Ok.  Down 1 versus the Spurs.  No surprises there... howver this time - right here, right now - is a perfect place for Dwight Howard to step up and be the player that he once was, that we all thought he could be.

That's not to say he hasn't been the guy that we Lakerfans thought we were getting pretty good, but it's absolutely fair to think that he isn't quite the same player that he *can* be.

Whilst it's true that physically Dwight has struggled this season - he was quite obviously not even 80% when he returned at the beginning of the season - I do think that a very large part of the problem was above the shoulders. 

Dwight has copped one hell of a beating in the last 18 months.  This for a guy who loves to be loved has had an impact.  Additionally, I think playing with a hard taskmaster (Kobe, not Mike) has taken a toll as well.  I believe that a large part of the struggles Dwight's had during the season are mental/emotional.  And I think he can recover from it.

Now's the time for Dwight to really put his stamp on the Lakers franchise that could well be his playground for a while to come.  No Kobe, playing against the Spurs... and up against Father Time Duncan - Dwight should be one of the most dominant players on the floor whenever he's out there.  Now, as far as a D12-reclamation-project, LA doesn't even need to win the series.  But they have to compete, and Dwight has to be the primary reason.

This happens, and the future post-Kobe starts to look better.  Hell, I know that there's a chance that Howard doesn't re-sign with LA - it's absolutely not a sure bet - but it's likely.  More money, a fanbase starting to come around... and I'm not sure what the repercussions would be for his persona should he leave the league's premier glamor franchise because "there's too much pressure to win".

It'd be a helluva different place 'round LA with Dwight as the key guy.  I'm not sure you can get two more diametrically opposed characters than KB#24 & D12... but it is what it is.  Just happy to be a fan of a franchise who are enthusiastic about competing for a title each and every season.

Man... so much running through my mind at the moment that I don't know what to say.  I do know that I cannot sum it up as accurately or as succinctly as a certain Suns fan from Australia that I know...

Here's how he closed his piece on Kobe, and Kobe's injury:

Kobe proved to me - to everyone - that he's willing to literally destroy his body to get his team to the playoffs. He has apparently (yet to be confirmed by MRI) torn his achilles tendon completely - as in, there is no longer a connection between his calf muscle and his heel - and as his final act, stepped to the free throw line and made both free throws to give the Lakers a two point lead. With a completely torn achilles tendon. It has taken me until now to believe it, but that moment was Kobe Bryant epitomised.

It seems only fitting that Kobe is brought down in much the same way as the mythological hero his injured tendon was named after, because throughout his career Kobe has seemed as untouchable, as unbeatable as Achilles was in myth. For the sake of good basketball, we can only hope the arrow to Kobe's heel is not the fatal blow it was to Achilles - we're not ready for a post-Bryant NBA, much the same as I suspect the man himself is not ready for a post-NBA Bryant.

Love him, hate him or merely dislike him, all I ask is that you open your eyes, ignore your biases and give Kobe Bryant the respect that he truly deserves.

It's a worthy read, and I'd hope that a lot of Kobe's detractors end up in the same place.  Kudos, Mike.

12 games to go.  LA are in 8th, 2 games ahead of Utah and Dallas in 9th/10th.  3 games behind Houston for 7th.  The smoke's beginning to clear away now, and it looks like predictions of the Lakers making the playoffs will be on the mark.  Hell... it's not like picking contenders for the Kentucky Derby - it's a pretty good bet now that the Lakers will make it.

Still, the road home's not easy.  Difficult games litter the last 12.  Hosting Memphis, Dallas the Dubs and Houston... and trips to GSW (today), LAC (har-har), San Antonio and Portland.  That's 8 out of 12 difficult games, and no games on the schedule could be counted as "gimmes".  However, Utah have a tough stretch home too, and of late they've been playing truly abysmal basketball.  Dallas too have a hard road home. 7 of their games remaining are against playoff-bound teams, and only 2 games are relatively soft.  Portland?  Well... mathematically they're still in it.  But with 9 games vs very tough playoff-bound opponents, and the only non-playoff teams they face are Dallas and Utah - two teams who will be most eager to do battle.  Fuhgeddabowdit.

I don't think that the Lakers can catch Houston.  Nor do I think they should want to should the standings up top remain the same.  Redolent of a few years ago (Memphis vs San Antonio), #1 San Antonio are a much better option for LA than Oklahoma.  Granted, a lot will have to go right for LA to have a chance against either... but I fancy the chances vs the Spurs far more than I do vs OKC.  Simply a better match-up for the Lakers than the fast-paced Thunder.

Not a done thing yet... but given the way this season began, I'm happy where the Lakers find themselves now.  Cannot believe that too... happy for the team just to make the playoffs?  I guess this is what a Houston Rockets fan feels like!

SOL REPUBLIC gave me a set of their Master Tracks headphones to 'test-drive'... and I have to say, I'm most impressed.  I have a pair of Dead Mau5, and they're good... but they don't come close to the textured sound the Master Tracks deliver.  The ear cushioning, the pivot system, the size of the speakers... all are simply fantastic.

I love 'em.

And I think that you will too.  To win your very own set of SOL REPUBLIC Master Tracks, simply write down in the comment section who your all-time favourite Laker is.  I'll choose one lucky winner to take home a pair of SOL REPUBLIC Master Tracks.

What could be easier than that?

Ok, forget asking for a moment why the Lakers get themselves into situations like this... and ask: has Kobe Bryant ever been any better?

This... was sick.

Puts a bit of an exclamation mark on the game... Who?  Kobe?  OLD???

Oh yeah... .500 baby! (never thought that's something I'd get excited about... but here we are)

This, was pretty cool.

Check out what happened later:

Yes, that's none other than Shaq being "escorted" out of the arena!  Cool stuff... but I'd love him to do an introductions, like he did at this game!

It's no secret that I've been a critic of LeBron James over the years, there have been no shortage of anti-LBJ diatribes here: but I gotta say, I'm now a bit of a fan.  I know when I decided to try appreciate him, I'm not sure when it happened - becoming fully appreciative of the guy. 

Nearly a year and a half ago, I posted:

I for one am going to try to be less critical of him. It's something I've oft-pointed out to the anti-Kobe crowd: you're missing out on some amazing basketball if you focus too much on your hate. I'm definitely not as rabid as some are in the way I've regarded LeBron, but it's not been positive.
I think focusing less on what I don't like about LeBron and looking more towards simply enjoying basketball will be a good thing for me. No reason I can't be a Laker fan and enjoy LeBron's basketball.

And it's become a truth for me.  I'm kind of aghast at how fundamentally enjoyable it's become to "like" LeBron - but it's not just me.  LeBron's changed too.  That's become really apparent of late.

First there was this: 

I can't even imagine LeBron doing that earlier in his career (pre-title), and if he did - it would probably have come across as contrived... which it most likely would have been.  But this was pure.  Just joy in what some middle-aged dude had just achieved, and partaking in his ability to share the moment with Michael Drysch (the guy who hit the shot). 

Then more recently, there was this:

Which... if at all possible, was even cooler.  

I guess it happens with age, and the fact that he now has a title makes it easier for him to relax... and have fun with it.  All that past madness - march on by.  I'm guessing he's just happy to put it all behind him.  I'm happy to do the same.

Well... in Japan it's February 7th, 2013.  So officially it's Steve Nash's birthday here.  Also... my birthday.  For me, he's one of the most famous people to share this date (well... along with Sir Thomas More, Charles Dickens and Buster Crabbe), and for him to end up at the Lakers is kinda nice.

So, "O tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu Steve-san!!!"

It's getting damn difficult to predict which LA team will turn up on a nightly basis.  Will it be the Lakers that looked fantastic within a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder?  Or will it be the Lakers that showed up for a loss vs the somewhat depleted Toronto Raptors...

Hell, last week in the game vs the Phoenix Suns, both teams showed up - with LA looking completely dominant for most of the game, only have to have the "vs-Raptors" team show up for the last 14 minutes.  Unfortunately, those Lakers prevailed, and thus... so did the Suns.   

Even a much-vaunted (and rightly so) re-invention by Kobe Bryant hasn't been enough to completely stem the tide.  Black Mamba's incredible 56 assists in 5 games is a dramatic change from his usual 4-5 dimes per.  And it's come with the result of everyone being more involved... and thus more vested in the game's outcome.  Unfortunately, even that hasn't been enough.  During the win over Minnesota, LA still managed to squander a large lead and ended up winning by a somewhat-less-than-expected 11 points.

So... next game continues the Grammy road-trip, and in Detroit.  A Pistons team that's recently been fueled by their own set of dominant bigs - Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond really starting to assert themselves - and the recent addition of Gasol's countryman Jose Calderon.  Play to capabilities (and should Dwight be available), then this could be a cakewalk for LA.  Play to what we've seen from them all season... and it could get ugly.  Very ugly.

What are the odds the good team show up?  I dunno.  You tell me.