A lot of people were starting to jump on the Oklahoma City Thunder bandwagon after the Los Angeles Lakers lost two straight to the Thunder, including a 110-89 blowout loss in game four.  Those people got a reality check in the Lakers 111-87 blowout victory in game 5 last night.  I don’t mean to take anything away from Kevin Durant and the Thunder, who have shown they belong in the playoffs, but after the Lakers went up 2-0 they kind of went into cruise control against the young Thunder.  The Thunder proved they aren’t a team that will just roll over and let the Lakers breeze through the first round, but the Lakers are still the much better team and they proved that last night.  Kobe Bryant only scored 13 points on 4-9 shooting, so it wasn’t like Kobe took over and had one of those nights were nobody could stop him.  He did show off his defensive prowess though, shutting down the Thunder’s super athletic point guard Russell Westbrook.  Last night it was a Lakers team that showed off their depth and dominance, with 10 different players scoring and five in double figures.  They held the Thunder to 37% shooting and got 21 points off of 17 turnovers, while holding Durant to just 17 points on 5-14 shooting.  The Thunder definitely deserve some respect, but for the people that thought they were actually going to upset the number one seeded defending champions in the first round need to wake up.  I expect the Lakers to wrap up this series in game six and they are still my favorite to win the 2010 NBA Championship.

Not everyone can get the ball for the Lakers and starting point guard Derek Fisher does not have a problem with that. He has played in 77 games (all starts) for the Lakers and he is averaging 27.2 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Fisher’s shooting is off this season as he is only hitting 38.4% from the floor and 34.9% from three point range. I have a feeling that Fisher will hit some big time shots in the playoffs starting in a couple of weeks as he always does.

Starting small forward Ron Artest has fit in very well with the Lakers this season. He has played in 66 games (all starts) for the Lakers this year and he is averaging 34.1 minutes, 11.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Artest has behaved all year long and he is still playing at a very high level defensively. The hunger for a NBA Championship has gotten Artest focused and motivated to be a team player making him a huge asset to the Lakers.

PF/C Pau Gasol has really turned in another solid year for the Lakers this season. Gasol has played in 54 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 17.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Gasol doesn’t have a big ego so he doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to Kobe Bryant which has been a big key to the Lakers’ success in the last couple of years. The Lakers need Gasol to stay healthy the rest of the year if they are going to repeat as NBA Champions this year.

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into their matchup last night against the Toronto Raptors with a three-game losing streak.  It looked like the Lakers might be on their way to their fourth straight loss, as they were down 58-50 at halftime and they headed into the 4th quarter down 84-81.  The Lakers fought back in the fourth quarter though and they had a 107-104 lead late in the game.  Lamar Odom had the opportunity to seal the win, but he missed a key free throw with 19.6 seconds left.  Odom really needs to come through in moments like that, because free throws down the stretch are so important.  After Odom’s miss, Raptors star Chris Bosh then came down and hit a three to tie the game at 107-107 with just 9.5 seconds left.  That was plenty of time for the Lakers to get the ball to their star and let him do what he does best, finish games.  Kobe Bryant got the ball on the right wing, saw the double team coming and swept baseline, took two dribbles and rose up to hit a fadeaway corner jumper with 1.9 seconds left.  The shot won the game for the Lakers, making it the seventh time Kobe has hit a game-winner this season.  That is pretty amazing!  Kobe may not be the favorite for the MVP right now, but he is still right there in the mix.  With all of these great game-winners this season, if he has a late season surge of great play and keeps his Lakers atop the Western Conference, then he will likely get his second MVP Award.

When Kobe Bryant went down to injury Shannon Brown started in his place and stepped up. Brown played in 11 games in February for the Lakers and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He has now played in 59 games (4 starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 8.1 minutes, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Brown is only 24 years old so he will likely be with the Lakers for a while and he does appear to have a nice upside.

Kobe Bryant has missed the past five games for the Los Angeles Lakers with an ankle injury, but he was back in true form for the Lakers in his first game back last night.  With 4.3 seconds left and the Lakers down 98-96 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Kobe nailed a three from the right wing to put the Lakers up for good.  It was Kobe’s fifth game-winning shot this season.  Kobe went 13-19 from the field and finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.  He also put the Lakers on his back in the final 2 1/2 minutes, scoring the team’s final 9 points and also outscoring the Grizzlies 9-3 by himself in those final minutes.  Although the Lakers played well without Kobe (4-1 in his absence), they don’t have a closer who can make big shots down the stretch consistently throughout the season.  Kobe is the best closer since Michael Jordan, so the Lakers are ecstatic to have him back.  Kobe’s play last night is a great sign for the Lakers, as his ankle handled 40 minutes last night and he looks healthy again.

Kobe Bryant has now missed three straight games for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they are 3-0 without him.  The main reason why is Pau Gasol who has really stepped it up in Kobe’s absence, especially in the last 2 games.  In Kobe’s first game out of action against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers got an easy 99-82 win and Gasol had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.  That is a bad game compared to Gasol’s last two.  In a 101-89 win over the Spurs, Gasol had 21 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal.  He followed that up with nearly an identical stat line of 22 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks, and 1 steal in a 96-81 win over the Jazz.  The Lakers were also without one of their other top players, Andrew Bynum, so Gasol’s phenomenal play is coming at a great time for the Lakers.  Gasol has been a great sidekick to Kobe Bryant, but he has proven he can hold down the fort while Kobe is out healing up.  If the Lakers can get healthy for the playoffs, I see no reason why they won’t repeat as NBA Champions.

Ron Artest has fit in really well for the Lakers this season as their starting small forward. He has played in 47 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season and he is averaging 33.1 minutes, 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Artest isn’t causing any problems out in L.A. as head coach Phil Jackson is used to dealing with players like him. Artest has not only been playing well on defense as usual but he is shooting 40.1% from the three point line. Artest was a smart addition for the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant has a badly broken finger, an aching knee, and now has a sprained ankle to deal with.  That isn’t going to stop the “Black Mamba” from playing though, and he is expected to play tonight against the Denver Nuggets.  Kobe knows how to play through the pain, which he has proven by playing most of this season with a broken index finger on his shooting hand.  It hasn’t really affected his game too much either, with Kobe averaging 27.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 46% from the field.  The one part of his game that his finger could be limiting him is his three point shooting.  Kobe is only hitting 32% of his threes this season, which is his lowest three point percentage since the 2001-’02 season.  Kobe has been playing great overall though, and the Lakers are atop the Western Conference with a 38-12 record.  Without Kobe they go from arguably the best team in the NBA, to just a decent team, so they can not afford to lose him.  Kobe’s competitive drive will keep him on the court as long as he can, and hopefully his injuries don’t get worse and affect him in the playoffs.