According to Serious Sports News Network, J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets made the following comments regarding Kobe’s hot hand in Game 2:

“There’s no need to get all crazy about it,” said Nuggets guard J.R. Smith. “Every once in a while some nobody gets a hot hand and score’s a lot of points. No need to panic. Sun shines on a dog’s ass every once in a while. I’m sure that sooner or later he’ll come back to earth. He’ll be back in the D-League before you know it.”

Now let’s break this down line by line.

“There’s no need to get all crazy about it” - This is about the only thing Smith said that was remotely accurate.  Yes, there is no need to get crazy over a 49-point outing by the game’s best player…after all, Kobe has had 90+ 40-point games and 20+ 50-point games during his 12 years in the League.  So it’s quite common that Kobe score 30, 40, even 50 points on a given night.  Whats not common is that he also dish out 10 assists to go with his 49 points. 

“Every once in a while some nobody gets a hot hand and score’s a lot of points. No need to panic. Sun shines on a dog’s ass every once in a while.” - I won’t even break down this line as it’s pure disrespect to Kobe.  It’s evident that Smith made this comment to disrespect and degrade Kobe as a basketball player.  Unless Smith has been living underneath a rock for the past 12 years, this comment goes to show how immature and moronic he is.

“I’m sure that sooner or later he’ll come back to earth.” - Again, unless Smith has been underneath that rock of his, Kobe has not been “back to earth” for a long time now.  And I am sure he will be as far from Earth as possible during this first round series against Smith and the Nuggets. 

“He’ll be back in the D-League before you know it.” - When was Kobe ever in the D-League?

Now I’m not sure how reputable Serious Sports News Network is, but if the above comments were really made by J.R. Smith, he is in for a treat when the Nuggets face the Lakers in Game 3 on Saturday. 

Check out the article for the full story and more strange comments from Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and George Karl. 

Photo above courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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Take it literally (like above) or metaphorically, one thing’s for sure, J.R. Smith messed with the wrong NBA player.  During the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Lakers-Nuggets Round 1 Playoff game, Smith insisted on constantly talking trash to the game’s best player, Kobe Bryant.  On one possession where Smith was guarding Kobe and continued to run his mouth at him, Kobe drove the ball strong to the basket, was fouled by Smith, made the layup, and got the and-1. That gave Kobe 49 points for the game, yet Smith still couldn’t shut his mouth. 

After the game, when asked about his on-court conversations with Smith, Kobe replied “You shake the tree, a leopard’s gonna fall out.”  J.R. Smith definitely shook the tree and not one but many leopards came falling out in the form of layups, dunks, jumpers, free-throws, and-1’s, and even assists, at Smith and the Denver Nuggets. 

Smith did an idiotic thing by upsetting the game’s best player, one who plays even better when he’s mad.  Lamar Odom said it best “He’s one of those players you don’t really want to make mad.”

J.R., if you’re reading this, simma down and apologize to Kobe before he goes OFF on you again in games 3 and 4. 

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Kobe started Wednesday’s Game 2 versus the Denver Nuggets on fire.  He scored any and every way imaginable - jumpers, layups, dunks, and-1’s, free-throws - you name it, Kobe did it.  He ended the 1st quarter with 20 points, two points shy of a Laker playoff record.  In the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Kobe looked more to get his teammates involved rather than scoring.  However, in the 4th and final quarter, Kobe looked to be more aggressive, scoring at will against Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith, en route to 19 fourth quarter points as the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 122-107.  Kobe ended the game with 49 points (18-27 FGM-A), 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.  He was one point shy of his playoff career high of 50 points. 

The Lakers now lead the series 2-0 as both teams head to Denver for games 3 and 4. 

An interesting note: Kobe is now part of a small group of players to hit the 40-10 mark in the playoffs in the last 15 years.
2008 - Kobe Bryant 49-10 Lakers
2001 - Tracy McGrady 42-10 Magic
1995 - Kevin Johnson 46-10 Suns *
1993 - Charles Barkley 43-10 Suns
* - Lost game

Watch Kobe’s highlights from Game 2 here. 

Photo above courtesy of AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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So after two weeks of voting, Kobeheads voiced their opinions on which Zoom Kobe III colorway is their favorite and a must-have.  Not surprisingly, the Lower Merion “Aces” was the highest vote-getter, receiving nearly 38% of total votes.  Coming in second and third were the Lakers “Purple Toes” and Lakers “China Edition,” respectively.  What was surprising, though, is the USA colorway only receiving 1 vote, tying the All-Star colorway for the least favorite and must-have.  This could be due to limited info/photos of the USA colorway currently available online.  As more photos are leaked of this colorway on sneaker forums, more interest should be directed to it by summer time. 

To check out the final poll results, click here. 

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Kobe is named Western Conference Player of the Month for the second time this season.  Kobe averaged 26.1 points to go along with 5.5 assists, helping the Lakers go 7-1 and earn the top spot in the Western Conference Playoffs.  Kobe scored 20 or more points in seven of the team’s eight games, including two 30-plus point games.  Kobe last won the Player of the Month award in February.  He also has three Player of the Week awards under his belt - January 14, March 3, and April 7.  This goes to show Kobe may not have started the year strong but he definitely finished strong, on his way to earning his first MVP award.  By the way, MVP votes are due in today and the results will be announced shortly. 

Here are Kobe’s numbers for April 2008:
April 2 vs. Portland: Recorded 26 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 104-91 win over the Trail Blazers.
April 8 @ Portland: Netted 34 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 112-103 loss to the Trail Blazers.
April 11 vs. New Orleans: Tallied 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in a 107-104 win over the Hornets.

Photo above courtesy of AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

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The 2008 NBA Playoffs are set.  The Western Conference is filled with intriguing match-ups from top to bottom.  The Lakers will open the Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, April 20 @ 12:00PM (see complete series schedule below).  If the Lakers were to defeat the Nuggets in Round 1, they would go on to face either the Utah Jazz or Houston Rockets in the Conference Semifinals.  Both teams would present favorable match-ups for the Lakers.  With home-court advantage, the Lakers would contain an advantage over the Jazz, who are tied with the worst road record (17-24) among Western Conference Playoff teams.  As for the Rockets, they will be without Yao Ming throughout the Playoffs, which would present a problem for them if the Lakers get Andrew Bynum back and play three 7-footers at the same time.  Overall, the road to the Conference Finals for the Lakers is looking good.  They will avoid one of two threatening teams (Spurs and Suns) until they reach the Conference Finals.  Other teams in the lower half of the bracket should not present too much of a problem for the Lakers given the Lakers have won the season series/hold tie-breaker against all four teams (Spurs, Suns, Hornets, Mavericks). 

Lakers Playoff Schedule - Round 1 vs Denver Nuggets
Game 1: Sunday, April 20: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 12 p.m. (ABC)
Game 2: Wednesday, April 23: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.  (FSN/TNT)
Game 3: Saturday, April 26: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 2:30 p.m.  (KCAL9/TNT)
Game: 4 Monday, April 28: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 7:30 p.m.   (KCAL9/TNT)
*Game 5: Wednesday, April 30: Denver at L.A. Lakers, TBA, if necessary
*Game 6:Friday, May 2: L.A. Lakers at Denver, TBA, if necessary
*Game 7: Sunday, May 4: Denver at L.A. Lakers, TBA, if necessary

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Kobe will be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s April 21st issue, along with Kevin Garnett.  The cover is titled “Playoff Dreams” and highlights the possibility of a Lakers/Celtics NBA Finals matchup.  If such a series were to occur, it will be the ultimate basketball crowd pleaser, bringing back LA/Boston rivalries of the 1980’s. 

Look for the magazine at your local newstands next week. 

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Congratulations to Kobe and the Lakers for finishing the 2007-08 NBA season with the best record (57-25) in the West.  The Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings 124-101 to clinch the top spot and no. 1 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.  The Lakers will most likely face the Denver Nuggets in the 1st Round, set to begin this weekend.  The Lakers are 3-0 vs. the Nuggets this season. 

Photo above courtesy of AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

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Coming into Sunday’s game versus the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers were tied with the New Orleans Hornets for the best record (55-25) in the Western Conference, and only 0.5 game ahead of the Spurs.  However, with a convincing win (106-85) over the defending Champions at Staples Sunday afternoon, the Lakers were in great position to end the season atop the West.  All they needed, other than winning their last game against the Sacramento Kings, was a Houston loss, to secure the no. 1 seed heading into the Playoffs.  The Rockets were scheduled to play the Denver Nuggets later that evening and ended up losing big, 94-111.   

What this translates to is that the Lakers now control their own destiny for the top seed in the West…win Tuesday versus the Kings and be seeded no. 1.  They will most likely face the Nuggets, who currently lead the Golden State Warriors by 0.5 game for the last remaining playoff spot.  The Nuggets are a more favorable matchup for the Lakers.  Of the 3 games played against the Nuggets, the Lakers have won each and every one.  The Warriors’ style of play has caused problems for LA during the regular season. 

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Kobe came to play and to send a statement to the rest of the League on Friday - the ‘08 MVP award is his to win!  Kobe started the game with a bounce in his step, scoring basket after basket.  The Lakers led the Hornets by as many as 30 points in the first half before giving all but one of it back.  However, the defining moment of the game, and possibly the MVP debate, was when Kobe took possession of a loose ball off of a rebound, went baseline, and threw down a double-clutch reverse dunk that brought all of Staples down.  It was sheer vintage Kobe.  After the jam, Kobe walked towards the bench poppin’ his jersey as the Hornets called timeout. 

Kobe ended the game with a near triple-double: 29 points (9-17 FG), 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and two steals.  But most importantly, he led the Lakers in victory over the conference-leading Hornets, who the Lakers only trail by 0.5 game. 

Checkout the highlights.

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