How to Defend Kobe and LeBron

The last few games have served as a blueprint for teams as to how to defend great players like LeBron and Kobe. You can't stop either player so you have to make them one dimensional. Kobe and LeBron are at their best when they are able to get their teammates involved. LeBron had his first game without an assist recently and the Cavs lost. The Lakers are most vulnerable when Kobe has to carry the scoring load by himself. One player can beat a team on any given night but in a seven game series one player won't beat a great team.

The teams that have the most success against the Lakers, Cavs rely on single coverage and try to funnel Kobe and LeBron to where their help defense is. The key is to make them scorers and not playmakers. Turn them into jump shooters instead of assist men. It takes a great defender to utilize this game plan. Kobe or LeBron may go off for 50 or even 60 but their teammates will be standing around watching. Then if a teammate is needed to hit a crucial shot, they will be out of rhythm and not in the normal flow of the game.

Nuggets Knock off Lakers 90-79

The Lakers scored a season low 79 points against the Nuggets Friday night and had their worst shooting night of the season. The Lakers shot a putrid 29% from the field and less than 10% from 3 point land. The Lakers missed almost 70 shots. That's right, 70 shots! Kobe had a horrible shooting night going 10-31 from the field. Lamar Odom went 5-17, Trevor Ariza was 0-6 and Derek Fisher shot 2-7. Denver was paced by 22 points apiece from Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith. Tonight's game was a combination of a tremendous defensive effort from a good Nuggets team and a tired Lakers team. L.A. doesn't have much time to lick their wounds. The Lakers have a rematch against Phoenix Sunday afternoon.

Lakers Blast The Suns

This was not the way Shaquille O'Neal envisioned his return to L.A. This game was over in the first quarter. The Nashless Suns didn't have a chance against the NBA's best team. The Lakers starters had an early night only playing 28 minutes. Kobe scored 22 and Lamar Odom added 23. L.A. got 58 points from the bench to blitz the Suns 132-106. Things got so bad that D.J. Mbenga and Adam Morrison even played. Things were so bad that Leandro Barbosa led the Suns in scoring with 18. The Lakers looked younger and quicker than Phoenix. They pushed the ball every chance that they got and scored easy baskets. The Lakers defense gave the Suns fits all night. Phoenix struggled just bringing the ball up the court. L.A shot a ridiculous 57% from the field and 45% from 3 point land.

The Lakers next game is tonight against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers are the Most Complete Team In The NBA

The Lakers crushed the Thunder last night 107-93 last night to run their record to 47-10. Kobe Bryant erupted for 36 points on 13 for 21 shooting. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 32 points but it wasn't enough to overcome L.A. The Lakers now have an 8 game lead with 25 to play over the Spurs for the Western Conference's number 1 seed. The Lakers continue to play the basketball in the NBA and look like a sure bet to go to the Finals. L.A. is so deep that they have only lost one game since losing their starting center. The Lakers have swept the season series from the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference and seem poised to make a long playoff run. If L.A. gets a healthy Bynum back in time for the playoffs, I don't see how any team in the NBA can contend with the Lakers team depth and front court height. Throw in the NBA's best 4th quarter finisher and L.A. has a great shot at winning its first championship since 2002.

Is Greg Oden the Next Sam Bowie?

The 2007 NBA Draft is looking more and more like the 1984 NBA Draft. For those who don't remember in 1984 Sam Bowie was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan with the number 2 pick in the draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Bowie was drafted because the Blazers drafted based on need and not based on talent. The Blazers already had Clyde Drexler so they passed on the greatest player in NBA history. Bowie turned out to be an average NBA player who was consistently injured. His unspectacular career ended in 1995.

Fast forward to 2007, Portland had the 1st pick in the NBA draft and chose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. The Blazers already had Brandon Roy and needed a big man so they passed on Durant. While it is still too early to call Oden a bust, it does look like Oklahoma City got the better player. Greg Oden has underperformed and battled injuries; Durant has blossomed into the NBA's youngest star. Oden has played in only 46 games in 2 seasons and is averaging 9 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Oden will probably turn out to be a decent center but I doubt he will ever be one of the greats. All time great centers like Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing came in the league averaging over 20 PPG and 10 REBS as rookies. His numbers are nowhere near what elite centers put up as rookies. Number one picks Yao Ming and Dwight Howard put up better numbers than Oden has in his first season. Oden seems more like a Marcus Camby, Dikembe Mutombo type who will rebound and play good defense but is limited offensively.

Teams should learn a lesson from the picks of Sam Bowie, Darko Milicic and Greg Oden. It is always better to draft the best talent as opposed to just filling a need.

Who is the Best Center in the NBA?

Who do you think is the best center in the NBA? I have trimmed the list down to four worthy candidates.

Dwight Howard 20.9 PPG, 14,2 REBS

Al Jefferson 23.1 PPG, 11 REBS

Yao Ming 19.8PPG, 9.6 REBS

Shaquille O'Neal 17.4 PPG, 8.8 REBS

Rising Rondo

I was watching the Suns Celtics game and couldn't get over how well Rajon Rondo was playing. In a game that featured Steve Nash, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal and Ray Allen; Rajon Rondo was the best player on the court. He dominated the game by driving for layups, knocking down jumpers and his rebounding. He knew when to push the ball for a fastbreak and when to pull the ball back out to set up the half court offense. Rondo's game has gotten much better from his 1st year as a starter last season. He is another weapon that the Celtics have when the playoffs come around. When Kevin Garnett is healthy, the Celtics don't need Rondo to score much just to facilitate the offense. With Garnett out for the next 2-3 weeks the Celtics will need Rondo to be more of a scorer. As today's game showed he is more than up to the challenge.