**the official la lakers thread**

[kadyo's]

They need to give these two a show on TFC.

I think mak's tagalog is straight but tua's? his tagalog is crooked like the face of the moon.

[-MAKAVELLI-]

They need to give these two a show on TFC.

dancers will get pregnant and food will run out....



bad idea

[extracurRICular]

Clippers have leg up on Lakers to start NBA season
Sam Amick, USA TODAY SportsShare
Comments
The Lakers added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, but the Clippers, with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, could rule L.A.
Clippers 11-1-12

(Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, US Presswire)
Story Highlights

The Lakers are having the same chemistry problems the Clippers had last season but have overcome
Newcomers such as Jamal Crawford and Grant Hill make the Clippers one of the NBA's deepest teams
The Clippers are less worried about overtaking the Lakers as they are about overtaking the league

6:44PM EDT November 1. 2012 - LOS ANGELES -- As the Los Angeles Lakers' season opens with a heavy dose of doom and gloom, with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard & Co. already facing questions about their super team that has been anything but in their 0-2 start, their Staples Center roommates couldn't be having more fun.

Oohs and aahs came from Los Angeles Clippers fans Wednesday -- Blake Griffin dunking, contributions from a new supporting cast, point guard Chris Paul transcendent as always in a win against a Memphis Grizzlies team they downed in seven games in last season's Western Conference semifinals.

The same night in Portland, 38-year-old Lakers point guard Steve Nash was hobbling, Bryant was fuming and the pressure that coach Mike Brown swears he welcomes was already building.

As the Lakers and Clippers set to face off Friday night in the most one-sided turf war in all of sports, the rare reality is that the title-less Clippers have a key edge on the team with the 16 NBA championships. In Year 2 of the Clippers' grand plan, Paul and Griffin have worked out so many of the chemistry kinks that can keep a good team from evolving into an overlooked power in the Western Conference.

They are less worried about being the most talked about team than they are about being the best.

"We want to be thought of as a good basketball team, and I think we are," Griffin told USA TODAY Sports. "Like I've said over and over, we're not concerned about the Lakers and what they're doing. We're concerned about ourselves and making sure that we're presenting ourselves the right way and putting our best effort on the court."

How good could the Clippers be? Griffin scored 11 points and Paul 12 against the Grizzlies, but it was reserve guard Jamal Crawford who led the team with 29 points in 30 minutes.

"It's fun to be a part of this, to have guys come off the bench like Jamal and score effortlessly," Paul said. "I want to play every second of the game, but it's fun to be on the bench and cheer guys on, because the way they're playing is exciting."

Lamar Odom, who was drafted fourth overall by the Clippers in 1999 and won two titles in seven seasons with the Lakers, was traded from the Dallas Mavericks back to the Clippers in late June. He says his new team's best could lead to the club's first NBA crown.

"In order to change tradition, you have to want to be better than (just) one team," Odom said of trying to be best team at Staples. "You can't get caught up in, 'Oh, we're better than one team.' ''

This much is clear: These Clippers, so long considered the laughingstock of the NBA, are better than quite a few teams these days. While Bryant, Howard and Nash clearly have work to do for the Lakers to maximize their incredible potential, not all the basketball stars in Los Angeles are having a tough time meshing.

Just as questions abound on whether the edgy Bryant and the goofy Howard can co-exist, a similar dynamic existed between Paul and Griffin a year ago. Would the fierce 27-year-old Paul embrace the wildly talented 23-year-old Griffin?

Now, with team officials confident that Paul will re-sign as a free agent this summer so long as this momentum continues, their powerful pair have not only clicked but helped create the sort of culture that should have the Clippers in the championship mix.

The additions of free agents such as Crawford, former Lakers small forward Matt Barnes and veteran small forward Grant Hill were evidence enough that the Clippers' clout was on the rise, and a summer's worth of star-studded pickup games at the team's $50 million practice facility might have been a sign of more to come on that front.

LeBron James stopped by one day, as did Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, James Harden, Paul George, Greg Monroe, Roy Hibbert and Trevor Ariza. Some of them live in the area; others were on vacation. They all came of their own accord. Newly promoted general manager Gary Sacks said that never took place before Paul arrived.

"We let it be known to the agents and other GMs that we were playing pick-up games from 11 (am) to 1 (pm) every day," said Sacks, who teamed with club president Andy Roeser and coach Vinny Del Negro to reshape the supporting cast. "In the old days, they were going to UCLA (to play). ... I think it's a reflection of our players. It's Chris Paul. It's Blake Griffin. It's Chauncey Billups (who re-signed in the summer). It's Grant Hill."

There were small changes to operations that weren't the norm, either, including the creation of a Clippers-only family room inside Staples Center to make the players feel at home. Paul certainly does, but not just because his wife, 3-year-old son and infant daughter are regulars in the room.

The way in which he was allowed to voice his opinion on the roster moves during the summer was perhaps the most pronounced change in how the Clippers handled their business. Their hope, of course, is that the moves made not only lead to a better team but spark loyalty when it comes time for Paul to make up his mind on his future.

"I welcome that (input from Paul)," said Sacks, who is well aware the team has been criticized by some for giving a player too much power in the personnel department. "Why wouldn't you? ... You're just going to not listen, to the guy with the highest IQ in the NBA, maybe?"

The Clippers are looking smart these days, indeed. And while the NBA world wasn't wrong for paying so much attention to the Lakers' stunning moves over the summer, make no mistake that the Clippers' quiet ascent up the league's totem pole continued

[kadyo's]

dancers will get pregnant and food will run out....



bad idea

Who impregnate the dancers and who wipe out the food?

[-MAKAVELLI-]

Who impregnate the dancers and who wipe out the food?

food isn't my #1 weakness


yun lang

[kadyo's]

food isn't my #1 weakness


yun lang

Where's Tua?

Busy pa siguro sa pagkain.

[Drunken Cat]

A day late or so, but I'm on a different timezone.



You guys are all ours this year.

[extracurRICular]

A day late or so, but I'm on a different timezone.



You guys are all ours this year.

hahhahaha......all of the sudden everyone coming out the woodwork....hahahhahahha....ya'll some funny kats.....

[[ DUBBZZ ]]

Mike Brown better start updating his resume if they lose to Flop City.

[$tate of Mind]

The game tonight should be fun. The Lakers will get better but they shouldn't be this bad. Losing to 2nd stringers and letting the Blazers light them up isn't good. The new look Heat never looked THIS bad. The Celtics with Rondo, Pierce, Garnett, and Allen looked good right from the beginning of the season.