MuthaFunka said:

I was beyond shocked when I saw that shit....I turned to my son like "is...he...really....crying???? "

I still can't believe that shot Kobe hit over LeBron - un-fucking-real!

reneGade20 said:

uPtoWnNY said:

The ball came down with ice on it.

MuthaFunka said:

...and Santa Claus' autograph...

reneGade20 said:

If Lamar Odom has a performance like that EVERY night, he'll get off my "most disappointing NBA player" list.

Very impressed with the Spurs and their new weapons, Mason and Bonner. If those boys keep hitting(combined with the Big 3), SA will be a serious threat to the Lakers. LA needs Bynum's inside presence to deal with them. Lakers-Spurs will be a SERIOUS conference final!

uPtoWnNY said:

Nah, they got past them easily last season without Bynum, so no sweat.

And Portland escapes with a win thanks to some late heroics from Brandon Roy. The Knicks deserved to win that game. Portland is a young team and can't afford such lapses as the 37-7 run that they allowed if they hope to do anything in the playoffs!

Moonbeam said:

That's why I fucking HATE Mike D'Antoni. According to David Lee, D'Antoni never discussed whether or not to foul during the final timeout. WTF?????

When the Knicks get good again, they're not going far with a coach who doesn't stress any kind of defense.

reneGade20 said:

Well, it's February. There's a lotta butter to go on this muffin.

The Lakers completed their most impressive road trip in years. Of course, the more important win was in Boston, where the difference was on the offensive end, when Gasol finally took advantage of his skills to draw the Celtics' offensive tackle, Kendrick Perkins, out of the lane, forcing him to move his feet. This cleared the center of the floor for the offense to flow. If they meet again, Kobe will need to take advantage of that. A healthy Trevor Ariza made a difference, too.

Against the Cavs, they never let LeBron finish at the hole, which was important.

Their weakness defensively, as someone pointed out yesterday, remains the 3-point line. They would have beaten Boston by double-digits and the Cavs by 20 but for Eddie House and Wally Sczerbiak's trifectas.

If Bynum comes back and gives them ANYTHING, they'll be tough to beat.

As for the Vlad Rad trade, I don't think they're looking for much more than cap room to resign Odom. Morrison and Brown could develop, but they won't help much this year.

If the Lakers win the title, I'm going to send Kevin Garnett a thank you note. It seems like No 7's light went on when KG got in his face. At that point, he abused KG. and dominated against Cleveland. Was this attitude adjustment a season changer? We'll see. Because if Odom plays at that level in May and June, they won't need Bynum.

MuthaFunka said:

Did you see Shaq's interview last night?

namepeace said:

Naw, what did that foolio say?

MuthaFunka said:

come now, Big did carry our Lakers to 3 world titles . . .

he said in a halftime interview that he'd like to end his career on a good note, and didn't dismiss the prospect of returning to LA when Stephen A., I believe, asked him.

namepeace said:

naw, I just use "foolio" like I would "Dude," so it's all good.

Oh yeah, I heard about that.

MuthaFunka said:

Sort of reminded me of.....Air Gray.....back in the day.

Technicalities kept Vladimir Radmanovic on the bench a day after he was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Bobcats.

They didn't keep him from voicing his displeasure over his former team's game planning.



"Being a Laker was a great experience," Radmanovic told the Charlotte Observer before Sunday's 96-92 loss in Miami. "But it was also frustrating not knowing when and how I'd play."

The small forward said the trade that sent him to the Bobcats for forward Adam Morrison and reserve guard Shannon Brown was a blessing in disguise.

"Phil's system, great as it is, doesn't give a role player much opportunity," Radmanovic said. "For Kobe Bryant, it's great. For Pau Gasol, it's great. But role players don't do much.''

In 2½ seasons with the Lakers, Radmanovic started 84 of the 166 games he apppeared in, averaging 17.9 minutes, 22.8 and 16.8 in each season starting in 2006-07. Before the trade, the eight-year veteran was averaging 5.9 points per game this season.

The Serbian pointed to the value of his versatility Sunday. He told the Observer he's comfortable at power forward or small forward.

"I've been playing 3 and 4 my whole career,'' Radmanovic said. "Obviously I'm a little quicker than most 6-10 guys, so I can guard smaller players.''

Radmanovic was not eligible to play against the Heat on Sunday. Radmanovic was in Miami and hoping to play, but the Lakers did not get physicals for Morrison and Brown done, so the deal couldn't be officially complete.

"I just hope it works out for everybody," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said before Sunday's game.

Radmanovic was being checked by team doctors in Charlotte's locker room two hours before tip-off, and the team even added him to the active list in case he was cleared to play.

Graycap23 said:

I actually liked Vlad Rad. But he may have been the largest enigma on their roster, and that's saying a whole lot. Phil was right about him, he's somewhat of a space cadet, you never know when he's going to be locked into a game. But when he is, he's a weapon.

Graycap23 said:

You mean GROUND Gray!

Yep. That pretty much sums up the triangle. That's why it's hard to attract great help. That's also why Kobe hated the version they were running with Shaq, because it asked him to downplay his talents in order to feed the big guy. That's also why Kobe LOVES this version, because it's the MJ version Phil ran.

MuthaFunka said:

Gotta start on the ground.....b4 u throw down.

Graycap23 said:

Yeah...but you STAY there.

MuthaFunka said:

lol.....today. 20 years ago? 28 ppg.

Graycap23 said:

I can dig it!

Charley Barkley will be back after the All-star break.

New Power Rankings:

1. L.A. Lakers
2. Cleveland
3. Boston
4. Orlando
5. San Antonio
6. Denver
7. Portland
8. Dallas
9. New Orleans
10. Houston
11. Phoenix
12. Utah
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Miami
16. Detroit
17. New Jersey
18. Milwaukee
19. Chicago
20. New York
21. Charlotte
22. Indiana
23. Golden State
24. Toronto
25. Minnesota
26. Oklahoma City
27. Memphis
28. L.A. Clippers
29. Washington
30. Sacramento

Moonbeam said:

This was your best post. Ever.

Moonbeam said:

Just for this week, I'd put the Spurs ahead of the C's. Overall, I think the defending champs are the best team in the NBA until proven otherwise. As much of a Laker fan as I am, you gotta beat the men to be the men, and that's 4 months away unless somebody beats either of them first.

MuthaFunka said:

Moonbeam said: