Champs we are!

Nearly a 20 point win over New Orleans in our
last game in New Orleans with our Lakers
taking control and flexing their muscles!
There was a sell-out crowd in New Orleans
Arena of 17,949 spectators and it got mighty
quiet as our Lakers took the lead and did not
let up. Ron Artest did his muscle man stance
again as he swiped the ball from Hornets' Chris
Paul in the backcourt, converted a layup, flexed
biceps and ignited a decisive 19-6 run that gave
the Lakers such a lead. "Tonight was our best
defensive effort", Coach Phil Jackson stated.
Mission accomplished as Lamar Odom finished
the game with 14 points and 8 rebounds, while
Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined their
efforts making 34 points and 18 rebounds and
the injured Kobe Bryant shook off his aching
ankle to chip in 24 points. Indeed, the Lakers
played as if they had actually seen the pick
and roll plays.The Lakers led by as many as
21 points in the fourth quarter. Great game for us.
Game over. Series over.Now the Lakers advance
to the second round to face the winner of the Dallas
Mavericks-Portland Trail Blazers series. No matter
the opponent, Game 1 of the Western Conference
Semifinals is Monday at Staples Center.
Last nights' final score in New Orleans was: 98-80.
The Lakers have been victorious on their first try
in 22 of 29 chances with Phil Jackson as coach.
A three-peat in the offing? Could be!!
Babs Wells

The banners are waving! WE WON!

Not only did our Lakers win last night but our Ron
Artest was given the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship
Award which he duly deserved. His fight against
Mental illness is so worthy of mention. He has
been most aware of the trauma many families face
dealing with this that his tireless efforts have taken
him before Congress for awareness in schools.
His advocacy in support for the Schools Act in
raising money for the Los Angeles County Dept.
of Mental Health embodies the kind of dedication
to important causes that the NBA players have
become known for. Ron has raised more than
$650,000 when he raffled off his Championship
ring in support of Mental Health Awareness and
even was instrumental in filming a public service
announcement. He actually has a passion for this issue.
He is one of our dramatic Laker players too and helped
us to win Tuesday's game against the New Orleans
Hornets. It was questionable if Kobe Bryant would be
suiting up to play, having earlier been seen using crutches.
His left foot and ankle were sprained and sore as he
hobbled about for awhile warming up but then the player
in his soul kicked in and he showed what all he is
made of. In the first quarter former Laker Trevor Ariza
continued to haunt his old teammates as he scored 10
points in taking a 9 point advantage. In the second quarter,
the plan seemed to change a bit and the Lakers began
to respond better. After it seemed Kobe showed no signs
of a tweaked ankle, scoring 12 points to help us get a good
head start, it gave cause for the fans to begin to breathe easier.
In the third quarter Pau Gasol's 3 point play gave us an 11 point
lead and Derek Fisher made 2 - 3 pointers like the player he is.
The fans went wild and then the game began in earnest as the
fourth quarter gave us a 15 point lead showing a Laker win of 106-90.
What a terrific game! Our hats get thrown into the air on this one!
Thank you Lakers for a genuinely great game! We shattered them!
Upcoming game is this Thursday eve. in New Orleans and then
hopefully back again to Staples Center Saturday for game 7.
NBA Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinals. Bets are on!
Babs Wells

You win some, you lose some

In Friday's game - we won. It was noticeable
from the very start that our Lakers were just full
of vim and vigor...found sprinting down that court
like children visiting toy land. Kobe Bryant scored
30, Pau Gasol had newly awakened energy and
our team regained confidence. They seized
a 100-86 victory from the New Orleans Hornets
in game 3 and their swagger was back in a
comprehensive win. Pau finished with 17 points
and 10 rebounds while Andrew Bynum had 14
points & a team leading 11 rebounds. Lamar
Odom added 13 points and 9 rebounds in a
reserve role and Derek Fisher had 10 points
and 5 assists. They gave it their best & it worked.
Sunday's game went awry. Easter Sunday it just
seemed all of our eggs were scattered about.
Lamar Odom , the sixth man of the year, scored
just 6 points on 1 of 7 shooting from the field. In
the first quarter, the Lakers started fast, taking
a 9 point lead as they played strong defense &
got out in transition. In the second quarter the
Lakers led 45-37 after a 3 by Ron Artest who

scored 16 in the first half. Sort of an oddity, is that

at the half, Kobe Bryant was scoreless but then in the
third quarter he got 14 points including 2 free throws
with 6.1 seconds left to cut the Hornets' lead to 2.
In the fourth quarter the Lakers tied the score on their
first possession but still lost the game with final score
being New Orleans 93 and our Lakers at 88. Oh my!
2 and 2..so here we go into another game on Tuesday.
Which team is going to strut out there on to the court?
Keep your fingers crossed, pals, we need two more wins!
Babs Wells

A winning game and a sixth man award!

All at once, our Lakers are taking on a whole
new look. Lamar Odom was presented with
"The Best off the Bench" 6th man award
in honor - reserved only for him. A very quiet
and unassuming man this is and very into
team effort playing. One by one Lamar Odom's
Lakers teammates rose and gave him a standing
ovation Tuesday as he accepted his Sixth Man
of the Year Award at a hotel ceremony near the
Los Angeles International airport."Sit down man,"
he told them laughing. Lamar is the first Laker
to win this award. He has recently married
Khloe Kardashian and landed his own reality
show with his wife too. Quite a versatile fellow!

Yes, we won! After the terrible loss on Sunday, we
were all most grateful for the energy levels and the
determination shown in Wednesdays game.
During the first quarter it still did not look too good.
In fact, Pau Gasol still seems a bit lethargic in his
playing which is worrisome but Lamar picked up
the slack and even Steve Blake made his own
contribution. Still weakened, however, since his
bout with having chicken pox and in bed for a week,
he showed up with vigor and made a real attempt
to help his team out. He wore a headband to try
and cover up some of the pox spots all the same.
Kobe Bryant and our Andrew Bynum were the
players we all rave over today. Drew made 17 points
and 11 rebounds and celebrated his scoring before
getting fouled in the second quarter. He was a real
force in the paint & as coach Phil Jackson reminds
us,"We're just about playing basketball. We're not
trying to blow anybody away. We have to play the
right way offensively and defensively,then it will
be a great game". The worst mistake made during
the first game played in playoffs was the lack of
energy. In game 2 our Lakers marched in lockstep
with the Hornets almost from the opening tip and
then began asserting themselves in the 2nd. quarter.
Final score on Wednesday's game was 87-78.
Now we play Friday night and Sunday night in
New Orleans and try to continue with our energy
levels high and work on our pick and rolls.
This last game was but a wee glimpse but it was
an impressive one so we can only hope for more
of the same. High Five lads!
Babs Wells

Just a bloody game,right?

True. April 17,2011. First game of the playoffs
and it took place right in L.A. on home court
besides. Lakers against the least one, the
New Orleans Hornets. Pau Gasol got a bad
cut right below an eye so trotted off to the
lockers to get a repair job as blood oozed
down his cheek. Kobe Bryant went hurtling
into a metal chair and just sat there nursing
a sore neck. Evident we just plainly did not
practice as we ought to have done. Perhaps we
got a bit cocky. The visiting team
came in bold and energetic and took over.
Playoff games are not the regular season ones.
The games have real meaning and the message
seems clear after this initial loss. Final score:
New Orleans 109 and our Lakers 100.
Derek Fisher claims our attitude was good
and we performed well but evidently not good
enough to win. He said "We've lost this game
and put ourselves in a position where Wednesday's
game is extremely important to balance this
thing back out". So, even with Kobe having made
34 points he could not swing a win all alone,certainly.
Pau made 8 points and 6 rebounds. Lamar Odom
had 10 points, one rebound and 2 assists. Andrew
Bynum had 13 points and 9 rebounds but with all
of their efforts, they simply did not come charging
out on to the court with enough energy to match
their opponents. Shannon Brown said "There was
no reason we should have come out and played
with no energy and no life. We definitely have to
pick that up. We shouldn't have been in this
position. We need better defense, true..but
we've got to come out there with life, man"
And on that note..there is life..a brand new one, in fact!
This writer became a great Grandmother during
the Lakers' Sunday game at half time!
Can you believe it? A little 6 lb. 3 oz. baby girl
was born to my only granddaughter after many
hours of waiting and waiting and there she was!
Whole and alive and bursting with her own energy!
Sorry we lost the ball game Sunday but thrilled
we won a beautiful new member for our family clan!
Welcome to the world Saige! May God richly bless you!
Babs Wells

A WIN WIN !!!!

Mighty interesting to see our Lakers once again into
a winning situation. Playing in Staples Center on Tuesday
against the San Antonio Spurs brought us to a far better
spot for playing now during the Playoff games. Steve Blake
was unable to join his team mates due to having a case
of chicken pox! Matt Barnes knee was troubling him some
and Andrew Bynum wrenched his right leg and foot so went
down on the floor in pain but found out later gratefully that
it is not a damaging injury but rather a bruised bone injury.
In order to bolster the roster some, coach Phil Jackson has
signed up Trey Johnson of Bakersfield of the development
league. He had participated in training camp with the Lakers.
He is 6 foot 5 inches tall and has averaged 25.5 points in
39 games for Bakersfield this season. Lakers fell to third
place in the west after losing their last two games. Beating
the Spurs means the Lakers would finish now no worse than
third and would get the home court advantage for Play off games.
(During the first round that is). Tuesday game final score: Lakers 102
and Spurs 93. Going up to Sacramento for Wednesdays back to
back game it appeared to be a no brain-er with Lakers actually
22 points ahead at one point. They are too sure of themselves it appears because in a last ditch swing, the Kings rallied and got ahead
of us. That brought about a brand new spurt of energy in our
players to play their little hearts out! The game went into over
time and we did win 116-108 but the game was hard won!
It makes little difference what this reporter thinks surely, but
it would seem to me having the Clippers here in L.A. along
with our Laker team, the Kings ought to reconsider coming
down to Anaheim to play. They have many loyal fans up in
the Sacramento area and it just feels right they should remain there.
Both current L.A. teams won last eve. Lakers as well as Clippers.
Steve Blake will very likely be coming back to play with the team
for the Play off games and Matt Barnes should return too. Also our
tall and very needed Andrew Bynum. Good news for sure!
Ending our regular season playing 2011, we now see what we are
made of, don't we? Going into a possible three-peat? Could happen!
Babs Wells

Slumps

Slumps are mighty hard to maneuver around at times.
Knowing this, we are grateful that the recent losses seem
to not have deterred our Lakers from trying. This last
game at home with Oklahoma City, proves this theory.
They beat us the last few seconds with score of: 120-106.
Even Derek Fisher - although having had the ball taken
away from him for the opposing teams' side to play
more than once - has not begun to get saddened.
Ron Artest, Steve Blake, Pau Gasol and our Kobe
Bryant each were giving their best out on the floor
in the second half. Kobe's Dad was on just before
the game speaking to let us all know that the
spirit indeed is not dead and that the playoff games
are really what do count the most. As they are
very soon about to take place, it is our duty as fans
to stay loyal when we feel our team may be coming
up a bit short. Yes, April 3rd found us losing to the
Denver Nuggets and then the loss against Utah a week
ago, with another loss on Wednesday against Golden
State plus the loss Friday against Portland, did give
rise to speculation certainly. Still, this last game with
Oklahoma City showed everybody that the spark is
still a burning ember that somehow got off the mark
by just a bit and the gains we made from time to time
in scoring did not win us the game in the ending 4th quarter.
Although we are not concerned about the Eastern Conference
at all but the urgency to win is still a sure factor and one we
will pounce upon hopefully when the Playoff games start.
We ought to be thinking about giving the old rallying cry as
true fans and keep a vigilant outlook to games coming up.
Our next game is Tuesday playing San Antonio at Staples Center.
Then back to back we go up to Sacramento to play Wednesday night.
Lakers, we will always root for you and know you have that winning
streak in you so lets' try to see if perhaps we can win this week!
Babs Wells

Confidence!

Playoff games come up pretty soon
and we'd better begin honing up for those!
The last two games are an indication of that need
certainly with 9 wins under our belt since the
"All Star Break" but now also these last 2 losses.
Sunday's game had Denver winning with score
of 95 while our Lakers scored only 90. It was the
Lakers first loss since a March 10 defeat against
the Heat in Miami. The Lakers last home loss was
Feb. 3rd. against the San Antonio Spurs. And so
then until last evenings' Utah game when we lost
by only one point. Maddening to be sure and do not
think the two leg injuries of Pau Gasol and Andrew
Bynum played any part in the loss either. Not shooting
well was really the main complaint for both games I
think. Seemed one misplay in a game filled with them.
Being host to another team in order to play on one's own
court ought to be reason enough to win, it would seem
but Tuesday Kobe Bryant had a chance to win the game
and lost the ball in the lane just as the buzzer sounded.
So final score was Utah at 86 and Lakers at 85.
Listlessness and lethargy seemed the call of the wild
in this last game sad to report. Now back to back games
with Golden State coming up so, tired, are we?! Hmm
Hope naps took care of that problem and we can rev
it up a notch to win this one. Get confident lads!
Babs Wells

The Second-Place Showdown

The Second-Place Showdown lived up
to its' billing. The Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks
110-82 however some things went awry during the fourth
quarter. Suspension followed with Matt Barnes asked to
not play the very next game and was escorted off court.
Jason Terry with Dallas and Steve Blake, a Laker had a
little confrontation when Terry shoved Blake to the floor.
It was then Matt Barnes came into the argument &
un-realistically, he was the one given the suspension!
The Lakers lumbered along in third place for months
but have caught and passed the Mavericks. Now on
to the game with Denver Nuggets and sad to report
we have lost our winning streak. After 9 games won,
our 10th - even on home court - although with even scores
most of the entire game and plus ahead at times, the final
score was Denver 95 and Lakers 90. Trailing by 3 points,
there was still plenty of time to make a 3 pointer and
the ball danced off the rim, but before it fell into Lamar
Odom's waiting hands, Denver's Kenyon Martin tapped
the rebound into the basket, providing the Nuggets with
two insurance points in a 95-90 victory at Staples Center.
Once again we play Utah but this time at home on Tuesday
night. Knowing that every loss is disappointing in its' own
way, the good and bad parts about this league is that you
have another game a day or two later to figure out how to
let the losses go and to get ready for the following game,
Derek Fisher reminded his team. And so the Lakers host
the Utah Jazz this next upcoming game & we cheer them on!
Babs Wells

Yeah Ron!

We find that the Pro Basketball Writers Association
has chosen Ron Artest as one of the finalists for the
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award. Congrats. Ron!
They stated that his tireless advocacy for mental health
issues this season was a main consideration for doing so.
Artest had earlier thanked his psychiatrist after the Lakers
victory over Boston in game 7 of the NBA Finals last June
and was praised for raffling off his championship ring to
help raise funds for mental health awareness.
Theo Ratliff was on the active roster for the first time since
undergoing left knee surgery on November 17th. He said he
would give it a try to play with the Laker team in Thursday's
game but not in a significant role. Ratliff is 38 years old this month.
The Lakers sort of lumbered along for months in third place,
but seem to have caught and passed the Dallas Mavericks.
That win gives the Lakers some more breathing room and
the victory is sweet indeed, even with the ejection of two
of our players during the game. Steve Blake and Matt
Barnes were escorted off the court. A ruckus broke out
at the end of the floor with Steve Blake being pushed down
on to the floor by Dallas participant and then Matt Barnes
came into the fray so it became very noticeable that it had to
get broken up and the Refs decided this was the best decision.
Kobe Bryant said, "In this instance, we're just minimizing
mistakes. We're just executing well. We're not on fire or
hot or anything like that. We're doing our jobs the right way."
Even without a confrontation tempers seemed to flare but
unlike the Clippers who played well over Dallas most of their game
with them, our Lakers kept at it on the floor and (although
one fan even got heated up and ejected too!) most players
kept their cool and won the game for us with score of:
110-82. Now, tonight we play Utah in Utah but back home
again on Sunday to play against Denver at noon. Playoffs
are around the corner and our boys seem very able to
meet their opponents and win. Keep it up please!
Babs Wells