Catch me on "California Life" on Channel KHIZ (UPDATE)

You can see my story on Capistrano Valley pitcher Tyler Matzek tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. on channel KHIZ. He's one of the best high school players in the country, and he's a potential Top 10 pick. Check it out!

(UPDATE): Here's a direct link to the show. My story is after the Minor League Baseball one, about a 1/3 into it.

http://www.californialifehd.com/watch-show

They're Baaaaaaaaack

I guess we all know which Lakers team showed up.

No, it wasn't the team that was down 17-1 in the first quarter vs. Houston. No, it wasn't the team that gave up 20-pt leads to the Utah Jazz. No, it wasn't the team that was out hustled in Game 4 against Denver.

Yes, it was the team that Lakers fans thought were going to win 70 plus games.

They were efficient offensively (five players scoring in double figures, and 57% shooting).

They were selfless (28 team assists).

They controlled the boards (outrebounding Denver 38-27).

They played some tenacious D (limiting the Nuggets to 43% shooting, and holding Carmelo Anthony to another bad shooting night, 6-17 FG).

I mean you could really tell this was going to be the Lakers night when Luke Walton dunked over Carmelo Anthony. Everybody might hate him on this site, but he was fantastic when he spelled Ariza (10 points, three assists).

As good as Walton played, it was Trevor Ariza's coming out party. Ariza led all Lakers with 10 points in the 1st quarter. The Denver Nuggets foolishly left him open beyond the arc, and he made them pay, as he's shooting 48% from three in these playoffs.

He also had to guard the Nuggets best player Carmelo Anthony and helped limit him to a horrendous 22-of-79 shooting or only 27.8% his last four games.

The Lakers small forwards played great, but their superstars showed up as well.

Kobe Bryant controlled the game by orchestrating the triangle offense to a tee. Players were constantly moving off cuts and screens, which means a lot of assists to go around. The Black Mamba finished with 35 points (12-20 FG), and 10 assists.

Pau Gasol was simply the excellence of execution. Gasol finished with 20 points (8-12 FG), 12 rebounds, and six assists. He played like he wanted that "Gasoft" label off his wide shoulders, and he's got one more round to prove the naysayers wrong.

Also, the bench showed up with 40 points, and they actually hit their free throws...how about perfection on 24 of 24 shooting.

The Lakers defeat the Nuggets in back-to-back games, and took two out of three on the road to do it.

Lakers fans have waited one long excruciating year to come back to the NBA's promised land. Now is the time to rise up and unleash this inner Lakers beast on the East.

Baseball Playoffs: Mater Dei Defeats Hobgood and Norco

Newly crowned player of the year Matt Hobgood gives up seven runs to the Monarchs, losing 7-4. Cory Hahn hit two HRs including a grand slam. MD advances to Semis. Highlights & Interviews with Hobgood & Hahn.

Softball Playoffs: Pacifica's Season Ends vs. Santiago

The Mariners were shut out 1-0 against Santiago/Corona in the quarterfinals of the D I playoffs. Interviews with Head Coach Mark Campbell & winning pitcher Kamerin May.

Analyzing Game 5 of the WCF

Teamwork. Together. Totality. The Lakers could be eyeing their 30th NBA Finals appearance with a 103-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets. L.A. goes up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals, and they did it because of their unselfish play, most notably Kobe Bryant.

Number 24 did what needed to be done. He only took 13 shots (not a typo, I assure you), and didn't even lead the team in shots attempted. In fact, he didn't even have a basket in the 4th quarter.

The Black Mamba made sure that the ball moved into the post. Especially in the early going when it was clear that the Lakers were trying to dump the ball into Andrew Bynum as much as possible.

Kobe's best play occurred with 1:02 remaining in the 4th as he passed up a wide open three to get Lamar Odom a AND ONE opportunity.

He finished with 8 assists, but Kobe did have some bad turnovers, 7 of them as a matter of fact, but when you're one of the primary ball handlers, that comes with the territory.

Now, the person who did take the most shots on the team was Lamar Odom. Yes, the same L.O. that I thought the Lakers had to file a missing persons report for. From the get-go Lamar played with a renewed intensity as he put up 9 shots in the 1st half, yet he only converted on 3 of those shots, because of The Birdman baby! He finished 7-for-15 and became the missing 3rd wheel that the Lakers have needed in this series. But his big impact was on the defensive end.

Odom finished with 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. When everyone was questioning if the Laker bigs were ever going to show up, he sucked it up and gave it everything he had. His back was killing him, but he was able to shoulder the load for his team.

“I know his back has been killing him even if he might be saying otherwise to you guys,” teammate Luke Walton said. “He really muscled through it tonight. He ended up being huge for us.”

Lakers fans were used to seeing Lamar Odom put up those kind of numbers in last year's playoffs, but L.O. hurt his back in Game 4 of the Houston series, and hasn't been the same since. Will he continue to keep playing with such ferocity? No, Lamar is as inconsistent was any player I've ever seen, and who knows how long his back can hold up.

As for the other Lakers, Shannon Brown was phenomenal in his role of backing up Derek Fisher off the bench. While Fisher finally found that long lost shot of his, he couldn't keep out of foul trouble, committing silly reach fouls.

"Downtown" Shannon Brown didn't take a three but his shot with the shot clock winding down in the 4th, broke the back of the Denver Nuggets. Brown was fading away to his left, and threw up a prayer, and luckily for the former Michigan State Spartan, his prayer was answered.

Brown's defense on Chauncey Billups is something that cannot be understated as well. His on-ball hawking of the former Finals MVP was key to him only taking 7 shots in a quiet game.

All these aforementioned Lakers played great, but Trevor Ariza was the most efficient player on both ends (just look at this line: 12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 blks, 1 stl, and 0 turnovers). His defense on Carmelo Anthony was outstanding as well, since it's really noticeable when Luke Walton is guarding Anthony, because 'Melo can get whatever he wants against the Wrong Walton.

Finally, looking forward to Game 6, the Lakers will probably get blown out of the building. The Nuggets will play with maximum effort, and their role players will play with fire. I don't expect JR Smith to go 3-for-13 shooting or Nene to foul out and be a non-factor.

The Lakers will need Game 7 to try and close out this very good Nuggets team.

Please leave your comments below...

Lamar Odom Is The Candy Man

Game 5 is almost upon us Lakers fans, so let's stop worrying and stressing. This video details Lamar Odom's candy obsession. He even has his own candy carrier who goes to supermarkets and buys truckloads of candy for him. It's a silly and funny look at a player who has been much maligned over his Laker tenure. Too bad his game isn't as sweet....I just had to say it!

Baseball Playoffs: Matzek's Capo Valley Beat Orange Lutheran

Capistrano Valley defeats Orange Lutheran 5-0 in the 2nd round of the D I Playoffs. Tyler Matzek pitched six scoreless innings, while striking out seven. Highlights & Interviews with Head Coaches & Matzek.

Baseball Playoffs: Mater Dei Defeats Tesoro

The Monarchs go on the road and defeat the Titans 7-4 in the 2nd round of the D I Playoffs. Mater Dei defense was the key to victory. Highlights & Interviews with both Head Coaches & MD Pitcher Ian McCarthy.

Blooper: Umpire Falls!

Hilarious video of a 1st Base Umpire falling down during the softball playoff game between El Toro & Santa Margarita. Channeling Tommy Lasorda I'm sure...

Baseball Playoffs: Orange Lutheran vs. Canyon

The Lancers defeat the Comanches 3-1 to advance to the 2nd round. Bobby Wheatley pitched 6 2/3 innings of one run ball & Dillon Bryant makes an incredible catch in left. Interviews with Wheatley & Coaches.

Baseball Playoffs: Sonora vs. Temple City

The Raiders win their wild card matchup vs. Temple City 6-1. Jimmy Litchfield, threw a complete game, while only allowing a run on five hits. Highlights & Interviews with Litchfield & Coach Tellers.

Walk Off! Softball: El Toro vs Santa Margarita

El Toro beat Santa Margarita 3-2 to advance to the second round with a walk-off hit from Megan Konieczka in the bottom of the 7th. Interviews with Megan and both coaches.

Baseball Playoffs: Pacifica vs. Bellflower

The Mariners put up nine runs on the board as they defeat Bellflower 9-3 to advance to the second round of the DII playoffs. Interviews & highlights include a freshman's first home run & a bases clearing single.

Black Mamba Strikes!

The Black Mamba is one of Africa's most feared snakes. The venom from this snake ensures it's victim a slow painful death. The human embodiment of this monster is none other than Kobe Bryant. He bit the Nuggets early in the game, and they were induced into a comatose state at the end of it.

I have to admit, I haven't praised Kobe enough on this blog. I'm always first to criticize when he doesn't play within the offense, and takes too many shots. But in Game 1, this team needed him to be the selfish player Lakers fans know and love.

Bryant came out with a scorer's mentality, shooting 4-7 FG in the 1st quarter, but the Lakers were still down 31-23 in the 1st.

Early on, it was easy to tell that the Denver Nuggets were no Houston Rockets. There is no defender on the Nugs that can come close to guarding Kobe like Shane Battier can.


Right away Kobe started working in the post, something he rarely did against Houston. He abused every victim Denver threw at him. Whether it was Dahntay Jones, Anthony Carter, or Josh Smith.

When it came time for the Lakers to deliver in the the crunch of the clutch, Kobe's fingerprints were all over the ball. He sank six free throws in the final 30 seconds. He grabbed the biggest rebound of the game after Josh Smith's intentional missed free throw. He scored 15 of the Lakers last 23 points, while dishing out the biggest assist of the game to a wide open Derek Fisher from three.

Kobe was the reason why the Lakers won the game and he took 28 shots to do it. Usually, that's a death sentence for the team, but they really needed him to keep chuckin' it up.

Pau Gasol, who was Gasofty for three quarters finally manned up and played some defense in the waning minutes to keep the Lakers in the game. He had a good game, but wasn't too noticeable, because he only took nine shots. Some of that was on him, and some of it was on his teammates, but the Lakers really need to establish their bigs early and often.

After all, Kobe can't do it all. He needs the help of his young talented teammates.

The Black Mamba is the second deadliest venomous snake in the world, after the King Cobra. If the Lakers match up against Cleveland, it will be a battle of the two deadliest competitors on Earth...

Western Conference Finals Preview: LA vs. DEN

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets meet once more in the NBA Playoffs, and this time...it's personal!

Well, not really. I mean I fully expect this to be a chippy series, but as for now, we don't have the owner letting Kenyon Martin's mom know that he's a thug, but just wait for it because I can see it coming.

I mean imagine Jeanie Buss twittering that Chris "Bird Man" Andersen should fly back onto the suspension list (Andersen was kicked out of the NBA for violating the drug policy on four non-consecutive occassions).

But seriously, the Western Conference Finals begins on Tuesday night, and unlike last year's matchup, when the Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets in the 1st round, things are different. As Skip Bayless would say, there is no more "Me, Myself, and Iverson" around to help out the other team.

The biggest reason why Denver has made it this far, is the play of Chauncey Billups. Ever since the trade, that brought the prodigal son back to his hometown, the Nuggets have gone 61-27 (including the playoffs)

They started off getting hot at the right time by getting convincing wins from mid-March on. They went 16-3 from 3/11 on and have only lost twice in the NBA Playoffs. Games they should have won by the way. Not games where they didn't show up :cough Lakers cough:

So let's break down the matchups...

Point Guard:

Chauncey Billups has the advantage over any other point guard the Lakers can throw at him. He is big, strong, and fast. Billups is shooting 54% from three in the playoffs, so the Lakers better not sag off of him. Fisher, Farmar, and Brown need to work with their bigs to suffocate him into taking bad shots. Billups is prone to shooting long contested jumpers when the shot clock is winding down. Fisher needs to regain his shooting touch, and Farmar needs to continue to do what he's been doing, and that is drive, drive, drive, but I gotta give the advantage to the guy who's been to seven-straight Conference Finals.

Advantage NUGGETS

Shooting Guard:

As far as the shooting guards go, Kobe should be able to get any kind of shot he wants. Dahntay Jones isn't on the same defensive level as Artest and Battier, but his sole role on the court is to guard Kobe, so expect some competitiveness out of him.

J.R. Smith will get most of the key minutes for Denver. He's a sharpshooter from 3, and he's averaging 16 ppg in the playoffs, an instant lightning bolt of offense. The Lakers will counter with Trevor Ariza and Sasha Vujacic, who can be pesky enough to give the young Smith some problems.

Advantage LAKERS

Small Forward:
The Nuggets clearly have the advantage here with Carmelo Anthony. 'Melo has grown into one of the best players in the NBA. Clearly, the time he spent in China with the Olympic team has changed him. He trusts his teammates more, and has become very reliable in the clutch. He finally got out of the first round, and is leading his team in scoring at 27 ppg.

Linas Kleiza got a lot more minutes last year for the Nuggets, but this deeper Nuggets squad sees him coming off the bench. He's a smart player, who plays an all-around game, that can put the Lakers to sleep if they're not careful.

The funny thing is for the Lakers, that their best defender against 'Melo is gone. Vladimir Radmanovic. I know stop laughing, but watch tape of last year's playoffs, and Vlad gave him fits!

Anyways, Ariza will have his hands full, but he has shown a consistent 3-pt jump shot in the playoffs, and Melo's D still leaves a lot to be desired. Ariza could be an unheralded X-factor in this series. Luke Walton on the other hand, just pass the ball and try not to embarrass yourself too much.

Advantage NUGGETS

Power Forward:

I'm going to put Lamar Odom into the mix as a PF, even though I know he can swing to the three spot as well. The Lakers will start Pau Gasol against Kenyon Martin, and the Spaniard should be able to do some work on K-Mart. Martin has a passion for picking up early fouls, and Gasol's craftiness in the post, will put him on the pine. On the bench, Lamar Odom will terrorize the Nuggets by doing everything that he does (hopefully not missing lay-ups!) Kenyon Martin might be able to give Lamar Odom a hard time, but I see L.O. getting some work done.

The Nuggets counter with Kenyon Martin, and "The Birdman" Chris Andersen. Andersen has become one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. Denver explodes when he gets off the bench. He has continued his solid play into the playoffs, as he's getting nearly 2 blocks per game, while grabbing 6 boards. The Lakers need to be aware of him at all times, and make the extra pass down low to expose his eagnerness to fly.

The Laker power forwards in Gasol and Odom are more versatile. Denver's forwards play better defense, but I'm going to have to give the Lakers the advantage here, because their offense easily surpasses what the Nuggets front line can bring.
Advantage LAKERS

Center:

It's Bynum vs. Nene. This might decide the series. If Bynum gives the Lakers nothing like he's done in the playoffs, the Lakers will have a tough time beating this team. The Lakers are hoping the Andrew got back on track in the Game 7 win against Houston, but he will now have to play against a big man his size in Nene "don't call me Hilario."

Nene is an oustanding post player with a wide array of offensive moves. The Lakers will have a tough time guarding his moveset while attempting to keep him off the boards at the same time. I will pick Nene over Bynum here, because of youth and experience. Nene has been averaging 12.5 ppg, while picking up 7 rebounds, against other quality big men that he's faced like Tyson Chandler and Erica Dampier.

Advantage NUGGETS

Final Analysis:

The Lakers have the experience. Last year in the Western Conference Finals, the Lake Show cruised by the Spurs in 5 games to advance to the NBA Finals. This is the first time that the Denver Nuggets have advanced to the Western finals in 24 years.

Home court will play a huge part as well. Denver has won 16 straight at the Pepsi Center in Denver, which has become one of the best home court advantages in the association. The Lakers could win in Denver, but they might have to just win every single home game to advance. Denver is that good on their home court. On the other hand, I believe Denver can steal a game in L.A. If the fans aren't in Game 7 mode, and are sitting on their designer jeans, than there is no real home court advantage for L.A.

In the coaching department, Phil Jackson has never lost to a George Karl team. Does Phil still have a handle on his team? Are they tuning them out? Will they show up? George Karl doesn't need to answer those questions.

This series will be an up-and-down, all-around basketball showcase that will be very fun to watch, but the problem isn't offense with these two teams, it's defense. Whoever plays D in the clutch will take this series.

Kobe also has to play a team game. The team is 59-6 when he shoots 23 shots or fewer.

As far as Game 1 goes, Denver will have to fight a five day lay off, while L.A. will have to control their emotions after a draining 7-gamer with the Rockets. If the Nuggets can steal a game on the road, then I believe that the series is theirs.

I believe that they will win a game in L.A., so I pick the Denver Nuggets to win in six games.

Is my prediction Jakked Up?! Blast off with a comment below.

What an amazing series...so amazing...it's amazing

The new NBA slogan this year is "It's Amazing." Well, this series played every bit like that slogan beside Jerry West's silhouette.

The Lakers and Houston series was amazing on a lot of different levels. It was amazing that the Rockets stole Game 1. It was amazing in Game 2 when the Lakers got tough and knocked the Rockets around with flagrants, techs, and a Fisher suspension. It was amazing that after Yao got in injured in Game 3, the Rockets were able to bounce back and humble the Lakers in Game 4 with a 99-87 victory. It was amazing that the Lakers decided to actually play to their talent in Game 5, and destroy the Rockets by 40. It was amazing that in the very next game, the Lakers lost in Houston again, by going down 17-1 in the first quarter. Finally, it was amazing that the Lakers finished this series in seven games, when Houston had no business taking it that far.

What's done is done though, and the Lakers roared back to a wire-to-wire dominant victory against the pesky Rockets 89-70. Without any question, this was the best defensive performance the Lakers have had all year.

Their defensive rotations were outstanding off the pick and roll. The double team help off the baseline was on point. Derek Fisher funneled Brooks and for once, the bigs were there to help out. Trevor Ariza was as active as anyone on defense, forcing Artest to take crazy shots, and making 3-4 three-pointers. Four of the five starters had at least two blocks.

But the biggest reason why the Lakers were able to take this game was the dominant play of their bigs Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Drew was oustanding at doing the little things he needs to do for this team to succeed. He was scoring off put-back dunks, rebounding the ball in traffic, playing great help D, and altering/blocking enough shots to be a force down low.

Pau also played as fierce as I've ever seen him. He was rebounding in traffic for god's sake! The player known as "Gasoft" captured 18 rebounds!

Kobe Bryant realized that less is more, and only hoisted 12 shots (4-12 FG). He was also very actively defensively, with 3 steals, and giving Shane Battier a little taste of his own medicine by face guarding him to a miserable shooting performance (1-6 FG, 0-4 3-Pt FG).

The Black Mamba had to have listened to his own voice over of that boring documentary "Kobe Doin' Work," the night before. In that Spike Lee snore fest, Kobe pointed out that his Laker team had to patient and move the ball for things to happen. Kobe finally listened to himself, exploited their size advantage, and picked up the victory.

Finally, Kobe and his teammates admitted what observers have seen all series...

"Our effort could have been much better," Bryant said of the series. "We definitely could have played a lot harder. In a perfect-case scenario, everybody just kind of sweeps through each playoff series and you go on and win the NBA championship. But that's not the reality. Last year at this time everybody was pegging us as unbeatable and we got mopped up in the Finals. I'd much rather be a team that's there at the end of the Finals, not now."

"I think we were stubborn," said Trevor Ariza, trying to explain the series. "I think we thought we could be the best team on talent alone. I think we learned that in the playoffs, teams will step on your throat to get where they're going."

Oh yeah almost forgot...The Machine is alive! He made 4-7 shots in the face of all the Sasha haters on this site!

Take that George in HB!

Fakers Show Up, Lose Again

Surely, the Lakers learned their lesson. There was no way they could repeat another Game 4 performance. They won Game 5 by 40 points and laughed off their previous game as something that would never happen again. Think again.

The Lakers failed to close out the Houston Rockets in Game 6 and lost 95-80.

The most infuriating part of all this? The Lake Show started this game off exactly like they did the last time they were in Houston. They had no emotion, heart, intensity, desire, blah blah blah they didn't have it. It was completely inexcusable, and another sign that this team is not championship ready.

The score was 17-1 with 6:35 left in the 1st quarter. For a team that averages well over 100 points a game, the Lakers could only muster 15 pts. in the 1st.

The passion and energy only started after the Lakers came out of halftime and realized that they were actually in a playoff game. The score was 52-36 at the half, and the Lakers surged to cut the game within 2 by outscoring the Rockets by 16 pts in the first 6 minutes. The score was 52-54 with 5:58 remaining, but then the red flood gates opened again.

Carl Landry made a freakin' reverse lay up. Shane Battier got by Kobe and made a lay-up. Aaron Brooks was draining 3's that he was not making in L.A. This was all because the Lakers gave them confidence to make those shots by disappearing in the 1st. The Rockets knew they could make those shots. They had the crowd, the momentum, and the desire to win.

The Lakers bigs were embarrassed as well. Luis Scola had 18 pts in the 1st half and totally outplayed Pau Gasol to the point that he was relegated to the bench for most of the half. Any hope for Andrew Bynum to continue his solid play from Game 5 quickly dissipated as he scored as many points as I did. Lamar Odom grabbed some boards and played with some fire, but his back is clearly hurting him. He didn't handle the ball as much as he should've, so he wasn't noticeable.

The Lakers shooting was awful, and most of that can be attributed to Kobe's wild shots. Once again, he became Showbe. You know, when he tries to take over the world and try to prove all the naysayers wrong. "HE CAN'T GUARD ME!" "I'M SHOOTING OVER TRIPLE TEAMS!" "EVERYONE STAND AND WATCH WHILE I DRAIN THIS CONTESTED THREE I HAVE NO BUSINESS TAKING!"

Whenever he takes more shots than his jersey number, the Lakers do not have a desirable record. The ball becomes stagnant, and the fact that he scored 32 doesn't mean jack if he's going to miss 16 shots on 11-27 shooting. He needs to understand that the more he shoots, the more he feeds into the Rockets game plan. Hasn't he learned anything from the teams that have successfully contained him in past NBA Finals? The Celtics in '07 and the Pistons in '04 used a very similar defensive strategy? I call it the triangle defense, and it has proven to contain and jar the Lakers offense. Kobe, start trusting your teammates and move the ball more, or your best chance to win an NBA Title in the post-Shaq era will blow up in your face.

Back to the game...Phil made a mistake by not putting Kobe in until 6:56 LEFT IN THE GAME! Imagine that, you have "the best closer in the game," and in a close-out game, he is relegated to the bench in the biggest game of the year. Phil's substitutions were bad, but the blame can't be put on him. He can't go out on the court and slap Pau half way to Spain. He can't install pogo sticks on Bynum's immovable legs of steel. Fisher was properly benched in the 2nd and 4th quarter.

As for my prediction in Game 6. I guess the smart money is on the Lakers. After all, they're at home, and Kobe Bryant surely wouldn't let his team succumb to the lowly Rockets without their two best players.

I SHOULD GO with the team that plays like they give a damn. I SHOULD GO with the team that actually wants to be there. I SHOULD GO with the team that inspires and plays all out no matter what the score. I SHOULD GO with the Houston Rockets, but I'm not.

The Lakers SHOULD win Game 7, but The Lakers are hoping it's not a should've, would've, could've kind of season.

Another Jakked up performance everybody. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Where Amazing Happens

I'm sure you've all seen the NBA commercials titled "Where Amazing Happens," and this has to be the best of the bunch. This is a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life! I can remember celebrating with my dad, brother, and cousin, as if it were just yesterday. We all screamed "We're Goin' To The Finals!" as loud as we could, because this moment signified one of the greatest Laker comebacks in history. I present to you Kobe alley-ooping to Shaq vs. Portland in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.

Where were you when amazing happened?

Back Off Bynum!

Clothesline!

Well well well, look who decided to show up. Do I really have to praise the Lakers after doing what they should've done in Game 4? Seriously, do I have to explain that playing with heart, passion and desire on the defensive end generally leads to wins? Honestly, do I have to try to get into the heads of these millionaires, and come up with an answer to why they take nights off when they have no right to?

Well, I'm not going to break down the game, but rather one player in particular. A player who is has been unfairly maligned in these playoffs, and that's Andrew Bynum.

Right out of the gate, there were changes for the Lakers. Lamar Odom was not inserted into the starting lineup, because of back soreness, and that allowed Andrew Bynum to go to work early. He scored six quick points in the first 3:07 of the game, and he did it by being assertive.

He scored off an alley-oop dunk, a put-back dunk off a Fisher miss (what a surprise the way he's been shooting), and a nice bank job from 8 feet out. The big man picked up points instead of picking up fouls, which was refreshing, since he's been channeling Greg Oden in the playoffs.

Bynum ended up with 14 pts (4-4 FTs) and 6 Rebounds. Most of those points just came out of hustle plays and being in the right place at the right time. This is what he needs to do more of. Stay in front of the basket, and let things come to him, rather than try to do something fancy out of the post, and run into an offensive foul. If he can do the easy things, the Lakers could advance to their second straight NBA Finals.

The Lakers should seriously think about starting Andrew Bynum from here on out. He's a player that plays better with more minutes played, and while I also feel the same way about Lamar Odom, he is more accustomed to coming off the bench and doing work with the second unit. It isn't even really about who's starting anyway, because L.O. usually finishes the games, but with Bynum starting, he can get a feel for the game early, score some easy baskets, and regain that seemingly lost confidence.

However, with all this good Bynum news coming in, there is some bad to report. He was seen grimacing in pain with Lakers trainer Gary Vitti on the bench, while trying to adjust to his new knee brace/sleeve. He is still having problems playing with that chronic knee problem of his. His movement is clearly not where it needs to be, but maybe with more time, he'll adjust to the knee brace.

But in the meantime, can we all chillax and remember that this is his first playoffs! He's never had experience in big games. Bynum has never handled the ball in the post, with 60,000 screaming fans in the Final Four, let alone trying to play against the best of the best in the NBA playoffs.

Let's get this straight right now: He is not a savior. In the condition that he is in now, he cannot provide the Lakers with the toughness they need. He is more or a less a scorer, who can get some rebounds, but his lateral movement on the defensive end is deplorable. At times, he moves like he's 31, rather than 21, but hopefully with a strong off-season, Bynum will become the great defensive player that the Lakers need.

Until then, let's appreciate this young basketball sevant, who will only get better with time. This organization is known for building around big centers (Wilt, Jabbar, Shaq). The Lakers are hoping that Bynum is the next BIG Laker legend.

Yay! I'm happy again!

Lakers Lack Championship Intensity

I was Angry. Then a little Depressed. Finally I just came to the realization that the Los Angeles Lakers are not who we thought they were, with apologies to Dennis Green of course...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDAq5tyfk9E

The Lakers played with zero heart, passion, or care. They were outperformed by a hungrier team that knew they would’ve had zero chance in L.A. if they went down 3-1.

Yes, this sometimes happens in the NBA. The old story of when a star going down, the team galvanizing and playing better than they really are, but here’s the thing… As far as talent is concerned, the Lakers are clearly better, but TEAM wise, the Lakers aren’t.

Houston moves the ball with extreme precision, picking and rolling the Lakers to their graves. We all know the kryptonite of the Lakers is pick and roll defense (it’s been that way since the Kobe-Shaq days), but at least then they could play good on-ball-defense and rebound the basketball, which this Laker squad does not care to do.

I actually find myself rooting for the underdog Rockets at times. They play the game the right way, as Larry Brown would say, and are giving the spoiled Lakers all they can handle. Here's a list of the Lakers problems:

1. Aaron Brooks is in a zone. He’s leaving Derek Fisher behind in a cloud of dust. I’m having flashbacks of Tony Parker blazing by Fish in the ’03 playoffs.
   
2. Kobe is gambling on defense and leaving the Rockets best three point shooter open in Shane Battier. He needs to pick someone else to sag off of because Kobe is making that 1^st Team All Defense selection look like a joke.
3. Finally, the bench is in shambles. Andrew Bynum is a shell of his normal self. He has lost all confidence with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson believing that maybe the Lakers should just shut him down and play DJ Mbenga. Yeah, it’s that bad…Also, Sasha Vujacic is back to his practice player days. The long haired freak can’t make a wide open 3-pointer to save his life. He was so critical to last year’s post-season stretch that he often was on the court in the final minutes. Now, I wonder if he should even play at all.

The bottom line is that the Rockets played without their best player in Yao Ming and were up by as many by 28 pts. The final score was in no way indicative of just how bad the Lakers played, as the party started early for the Rockets.

Sure Aaron Brooks will get all the pub, as he should (34 pts on 12-20 shooting), but one of the big reasons the Rockets were able to cruise to victory was Chuck Hayes. Yeah, 6'8 Chuck guarded Laker center Pau Gasol and never gave him an inch. He made every basket tough by not backing down to the big Spaniard. If Pau wants to get easier shots, he should face up more and back down someone easier like Yao Ming...oh wait he's not gonna play any more, sucks for the Lakers.

They got off to a 15-pt lead half way through the 1st quarter and never looked back. The Lakers had no answer whatsoever, and if you think that the Lakers will easily bounce back and win the next two games...well then you don't know basketball.

Yes, I do believe that the Lakers will win this series, but it’s not going to be easy. Tonight proved that you can’t take a day off, especially in the playoffs, and give a team momentum. Los Angeles can beat Houston, but if they play the same way against the Denver Nuggets, then the Lakers will have to start their vacations in May rather than June.

Update: Lamar Odom is questionable for Game 4 with a bruised back. If L.O. can't sack up, then the Lakers are going to be in a real tough situation. They're going to need to out energy, and out passion the Rockets. Lakers fans should be pumped for revenge in Game 5.

Lakers lose in disgusting fashion...That's Jakked Up! Please leave your comments below.

No. 3 Marina vs. No. 4 Edison

The battle of Huntington Beach concludes with the Marina Vikings picking up a 4-3 victory over the Edison Chargers. Marina's Paul Strong goes the distance for a complete game victory while his teammate Chad Lewis helped him out in the 8th with a 2-Run HR Blast! Interviews with players and Head Coach.