Friday, February 14, 2014
Lakers Looking to Avoid Franchise-Record 7th Consecutive Home Loss Thursday
Only one other Lakers team even lost six home games in a row, and that 1992-93 squad still managed to make the playoffs with a respectable 39-43 record. That the '92-93 team is considered one of the worst in franchise history shows just how dominant the Lakers have historically been. Since moving to Los Angeles in 1960-61, they've only missed out on the postseason five times.
Make that six, as the 2013-14 Lakers have been decimated by injuries to the point of hopelessness. The team's ugly 18-34 record is buoyed by a 13-13 start, obscuring the reality that the Lakers have been every bit as bad as the league's worst teams since mid-December.
Since picking up their 13th win on Dec. 20, the Lakers have gone 5-21 with a minus-7.9 point differential per game. Only the Milwaukee Bucks (4-22) have a worse record over the same period, while the Philadelphia 76ers (-11.0) and Bucks (-10.5) are the only teams with inferior point differentials.
The Lakers have a tall task in order to avoid making history, as Thursday's opponent has won 14 of its last 16 games. After that difficult Thursday matchup against the red-hot Thunder, Los Angeles will come out of the All-Star break to a home game against a Houston team that's won seven in a row. Given the matchups that are looming, the Lakers will likely see their home losing streak stretch to eight games before facing a manageable Boston Celtics squad Feb. 21.
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Thursday, February 13, 2014
LA Lakers Lose 6 Straight at Staples Center for 1st Time Ever
The six-game losing streak on the team's home court dates back to Jan. 5, when L.A. fell to the Denver Nuggets, 137-115. The other five losses (in order) came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls and Jazz.
The Lakers lost those six contests by an average of more than 11 points per game. Injuries have played a huge role, as the team was without Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Jordan Farmar for the matchup against Utah.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Players in street clothes have been a common sight for Lakers fans this season.
The hapless Lakers dropped to 18-34 on the season with the loss.
Staples Center began construction in 1998 and opened on Oct. 17, 1999. Since that time, the Lakers had never lost six straight inside its walls until now. The franchise previously lost six straight at home during the 1992-93 season.
The 1992-93 team led by Sedale Threatt, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Sam Perkins—managed to make the playoffs at season's end with a 39-43 record. It fell to the Phoenix Suns in the first round, however, 3-2.
Even if the 2013-14 Lakers get Kobe Bryant back in the lineup after the NBA All-Star break, it doesn't appear as if they'll make a playoff push. At 18-34, the Lakers now sit 12.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
If this team misses the playoffs, it will be just the fifth time in franchise history that has happened since the organization moved to Los Angeles from Minneapolis for the 1960-61 season.
The Lakers are making history this year for all the wrong reasons. Injuries continue to derail the roster as well, as Mike Trudell of Lakers.com reports that Steve Nash will miss the second half of the season due to nerve root irritation that plagued him all throughout the first half.
Lakers fans can look forward to 2014 free agency in hopes of landing a star, but this injury-riddled roster will need plenty of help in order to compete in 2014-15.
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Sunday, February 9, 2014
While Cavs, 76ers Prepare for Doomsday Scenarios, Lakers Prepare Checkbook
Apologies, Philadelphia. Really sorry, Cleveland.
At least you’ll never forget the hair!
The Lakers are clearly awful this season, yet without enough eligible players they still beat the Cavaliers on Wednesday as an injured Steve Blake (elbow/thigh/eardrum/three cuts leading to blood-splattered shorts) dropped a triple-double.
The Lakers came into the game Friday two-and-a-half games ahead of the 76ers in the standings—and Philadelphia somehow made a newly-back-from-injury and newly-40-year-old Steve Nash look dominant in a 14-point Lakers victory. Nash admitted he was pushing himself to an unstable point where “my legs were shaking at halftime,” but the birthday boy was all smiles afterward: “Had a blast.”
Thanks so much, Philadelphia! Much appreciated, Cleveland!
The Lakers’ 2012 trade of Bynum to Philadelphia didn't work out considering the disappointment of last season and Dwight Howard’s free-agent exit after that. But the 76ers never did see Bynum wear his No. 33 uniform in a game. Besides Bynum disrupting their team chemistry this season, the Cavaliers are left desperate to re-sign Luol Deng to avoid Bynum actually costing them three draft picks they included in the trade to get rid of him.
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Saturday, February 8, 2014
LA Lakers Clown Basketball Convention in Wacky Win over Cleveland Cavaliers
So it was completely unexpected for Los Angeles to deliver an unforgettable victory Wednesday night.
The Lakers have had their share of circuses over the years. This was different: This crew of broken-down, sad clowns somehow came up with one of the greatest basketball shows on earth, albeit definitely of the novelty-act variety.
L.A. ran out of healthy bodies against the Cleveland Cavaliers, prompting Robert Sacre to stay in the game with six fouls. Thanks to an obscure NBA rule, the team was assessed a technical foul if he committed an additional personal foul.
Afterward, center Chris Kaman asked longtime Lakers Kurt Rambis and Gary Vitti if they’d ever seen anything like that. (They hadn’t.) Guard Kendall Marshall was so eager to share with the world what had just happened that he quizzed staffers in the locker room whether there was an NBA rule prohibiting him from tweeting immediately after the game.
Swear I've never seen anything like this! Ha welcome back!
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Friday, February 7, 2014
Minnesota Fans Plead with Kevin Love to Stay While T-Wolves Play LA Lakers
It's no secret that Love can opt out of his contract at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season, and he's already got those California connections. Born and raised on the West Coast—Santa Monica, to be exact—Love attended UCLA before he was drafted by the 'Wolves, with whom he's spent the entirety of his NBA career.
With Minnesota still failing to win and Love presumably tiring of the losing efforts, Los Angeles is appearing as a strong possibility for his future. In fact, an anonymous general manager told ESPN's Chris Broussard (subscription required), "That's a 100 percent certainty," while referring to Love's future joining with the Lakers.
However, the 'Wolves aren't going to give up that easily, and neither are their fans:
Timberwolves fan yells out to Kevin Love: "Don't leave Kevin, don't leave." Another yells out: "We know you love Minnesota!"
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Kevin Love Goes Down Hard in Brutal Fall Against LA Lakers
While driving the lane, Love collided with Robert Sacre and couldn't stop his limbs from flailing in every direction possible. With his leg kicking up in the air, the power forward went down hard until his lower regions made hard contact with the hard(er)wood.
If you're watching that Kevin Love fall, make sure you have the mute button ON.
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LA Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves: Postgame Grades and Analysis for Lakers
The Lakers have lost seven games in a row dating back to Jan. 20 and are now co-occupants of the Western Conference cellar with the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz.
Lakers: allowed 100 or more points in 15 straight games (2-13), longest such streak since 1986-87 season (17 games - team went 12-5)
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Thursday, February 6, 2014
The 1 Trade Deadline Deal the Los Angeles Lakers Have to Make
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Phoenix Suns have become serious suitors for Pau Gasol:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Suns, among the options being weighed as part of their well-chronicled desire to acquire an established player as they make an unexpected playoff push this season, have been exploring the feasibility of trading for the Lakers' four-time All-Star.
Stein goes on to explain how this fantasy in the desert could become a reality for both franchises:
One option for the Suns, by virtue of their $5.6 million in available salary-cap space, is swapping the expiring contract of injured big man Emeka Okafor for Gasol, even though Okafor's $14.5 million salary this season falls well shy of Gasol's $19.3 million.
In theory, the trade makes sense for both parties, but unfortunately for L.A., recent events have shut down communication between the two sides.
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