The Lakers just topped the Mavs

[D-Dogg]

because he's hot.

I, Pavlov, command you to salivate!!

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[jenna2891]

I, Pavlov, command you to salivate!!

...says the guy with "dogg" in his name.

 

[D-Dogg]

...says the guy with "dogg" in his name.

.01345/5

 

[D-Dogg]

I knew we could get this in the Smack Shack very quickly. It mentioned the Lakers.

 

[Assface]

I knew we could get this in the Smack Shack very quickly. It mentioned the Lakers.

I can move it to the food forum if you like.

 

[Chaz]

Lakers beat the best team in the league and then lose to the worst.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Doesn't matter - they got the "elite" win, so losses against poor teams (granted, Memphis is much better now than their record) don't really count when talking smack. :roll:

 

[D-Dogg]

When the two top scoring teams in the league match up, and one of them doesn't play defense (Lakers) then I'm not suprised.

 

[Chaz]

Doesn't matter - they got the "elite" win, so losses against poor teams (granted, Memphis is much better now than their record) don't really count when talking smack. :roll:

Granted Memphis is playing much better since the Fratello shackles have been removed.

If the Lakers fans can talk smack about the Suns getting fat on the bottom teams then the Lakers can be shown to be inconsistant for losing to them. Although I can hear the excuses already. I'm sure the loss was just some brilliant Phil Jackson coaching move.

 

[Renz]

Beat L.A.? Not so easy

The classic chant of "Beat L.A.!" has had many applications through the years and even more motivations.

For example, "Beat L.A.!" has been the battle cry of cold-weather citizens who wouldn't mind wearing a T-shirt in January. "Beat L.A.!" also has been the war chortle of disgruntled-but-sporting men who wish the women in their town would consider dental floss as a clothing option.

But the common thread among devotees of "Beat L.A.!" is a commanding lack of fondness for the Los Angeles Lakers. As a method of crunch-time derision, it was inspired by Magic, Kareem and Big-Game James, then perfected as a means to counter Shaq and Kobe.

Now, only Kobe Bryant remains.

Opposing fans still sort of hate Kobe, but — considering the Lakers' postseason efforts since Shaquille O'Neal departed — the chant just isn't the same.

That may change.

If you were busy composing a chant that might thwart any fourth-quarter efforts from the Dallas Mavericks, you may not realize the Lakers have the fifth-best record (as of Tuesday morning) in the NBA. OK, so that's only good for the fifth seed in the Western Conference, but the ramifications are unmistakable.

The Lakers are no joke.

For evidential starters, they've scored victories over the conference's holy quartet of Mavs, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz. They are fifth in the league in points per game. They are ranked second in field-goal percentage. The Lakers are sixth in point differential (since they have the fifth-best record, this suggests their defense is not quite up to expected snuff).

Before Tuesday night's letdown against the Memphis Grizzlies, they had won four games in a row and nine of 14 since best supporting actor Lamar Odom went down with an injury.

Anyway, the obvious ringleaders are Bryant and (Zen there, done that) Coach Phil Jackson. Phil recently presided over his 900th coaching victory, making him the fastest bench sharpie to reach that milestone.

It's Jackson's sideline cred that convinced Shaq to sweat just enough in the off-season to help propel the Lakers toward three consecutive titles. And that cred also serves as prevailing reinforcement for any current Lakers who believe they have a better way.

"Having that psychological blank check is everything in this league," said an NBA assistant coach who was interrogated for his opinion on why the Lakers are thriving. "Phil knows the game, but so do a lot of coaches in the league. And I mean they know the Xs and Os as well as he does.

"But he knew how to push (Michael) Jordan's buttons and all of that success makes players listen and respond when he has something to say. That kind of currency is rare in this league."

It also doesn't hurt that — while he may not overpower his peers in basketball scholarship — Jackson has enough sense to demand defense and remain committed to the triangle offense.

The triangle is no magic scoring pill, but its formations provide consistent and non-negotiable spacing for the Laker offense; it also makes anyone not named Kobe responsible for maintaining the integrity of the set. More importantly, it puts the Lakers in a better position to make reads and take what the defense is prepared to give.

In the good and not so old days, the Lakers would give Bryant the ball and he would take what he wanted, triangle or no. These days, Kobe is remarkably less selfish (most of the time ... more on that statistical phenomenon in another portion of Basket Case) and has rewarded the Lakers with the best field-goal percentage of his career. His assists also have increased by one per game.

With Bryant's magnanimous performance and Odom's return as givens in the Laker success model, the key to near-future glory is second-year center Andrew Bynum. With Bryant and Odom eating up Laker cap room and their victory total wrecking draft-help potential, the 20-year-old Bynum is the X-factor.

Since Kwame Brown went to the shelf (ankle), Bynum has averaged 13.3 points (on 83-percent shooting) and 9.7 rebounds over three January wins.

This reasonable rise may not propel the Lakers into the conference finals this year, but it may happen soon.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6349248

 

[SactownSunsFan]

God bless Phil Hartman for being grounded through this season

Wow, that was so uncalled for.

 

[TJ]

Wow, that was so uncalled for.

HEY!!! dont be changing my quotes. Im on your side, buddy!!