Does Kobe Bryant live under a lucky star? Well, that is not my theory or at least not all of my theory, but we will get to that in a moment.

Is this a case of good things happen to good people? One thinks not, but that might be a part of it anyway.

Los Angeles Lakers 108 Miami Heat 107

So what happened anyway? The Lakers were behind the Heat in a Kobe vs. Dwyane Wade duel and the score was 107 – 105, when Kobe got the ball and slipped and had to throw up the last second shot. He started double teamed on one side of the court and wound his way towards the middle to take a twisting fading high arcing jumper over his defender. That defender was Dwyane Wade.

“When I released the ball, I thought, ‘No (bleeping) way,’” Bryant said. “I didn’t think the ball was going in. It felt good, but I didn’t think I was going to make that shot. – I liked my chances if I had squared up. I wanted to, but I slipped, I was doubled and all I could do what shoot a runner. I just couldn’t believe that ball might go in.”

Bryant scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, besting Wade, who had 12.

“To win that ballgame you have to be lucky, and we were tonight,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said after the team improved its league-leading record to 15-3.

“I thought he had really good balance and he was setting up really well. What do you want me to say about it?” Jackson joked when asked about Bryant’s winning shot, the last of his team-leading 33 points on 12-for-25 shooting.

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You can see the shot more than once in this YouTube video. Warning, the sound is kind of muffled.

If you are Kobe, it isn’t just good luck it is good probabilities when he puts up a shot late in the game with the game on the line. That shot has been practiced over and over in practice and attempted many times in other games. Maybe the shot was not exactly like this one, but it was the same enough to allow his mind to calmly put the shot together and release it. Now the fact that it banked in was a bit of luck, but there have been others that did not go in that were great shots but just a little bit off.

Good things for good people, not exactly, but more like good things for prepared people that keep persisting in their efforts and have great talent.

The Lakers win again and Kobe Bryant is the star again, even if he was a bit lucky.

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Carmelo for MVP

There are rumblings of Carmelo Anthony being in the bid for the NBA league MVP. To his credit, Carmelo has tried to keep the rumblings down and let nature take its course. For Carmelo to win the MVP of the NBA there would first be Carmelo taking care of business against Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers come playoff time. Carmelo is off to a good start in that department.

Denver Nuggets 105 L.A. Lakers 79

The Nuggets exploded in the third quarter to take down Kobe and the Pau Gasol-less Lakers in a solid beat down that let out some of the frustrations from last year’s playoff ouster by the purple and gold.

Up just two points at halftime, the Nuggets outscored the defending champion Lakers 29-8 in the third, breezing to a 105-79 victory at the Pepsi Center.

“I think it was the best quarter I’ve seen our team play against a special team, maybe since I’ve been in Denver,” said Karl. “It was intense, focused,

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Carmelo Anthony shot 11- 20 for 25 points in a brilliant offensive performance. Kobe Bryant on the other hand did not fare so well and just plain ran out of gas in the second half.

Bryant, the NBA’s leading scorer, finished with a pedestrian 19 points in 32 minutes, shooting just 7-for-17 from the field. He didn’t score in the second half.

Denver needed this game, needed to win big and show the Lakers that the Nuggets will be here to stay, but the Lakers openly admitted that the Nuggets beat them soundly, but it was the second game of a back to back and they were without Pau Gasol.

There will be some great Carmelo Anthony vs. Kobe Bryant battles this year and years to come

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers

The Lakers were coming off of a convincing victory over red hot Phoenix and in rolled a determined Denver.

One night after running the Suns off the court during a resounding 121-102 victory, the Lakers went back to work against another hyperkinetic team with something to prove to the defending champs and the rest of the league.

The tempo was just as high Friday as it was Thursday. Maybe higher.

The Lakers raced to an 8-0 lead, but it didn’t take long to realize this was not going to be a second consecutive runaway victory for the Lakers, who set season highs by scoring 121 points with 36 assists against the Suns.

The difference between the Suns and the Nuggets was evident in the game’s first few minutes Friday. Unlike the Suns, the Nuggets are willing to crash bodies and hack and whack the opposition while still pushing the ball down the court.

When the third quarter began, the Lakers simply wilted under the pressure.

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So maybe it was not an earth shattering victory, but at least the Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony served word that they are to be reckoned with this year!

Image: Zuma Press

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Now it is time to play who makes more in the NBA as provided by Hoopsworld. The answers will be at the bottom of the blog.

Are you ready?

A) Who makes more Boston Celtics… Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, or Kevin Garnett?

B) Who makes more Cleveland Cavaliers… LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neil, or Mo Williams?

C) Who makes more Denver Nuggets… Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, or Kenyon Martin?

D) Who makes more Los Angeles Lakers… Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, or Ron Artest?

E) Who makes more New Orleans Hornets… Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, or Peja Stojakovic?

F) Who makes more San Antonio Spurs… Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, or Richard Jefferson?

G) Who makes more Dallas Mavericks… Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, or Dirk Nowitzki?

H) Who makes more Orlando Magic… Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, or Vince Carter?

I) Who makes more Miami Heat… Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley, or Jermaine O’Neal?

J) Who makes more Detroit Pistons… Ben Gordon, Charlie Villenueva, or Rip Hamilton?

Tim Duncan makes a lot of cash!

Answers from Hoopsworld:
A) Paul Pierce $19,795,712.
B) Shaquille O’Neal $21,000,000.
C) Kenyon Martin $15,613,636.
D) Kobe Bryant $23,034,375.
E) Peja Stojakovic $13,392,000.
F) Tim Duncan $22,183,220.
G) Dirk Nowitzki $19,795,714.
H) Rashard Lewis $18,010,791.
I) Jermaine O’Neal $23,016,000.
J) Rip Hamilton $11,625,000.

Photo source Newscom

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This is not a prediction post by NBAObsessed. That is my upfront disclaimer. This is news from the Los Angeles DailyNews. They have actually mentioned 37 ways that the Lakers will be Champions of the NBA again.

Here are my top 10 from the list:

12. George Karl still coaches the Denver Nuggets.

Don’t get me started on George Karl, but he is a big disappointment as a pro coach. Maybe he did well last year or maybe he just needed Chauncey Billups.

15. Yao Ming … MIA.

With Yao out, Houston is out.

18. Listen … The San Antonio Spurs’ roster just got another day older.

This is a huge concern with both San Antonio and Boston.

Kobe Bryant is probably 35 out of the 37 reasons

24. Kobe Bryant … where do we start?

This does not even need comment, but here we go…Kobe is right up there with LeBron, only Kobe has a contributing cast.

13. Mark Cuban’s best player is still a tall gawky German guy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a great player and has delivered zero titles. Is it his fault that in close games Dallas will call a timeout and then draw up a play for Dirk to shoot a turnaround jumper from 30 feet?

9. Four games against the Clippers during the regular season. Four aut-o-matic clicks in the win column without having to check into the scorer’s table.

The Clippers need a new owner and until they have one they will be the Clippers.

2. Derek Fisher wrote an autobiography this offseason called “Character Driven: Life, Lessons and Basketball.” It concludes: “The high I’ve experienced since we closed out the (Orlando) Magic (in last year’s NBA Final) hasn’t worn off … I’m driven and I see no sign of that changing. My eye is firmly fixed on the rim and no opportunity is going to pass me by.”

Derek Fisher is a gamer. It is no surprise that he shows up in so many big games.

11. Phil Jackson broke the tie last year with Red Auerbach for most career NBA coaching titles. He has 10. Why not turn it up to 11?

Phil may not be the best coach ever, but he always wins and has tons of big game experience. It is time for everyone to admit that fact.

36. Let’s face it: The NBA wants it to happen.

Just ask David Stern!

37. Ron Artest, the new pink elephant in the room, said before deciding on joining the Lakers he considered playing for Olympiacos or Panthinaikos, the two biggest teams in Greece. Living in L.A. already must seem Greek to him. Maybe that’s good. The Lakers can pay him in Euros, and it doesn’t go against the salary cap. And if he’s daring enough to go up in the stands during a skirmish, he’s more likely to run into someone like Michael Clarke Duncan.

If Artest makes it through the season without controversy, then the Lakers will be dueling the Celtics for the Championship.

Those are the Top 10 reasons the Lakers will win it all!

My top 10 reasons are simpler: Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant!
Photo source Newscom

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Just looking up at the title of this post cracks me up, because my life is immersed in acronyms and that title is nothing by acronyms. How did we survive without acronyms?

Would you like the title to say Most Valuable Player for the National Basketball Association picked by the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network? No, you like acronyms, just like NBAObsessed. By the way, while looking up what the P stood for, did you realize that ESPN is owned by ABC, which in turn is owned by Walt Disney and partially by the Hearst Corporation? Oh, and ESPN stands for ESPN now, it was officially changed.

We are getting way off the track, not that NBAObsessed has any difficulty getting back on track. Where were we…?
Oh, yeah, ESPN put together their top 20 analysts and picked their favorite for the MVP award for the coming season. The winner of that poll is not a big surprise. It is, of course, LeBron James, although NBAObsessed is worried about the Shaq clogging up the middle for James preventing him an easy lane to the hoop.

Where is Kobe in the MVP voting?

The big surprise in the poll was that Kobe only had 2 votes. Two lousy stinking votes was only 1 more than ‘Never Play D’ Carmelo Anthony. You would think the vote would be a lot closer. LeBron had 12 votes and even Dwight Howard had 3 votes.

Look for Kobe Bryant to take this as a personal challenge!
Photo source Newscom

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Sometimes the NBA can take on a whimsical tone with events going beyond reality causing what we know to be totally false. How else can you explain the sudden disappearance of the volatile aggressive Ron Artest that we all have come to know and love? Still, that is what has happened in La La Laker land, where the milk and honey flow in the form of Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and a roof of championship banners.

Ron Artest signed a long term contract for 34 million bucks to play for Phil Jackson’s Lakers and the thought was that Ron would bring some toughness to a lineup that features the ultra talented Bryant and the finesse playing Pau Gasol.

Ron Artest pre-Laker guarding Kobe Bryant

In Phil Jackson’s mind there are still questions about when Ron is going to bring the necessary aggression to the floor to add a weapon that the Lakers will need when they play teams like San Antonio, Orlando, or Boston, in other words, the big boys in the league.

“He still looks like he’s standing around watching the other guys play at times, and he’s not involved as much as I would like him to be involved,” Jackson said after watching Artest play 26 minutes,

14 seconds against the Kings.

Asked if he believed Artest was deferring too much to his teammates, Jackson said, “Yeah, yeah, I think he’s got to find his way in the post and do some things that asserts himself and put pressure on his teammates to get him the ball in the right spots.

“He’s trying to be the right guy and try to fit in and not try to crowd his way in there, but he’s got to do that. I’m going to have to force him to do it.”

Artest admitted his immersion to all things Lakers remains a work in progress. He also said he’s been reluctant to charge into the mix, particularly offensively, because he’s studying the Lakers’ pecking order in their triangle offense.

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It is quite the opposite of what many of the experts felt would happen. The dynamic that was expected consisted of Phil and Kobe and other veterans attempting to keep Artest in check so that the locker room did not implode and the chemistry that has produced the high level of Laker play would remain.

NBAObsessed has argued before that Ron Artest will be good for the Lakers. See this link.

Some disagree, but Artest good for Lakers

Time will tell.

Image: Zuma Press

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Oh, this is going to be one of those gossip columns, which is pretty much something your intrepid author can’t stand to write about or even hear about. All the Pop and glitter and reality TV drives me crazy.

Like it is more normal to want to watch tall guys bounce an orange ball and run up and down a wooden floor? Ok, you got me there.

So here is the news…Khloe Kardashian and that would be Kim’s sister is getting married to her boyfriend and he plays for the Lakers.

Khloe Kardashian marries boyfriend Lamar Odom

Their Dad is super decathlete Bruce Jenner.

Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim Kardashian

In man talk, that would be Lamar Odom, one of the guys that the Lakers got in the Shaq trade to Miami and recently resigned to a hefty 30 million plus dollar contract to most likely be a 6th man, is now married to Kim Kardashian’s sister Khloe. Kim is the one with the butt, you know about that.

Only with money can you plan a wedding in two weeks, but they did it.

How the Kardashians planned Khloe’s wedding in just two weeks!

So what is the big surprise? They dated for 1 month. A match made in Heaven.

Oh, and for hoop news, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were there!

Now for some Olympic news, Khloe’s dad, Bruce Jenner, was also there!
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ESPN does this thing where they get together a bunch of basketball experts that vote on the NBA conference teams to see who will end up in the NBA title game.

Well, this was a tough vote. The Los Angeles Lakers won in a landslide. Geez that is hardly news. The champs added Ron Artest to the lineup and resigned Lamar Odom and those two are just bit players on that team. You have to recognize that the Lakers are Kobe Bryant’s team first last and always. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum give them plenty of size and firepower to go around. On a pure team basis, maybe only the Boston Celtics come close in overall talent.

On paper, the multifaceted Artest is an upgrade, of course, even over a talented player like Trevor Ariza, whom Artest is replacing as the Lakers’ small forward and defensive stopper. But Ron-Ron has a well-earned, well-known rep as a disruptive, often maniacal force: Just four months ago, he was ejected twice in the playoffs versus the Lakers.

The offseason has been no quieter. Stories emerged about Artest visiting the Lakers’ shower in Boston unannounced to address Kobe while Artest was a member of the Sacramento Kings, and taking a team bus in his underwear while with the Houston Rockets, both incidents happening in the past 15 months. Then there was his head-spinning torrent of tweets and a bizarre rap tribute to Michael Jackson, for whose album “Thriller” Artest selected his latest uniform number and latest Twitter name, ThugRaider37, replacing his former moniker, 96TruwarierQB (Google it), which itself was a small reminder of what took place at his previous stop, Indiana, which was very eager to move him to his next destination on his one-of-a-kind NBA journey.

Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the Lakers and Ron-Ron? Could Artest play the tough-guy role that Dennis Rodman perfected for three Bulls championship teams under Phil Jackson? Sure.

But all in all, it’s quite a roll of the dice by a team that was sure to be favored to win it all anyway.

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Will Ron Artest upset the Kobe Bryant apple cart?

Not to be counted out the San Antonio Spurs received the second most votes and any team with Tim Duncan can never be counted out. The Spurs picked up Richard Jefferson, but the rumored pickup of Rasheed Wallace never happened. Perhaps if the Wallace deal had taken place the Spurs would have received many more votes.

For now, unless Ron Artest explodes the Lakers, it appears the Lakers are the team to beat in the West.

Image: Zuma Press

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What determines the fates of NBA teams the most? Well, of course, you can get lucky and sign Michael Jordan or someone close to that stature, like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, but the real answer is ticket revenue. Hoopsworld did a breakdown of ticket revenue and guess what teams came out at the top?

L.A. Lakers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls.

Now guess what teams came out at the top for pricing power?

Knicks, Lakers, Bulls, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings.

Now you really have to have some screwed up management to escape being good if you are in either group. Oh yeah, the Knicks are in both groups.

Other than that check out these teams. The Lakers win all the time. The Celtics, Suns, and Bulls when most of the time. The Rockets and Kings, well they kind of fall into the Knicks dilemma. So they are sporadically good.

Now how about the top teams with tickets sold?

Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Celtics.

The Pistons just finished an amazing run of victory years and the Jazz have been right up there. The Blazers? Hmm, internal problems abound. The Cavaliers are winning now on LeBron James.

Kobe Bryant will get his Laker bucks for the long term

The Lakers have a tremendous advantage with their superior ticket revenue and pricing power and they took advantage of it.

The Lakers were already over the luxury tax, so they could only re-sign their own free agents and use two exceptions – the Mid-Level Exception (MLE) and the Bi-Annual Exception (BAE); they did all of that. When it became clear the Trevor Ariza negotiation were going to be more work than they were worth, they spent the full MLE on Ron Artest. They used the BAE on Shannon Brown, a point guard who played well for them down the stretch and to whom they owned no version of Bird Rights. The used Bird Rights to re-sign Lamar Odom, and are also likely to start working out an extension with Kobe Bryant. Other than keeping Ariza AND using the MLE there was no way for the Lakers to spend more money this summer. That’s also why their 2009-10 payroll is north of $90 million with a luxury tax payment of about $20 million tacked onto that.
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The rest of the league will just have to find richer owners.

Photo source Newscom

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The Lakers picked up Ron Artest and say what you want about the guy, he can be a terrific basketball player and the Lakers are hoping by surrounding him with strong minds and a solid coach and a winning tradition that they will be able to contain the rest of Ron Artest.

The ace in the hole for the Lakers would have been Lamar Odom. Only Lamar is thinking about going to Miami to play with Dwyane Wade, instead and he may do it for less money and more respect.

Lamar Odom to Miami?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because the Lakers will need Odom to repeat. No Odom and things get a lot more interesting in the West.

According to Wojnarowski, one source said that the Odom-to-Miami deal is “Close, but it’s not done.” It would be a huge pickup for the HEAT should they pull it off, and a huge loss for the Lakers. Kobe Bryant has said all along he thought Odom would end up back in Tinsletown, but now it’s pretty much anybody’s guess. Either way, he’s going to win some ball games, though it seems more likely the Lakers would give him the better shot at another ring.
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Image: Zuma Press

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