by Micah Hart
Metta World Peace, working to spread the word for people with dealing with mental health issues:
I have no idea if this is true or not, but I’m going to blindly assume MWP wrote and directed this spot himself.
H/T With Leather
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by Micah Hart
10 years ago today on May 26, 2002, “Big Shot Bob” himself, Robert Horry, hit the shot that would one day inspire what some* would call the defining way to measure a game-winning buzzer-beater:
*Well, one person
Happy anniversary Robert — I promise to grade shots in the lane harder in the future.
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by Micah Hart
The Lakers’ season is over for the second straight season sans title, and with the team bowing out meekly in the second round once again it has a lot of people wondering if their run as title contenders with Kobe Bryant as top banana is over*.
*Spoiler alert – it is.
One downtrodden-looking fan has taken it upon himself to sum up many of the emotions the Lakers’ faithful are feeling right now, with a nod to Gotye‘s uber-popular song ‘Somebody I Used To Know’:
Solid effort all around. I particularly like how he realized he couldn’t hit the high notes in the chorus and dialed it down an octave. Knowing you can’t perform a certain way and trying a different method to be successful — seems like there is a lesson there…
H/T Midwest Sports Fans
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by Micah Hart
A lot of people are talking about the crazy action in Los Angeles this past weekend, with six playoff games (four basketball, two hockey) being played over the course of four days, including back-to-backs for both the Clippers and Lakers. That’s a lot of turnover in a short amount of time for the employees at Staples Arena. This video gives a little insight:
I am tired just watching that video. Of course things didn’t turn out so well for L.A.’s basketball teams, but their hockey team is still alive. The L.A. Kings, that is, not Sacramento.
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by Micah Hart
With his presence not required at Lakers games for at least one more night, Metta World Peace visited Conan Monday night, and of course the topic of his elbow to the dome of James Harden was still on everyone’s mind:
Interesting logic from MWP — if he calls him to apologize, he’s giving up an advantage for the playoffs. Can we get a ruling on this from the old school? Someone get Larry Bird on the phone.
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by Micah Hart
Taiwanese animation studio NMA is back and their action is fantastic! This time it’s to give those uninitiated in the latest travails of Metta World Peace a refresh on his recent elbow to the dome of Oklahoma City’s James Harden, a knock that will cost MWP all of the First Round of the NBA playoffs save a Game 7. Take it away, NMA:
What must it be like to work at NMA? Are they hiring stateside?
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by Micah Hart
An interesting day for the Lakers — after months of speculation about the futures of guys like Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, both of them stayed put, while seemingly Laker For Life Derek Fisher was somewhat unceremoniously shipped out in what was essentially a cost-cutting move.
After Dwight Howard, it’s possibly no other player was the subject of more speculation about his future than Gasol, famously prompting Kobe Bryant to call out Lakers management to poop or get off the pot, if you will.
The deadline passed today at 3 p.m. ET, and with Gasol still safely ensconced in Purple and Gold, he took to YouTube to address his situation, and you can feel the relief just pour out of him:
Classy guy. Like many, many players, I imagine he is very happy to have this day behind him.
H/T PBT
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by Micah Hart
This is the mask Kobe Bryant will wear in tonight’s game against the Pistons.
Now in addition to haunting opposing defenses, he can also haunt the dreams of young children.
I’m starting to wonder if he told Dwyane Wade to break his nose on purpose.
UPDATE: The Black Mamba did not care for the black mask after all. Kobe went back to the clear mask midway through the second quarter.
Kobe’s Black Mask [Lakers.com]
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by Micah Hart
As everyone knows by now, the compressed NBA schedule will force every team to play three games in three nights at least one this season (42 times in total). With only 66 games to stake a claim to a playoff spot or seed, how teams perform during these killer slates could have a large impact on how their seasons turn out.
With that in mind, we’re going to keep track of each of the 42 three-plays to see which teams take advantage and which teams fall apart. Up next, the Minnesota Timberwolves, who played three straight from Feb. 28 – Mar. 1.
The Timberwolves take their second crack at the three-fer, having posted a mere 2 points their first go-round Jan 8-10. Could they improve on it this time, with all three games coming on the road?
Game 1: Timberwolves 109, Clippers 97 – I get the feeling that if Derrick Williams goes on to have an All-Star caliber career, many will look back at this game as the first time he really flashed that kind of potential. Coming off a disappointing performance in the Dunk Contest, Williams dropped 27 on the Lakers off the bench, scoring inside and out as Minnesota started the second half right with a huge road win over the Clippers. 3 points (1 for win, 1 for road, 1 for +10)
Game 2: Lakers 104, Timberwolves 85 - Williams’ hot shooting at Staples unfortunately didn’t carry over the next night, as the Masked Mamba dropped 31 on Minnesota, which was playing without Kevin Love (illness). The T’wolves clearly missed their All-Star, as no player scored more than 14 points and the team shot just 5-19 from downtown without the league’s 3-point champion. -1 point
Game 3: Suns 104, Timberwolves 95 - Another game typical of what we might expect from a team finishing three games in three nights. The Timberwolves were in it early, leading by five at the half, before running out of steam in the second half and losing by nine. 0 points
2 points for the Timberwolves, just like the last time, but they did face a somewhat unique challenge in this one. Not only were all three of their games on the road (which we’ve seen only a handful of times this season), but each game was their opponent’s first game after the All-Star break. Maybe not such a big deal against the Clippers, but certainly a disadvantage against the Suns.
Up next: The defending champion Dallas Mavericks get their lone crack at the threeplay, with three straight contests Mar. 8-10.
Three for all Top Ten:
– Miami Heat (15 points)
– Chicago Bulls (13 points)
– OKC Thunder (12 points)
– New Jersey Nets II (8 points)
– Atlanta Hawks (8 points)
– Houston Rockets (7 points)
– Portland Trail Blazers (6 points)
– L.A. Clippers (6 points)
– Philadelphia 76ers (6 points)
– Denver Nuggets I (6 points)
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by Micah Hart
Check out this pretty sweet photo gallery in the L.A. Times of Lakers’ superfan Jack Nicholson, who’s been a courtside staple at, ahem Staples, and before that the Forum, since 1970.
Jack thinks the Lakers are going to win the championship this year. He can’t handle the truth.
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Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
