Divided Lakers simply get lost on way to three-peat

With embarrassing sweep out of the playoffs by Dallas, they have seen the enemy, and it is them. And, going forward, they have no coach, no bench and little money to get better quick.

From Dallas

For six months, the Lakers' third time was a charm.

On Sunday, it resolutely and reprehensibly crumbled into a curse.

The expectations were too heavy. The distractions were too large. The bodies were too weary. The heart was too faint.

And, believe it or not, the Dallas Mavericks were too good, the NBA's softest playoff team pounding the Lakers into sweeping submission with a 122-86 victory to finish off a four-game sweep of the second-round playoff series.

"I don't know where we lost it … that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity," said Lamar Odom.

They weren't just beaten, they were embarrassed by two punk moves that led to ejections, humiliated by a crowd that sang and jeered them off the court, and shamed into an uncertain future.

"It's going to be a l-o-o-o-ng summer," said Ron Artest.

It's been a long three years, with the two-time defending champions finally collapsing under the weight of issues both personal and professional, a lack of locker-room trust tearing apart their fabric on the court.

"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," said Magic Johnson, team vice president, during a televised halftime show.

In the horrific final two hours Sunday, they didn't pass, they didn't shoot, and they didn't guard anybody, raising a white flag that allowed the Mavericks to tie an NBA playoff record with 20 mostly wide-open three pointers.


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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers-20110509,0,2261550.column?track=rss

Connecting the dots: Lakers in trouble

"Dot-dot-dot." -- Kobe Bryant after the Lakers' Game 2 blowout loss to the Mavs.

That was Mamba's way of telling J.A. Adande late Wednesday night that the Dallas-L.A. series isn't over, no matter how dire the Lakers' situation looks after two home losses.

We're taking Kobe's dots and giving them to five writers from Dallas and Los Angeles to get their views on where Kobe, Phil Jackson, Dirk Nowitzki, the Lakers and the Mavs stand now.

Here's 5-on-5:

1. Kobe Bryant is ...

Bryant

J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: ... going to have to fill in the blanks. We've been waiting for him to take over, finish and deliver playoff victories this postseason. Hasn't happened the way we're used to it happening.

Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas: ... suddenly a one-dimensional offensive player. One of the best slashers in NBA history is settling for jumpers in this series. He's 2-of-7 on shots inside 10 feet this round and 21-of-42 on midrange and long jumpers. He's still getting his points, but the Lakers' offense gets stagnant when all Kobe does is crank up jumpers.

Dave McMenamin, ESPN Los Angeles: ... toying with his legacy. He already has two Finals losses offsetting those five rings of his, and a second-round flameout of this magnitude, with everything set up for the Lakers to three-peat, will always be remembered when you assess his career.

Ramona Shelburne, ESPN Los Angeles: ... trying this whole Zen thing out. The "Kobe face" thing is kinda old. If the Lakers are going out, he's playing this like Phil would.

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2011/news/story?page=5-on-5-110506

Kobe Bryant Fined $100,000 for ‘Derogatory Comments' to Official, NBA Says

Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for directing “derogatory comments” toward a referee who had called a technical foul on the Los Angeles Lakers guard, the National Basketball Association said.

Bryant was given his 15th technical foul of the season for arguing after he got his fourth foul during a 102-93 win against the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on April 12.

NBA Commissioner David Stern called Bryant’s comments “offensive and inexcusable.”

“Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society,” Stern said in a statement.

Bryant said he didn’t mean to cause offense.

“My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game,” he said in a statement.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-14/kobe-bryant-fined-100-000-for-derogatory-comments-to-official-nba-says.html

Knicks Show Suns What They Were

PHOENIX — Amar’e Stoudemire peeked his head around the corner, and first surprise and then satisfaction showed on his face. A large group of reporters had gathered to hear what he had to say in his return here, with a Knicks resurgence under way and the Phoenix Suns still seeking an identity without him.

The constant in all this is that the Knicks added Stoudemire, the Suns subtracted him and the decision has reshaped each franchise.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be the same once I left,” Stoudemire proclaimed.

In retrospect, seven seconds or less did last a pretty long time in Phoenix. That was the maximum amount of time that Mike D’Antoni wanted to elapse before the ball was shot here, creating the system in which Steve Nash dished, Stoudemire dunked and fans cheered.

But D’Antoni departed as coach more than two seasons ago, moving to the Knicks, and Stoudemire took the same path over the summer. Since D’Antoni left, the Suns have had two coaches (Terry Porter and Alvin Gentry) and two general managers (Steve Kerr and Lance Blanks). They have brought in a new president (Lon Babby) and gone through several roster makeovers.

Phoenix did catch lightning last year, going 54-28 in the regular season and making it to the Western Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Stoudemire said he believed the Suns could do well again this season, and that his preference was to stay here with a new contract. But he looked elsewhere, and ultimately toward New York, when the Suns asked him to meet playing requirements in the final years of a maximum deal because of concerns about his surgically repaired left knee.

With Stoudemire gone, the Suns have retreated. The team is not deep enough nor tall enough to threaten top-tier teams, although it may ultimately find a way to grab one of the conference’s last playoff spots. Still, going into Friday’s game against the Knicks, the Suns were only 14-19.

“I wouldn’t use the word rebuilding, but obviously we’re in transition,” Gentry said, before adding in reference to Stoudemire, “We’re a different team than we are when we had him.”

Phoenix is no longer the offensive powerhouse it was, and it recently went through a three-game stretch without topping 100 points. It was the first time that had happened since January 2005.

The Suns are not even the team they were earlier this season, having sent Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson to Orlando in December in exchange for Marcin Gortat, Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus.

The Suns are 2-6 since that trade, although it did give them future financial flexibility.

The deal also served as an admission that the initial trade the Suns made to acquire Turkoglu — a transaction that involved sending away Leandro Barbosa, another D’Antoni mainstay — had failed. In a twist, Babby, a longtime agent before he assumed his current role with the Suns, had negotiated Turkoglu’s current contract.

“It was ironic, I suppose,” Babby said of the December deal that sent Turkoglu to the Magic. “But I knew from the time I represented Hedo that his place of greatest success was Orlando.”

Now, rumors are resurfacing that Nash could be traded as well, a notion that does not intrigue Babby.

“I answer this question once a week,” Babby said. “He’s the sun and the moon and the star of this franchise, and I expect him to remain so.”

The most vexing problem for the Suns is coping without Stoudemire, who is averaging 26.4 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Knicks. In debating Stoudemire’s future, the Suns opted to absorb his short-term loss and absolve themselves from the threat of a long-term risk should he sustain another major injury.

Meanwhile, Kerr, who is now an analyst for TNT, pointed to a paradox: as things have become tougher for the Suns, they have become easier for Stoudemire.

When Stoudemire was in Phoenix, Kerr said, the Suns often had championship aspirations, which raised expectations. The Knicks, after a long run of ineptitude, simply want to qualify for the playoffs. Stoudemire has the Knicks pointed in that direction and as a result, said Kerr, he is treated like a “rock star.”

“On the climb, which is where the Knicks are now, people focus on all his strengths,” Kerr said. “His explosiveness, his scoring.”

During the last few seasons in Phoenix, Kerr said, “There was a lot of frustration with the fan base because we were so close and couldn’t quite get over the hump.”

He added: “At that point, it becomes a matter of detail. And people picked over the details — Steve’s age or Amar’e’s knees or Amar’e’s defense.”

Nobody is picking apart Stoudemire in New York. Reunited with D’Antoni, he has moved on.

“We’re not the Suns East,” he told reporters on Friday. “Not at all. We’re the New York Knicks.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/sports/basketball/08suns.html

Go Kobe

If the Palace wasn't full with Kobe Bryant in town Wednesday night, the likelihood of a sellout happening this season appears remote.

Bryant and the defending champion Lakers made their only visit of the season, and on the second game of a back-to-back, Bryant was in MVP form, scoring 33 points to lead the Lakers to a 103-90 victory.

It was all Kobe all the time, as chants of "MVP" rang through the Palace.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm disappointed," said coach John Kuester of the chants. “This is our building. I was here in 2004 when we won the championship. There were some of our fans here too."

Bryant: “I remember coming here in 2004 and ’05 and this place was electric."

Tayshaun Prince, who scored 13, said he wasn’t surprised of the chants.

“It happened last year; it happened the year before,’’ said Prince. “The Lakers are a good team. They find a way of getting the things they want. There are no excuses. It wasn’t because of the West Coast trip and playing three games in four nights. Guys didn’t play a lot of minutes so we shouldn’t be tired. My body feels good. They were the better team tonight. We have a couple of days to practice and get a good feeling about ourselves."

Bryant played just 31 minutes and 44 seconds, making 11 of 20 field goal attempts, shooting 3-for-6 from three-point range and 8-for-8 from the foul line, while grabbing nine rebounds and handing out four assists.

At times it appeared as if there were more Lakers fans in the crowd than the Pistons' faithful.

“That’s what Kobe does," said Ben Gordon, who scored eight points, but made just 3 of 11 shots. “He’s the greatest player in the world. When you play against him you have to bring your 'A' game. We weren’t even close to our 'A' game."

Richard Hamilton didn't see much of Bryant's offensive display. The Pistons' starting guard was tossed with 7:01 left in the first quarter after being hit with two technical fouls after picking up his second foul against Bryant.

Plenty of gold and purple jerseys, hats and signs were spotted in the crowd and when Bryant drained a triple and maneuvered his way to the basket there was plenty of cheers for the five-time NBA champion, a far cry from 2004 when he was booed at every turn when the Pistons claimed their third title in a dismantling of the Lakers in five games.

Bryant scored 24 points in the first half, making eight of 11 field goal attempts and giving the Lakers a 55-43 lead.

"Kobe was all business tonight,'' said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "I think Kobe comes in and looks at this building and the guy who are still here from that (2004) team; he's probably still motivated by it."

Much to the chagrin of the Pistons.

“They came out and got comfortable and they were hitting shots," said Kuester. “We struggled early and they blitzed us and we got it as close as three. We didn’t have the focus we needed at the start of the third quarter. When you’re playing a great team, or any team that we’re playing, our margin for error is small. We have to focus every play, every possession."


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http://www.freep.com/article/20101118/SPORTS03/11180572/Palace-crowd-Go-Kobe-#ixzz15d2KUkUH