JUNE 06: Giant signage by Nike with the likeness of Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers is seen outside the arena prior to Game Two of the 2010 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
For Kobe Bryant , the three-day stretch between the Lakers’ first-round series against New Orleans and their semifinal matchup against Dallas couldn’t come soon enough.
From the clip-and-save file: July 14, 2010, Dallas Mavericks president Donnie Nelson announces trade for center Tyson Chandler .
The Times’ Mike Bresnahan notes how the Lakers and Mavericks don’t have much of a playoff history.
Manny Pacquiao received rock star treatment from a major sports apparel brand that gave him a send-off event in downtown Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Rob Mahoney of HP with a terrific defense of Russell Westbrook : “However, if we look at all of the lineups that played more than 25 minutes this season featuring Westbrook and Durant without Green , we see a completely different result.
Pacers president Larry Bird will know his status in a week or so. Bird is in the final year of his contract and Indiana owner Herb Simon said Friday that he will meet with Bird in the next 10 days to see if they can agree on an extension or if it’s time for the franchise to part ways with one of the state’s greatest hoops heroes.
Kevin Ding column: The Lakers proved their ability to dominate late in another series by closing New Orleans on the first try, but it helps a lot that the Lakers are skilled at knowing what adjustments to make.
Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during play against the New Orleans Hornets in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, left, dunks on New Orleans Hornets forward Carl Landry , Hornets forward Trevor Ariza, background center, and Hornets guard Chris Paul during the first half of Game 6 of the playoff series in New Orleans on Thursday.
Dallas’ Brendan Haywood defends against Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort Thursday as the Mavericks eliminated the Blazers in six games.
Kobe Bryant missed Laker shootaround today and did not speak with reporters. Of course the reason being his ailing left ankle.
Derrick Caracter, a backup forward for the L.A. Lakers was arrested this weekend after he drunkenly assaulted a pregnant waitress at a New Orleans International House of Pancakes.
Two transcendent playoff performances by Chris Paul made the Hornets’ first-round series with Los Angeles far more interesting than the defending champion Lakers would have preferred.
The trend is as reliable as a Lakers sellout game. The performances become as notable as the Laker flags waving all around Los Angeles.
