Lakers @ Grizzlies

Payback is a B----! After getting beat up by them exactly one month ago, the Lakers return to Memphis to hand another playoff bound team a loss. They are playing like a playoff bound team as they improved their record on this road trip to 5-1!! Is Charles a believer yet? When the Lakers are in the playoffs, I am going to make sure I hear what Charles has to say.

I like the following Phil quote: "People looked beyond us and said, 'Well, they're OK. They're going to have Kobe (Bryant) score a lot of points and so forth.' Now I think people are going to have to understand that we're back in this run and we're going to be a team to be accounted for"

Well said!!

It was all about defense in this one and the winning streak on the road. Defense will win championships! If you remember, in Phil's first championship season with the Lakers, the biggest change he made in the team was team defense. Granted, these are entirely different teams but the object is hold the opponent to fewer points than your offense can score. Especially when the playoffs roll around. The better defensive teams will excel.

The Lakers held them to .429 % shooting while on the offensive end 3 players scored in double figures. One of those players was SSSSMMMMUUUSSSSHHH!!! Welcome back!!

Lakers win 94-79, Record 12-10

Lakers @ Mavericks

Thanks to the heave ho, can you say 4-1 on the road trip? Can't help but get excited after seeing them play well against a playoff bound team on their home floor and come out with a win.

Kobe had 43, the last digit being the most important. With the Lakers down by 1, less than a minute left, and time running out on the shot clock, Kobe hit a 30 footer to give the Lakers the lead. It was also nice to finally see Kwame get into the mix in his 2nd game back after his injury, scoring 12 points on 6-6 shooting while grabbing 4 boards and dishing 3 assists. It would be nice to see him to play this well every game. Lamar also had a nice game with 15 pts, 11 rebs and 5 assists.

The Lakers scorched the nets with 50% shooting, 58 pts in the 1st half and 109 overall.

Lakers win 109-106, Record 11-10

Lakers @ Timberwolves

So much for that idea. They got 4 wins in a row but couldn't get the 5th. They started off badly and couldn't recover, thanks in part to the refs and a below average offense.

The offense did not look nearly as good as it has during the winning streak. The ball movement was poor, assists were down, rebounds were rare and their fg percentage poor. On the positive side, Mihm had a great game with 15 and 11 on 6-9 shooting. Kobe also had a good offensive game, I would label it great if he didn't have 3 assists and 7 turnovers. The worst offensive performance unfortunately belonged to Smush, who had 0 points and 0 rebounds and was 0-7 from the floor. Way too many zeroes! Even with their shortfalls on offense they still had a chance due to their aggressive defense until the refs stepped in.

The refs did a poor job in this one, especially in the 3rd quarter. The T'Wolves went to the line 14 times, the Lakers, once! If it weren't for the refs putting them at the line all quarter, I think the Lakers would have at least closed the gap if not taken the lead in the quarter. For the record, Phil thought it was most poorly officiated game of the year.

Well, enough of this ugly one, there are still chances of a good roadtrip.

Lakers lose 95-82, Record 10-10

Lakers @ Bulls

Isn't winning great? The Lakers are playing great basketball and the timing is perfect. Make that 4 in a row and 5 of the last 6. They are on a 6 game road trip and have won the first 3 games. I am sure people thought they would win 2 games max on this trip. It's nice to see them smack the skeptics in the face after hearing a constant barrage of crap all season. Tonight will be another test. Consecutive games twice on the same trip. Can they pull it off? We'll find out shortly.

Last night, they continued to show the same things they have in the past week, the ability to run the offense. Guys are getting open looks and making the most of it. Lamar Odom, 8-11 shooting, 19 pts. BRIAN COOK, 8-11 shooting, 16 pts!!! He was huge in the 3rd quarter. He kept getting open shots, mostly due to double teams on Kobe and when he got the ball, he hit the shot. When he doesn't rush or force his shots, he looks really good. Last night, he did quite a bit of that.

Again, it was all about assists as they had 27 of them as a team. Kobe had 8 and Walton had 7. It's also worth noting that all 5 starters were in double figures. You have to love the balanced scoring. I am sure Phil was elated to see that. It was nice to see the team step up for him in front of his old fans and players. They retired Scottie's number at halftime so there was quite an array of people in attendance. By the way, Phil had the best halftime speech even though they let MJ go last.

Lakers win 93-80, Record 10-9

Lakers @ Raptors

Ha ha ha ... gotta love it. Do you like the taste of that? I sure do. The Lakers have their first 3 game winning streak of the season. I remembered that it took them a long time to finally do it last season and the LA Times reminded me just how long with this comment ".... taking 18 games to accomplish what couldn't be done last season until the final week of February". I pity the fool who criticizes Phil Jackson and says he can't bring along young talent. At the rate they are progressing, all of you fools who jumped all over the Lakers before and early in the season are going to eat your words. Especially you Charles!!!

If I recall, Charles Barkley came out and said the Lakers will not even make the playoffs. Well, one of us is going to look foolish and barring a major injury, I don't think it will be me. Ok, so I might be jumping the gun a bit, but, I see potential in this team that others don't. I think they have the ability to compete with the elite teams in this league and as they get more comfortable with the offense and get a chance to play together more on defense, we will hopefully see it. And, with their first back to back wins in consecutive nights, they are gaining some much needed confidence.

Kobe only had 11 pts but dished out 9 assists and as a team they had 28 assists in their first 40 baskets. A good sign that their ball movement is improving. Sasha also had a nice game. I hope everyone is noticing how much better he is getting with playing time. It pissed me off last year when he didn't get more of it. I guess it took a Kwame injury for him to get a chance to prove himself and Phil likes what he sees. Speaking of Kwame, everyone that talks about the trade always mentions Laron Profit as an afterthought.

Phil seemed to see more than everyone else in this kid as he is getting some quality minutes and making the most of it. He scored 14 pts in 21 mins. I have to admit that with my eyes getting worse, with him wearing number 9, and a wrist band worn like Kobe, he fools me at times. He moves quite a bit like Kobe. Of course, I am not saying he is or will be as good but at times he looks similar. Also, worth mentioning is Walton's 13 points, 6 rebs and 4 assists.

After writing that last line, I noticed that I haven't given Walton credit he deserves in my writing. When he is out on the floor the ball seems to move better. He is a great passer and he tries to get open guys the ball. You also see him directing guys to spots on the floor. He understands the offense and is great to have on the floor. His shooting from the outside has improved this year even more. I just think he needs to work on finishing near the basket.

Lakers win 102-91, Record 9-9

Lakers @ Bucks

Wow, is this the same team I've been watching all season? Tonight they showed us a glimpse of how good of a team they can be. The offense was awesome. The ball movement, spacing, cuts, shot selection and aggressiveness were all great.

It all began with the aggressiveness of Smush as he scored 16 points in the first. He was phenomenal. You have to love this kid. He is just getting better and better. Another worthy note is that he had 7 steals in the game. With that kind of stat, he'll definitely never have to worry about being removed from Phil's lineup.

It was nice to see 3 guys scoring 20+ points. Lamar Odom had another great game with 24 pts, 9 rebs and 8 assists. He is bound to get that triple double sometime soon. He's definitely been close on several occasions. It was nice to see him start to really find his spots in the offensive. He is taking it to the hole with aggression. I guess he's always done that but the difference is that now he is actually finishing. He can be frustrating to watch when he gets to the hole so easily and misses a layup. In this game, he was much better.

Of course, we have to mention the third of the 20+ scores, Kobe. He was awesome tonight. His shot selection was way better. He created opportunities for his teammates and hit them at the right time. In all he had 33 pts, 5 rebs and 6 assists but the most important stat was that he made 14-24 shots as they rolled the Bucks for their 2nd win in a row.

Lakers win 111-92, Record 8-9

Lakers vs. Bobcats

After the game on Friday night, I was happy to see the Bobcats. A team that's lost their last 3 games and were 1-9 on the road this season coming in. I felt the Lakers needed a confidence booster against a lesser opponent to help them get back on track. I have to admit, there were stretches during the game, I wasn't as happy to see them as I was before the game.

The Lakers started off well with great energy in the 1st quarter. Chris Mihm was awesome. When he stays out of foul trouble he has the ability to put up great numbers. His little jump hook is getting to be a solid threat. Did Kareem help him add that to his arsenal when he showed up as an assistant coach? Mihm finished with 21 pts and 9 rebs while making 9-12 fgs. If he continues to put up these numbers, I'll need to add him to my fantasy team.

It was also nice to see Sasha have another great game. He has really found his shooting touch in games and is progressing nicely. Phil recently said that Sasha is the best shooter on the team. He's finally starting to show it. I remember the pre-season when you would cringe each time he shot. His shooting percentage might have been in the teens as he was totally rushing his shot. Now he looks much more fluid. He is also someone I would love to have at the freethrow line when it counts. He's money. I guess he showed it against the Jazz 2 games back too. He hit some crucial free throws. He also played a key role in the Lakers comeback tonight. He hit a couple key threes when they were down in the 4th quarter and another 2 point basket from the baseline when the shot clock wound down.

Speaking of the 4th quarter. It was almost another one to forget. The Lakers came out strong in the 4th and it looked like they were going to roll to victory until they went back to the shooting slump they were in all game. The tables turned against them and the Bobcats took a 10 point lead. All I could think of was the fact that they are 1-9 on the road this year and that this couldn't happen. And then the Lakers went on a run with Sasha leading the way with key scoring, as I mentioned above, while also contributing an assist on a Laron Profit three and hitting some key freethrows. His performance was key with Kobe not able to hit the broad side of a barn tonight. Although, Kobe did come through in the end, driving to the basket with 7 or so seconds left, getting fouled and hitting a couple of key freethrows to give the Lakers the lead.

Lakers win 99-98, Record 7-9