TORONTO— Say this for Russell Westbrook: It’s only fitting that someone who embodies Kobe Bryant’s ceaseless competitiveness would take home the MVP award in Bryant’s final All-Star game. Westbrook-ASG Russell Westbrook scored 31 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists to take home his second straight MVP award in a 196-173 win— a record number of points in the game and for the winning team— for the West over the East on Sunday night at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. “That’s
Scotto: Kobe Bryant and Lakers Diagram Newest Championship Blueprint
Kobe Bryant deserved every penny, if not more, of his two-year, $48.5 million contract extension. And I’ll say this: Bryant doesn’t deserve to be criticized as selfish for the amount of money he will make, and any subsequent cap space the Lakers lose as a result. Two of Bryant’s teammates, Chris Kaman and Xavier Henry, strongly agree. “I personally think he deserved more,” Kaman told SheridanHoops. “I know the only exception with that comment is that it can be hard for teams to
NBA Rumors and News for October 22, 2013
Tuesday, October 22 Daily Trivia: Which team won the first NBA Draft Lottery? Answer below. NBA GMs survey released Posted at 06:54 PM ET The controversial and sometimes questionable general managers survey was released Tuesday, and though most predictions seemed reasonable, one vote in particular may shock some people. As Chris Sheridan writes, Kobe Bryant has lost his title as the top shooting guard. “The general managers have spoken, and boy — they’ve said a mouthful. For the first time in the 12-year
StatBox NBA Finals Breakdown: James & Wade finally show assertiveness to even series
LeBron James hadn’t even attempted at least 25 field goals in a game since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Indiana. You have to go back to March 18 against Boston for the last time James converted on at least 15 field goals. [Read more…]
Six Analytical Reasons The Lakers Have Improved This Month
Players, coaches and management often talk about the “little things” that win basketball games. These standard cliches and generic quotes lead to the rolling of many eyeballs around the world, but minute adjustments can actually make a difference in a team’s results and could even help change the public’s perception of a team. Case in point: The 2012-2013 edition of the Los Angeles Lakers. [Read more…]