The Los Angeles Lakers are 7 1/2 point underdogs tonight for Game 5 at Oklahoma City, which means Vegas respects them about as much as they respected the Clippers in the past week — not much.
Me?
I do not dispense gambling advice, and for all I know this will be an epic crash-and-burn night — especially if Pau Gasol goes soft, Kobe Bryant goes cold or Metta World Peace throws the ball to Steve Blake on the final play. But I am of the opinion that the Lakers bring their best tonight as they did against the Nuggets in Game 7, they shut down Oklahoma City defensively and make it worth everyone’s while to stay up until the end.
And if they do crash and burn?
Kobe Bryant’s interview session will be televised live on NBA-TV sometime around 12:45-1:15 a.m. EDT, and that’ll probably be must-see TV — just to see who gets thrown under the bus, and how hard they get shoved.
Remember, Magic Johnson said Mike Brown, Gasol and Andrew Bynum would all be heading out the door if the Lakers lost in the first round, and Kobe has been both vocal and visible in expressing his displeasure.
And if you are the Lakers, or a Lakers fan, as Mark Heisler has written, you believe it is your birthright to compete in the conference finals, and then possibly for the championship. The Lakes, as Heisler calls them, tend to bring their best in statement games. So we shall see.