The Rockets only had one starter in double figures, however that one player dominated: Aaron Brooks. The quick little point guard who tortured the Lakers last year in the playoffs was at it again. In 41 minutes of action, Brooks finished with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists. He hit 11-of-23 shots from the field, 5-of-7 three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws.

The Lakers were led by Ron Artest’s 22 points. Andrew Bynum had 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, while Kobe Bryant was limited to 18 points, three assists, three steals and four turnovers.

Though the Rockets were supposed to struggle due to being without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady to begin the season, they’ve been able to look like a legit playoff team. With a record of 6-4, Houston wins by playing great team basketball.

Even though the Lakers might be disappointed in their 7-3 start, they have to be somewhat happy considering that Pau Gasol has yet to play this season.

Aaron Brooks - Houston Rockets (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Los Angeles Lakers Lose Second Straight

In the first quarter, the Lakers outscored the Clippers 32-22 and never looked back. Kobe Bryant (who else?) led the way with 33 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. Andrew Bynum, who started at center, had 26 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers.

The Clippers, who learned late on Monday that rookie phenom Blake Griffin would miss up to six weeks with a broken kneecap. were led in scoring by Eric Gordon. Gordon had 21 points and four assists. Baron Davis didn’t exactly start his NBA season off on the right foot, finishing with two points on 1-for-10 shooting.

The Lakers are next in action on Friday when they take on the Dallas Mavericks. On Sunday, they play another game at home when they take on the Atlanta Hawks.

Kobe Bryant (Image: Flickr)

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Lakers Get Rings, Win Again

Monta Ellis led the way for the Warriors by scoring 24 points and handing out eight assists. Anthony Randolph, who is starting at power forward for Golden State this season, had 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant (15), Andrew Bynum (19) and Pau Gasl (12) were all in double figures. The game, which was played in Los Angeles, saw the Warriors outscore the Lakers 58-43 in the second half.

While the Lakers are virtually everyone’s favorite in the Western Conference this season, the Warriors are trying to simply make it back to the playoffs. While the Warriors have talent, they have struggled with chemistry and health in recent years. If their young talent can blossom and learn to play together, they may see the postseason in 2010.

Monta Ellis - Golden State Warriors (Image: Zuma Press)

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Lakers Dominated by Warriors

Rookie Courtney Lee will likely get his shot at the Black Mamba in the beginning, provided Lee is in the starting lineup. Otherwise, when Mickael Pietrus is in the game, he will no doubt be regarded as the ‘Kobe Stopper’. How well he can stop Kobe is debatable, but my guess is Pietrus will do a better job than Ruben Patterson ever did.

Wouldn’t surprise me to see Hedo Turkoglu or J.J. Redick get some cracks at Kobe here and there, but it probably won’t end well for them.

Can Andrew Bynum step up his game against Superman?

If Bynum can, it could very well be a short series. An aggressive and interested Bynum could spell foul trouble for Dwight, and we all know while backup center Marcin Gortat can be decent in spurts, the Magic don’t have a prayer in the series unless Dwight is playing darn near 40-42 minutes a game.

LA’s offensive game plan?

Drive the ball to the hoop as much as possible. Instead of settling for jumpshots, post Pau and Andrew. Make Rashard and Dwight work on the defensive end. Get them out of the game and the Laker’s chances drastically improve.

Dwight wants some payback (Image: readmoretalkless.wordpress)

Orlando’s offensive game plan?

Besides shooting the three unconsciously? Force feed Dwight, keep him involved. If he gets doubled, that all the better because Turk, Lewis, Alston, Pietrus, Lee, and maybe Redick will be open to knock down their shots. The Magic must be cognizant of the abilities of Pietrus and Lewis to create on their own. Settling down the offense and running some isolations or post up sets for these two could prove to be a more dynamic and wiser attact than just the perimeter shot.  But this is the Orlando Magic I’m talking about, so the three ball might be just fine.

Oh, I almost forgot: get outta the way of Hedo in the fourth.

Who has the best closer?

Might not be as simple of an answer as you think.

Especially if Turk gets his proper pizza fix before the game.

Wildcards

1. Lamar Odom

2. His sugar highs/ lows

3. Shannon Brown/ SashaVujacic/ Jordan Farmar

4. Jameer Nelson (Is a rusty Jameer Nelson better than a healthy Anthony Johnson?)

5. J.J. Redick, will he play, and if he does, can he find his stroke?

Post from: EveryJoe

Inquiring Minds Want To Know: The Finals

Andrew Bynum to return on Thursday? (Image: Newscom)

This rumor is courtesy of Chris Broussard at ESPN The Magazine. According to Broussard, his source is close to the Lakers.

With the NBA playoffs beginning on April 18th, the Lakers will likely try to accelerate Bynum’s acclimation back into the fold. In fact, head coach Phil Jackson recently said that Bynum will likely head right back into the starting lineup. To make room, Lamar Odom would go to the bench.

Prior to getting hurt, Bynum was averaging 14 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game. The 21-year-old center is set to be a big piece in the Lakers’ hope of winning the 2009 NBA championship. Los Angeles last won the NBA championship in 2002.

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Andrew Bynum to Return to Lakers Thursday?

Here are the five most devastating NBA injuries that could have an impact on the 2009 NBA championship:

5. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets
It’s a bad sign when a team trades for you without giving up much of anything and then they rescind the trade due to health reasons. That’s exactly what happened to Chandler after being traded to the Thunder. If Chandler doesn’t get healthy, the Hornets have no championship shot.

4. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire would be higher on this list of the Suns were a true championship contender. His injured eye will likely keep him out for the rest of the season, which will make it tough for Phoenix to make the 2009 NBA playoffs.

3. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Coming off of offseason ankle surgery, Ginobili now is facing a stress reaction in his other ankle. If Ginobili can’t return to the Spurs at 100%, their championship hopes go down the drain. The good news for San Antonio is that he should be able to return in a few weeks.

2. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Although Bynum’s torn MCL isn’t as bad as the injury he had last season, Lakers fans won’t be able to breath again until they see him back on the court. Last season Bynum was expected to be back in plenty of time for the playoffs … yet never returned.

1. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Garnett is dealing with a knee strain that will keep him out two to three weeks. If Garnett doesn’t get fully healthy prior to his return, he could re-injure his knee. For the Celtics to win back-to-back championships, Boston definitely needs Garnett leading the way.

Post from: EveryJoe

Five Most Devastating NBA Injuries in 2009

The Lakers’ athletic training staff leased the $75,000 treadmill in order to help speed the recoveries of Bynum, Trevor Ariza (broken foot) and Chris Mihm (heel).

Bynum, Mihm and assistant coach Brian Shaw used the treadmill Tuesday.

They ran without the pounding they would normally experience on a regular treadmill or on the court, which gives their legs a break.

Now, how this treadmill keeps them from experiencing pounding, I don’t know. I haven’t seen any visual evidence of this type of treadmill technology existing. I seriously hope it’s just an elliptical machine and the Lakers are getting fleeced on this one.

Post from: EveryJoe

Andrew Bynum and his Treadmill-Of-Tomorrow