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Posted Jun 14 2009 11:58PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kobe Bryant has the NBA title he needed most: the one without Shaq.

Bryant’s seven-year chase
for an NBA championship is over. He’s got his fourth. One year after
failing in the finals to Boston, Bryant and the L.A. Lakers have
redemption.

They earned their 15th title as Bryant contributed
30 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the Lakers’
clinching 99-86 win that eliminated Orlando in five games.

It
took longer than Bryant expected, but he finally stepped out of former
teammate Shaquille O’Neal’s enormous shadow — at last. His fourth
championship secured a strong case can be made for Bryant being the
league’s best player since Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers in 2003.

After
the final horn, Bryant leaped into the air and was quickly engulfed by
his teammates, who bounced around the floor of Amway Arena. Bryant then
gave a long, heartfelt hug and shared a few words with coach Phil
Jackson before sweeping up his daughters, both wearing gold Lakers
dresses, into his arms.

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Jun 5 2009 8:32AM

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant owns more championship experience in his dislocated right ring finger than any of the Magic of record.

Let’s not even start with the rest of his body.

Bryant grabbed hold of The Finals opener and squeezed the fight out of Orlando, seizing the early series lead for the Lakers with the 100-75 romp Thursday night. The series continues after a two-day break Sunday night back at Staples Center.

(Catch a replay of Game 1 at midnight ET Friday on NBA TV.)

Bryant left little to chance in Game 1, scoring 40 while flirting with a triple-double. For reasons that can’t be counted on two hands, the three-time champ craves title No. 4 in ways he can’t fully express. His legacy is secure within the franchise and the league, but Kobe is the first to admit he needs this.

The Magic just happen to be in the way.

“I just want it so bad,” Bryant said almost solemnly. “That’s all. I just want it really bad. You just put everything you have into the game and your emotions kind of flow out of you.”

Kobe put his early and unmistakable stamp on his sixth trip to The Finals, carving up Orlando with the focus and precision of a heart surgeon. Heart has been an issue for the Lakers throughout the Playoffs, though Bryant has never fallen prey to that criticism.

The dislocated finger? On his shooting hand? Never an issue. Kobe doesn’t do excuses. He’s built for the biggest of stages and when he’s determined to do it all, there isn’t much Courtney Lee or Mickael Pietrus or anyone wearing white and blue can do. Kobe’s definition of “doing it all” wasn’t something Orlando was ready for, even after how the Magic won the East.

LeBron James is this season’s MVP, but Jerry West has it wrong. Kobe flies higher without LeBron’s hops. Bryant works angles and nooks better than anyone on the planet, scoring 40 percent of the Lakers’ output despite his jumper not being particularly crisp. He added eight assists and eight boards to go along with a pair of steals and blocks.

“There isn’t anything he can’t do,” Lamar Odom said of his teammate of five years.

Phil Jackson described Kobe as having the “smell.” Grumpy from the Seven Dwarfs — Kobe’s kids have taken to calling Dad that lately — sniffed out Orlando’s weaknesses after a ho-hum first quarter and made sure most TV sets in central Florida had abandoned ABC by the fourth.

Bryant scored 30 in the second and third periods — exactly half of the Lakers’ total and nearly matching the 34 from Orlando — and the home team went into the final quarter with a lead matching Kobe’s jersey number.

“Just carried the game his way,” Jackson said. “I thought we went there a little too often, but he said, ‘Keep coming back.’ And we did.”

Kobe kept space working mostly against Lee and Pietrus, and picked apart Orlando’s pick-and-roll defense. The Lakers shot 25-of-45 from the floor in the deciding two quarters, with Bryant also racking up seven of his assists during that span. Stan Van Gundy took part of the blame for a faulty gameplan against Bryant.

“That’s something we have to look at,” Van Gundy said.

Kobe’s dominance defied his odds. The Lakers were 3-6 during this postseason when Bryant attempted at least 30 shots and 19-3 when he dished at least seven assists. Thing is, he had never done both in the same game until Thursday.

And the world’s best closer has traditionally started slow in the fourth round. In his five previous Finals openers, Kobe averaged a pedestrian 20 points and shot a paltry 36.5 percent. The Lakers were also 2-3. The record does climb to 9-1 when he reaches 40 in the Playoffs, which Bryant did for the first time in The Finals.

This may be Kobe’s finest performance in a Finals career now spanning 27 games. Considering the standing he holds in the locker room and the responsibility strapped to his shoulders, No. 24 might have delivered more than just a victory Thursday.

Though doubt isn’t a stat, and Van Gundy was quick to dismiss the psychology associated with postseason wins and losses, the Magic can’t help but question what comes next. Only two other Lakers scored in double figures, with Pau Gasol’s 16 coming a distant second on the team scoring chart.

“Maybe next game we’ve got to take the ball out of his hand and try to make somebody else beat us,” Rashard Lewis said, “but they’re a very talented team.”

Should Bryant revert to a quarterbacking role, as he’s done at times in the Playoffs to get his teammates going, are the Magic equipped to cover every L.A. option? Is Kobe closer to that fourth title than one victory would indicate?

“We haven’t found anything,” he corrected. “It’s one game. No big deal.”

Bryant isn’t planning on offseason surgery for the finger protected by that ever-present white wrap. Probably smart. Ring sizing and post-op swelling don’t mix.

By Rob Peterson, NBA.com
Posted Jan 23 2009 3:28PM

On Tuesday, the NBA reached the halfway point of the 2008-09 season. So far, it’s been quite a year. For example, four teams — the Celtics, the Cavs, the Lakers and the Magic — have more than 30 wins and fewer than 10 losses.

It’s no coincidence that three of those four 30-win teams have the top three MVP candidate. We’ve discussed and debated all season long as to whether team success is of paramount importance to a Most Valuable Player candidate. While some people have advocated MVP candidates can emerge from teams that struggle, we’re going to put an end to the debate for this season.

To be considered a legitimate candidate to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy, your team must be very good, if not exceptional. We understand the MVP is an individual award, but that’s the beauty of basketball. It’s a team game, but the exceptional player can flourish, and in doing so, lifts his teammates to new levels of excellence.

That’s what you want from an MVP. That’s what you expect from an MVP. And that’s why we’re excited for the season’s second half.

We should expect more superior play from the candidates on this list because their teams are in the hunt for both division titles and for home-court advantage. The Race to the MVP will tighten in the next 12 weeks.

But right now, if we had to name our pick for MVP of the season’s midpoint, it would be Cleveland’s LeBron James by a wide margin, with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant slowly closing the gap.

On first glance at James’ stats, one could point to him averaging fewer points per game (27.8 this season compared to 30.0 last season), averaging fewer rebounds and fewer assists per game and say James isn’t having as good a season as he did last year.

But the reason his numbers aren’t as good is because James and the Cavs have been ruthlessly efficient in dispatching foes, especially at home, where the Cavs are 20-0. The Cavs have the highest point differential of any team, +11.07, which is nearly 1.5 points better than the Celtics and 2.3 points better than the Lakers.

Like a surgeon who operates and then lets the resident suture the patient, James often has taken a seat in fourth quarters and watched Cleveland’s reserves close out many a decisive win. James’ averages in points (35.8), assists (8.7) and steals (2.6) over 48 minutes are career highs while he’s punching the clock at a career-low 37.3 minutes per game.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown, who built a solid defensive foundation, finally has opened up the offense and let LeBron work off the ball instead of having James initiate the offense. This has allowed James to attack opposing defenses from the wing, where he is better able to drive to the basket. These sets have helped James hit a career-high 49.6 percent of his field goals.

James also has put in the work on the defensive end. He’s averaging a career-high 1.3 blocked shots and at 2.0 steals per game, is only 0.2 below his career high.

As well as James has been playing, he has flaws. His jumper, because of an inconsistent release point, makes him streaky on the perimeter. And as we saw late in the game against the Lakers, he has the tendency to miss crucial free throws down the stretch. These small blemishes leave the door open for Bryant to make his mark in the race.

The reigning MVP has better overall talent surrounding him. Also, Bryant has subjugated much of his individual brilliance to make the Lakers one of the favorites to win the NBA title. And if the Lakers need him to take over and push them to the league’s best record, there’s no doubt Bryant can carry that load.

The biggest difference between Kobe and LeBron is Bryant’s late-game stoicism. Few, if any in league history, have been better in the clutch. According to the league’s GMs, no player in the NBA is better than Bryant when the chips are down.

The great thing about Bryant is he wants the ball in his hands. He is not afraid of failure. LeBron has not reached Kobe’s level in crunch time … yet. This difference could sway a lot of voters down the stretch.

So, don’t expect Bryant to give up his MVP crown easily. Still, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if that crown were placed on the King’s head at season’s end.

Questions, comments? You can mail us at RacetotheMVP@gmail.com.

Hoops Line of the Week: Houston’s Yao Ming, Jan. 17: 26 points and 10 rebounds vs. Miami.

OK, what’s so special about a 26 and 10 game from a guy who stands 7-foot-6? Well, it’s special because he went 12-for-12 from the field. That’s tough to do in practice, but with defenders flying at you? Not easy. The irony of Yao’s perfect performance was he went 2-for-3 from the free throw line.

Rise of the week: Dwight Howard (from No. 5 to No. 3)
Drop of the week:Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki (out of the Top 10)

Race to the MVP - The Top 10

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers | Team Record: 32-8 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 27.8 7.2 6.8 2.0 1.3 .496 .777 Last Week’s Rank - 1 If the traditional stats above aren’t enough of an indicator of LeBron’s excellence this season, we can point to other statistical measures: John Hollinger’s PER, the NBA’s efficiency rating and the Roland Rating. Heck, BasketballReference.com even went as far to compare LeBron not only to another No. 23, but the greatest offensive force in NBA history — Wilt Chamberlain.

2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers | Team Record: 34-8 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 26.4 5.6 5.2 1.3 0.4 .472 .862 Last Week’s Rank - 2 Is there a tougher player? Don’t answer. That was rhetorical. Last season, Kobe nabbed MVP while playing much of the season’s second half with a broken pinkie. Now, he’s playing with a dislocated ring finger on his shooting hand. Why is Kobe continuing to play while rest would be the best thing for him? He needs to keep the Lakers in the hunt for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

3. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic | Team Record: 33-9 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 19.9 14.0 1.4 1.0 3.2 .559 .582 Last Week’s Rank - 5 After a sterling 4-0 swing through the West, including wins over the Spurs, Lakers and Nuggets, Howard and the Magic were brought back to Earth when the Celtics came to town on Thursday and snapped Orlando’s winning streak. “It felt like a playoff game,” Howard told reporters. “But we didn’t play like we needed to. We got to find a way to score in the half-court against them.”

4. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets | Team Record: 26-13 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 21.2 5.5 11.0 2.7 0.2 .499 .867 Last Week’s Rank - 4 With the exception of the beatdown in Cleveland, Paul and the Hornets had a pretty good week. They’ve run off three consecutive wins and Paul has put up 26.3 points and 10.3 assists per game over that stretch. And thanks to the fans for rightfully pushing Paul past Tracy McGrady as a starter for the All-Star Game. As NBA.com’s John Schuhmann says: The All-Star Game needs good point guards.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat | Team Record: 22-19 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 28.8 4.9 7.3 2.3 1.5 .474 .754 Last Week’s Rank - 3 Despite his team’s mediocre record, Wade’s candidacy can’t be questioned. Here’s Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on a Miami radio show on what Wade means to the Heat: “I think that’s probably the biggest reason why our young guys have progressed faster than people anticipated, because they saw his example starting from training camp. He has not missed a practice, doesn’t miss a turn. It’s really kind of similar to what Michael Jordan was for the Bulls all those years.”

6. Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets | Team Record: 28-15 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 18.6 2.7 6.9 1.4 0.2 .416 .909 Last Week’s Rank - 6 Despite two losses this week, the Nuggets have a 26-12 record with Billups running the point and lead the Trail Blazers in the Northwest by 2.5 games. Do you think the Nuggets would be where they are without Billups? “What Chauncey does for us is not necessarily statistics,” Nuggets coach George Karl told the Denver Post. “It’s savvy, it’s leadership, it’s locker room, it’s big shots in the fourth quarter, it’s orchestrating for most of the game.”

7. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs | Team Record: 28-13 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 20.4 10.2 3.5 0.5 1.8 .514 .691 Last Week’s Rank - 7 Thanks to the fans, the Big Fundamental will play in his 11th consecutive All-Star Game. He held the Spurs together in the first half while Manu Ginobili missed 12 games recovering from ankle surgery and Tony Parker missed nine games with a sprained ankle. The Spurs have won 13 of their last 16 and Duncan has been his usual steady self. He’s even hitting his free throws, shooting .722 in the last four games.

8. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets | Team Record: 27-16 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 19.9 9.6 1.8 0.4 1.7 .544 .867 Last Week’s Rank - OLI Yao is Houston’s last man standing these days as it will be news when Tracy McGrady or Ron Artest aren’t injured. Yao will start at center for the Western Conference All-Stars and deservedly so. He’s deadly from the field and from the stripe and he’s the only reason the Rockets have their collective heads above water in the West.

 

9. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers | Team Record: 25-17 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 22.3 4.7 5.2 1.0 0.4 .463 .818 Last Week’s Rank - 9 It was a rough go for Roy and the Blazers last week as they went 1-2. While there’s no shame losing to LeBron and Co. at the Rose Garden, losing in OT at Charlotte wasn’t a good way to end a road trip. “I haven’t felt great since I came back from my hamstring,” Roy said after the loss to the Bobcats. “My mid-range game doesn’t feel as good as before I got hurt.”

10. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics | Team Record: 36-9 PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT% 16.1 9.1 2.6 1.2 1.3 .521 .855 Last Week’s Rank - OLI Welcome back to the Top 10. Last season, KG finished third behind Kobe and CP3 in our final rankings. In winning seven straight, it looks as if the Celtics have regained some of their championship swagger. KG is the man who gives the Celtics that attitude, but even more than that as of late, he’s been aggressive and most important, efficient at the offensive end of the floor.

Merry Christmas, Los Angeles … The Lakers beat the Celtics.

Nearly six months after the result was flipped towards Boston, the two heavyweights slugged it out in STAPLES Center on a dreary L.A. day, and boy what a finish.

After 44 minutes of back-and-forth basketball featuring 13 lead changes found the score tied at 81 with 3:37 to go, Pau Gasol helped deliver a Christmas ending that served as a present both to the city and to Phil Jackson, who became the fastest coach to record 1,000 victories in NBA history.

The Spaniard had struggled through much of the game in shooting 3-for-11 from the field and at times he chose to pass instead of aggressively take the ball at his defender, but that all changed thanks in part to Boston’s focus on Kobe Bryant. First came a silky 15-foot jumper, next a 7-foot jump hook and finally a lay-up plus the harm as Gasol’s seven-straight points put L.A. up 88-83 with 1:28 to play. All three buckets came courtesy of Kobe assists, and all three were plays that simply didn’t happen in last season’s NBA Finals.

Nearly as important as his shot-making were two crucial defensive plays from Gasol, blocks of a Ray Allen three-pointer at the 1:17 mark that resulted in a reverse jam from Trevor Ariza, and a swat of Paul Pierce on the next possession that helped put the game on holiday ice. Thus, in the final three minutes and change of the game, the Lakers outscored Boston 11-2, and snapped the Celtics’ 19-game winning streak in the process.

Gasol finished with 20 points, five assists, three boards and three blocks, while Bryant chipped in a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

A few other key numbers, before we get to the postgame quotes:

0
Free throw attempts for Kobe Bryant.

8
Free throw attempts by the Celtics, as the Lakers were very effective in playing pressure defense without committing too many personals. Derek Fisher was the only Laker with more than three fouls (four).

11
Lakers turnovers, resulting in only 11 Celtics points, far below average. The Lakers also rebounded well defensively, ceding just seven offensive boards to Boston.

13
Bench points by the Celtics, who seemed a player or two short off the pine (can you say pre-deadline deal?). L.A. got 10 points each from Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic, and a big defensive contribution from Ariza, whose two loose-ball saving plays resulted in important Lakers hoops.

27
Assists for the Lakers, who really moved the ball well to get to 36 field goal makes. Fisher led the way with seven dimes, while Luke Walton (who had his best game as a starter), Gasol and Bryant added five helpers each. Boston had only 22 assists on 36 makes.

56.5
If Kobe’s going to shoot the ball 23 times against one of the league’s best teams and the Lakers are to win, he’d better make more than half … And he did. Bryant shot 13-of-23 from the floor, including a put-back bucket with 26.2 remaining to really bury the Celtics.

78.6
Shooting percentage for Kevin Garnett on 11-of-14. KG added nine boards, a steal and a block, but was held to only two assists. Rajon Rondo led the way in that category with 12, but struggled from the field, shooting 3-for-11 and often being influenced not to shoot at all with Andrew Bynum lurking in the paint.

1,000
Career wins for Phil Jackson, who became the fastest head coach to that mark.

Beyonce would like to be known as “Sasha Fierce”

10/23/2008 1:00 PM, Reuters

Just like the “Seinfeld” episode where George wanted everyone to call him “T-Bone,” Beyonce Knowles would like to be known by a bold new name.

The R&B singer has christened herself “Sasha Fierce” for her new double album, “I Am … Sasha Fierce,” due in U.S. stores on November 18, and has released a lengthy justification for the comical moniker.

“I have someone else that takes over when it’s time for me to work and when I’m on stage, this alter ego that I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am,” the former Destiny’s Child frontwoman said in a statement.

“Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage.”

Additionally, she has set up a cryptic MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/sashafierce) that gives a “lucky person” the opportunity to receive a personal message and a gift bag valued at $500.

As George found out, nicknames usually do not work when they are self-bestowed. His colleagues thought he should be called Koko the monkey. In real life, rapper Eminem had better luck with his alter ego “Slim Shady,” which he said came to him while he was on the toilet.

Beyonce released her previous solo album, “B’Day,” to coincide with her 25th birthday in September 2006. It debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart and yielded the No. 1 single “Irreplaceable.”

“I Am … Sasha Fierce” will be distributed by Columbia Records.

Finals MVP Paul Pierce, who recently spent three days at a ball camp in Madrid, is making, ahem, news about what he said to a Spanish reporter. The money translation, via RedsArmy: "Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world? Pierce: I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." Surprisingly, Spurs fans seem more upset by this than actual Lakers fans. (Update: OK, Lakers Nation is pretty upset, too.)

Recently my homey, Radio Host Kendra G the Blackbarbie, caught up with Snoop Dogg who is currently promoting his new album which will be out in March titled Ego Trippin.’ According to the Kendra G the interview started off with a rocky start when Kendra G asked Snoop was Dr. Dre on the album! Snoop snapped and said, "No, I don’t need Dr. Dre! You are interviewing Snoop Dogg and you need to know who you are interviewing. This is a Snoop Dogg record and he’s built off Snoop Dogg!" Wow! Snoop spent the next 4 mins explaining why Dr. Dre didn’t produce a track on his album and how he is trying to establish himself without Dr. Dre. Check the interview out for yourself! Go, Snoop! We’re going to all be old as John McCain if we keep waiting for Detox!

Check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoBtwm3tB4E