Lakers Reach 50

The Lakers (50-24) reached 50 wins on Sunday in a 126-120 OT win against the Washington Wizards. The Lakers reached 50 wins for the first time since the departure of Shaquille O'Neal. 50 wins is something to celebrate, but how the Lakers got to win no. 50 is something to frown upon. The Lakers lost back-to-back games to two of the worst teams in the NBA. Fridays loss to the Grizzlies was especially disheartening, due to the fact that this was Pau Gasol's former team and the fact that Kobe scored 53 points. Kobe had 47 points with about 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, (By the way: Kobe had 47 with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter in the infamous 81-point game) viewers were predicting a 60 or 70-point game. Kobe was quieted for the rest of the game, only scoring six points.

So the Lakers managed to pull of the win against the Wizards despite Kobe shooting 7-24 from the field.

The Lakers are now currently 3rd in the West Conference Standings. According to Phil Jackson, it will probably take a 7-1 finish, for the Lakers to end the season as the number one seed in the West.

Chill Out

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (49-23) lost to the Bobcats on Wednesday. Kobe Bryant was ejected by picking up two technical fouls. This was Bryant's 15th technical of the season. If Bryant were to pick up one more technical, it would be grounds for an automatic one-game suspension for Kobe. Kobe Bryant needs to learn to keep his composure because the Lakers can not afford for him to miss a game, especially in the wild wild west. The Lakers play the Grizzles (18-53) tonight.

The Showdown

The Los Angeles Lakers (45-20) are now tied with the Houston Rockets (45-20) for the top seed in the Western Conference Standings. The two teams will face off Sunday afternoon to battle for the top seed in the West. Tracy McGrady and crew have 21 consecutive victories and will try to make it 22 on Sunday. The Lakers are coming off of a 108-98 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. The Lakers couldn't overcome 27 points and 17 assists from Chris Paul.

The biggest story coming out of that game is Pau Gasol spraining his ankle. His status is unknown right now and most likely will not play on Sunday. This will now put the onus on Kobe to do more on offense.

Not only will this Sunday be the Lakers v.s. Rockets, but it will be Kobe v.s. T-Mac. Every time these two face off they put on a show.

This is must win for the Lakers and I expect them to win.

Must Win

The Lakers (44-19) are in a must win situation tonight, when they face off against the Toronto Raptors (34-28). After tonight's game the Lakers begin a tough four-game road trip against: New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, and Utah. The Lakers are coming off a 114-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Lakers are now tied for first in the West with the San Antonio. This upcoming two weeks will really tell us Laker fans a lot about the current team we have. We'll have to see how well they execute in hostile situations.

MVP!!!

With a 52 point, 11 rebound effort, in a 108-104 overtime win against the Mavs, Kobe Bryant just wrapped up the MVP trophy. Bryant had an amazing 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime period. The Lakers win this thriller after having their ten game winning streak broken up in a 111-119 loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Kobe Bryant began the game 3-10 at the free throw line then proceeded to make 17 straight. Kobe Bryant was not to be denied Sunday afternoon and showed why he will be the 2007-2008 NBA Most Valuable Player. The Lakers (42-18) take on Sacramento, at STAPLES, on Tuesday.