Meet Your Olympic Basketball Team

Well the U.S. Basketball team announced the squad that it will be taking to Beijing this summer for the Olympics, and looking at the roster, if this team doesn't manage to win the gold medal, they shouldn't be allowed back into the country.

Look at this roster.

• Kobe Bryant
• LeBron James
• Dwyane Wade
• Carmelo Anthony
• Chris Paul
• Dwight Howard
• Deron Williams
  
• Tayshaun Prince
• Jason Kidd
• Chris Bosh
• Carlos Boozer
• Michael Redd

I would like to see one more big on the roster (feel free to replace Kidd, the team already has four guys capable of handling the ball), but with the overall talent it probably won't matter much. I realize that the teams the U.S. will be playing against in China keep getting better, and that they've beaten us before, but there's no excuse for this team to lose.

I don't want to hear about how the other countries teams have played together longer, or about the different rules in FIBA, there is just too much talent on this team for anything but a gold medal to be the objective.

Did You Know The Lakers And Celtics Play Tonight?

Is it just me, or does it seem like forever since there's been a basketball game to watch? After spending the last month and a half watching at least one playoff game every night, the last six game-less days have been pretty long.

Especially with the non-stop barrage of hype being built up by ESPN and the NBA.

So tonight when the two teams tip-off at the Staples Center TD Bank North Garden (how catchy!), I'm going to be a happy man. Of course, not happy in the sense that Panger is happy about it (Did she really admit to rooting for the Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons all in one post? Is she trying to get fired?), just happy that I'll finally have a game to watch (though the Stanley Cup Finals did an adequate job filling in).

It should be noted, though, that I hate both teams, and won't be rooting for either of them. All I'm hoping for is a good, close, series that possibly goes seven games. In fact, the dream sequence would go something like this.

After splitting the first six games (four of which went to double overtime), we're at the Staples CenterTD Bank North Garden for game seven. We're in quintuple overtime, with 10 seconds left on the clock, and Boston sporting a 198-197 lead. It's Lakers ball and Kobe drives by Brian Scalabrine (he's in because Paul Pierce and James Posey both fouled out in the third overtime) and rises in the air as the clock winds down.

Kobe elevates and releases the ball just before the buzzer sounds, and it glides towards the rim, and just as it's about to go in.....


...an asteroid hits the Staples CenterTD North Bank Garden and kills everybody inside! Oh the humanity!

Still, I doubt that it's going to happen no matter how hard I cross my fingers.

In fact, there won't even be a seventh game in this series, as the Lakers are going to win it in six games. If it weren't for the idiotic 2-3-2 format that the NBA switches to for the Finals (I understand they do this because of travel concerns for the foreign and local press, but it's still dumb as hell. Play the entire postseason in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, and then switch it for the Finals...dumb) I'd actually have the Lakers winning in five.

I know that the Celtics have the big three in Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen, but Kobe, Lamar Odom, and Pau Gasol isn't exactly a bad trio either. Not to mention that the Lakers probably have a deeper bench than the Celtics, and they have a head coach who knows a thing or two about winning championships in Phil Jackson.

The Celtics have Doc Rivers.

Aside from all of that, the Lakers are just the better team, and they've played a lot better than the Celtics this postseason. They're averaging over 105 points a game, and they aren't exactly pushovers on the defensive end either.

Besides, do you really think there's anyway the NBA would allow the Lakers to lose this in Kobe's MVP season?

Why You Have To Watch TNT's Inside The NBA

Honestly, I love the NBA playoffs, and I've also been pretty open about my love for TNT's Inside The NBA. I mean, I watch the damn show religiously during the regular season, and like the teams they cover, Ernie, Charles, and Kenny step up their show in the postseason.

In last night's show, Kobe followed up his amazing performance against the Nuggets by stopping in and doing an interview with the guys, and of course, that video of him jumping an Aston Martin came up.

This is when the awesome happened.

See, this is what television should be like all the time.

The Kobe Talks Aren't Over

John Paxson is a good man. He's also a terrific general manager. What he's done for the Bulls since taking over the sinking ship Jerry Krause left behind is amazing. The Bulls have gone from a team that was lucky to win 15 games a year, to being considered a favorite in the East thanks to the players Paxson has drafted during his tenure.

He's just an all-around wonderful person, even if he is lying to you.

With seven words, John Paxson calmed his annoyed team, restored sanity to the rumor mill and pulled the Bulls out of the Kobe Bryant sweepstakes for now.

"There's not a deal to be done," Paxson said Thursday at a crowded Berto Center.

"We talked a lot about parameters, but specific things, we never got down to the nuts and bolts of it because there was never a deal to be done," Paxson said. "That's the reality of it. People can make it what they want. But it's time to put it to rest."

Don't believe the lies!

John Paxson and the Bulls aren't done pursuing Kobe Bryant. This is all just a strategic move on Paxson's part. He's not lying when he says there just hasn't been a reasonable deal yet, but that's the key, yet.

If you look at the history of superstars being traded in the NBA, it's never an easy affair. It's just this Kobe situation is the first time I can remember where the proceedings were done in such a public manner.

Here's the reality of the situation. Kobe still wants out of Los Angeles. Jerry Buss still wants rid of Kobe. Kobe still wants to come to Chicago.

Paxson knows all this. He knows that if he "kills" the trade talks now that over time the Lakers asking price is going to drop. It's not as if the Lakers are going to morph into a great team suddenly, and Kobe is going to want to stay. At some point in the future the Lakers are going to say, "Fine. We'll take Gordon, Thomas and a couple of draft picks."

Then Paxson will pull the trigger.

So don't for a second think that this story is over, because it isn't. Maybe not this week, or in the next, but at some point the Bulls and Lakers will be re-opening the trade talk.

Foul Balls - Tennis Edition!

The Japanese Love Snapper - This is going to come as a bit of a shock to most of you, but it turns out that the Japanese are a little bit freaky. Which is why Maria Sharapova is suing a Japanese photographer for taking some "risque" pictures of her while she was shooting an ad for Canon. From The Smoking Gun:

A top advertising executive who allegedly enjoyed photographing the crotches of unsuspecting females, snapped a close-up shot of Maria Sharapova's nether region as the tennis star posed for a Canon camera ad, according to a new lawsuit. In the complaint, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in New York, Steve Biegel charges that he was fired by Dentsu Holdings, the giant Japanese advertising agency, after complaining about the photographic hobby of Toyo Shigeta, the firm's CEO, who allegedly distributed the Sharapova photo to subordinates. Included as an exhibit to Biegel's lawsuit, which alleges a variety of other lewd behavior on the part of Shigeta and other Dentsu executives, is the purported photo of Sharapova, which can be seen below. The image, Biegel contends, was surreptitiously snapped by Shigeta in April 2005 during a break in the filming of a Canon commerical at a tennis center in Key Biscayne, Florida. According to Biegel, a Dentsu creative director who oversaw the Canon ad campaign, Shigeta used a telephoto lens to take the "crotch shot."

Ah, yes. The long heard of, but seldom seen, crotch shot. Personally I don't see what the big deal is. From the only photo of the incident I've seen (pictured above), it doesn't look like anything all that inappropriate. In fact, I've seen plenty of pictures of Sharapova in the blogosphere and at sites like ESPN that leave a lot less to the imagination when it comes to Maria's special place. Like say, this one, or this one, or even this one for example.

Frankly, I think Shigeta should be seen as a hero for he is clearly doing God's work.

Martina Hingis Loves The Coke - Nobody's been taking pictures of Martina Hingis' nether regions, at least that we know of, but I guess it's possible she wouldn't mind if you snorted coke off of it.

Hingis officially retired from professional tennis yesterday, but she also decided to share with us that she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon back in 2005. Despite the positive test, Hingis denies she ever used drugs.

"I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100 per cent innocent," Hingis said.

"The reason I have come out with this is because I do not want to have a fight with anti-doping authorities."

So just to be clear, Hingis retires the same day the news of her positive test comes out, then says she isn't going to fight the positive test, but wants us to believe she never did cocaine.

Riiight.

The Basketball Diaries

Houston Rockets 95 Los Angeles Lakers 93

Kobe Bryant was booed by Lakers fans during the player introductions, but those boos turned into cheers the second he made his first basket. It was the first of many Kobe would make, as he scored 45 points on opening night. Of course, the Lakers still lost. The Rockets nearly blew it though before they were saved by Shane Battier. The Rockets had a 92-80 lead with 1:30 left, and the Lakers went on a 12-0 run to tie the game at 92 on a shot by Derek Fisher. The Rockets then responded with a three-pointer by Shane Battier with 2.5 seconds left. Battier wasn't finished either, as he was smart enough to foul Kobe Bryant the second he touched the ball on the following inbound. So Bryant had to shoot two free throws instead of attempt a tying three. Bryant made the first free throw, and missed the second on purpose, but couldn't gain control of the ball before Rafer Alston knocked it away and the Rockets escaped with a win. "He's hit big shots in the past, so it's good it went to him," new Rockets coach Rick Adelman said of Battier. "We wanted to foul before he [Bryant] took the shot and we definitely did that. He hadn't even turned around yet when Shane fouled him." Tracy McGrady had 30 for Houston, and Yao Ming chipped in 25.

San Antonio Spurs 106 Portland Trail Blazers 97

On the same night the Spurs raised their championship banner, and handed out their shiny new rings, they went out and did what they always do. They won. Tim Duncan had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead San Antonio. Tony Parker added 19, while Manu Ginobili had 16 points and 8 assists. We already know the Spurs are good though, so I kept my eye on the Blazers most of the night. I don't think they're going to be a playoff team in the West this season, but it's the first time in a while I can remember seeing promise in Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points to help prove he can pick up the Zach Randolph slack. We're only one game into their season and I'm already thinking about Aldridge being teamed up with Oden next season.

Utah Jazz 117 Golden State Warriors 96

The Utah Jazz were the team that finally ended the Warriors unexpected run in the playoffs last spring, and they picked up where they left off last night. All the talk in the West is still about the Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks, but don't sleep on the Jazz again. Deron Williams had 24 points and 8 assists, alot of which went to Carlos Boozer who finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko even showed up! AK47 filled the stat sheet with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and five blocks. Baron Davis led Golden State with 25.

Exactly How Clean Is The Locker?

Yesterday was a bit cruel. I was at work last night taking a break when I decided to check my email. That was where I saw the headline of an email from fellow FanHouser Dan Benton.

Kobe Traded To Bulls?

Oh, how my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. So I opened the email but inside all I found was confusion. Dan couldn't confirm anything, but he'd found a couple of sites reporting that Kobe Bryant was coming to the Bulls. Of course, this is the internet, where anybody can say anything and doesn't really have to try and prove it. Seriously, it's not hard.

I saw Ryan Theriot shoplifting a tin of Altoids from a grocery store on Monday. Then I followed him to the parking lot where he killed two guys.

Is it true? No. Can you prove it? No.

See!? The internet is a wonderful place!

If there has been one thing I've learned since starting this blog a little over two years ago, it's that sometimes those crazy internet rumors actually are true. I'll come across a story that seems absurd, and totally write it off as bullshit, and then a little while later I see the story being picked up my major news networks.

So, even though I doubted the Kobe trade rumors, I still knew they were possible. Of course, there was only one person I could actually call that would have a clue. Panger lives in LA, and I'm guessing that if Kobe's about to be traded, she'd know something about it.

So I finally got a hold of Panger - I usually have to go through her publicist. Give a girl some weekend blogging duties, and the power goes straight to her head - and wanted to know what the hell was going on.

She told me that it was all anybody was talking about on sports radio in LA. Apparently Kobe had cleaned out his locker, and that was taken by somebody that he had been traded. Which is how the report started, and like a California wildfire, it just kept spreading.

The only indicator Panger said made her believe this might actually be happening was the response of Lakers coach Phil Jackson. All summer Jackson's been asked about Kobe being traded, and he's always given the same smug Phil Jackson answer: "Of course Kobe will be back. I am the Zenmaster!!"

On Tuesday he just said "No comment."

Unfortunately in the end, it all turned out to be nothing more than rumors and hearsay. Kobe's locker? Maybe he tidied it up, but he didn't clean it out. He also said he had no idea what the hell anybody was talking about.

"I don't know, talk to Mitch and Mr. Buss about that," Bryant replied when asked if he had played his final game for the Lakers, referring to general manager Mitch Kupchak and the team's owner. "I'm just getting ready. If I'm here, I'm ready to strap it up.

"My job is to play the game and get ready to play the game. That's what I'm doing. I guess people are just intrigued by what's going on around here. I understand that. I have a job to do. One thing I said at training camp was that I didn't want this to be a distraction.

"It's our understanding not to bring up the situation and not talk about it. We just wanted to keep things quiet and go about our business. It kind of caught me off guard a little bit.

"We've just got to get back to basics and get ready and go from there. It's my job to play basketball. It's not my job to worry about what management is doing or this, that or the other thing. I'm going to be ready and let them do their jobs."

Now obviously, this isn't going to be the end of this story. Anybody living in Chicago that follows basketball can expect to hear about this a lot in the coming weeks and months. Until it happens, nobody is going to shut up about it.

One thing I did realize when hearing about all this yesterday, is how badly I actually want the trade to happen. I wrote about why I think it probably needs to happen if the Bulls are going to be an actual title contender last week, but I was still unsure how I felt about Kobe coming to Chicago.

Now when I read about the possibility of Kobe coming to Chicago, and the majority of "experts" who know way more about how all of this works than I do say that the trade will probably not include Luol Deng, that makes me want it even more.

This is all just wishful thinking obviously, but can you imagine Kobe and Luol teamed up together? It would be Michael and Scottie all over again.

Ever since that thought hit me, I've needed this trade to happen. So if anybody sees Kobe do anything that might mean he's coming, be it cleaning out his locker, or even if he's just eating a deep dish pizza, let me know. Anything to get that feeling I had yesterday.

Here We Go Again

He is the best player in the NBA, if not on the Planet Earth. He is the closest thing to Michael Jordan that we've seen since MJ left the game. Hell, somebody could probably argue that he's even better than Jordan was.

They'd be wrong, but they could say it.

It's obvious by now that I'm talking about Brian Scalabrine.

Okay, I'm talking about Kobe Bryant.

You may remember this past summer there was quite a stir caused by Kobe when he said he wanted to be traded. He said it publicly to anyone who would listen. He called in to radio shows, did interviews on ESPN... he even talked to two dudes on the street with a video camera.

If you even glanced at Kobe Bryant, he would tell you he wanted to be traded.

Everywhere around the internet, bloggers had opinions about possible destinations for Kobe. I even wrote about the possibility of Kobe coming to the Bulls.

Then the draft came and went, and Kobe was still in Los Angeles.

The entire summer passed, but Kobe stayed in Los Angeles.

So all the trade rumors died, and everybody thought it was over.

Little did we know that Jerry Buss can bring things back from the dead.

"At any time, I think you have to do that with anybody," Buss said, discussing Bryant publicly for the first time since the often-frustrated Lakers' star asked to be traded at the end of last season. "It's just part of the game, to listen to somebody who has a dissatisfied player that you think is going to fit.

"You can't keep too many loyalties. You've got to look at it as a business. He looks at it the same way I look at it."

Those were comments made by Lakers owner Jerry Buss to three LA beat reporters on Wednesday night in Honolulu. When Kobe heard of what Buss said, he had this to say:

"Dr. Buss's comments today provided more insight to a conversation we shared in Barcelona earlier this summer," Bryant said in a statement issued Thursday. "I have touched on this conversation and other conversations within the Lakers' organization during the recent months and again at the Lakers' media day. I have nothing further to add and look forward to the upcoming season with my teammates."

So it's highly unlikely that Bryant is going to be traded before the start of the season, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to be hearing about it all year. If the Lakers get off to a slow start, something that's entirely possible, trade rumors are going to be tossed around like Paris Hilton at a frat party.

All of which will include the Bulls.

So here we are again: should the Bulls trade for Kobe Bryant?

It's one of the rare situations where I don't know how I feel. Obviously on the surface, how could any basketball fan not want Kobe on their team? In the Eastern Conference, Kobe Bryant and four midgets makes you a threat in the conference.

The concern is, what would the Bulls have to give up to get him?

Let's start with the obvious. The Lakers would probably want both of the Bulls' young big men, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. Of course, that wouldn't be anywhere near enough, be it on a talent level or just the money. So the Bulls would have to include a few more players in the deal, somebody like Andres Nocioni.

Still, that won't be enough. The player the Lakers would really want in a deal is the same player everybody wants from the Bulls when they talk trade: Luol Deng.

Deng was the reason the Pau Gasol trade never happened. John Paxson didn't care how desperately the Bulls needed an inside scoring threat, he felt Deng was too high of a price. He was right too, at least for Gasol.

For Bryant, it's a different story. Now I don't want to trade Luol, but if the Bulls are going to get the greatest player in the game, they'd have to make the deal. Sure, Deng has a ton of potential, but Bryant's already reached his.
There are other factors that have changed since we last discussed Kobe trade rumors that make me think the Bulls should seriously consider it as well.

The Pistons seem to be coming to the end of their run, and look more vulnerable this season, but there's more to worry about than Detroit.

The Cavaliers got to the NBA Finals last season, and their entire roster is going to be better this season for it, not just LeBron.

The Raptors are a very young and exciting team that's only going to improve this season as well.

The Heat have gotten younger, which can only help, and they still have that tandem of Shaq and Dwyane Wade, so you can't just write them off.

Then there's the Celtics. Almost overnight Boston went from doormat to Eastern Conference power when they added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Combine those two with Paul Pierce, and if they can ever figure out how they're going to share the basketball, the Celtics are going to be a tough team to beat.

So if the Bulls weren't good enough last season to get out of the second round, and the rest of the Eastern Conference has gotten better, how do we know the Bulls are going to even get to the second round this season?

Yes, the continued growth of Luol Deng is going to help the Bulls get better; after that though, I'm not as sure. Ben Wallace may have his headband back, but he's still a year older. I don't think Ben Gordon is ever going to evolve beyond what he already is, a guy who can explode for 40 on you one night, and then only get you 8 two nights later.

Kirk Hinrich is a great defensive player, and is one of the more underrated offensive point guards in the league, but he's never going to be elite.

Tyrus Thomas is a freak athletically, but we still don't know if he'll be able to turn that into a complete package. A guy that can defend down low, and find other ways to score besides highlight dunks.

Kobe Bryant could be the answer to everything. We already know what he's going to bring. If he could win as many games as he did in Los Angeles with a supporting cast that week, imagine what he could do here where we actually have talented players around him.

Kobe wouldn't just make the Bulls the favorite to get out of the Eastern Conference, but he'd also make them a legitimate threat to win the whole damn thing. Isn't that what it's all about? Winning a title?

I don't know that it will happen, I just know that it could. And if by some chance that possibility does present itself, I hope John Paxson can manage to pull the trigger this time around.

Kobe Says Again, Fix Lakers Or Lemme Off the Buss

Is it any surprise that the day after the conclusion of the most lackluster NBA finals in memory, Kobe started talking trade again?

Bryant met yesterday in Spain with Lakers owner Jerry Buss in what has been described as "a longer, more emotional conversation" than the one they had two weeks ago when Bryant first demanded to be traded.

Buss wanted to appeal to the nine-time All-Star, reminding him that trades take time to develop and that winning remains the focus of the organization, but Bryant voiced concerns about the direction of the franchise and reiterated his demand to be traded, said a source with knowledge of the situation."That's the message that came out of it," the source said.

Team sources vehemently insisted there were no plans to trade Bryant, and they were still hopeful that a peaceful solution could be reached.

(A peaceful solution? What is this, Hamas versus Fatah?)

Kobe is right to be fuming. The misplaced priorities of Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak boggle the mind. Why the hell would you hold on to Andrew Bynum to reach his prime when you have arguably the greatest player in the league in his prime right now? (Not to mention one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.)

Taking time to develop a team is crap. Trade Bynum in a heartbeat. If necessary, trade Odom too. (And if possible, drown Smush for good measure.)

C'mon, Jerry, save your fish moves for poker. Go out and get what you need. Bryant deserves a team now.

Kobe Bryant To The Bulls?

Over the holiday weekend, ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that Kobe Bryant demanded that the Lakers bring back Jerry West or trade him. Bryant later backed off those comments, saying he was only "suggesting" that the Lakers bring back West.

Of course, all anybody heard was that Kobe wants to be traded, and now the rumors have started.

One of those rumors has Kobe being traded here, to the Bulls. While it would be nice to have Kobe here in Chicago, it wouldn't make the Bulls an immediate title contender. The reason being that they'd have to give up probably both Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to do it. (Incidentally it's not the only trade rumor surrounding Ben Gordon right now.)

I've made it very clear in the past that I do not want the Bulls to trade Luol Deng. Not for Pau Gasol, not even for Kevin Garnett. In fact there was only one player in the NBA whom I'd accept in return for Deng.

And that player is Kobe Bryant.

Now I don't think that this deal is going to get done because I just don't think there's enough for the Lakers to get in return for them to pull the trigger on such a deal. Of course, this is the same team that traded Shaq for fifty cents on the dollar.

Then again, Kobe demanded that trade.

At this point I don't see this deal getting done, but you never know. I might have to start cheering for Kobe next season.

The Basketball Diaries - I Am Yao, Hear Me Roar

Houston Rockets 107 Los Angeles Lakers 104 OT

Kobe returned to the land of 50-point scorers last night, but it wasn't enough to get the Lakers a win. Yao Ming had 39, and T-Mac added 30 to lead Houston past Kobe and the Lakers. Despite the loss, Kobe's 53 points gave him an average of 40.4 points a game in March. Kobe's the only player to do that in the last 40 years, and he's done it four times now.

Toronto Raptors 123 Washington Wizards 118 OT

Michael Ruffin throws like a girl. The Wizards had this game wrapped up. Gilbert gave them a three-point lead, and the Raptors had to inbound from full court with 3.8 seconds left. The inbounds pass was tipped at the free-throw line where it ended up in Ruffin's hands. Ruffin then heaved the ball into the air to run out the clock, but as I said, he throws like a girl. The ball came down into Morris Peterson's hands with a second left, and he fired a miracle 31-foot three pointer that went in. What? My words aren't good enough? Fine.





Happy? The Raptors would win in overtime, and hold onto the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando Magic 95 Indiana Pacers 87

I think it's pretty safe to announce the Pacers' playoff hopes are officially dead. They've lost 17 of 19, and trading Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to Golden State is looking like a horrible trade for them, going 11-22 since the deal. Grant Hill had 22 points for the Magic, as they continue to lead the fight to be eliminated by Detroit.

Elsewhere...

• Sixers 88 Celtics 82
• Bobcats 97 Bucks 81
• Pistons 110 Nets 105
• Heat 92 TWolves 77
• Spurs 102 Jazz 93
• Mavs 105 Knicks 103
• Suns 125 Nuggets 108
• Clippers 105 Kings 101
• Sonics 120 Grizzlies 93

The Basketball Diaries-Kobe Is But A Mere Mortal

Memphis Grizzlies 88 Los Angeles Lakers 86

Apparently the Grizzlies figured out that letting Kobe score 60 against them is not the best way to go about beating the Lakers. Tuesday night they held the Mamba to 23 points, and broke the Lakers hearts in the final minute. Some dude named Tarence Kinsey scored 5 points in the final minute to put the finishing touches on a Grizzlies win. Rudy Gay had a decent night with 20 and 12.

Cleveland Cavaliers 105 Indiana Pacers 94

LeBron started his day by kicking coach Mike Brown out of a team meeting, and finished it with 26 points, 7 boards, and 5 assists as the Cavs took care of the Paceless. The win pulls the Cavs to within 2 games of the East leading Pistons, and 1.5 games ahead of the greatest team ever. "This is my team, that's my responsibility to make sure everyone's on course," James said. "There can be a lot of distractions on a five-game road trip." He's right too. There isn't another city in this country that can match the majestic beauty and amazing nightlife of Indianapolis.

Dallas Mavericks 105 The NOOCH 89

The Hornets haven't beaten Dallas since 1999. Christ, that's 8 years, I'm getting so old. Anyway, the Hornets will have to wait until 2008 to get their next chance at them cuz the Mavs did what they do when they do what they do to the Hornets. Josh Howard had 25 and 10, Dirk fought off a tummy flu to score 15, and the Mavs finished their road trip 6-0. "It was really a fun trip, obviously. We're trying to work hard offensively moving the ball, and everybody's making shots," said Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 15 points while shaking off an illness. "It was a fun trip."

Elsewhere...

• Sonics 114 Timberwolves 106

The Basketball Diaries - Kobe Sucks

Los Angeles Lakers 115 Golden State Warriors 113

Kobe's streak of 50 point games came to an end last night. He went back to his crappy self and only scored 43. Pathetic. Frankly, I don't even think the Lakers should get credit for their fifth straight win. Hopefully, the league will look into it. The worst part? Kobe doesn't even care that he didn't get 50. Selfish prick. "What? No!" Bryant said emphatically when asked if he felt any disappointment about falling short of 50. "I've always said Wilt's a human video game. For me to be in the same breath with him, even if it's a short little breath, is pretty cool."

Chicago Bulls 92 Indiana Pacers 90

The Bulls don't win in Indiana very often, but thanks to a Ben Gordon jumper in the closing seconds they've now clinched two of their last 13 games in Indianapolis. Of course, I didn't get to watch any of it because it wasn't televised. Why? I don't know. I guess Comcast really needed to show that Cubs spring training game.

Sacramento Kings 107 Phoenix Suns 100

Mike Bibby was huge yesterday. He tied a Kings record with 9 three-pointers en route to 37 points. Two of the treys came in the final minute to give the Kings a pretty surprising win over Phoenix. "This feels good," Bibby said. "It was a big win, and we needed it. We've got 12 [games] left, so we've got to make sure we get a good amount of those 12 to give ourselves a chance."

Elsewhere...

• Mavs 104 Hawks 97
• Pistons 121 Bucks 95
• TWolves 94 Blazers 93
• Hornets 106 Rockets 94
• Nuggets 105 Cavs 93
• Spurs 120 Sonics 79

Kobe Is Killing It

As it was written about over on Free Darko, whether you hate Kobe Bryant or not, he is amazing. Friday night Kobe scored 50 points against the NOOCH, the fourth straight game he's scored 50 points or more.

Four straight games.

MJ never did that. Bird never did that. Magic never did that.

The only person in NBA history to do that was Wilt Chamberlain, and he was playing against the Lollipop Guild back then.

I'm one of the Kobe "haters," but even I'm not stupid enough to try and take the usual route and call him a selfish player who cares about nothing other than himself.

The truth is, Bryant is doing this for a few reasons.

First and foremost, it's to win. The Lakers are 4-0 during Kobe's run, and ended an eight-game losing streak because of him. If it's going to take Kobe scoring 50 points a game to get the Lakers to win, then the man is going to score 50 points a game.

There are other factors in this run, and even Kobe admitted as much after last night's game. Up until this week the biggest stories on Bryant this season have been his tendency to hit people in the face with his elbows. That's not exactly the kind of thing a player of his caliber really wants to be known for.

"The thing that was frustrating for me was people were talking about, 'He's a dirty player,' which, for me, is pretty insulting. To have people talking about something else besides that -- it's a much better feeling."

Whether fans of the game are ready, willing or able to admit it, the simple fact is that Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA. No if's and's or but's. Steve Nash may be a two-time MVP, Dirk may be this years MVP, and D-Wade may have the ring, but none are the player Kobe is.

As Shoals wrote in the Free Darko piece,

Here's what's truth here: there is no way to minimize what Kobe stands for in a pure basketball sense. Even if you buy the "he's a selfish player" crap, there's one unavoidable snare: MERELY BEING SELFISH DOES NOT GET YOU ON THE LEVEL OF CHAMBERLAIN, JORDAN, AND BAYLOR. There have [been] goblins full of triumphant scorers—"just scorers"—and yet none of them have been capable of this. I suppose you could venture that Kobe is such an asshole that he's pricked his way into rarefied territory. Yeah dude, that would make a ton of sense.

It's unbelievably difficult to score this much. I get the "81 was weak" or "what's your points if no one else shoots and the team is dirt" criticism of 65. Still, you can't just explain this away from personality flaws. Or violations of the Right Way. Look plant people, this shit is not easy. You can't come into it cheap. And if you watched Bryant play for a split-second, I'd like to think you'd grasp what an advanced basketball presence he is. He gets better every single year, to the point where footage from past rampages is almost embarrassing.

It's gotten to the point for me that, even though I'm not a fan, I have to see the Lakers' next game. I have to know whether he can do it again.

You must understand that my distaste for Kobe Bryant comes not from the player that he is, but rather the name on the front of his jersey. I hate all things Lakers, and always have, but if Kobe keeps this up I'm going to have to scratch the "always will."

The Basketball Diaries-The Mamba Strikes Again

Los Angeles Lakers 109 Minnesota Timberwolves 102

Last week Phil Jackson said that not even Jesus could help this Lakers team. He was right, too. But lucky for the Lakers, they don't need Jesus because they have Kobe Bryant. After scoring 65 points on Friday night, Kobe followed it up with 50 on Sunday night to lead the Lakers past Minnesota. The last Laker to record back-to-back 50+ games? Elgin Baylor in 1962. "We talked about going to Kobe early in games and not waiting," coach Phil Jackson said. "He had been playing the team role, feeling the game out and waiting 'til the second half to get going. But there's just not enough time right now in the season to develop that."

Dallas Mavericks 92 Detroit Pistons 88

Rip Hamilton had a bad day. Not only did he miss five free throws down the stretch, but he ended the game sitting on the bench bleeding after he took an elbow from Chris Webber. His Pistons also had their 5-game win streak ended by the Mavericks. Dirk finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Dallas.

New York Knicks 92 Toronto Raptors 74

God help us all if the Knicks make the playoffs. It's like bizarro world as Isiah is coaching a team to the playoffs, and Renaldo Balkman is playing the role of spark plug. Balkman replaced a foul-plagued Eddy Curry in the third quarter, and promptly led a 27-5 run by the Knicks in which they took control. He finished with 15 points and 12 boards. "I love what I've seen from Renaldo the whole year," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "Defensively he can change the game, his rebounding. Whenever we give him 30-plus minutes, he normally has double-figure rebounds and double-figure points. He's just a guy that somehow finds a way to change a game."

Elsewhere...

• Magic 97 Heat 83
• Nets 101 Clippers 95
• Rockets 124 Sixers 74 (Yes, that's right...by 50)
• Sonics 95 Blazers 77

The Basketball Diaries - Kobe Flagrantly Scores

Los Angeles Lakers 116, Portland Trail Blazers 111
You all enjoy the heart-pounding excitement of March madness (that Virginia-Albany game was a real barn burner.) Meanwhile, I'm gonna keep watching the pros. Especially Kobe. God help me, I'm starting to like him (as a player, anyway). For the last few weeks, the on-court scrutiny suffered by the Laker superstar has been the basketball equivalent of a Mexican kid driving his lowrider through Beverly Hills shadowed by three squad cars... with the cops inside 'em having to make quota. A mere mortal would buckle. But not Kobe. His response last night was simple and overwhelming, scoring 65 points to lead his troubled team to victory in overtime. Hey, I have an idea: let's give Duke a rematch.... against just Kobe Bryant. I put my money on Kobe.

Detroit Pistons 105, Phoenix Suns 83
You had to see this coming. After the breathtaking win over Dallas, the Suns lost focus just long enough for Detroit to hand them their asses on their own home court. It's not like the Pistons had to work that hard to do it, either; the Suns had a season-worst 22 turnovers and were 2-of-15 on 3-pointers. "It's just too bad that we kind of gave back what we won on Wednesday," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's too bad, but it happens. We'll see what kind of moxie we have and we'll come back tomorrow." Meanwhile, set your TiVos to catch the Mavs at Detroit tomorrow. Both teams will see this as an opportunity to make a point, so it should be fun to watch.

The Basketball Diaries - Well, That was Boring

If you would have told me yesterday that I'd enjoy the Daytona 500 more than the NBA All-Star game, I would have punched you in the face. Not because I thought you were crazy, but because I am crazy and have anger issues.

Seriously, the All-Star game sucked last night. The highlight of the weekend was by far Barkley-Bavetta. The game itself was just sloppy.

The West beat the East 153-132, and Kobe took MVP honors with 31 points and 6 assists.

The best part of the game took place during a commercial break, when Gilbert Arenas joined a group of dunking Elvis impersonators and dunked off of a trampoline.

How in the hell Arenas' coach, Eddie Jordan, let him do that, I have no idea.

The prevailing feeling I got while watching the game, though, was pretty obvious to everybody involved. None of the players really cared. It was kinda like a glorified practice. Chauncey Billups didn't bother trying to hide his feelings about the game afterward.

"I didn't like it at all. I loved being here. I loved being a part of it, but I don't like it at all. We need something to make the guys play a little harder, to compete against one another...If I paid my hard-earned money to see KG and Kobe and Wade, I want to see them really play. You know what I'm saying? Not practice. I want to see them play."

I understand what Chauncey is saying, and it would be nice if the NBA did something to make the game mean more so that players tried harder. Of course, I don't mean that the NBA should follow baseball's lead and put home-court advantage in the Finals on the line, but they need to do something.

The Basketball Diaries - Dallas Owns Texas

Dallas Mavericks 80 Houston Rockets 77

Jason Terry struggled all night, but his late jump shot gave Dallas a lead with 1:09 left. He then hit two free throws in the final seconds to finish off the Rockets, as Dallas won its ninth straight, and continues to reign supreme in Texas. But why the struggles for Terry Thursday night? Avery Johnson has a theory: "He came up big with a big shot and two free throws. Other than that he wasn't at his best tonight. Maybe he was thinking about the 3-point shootout too early. He and Dirk [Nowitzki] have a little wager going on. I was trying to get him here in Houston rather than getting ready for Vegas too early."

Cleveland Cavaliers 114 Los Angeles Lakers 108

Okay, so this was a pretty good game to watch, as is any game that features LeBron vs. Kobe. Still, there was only one thing I could focus on in this game. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn't divert my attention from it, and focus on the hardcourt mastery I was missing. What in the hell is with the patch of hair on the back of Drew Gooden's head!? Seriously. I have to know. I've seen it before, but for some reason, it was just killing me Thursday night. Does he do that on purpose? Is it some sort of mutated Drew Brees-esque mole? Did he get drunk one night and have a penis tattooed on the back of his head? What the hell is going on here!? Does anybody know? I'm not going to be able to sleep at night until this question is answered. Really. You should have seen me last night. All curled up in a fetal position, sweating profusely, and crying non-stop for six hours. It was horrible. I need help. Please. Help me.

It's like he has a vagina on the back of his head.

The Basketball Diaries

The NOOCH 109 Milwaukee Bucks 101 2OT

The Hornets had to play some free basketball for the second straight night. On Wednesday they beat Denver in overtime thanks to Desmond Mason's buzzer-beating tip-in, and on Thursday it took them two overtimes to dispense Milwaukee. Desmond Mason scored 24 points, and David West had 21 points and a career high 19 rebounds. The Hornets are now 4-0 in overtime games this season. "We've got some toughness," said Scott, whose team is 4-0 in overtime this season. "We're young, but we've got some toughness. We've got some heart."

Detroit Pistons 93 Los Angeles Lakers 78

Chris Webber and the Pistons are really starting to work well together. In eleven games with Webber, the Pistons are 9-2, and have built a lead in the Eastern Conference. Chris Webber finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead Detroit to its fifth straight win. They also held Kobe to 18 points on 5/13 shots, and forced him to commit eight turnovers. "They are great defensively and they get a little leeway because of their reputations," Bryant said. "Great teams earn that leeway. We haven't played anyone else like that this season."

Sacramento Kings 86 Chicago Bulls 77

The Bulls just cannot beat the Sacramento Kings. They lost their eighth straight in Arco Arena, and lost to Sacramento for the 15th time in their last 16 meetings. The Bulls held Sacto to 43% shooting, outrebounded them 56-44 (including killing them on the offensive glass 21-4), and committed less turnovers, but they lost. Why? Cuz they only shot 33% from the field themselves. Kevin Martin led all scorers with 29 points, and Sacramento has now won four games in a row. "We're always keeping our eye on the standings," Martin said. "We have a lot of veterans on this team that know how to play. We have some more games to play, we won't be thinking about the All-Star break until it comes."

The Basketball Diaries-Kobe's Return

Los Angeles Lakers 111 Boston Celtics 98

Kobe took out his anger at being suspended for Tuesday night's game in New York out on the Celtics Wednesday night. He scored 43 points, as the Lakers sent the Celtics to their 13th straight loss, a franchise record. Things are so bad for Boston fans right now, they actually cheered Kobe. That's right. Celtics fans cheered for a Laker. What is this world coming to? "Gary Vitti was in there telling me how shocked he was, that he heard an 'M.V.P.' chant here in Boston," Bryant said. "But I really appreciated it."

Dallas Mavericks 95 Memphis Grizzlies 94

It was a lot closer than it probably should have been, but Dirk and the Mavericks were able to hold the Grizzlies off down the stretch. Nowitzki struggled most of the night, but scored 16 of his 26 points in the 4th quarter, while hitting all eight of his free throws. "I had a lot of shots that would bounce off the rim," Nowitzki said. "I don't think I've ever had so many good looks that sometimes were bouncing on the rim three or four times and still would find a way to roll out. I think in the fourth quarter, I got a couple of layups and got a couple of free throws to go down."

Los Angeles Clippers 110 Chicago Bulls 98

The Bulls had a chance to finally get a win on the left coast, but fell apart at the end. After tying the game at 94 late in the 4th, the Clippers went off and outscored the Bulls 16-4 down the stretch. Elton Brand had 26 points, while Shaun Livingston scored 10 of his 14 in the fourth quarter. "This is our run for the playoffs," Brand said. "Finishing like that is the key. They made their run, we showed some resilience. We're getting back to last year. Now, we're winning, we feel like we can win every game." Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 25 points and 10 assists.

Elsewhere...

• Hawks 115 Warriors 94
• Magic 98 Bucks 73
• Raptors 119 Wizards 109
• Bobcats 104 Knicks 87
• Pistons 113 Nets 89
• Sixers 89 Hornets 78
• Kings 100 Timberwolves 98
• Rockets 112 Sonics 102
• Jazz 97 Spurs 93
• Blazers 100 Nuggets 91

NBA Confuses Manu Ginobili for Drunk White Girl, Suspend Kobe for Assault

Kobe Bryant will not be available for the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in New York against the Knicks. He's been suspended for one game for elbowing the Spurs Manu Ginobli on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant said Tuesday he was "shocked" to receive a one-game suspension for hitting Manu Ginobili in the face on Sunday.

Bryant said he unintentionally elbowed Ginobili and felt "terrible" about the play. However, Bryant said he can't believe he was suspended.

"I haven't seen a precedence for this. There's unintentional elbows that take place in a game all the time," Bryant told reporters at Madison Square Garden.

We're sure he feels "terrible" about the whole thing. The only reason he feels terrible about it is he was caught. Kobe does this type of thing all the damn time, it's just he never gets called for it because he is Kobe.

Of course, don't tell that to Phil Jackson.

"I have been a little disappointed with how Kobe has been treated as a premier player."

Pat Riley also called in just to say he thought Dwyane Wade didn't get any calls in the Finals last season.