The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers are considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history led by Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.  They finished the regular season at 69-13, a record that would stand for 24 seasons as the best in NBA history.  The Lakers would cruise to the finals and defeat the New York Knicks in five games to capture the franchises first title since moving to Los Angeles from Minnesota.  It was the franchises seventh overall world championship.
The Los Angeles Lakers 33 game winning streak is the longest in North American professional teams sports history.  The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL won 17 straight games in 1993.  Baseball’s longest streak belongs to the 1916 New York Giants who won 26 straight and the Indianapolis Colts won 23 consecutive games in 2008 and 2009.
Here are highlights from the Lakers winning streak

Notable Birthdays

Alfonso Soriano: MLB – Born January 7th 1976 (age 35) in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic

Marquis Daniels: NBA – Born January 7th 1981 (age 30) in Orlando, Florida

Jon Lester: MLB – Born January 7th 1984 (age 27) in Tacoma, Washington

With Phoenix in a 2-0 hole in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, Sunday’s game was do or die.  Amare chose do.  He scored 42 points, going 14-22 from the field.  He also got to the line 18 times, converting on 14 of them.  His ability to get to the basket for easy shots frustrated the Laker big men.  At one point in the first quarter, they had sent him to the line on 4 of the first 9 possessions.  He also added 11 rebounds in the effort.

The Suns are now down 2 games to 1, but a win in game 4 could tie up the series at 2-2 and make the whole series up for grabs.  While Boston will be waiting in the East, it looks like the Lakers path to a ring may get a bit hairy.  Kobe is at the peak of his game, but when Amare, Nash and the Suns are firing on all cylinders like they did last night, it opens the door for a possible Suns Western Conference Championship.  For now, Amare wins the “Stat Line of the Night”.

Memphis Grizzlies head coach, Lionel Hollins, calls out play five late in a game between the Grizzlies and the Lakers, but his ring finger and pinkie fingers seem to prefer play three and a half.   My reaction to it was much like the women to Matt Walker’s broken finger during last year’s hockey playoffs.

As you can see, his ring finger bends at the knuckle and juts out in the other direction at 45 degree angle.  Meanwhile, his pinkie finger doesn’t raise at all, bending at a 90 degree angle right at the knuckle.  Coincidentally enough, the man with the broken finger on the other team hit a game winning shot at the end of this game – Kobe Bryant.

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Kobe Bryant

With 4.3 seconds on the clock and the Lakers down 1, there was really no question who was going to be getting the ball.  Even after his long layoff and with all the other talent on the team, Kobe Bryant may be the best in the league at knocking down clutch shots and you are going to put the ball in his hands.  Naturally he drained the 3.  It wasn’t just the 3 that made his night good, however.  He also scored 32 points, including the last 9 that his team scored to end the game.  He shot 13-19 and added 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.  The Grizzlies didn’t even know what hit them.

A performance like this might earn you the stat line honors without the game-winner but with it?  There is no question why Kobe earns the “Stat Line of the Night”.

How do you even defend this guy when he makes shots like this? I guess you don’t.

With only a couple of minutes remaining in the opening quarter, the Lakers were up big on the Oklahoma City Thunder, 27-10. That was when Kobe decided that scoring regular baskets was getting too easy, so he attempted to make his next shot from behind the backboard, and as you would expect, it was good. Nothing but net!

Somewhere LeBron is saying to himself, “No biggie, I hit that shot before too!”

Marv Albert, a basketball announcer for many years, was in LA for TNT’s broadcast of the Bulls-Lakers game Thursday night.  On Wednesday, he was a guest on the Jimmy Kimmel show, and 50 Cent happened to be the musical guest.  Albert arrived with a single person.  As they arrived, the bumped into 50′s crew, which was obviously far larger than Marv’s.  Here’s how the incident unfolded:

As Albert arrived, with an entourage of one, TNT public relations specialist Jeff Pomeroy, there was a sudden scuffle when a multitude of 50 Cent protectors seemed unfamiliar with Albert. There was shouting (“It’s Marv Albert,” yelled a Kimmel show guard, a pronouncement that seemed to have no effect on the 50 Cent phalanx.) There were obscenities. A fist or two flying. A “Don’t you put your hands on me” pronouncement.

And finally Albert made it to his waiting room, relatively unruffled but slightly puzzled. “Did you see that?” Albert said. “I thought they were kidding, but then I realized they weren’t.”

Here is the problem with the whole thing.  Even if they didn’t recognize Albert, how was he threatening to them in any way?  A small white guy in a suit walking down a hallway is going to somehow cause trouble for who knows how many large men that comprised 50 Cent’s entourage?  It seems very odd.  I’m sure it wasn’t a serious brawl like the one over Niedermeyer’s hockey stick, but some shoving is all it can take.   In the end, all that matters is that Marv’s toupee managed to stay on alright.  Whew.

Hat Tip – [LA Times]

Kobe Bryant now joins the ranks of icons on Sesame Street including Jackie Robinson and Dr. J.  Other notable appearances include President Clinton, Richard Pryor, Robert De Niro, James Earl Jones and Barbara Bush.  That’s a list of pretty distinguished names.  Though, I’m not sure if Seinfeld was ever there.

I don’t know if the actual episode will give us all the gems that this interview did.  Such as Kobe, favorite show being CSI: Miami and his awesome ‘remix’ of the Sesame Street theme song.  Maybe this is all just a promotional event for his off season stand up tour.  Who knows?  One thing I do know is that Kobe has successfully cleaned up his image after that unfortunate incident in Colorado a few years ago.  It seems everything is forgiven with a little time and an MVP year and a huge rock that says you love your wife.  I’d just make sure they keep the miniature Kobe muppet away from Prairie Dawn.

Video via – [Sporting News]

UPDATE:  Andrew Bynum Does The Hula-Hoop Rehab At The Playboy Mansion

Total Pro Sports – I guess Andrew Bynum’s knee is 100% ready for game action. Bynum was spotted carrying a Playboy model on his shoulders during a pajamas and lingerie party at the Playboy Mansion on Sunday.

Coach Phil Jackson said recently that Bynum could be at least a few weeks away from returning. Now, I’m no doctor, of course, but at the Playboy Mansion on Saturday, the Lakers’ 7-foot center looked to be well on the road to recovery.

While his Lakers were losing to the Hawks 86-76, Andrew Bynum partied like a Rock star.  At the he was wearing a pimped out green smoking jacket and slippers. Isnt it nice being ‘injured’ and not having to travel with the team because he had to attend the pajamas and lingerie party?

He picked up Playmate Nicole Narain and placed her on his shoulders and got somebody to take a picture with his digital camera.

Upper-body strength, check.

He hopped over a velvet rope near the DJ booth so he could take a picture with Narain and other Playmates who ended up sitting on his lap.

• Jumping ability, check.

He sidestepped a few of the roaming cameras and got down with some Playmates on the checkered dance floor set up in the backyard.

• Lateral movement, check.

Later, with lines around the bar getting longer, he pulled out a bottled beverage from one pocket and four plastic cups from another and offered up drinks to three Playmates who were with him.

• Ability to adjust to game situations, check.

In professional athletes contracts it should be written that if they are injured and rehabbing an injury, they should be at home resting and not partying like Andrew Bynum at the Playboy Mansion. Yes, a party like this should never be turned down, but if your getting paid millions of dollars to play a sport then you shouldn’t be out partying if your injured and can’t travel with your team.

A good deal for both teams as the Lakers will now save about $8 million under the cap next season and pick up a youngster that plays the same role as Radmanovic.

If Adam Morrison can find that scoring touch he had when he lead Gonzaga to that magnificent run in the NCAA Final Four,  the Lakers will have definitely won this deal.  Having Morrison play alongside Kobe Bryant at small forward will boost his confidence and hopefully find that scoring touch again.

We think the Lakers won this deal. Not only are they saving $8 million under the cap they got younger at the same time.

Lakers trade forward Vladimir Radmanovic [LA Times]

It was between Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers.  Yes we all know the Lakers won handily 105-92, but we had to do a double take on the Game Box Score.

Can anyone figure it out? It is truly amazing that this can happen in a basketball game.  We really don’t know if this has ever happened before in the NBA or NCAA Basketball history.

If you still can’t figure it out the title of the post “Milwaukee Bucks’ Crazy Box Score” speaks for itself.

Just take a look carefully.