Lakers Ring Ceremony

LAKERS BAYYYBEEE!!!

Last night's ring ceremony and unveiling of the banner for the 2010 NBA Chapions gave me chills. It was nice being able to watch the team receive their rings for their 16th championship title. The ceremony also reminded me of last years' basketball season and how i wasn't too fond of Artest to how i grew to like that guy. I was also reminded of all the Laker BBQs i went to and all the fun i had last season. Watching the unveiling of the banner was real cool too. Last nights events and the win they took is setting up the Lakers season to be just right.



If you missed the ring ceremony and the unveiling of the banner, here it is:

Lakers: 1-0

"To start the season, you wanna start on a positive note."

Good way to put it Blake. To see the rest of what Steve Blake had to say after the game click here.

The first game against the Houston Rockets was a fckin' nail-biter, to say the least! For the most part the Rockets were in the lead, as much as 15 points during the game. Pau Gasol held the most points in last night's game with 29 points. Brown flooded the court with threes in the 4th quarter and Blake is making me eat my words saying he's "aiiight" haha Blake shot the last three oh-so-cleeeannn! Giving the Lakers a two point lead that gave us our Win for last night's game. Lakers starting it off right, 1-0! Thank you God for basketball season! :)

Lakers 2010-2011

Basketball season starts tomorrow!

You know damn well who I'll be rooting for this year... and the year after that... and the year after that... and... You get the picture :) Forget preseason ball, the official season starts tomorrow with Miami vs. Boston at 7pm EST... BUT for me, as well as other Lakers fans, it officially starts at 7:30 OUR time when our boys in purple and gold play against the Houston Rockets. The Lakers will be playing the 2010-2011 season with five new players: Ratliff coming from the Bobcats, Devin Ebanks coming from West Virginia University (43rd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft), Derrick Caracter was the 58th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2010 draft as well, Steve Blake coming from the Clippers, and Matt Barnes coming from Magic. I haven't caught too much of preseason ball, but from the Lakers preseason ball that I have seen, Blake is aiiight. Hoping him and Ebanks prove a bit more why they're on a championship team. As for Barnes, just another Artest to me. You hated him, but once you found out he was gonna be on our team, couldn't be any happier. The dynamics of this team could be really good for L.A. and another possible championship win could be possible... or am i just doing some wishful thinking? Then again there are so many damn injuries on this team who knows how this season's gonna play out haha I'm happy to see the returning players back on for another year, BUT i could go without seeing Walton on the team... just saying :) Basketball season will be here and i can't wait!

Derek Fisher to Stay with Lakers

Earlier today, Derek Fisher announced on his twitter he will continue play with the Lakers. I'll admit it, he gave me a mini anxiety attack when there were talks that he was meeting up with Miami, but thankfully he's staying with Lakers to win that three-peat ;)

Source: ESPN

"Derek Fisher has decided to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Credit Kobe Bryant with the assist.

"I have decided to continue with Kobe, continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles," Fisher said in a statement on his website. "While this may not be the most lucrative contract I've been offered this offseason, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin."

The Lakers have won two straight titles and five in Fisher's tenure with the team. He gets a three-year deal to return, with a player option on the final year. The total value of the contract is more than $9 million, a source told ESPNLosAngeles.com.

The Lakers improved their offer a number of times during negotiations, with Fisher deciding to stay around noon PT on Monday, a source said.

The Lakers were waiting for the deal to be completed before announcing anything.

"Nothing is signed yet," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "We're in continuous dialogue with [Fisher's] representative and we hope to announce something soon."

Fisher, 35, had been courted by the Miami Heat. He met with Miami president Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami on Saturday morning where the Heat told him it wanted him to be its starting point guard and to join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

"I took time to consider all my options, many not reported in the media," Fisher said. "I listened to every coach, every general manager, even potential teammates in order to make the right decision and I thank every one of them. At the end of the day, there's one person I could not turn away from.

"Kobe Bryant asked me to stay but supported whatever decision I made. He and I have played together for 11 seasons, came into the league together as kids, and has been loyal to me even when others had doubts. We have won five championships together."

The Lakers had been in constant contact with Fisher and his representative Rob Pelinka since the free-agent negotiating period opened on July 1, although negotiations had proceeded slowly but amicably.

Los Angeles lost free agent Jordan Farmar to New Jersey on Monday, but signed Steve Blake last week. Blake likely will share playing time with Fisher.

Fisher likely isn't bluffing about larger offers from other teams. The Lakers' payroll already is stretched to the limit of the salary cap with the rest of Los Angeles' veteran core signed to multiyear contracts, including Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest and Lamar Odom.

But Fisher decided he valued winning and consistency over a late-career cash grab -- and the other time he left the Lakers for a big-money deal, he endured two miserable seasons in Golden State and one better year in Utah before returning to the Lakers in 2007.

Fisher first joined the Lakers in 1996, when Jerry West drafted the unsung guard from Arkansas-Little Rock and the franchise nurtured him into a consistent playmaker and occasional scorer. Since his return to Hollywood, he has started every regular-season game for the Lakers over the past three seasons.

Fisher averaged 7.5 points and 2.5 assists last year. Although he sometimes struggles against quicker point guards, Fisher still has the veteran guile and poise necessary to perform at important moments -- and that's the quality Bryant values most in his longtime teammate.

"We've got to have him back," Bryant said last month shortly after the Lakers' victory parade. "Fish knows we need him, and we know we've got to keep him."

Fisher raised his game in the postseason, starting all 23 games and averaging 10.3 points and 2.8 assists to help the Lakers win their second straight title. He was particularly effective in the Western Conference semifinals against Utah's Deron Williams, and he largely matched the efforts of veteran Steve Nash in the conference finals against the Phoenix Suns.

Fisher's return means the most significant parts of the Lakers' championship roster will return this fall. Kupchak now must hunt for bargains and unsung players to fill in the gaps on his bench, which wasn't particularly deep last season."

Cavaliers: Open Letter To Fans

It's obvious the letter was beyond bitter, but I personally think Dan Gilbert has a reason to say all the things he said. However, I don't think they'll be getting a ring anytime soon. That belongs to the Lakers ;)

Here's the letter:

"Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....



Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers"

Cry baby?

So Derek Fisher gets a little emotional after winning game 3. Fisher puts SO much of his heart into the game... Can you blame the guy for getting emotional? Game 3 had me on the edge of my seat in the 4th. But with all those replays everyone was asking for, it kinda put the game on hold, and for me, lost it's intensity. Game 1 was great to watch cuz we won, but game 2 was, eehh :/...

Dont forget game 4 tonight! We play on their court, so let's hope to smash them on their court once again :) it's at 6pm PST on ABC. one more thing...

All-Star Weekend 2010

Where do i begin with this weekend? Though Dallas did promise things would be bigger since the games were in Texas this year, i have to say, uummm, overrated. But this year did break the record of attendance for basketball and for inside of Cowboy Stadium, 108,713 fans were in attendance for the All-Star game. Last night's game was a good game. Nowitzki started the game right by scoring a few points for the West. As the game progressed, you could see that the East were the ones who would go on to win the game. Not that we didn't have good players or anything, but I felt that the East had the stronger players. Having players like KG, Lebron, Bosh, Howard, and Wade all on one team is not a good thing for the opposing team. As the game went on, I thought that Billups would save the West by shooting some clean threes, but he didn't. Bosh scored the last point by a freethrow, haveing the game end with the East beating the West 141 - 139. Anthony tried shooting a three with like a second left in the game, but it was a no go :-/. Here's a recap of the All-Star game. check out my fave play made by Howard and Wade (@ about 2:14), followed by LeBron's dunk.




As for what went on Friday and Saturday... Friday you had the All-Star Celeb game. I caught a little bit of that. but paid no attention to it, so i'm not sayin' anything about it. As for the Rookie challenge that went on that same night, I have to say bravo to the Rookie team. After 7 years, the Rookies actually beat the sophomore team 140-128. Then there were Saturday's events that I care to talk about. The Skills Challenge. Steve Nash beat Deron Williams in that contest by just a few seconds. Williams would've had it, BUT sucka couldn't put it in the hole! *PAUSE! lol. The Three Point Shoot Out. The final three that competed for the win were Curry, Pierce, and Billups. Pierce beat the two. No problem, not mad at that. BUT then Pierce had to open his mouth saying something like "I think I'm one of the best shooters in NBA history." STFUPPP Pierce! Sit your muthasuckin' ass down please! lol Then there was the Slam Dunnk contest. Can anyone say "FAIL"!? It came down to Robinson and DeRozan. The player i had my heart set on winning didn't even make it to the final part of the contest... smh Brown! No one did anything impressive. I saw things that's I've seen before. i just don't know what to say other than, FAIL! I would show you a recap of the Slam Dunk Contest, but in all honesty, it would be a waste of your time to watch it. ohh yeah, Robinson ended up winning.

Can't forget to mention that Wade won MVP for the All-Star game. Being the lead scorer with 28 points, sure, why not?

And let us all be thankful that Kobe didn't play at all on Sunday :) Bringing in Jason Kidd as kind of like a replacement for Kobe was kind of pointless. He only played 6 minutes in the game. If i were Kidd i would've felt mad dumb for being "called in" just a few days before the game. C'mon son! it's like being picked last for a game of baseball in elementary school... eff that! he wasnt even really picked last, he was just a damn replacement! lol okay, i'll stop =X So back to Kobe. YAY, for him not playing. Gives his ankle some more time to get better, and gives us, Laker fans, a sigh of relief so that we don't have to worry about our chances at winning the championship this year :) Having healthy players, especially our key ones, is a good thing. I could go without Walton though =X haha

Next year's All-Star games will be held here in L.A. Can't wait to see what'll happen then! Well, until next year All-Star Weekend! :)

All-Star Weekend 2010

It's that time of the year again... love is in the air... you can see the passion in people's eyes. YUUPP, it's All-Star weekend bayyybeee!!! ;D



This year All-Star weekend will be held at Dallas, Texas. It all starts tomorrow night at 7:00 pm EST with the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by FINAL FANTASY® XIII on ESPN. Some of the celebs participating in this year's game will be Pitbull, Chris Tucker, Rick Fox, and Common. The coaches will be Magic Johnson and Alonzo Mourning with Mario Lopez as an assistant coach. Quickly following the All-Star Celebrity game will be the Rookie Challenge at 9:00 pm EST. Names I would like to mention playing for the Rookie team are DeJuan Blair of the Spurs and Taj Gibson of the Bulls. As for the sophomore team you got Eric Gordon of the Clippers and Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies. With the sophomores winning the games for the past how many years, I wonder if the Rookies will step up this year and actual win. Catch the Rookie Challenge on TNT.

Then we have Saturday night. With all that'll be goin on for Saturday night, I'm most excited to watch the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on TNT.


We all know who i want to win :), but with the other competitors in the contest it's definitely not gonna be an easy win. Check out how Nate Robinson won the Slam Dunk Contest last year:



Then we have the 2010 All-Star game on Sunday night! It'll be on TNT at 7:00 pm EST. With Dallas promising to offer a bigger weekend then ever, they are holding the game inside Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. A stadium can hold up to 80,000 fans. Even though it's Valentine's Day, you can definitely catch me posted in front of any t.v. showing the All-Star game. For the East you got James, Rose, Bosh, Pierce, Rondo, Howard, Garnett, Horford, Iverson, Wade, Johnson, and Wallace. Then you've got our West team consisting of Gasol, Williams, Bryant, Nowitzki, Randolph, Roy, Paul, Nash, Kaman, Duncan, Anthony, Billups, Durant, Stoudemire. I, personally, don't really want Kobe playing too much or even at all during this weekend. Just because i don't want anything to be risking his ankle and the Lakers' chance at another win in the championships this year. I'm also upset that Paul isn't getting to play, but what can he do after that knee surgery.

I'm excited for this weekend :) May the best team win! West of course ;)

UPDATE: Jason Kidd will be replacing Kobe Bryant for All-Star Weekend. (Big ups to www.watdadickens.blogspot.com)

Lakers vs. Trailblazers

I know i'm kind of late with this, but I thought I had to mention the Lakers' win this past Saturday against the Blazers. Before winning the game on Saturday, they had lost 9 previous games in Rose Garden, Portland's home court, within 5 years. Though they were missing Kobe due to issues with his ankle and losing Bynum in the middle of the game, they lead Portland by 18 towards the end of the 4th quarter. It was Lamar Odom's game being a 22 rebound game, tieing his career high. They won 99-82. Don't forget to catch tonight's game against the Spurs! for now, here are the highlights from Saturday's game:

Lakers vs. Nuggets

So the Lakers lost against the Denver Nuggets yesterday 113-126. Lakers were doing okay, but when the 4th quarter came along it was obvious there was no winning the game. I don't know whether to blame Lakers' defense or Chauncy Billups! lol Then watching J.R. Smith just smash it in the 4th quarter hurt. But the highlight of the game, for me, was watching Ron Artest wanting to sock Joey Graham in the face. I mean, we all know how Artest can get...



... so why the fuck would you mess with him like that? lol Artest was going in for a shot, then Graham grabbed Artest's shoulder to miss the shot. If you haven't seen it, take a look for yourself. What Artest ended up doing was just comedy to me :)

LAKERS vs. Celtics

As if you didn't see Kobe's last jumper to win the game against the Celtics yesterday, here it is again :)



Yesterday's game between the Lakers and the Celtics was a much anticipated game. It was kind of evident that the Lakers were gonna win since Boston hasn't been doing so well (or is that just the Laker fan in me talking? lol) I mean losing 6 out of the past 9 game prior to the game vs. the Lakers doesn't look too good. The Celtics didn't just hand them this game though. They put up a fight. In the first quarter, L.A. had it in the bag, scoring points here and there. They were in the lead for most of the first half, but by the end of the 1st half, Boston had taken the lead with 52-47. Then the 2nd half came along with the game looking good for the Celtics. I was thinking WTF is going on!?! As it came closer to the end of the 4th quarter, my heart was racing! 88-89, how the fcuk were the Lakers gonna sink the ball in the basket with less than 15 seconds left in the game!? Go figre, Kobe would be the one to make winning shot of the game :) Lakers won 90-89. This was a good game no lie!

big ups to Allen though, but it's just the way my daddy said it "Ray Allen can't guard Kobe"...

Let Shannon Dunk!

This video is just getting me even more excited for the Slam Dunk Contest! Can't wait to see what Brown's got up against the others :) Shoooot! I can't wait 'til All-Star Weekend, PERIOD!