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Another season has come to an end and another opportunity to extend Kobe’s legacy wasted. Going into the series with Oklahoma City I didn’t expect the Lakers to come out on top. OKC has just too much fire power along with tenacious defenders that give relentless effort. The Thunder match up good with the Lakers with Perkins and Ibaka being able to hold their own against the Lakers bigs, and then having Sefalosha, Harden, and Durant to throw at Kobe. The Thunder were able to pack the paint and dare the inconsistent Lakers to shoot outside. This is how the Mavs beat the Lakers last year, and Boston beat them a few years back. The 3-point shooting for the Lakers is limited to Metta Ron Ron, Steve Blake, and Matt Barnes…hardly what you’d call real threats from deep especially when compared to Durant, Harden, and Westbrook.

In the end, the speed and tenacity proved too much for the Lakers. OKC was the team that looked poised down the stretch of close games instead of the seasoned Lakers. Although I believe the Lakers can beat the Thunder, they have to play perfect and bring their “A” game which they were never able to do for long stretches. So for now we’ll have to wait another summer and start the offseason trade chatter.

Whether or not the Lakers will admit it, they were in a desperate situation to win game 3 at home after being blown out in game one and then giving away game two in Oklahoma City. Game three was clearly a must win as the thought of another sweep in round two of the playoffs would haunt Lakers fans and staff all summer long and no doubt lead to some major lineup changes in LaLa land.

Good news is the Lakers came out of the gates strong posting a nice lead until Kobe was hit with his second foul and James Harden came in off the bench. The Laker then gave up their cushion and found themselves in a dog fight the rest of the way. The game was physical, and the Lakers fought for every basket they got along the way.

Things looked dismal late in the fourth quarter when Kobe turned the ball over which lead to a breakaway dunk by Westbrook leaving the Lakers down by five points with two minutes left in regulation.

Kobe then willed his team to victory by driving for a layup and getting to the foul line down the stretch. Some solid Lakers D held the Thunder in check and the Lakers clawed their way to a win capped off with Bynum’s block on Ibaka at the buzzer.

Good news, Lakers win. Bad news is they have to get ready to fight again Saturday night in another desperate must win situation.

Go Lakers!

Team USA unveiled its pool of players under consideration for the 2012 Olympic games—and it looks like the gold standard is making a comeback. With Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant, the city of Los Angles has three players whom are likely to make the final team of 12. Here’s a list of the 20 players in the mix.

• Kobe Bryant
• LeBron James
• Kevin Durant
• Dwight Howard
• Derrick Rose
• Chris Paul
• Carmelo Anthony
• Deron Williams
• Russell Westbrook
• Blake Griffin
• Chris Bosh
• Kevin Love
• LaMarcus Aldridge
• Eric Gordon
• Rudy Gay
• Lamar Odom
• Andrew Iguodala
• Dwyane Wade
• Tyson Chandler
• Chauncey Billups

With Kobe Bryant teaming with Dwight Howard and LeBron James for a second time to compete for the gold, it’s clear that Team USA will have the Midas Touch in London this summer.

Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are changing the NBA landscape at the point guard position. With the ability to score at ease or dish the rock to an open teammate, D-Rose and Westbrook are painting an enticing picture of playmaking while establishing a new world order at the point. So where do they rank among the best point guards in the NBA today? 

1. Derrick Rose: D-Rose is averaging 25.1 points per game with 7.8 assists per game. What happens when the game gets close? D-Rose gets straight-up lethal. Whether he’s taking his guy off the dribble, shaking him for a pull-up, or weaving through traffic to dish to an open man, D-Rose is doing it all. Does this remind you of anyone?

2. Chris Paul: At the start of the year, LA Hoops considered Chris Paul the best point guard in the game—and he’s not far away from the top spot with a unique combination of blistering speed and excellent court vision. During the season, CP3 controlled the pace of games, putting up 16.0 points while dishing 9.8 assists per game. It’s going to be entertaining to watch CP3 and D-Rose battle for the top point-guard spot on the USA National Team at the 2012 Olympics.

3. Deron Williams: Getting booted from Utah might actually be a good thing. Forget about basketball. Does anyone actually choose to live in Salt Lake City on purpose? On the court, D-Will is the third best point guard in the NBA averaging 20.1 points per game to along with 10.3 assists.  

4. Russell Westbrook: Loud like thunder, quick like lighting, Westbrook can uncork a world of hurt on most opposing point guards in the NBA. In fact, Russell’s performance has been so impressive this season, that many NBA pundits decided to rank him above Kevin Durant (whom was only leading the league in scoring) in early MVP discussions. While this might be considered his breakout year, it was his play in the World Games that let everyone know that Westbrook was ready to ignite OKC.

5. Rajon Rondo: Rondo’s game is all about team management and hustle. With 11.2 assist per game, Rondo knows where to get KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen the rock. Interestingly, at only 6’0 and 170 pounds, Rondo is still able to collect 4.4 boards a game on a team loaded with bigs, proving that there hasn’t been that much hustle since Snoop Dogg broke onto the scene in the early 1990s.

Honorable Mention: Steve Nash; John Wall; Jason Kidd

Locked and loaded. By acquiring Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson, the Oklahoma City Thunder immediately emerge as the biggest threat to the Lakers in the West (surpassing a stacked Dallas team). With a team that’s already loaded with athleticism, the NBA’s leading scorer, and an emerging superstar in Westbrook, the Thunder get the last piece it needs to become a legitimate title contender. By adding a defensive presence in the paint, OKC gets more than a big body—it gets added toughness. While this trade doesn’t vault the Thunder over the Lakers as the favorites to emerge from the West, it does give the Thunder the power surge it needs to make it rain on the Westside during the playoffs.

Every year there is a build up to All-Star weekend as the most elite players take center stage at a super-sized circus. This year Los Angeles was hosting the festivities with LA Live serving as the perfect setting to showcase extraordinary athletes, musicians, and celebrities at high-profile parties and a myriad of events.

Thursday night started off with the unveiling of the Jerry West statue and ceremony with some nice words from Lakers legends and family members. LA Hoops then went off to Zo and Magic’s celebrity 8-Ball tournament, which was filled with All-Star players, legends, media, and celebrities. We will have a follow up article on this event with details and photos, but I wanted to give a personal thank you to the hosts for all the free food, booze, and good times.

Friday featured the celebrity game where Justin Bieber and his wig took home MVP honors with his 3-11 shooting and a team loss. Thank goodness for fan voting. Bieber fever went crazy when Justin crossed over hip-hop emcee Common and then dished off a dime. I’m sure Common is gonna hear it from his boys.

The Rookie-Sophomore game showcased the young stars of the game that looked more like a track meet than a basketball game. John Wall took home MVP honors and the rookie win with 22 dimes, narrowly edging out his former Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins who dropped 33 points and 14 boards. “We talked about it before the game,” said DeMarcus Cousins. “We were kind of trying to work together. He wanted to break the assist record I and wanted MVP. Well, he got both.” Not much defense played in this game, but entertaining nonetheless.

Saturday is the MVP skills competition day and started with the Haier Shooting Stars event compiling teams from  a current NBA player, a legend, and a WNBA player. Atlanta’s Steve Smith, Al Horford, and Coco Miller took the win over Texas in the finals, but I’m not sure if anyone actually cared.

The Skills Challenge had a stacked lineup with Stephen Curry beating out Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, and John Wall to take top honors. Curry’s win also earned a $30,000 college scholarship for Karen Batani, a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Southern California. “Thank you so much for winning,” said Batani, seated next to Curry afterward. “It’s like the best day of my life.”

Miami Heat’s James Jones won the 3-point contest over Celtics Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but the highlight of the event was listening to the Staples Center crowd boo Paul Pierce when he was introduced. Pierce then questioned why they were booing him and not Ray Allen. One word Mr. Pierce: Wheelchair.

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