Even with a nine point advantage, we
did lose in OKC last evening. Drat!
Well, upcoming are two games at home
to play them. Friday and Saturday.
What to try? How to rebound? Being
it is the best of 7 games and losing
two already, it would seem pointless,
mere formalities. The winner of this
series plays the winner of the Clippers-
San Antonio Spurs series. Steve Blake,
a backup point guard, missed what could
have been a go-ahead 3-pointer from the
corner after Kevin Durant gave the
Thunder the lead with a decisive move
along the baseline and a basket to
cap their comeback. Metta World Peace
tried to get the ball to Kobe Bryant
but Kobe was far too well covered
and so sent the ball to Blake, who
was open. Yes, that ball did look
like it would plop into the net,
but instead it simply glanced off
the rim. Kobe and Drew each scored
20 points. With only a day to travel,
recover and prepare for Game one after
defeating the Denver Nuggets in game
7 at Staples Center in the conference
quarterfinals, the Lakers were a step
behind the Thunder all Monday night.
Then another day to look at the game
played over and over and note their
own defense, the Lakers had to march
in to play game 2. It really did look
pretty good for us but the end result
showed it was not so, OKC won at 77
and our Lakers had 75. We can only hope
weariness will not be a factor for the
two back to back games coming up.
Babs Wells
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
HEAR THAT THUNDER????
Heard it very well. The OKC Thunder
had several days rest, our Lakers had
none at all and their fella's ran to extend
themselves like a youth program was in progress.
We labored and did not do too badly right
at first but doubt Kobe or Bynum even
got out on the floor during the last
quarter of the game Monday evening.
Pau, Ramon and Metta W.P. played only
a few minutes time themselves.
The Thunder had not played since May
5th. with the fourth game against
Dallas Mavericks. In fact, at one point
they led by as many as 35 points last night.
Bynum and Kobe, each scored 20 points
and Pau scored 10. Bynum also grabbed
14 rebounds but our Lakers just simply
could not keep up the pace of the game.
The crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy
Arena boo'ed Metta World Peace from former
game when he was caught elbowing Harding in the
face/head area causing a slight concussion.
MWP was suspended for 7 games for doing it.
Thunders' quickness and spring of their legs
and simply brute strength, showed that we have
plenty of work to do before next game play.
OKC won with 119 and Lakers lost with 90.
Yes, it is seeming that our compressed
schedule is taking its' toll, alright.
It is no secret, that with the lockout-
compressed schedule, and such a shortened
66-game regular season, all of the players
have had to work harder on their plays and
on their individual strengths. Facing the
Thunder last night less than 48 hours
after eliminating the Denver Nuggets in
a tense game #7 at Staples Center, left
our players almost no time to travel,
recover and prepare for that next round
with OKC This whole past season has
seemed too rushed, but play we must.
Our next game is again in OKC before
heading back home for back to back
games in LA on Friday and Saturday.
Now to the locker rooms and then play
on Wednesday evening. Hope no repeat.
Babs Wells
had several days rest, our Lakers had
none at all and their fella's ran to extend
themselves like a youth program was in progress.
We labored and did not do too badly right
at first but doubt Kobe or Bynum even
got out on the floor during the last
quarter of the game Monday evening.
Pau, Ramon and Metta W.P. played only
a few minutes time themselves.
The Thunder had not played since May
5th. with the fourth game against
Dallas Mavericks. In fact, at one point
they led by as many as 35 points last night.
Bynum and Kobe, each scored 20 points
and Pau scored 10. Bynum also grabbed
14 rebounds but our Lakers just simply
could not keep up the pace of the game.
The crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy
Arena boo'ed Metta World Peace from former
game when he was caught elbowing Harding in the
face/head area causing a slight concussion.
MWP was suspended for 7 games for doing it.
Thunders' quickness and spring of their legs
and simply brute strength, showed that we have
plenty of work to do before next game play.
OKC won with 119 and Lakers lost with 90.
Yes, it is seeming that our compressed
schedule is taking its' toll, alright.
It is no secret, that with the lockout-
compressed schedule, and such a shortened
66-game regular season, all of the players
have had to work harder on their plays and
on their individual strengths. Facing the
Thunder last night less than 48 hours
after eliminating the Denver Nuggets in
a tense game #7 at Staples Center, left
our players almost no time to travel,
recover and prepare for that next round
with OKC This whole past season has
seemed too rushed, but play we must.
Our next game is again in OKC before
heading back home for back to back
games in LA on Friday and Saturday.
Now to the locker rooms and then play
on Wednesday evening. Hope no repeat.
Babs Wells
Monday, May 14, 2012
WE WON THE GAME !!!
Game seven, crucial game and we won it!
Although the Denver Nuggets pushed the
Lakers to the limit, coach George Karl,
even on his 61st. Birthday, could not
seem to get his team over the hump.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 23 points
and Andrew Bynum added another 18 rebounds
as L.A. toppled Denver 96-87 in game 7.
This was the Western Conference quarter-
final series game. The Lakers advanced
to the second round then where they
face O.K.C. tonight in Oklahoma.
Since 1987, Karl has been battling
the Lakers and for awhile, it was
looking pretty good to him.
Steve Blake had a career-high in
playoff scoring with 19 points,
including a 5-for-6 performance
from the 3-point arc. Metta World
Peace, back in the lineup for the
first time since his 7 game suspen-
sion April 22, scored 9 points
in the third quarter. It triggered
a run-out by the Lakers to a 16-point
lead with 7:22 left to play in the
third quarter. Pau made 6-of-10
shots, scored 13 points, 7 rebounds
and had 5 assists even before half-
time. Some comments had earlier been
made from "Magic" Johnson regarding
coach Mike Brown (which was his personal
opinion) as a TV analyst and did not
reflect the opinions of our Laker players
themselves. Their statement conflicted
with Magic's, stating "We are fully
committed to and supportive of Mike
Brown as head coach of the Lakers."
For 22 years, by the way, PRIME TIME
has carried L.A. games and this past
game was the final broadcast of a
Lakers home playoff game with this
cable system. The Lakers remaining
games this spring will be carried on
ESPN/ABC and TNT. The club will move
to a new channel next season.
And so, tonight in OKC, we will be
watching our Lakers play and hope
of course, for the best for them!
Babs Wells
Although the Denver Nuggets pushed the
Lakers to the limit, coach George Karl,
even on his 61st. Birthday, could not
seem to get his team over the hump.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 23 points
and Andrew Bynum added another 18 rebounds
as L.A. toppled Denver 96-87 in game 7.
This was the Western Conference quarter-
final series game. The Lakers advanced
to the second round then where they
face O.K.C. tonight in Oklahoma.
Since 1987, Karl has been battling
the Lakers and for awhile, it was
looking pretty good to him.
Steve Blake had a career-high in
playoff scoring with 19 points,
including a 5-for-6 performance
from the 3-point arc. Metta World
Peace, back in the lineup for the
first time since his 7 game suspen-
sion April 22, scored 9 points
in the third quarter. It triggered
a run-out by the Lakers to a 16-point
lead with 7:22 left to play in the
third quarter. Pau made 6-of-10
shots, scored 13 points, 7 rebounds
and had 5 assists even before half-
time. Some comments had earlier been
made from "Magic" Johnson regarding
coach Mike Brown (which was his personal
opinion) as a TV analyst and did not
reflect the opinions of our Laker players
themselves. Their statement conflicted
with Magic's, stating "We are fully
committed to and supportive of Mike
Brown as head coach of the Lakers."
For 22 years, by the way, PRIME TIME
has carried L.A. games and this past
game was the final broadcast of a
Lakers home playoff game with this
cable system. The Lakers remaining
games this spring will be carried on
ESPN/ABC and TNT. The club will move
to a new channel next season.
And so, tonight in OKC, we will be
watching our Lakers play and hope
of course, for the best for them!
Babs Wells
Friday, May 11, 2012
SEEN ANY GOOD MOVIES LATELY???
First of all, our Kobe was ill.
Second, Pau and Drew were not
completely into playing the game
of Basketball as they ought to
be playing, especially without
"Metta World Peace" out there
on the court to aid their plays.
We lost last Friday's game,
last Tuesday's game and now
last night's game as well.
Coach Karl had his Nuggets
coached so well that their
energies and vision to win
shone through while Lakers
were seemingly in a daze.
Too bad with all of this, but
we do have game number 7
here in L.A. to play on
our own court at the Staples
Center Saturday night.
Let's hope we can compete
far better and have all
of the players on our team
be on the same page to play
and to win. C'mon, Playoff's guys!
On a different note, did
you happen to ever see
"Hoosiers"? That movie
took place in Indiana
and is a piece of history.
The court used for the film,
was restored in 1993 and now
serves as a venue for basketball
leagues, parties and concerts.
Built in 1920, the Hossier Gym
in Knightstown, Indiana, sat
vacant for 2 decades until a
Hollywood Film crew began to call.
Gene Hackman played the coach
in the film and it is claimed
to be one of the best sports films
ever made. The time frame used in
the movie was 1951-1952 school year.
The story is based loosely on a
Cinderella team from tiny Milan
(Ind.) High School that toppled
big-city powerhouse teams to win
the 1954 State Championship.
A good lesson to be learned from
gleaning this movie and its' intent.
Lets' go with a winning spirit into
Saturday's game and lets' give those
Denver Nuggets something to worry over.
Championship or no, let's give it our all.
Babs Wells
Monday, May 7, 2012
LAKERS VS. NUGGETS
Well, anybody that saw Friday's game knows
our team was anything but the best. Guess
Drew told the media that "he just plain was
not ready" NOT READY? For a game during the
PLAYOFF'S? What form of thinking and adjustment
is that? Un-real. At age 24, even he ought to
be chastised for that sort of reasoning. At any
rate, yes we lost big time and yes, it was an
embarrassment to players and spectators as well.
"it is just a game"..true, but to not be able
to fend off the really bad decisions made, is
something we never thought possible during a
playoff game. We lost with a score of:
Denver winning with 99 & L.A. losing with 84.
We knew that we would be in that mile high
city for another game on Sunday so at least
could redeem ourselves then, which we were
able to do, gratefully. By Sunday, higher altitude
was a tad easier to handle. Coach Mike Brown
remained affected by it, apparently, but the
players seemed to handle it far better and
in the first quarter, made the very first
2 points for our team. It was a fun game
and a nice way to top off a week-end for all.
Our winning score ended at 92-88. Steve Blake
scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer
in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a
6-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit
heading into the fourth quarter. "This was
fun" Blake stated, "It doesn't get any better
than this. Playoff basketball, this is what
it's all about!" Ramon Sessions scored 12 points
and also had a big 3 in the final minutes for
L.A. With the game tied at 86, Bryant was being
covered closely when a hard screen from Pau
Gasol sent his opponent to the floor. Kobe worked
the ball to Sessions, whose 3-pointer from just
in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers
ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining to play.
All in all, Kobe scored 22 points, Andrew
Bynum added 19 and at 92-88, we have a 3-1 lead
in first-round playoff series. Hoping to wrap
it up on Tuesday night when the series shifts
back again to L.A. Staples Center for game 5.
Keep the faith.
Babs Wells
our team was anything but the best. Guess
Drew told the media that "he just plain was
not ready" NOT READY? For a game during the
PLAYOFF'S? What form of thinking and adjustment
is that? Un-real. At age 24, even he ought to
be chastised for that sort of reasoning. At any
rate, yes we lost big time and yes, it was an
embarrassment to players and spectators as well.
"it is just a game"..true, but to not be able
to fend off the really bad decisions made, is
something we never thought possible during a
playoff game. We lost with a score of:
Denver winning with 99 & L.A. losing with 84.
We knew that we would be in that mile high
city for another game on Sunday so at least
could redeem ourselves then, which we were
able to do, gratefully. By Sunday, higher altitude
was a tad easier to handle. Coach Mike Brown
remained affected by it, apparently, but the
players seemed to handle it far better and
in the first quarter, made the very first
2 points for our team. It was a fun game
and a nice way to top off a week-end for all.
Our winning score ended at 92-88. Steve Blake
scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer
in the final minute as the Lakers overcame a
6-point halftime hole and a 71-70 deficit
heading into the fourth quarter. "This was
fun" Blake stated, "It doesn't get any better
than this. Playoff basketball, this is what
it's all about!" Ramon Sessions scored 12 points
and also had a big 3 in the final minutes for
L.A. With the game tied at 86, Bryant was being
covered closely when a hard screen from Pau
Gasol sent his opponent to the floor. Kobe worked
the ball to Sessions, whose 3-pointer from just
in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers
ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining to play.
All in all, Kobe scored 22 points, Andrew
Bynum added 19 and at 92-88, we have a 3-1 lead
in first-round playoff series. Hoping to wrap
it up on Tuesday night when the series shifts
back again to L.A. Staples Center for game 5.
Keep the faith.
Babs Wells
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
PLAYOFF GAMES!!
Game two, and during the entire game, Lakers
were ahead but the Denver Nuggets began
to speed up in the fourth quarter so it was
ever so great for us when the clock was
showing us the score, and we won: 104-100.
Kobe Bryant played 40 of the 48 minutes
in this game and had made 38 points by
himself at games' end. Pau Gasol had 13
points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and
Andrew Bynum followed up his play-off
opening triple-double with 27 points,
and 9 rebounds. Lakers had a 19 point
lead in the third quarter and Ramon
Sessions scored 4 key points in the
final 1:14 before Kobe's icing free
throws with 9.4 seconds left. Now game
three will be played in High altitude
Denver on Friday night. A most interesting
phone call came in for this reporter
this morning from the very place I had
mentioned in my previous article about
the camp provided for children with
difficult medical problems in Lake
Hughes on Lake Elizabeth Road. And,
yes, our Lakers had a big hand in
this facility allowing them a fully equipped
gym. Lakers were the investors there
to have the entire flooring laid.
Former Paul Newman was the instigator
and founder for this camp. Although
now departed, his legacy lives on.
Local Attorney, Rex Parris,
has recently donated $10,000 for the
camp. The family's 19 yr. old daughter,
Amanda, in 2006, at age 13, was diag-
nosed with Ulcerative colitis. Hundreds
of youngsters have attended week-long
sessions at this campground which is
the only multidisease camp and family
center on the West coast that provides
camping experiences for children with
life-threatening illnesses & disabilities.
For more info concerning this great even,
were ahead but the Denver Nuggets began
to speed up in the fourth quarter so it was
ever so great for us when the clock was
showing us the score, and we won: 104-100.
Kobe Bryant played 40 of the 48 minutes
in this game and had made 38 points by
himself at games' end. Pau Gasol had 13
points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and
Andrew Bynum followed up his play-off
opening triple-double with 27 points,
and 9 rebounds. Lakers had a 19 point
lead in the third quarter and Ramon
Sessions scored 4 key points in the
final 1:14 before Kobe's icing free
throws with 9.4 seconds left. Now game
three will be played in High altitude
Denver on Friday night. A most interesting
phone call came in for this reporter
this morning from the very place I had
mentioned in my previous article about
the camp provided for children with
difficult medical problems in Lake
Hughes on Lake Elizabeth Road. And,
yes, our Lakers had a big hand in
this facility allowing them a fully equipped
gym. Lakers were the investors there
to have the entire flooring laid.
Former Paul Newman was the instigator
and founder for this camp. Although
now departed, his legacy lives on.
Local Attorney, Rex Parris,
has recently donated $10,000 for the
camp. The family's 19 yr. old daughter,
Amanda, in 2006, at age 13, was diag-
nosed with Ulcerative colitis. Hundreds
of youngsters have attended week-long
sessions at this campground which is
the only multidisease camp and family
center on the West coast that provides
camping experiences for children with
life-threatening illnesses & disabilities.
For more info concerning this great even,
you can call Paula Jones at #661-724-1550
ext. 205. On July 28 there will be a BBQ
for a fund raiser, their 8th. annual gala
which is called "Turtle Greek Island BBQ".
ext. 205. On July 28 there will be a BBQ
for a fund raiser, their 8th. annual gala
which is called "Turtle Greek Island BBQ".
Web site information:
http://www.thepaintedturtle.org/
Perhaps in reading this article, we may see you
there as well! Until then, keep close
watch on our Lakers vs. the Denver Nuggets!
Babs Wells
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
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