He was asked about his feelings of having Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate again on the Western Conference All-Star team. The two last were teammates in 2004, when the Lakers lost in the NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons. Soon after, O’Neal was shipped off to the Miami Heat in a trade before he was…
Coach says travel fatigue is the main reason Lakers won’t match 72 victories. Sorry, Lakers fans. The Chicago Bulls’ record-setting 72-10 campaign won’t be topped this season.
L.A. wins in New Orleans, 93-86, to improve to 7-0. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher score 20 points for Lakers, who led by as many as 23 points in third quarter. Phil Jackson had a message for his team. It wasn’t pretty.
Clippers coach impressed after two lopsided defeats to the Lakers. Two games into the Hallway Series — and thankfully, for the Clippers, the third won’t be until late January — gave Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy a whole new level of appreciation for the Lakers.
The flameout against Celtics in Finals has instilled an ambition to win it all this season. With a reloaded roster, it’s certainly possible, but Lakers will also have a target on their backs. Somehow, 133 days later, the flames still flicker inside Kobe Bryant.
With Andrew Bynum adding a defensive element, this Lakers team could be better than last season’s NBA Western Conference champion. But the competition again looks fierce. In predicted order of finish:
His knee injury heals enough for him to play nearly eight minutes and score six points in 105-94 victory over Oklahoma City. ‘It felt fine,’ he says of his right knee. Kobe Bryant was back for only part of a quarter, more than enough time to show he was fine.
