SPORTS
April 20, 2014 | By Mike Bresnahan
Chris Paul couldn't stop watching the play. Once. Twice. Again. Another time. It bothered him that he didn't make the right call in a late three-on-one, getting his shot blocked by Harrison Barnes instead of passing to J.J. Redick. That didn't even compare with the two free throws he missed with 11 seconds left in the Clippers' 109-105 loss to Golden State in Saturday's playoff opener. Long night for Paul. Long Sunday too. "I looked at it, I think, six different times [Sunday]
SPORTS
April 11, 2014 | By Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus
Another sign of a team in decline - empty seats. There have been nine non-sellouts at home for the Lakers, a surprising number for a team that enjoyed 270 consecutive packed crowds at Staples Center until earlier this season. The franchise was startled when the sellout streak ended in mid-November against New Orleans. Now that game is considered the tip of the attendance iceberg. Last month was particularly bad for the Lakers, who failed to sell out five of eight home games, including one against the Clippers.
SPORTS
April 10, 2014 | By Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus
Kobe Bryant was annoyed. Really, really annoyed. The Lakers traded Steve Blake before the February deadline, immediately sending a dissatisfied Bryant to Twitter. He said he was "not cool" with the trade "AT ALL," hitting caps lock for effect and also calling Blake a "psycho competitor. " Blake is still appreciative two months later. He'll play with his new team, Golden State, against the Lakers in his return Friday to Staples Center. "Whenever you have support like that from a teammate, it feels great, especially from one of the greatest," Blake said in a phone interview.
SPORTS
March 21, 2014
How well will Phil Jackson do in New York? Quite well, I'm sure; after all, he has Jim Buss' cellphone number and a number of castoffs to send west. Lynn McGinnis Glendale :: How to become a millionaire? Just ask Jim Buss. He managed to turn a billion-dollar enterprise into a million-dollar one. Sam Austin Bermuda Dunes :: So the owner of the Knicks believes it is worth $60 million to have Phil Jackson watch the team lose for the next five years? Some might say even that amount isn't enough.
SPORTS
March 9, 2014 | By Eric Pincus
Derek Fisher made what may have been his last appearance on the Lakers' home floor at Staples Center, playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon in a 114-110 loss to the home team. Fisher, in his 18th season, has vowed to retire after the 2013-14 campaign. "He's talked about retiring," said Thunder Coach Scott Brooks on Sunday. "I've heard [our players] are planning on talking to him. Fisher can still play a few more years if he wants to play. " "It's not, 'If I can't,'" said Fisher after the game, acknowledging this was probably his last year.
SPORTS
March 6, 2014 | Bill Plaschke
They can't make enough pingpong balls to cover this mess. Even those cheering for the Lakers to tank games were surely shocked and saddened Thursday night when, on their own floor against their hallway neighbor, they tanked effort. They tanked intensity. They tanked trust. Why on earth would anybody want to actually spend money to watch or sponsor or contribute anything to this once-proud franchise again this season after they openly mocked their legacy and culture in a 142-94 loss to the Clippers?