Category: NBA

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One Lakers Fan Heartbreak – A Tribute to Kobe Bryant

Print created by Matt Sanoian.
Print created by Matt Sanoian.

I was upstairs writing when the call came. My daughter’s Face timed me with the news. Kobe Bryant was dead. I told them to stop playing.

I’ve been a Lakers fan since Dad sat me down beside him on the couch to watch the Showtime Lakers. Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, AC Green, Bryon Scott. I fell in love with their style. I’ve always loved basketball (my jumper was nice) and the LA Lakers became MY team.

Even through the down years, I rooted for them. Then we traded for Shaq. And drafted a young kid named Kobe Bean Bryant. The Lakers were back, baby.

And I got to watch a young boy grow into a man. His work ethic was nuts. You had to admire the tenacity. The arrogance to believe he would emerge as THE best basketball player. And he did it. He won at the highest level. It was inspiring. It made you want to work hard on your own chosen craft. Kobe made it possible to believe that a strong will and consistency would reap rewards. I didn’t want to be like Mike. I wanted to be like Kobe. #MambaMentality

He wasn’t perfect. There are some that may condemn him forever but I saw the growth, the maturity. And I’m no one’s judge and jury. I didn’t know him personally, of course, but from what I could see he was a wonderful father. He seemed to be happily married. He loved to teach the next generation of ballplayers. Especially girls. #GirlDad

I was looking forward to his new path. A more creative path. He wrote a series of children’s books. He won an Oscar for Best Animated Short for his poem, Dear Basketball. In winning that award, he showed he was more than an athlete. It’s depressing to think of all the work he was still planning to do and know it’s not going to happen. Kobe was only 41 years old. The world was robbed of his gifts.

So, to Kobe, his daughter Gianna, Sarah & Payton Chester, Alyssa, Keri & John Altobelli, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan, rest in peace.  You will be missed but remembered forever!

This print was created by Matt Sanoian of Sanoian Designs. If you would like to purchase it, please go to www.sanoiandesigns.com/buy

All proceeds will be donated to the MambaOnThree.org

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Playoffs? We Talking About the Playoffs?

Kobe Bryant’s not walking through that door!

If you’re talking about the NBA Playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers, the answer is a resounding “Nope”.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I wasn’t a big proponent of the Lakers signing LeBron James. I know he’s arguably the best player in the NBA. But I wanted the Lakers to let the young players grow. Show patience and add a free agent or two without sacrificing the young core. Of course, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka had other ideas.

What do I know? I’ve only been a fan of the NBA and the Lakers since my Dad introduced me to the team back in the ’80s. I grew up on the Showtime Lakers. Cheered during the Kobe and Shaq years. LA is used to winning teams.  It’s hard for me to watch my once beloved team being mismanaged like this.

All good things come to an end and it was time to rebuild.  However, getting LeBron changes the dynamic of the team. Maybe that’s a good thing.

Playoffs? Not this year.

What do you think the Lakers should do? Trade the young players? Pursue Anthony Davis and other free agents? Fire the coach?

Shout out in the comment section.

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NBA Playoffs – Round 2

I know they aren't in the playoffs! Let me live.
I know they aren’t in the playoffs! Let me live.

 

My favorite team, the Lakers are not in the playoffs this year.  See my post about the first round here.

I have watched a lot of basketball over the past week.  Not caring who wins has given me a new  perspective on the game.  I made some predictions for the first round.  Let’s see how I did.

EAST

Pacers vs. Hawks – My prediction:  Pacers in 7 (Pacers looked shaky in this series.)

Heat vs. Bobcats – My prediction:  Heat in 4 (Too easy.)

Raptors vs.  Nets – My prediction:  Nets in 6 (Nets needed an extra game to get it done.)

Bulls vs. Wizards – My prediction:  Wizards in 6 (Wizards only needed 5 games.)

 

WEST

Spurs vs. Mavericks – My prediction: Spurs in 4 (Totally missed on this one.  Spurs needed 7 games.)

Thunder vs. Grizzlies – My prediction:  Thunder in 7 (Nailed it.)

Clippers vs. Warriors – My prediction: Clippers in 7 (Got this one too.)

Rockers vs. Trailblazers – My prediction: Trailblazers in 7 (Was really happy Blazers took care of the Rockets in 6 games.)

******************************

Not too bad.  On to the second round:

Pacers vs. Wizards – My prediction:  Wizards in 7 (tough call)

Heat vs. Nets – My prediction:  Heat in 6

Spurs vs. Blazers – My prediction: Spurs in 6

Thunder vs. Clippers – My prediction:  Thunder in 7 (close call)

Let’s see how I do in the next round.

 

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NBA Playoffs 2014 – First Round

image

Noticeably absent from the playoffs this year is my favorite team, the Lakers.   This season was terrible.  For a lot of reasons.  It makes me tired to think of everything that went wrong this year.  The best coping mechanism is denial.  We are going to pretend this season never happened.

Since I don’t have a rooting interest in this  years playoffs,  I have decided to look at things objectively and make predictions.  ‘Cause I don’t care who wins.  Here we go for the first round:

EAST

(1) Pacers vs. (8) Hawks – My prediction:  Pacers in 7

(2) Heat vs. (7) Bobcats – My prediction:  Heat in 4

(3) Raptors vs. (6) Nets – My prediction:  Nets in 6

(4) Bulls vs. (5) Wizards – My prediction:  Wizards in 6

 

WEST

(1) Spurs vs. (8) Mavericks – My prediction: Spurs in 4

(2) Thunder vs. (7) Grizzlies – My prediction:  Thunder in 7

(3) Clippers vs. (6) Warriors – My prediction: Clippers in 7

(4) Rockers vs. (5) Trailblazers – My prediction: Trailblazers in 7

 

We’ll check back in when the next round begins to see how I did.

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I Love Basketball – Olympic Style

Any reader of this blog knows that I love NBA basketball.  (The Lakers got Dwight Howard.  Not sure what to make of it.  More on thoughts on that later.)  The 2012 Olympics  were must see television for me for the chance to see our best athletes compete in track (women rule), gymnastics (Gabby Douglas), swimming (Michael Phelps), tennis (Serena Williams) and basketball.

Congratulations to both squads for bringing home the gold.

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

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AMAZING

U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (Gregory Bull/AP)

 

Like most people in the world, I’ve been watching the Olympics.  Isn’t this amazing?

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LeBron James wins his first title, and it wont be his last – Grantland

Congratulations to the Miami Heat!  I’m not a LeBron fan but the man played his ass off and deserved the win.

LeBron James wins his first title, and it wont be his last – Grantland.

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Good Vs. Evil? The NBA Finals Matchup Isnt That Simple – SBNation.com

An interesting article to continue my NBA Finals theme today.  Enjoy!

Good Vs. Evil? The NBA Finals Matchup Isnt That Simple – SBNation.com.

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NBA Finals Prediction

The NBA Finals are now set. Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Miami Heat.  My Lakers have long been eliminated so I will have to choose a new team to root for. That choice is really easy for me. OKC.

I’m not going to pile on the Miami Heat.  Much has already been written and discussed about how Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to play together.   I couldn’t care less.  I will admit that I am not a “fan” of Lebron James.  It has more to do with the way he was over-hyped coming into the League and not a reflection of his playing abilities.  The man can flat out play.  He is a three time MVP for a reason.

I just like Kevin Durant more.  I think OKC has a better team.  It would be great if they could win it.  So, now we have the NBA dream match up.  I can see the story lines now.  The “evil free agent bought” Heat versus the “brought up in the draft nice guys” Thunder.

Let the games begin.

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NBA Playoffs Preview – Lakers Edition

I’m a Lakers fan from way back.  I got my start watching Lakers games with my dad in the 80’s.  Magic Johnson was my favorite player.  I’ve been there through the good times (Kobe/Shaq 3 peat) and the bad (Kwame Brown and Smush Parker).  Last year was a disappointment as the Lakers got swept in the second round against Dallas.  Things this year looked promising despite a new coach (Mike Brown – Why?) and some curious signings/trades (Lamar Odom-bad, Ramon Sessions-good).

And then Metta World Peace unleashed an elbow.  The player formerly known as Ron Artest has a reputation.  If you are an NBA sports fan, you know the history.  I wasn’t happy when the Lakers signed him.  We had just won a championship with Trevor Ariza and I didn’t see a reason to change that.  But Ron Artest came in and kept the crazy at bay.  He hit some big shots and we won another championship.  All was right in the world.

Fast forward to today.  Metta will be suspended for seven games.  This leads into the playoffs where the Lakers will face either Denver or Dallas.  A challenging post season just turned into mission impossible with LA’s weak bench.  Kobe, Bynum and Gasol will have to play to their highest levels just to get out of the first round.  Now it’s hard for me to see how my team can make it to the Finals.

I am a Lakers fan.  Ride or die with the purple and gold!  This post season should be entertaining.  And if my Lakers don’t make it I will still watch.  There are a lot of good teams in the NBA.  Whoever wins will deserve the trophy.  Just please don’t let it be the Miami Heat.

Any Finals predictions?  What’s your favorite team?