The Lakers played like they didn’t care on either end of the court today.  They only shot 37.8% from the floor today while they allowed the Mavericks to shoot 60.3% from the floor and 62.5% from three point range (20 of 32)!  Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers today with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist while only shooting 7 of 18 from the floor.  Shannon Brown (15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists) and Ron Artest (11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals) also had semi-decent games for the Lakers today.  The front line stunk it up for the Lakers in this game as Pau Gasol (10 points), Lamar Odom (10 points) and Andrew Bynum (6 points) showed no heart at all.  Odom and Bynum were ejected late in the 4th quarter due to cowardly cheap shots on Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea.  This is likely the end of a Lakers’ era as Phil Jackson is going to retire this summer.  The Mavericks pounded the Lakers and sent them home in 4 games!

Last season, Pau Gasol was a beast near the basket in last year’s playoffs, as he had as much to do with the NBA Championship as Kobe Bryant did.  This year though, Gasol is getting pushed around….especially in this series as Dirk Nowitzki is really dominating him.  Gasol has played in all three games against the Mavericks so far in this series and he is averaging 36.3 minutes, 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.  That is just not going to get it done.  Gasol is the key player today, because if he doesn’t play well, the Lakers season is going to be over.  Gasol has now played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 36.0 minutes, 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  But, he is only shooting 42.2% in the playoffs which is awful for a player of Gasol’s skill set.

The Mavericks outscored the Lakers 32-20 in the 4th quarter last night as they appeared to want this game a lot more.  Andrew Bynum led the way for the Lakers last night with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  Lamar Odom got the start in the place of the suspended Ron Artest and he filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Kobe Bryant pitched in with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal.  Pau Gasol (12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists) and Shannon Brown (10 points and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes) also pitched in offensively for the Lakers last night.  The Lakers need to wake up soon or their season is going to be over as they are down 3-0 to the Mavericks in this series.

The Lakers were outscored 42-32 in the second half last night as the Mavericks looked like they wanted this game more….and they got it.  Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.  Andrew Bynum also had a really good game as he had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot last night.  Pau Gasol had another off night as he only shot 5 of 12 from the floor to finish with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Ron Artest pitched in with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots before being ejected from the game with less than a minute to go.  The Lakers are now down 2-0 in this series as it shifts to Dallas for the weekend.

The Lakers were outscored 25-16 in the 4th quarter last night and it did them in.  Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 39 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Pau Gasol (15 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 blocked shot) and Andrew Bynum (15 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot in 31 minutes) also had solid games for the Lakers last night.  The Lakers are now done 1-0 to the Mavericks in this series.

The Dallas Mavericks held off the Portland Trailblazers in a tough first round series while the Hornets gave the Lakers more trouble than expected.  It will be interesting to see which team steps up in this series as the matchups gets much tougher for both of them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  Jason Kidd will need to turn back the clock in this series, like he did in the first couple of games of the Portland series.  Kidd played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 11.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Kidd will have to use his size advantage a bit  in this series against Derek Fisher.

Derek Fisher always seems to step up in big games and there will be some of them in this series.  Fisher played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 33.7 minutes, 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Fisher also shot 52.6% from the floor as he is deadly when left alone, which happens more than you would think.

EDGE:  MAVERICKS

SHOOTING GUARD:  DeShawn Stevenson is just the guy who starts the game at SG for the Mavericks.  He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 12.7 minutes, 2.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He only shot 33.3% from the floor in the first round.  The Mavericks would be happy if Stevenson plays hard on defense when he’s on the court against Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant might not be the player he used to be in the past, but he’s still pretty darn good.  Bryant played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Kobe is still the guy the Lakers turn to when they need someone to make the big shot and I think he’s going to have a big series against the Mavericks.

EDGE:  GIGANTIC FOR THE MAVERICKS

SMALL FORWARD:  Shawn Marion is a key for the Mavericks, as the offense usually purrs when he plays well.  Marion played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 31.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Marion needs to take his fair share of shots in this series so that Ron Artest won’t be able to play help D for the Lakers.

Ron Artest was sleepwalking during the regular season but he was outstanding against the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs.  Artest played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 32.7 minutes, 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Artest also shot 50% from the floor in the first round of the playoffs.

EDGE:  EVEN

POWER FORWARD:  Dirk Nowitzki is the key for the Mavericks in this series.  If he gets his points, the Mavericks will have a good chance of pulling an upset in this series.  Nowitzki played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 38.7 minutes, 27.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  The Mavericks hope to drag Pau Gasol away from the basket when they have the basketball, due to Nowitzki’s outside shooting.

Pau Gasol might explode in this series as their were whispers that he was playing soft against the Hornets.  Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 35.8 minutes, 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game.  The Lakers need Gasol to get tough in this series and I think he will be back to his old self.

EDGE:  VERY SLIGHT FOR MAVERICKS

CENTER:  Tyson Chandler needs to play good defense and fight for every rebound in this series, as the Lakers have a big frontcourt.  Chandler played in 6 games (all starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Chandler is a good player when he wants to be, and the Mavs need him to play well in this series.

Andrew Bynum is stepping up so far in the playoffs and the Lakers need that to continue in this series.  Bynum played in 6 games (all starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 30.8 minutes, 15.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  Bynum is a big key in this series, because if he rules the paint, the Lakers are going to make quick work of the Mavericks.

EDGE:  LAKERS

BENCH:  The Mavericks like to use the bench quite a bit and they bring a lot of offense with them.  Jason Terry is the main man off the bench for the Mavericks.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 33.2 minutes, 17.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  The Mavericks need Terry to have a big series if they are going to have a decent chance at an upset in this series.  Backup SF Peja Stojakovic is also likely to be an asset off the bench in this series.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 9.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.  Brendan Haywood will give Chandler a blow when he needs one, and the Mavericks need him to bang away in the paint when he’s on the court.  Haywood played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Blazers and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 2.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  PG/SG J.J. Barea will give Jason Kidd a break when he needs one.  Barea played in 6 games (0 starts) in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 17.7 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.  But, he only shot 32.4% from the floor and that’s not going to get it done.  Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal didn’t play much against the Blazers but they could see more minutes against the Lakers.

SF/PF Lamar Odom was the Sixth Man of the Year in the NBA this season and he will have a key role in this series.  Odom played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 28.2 minutes, 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.  Odom will need to be on his game as the Lakers are going to need him to play a little better in this series.  Shannon Brown gives Kobe a break when he needs one.  Brown played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  SF Matt Barnes will give Artest a break once in a while in this series.  Barnes played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 13.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  PG Steve Blake will give Derek Fisher a break when he needs one.  Blake played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Hornets and he averaged 15.2 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

EDGE:  EVEN

COACHING:  Rick Carlisle is a good NBA head coach, but even with the win in the first round of the playoffs, he’s only 41-43 (48.8%) in his career in the post-season.  Now he has to match wits with Phil Jackson and that’s not going to be easy.

Phil “The Zen Master” Jackson is the best coach in the NBA right now, period.  He is now 229-100 (69.6%) during the post-season in his NBA career and he has 11 NBA Titles as a coach.

EDGE:  BIG FOR THE LAKERS

PREDICTION:  The Lakers are going to overwhelm the Mavericks in the paint in this series and that’s going to be the big difference.  The Lakers are going to win this series in six games.

The Los Angeles Lakers outrebounded the Hornets 43-30 and they outscored them 58-46 in the second half to pull away from and finish the Hornets last night.  Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers last night with 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 3 steals.  Andrew Bynum (18 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots) and Pau Gasol (16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots) also had really solid games yesterday.  Lamar Odom pitched in with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists last night.  The Lakers finished off the Hornets 4-2 in this series and now they will deal with the Dallas Mavericks starting next weekend.

The Lakers outscored the Hornets 52-39 in the second half last night and they outrebounded them 42-25 which explains the beatdown.  Kobe Bryant shot 8 of 13 from the floor as he led the way for the Lakers last night on a sprained ankle with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.  Andrew Bynum (18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots) and Pau Gasol (16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots) also pitched in for the Lakers last night.  Derek Fisher (13 points), Lamar Odom (13 points) and Ron Artest (11 points) also pitched in for the Lakers in this game.  The Lakers are now up 3-2 in this series as they are back in charge.

Starting small forward Ron Artest looked like he was sleepwalking during the regular season, but with the bright lights of the playoffs on, he is really stepping up.  Artest has played in 4 games (all starts) for the Lakers so far against the Hornets in this series and he is averaging 33.5 minutes, 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He is shooting well from everywhere on the floor in this series as he is hitting 52.5% of his shots from the floor, 46.2% (6 of 13) from three point range and 80% from the free throw line.  Artest is the X Factor for the Lakers in this series.

The Lakers got outrebounded by the Hornets 39-32 and that’s just plain silly.  With the frontline the Lakers have, the Hornets should NEVER outrebound them, period!  Kobe Bryant had an off night as he only shot 5 of 18 from the floor, but he still finished up with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal last night.  Ron Artest (16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals) and Pau Gasol (16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots) also pitched in for the Lakers last night.  Andrew Bynum (11 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocked shots) and Derek Fisher (10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal) also helped out for the Lakers yesterday.  The Lakers are now in a dog fight with the Hornets as this series is tied up at two games apiece.