A Night At The Staples Center

November 27, 1916 was Chick Hearn’s birthday. If you don’t know who Chick was click here.
Basically, he was a legend. For us old-timers who grew up listening to him announce Laker games, it’s still a little weird to not hear his voice during Laker games. Last night at the game, the Laker organization decided to honor him by passing out bobbleheads of Chick (it’s my first bobblehead).

No matter how many games I attend, I walk up to the entrance at the Staples Center with eager anticipation. I already know how they do the introduction of the starting lineup but I hate missing it and want to see every time. Okay, so we lost the game to a Pacers team missing one of their best players (Danny Granger). Kobe had the flu but found the strength to drop 40pts and grab 10 rebounds and we still lost. The lost makes us 7-8 and Laker Nation, in typical fashion, is freaked out and demanding Pau Gasol be traded to improve the team. I just feel a need to address Laker Nation with our team’s current state (especially for you who have a cable company that hasn’t struck a deal with Time Warner Cable yet).

Yes the team looked awful last night and has looked awful overall in this first month of the season. The expectations were high when we got Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the summer for a broken Bynum and some measly draft picks we never use anyway. So let me address some things to help calm down my fellow Laker brethren.

The Bench

The bench is awful!!! Or at least that’s what everyone has been saying. I get it. They’re an easy target for the media and the fans. But let’s take a closer look.

Jodie Meeks was signed to provide some outside shooting but currently has an atrocious PER of 7.31 (the league average is 15) and is only shooting 31% from the field overall. Last night he came in the 2nd quarter and played a measly 3 minutes and they ran zero plays for him. Why are you going to bring in a shooter and not try to get him some shots? D’Antoni started playing Meeks with Kobe in order to open up more shots for him, which was working. However, what happens when Kobe needs to sit and Meeks takes his place? If you don’t run plays for him or set some screens he’s not going to do much for you offensively. Furthermore, if you’re playing him 3 minutes at a time you’re not building his conference much either. Meeks will be fine once Nash gets back because they’ll be another play-making guard on the floor at all times whether it’s Kobe or Nash. In addition, we’re going to need him if we’re going to make a run in the playoffs so it’s imperative we get him going and Nash will do that.

Jordan Hill is a high-energy guy who is quietly having a solid season. He’s far and away our best bench player. Hill rebounds like crazy and can make short-range Js. I would’ve loved if we kept Matt Barns and have those two play the 3 and 4 for our 2nd unit and just bring monster energy because we are sorely lacking in that department. Yet D’Antoni doesn’t play him much because Hill fell out of favor with him while they were in New York. D’Antoni needs to get over it and I believe he will.

Antawn Jamison – much was made about signing Jamison because “We finally have some bench scoring!” Truthfully, I didn’t expect much from him this year. Sure he had a couple of great games in Memphis and at Dallas. But too much was made about him averaging 17pts per game last year in Cleveland. He played 33 minutes per game on a crappy team jacking up 16 shot attempts per game but only shooting 40% from the field overall. There’s no way he’s getting that type of playing time here and he’ll be lucky to get 16 shot attempts in a month with Kobe/Dwight/Pau on the team. It’s also strange both Mike Brown and D’Antoni play him at the 3 instead of using him as a stretch-4. The two games against Memphis and Dallas last week he shot a sizzling 63% from the field and averaged 17.5 pts and 11 rebounds. Did you know what position he played? You guessed it . . . stretch-4. This isn’t rocket science.

Darius Morris is a nice young player. You might look at his awful PER 8.43 and simply write him off. Yes, he’s done some foolish things on the court. Here’s the different between using Morris as the back-up PG instead of Steve Blake when Nash gets back. With young players they’re going to make mistakes but they’ll learn from it and get better. Confidence is always the key for young players. Steve Blake is who he is. When he makes a mistake he’s not going to improve from it. He’s already hit ceiling as a player and is already declining. Why not let the young guy develop? He’s already a better defender than Blake and we could use some youth on this team.

Pau Gasol

Laker Nation wants him traded (what else is new?). It’s been recent revealed Pau has been playing with tendinitis in both knees thanks to Mike Brown's long practices. If you’ve ever had tendinitis anywhere on your body you know it’s painful. This explains his lack of aggression on the court. If you watch him run you could see it’s painful for him. I’m not making excuses for him it’s just a reality of his physical condition. While D’Antoni was in New York he drove Amar’e Stoudemire to the ground so I’m a little worried he’ll do the same with the starters here in LA.

I love Pau. He helped us win two titles. I know he’s one of the most talented big-man in the league, which makes his inconsistent play maddening. But I’m not ready to trade him. Before thinking about that I would consider moving him to the bench as a back-up center. He can’t guard stretch-4(s) and the league is filled with them now. Pau needs the ball in the post and it’s frustrating watching one of the best post players tip-toeing around the perimeter wondering what to do and jacking up 3s because, well, that’s all he could do.

If he were to come off the bench as a back-up center we could play the offense through him and he could get it in the post, which does 3 things for us. First, Pau will be more effective getting the ball closer to the basket. He’s not getting it in the post with Dwight on the floor. Second, he would strengthen the bench and open up everything for everyone else, Meeks would benefit from this. Finally, reducing Pau’s minutes would allow him to heal and keep him fresh for the playoffs. Furthermore, what back-up center in this league could contend with Pau? I’m not ready to trade him. What are we going to get back anyway? He still has $38.3M left on his contract. Who’s taking him?

Of course the media will make it look like a demotion but Pau shouldn’t take it that way. He’d be free to play more to his strengths instead of being exploded for his weaknesses.

Conclusion

There are some legitimate concerns with the team. We still have to wash the Mike Brown stench off of us. I’m also worried about D’Antoni is playing the starters way too many minutes and his inability to think outside the box (moving Pau to the bench, playing Jordan Hill more, not playing Jamison at the 3, etc). But overall, the season doesn’t really start until we get Nash back. I could totally see us have a 17-3 run over 20 games late in the season to grab the #2 seed in the West. Will we win the title? That’s still a question mark but despite the current state of the team, I’m confident will finish the season with a better product that's currently on the floor.

Selling Out & Buying In – Time Warner Cable

I know I promised a blog on Becky’s wedding (I’m actually half way through
it) but I have to interrupt the broadcast for this important announcement. To my
Laker Brethrens (and a few sisters): I realize that when the Lakers made the
announcement that they had struck a deal with Time Warner Cable for exclusive
rights everyone got pretty upset (me included) because it meant we wouldn’t be
able to watch the Lakers without cable.

I, like my fellow Laker Nation, couldn’t believe the Dr. Buss “sold out.” I
mean, what did he need the extra money for anyway? He’s Dr. Buss!!! Here’s the
deal though, with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the harder luxury
tax penalties for going over the salary cap in the NBA, Dr. Buss needed another
source of income to both make a profit AND stay relevant. For those of you who
don’t know about the new luxury tax penalties, the Lakers are projected to pay $30
million in taxes alone this year and a whopping $85 million if they keep the same
payroll next year. In addition, in order to help the small-market teams, the NBA will
implement a new revenue sharing plan in which the teams who make a profit will
have to share that profit with teams losing money to help balance the books
(socialism). That will also cut into the Lakers profit.

So here’s where Time Warner Cable comes in. The current deal with TWC is
for 20 years at an estimated $3 Billion. That’s right BILLION!!! A closer look at the
contract reveals that there are annual raises that bring the deal closer to $3.6
Billion. That’s right BILLION!!! Furthermore, the Lakers have an option to extend
the deal to 25 years, which would bring the total to $5 Billion. That’s right
BILLION!!!

If you were Dr. Buss would you say “no” to a potential $5 BILLION? The
Lakers know you need to spend money in order to acquire top talent. Last year, the
Lakers looked at the luxury tax situation last summer and went into cost-cutting
mode, basically giving away Lamar Odom. However, with the TWC contract kicking
in, they looked at the luxury tax situation again, decided to gave it a middle finger,
and traded for two-time MVP Steve Nash and three-time Defensive Player of the
Year Dwight Howard. If the TWC contract gave to the Lakers the guts to say, “Taxes
be damned” and enter into “win-now” mode, then I’m all for Dr. Buss “selling out”
the fan base.

Despite the enthusiasm for this year’s team the question remains, “How in
the world are we going to actually watch the team?” I’ve been milking my in-laws
for their cable for years, so I hated the thought of paying for it myself. But even the in laws aren’t a reliable option at this point. They don’t have TWC. TWC is in the middle of negotiating with other cable companies in order to carry the Lakers.

However, with the Nash/Howard trade, TWC has all the leverage and is probably
playing hardball. Opening night is 10 days away and a deal hasn’t been made yet. It
will probably go down to the wire. In the meantime, though, my father in law’s DISH
won’t do us any good. Plus, my wife said something about how late nights at her
parents’ house two or three times a week might not be good for Joelle. As a father, I
fail to see how anything related to watching the Lakers could be bad for my
daughter, but I won’t argue with my wife on this one.

Now as many of you know, I am currently working on my financial planning
certificate. This work has required quite a bit of time online to complete
coursework and classes. We’ve had AT&T Internet service for a while now. It’s
always been awful, but it seems to have become progressively worse. Since it was
cheap, we didn’t complain too much. That’s over, though. I now need more reliable
internet in order to do my school work. My wife looked around and you know
which company was the only one who serviced our area? . . . you guessed it – Time
Warner Cable! So being the conscientious student that I am, and wanting to care for
my daughter’s scheduling needs, I told my wife our only option was to switch our
internet to Time Warner Cable . . . and while we’re at it we might as well get the
cable TV as well. (I guess my in-laws will be milking us for cable now.) So come on
over and join us for a game or two… I want to feel like money is being well spent,
and there’s nothing like sharing good fellowship, good food, and good basketball.

ESPN Films: 'The Announcement'

Film Summary

On Thursday, Nov. 7, 1991, Earvin "Magic" Johnson made people stop and watch at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. But this time it wasn't his basketball brilliance as a perennial NBA All-Star and three-time MVP that was captivating audiences worldwide. Instead, the 32-year-old groundbreaking point guard was holding a press conference to make the stunning announcement that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from basketball immediately. But the shock of this declaration went deeper. Having the AIDS virus in 1991 was widely seen as a death sentence, and the commonly held belief was that we would be watching a beloved sports hero die excruciatingly and swiftly in front of our eyes. Yet Magic had a different narrative in mind. He defied the odds, not just surviving, but truly living and prospering. From his MVP performance in the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, his participation on the original Olympic "Dream Team" later that year and an NBA comeback in 1996, to his astounding success as a businessman, philanthropist and ambassador in the fight against AIDS, Magic has lived up to the promise of his nickname.

Some Background

With ESPN Films coming out with The Announcement, I thought I would write this. I grew up not really knowing my biological father. I’ve only seen him a handful of times in my life and don’t have very many memories of him. My first stepfather was physically abusive. My second stepfather was completely disengaged and lacked a backbone. In short, I never had a positive male role model growing up and was basically left to figure out life for myself while in a broken home and without any Christian influence. As you can imagine, my teenage years didn’t turn out so well.

1st Hero

I’ve mentioned often that young boys need heroes in their lives. My first hero was Magic Johnson. I remember how he, and Larry Bird, completely turned the NBA upside down. Magic’s teammates loved him because he was unselfish. He had charisma and a charm that captivated most of the world. Young boys at my middle school wore Magic shirts all the time, myself included. Magic was the man who first got me interested in the game of basketball.

Growing up and going to school in a rough neighborhood, basketball kept a couple close friends and me out of trouble. I started learning the lessons of life through wanting to become a good basketball player. It takes hard work to achieve anything of note. But you don’t have to step on other people to get to your goals. Magic achieved greatness by making his teammates better, by convincing them of their personal value to the team, and ultimately getting a group of individuals to work together as a singular unit. He was a leader. He was also the first person who made me want my life to actually mean something other than simply existing.

The Day I Thought My Hero Died

When Magic made his Announcement, it was my sophomore year in high school and I had just finished basketball practice. I noticed the coaching staff looked completely shocked. I looked around and asked, “What happened?” One guy on the team told me but I didn’t believe him. Then I went to one of my coaches and he confirmed the news. I went back into the team room, sat in the dark and wept for a couple of hours. I thought, “My hero was going to die.”

I remember the entire city of Los Angeles, and the entire sports world was in mourning. One of the most beloved sports figure of all time had to retire. I had to endure nonsense from high school friends saying, “Why are you so sad? You don’t even know him?” I never responded to pointless questions. There’s no reason to waste my time with ignorance.

Trial to Triumph

Through perseverance Magic Johnson turned something tragic into something triumphant. He educated the world on the subject of the HIV virus, which caused AIDS. Much of the world had ignorant ideas about HIV and AIDS. Not anymore. And it was because of Magic Johnson.

Reflections

Now that I’m older, I’ve often thought Magic didn’t really have to tell anyone he was HIV positive at the time. He could’ve said it was an injury and it was simply his time to retire. But he didn’t and for being transparent, he endured much ridicule and ignorant accusations. Maybe he felt that he owed it to us (fans) because we were like family to him. He was one of the few athletes who seemed to genuinely care about the fans.

Today, I have many heroes. People who are/were passionate about things of eternal value. People I actually know personally who have invested into my life. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever forget my first hero and what he meant to me during a very dark time in my life. I don’t care if Kobe gets his sixth title (one more than Magic), Magic will always be, in my eyes, the greatest Laker of all time.

Magic Johnson makes me think, “Why doesn’t everyone love this game?” That’s just a snapshot of why I love this game. And if people still think I’m crazy for being so invested in a sport, I don’t have time for ignorance.

Magic Defied Tragic

It's been 20 years since Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive. Today I spent my lunch break reading reading articles about this very special day. It still brings tears to my face when I think about it. When HBO came out with the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Documentary I wrote this:

Finally, there was Magic’s HIV announcement. After a physical before the 1991–92 NBA season, Johnson discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference held on November 7, 1991, Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. He stated that his wife Cookie and their unborn child did not have HIV, and that he would dedicate his life to "battle this deadly disease." Johnson initially said that he did not know how he contracted the disease, but later acknowledged that it was through having multiple sexual partners during his playing career. At the time, only a small percentage of HIV-positive people had contracted it from heterosexual sex, and it was initially rumored that Johnson was gay or bisexual, although he denied both. Johnson's announcement became a major news story in the United States, and in 2004 was named as ESPN's seventh most memorable moment of the past 25 years. Many articles praised Johnson as a hero, and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush said, "For me, Magic is a hero, a hero for anyone who loves sports.”

I remember being in high school when Magic’s HIV announcement hit me like a frozen sledgehammer. Some of my female friends couldn’t understand why I was so depressed over it saying idiotic things like, “You don’t even know him, why do you care so much?” I just gave them the “You’re absolutely dumb and it would be a complete waste of time to even try and explain it to you” look and moved on without saying anything.

How would they ever understand the connection of a fatherless boy and his sports hero, the only positive male role model he’s known (at the time)? How would they ever understand how the heart of a man yearns for the inspiration of other greater men? How would they ever understand that all young men desire to be great but need personification of that greatness to see what it looks like? How would they ever understand the heart of a man seeks advantage and we live that advantage vicariously through our sports figure? Given the historical context, HIV was a death sentence. There was little awareness of how the virus could infect a person or how they could even live through it. “My hero was going to die,” I thought to myself. No high school girl will have the ability to understand this. And I don’t blame them.

Reflecting on the life of Magic Johnson, I began to realize how much of an impact he had on my life. As I get older I try and keep things in perspective. The reason he contracted the HIV virus was a direct result of his infidelity. But instead of hanging his head in shame, he become a spokesperson for HIV awareness. As a result, the general public seems more educated on the subject.

There have been mistakes I've made in the past where I've spend a great deal of time in despair. No I'm not perfect. Either was Magic Johnson, my childhood hero. However, how a person deals with tragedy could completely alter the path of the individual's life. Magic Johnson could've given up and simply laid down and waited to die. Instead, he turned tragedy into a symbol of hope. Whether you enjoy basketball or not I believe there is a lesson here for all of us.

Good Riddance Indeed

It’s official. The Sasha Vujacic Era is over. As most of you know, I’m a Laker fan and have been ever since I realized that every fatherless boy needs heroes. Despite being a hardcore Laker fan, I can tell you with every fiber in my being that I hated Sasha Vujacic. Hated. I don’t like to throw the word “hate” around very often because I believe it to be a strong word, which shouldn’t be used loosely. Here is my running list of things I hate (in no particular order):

Traffic
Slow internet
Busy work (i.e., education classes, any reason to go to the DMV, etc.)
Every form of evil
Sasha Vujacic

You could see that the list isn’t very long. I don’t even have any ex-girlfriends on the list. For right now lets focus on the Sasha Era. The 27th pick in the 2004 draft from Yugoslavia came into the league with potential. He didn’t play much his rookie year but worked his way into the rotation his 2nd year, being a scrappy defender and decent long-range shooter.

As time passed, Sasha never seemed like he was learning the game of basketball or displayed any type of common sense. He would D-up his player 90 feet from the basket as though he was trying out for Compton Dominguez High School never realizing, “Hey this is the NBA and every starting PG for every team could beat me easily 90 feet away from the basket so maybe I should back up.” If they kept a stat of fouls 90 feet from the basket, I know that Sasha would be the all-time leader in a landslide. Moreover, when Sasha would complain about foul calls he looked exactly like a third-grade girl who was just given a Time-Out (This year’s soccer-girl hair do didn’t help shake that image). It’s as if he never learned the rules of basketball.

I remember taking my buddy Tyson to a Lakers vs. Kings game when M. Bibby was still playing for the Kings. It was a tight game until the 4th quarter when they put Sasha in to guard Bibby. Bibby is a vet who knows all the tricks. Sasha played defense 90 feet from the basket and you wouldn’t believe what happened next . . . wait for it . . . he fouled Bibby. That’s not even the worst part, he kept fouling Bibby in the backcourt, got us in the penalty, and Bibby nailed the game shut with free throws. Everybody in the crowd was in disbelief that a professional basketball player kept making the same mistake over and over and over again never realizing that maybe, just maybe, he should try something different. I could tell you countless stories like this but I think you get the picture. Here's a great article by Kevin Ding from OC Register.

In 2008 (Sasha’s contract year) he played had his best season: Games played 72, FG% 45, 3P% 43, FT% 83, PPG 9 while playing about 18 mpg. Not bad. During the summer, while negotiating a new contract, Sasha complained about not getting enough money and years and even threatened to play in Europe if he didn’t get the contract he wanted. Remember that this was the summer after Sasha gave Ray Allen a lay-up in Game 4 of the Finals that killed our chances of winning the title that year. When asked during the post-game why he didn’t foul, he replied, “I was scared.” After the Lakers gave him 3yrs for about $15M, his game just went into the toilet (I wish someone gave me $15M to be scared to do my job). I can't stand players who after they get a contract their game goes into the toilet.

Here are his numbers the following two years:

2008-2009: Games played 80, FG% 38, 3P% 36, FT% 92, PPG 6 while playing about the same amount of minutes in 2008 (He didn’t score a point in the 2009 Finals).

2009-2010: Games played 67, FG% 40, 3P% 30, FT% 84, PPG 3 while playing 8mpg.

Yes, I will say that Sasha hit the biggest free throws in Laker history in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals. But considering that he complained loudly about his contract, lost count of how many games he cost us, and had an un-teachable attitude, that’s the least he could’ve done.

I’m currently starting a poll at work with how long it takes for Maria Sharapova to call off the engagement. The current over/under is three months. Once the trade was reported I got some text messages and Facebook postings saying, “Good riddance” and “Finally, we got rid of him.” These were from fellow Laker fans as well (The deal saves the Lakers about $9M).

I do have to admit, Sasha did make attending Laker games a lot more fun because I would always start a “We-hate-Sas-ha” chant with the boys in section 303. Every time he checked into the game we would boo him. But since he hardly played anymore I had to give all my boos during the pre-game warms up when Sasha would pop-up on the Jumbo-Tron. That’s the part of Sasha I’m going to miss the most. No matter who we were playing we always had a villain, even though it was in-house.

So let me be one of the millions of Laker fans who say, “So long” into oblivion. Pencil me in for the Jan 14 game vs. the Nets. I can’t miss an opportunity to boo Sasha one last time because he’ll be playing in Turkey next year (and no longer engaged to Maria Sharapova).

And I'll leave you with one of my favorite Sasha moments, which almost cost us game 6 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals:

Training Camp - "One Away"

This past week I've been sick and dealing with a pulled right hamstring. I haven't been able to workout because of work, sickness, and house hunting. This morning I woke up and realized that training camp begins for the Lakers. I said to myself, "Screw it! I'm hitting the gym." After meeting my buddy Carlos at the gym, we starting rehabbing my hamstring. It felt great to be back in the gym and working out. Although I'm not 100% and still unable to play basketball, it still felt good to be somewhat active.

But do you know what else feels good? That's right, basketball season is around the corner and The Lake Show will be going for the 3-peat. I've already talked about the games I'll be attending and I even planned out Christmas Day. With the Miami Heat getting all the hype this season, I'm giddy to see how this year plays out. No, I'm not concerned with Andrew Bynum missing the beginning of the season. If you remember, P. Gasol missed the beginning of last season and Kobe brought his summer workouts with Hakeem with him and turned into a 6'6 Olajuwon. It was a joy to watch him punish every shooting guard in the post. I'm looking for more of the same this year. As long as Bynum is healthy (enough) during the playoffs we'll be fine.

Interestingly, the wife suggested the "Dream Season" being that the Lakers beat Boston again in the Finals. Imagine that Kobe and the Lakers beat the C's again with Shaq on the team in a year that Miami received all the hype and didn't even make the Finals? Wow! I'll need life insurance because if this were to happen (possible) I would explode. At the height of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry in the 80s, they played three times in the Finals (Lakers winning two out of the three). I say it's only fitting that they play three times in this era as well (the Lakers also winning two out of the three). Furthermore, the Laker franchise is only one championship away from tying the hated Celtics at 17. Also, Kobe is only one championship away from tying Michael Jordan (and no, I'm not one of those Laker fans who thinks Kobe is better than MJ. In certain aspects of the game, yes but not overall. Still, it would be fun watching him tie the great one and let the talking heads speak on that achievement for days on end.). So then, I'm officially naming the 2010-2011 NBA season "One Away." That should be our war cry this year. Did I mention that I'm giddy?

For kicks here's a nice youtube clip that emphasizes my point:

2010 Christmas Day Planned

Now that the NBA schedule (partial) has come out I've already planned my Christmas Day. In short, it's basically watching basketball all day. Last year Becky (sister-in-law) wanted me and the wife to stay over on Christmas Eve. Since everyone was pretty much out of town, Becky wanted to know that someone was going to be there on Christmas morning. It was actually heart-warming and I enjoyed the sleep over (even though we had to share the living room with the dog). I love being a part of a family filled with tradition and love.

The tradition at the Davis household is on Christmas morning everyone gathers around the Christmas tree to prepare for opening of the gifts. People open gifts from youngest to oldest. However, once everyone gathers someone usually points out that Eric (2nd oldest) has an angel ornament on top of the tree claiming that he's the "golden child." Mom refutes that fact, however, she won't take down the Eric angel ornament for some reason so the family continues to argue. In any case, here's the Christmas Day schedule:

12/25 - Chicago at N.Y., ESPN 9 a.m.
We'll be opening up gifts during this time but since I'm at the father-in-laws it will be DVR(ed). Yes! I'll fast-forward through the time outs and commerce and be just in time for:

12/25 - Boston at Orlando, ABC 11:30 a.m.
This is probably the time I'll be asking the wife if there's any food.

12/25 - Miami at Lakers, ABC 2 p.m.
During the pre-game, I'll get antsy and ramp myself up where I almost hyperventilate right up until tip-off. Of course if my team loses I'll no longer feel like being in the holiday spirit (or any Spirit for that matter). In this case, I'll be happy that I sold these tickets for 3x the price. The wife will later put things in perspective for me and I'll feel like an idiot. This is my own Christmas tradition. On the other hand, if my team does well and wins, I'll be in a much better mood and won't need to be rebuked by the wife later. Go Lakers!

12/25 - Denver at Thunder, ESPN 5 pm.
I'll try and watch this game but I'll be too tired to stay awake and end up taking a nap.

12/25 - Portland at G.S., ESPN 7:30 p.m.
After the nap, I'll just check the box score of the final two games, blog about the day, and appreciate the holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Round 1 - Game 3 Thoughts

Towards the end of the regular season watching my Lakers stubble into the post-season I had to endure all the articles being written about how they’re going to fail from repeating as champs this year. I hate to admit it but it’s looking more like that assertion is accurate.

After two close games with the up-and-coming Thunder I really wasn’t surprised at the outcome of last night’s game 3 lost (The Thunder were favored -3.5 and covered. Not that I notice these things.). I’ve watched basketball long enough to know when I “feel” a lose coming and game 3 certainly had that feel.

Yes it was a very winnable game. But Kobe, yes Kobe of all people, was the person who killed it for us. I had to watch Big Pappa (aka The father-in-law) grow increasingly frustrated with every stupid Kobe shot and throw his Starbucks cup across the room. The wives weren’t surprised at his reaction. What they were surprised by was how calm I was able to stay despite losing a very winnable game. As a long time Laker fan you have to know you simply live or die with Kobe and certainly last night we died. You just come to accept these things.

Here is a positive to take away. The last 5 times the Lakers have gone up 2-0 in a series they have lost game 3 all 5 times. They have also won all 5 series. That’s an encouraging fact. In addition, Phil Jackson is also 51-1 in series in which he has led at any point. So I like our chances against the Thunder who are playing their first playoff series (although in a couple of years when they get some experience I might not want to face them). If you remember last year in the opening round against Utah, Kobe had a bad game 3 and came back in game 4 and kicked butt. Repeat of history? I say, "Yes!"

Now I believe the Cavs will probably win the title this year. That doesn’t mean I won’t be routing for my Lakers with everything in me. But I’m trying to be objective and prepare myself emotionally if we come up short this year. If I don’t the wife will have a mess on her hands.

How the Lakers Could Win the Title:

Lebron looks like he’s at his peak. My buddy Bryan and I have conceded that he’s clearly the best player in the game despite being Laker fans. Kobe is banged up and it shows. Not a good sign because you’ll only go as far as your best player will take you.

After Kobe missed his 900th shot in a row last night, Phil Jackson finally called a time out. In the final two minutes, Kobe stopped settling for threes and started driving and kicking to open teammates. Guess what . . . they started scoring again. It’s easier to score when you have the ball. Kobe needs to change his game according to the context of the situation. Last night, he clearly wasn’t going to shot the Lakers back in it like he usually does. But can he change in a short time? Can he change from being “the guy” in those situations to simply one of the guys trying to win? I’m not sure. But if he does I like our chances much better because we have the best overall team talent-wise. With that, I’m already starting to feel good about game 4. I don’t have that “feeling” of a lost coming. Kobe will look to redeem himself. In what form, will be the interesting question. Will it be the mindless gunner? Or doing what the situation calls for? If it’s the latter, I think Big Pappa will hold on to his Starbucks this time.

A Good Night Almost Foiled

This past Friday night I decided to go to the Lakers’ game with my buddy Ronnie whom I’ve only seen a handful of times since high school. It was a good night to do some catching up. If you’ve ever been to Staples Center you’ll know that they jack up the prices about 600% on everything there. It’s as if Staples Center was its own country and can pretend that food is so rare there they could charge whatever they want.

And just like any country they have boarders and security checks before you enter. Here’s where a good night was almost foiled. Now I like to think that I’m a rational guy most of the time. So I’m not going to pay a ridiculous price for food when I could get the same thing for one-eighth the cost somewhere else.

My buddy Ronnie got us some nice burritos before the game. They were pretty big and it was going to be difficult sneaking them in with all the security but of course we were going to try. The burritos were wrapped in foil. I said, “What a minute, the foil is going to set off the metal detector.” Ronnie replies, “No it won’t. Your jacket has zingers. The zingers doesn’t set off the metal detector so why would foil?” He might be right but I still wasn’t feeling confident. I put my big burrito in the inside pocket of my jacket on the left side.

As we entered the security check I tried to keep it cool by pretending to have a conversation with Ronnie. Sure enough the metal detector went off. I was asked to move aside so they could check me with the hand-held metal detector. Can you guess where the hand-held metal detector went off? That’s right, the inside pocket of my jacket on the left side. The security guy says, “Please empty your pockets.” You could imagine now I was sweating some bullets. Not to mention that everyone else was looking to see what was going on wondering why I was setting off the metal detector. “Maybe he’s a terrorist!” they thought. Great, all of this trouble for a freakin’ burrito.

I complied without saying anything hoping that I could find something else in my pockets to pull out other than my big burrito. I was digging in my pockets so hard I almost poked a hole through them. Nope. Still searching. Nothing. Then I came clean and just told the security guy, “Look man, it’s just my burrito and it’s only loaded with beans and rice. It’s completely harmless, I promise.” The security guy cracked the kind of smile that says, “I’ve gotta tell my friends about this one. A dude tried to smuggle in a freakin’ burrito! That was a first.” But he says, “There is no outside food allowed.” Dejected and a little embarrassed I grabbed my things and took my burrito outside.

Did Ronnie get caught? Of course not. Now if you knew Ronnie, that wouldn’t surprise you at all. He gets away with these things. There is no method to how he does it, he just has the “I don’t get caught” gene. But like a good friend he went back outside with me and said, “I’m sorry dude, but you were right. The foil really did set off the alarm.” You could imagine that his acknowledgement of my correctness about the foil was small consolation.

Afterwards, both of us decided to go in by another entrance. On our way we were “unfoiling” our burritos and wrapping them in napkins. We made it through the second time without a hitch, got to our seats, and took a nice sigh of relief. Just in time for the game introductions. We sat and enjoyed the rest of the night by watching the Lakers destroy the Clippers by 40 AND eating our burritos (although it was cold by now because it had no foil to keep it warm)! I think the whole ordeal actually made the burritos taste even better.

In conclusion, there are two lessons we could learn here. Foil sets off metal detectors and don’t listen to Ronnie if you ever meet him because if he talks you into anything you'll be the one caught. A great start to the weekend. I hope the rest of you are having as much fun with life as I am.

Holiday Cheer 2009

Yes, it’s here, my annual Holiday Cheer blog. I realize that it’s a little early. I usually write after Christmas but before New Years. This year I couldn’t wait. Last year,the Davis family (wife’s family) treated me to my first full-Christmas experience. It was Christmas morning and the family sat around the Christmas tree opening their gifts starting with the youngest person (Becky) to the oldest (big poppa). It’s really an all-American family. I was the poor fool that was completely unprepared and didn’t buy any gifts when I was showered with them.

Not this year baby! I’m hooking up the family. Jon already got a pair of Laker tickets (the Miami game where Kobe hit the game-winner). Becky already knows some tickets are coming her way. That’s all I’ll say for now because it isn’t Christmas yet.

Speaking of the family experience, apparently the Davis family has their Christmas decorations stored up in boxes that take up about a third of their garage. I asked them why would they keep that stuff around when you only use it about a month out of the year. The mother-in-law told me “because it’s Christmas” like it was self-explanatory. For most people it would be self-explanatory but for a guy who didn’t have much of a Christmas tradition growing up it almost seemed foolish to use up that much storage.

The mother-in-law continues and says that one day I will be doing the same thing when the kids come along. I replied, “What does Christmas decorations have anything to do with raising kids?” She says, “It has a lot to do with raising kids.” I wouldn’t have ever made the connection between Christmas decorations and raising kids. After giving it some thought, I realize that having a family tradition where you think outside of yourself (getting gifts for other people) and coming together to show that we care enough to put some thought into the gift we give each other shows community and love towards one another. It builds an environment and atmosphere of family and togetherness. It shows that you're not the center of the universe and what truly makes the holidays great is the gathering of God's people in the form of families. Even Becky wanted the wife and I to stay over on Christmas Eve so we could wake up together on Christmas morning. If you know Becky, she never openly admits that she wants us around. It’s just been ingrained in her since she was a child that this is a time where the family is to be together.

All right, I will concede the fact that I will probably start decorating for Christmas in the future but I certainly won’t take up a third of the garage to do it. Besides, I have visions of the garage being my “man-room” where I study the Scriptures, play video games, watch basketball, and invite the guys over for poker night (all in that order).

Okay, on to more important things like the NBA on Christmas. In years past there use to be a game or two on Christmas at the most but now there’s a full schedule (five games in all). Of course the match ups of match ups, the Lakers vs. Cavs, Kobe vs. Lebron! Since the NBA went through all this trouble to schedule Christmas day games I decided I should schedule my day around it. Here it is:


8:00am – Wake up and have some breakfast, open gifts, and make fun of other people’s gifts.

9:00am – Miami @ New York: I’m going to DVR this game while I make the family watch “Always Showtime,” a documentary on Magic Johnson. The other night the wife and I were watching it and she says, “I didn’t know Magic was such a good passer.” My reply, “For being a social science major you really don’t know your history.” I promised myself that no one in the Jamreonvit household would ever say something like this again. Surprisingly, even the father-in-law hasn't seen "Always Showtime." He loses Big Poppa points for that one.

After finishing the documentary with the family I’ll watch Dwayne Wade light up the Knicks and fast-forward through all the time-outs and commercials just in time for:

11:30am – Boston @ Orlando: KG vs. Dwight Howard. Even though Paul Pierce isn’t playing because of a knee infection it’s still going to be a good game. Of course this is all a warm-up for:



2:00pm – Cleveland @ L.A. Lakers: Like I said, Kobe vs. Lebron! Do I really need to say anything else? Historically, the Lakers and Kobe haven’t played well on Christmas (4-6 in there last ten Christmas games) but I believe last year’s win over Boston is a turning point. One game won’t settle the Kobe vs. Lebron debate but it will sure to add fire to it. I’m fired up just thinking about it. After the Lakers win I’ll cerebrate by drinking too much root beer in one sitting and regretting it later. Yes, a Christmas tradition in the Jamreonvit household. Happy holidays.

My picks for the games (home team in caps):

NEW YORK (-2.5) over Miami
ORLANDO (-5) over Boston
LAKERS (-5.5) over Cleveland
PHOENIX (-9.5) over Clippers
Denver (+5.5) over PORTLAND

An Open Letter to Ron Artest

Opening day is about three weeks away. I haven't had this much anticipation for an up and coming season in quite some time. In Kyle Slavin’s blog he wrote an open letter to newly acquired Ron Artest. He has the same feelings I do towards the situation so I’ll post it here. Here's a quote:

Let me be absolutely clear: you absolutely cannot mess this season up. You fail here, and you will never redeem your career again. You ruin this good thing we have going in LA, and the rest of your basketball days will be tarnished by it. In LA, we fans run deep. We know our basketball, we know our history, and we have more than a passing interest in the Lake Show. We will be here longer than you. We have more influence than you. Win us over, and you will be a Hall of Famer. Lose our faith, and you will never see this level of love again.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm totally looking forward to the season. I have no doubts that we'll go down as one of the best teams in league history. So let's get this started already.

NBA Season 2009-2010

Opening night is Oct 27 against the Clippers. Why does it seem so far away? ESPN panel of 53 NBA analysis came out with their predictions for the up and coming NBA season, 2009-2010. I can't wait for the up and coming season. I plan to renew my season tickets (for the 4th straight year). Although money is going to be tight and we are in the middle of trying to buy a house. Some may say that it's unwise to be buying season tickets during this poor economic downturn. This may be true, however, we (the Lakers) are a championship caliber team and will be for many years. In addition, we are coming off a championship year and Phil Jackson has never won a championship where he did not win two others that followed. That's my rational for renewing my season tickets and I think most people would agree that it's a wise move. Besides, I decided NOT to buy an iphone and renewed my contract with Verizon. I've been kicking myself ever since. I'm not going to let the same thing happen to my Lakers' season tickets, consequences be da****!

Furthermore, Laker tickets make great gifts (but don't ask me for any). I love the look that one of my pastor gives me when I tell him to take his son to a ball game. He serves so much at our church it's a great way to show some appreciation. Also, the games that I can't attend are easy to sell. I mean, think about it . . . they're Laker tickets! You don't have to package a deal. They sell themselves.

How about date night with the wife? Katie was never really into basketball when we started dating. I converted her quickly and now she even follows the Lakers on her own time and enjoys talking to me about anything and everything that involve the Lakers. Now that's an amazing wife (she doesn't like the Laker girls though, go figure). Not to mention, when I need some time with my boys, what better place to do it than at a Laker game? I already have my check list of must see games:

- Oct 27, vs. Clippers (Dom) - Opening night, free shirts, and the presentation of championship rings.

- Nov. 17, vs. Detroit (Brent) - Brent is a big Detroit fan but we're still friends. We're both teaching in the same district and going through the same school for our teaching credentials. In other words, it's a perfect time to vent.

- Dec. 4, vs. Miami (Dom) - Dom's a D-Wade fan. If you don't think that both D-Wade and Kobe don't circle this date you're crazy. Last year, Dom and I upgraded to VIP and those two were a wonder to watch. You truly can't appreciate their basketball abilities without seeing it up close and live (Lord, why couldn't you make me that good? That will be one of my questions in heaven).

- Dec 25, vs. Lebron - No more need be said.

- Dec 29, vs. Golden State (Chris) - Chris is a GS fan. This is a good time for Chris and I to catch up on things.

- Jan 29 @Philadelphia - there's an outside chance that the wife and I will fly to Philly for this game and visit Aaron and Megan in the process. The wife always wanted to visit Philly (among other cities) and I always wanted to fly out to a great city and watch a Laker road game. It works out for both of us. Of course, I'm still waiting on Aaron getting back to me to confirm that he'll be available (Aaron - hurry up and get back to me!).

- Feb. 28, vs. Denver (the wife) - it's a national televised game (Sunday morning). Now here's a great day. You go to the early service at your church then drive to LA for a brunch at The Original Pantry Cafe, the food is great! Afterwards, you could take your time and park because you're already there super early. As a result, parking isn't a hassle and it's cheap. The closer to game time the more it cost for parking because people working the lots knows you're probably running late and are desperate and try and take advantage of you like you're hooked on drugs and they're the drug dealers. Once you walk in the Staple Center the excitement begins and you feel the buzz in the air. You sit down in your seats and begin listening "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman and somehow for those few minutes you forget about all the bad stuff that Los Angeles has going for it and you just remember, the Lakers! The video of all the Laker greats come on starting with George Mikan, then moving to highlights of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain. Then the Showtime era with Kareem, Magic, Worthy, and Cooper then transitioning to the Phil, Kobe and Shaq championships. After all that, they show a highlight mix of all the current Lakers on a giant shower curtain and once it finishes it drops to the ground in slow motion, instantly the lights come on. One by one each member of the starting lineup are introduced with Kobe being the last one coming out to a hero's welcome that would have rivaled a Roman gladiator. It's game time! I'm sorry but no television can come close to that experience.

- April 4, vs. San Antonio (the wife) - Why not? You could always count on this being a good game.

- April 11, vs. Portland (the wife) - I just like to go to this game and bag on my buddy Bryan (who moved to Portland) as the Lakers lay the smack down on the Blazers. This makes me feel better all over and inside.

Undoubtingly, they'll be more games I'll be attending but these are the must-see games and the people that accompany me are a part of the experience. Attending Laker games is a tradition that I made for myself and one that I think I'm going to stick with. Everyone should have a tradition that they share with the ones whom they love. This happens to be mine and it happens to be an expensive one.

Imagine years from now when Junior Jr. comes along, I realize that Kobe will be retired by then but if you know the Lakers they'll have another star in the fold, I'll be talking about Kobe like my father talked about . . . wait a minute! I didn't have a father, forget that thought. But hold on a second . . . that's another point, I could build great memorizes with my future son and what better way to do that than attending Laker games with him? Is there a better father/son bonding time? Okay, maybe reading to him at night and constantly affirming him in all he does but lets not forget that a good-old-fashion ball game is when you could truly let your hair down and allow your son to know that it's okay to have fun in life. I think this gets left out too often. So yes, it's an expensive tradition, but well worth it because it will result in good parenting.