The Purple & Gold Enter the Bayou

A little voo-doo won't be enough to rock the L.A Lakers. The New Orleans Hornets are gonna need Chris Paul to put up beau coup ("a lot" in French) points to outlast L.A. The battle of the reigning MVP, and last year's runner up (CP3) should be interesting.

The Lakers are joined by the Atlanta Hawks at touting a pristine 6-0 record. In each of those wins, L.A has held its opponent to under 100 points. If L.A can do the same tonight, they will surely be 7-0.

Here are some points to consider in tonight's matchup:

• Trevor Ariza: Have I mentioned this guy lately? lol Well, the Lakers bench is one reason the team has been so successful. Late in the Mavs-Lakers game Tuesday, Ariza blocked Stackhouse as he was pulling up for a three that would have gave the Mavericks a one point lead. Ariza is starting to make L.Odom look less and less valuable.

• Paul is Potent: Offensively, Chris Paul is vicious. Therefore, the Lakers D' has got to be consistent and strong early on. Jordan Farmar and Fisher will be trading off on defending Paul. They struggled guarding J.Kidd Tuesday who managed to put up a triple-double. However, he also had five turnovers. Did I mention, CP3 has put up at least 20pts/10 asst in all six games this season? He's gaining on Jordan who holds the record for 10 straight games of 20pts/10 assts. Don't worry, we'll end that streak tonight.

• Kobe in the 4th: Kobe Bryant is like late breaking news. When he strikes, everyone scrambles. I'm glad the Mamba hasn't had to play as many minutes. But when he steps on the court in the 4th -- It's over. Ariza and Jordan Farmar have stepped up, while Derek Fisher and Radmanovic have yet to impress the masses.

• Bynum vs. Gasol: As excited as I was for Andrew Bynum to return to the lakeshow, I'm still not blown away by his performance thus far. Will he ever be as good as Pau Gasol? Let's hope he turns it up a notch tonight! He just inked a hefty contract of $58 million. Um, check please! Oh yeah, watch for Gasol to throw some bows in the post tonight.

Pick: L.A Lakers (Who else?)

Score: 101-98

Last words? We're taking the bzzzzzz out of those bees in the Bayou...

Hopefully, we'll wake up tomorrow to two unbeaten teams. I hope ATL's Mike Bibby makes it rain on the C's tonight. Enjoy the games!

~Crossy~

Even the Experts Agree!

If you're a sports fan, turning on ESPN or visiting ESPN.com is a part of your daily ritual. As many of you know, I love the NBA. Specifically, the Lakers. At the end of September I wrote a Lakers Preview post. In it, I talked about how Andrew Bynum's return was huge, and why everyone should watch out for Trevor Ariza this season.


Was I right?



Survey saaaaaaaaaaaaaaays? (*DING*) Yes.


Here's why:

I stumbled across NBA analyst J.A. Adande's article about Trevor Ariza today. Adande writes, "Trevor Ariza might be a stealth player, but he's showing up exactly where L.A needs him this season." Click here for the entire article. It's a good read.

I mean, if the expert (Adande) agrees with me then that just co-signs my point! Now, I won't name any names, but a few of my buddies disagreed with my Ariza observation. I mean truth be told the dude is explosive in a hush-hush kinda way. He adds energy, athleticism, and for lack of a better word: a body. When he's on the floor he literally blends in. However, as J.A wisely pointed out -- you can't miss em in the stat sheet!

Did I mention the Lakeshow is STILL undefeated...?

*Ahem* I rest my case...

Stay Classy!

~Crossy~

Lakers Preview: We're BAAAAACK!

The Staples Center was booming with reporters and writers as Media Day kicked off for the Los Angeles Lakers Monday.

The Lakeshow is officially back with a new look for the 2008-09 season. Here's my take on the latest, greatest, and sitting on the wait list.


The Latest: Kobe, Gasol less minutes?

Coach Phil Jackson says he plans on cutting Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol's minutes. Say what? When I first heard the news I thought I was daydreaming. However, KB24.com reports that the rumor is in fact true. People fail to realize the number of minutes Pau and Kobe put up in the post-season. Bryant averages 38.9 minutes a game. Imagine if you only had 10-minutes of rest during your work day? Survey says: NO BUENO. There are two reasons Lakers' fans should not be worried about Kobe warming the bench longer than normal: Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza. They're baaaaa-aaack!


The Greatest: Bynum & Ariza

• Andrew Bynum is back and bigger than ever! (See pic above) Did he go to jail during the 08' season or rehab? I'm just sayin'!! The dude looks like he could bench Serena Williams and Warren Sapp in one rep! I'm not sure what his hoop game is looking like yet, but I can definitely see him going toe-to-toe with the likes of Dwight Howard or even the guy I love to hate, Paul Pierce.

• 23-year old, UCLA grad Trevor Ariza has always been a favorite of mine. I'm still puzzled as to why Phil Jackson didn't let the Ariza juice loose earlier in the post-season. The guy brought a much-needed boost of energy to the floor coming off the bench with huge dunks and a few major rebounds. He also added a little size to the mix of L.A's old faithful triangle offense. He was injured early on last year, but trust - this year, he'll make a significant impact.

Watch out for these two guys in the 08-09 season.

Sitting on the wait list: Walton woes; Odom, well...

• Luke Walton won't be suiting up for practice anytime soon. Word is that Lukey Dukey is still recovering from his off-season ankle surgery. Walton told reporters Monday that he expects to be out another 2-weeks. While he won't miss any regular season games, it doesn't help that the Lakers are already sorting out the rotation of an uber deep roster. Good luck Lukey. The way the roster is looking this year it seems like he might be coming off the bench like Lamar Odom.

• Speaking of Odom, he won't be starting this year. Yes it's true, reports say that Odom is going to be the Lakers' official 6th man. I smell a serious tiff brewing between Odom and Phil. I'm not a huge fan of Odom. I mean he's okay, but I definitely feel like he did not live up to his potential in the NBA Finals last year. Like K.Garnett, Odom had one standout game and then it seemed he disappeared for the rest of the series. Remember folks, Odom was only starting because Bynum was out. Since the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, Odom is gonna have to take a backseat to Spain's phenom. It's the nature of the business baby! I bet you he won't be pouting when he gets that championship ring in the mail!

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Overall, it should be an interesting NBA season. Media day is just the beginning.

Stay Classy!
~Crossy~

Sports Allegiance: Home or Away?

Living in New England has taught me alot about sports.

You're either a Red Sox fan or a Yankees' fan. There's no in between.

There are a number of people here who are Yankees' fans who aren't even from New York, Jersey or anywhere close for that matter.

This brought me to the thought:

Where do our sports allegiances derive from?

[Raising my hand] Um, is there like a rule I don't know about that says it's NOT okay to be a fan of a team in a town where you've NEVER lived? Does living in a state for more than a month constitute enough weight for an allegiance to be born?

Here's my outlook on the Big 3...plus one - NBA, NFL, MLB and College sports.

NBA

With professional basketball, I find that most people are fans of certain players, opposed to being a fan of a team. Prior to this years Celtics /Lakers matchup, not too many people cared about the NBA or it's players. Aside from David Stern enforcing a dress code for it's players, I believe the league just became too ghetto for season ticket holders to bare. There are also several states that don't have a professional NBA team like...Nevada, Montana, South Carolina and...oh, Connecticut. Several Connecticut natives tend to lean towards the Boston Celtics as "their team." As you can see, the NBA is an exception.

NFL

Who doesn't love the NFL? Seriously. There's nothing like curling up on your couch on a Sunday afternoon with some wings, soda, chips-n-dip and your laptop (for you fantasy football fiends). So who holds your NFL allegiance? My allegiance stems from my 5-year stint in Charlotte, North Carolina. I must say, I heart the Carolina Panthers. Prior to 2000, I was never a huge football fan due to how horrible my hometown Seattle Seahawks were...but it was just something about Carolina that won my loyalty. Depending on where your from, football fans are not always for the "home team." I think I've met more Washington Redskins fans in the New York area than I have in Washington D.C! Now that's real talk. I think the jury is out on this one. Some people say you have to be from the team's city that you root for, while others disagree. What do you think? This is also one sport where a lot of people have two teams they like: one being the dominant team, while the other is a closet favorite because of a particular player or coach.

MLB

America's favorite pastime....Baseball. It's about as American as apple pie...well, until steroids came along. But seriously, this is one sport where I think most people are fans of their home town team. It's true that players get traded often, but it's rare that people will switch their allegiance from team to team in MLB. While living in the south I noticed that baseball is not really that popular. Due to the lack of teams in those regions, there's no demand for baseball so there's no allegiance either. History is also a big factor in why people stay loyal to certain teams. You can't deny those who paved the way...for the A-Rod's and Jeter's of today.

College Sports

If you live in North Carolina for more than a week it's inevitable that you'll be asked the question: Are you a Carolina fan or a Duke fan? For the record, I bleed Carolina blue. It's so necessary. I'm not gonna go into the top ten reasons why I hate Duke...I'll save that for another blog. Instead I'd like to focus on the amount of people who cheer for a school they never attended. Sports fans are attracted to dynasties and rivalries. College sports is one place where you'll find alot of that. However there are always those teams like CAA's George Mason who slip through the cracks and make us all believe that the unexpected can happen. It's Cinderella teams like GMason that make sports fun. Who are your favorite college teams for each sport? Are they the same for each sport? Isn't it interesting how people can be say... a UConn basketball fan, but a Notre Dame football fan?

My overall opinion is...be a fan of what ever team you want. I am.

Stay Classy!

The Perfect Paragon

Recently I was posed the question,"How important is winning an NBA title without Shaq to Kobe's career?"

I thought to myself, extremely important.

Kobe Bryant is one of the most dissected athletes in the NBA. So that means his game and personal life must be flawless. He has to be the regular season MVP, hold the NBA title, pass the ball, be the Finals MVP, and win the Gold at the Olympics to be considered great. That's quite a load to haul. But not one too heavy for Kobe Bean.

So what does it take to be the GREATEST in the NBA?

I thought you'd never ask ;)

Here is my formula for what I like to call: The Perfect Paragon. It's made up of 3 important parts:

1. Skill


2. Athleticism


3. Passion

Several players in the NBA will never be GREAT because they have not achieved a balance of all three parts. I'm sure you can think of a laundry list of players...

But let's take a look at the New Jersey Nets' Vince Carter.

Now while I'm a huge Tarheels fan, I have to admit that Carter has not matured into a GREAT player. However, he's definitely in my Top 5 for all-time best slam dunks! I will never forget his dunk in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest...but my admiration for Carter stops there. He has definitely achieved great skill and athleticism........but he lacks the passion.

In a recent interview, NBA Analyst Stephen A. Smith asked Kobe Bryant what his secret was to leading the Lakers to the NBA finals. While Kobe shyed away from the question by saying he wouldn't reveal the secret; I knew what it was: Passion. Passion is not just a simple emotion. It's a reaction to an external force. Bryant has always exuded passion in his love for the game, but it wasn't until now that Bryant was able to affect the actions of others with his passion. For years people have compared the likes of Bryant and the legendary Michael Jordan. It's a winless battle. At this point, I feel Bryant has already distinguished himself as his own man...not a boy in the shadow of a giant.

Bryant has led his young team to the NBA finals through not only his passion for the game, but his passion to win as a team, and his passion in making the players around him better. It is for this reason, Kobe Bean is a giant. His skill is unparalleled. His athleticism is unmatched. But the passion he's instilled in his team cannot be shaken.

Kobe Bryant = The Perfect Paragon

Sweep!!

The title of this blog is really all that needs to be said. Congrats to the entire Lakers squad!

What did you think of the

Lakers/Nuggets series?

Well since we are talking about the Nuggets, I figured I'd give you a few nuggets to note.

*The Nuggets became the first 50-win team to ever be swept in the first round of the playoffs.

*Nuggets coach George Karl had never been swept in a seven-game series during his 20-year NBA career

*The Nuggets had dozens of “I Believe” signs taped throughout their weight room, on the walls, even on the machines. [What is this...the Obama campaign?!]

Good try though. Better luck next time to the no "D" playin, Enver Nuggets!

Bring on the Utah Jazz! ;)