe Bryant scoring 15 points in the quarter, including a 22-foot jumper to end the quarter as the Lakers raced out to a 39-25 first quarter lead.

The Rockets were down by 14 points, but clearly not scared. Houston came out and turned the table on the Lakers, tightening the screws defensively and sending in the reserves to change the pace of the game.

Houston’s reserves did that and more; they sparked the team into outscoring the Lakers 32-18. Carl Landry at one point had single-handedly outscored the Lakers in the quarter 16-14; he finished the game with a career playoff-high of 21 points off the bench. The Lakers shot 4-of-14 as a team and saw the Rockets take the lead.

Rockets center Yao Ming was saddled with foul trouble, collecting three personal fouls in the first half. Ron Artest had another solid game, scoring 25 points. Kobe Bryant’s three-point shot right before halftime tied the score at 57.

The Lakers are caught up in a dogfight and have to battle their way past a physical and determined opponent with the tools necessary to challenge them.

The second half saw the Lakers take the lead and push it up to as many as 10 points three times in the quarter. There was a lot of talking back-and-forth among the players and before you knew, it tempers flared.

The score was 86-74 when Lamar Odom fouled Luis Scola. Scola, Lamar, and Luke Walton began jawing at each other and got in each other's faces. Referee Joey Crawford, in an attempt to maintain control of the game, hit Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Luis Scola with technical fouls.

Shane Battier knocked down the technical foul shot, making the score 86-75. The game was physical all night, but with less than 15 seconds to go in the quarter, Scola came out to the top of the key to screen Derek Fisher who was guarding Kyle Lowry and Fisher wasn’t having it.

He met the screen with a combination of a forearm shiver and a shoulder, knocking Scola to the floor. He was accessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, he will more than likely get a call from the league office informing him of how long his suspension will be.

The move got him ejected but clearly inspired his teammates. Derek Fisher later stated that he wasn’t retaliating against Scola for the dust-up previously, but the timing of the foul makes that debatable.

The game also had some drama on the sidelines at the end of the quarter, as Rockets guard Von Wafer, for whatever reason, exchanged words with head coach Rick Adelman. After catching a whiff of the madness coming out of Wafer's mouth, Adelman calmly sent him to an early shower.

The ejections didn’t stop there, with the Lakers up 94-84 in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest were locked up, fighting for rebounding position underneath the basket. There was a lot of contact, it got physical, and Ron Artest felt that Kobe hit him with an elbow in the throat.

He wasn’t happy about it and told the officials what had happened and then told Kobe about it. He was ejected for pointing at Kobe and gesturing toward his throat. He got in Kobe’s face and informed him that he was hitting the wrong person.

The Lakers went on to win Game 2 111-98. In the process of playing a tough, physical game, the birth of a long playoff series emerged. Kobe Bryant finished the game with 40 points, his seventh career 40-point playoff game.

The Lakers responded to tie the series. Every game for the rest of the series will be physical, but this one saw Ron Artest and Derek Fisher ejected by the referees, Von Wafer ejected by his head coach, and total of five technical fouls called.

The Lakers' speed game was a huge factor in this game. The Lakers outscored the Rockets 20-5 on fast break points. Pau Gasol had a solid game with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

I'd like to take this time to welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to the Playoffs. They'll need to play every game with the intensity shown Wednesday, without any players being thrown out.

The Lakers outrebounded the Rockets, had more assists, less turnovers, and blocked more shots. They were led by their All-Stars as Kobe and Pau combined for 62 points.

Ladies and gentlemen, you might want to fasten your seat belts, because it might be a rough ride but we have ourselves a series, Game 3 will be in Houston on May 8.

Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Lakers-Rockets: Rockets Stun the Lakers 100-92 To Take a 1-0 Series Lead

Jeff Little — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:58:00 -0400

The Rockets came into the Staples Center for the second round playoff series after losing the season series to the Lakers 4-0. The team knew what they had to do to secure a victory and the game plan worked to perfection.

The Rockets immediately established Yao Ming in the low post. The Lakers started Andrew Bynum who immediately had to exit the game with foul trouble. The Rockets were the more physical team and simply outmuscled the Lakers.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to the Lakers so they should be able to make the adjustment. Several times, playoff basketball comes down to making adjustments during a game as well as from game to game.

Neither team shot well in this game. Houston played with a sense of urgency and the Lakers did not.

The Lakers were horrible from behind the three-point line, shooting 2-for-18, their fifth worse performance in that area since 1996. But what had to be the most disappointing part and the main reason for the loss was their performance from the free throw line, shooting 12-for-19 (63 percent).

Simply put, had the basics been covered and the Lakers could have back the seven missed free throws, we’re talking about a one point game towards the end of regulation and with Kobe Bryant wearing a gold jersey you'd have to like your chances in that situation.

The Rockets got a quality effort from everyone and took a three point lead, was established in the first quarter with them into the locker room at halftime.

The NBA playoffs usually come down to a game of runs and the Lakers got close on more than one occasion in the second half, but every time that happened the Rockets had a run or their own.

All of the people thought that the Lakers would sweep the Rockets have to rethink their strategies at this point. This was a game that the Lakers could’ve easily won by playing better.

A lot of credit has to go to the Rockets for doing what was necessary to secure a win. Los Angeles now needs to regroup make adjustments and play Game Two with a sense of urgency.

The Lakers had their opportunities and were presented with several clean wide open looks that they failed to knockdown. The Lakers have to step their game up and at the same level that the Rockets are playing. Game Two will be on 5/6/09 on TNT.

Photo Credit: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times

NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. Rockets Second Round Preview

Jeff Little — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:01:00 -0400

NBA Playoffs Second Round Match–Up
No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets

The Lakers beat the Utah Jazz four games to one in the first round. The Lakers have been dominant in the first round as a No. 1 seed, 10-0 to be exact.

The Lakers didn’t have to wait long to find out who their second round opponent would be, as the Houston Rockets took care of business at home and dispatched the talented, young Portland team.

This will be a tough series for the Lakers due to the fact that it is the playoffs. The regular season does provide an indication of what to expect, although it must be said that the intensity and level of play are higher in the playoffs.

The Lakers have Andrew Bynum back and are at full strength; however, he failed to get on track in the Jazz series.

The Jazz still have some players nursing injuries. The Lakers were 4–0 in the season series against the Rockets by the following scores:

11/9 Los Angeles Lakers 111, Houston Rockets 82
1/13 Los Angeles Lakers 105, Houston Rockets 100
3/11 Los Angeles Lakers 102, Houston Rockets 96
4/3 Los Angeles Lakers 93, Houston Rockets 81

The Lakers, as expected, beat the Utah Jazz, but did show signs of a leaky defense and issues maintaining leads. The Rockets come into round two after impressively dispatching the young Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

The Lakers, led by All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol and a deep bench, are facing a tough defensive team in the Rockets whose defense appears to have improved in the playoffs. Both teams are seeking to build on their success in round one.

The Rockets are elated to have finally advanced to the round two and feel that they’re ready to beat L.A. The Lakers know what areas of their game that are in need of improvement and have been working to correct them in practice. A key will be to not to come into the series too confident or complacent.

Starter Match-Ups

PG Derek Fisher 6’ 1”, 210 lbs. 12th Year, Avg. 9.9 Pts, 3.2 Ast, 2.3 Reb, 1.2 Stl
PG Aaron Brooks 6’ 0”, 161 lbs. First Year, Avg. 11.2 Pts, 3 Ast, 2 Reb

This will be an interesting match-up of two very different point guards. Aaron Brooks is a young point guard facing a battle-tested veteran point guard in Derek Fisher. Aaron Brooks is quick off the dribble and can penetrate and cause trouble for any defense.

Brooks doesn’t have the size to consistently be effective against the Lakers' long front line. He will have to have success shooting outside. Derek Fisher did what he had to do in round one, but will have to knock down timely shots to stretch the defense.

Advantage: Lakers

SG Kobe Bryant 6’ 6”, 205 lbs. 12th Year, Avg. 26.8 Pts, 4.8 Ast, 5.2 Reb.
SF Shane Battier 6’8”, 220 lbs. Seventh Year, Avg. 7.3 Pts, 2.3 Ast, 4.8 Reb.

Shane Battier has been in the starting lineup numerous times due to injuries of himself and Wafer. Von Wafer has started some games, but has been dealing with back spasms but will play. The combination of Battier and Ron Artest will take turns defending Kobe.

Both are solid defenders. Placing Battier on Kobe will affect his offense and the Rockets need him to knock down three-point shots. Kobe is on a mission to win another ring. He will be a nightmare for whoever attempts to guard him. He has played the role of facilitator early and closer late.

If the game is close in the fourth quarter, Kobe will take over. He has dominated the fourth quarter of all four games in the season series.

Advantage: Lakers

SF Trevor Ariza 6’ 8” 210 lbs. Fourth Year, Avg. 8.9 Pts, 1.8 Ast, 4.3 Reb, 2 Stl.
SF Ron Artest 6’ 7” 260 lbs. Seventh Year, Avg. 17.1 Pts, 3.3 Ast, 5.2 reb.

Ron Artest will start out checking Ariza but will have to exert a lot of energy guarding Kobe Bryant. Artest's offense, like Battier’s, will suffer due to the energy needed to defend Kobe.

Ron Artest was up and down in the first round series but has shot badly against the Lakers this season. He attempted 36 shots from three point range in the series against the Blazers and made only 10. Artest could be highly effective in the low post.

Trevor Ariza is a slasher who will attack the basket. He will have difficulty scoring on Artest but will need to remain active and could help get Artest into foul trouble. His improved scoring and range has been a huge surprise for the Lakers all season.

Advantage: Rockets

PF Lamar Odom 6’ 10”, 230 lbs. Ninth Year, 11.3 Pts, 2.6 Ast, 8.2 Reb, 1 Block

PF Luis Scola 6’ 9”, 245 lbs. First Year, Avg. 12.7 Pts, 1.5 Ast, 8.8 Reb.

Luis Scola is a talented player that can score around the basket. He isn’t a shot-blocker but is a solid rebounder. He was very effective on pick-and-roll plays where he would spot up for a mid-range jumper instead of rolling to the basket.

This will be a key play for the Lakers to contain. Lamar Odom is a starter but he was asked to come off of the bench to impact the game with the second unit.

Odom is a huge key for the Lakers; his activity on both ends of the court are vital for the team’s success because he has the potential to average a triple-double. He will be a match-up nightmare for Scola attacking the basket.

Advantage: Lakers

C Pau Gasol 7’ 0”, 250 lbs. Seventh Year, Avg. 18.9 Pts, 3.5 Ast, 9.6 Reb, 1 block
C Yao Ming 7’ 6”, 310 lbs. Sixth Year, Avg.19.7 Pts, 1.8 Ast, 9.9 Reb

This is a match-up of two All-Star centers. The Rockets do a good job of establishing Yao Ming early in the game but tend to go away from him being a focal point of the offense late in the game.

Yao is a tough match-up for whoever defends him but he is content being a decoy and getting his teammates involved. Pau will have to stay grounded and play good position defense and force Yao to take a contested shot over him.

The same will apply for Andrew Bynum when he faces Yao as a starter or as a reserve.
Pau is a talented offensive player with a wide array of moves around the basket, but his deadliest attribute is his ability to pass the ball and find his teammates.

This is a match-up that Yao has to win for the Rockets to be competitive in this series. The Lakers respect his talent as well as look to take him out of his game by attacking the basket, hopefully getting him in foul trouble early.

Advantage: Rockets

Bench

For the Rockets, Von Wafer played well in the first round and enjoys playing against his former team. He has scored 20+ points against the Lakers twice. Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, and Chuck Hayes have all had success and were effective in the first round.

For the Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, Andrew Bynum, and Jordan Farmar have struggled to make an impact. These players have the talent to be effective but haven’t put it together as of yet. Shannon Brown has been effective bringing the team energy and solid defense, as well as knocking down shots. He was 6-for-9 from behind the arc in round one.

Advantage: Rockets

Prediction
This will be a tough series that the Lakers will win in five Games.

Photo Credit: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers Finish Off Utah Jazz in Five

Jeff Little — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:27:00 -0400

The Los Angeles Lakers as expected beat the Utah Jazz in Game Five. It was a closeout game for the Lakers who came out strong and played well early. The first quarter ended with the teams tied at 26. The Lakers took control of the game in the second quarter with an eight-0 scoring run.

Los Angeles had its offense working and the team proceeded to knock down shots, to be honest the starters were the ones that knocked down shots, the reserves weren’t as successful. The Lakers grabbed a lead in the second quarter that they wouldn’t relinquish.

Kobe Bryant leading the Lakers with 31 points set the tone early, Lamar Odom was extremely active filling out the stat sheet scoring 16 points, grabbing eight boards and also blocked a few shots in the first half he ended the game with 26 points.

The Lakers were able to increase the lead, said lead reached double-digits again and at halftime the lead stood at 13 points. The Lakers came out in the strong in the second half focused on ending this series tonight. It wasn’t the most impressive game but Los Angeles got the shots to fall when they needed them the most.

The Lakers were playing well maintaining their lead by getting the necessary stops, playing solid defense and most importantly controlling the boards.

The Lakers put forth a solid effort to end the Jazz season with their solid play in the third quarter increasing the lead to 19 points by the end of the third quarter. The Lakers would need that huge lead because the Lakers reserves came into the game and proceeded to shoot 4-for-20 from the field.

The reserves almost shot the Lakers into a Game Six back in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz had one last run left in them and put up a 13-0 scoring run, good enough to cut the Lakers lead down to six points. The effort also brought the Lakers starters back into the contest to finish off the Jazz.

The Lakers regained the momentum and control of the game for the 107-96 win that ended the series and the Utah Jazz season.

The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant all series and if not for a bad shooting night by him from the field and the entire team from the free throw line in Game Three this could’ve easily been a sweep. Lamar Odom’s activity was huge in this series; it has played a key role in the team’s success.

The activity and athleticism of the trio of Kobe, Lamar and Trevor has really propelled the Lakers all season and will continue to be a force in the remainder of the playoffs. The length and size of the Lakers and their ability to score are also huge factors in the team’s success.

The Lakers will have to clean up some things moving forward, defense, rebounding and maintaining leads. The Lakers await the winner of the Rockets vs. Trail Blazers series that could end Thursday night.

Lakers-Jazz: Los Angeles Led by Kobe's Big Night Blow Out Utah 108-94

Jeff Little — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:13:00 -0400

Prior to the start of Game Four Kobe Bryant didn’t speak with the media, shake the hands of other players, or exchange any pleasantries he was all business. Kobe set the tone early and the Lakers followed their leader.

In the first two games of the series Kobe wore two hats, the facilitator early and the closer late. Big parts of the NBA Playoffs are about adjustments and swings in momentum.

In Game Three the adjustments that the Jazz made were to throw double-teams at Kobe and trap him frequently, he couldn’t get into a rhythm and had his worse playoff shooting game since 2005 going 5-for-24 and finishing the game with 18 points.

In Game Four Kobe had his mind made up that he was going to come out aggressive and look for his shot early and put the pressure on Utah’s defense. Kobe scored 13 of the Lakers first 15 points, but the Jazz ended the first quarter with a 25-20 lead.

The Lakers went on a 16-2 scoring run in the second quarter to take a seven point lead. Los Angeles increased the lead to 12 points; the Jazz cut the lead to seven points at halftime.

The "Black Mamba" was on the attack and finished the first half with 24 points. After letting a winnable Game Three get away Los Angeles was determined to win this game and grab a stranglehold on the series.

The Lakers had a total team effort, got into the passing lanes and got their hands on several passes, played solid defense, knocked down timely shots and won the rebounding battle.

The second half was more of the same as the Lakers held onto the lead this time and put the Jazz away in the third quarter. The Jazz collectively hit a bad note and before they knew it were down by 19 points.

The Lakers were able to push the lead up to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers will be prepared to do everything necessary to put the Jazz away in the closeout game.

By winning on the road in Game Four the Lakers put the Jazz in a precarious position of winning a must-win Game Five at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where they’ve lost the last 11 times. Game Five will be on Monday April 27 on FSN and TNT.