Archive | April, 2012

Lakers clinch the 3rd seed and Pacific Division title

25 Apr

The Clippers hopes of winning the franchises first ever Pacific Division title will have to wait another season in order for that to become a reality. The Clippers Tuesday night’s 109-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena clinched the Pacific division title and 3rd seed in the Western Conference for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers will now have to wait to find out who their opponent will be in the 1st round. As it currently stands today the Denver Nuggets hold the 6th seed and would stand to face the Lakers in the 1st round if the playoffs started today. The Denver Nuggets play at the Oklahoma City Thunder today. The Dallas Mavericks can still move up to 6th with a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday combined with two Nuggets losses in their last two games.
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NBA hammers Metta World Peace with 7 game suspension

24 Apr

The word from the NBA office finally came down Tuesday and as expected it came down hard on Metta World Peace and the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA handed down a 7 game suspension to Metta World Peace for the vicious flailing elbow that he landed on the back side of James Harden’s head in the 2nd quarter of Sunday afternoon’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden suffered a concussion as a result of that elbow and is still listed as day to day. With the Thunder’s playoff position as the #2 seed in the Western conference firmly in place it is unlikely that James Harden will play another regular season game.

Metta World Peace’s 7 game suspension will begin with the Lakers regular season finale at the Sacramento Kings on Thursday and continue into the playoffs.

“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said. “We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”

If the Lakers are able to hold on to their current #3 spot in the Western Conference it would put in place a potential 2nd round match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series will surely be emotionally charged as we will get to see Metta World Peace face up against his victim, James Harden, in a very hostile environment in Oklahoma City which prior to this incident was one of the loudest and most engaged crowds in the NBA.

- Fern Rea “@fullcourtfern”

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Lakers’ magic number drops to 1 to clinch the Pacific

23 Apr

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Lakers dropped their magic number to win the 3rd seed in the Western conference and the Pacific division title to 1 after their 114-106 double overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday afternoon. The Lakers have 1 game remaining on their schedule and the Clippers, who are just a 1/2 game back of the Lakers in the standings, have 2 games remaining. With the Lakers owning the tie breaker over the Clippers due to winning the season series 2 to 1, the Clippers will have to get a game ahead of the Lakers in order to take the Pacific division crown. The Lakers’ magic number will go down with every win or Clippers lost; once it hits zero the Lakers will clinch the Pacific division.

The Clippers will play the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow night in Atlanta and end the season on the road against the New York Knicks on Wednesday. The Lakers will play their regular season finale against the Sacramento Kings in Arco Arena on Thursday. The Lakers could possibly have clinched the 3rd seed by the time they take the floor in Sacramento if the Clippers lose either of their 2 final games.

The Lakers are guaranteed no lower than the 4th spot and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers would like to avoid a first round match up against the Memphis Grizzlies who are currently in the 5th seed.

- Fern Rea “@fullcourtfern”

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Lakers’ magic number drops to 3 to clinch the Pacific

19 Apr

The Lakers dropped their magic number to win the 3rd seed in the Western conference and the Pacific division title to 3 after their 99-87 win over the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night. The Lakers have 3 games remaining on their schedule and the Clippers, who are just a 1/2 game back of the Lakers in the standings, have 4 games remaining. With the Lakers owning the tie breaker over the Clippers due to winning the season series 2 to 1, the Clippers will have to get a game ahead of the Lakers in order to take the Pacific division crown. The Lakers’ magic number will go down with every win or Clippers lost; once it hits zero the Lakers will clinch the Pacific division. The Clippers will play the Phoenix Suns today in Phoenix. The Lakers will play the San Antonio Spurs on the road on Friday.

The Lakers will also have to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the 3rd seed in the west. The Grizzlies are 2 and 1/2 games back of the Lakers, but only 2 back on the loss side. The Lakers magic number to beat out Memphis in the standings is 1. The Lakers also won the season series against the Grizzlies at 2 to 1. The Grizzlies take on the Charlotte Bobcats Satruday night in Charlotte.  

The Lakers have the toughest schedule of the 3 teams vying for the 3rd spot, while the Grizzlies have by far the easiest road the rest of the way. Here is how the 3 teams remaining schedule pans out:

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Lakers’ magic number is 4 to clinch the Pacific

16 Apr

The Lakers dropped their magic number to win the 3rd seed in the Western conference and the Pacific division title to 4 after their 112-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon. The Lakers have 5 games remaining on their schedule and the Clippers, who are 2 and 1/2 games back of the Lakers in the standings, have 6 games remaining. With the Lakers owning the tie breaker over the Clippers due to winning the season series 2 to 1, the Clippers will have to get 1 game ahead of the Lakers in order to take the Pacific division crown. The Lakers’ magic number will go down with every win or Clippers lost; once it hits zero the Lakers will clinch the Pacific division. The Clippers play the Oklahoma City Thunder today at Staples Center. The Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs at Staples on Tuesday.

The Lakers will also have to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the 3rd seed in the west. The Grizzlies are 3 and 1/2 games back of the Lakers, but only 3 back on the loss side. The Lakers magic number to beat out Memphis in the standings is 2. The Lakers also won the season series against the Grizzlies at 2 to 1. The Grizzlies take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow night in Minneapolis.

The Lakers have the toughest schedule of the 3 teams vying for the 3rd spot, while the Grizzlies have by far the easiest road the rest of the way. Here is how the 3 teams remaining schedule pans out:
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Lakers’ magic number is 5 to clinch the Pacific

14 Apr

The Lakers dropped their magic number to win the 3rd seed in the Western conference and the Pacific division title to 5 after their 103-97 win over the Denver Nuggets Friday night. The Lakers have 6 games remaining on their schedule and the Clippers, who are 1 and 1/2 games back of the Lakers in the standings, have 7 games remaining. With the Lakers owning the tie breaker over the Clippers due to winning the season series 2 to 1, the Clippers will have to get 1 game ahead of the Lakers in order to take the Pacific division crown. The Lakers’ magic number will go down with every win or Clippers lost; once it hits zero the Lakers will clinch the Pacific division. The Clippers play the Golden State Warriors today at Staples Center. The Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks at Staples on Sunday.

The Lakers will also have to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies in the battle for the 3rd seed in the west. The Grizzlies are 3 games back of the Lakers, but only 2 back on the loss side. The Lakers magic number to beat out Memphis in the standings is 4. The Lakers also won the season series against the Grizzlies at 2 to 1. The Grizzlies take on the Jazz tonight in Memphis.

The Lakers have the toughest schedule of the 3 teams vying for the 3rd spot, while the Grizzlies have by far the easiest road the rest of the way. Here is how the 3 teams remaining schedule pans out:
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Lamar Odom out in Dallas

9 Apr

Lamar’s devastating year in Dallas has finally come to end as, according to ESPN, he will be placed on the Mavericks’ inactive roster for the remainder of the season. Lamar Odom’s last game in a Dallas’ uniform was Saturday night where he played just 4 scoreless minutes in a defeat toMemphis.

In a statement to ESPN Odom stated: “The Mavericks and I have mutually agreed that it’s in the best interest of both parties for me to step away from the team,” Odom went on to state: “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out better for both of us, but I wish the Mavs’ organization, my teammates and Dallas fans nothing but continued success in the defense of their championship.”

The thought in Dallas was that Odom could play a role similar to his time with the Lakers where he had just come off a great season that culminated with him winning the 6th man of the year in 2011. The Mavericks were also looking to fill the void brought by losing both Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea to free agency in the off season. What actually transpired was Odom being ineffective and appearing to be completely lost out in the floor. Lamar Odom experienced career lows in just about every statistical category.

The Dallas Mavericks will have the option of buying out the last year of Odom’s contract for 2.4 million or pursuing a trade to another team in the off-season.

- Fern Rea “@fullcourtfern”

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