Five NBA Players to Watch: Pacific Division Edition

This is the first of a six-part series that I'm working on finding five players from five different teams to watch in each division.

Rather than start with the Eastern Conference I'm working backwards, starting from the Pacific Division, home of the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.

Players Getting Paid More

It's players like LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett and, of course, Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant that has Luke Walton and every player in the NBA thanking them for getting an extra $25K from their licensing check in the mail. James, Iverson, Garnett and Bryant were the top four in jersey sales worldwide.

"Thanks, Kobe Bryant. Thanks, LeBron James," Luke Walton said, laughing. "You open the mail and have a check you don't even count on, that's beautiful."

President of the NBA Player's Association, and also Lakers teammate, Derek Fisher is thankful to those guys and is also to thank for getting this done, reported by the L.A. Times. Fisher helped

"The good part about it I think -- at least for most guys -- is that it's evenly distributed," Fisher said. "We recognize that our star players, they carry the load, in terms of the face of our game and the jersey sales that go on. So we're appreciative of the fact that they're in it too."

Thanks to Fisher and the top four jersey sellers in the world, everyone playing in the league will get the same amount, whether it'd be a superstar in Dwyane Wade, a bench player in Kyle Korver, a rookie in Anthony Morrow or Antoine Walker, who hasn't even played a minute. Way to spread the wealth.

Stackhouse Wants Out of Dallas

Less than a year ago, Jerry Stackhouse tried to find a way to come back to the Dallas Mavericks after almost being traded to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd. Now he's trying to get out and he's unhappy with new coach Rick Carlisle. Out of the Star-Telegram, Carlisle's offense doesn't mesh well with Stackhouse's style. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, is seeking a buyout or trade. Schwartz is also the agent of teammates Josh Howard and Jason Kidd.

Stackhouse, 34, is averaging career lows of 5.3 PPG, 1.1 RPG 1.3 APG in 17.6 MPG through eight games with the 3-7 Mavs and didn't play in the OT win against the New York Knicks. He was disappointed that he didn't play in the game because he played Wilson Chandler, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford over the summer and that they were "scared" to guard him.

Stackhouse on his options of leaving the team:

"I’m exploring options. The team is always going to protect itself. I can’t force their hand to do anything. I don’t really know all the options right now. I think it’s to the point now where it’s time to start researching some things and seeing if there’s other possibilities that make more sense for me right now."

President Donnie Nelson explains the problem and what he plans to do:

"Our first choice would be for what Jerry brings to the team, with his experience and playoff skins, toughness and intensity. Those things are valuable. It’s just that during this period of time, we’ve got to be able to bring some of our younger players along as well. Therein lies the conflict. With our relationship and openly and honestly communicating, we’ll be able to come up with a game plan and hopefully that game plan will be one that includes Jerry in a Maverick uniform. If it’s just not a comfortable situation, if it’s a situation where the minutes are just not there, then we’ll work together with his agent and see if there’s some win-win together for both of us."

There's no bad blood between him and Carlisle, but Stackhouse has made it clear that he's ready to move on:

"The key part is there’s really no conflict with us. It’s understood that it’s his job to coach the team, but it’s my job to protect my future. I’ve got to have some say-so and dictate with the role that I’m kind of in now, that I’m ready to accept that. I don’t think I’m ready to fully accept that at this point."

It's not like he knew that he wanted to get out when Carlisle came, but Stackhouse had at least a couple of opportunities to get out of Dallas before. The first being the Jason Kidd trade, where he said he would come back after getting traded. The NBA then stepped in and said that any trade the Mavs make for Jason Kidd must not include Stackhouse. If he was, he couldn't go back. The second was over the summer where the Sacramento Kings were shopping Ron Artest and the Mavs offered Stackhouse and Brandon Bass. The Kings wanted Josh Howard and the talks fell through.

He isn't demanding a trade, but he hopes to return to the franchise with a coaching or front office position. In an e-mail to the Star-Telegram, owner Mark Cuban, who's going through legal troubles unrelated to the team, said that Stackhouse could be valuable to the team "on and off the court." The article also says that the Mavs hope for Stackhouse to mentor Antoine Wright and Gerald Green.

Stackhouse, a 14-year veteran, is no stranger to new teams. In his career he's played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and the Washington Wizards. If he does move, he'll try to go to a contender, such as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers or maybe his old team the Pistons, with recently acquired Allen Iverson.

The Celtics lost James Posey, but Tony Allen has stepped up. What if Stackhouse went there? What if the Lakers got another good player in addition to Kobe and Co.? What if the Cavs fit him into their second unit with Wally Szczerbiak, Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson? What if Stackhouse went back to the city that embraced him the most and teamed up with Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and A.I.?

All four of those teams could go after Stackhouse. The Cavs made a move for Mo Williams over the summer and are rumored to go after Vince Carter again. The Pistons traded Chauncey Billups for A.I. this year. Every team except the Pistons made moves before the trade deadline last year. Stackhouse could be the difference maker on any of those teams if he's done in Dallas. If he is done, expect him to look for a ring.

Farmar Gets Alley-Oop from Walton

Jordan Farmar shakes off Mike Taylor goes behind Chris Kaman and Steve Novak and throws down a two-handed alley-oop jam from Luke Walton. If you want to see a point guard get an alley, Farmar's your man.

Kings-Blazers in OT Grab Vegas Spotlight Day 5

Kings (2-0) v. Blazers(1-1)

The Kings and the Blazers battled it out in OT, and in the end, Jason Thompson drive to the basket to make the game-winning 3 point play to win the game 75-74, the second game winner in summer league in 5 days of play. Thompson came off the bench for 17 points, 9 rebounds and a block, while Quincy Douby added 24 points and 6 steals. Shelden Williams posted 9 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks and Spencer Hawes had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Jerryd Bayless had 26 points (13-16 FTs) including the tough jumper that sent the game to OT. Bayless also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Petteri Koponen continued to shine with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and while Josh Davis had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Nicolas Batum had 6 points, 4 rebounds and a block.

I couldn't watch the game, but it was exciting to watch the boxscore update to the end.

Warriors (3-0) v. Bobcats (1-2)

Even with Anthony Randolph taking the day off, the Warriors are the hottest team in Vegas after winning 99-93 and getting a 3-0 record. Marco Belinelli went off for 30 points with 2 rebounds and a steal. C.J. Watson had 23 points, with the help of sinking 13 free throws, while Brandan Wright had 11 points 5 boards and 2 steals for the day. Georgia Tech's Anthony Morrow had 11 points and 3 rebounds off the bench and Louis Amundson had 6 points, 4 rebounds and the team's only 2 blocks.

D.J. Augustin knows how to score it up, but hasn't shown the ability to distribute as a point guard. He scored 30 points and a steal but had no assists and 5 TOs. The bench play wasn't bad for the Bobcats. In fact, they did more work than the other 4 starters alongside Augustin as Kyle Hines finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and a steal, Marcus Slaughter had 10 points and 3 rebounds in less than 12 minutes and James Mays put up 12 points, 4 rebounds. Orien Greene had 9 points, 2 boards and 2 steals.

Sixers (1-2) v. Lakers (1-2)

Thanks to triple 16s, the Sixers got their first summer league win, 81-73. Rookie Marreese Speights led the team with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jason Smith also finished with 16 points, along with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Thaddeus Young had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Junior Harrington came off the bench for 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while Jamont Gordon finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Coby Karl led the Lakers with 18 points, 2 assists and a steal, and got some help from Joe Crawford with 16 points 3 rebounds and a steal. Bryant Dunston had 10 points, 8 rebounds (4 off.) and 2 blocks while Cedric Bozeman finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Bucks (1-1) v. Pistons (2-1)

The Bucks ran away with a win, outscoring the Pistons 23-9 in the 4th quarter, winning 73-59. Ramon Sessions continues to lead his team with 21 points, 6 points and 4 rebounds. Unknown Olumide Oyedeji finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds (4 off.) and a steal while second round pick Luc Mbah a Moute had 7 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and a steal. "Average" Joe Alexander had a better than his average game with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. He hasn't lived up to the expectations around him, but he still has a few more games.

Arron Affalo continues to take charge with the Pistons with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Will Bynum filled in with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Deron Washington had 7 points and 4 rebounds off the bench while Walter Sharpe had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Rodney Stuckey did not play.

Hornets (2-1) v. Spurs (2-1)

Bobby Brown continues to impress playing for the Hornets, leading them to a 76-68 win over the Spurs. Brown had 15 points and 8 assists, while sophomore Julian Wright added 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Hilton Armstrong had 11 points, 4 rebounds and a block and Brandon Bowman had 12 points, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block. Derrick Byars had 8 points, 2 rebounds and a steal off the bench.

The Spurs' James Gist came out with a double double off the bench with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals in the loss. Ian Mahinmi has no signs of slowing his play, finishing with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, and Anthony Tolliver finished with 14 points and 2 rebounds that night. George Hill couldn't score but 3 points, but grabbed 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Brown, Affalo, Belinelli Highlight Vegas Day 3

Hornets (1-1) v. Bobcats (1-1)

The Hornets' Bobby Brown continues to impress in the summer league. He had 20 points, including the go-ahead with 30 seconds left to edge the Bobcats 77-75. Brown also had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Julian Wright had an all-around game with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks, while Hilton Armstrong posted 14 points and 5 rebounds. He also had an dunked on an alley-oop to tie the game at 75.

Bobcats' point guard D.J. Augustin has shown the ability to score, but hasn't distributed much his first 2 games. He finished with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 turnovers. Jamereo Davidson played well again putting up 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block and Orien Greene had 10 points off the bench.

Pistons (2-0) v. Cippers (1-2)

Arron Affalo starred in the Pistons 75-66 win against the Clippers, hitting 8-10 field goals and all nine free throws for 25 points to go with 4 rebounds. Will Bynum came off the bench for 10 points and center Cheikh Samb had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Rodney Stuckey, who was a major role in their first win, posted 8 points, 4 rebounds and a steal. Amir Johnson had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Although they were outrebounded 33-31, 6 Pistions grabbed 4+ rebounds.

The Clippers lost Eric Gordon to a hamstring strain for the rest of summer league and did not play against the Pistons. With him out of the way, DeAndre Jordan took control with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a block. Al Thornton had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal and Mike Taylor had 13 points, 6 rebounds, a block and 7 turnovers. Fatigue could be a factor working against the Clippers because they played back-to-back-to-back days, playing for 3 straight days.

Warriors (2-0) v. Mavericks (0-2)

This time Marco Belinelli was the star, leading his team with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal en route to a 95-86 win over the Mavs. Anthony Randolph, who scored 30 points in his debut, only had 11 points to go along with 5 boards, 2 assists, a block and a steal. Brandan Wright had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal while C.J. Watson picked up 14 points, 3 rebounds and 4 steals.

James Singleton starred for the Mavs' in their losing effort, putting up 17 points and 8 rebounds. Teammate Charles Rhodes had 12 points on 4-5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block off the bench and highflyer Gerald Green had 15 points, 3 rebounds and a steal.

Lakers (1-1) v. Grizzlies (2-1)

Coby Karl, out of all people, outdueled O.J. Mayo to give the Lakers a 85-76 win. Karl had a game high 16 points to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Sharrod Ford had 11 points and 4 rebounds and a block while Cedric Bozeman had 12 points and 4 rebounds. Nik Caner-Medley had 7 points and a game high 8 rebounds, along with a technical foul. Every Laker on the team who played scored.

Ebi Ere had the best game of any of the Grizzlies with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench. Mayo had 15 points and 2 rebounds but struggled with 6 turnovers while Mike Conley had 11 points and 3 rebounds. Javaris Crittenton had 9 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists and Steve Burtt Jr. scored 8 points in 8 minutes. Every Grizzlies' player on the team who played also scored.

Some players, including Danillo Gallinari, Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum will make their debut on day 4, stay tuned.

Summer League Recap: Day 1

The big game, Warriors v. Sixers. Warriors' rookie Anthony Randolph went off for 30 points and 8 rebounds in his summer league debut against the Sixers, winning 96-89. Sixers' sophomore forward Thaddeus Young had 27 points and 6 rebounds while rookie teammate Marreese Speights finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds (7 offensive).

Blowout of the night goes to the Clippers ousting the Mavericks 86-69. Clippers' sophomore Al Thornton had 20 points to go with 7 rebounds, while their rookie, Eric Gordon had 21 points on 5-13 shooting. I guess hitting 10-11 free throws would help and 5 of his 7 rebounds were offensive. James Singleton, former Clipper playing for the Mavs, had team highs of 13 points and 7 rebounds. Undrafted Charles Rhodes went for 10 points and 6 rebounds while Gerald Green added 12 points.

O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur made their Grizzlies debut in an 88-75 victory over the Hornets. The real star of the game, however, was their teammate P.J. Tucker with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Arthur had 18 points on 9-12 shooting and 2 steals, while O.J. Mayo had 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 8 turnovers. Let's not forget Mike Conley with 14 points and 6 assists. Hornets' center Hilton Armstrong had 13 points and 9 rebounds while Julian Wright 12 points, 5 boards and 11 turnovers. Bobby Brown out of Oregon also did well with 11 points and 5 assists.

Finally, Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons over the Lakers 84-73. Stuckey, who starred in the playoffs, had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Cheikh Samb had a near double double with 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Lakers' Coby Karl had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Sharrod Ford out of Clemson had 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Pretty good day for day 1 in Vegas. More debuts to happen today.

Paul Pierce, Where Amazing Happens

He thought that it was over when he heard his knee his knee popped. The crowd was silent as the team captain was carried off the court. As he went down the tunnel in the wheelchair, if the injury was bad, the series might have been over. Not only that, they lose their starting center Kendrick Perkins moments later.

But the Celtics thought different of that. After Doc Rivers' speech on adversity after losing both, the Celtics went on a 6-0 run before amzing happened. Paul Pierce came out of the tunnel jogging with a strained meniscus. He looked like Willis Reed going out there. The crowd saw him and exploded as soon as he came out. Then when he went to the scorers' table the fans were going crazy as soon as his name was called by the P.A. The fans' excitement forced Lakers' coach Phil Jackson to take a time out.

That didn't help later as Pierce hit back-to-back 3 pointers firing up the crowd like never before. Pierce had 15 points in that memorable 3rd quarter and finished with 22 points after scoring only 3 points in the 1st half. With Garnett's stat line coming up next, because of the impact he brought to the game, I'm giving the player of the game to Paul Pierce.

As for the rest of the Big 3, Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 13 rebounds and had 2 huge dunk, including a poster on Pau Gasol, coming to stores near you. Ray Allen had no trouble with his shooting touch. He had 19 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Look at Rajon Rondo, 15 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Plus, after getting hit by Derek Fisher in the 4th quarter, he put on his headband right-side up instead of upside down. Nice try on the dunk before. Perkins has to step up his game offensively next time. Even though he had just 1 point, his defense on Pau Gasol looked pretty good.

The Celtic bench contributed with defense. P.J. Brown had a big block on Lamar Odom, pinned it to the glass. James Posey had 2 steals. Sam Cassell hit his first 3 shots and finished with 8 points and drew a huge offensive foul from Kobe Bryant. Even Leon Powe had 4 points and 4 rebounds.

The Lakers ended up on the short side, after many were anticipating them stealing Game 1 on the road. The 3 keys with the Celtics' defense were outrebounding the Lakers 46-33, shutting down Vladimir Radmanovic for 5 points and Kobe taking more shots than he scored. 24 points on 26 shots. Radmanovic also had 5 fouls. Pau Gasol had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Lamar Odom had 14 points and 6 rebounds along with 5 fouls. Derek Fisher played in his 5th Finals appearance with Kobe. He had a solid night with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.

No one on the Lakers' bench really stepped up big. Sasha Vujacic had 8 points while Ronny Turiaf had 5 points. Jordan Farmar got shut down by Rondo for only 2 points while Luke Walton didn't score at all against his dad's former team in almost 14 minutes of play. I'm surprised that if Radmanovic or Walton couldn't score, Jackson didn't go to Trevor Ariza.

Defense wins championships, and it's more fun to watch Celtics defense than Spurs defense. It's just flat out better to watch the Celtics. Watching the Celtics play the Lakers has officially brought me into the rivalry. I was born in 1988, one year after the last meeting of both teams in the Finals with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Growing up I heard of and watched highlights of their games even back to Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Now, being part of it, going through the experience, I can feel why it's a legendary rivalry. This year 31 of 62, half of the NBA Championships will be won by either the Celtics or Lakers. Right now, I'm looking for banner #17.

Kings Douse Blazers 96-85, Calling out Odom

After coming off a huge victory against the Lakers, the Kings don't miss a beat by controlling the Blazers in a wire-to-wire win against a cold Blazers squad. They absolutely couldn't keep up with the Kings' all-around team play for the whole game despite getting as close as 7 points behind them. They were bringing in "L.A. energy" that they used to beat the Lakers with to beat the Blazers. A lot of fans wanted the Kings to take complete control of the game by blowing out the Blazers as they were down as many by 17 points. And at the very bottom, I'm calling out Lamar Odom for calling the Kings a high school team.

1ST QUARTER

The Kings started off on Ron Artest's 6-2 run. He had 9 points in the quarter to go along with 3 steals, 2 from Steve Blake. Brad Miller hit his first 3 pointer and looks like he's back on track. Later on, the Kings went on a 10-5 run, started by John Salmon's reverse slam on Travis Outlaw. Outlaw came in later with a long dunk, but hanging on the rim will get you a technical. Then Channing Frye hit a half court shot before the buzzer sounded. The Kings went through their whole regular rotation in the quarter, and they had a 34-27 lead at the end.

2ND QUARTER

The benches were cleared out on both teams. It was Salmons, Shelden Williams, Quincy Douby, Spencer Hawes, and Francisco Garcia vs. Outlaw, Frye, Jarret Jack, Sergio Rodreguiez and James Jones. The Kings bench schooled the Blazers' bench with an 8-0 run and ended it as an 13-3 run. Those were the only 3 Blazers points for the first 5:50 of the quarter. In the whole quarter, they were 7-26 FG (26.9%) while the Kings were 10-24 FG (41.6%). Salmons had 7-11 points in the quarter too, something fans want to see more of when he comes off of the bench. Hawes had some great post moves on Joel Przybilla as the Kings led 58-44.

3RD QUARTER

This quarter wasn't great for either team. The Blazers shot 6-21 (28.5%) from the field while the Kings shot 3-16 (18.75%). They made more points (8) on free throws than field goals (6). Kevin Martin tried a huge dunk over Przybilla but missed and on the other side, Outlaw couldn't dunk over Brad Miller. There was a scary moment where Artest was running with Brandon Roy when Roy stepped on his foot and Artest crashed into a screen by LaMarcus Aldridge, which looked like he was leaning in. Artest turned his ankle and had a really bad fall, but he was OK. The Blazers went on an 8-0 run at one point but the Kings were all but ready to give up their lead, as they led 72-63.

4TH QUARTER

The Kings didn't want to fall behind as they started out with a quick 8-2 run. Beno Udrih led the way a with his signature spin move on Brandon Roy, something I haven't seen Roy do in a while. Because of his spin move, color commentator and Director of Personnel Jerry Reynolds nicknamed him the "Tasmanian Slovenian." The "Slovenian Devil" would sound better, but his nickname has got out nationally, and Udrih doesn't seem to mind. Portland answered back with another 8-0 run. The Kings held their ground for the rest of the game, and after a couple of dunks from Garcia and Artest in the second half of the quarter, the game was over, 96-85.

HIGHLIGHTS

*=Team High
**=Game High

KINGS

Artest: 22 pts, 6 stl (season high), 4 reb, 3 ast
Udrih: 14 pts, 8 reb (ties career high), 7 ast, 6 TO
Miller: 14 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, stl
Salmons: 11 pts, 2 reb, 2 blk, ast (bench)
Moore: 10 pts, 5 reb
Garcia: 5 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast (bench)
Martin: 6 pts, 2 reb (1 off.), ast, stl
Douby: 6 pts, 3 reb (bench)
Hawes: 6 pts, reb (bench)

BLAZERS

Roy: 21 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, blk, 5 TO
Aldridge: 20 pts, 6 reb, stl, blk
Przybilla: 4 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk
Outlaw: 13 pts. 5 reb, 2 blk, stl (bench)
Blake: 6 pts, 6 ast
Frye: 4 pts, 7 reb (bench)
Webster: 10 pts, 2 reb

The Kings' bench outscored the Blazers' bench 30-24. Although they were outrebounded, the Kings played great defense, causing 20 TOs (2 on shot clock violations) and staying in front of their man. Artest's 6 steals played a major role against this team which could have taken away a potential 12 points. The Tasmanian Slovenian was on his way to a quadruple double, the bad one. He had a 7:6 assist to TO ratio but he did tie a career high 8 boards. 28 first half points in the paint helped out a lot too. Everyone who stepped on the court contributed to the team. Eight Kings scored 6+ points.

Portland just didn't play well out there and performances like that say that the playoffs are not in this team's future, at least this year. The players just didn't play well. Roy was the bright spot, but none of the other players stepped up to try and win like last time in Portland, where Martell Webster and Outlaw were shooting the lights out, but still lost. At least they tried. It's been a long road trip for this team, but in the end it looked like they just flat out quit.

While the Blazers go home to play the T'Wolves tomorrow, the Kings will take on the Suns on the same day, fresh off of a win against the Warriors. The Suns have beaten the then hobbled Kings 3 times already before the new year began. This will be the only time the Kings will face Shaq this year, and he's avoided Sacramento all year. They saw Shawn Marion 5 times this year. The Kings are going in confident and bringing that L.A. energy that they used to beat the Lakers to take on the Suns, because if the Lakers can beat the Suns, and the Kings can beat the Lakers, then the Kings can beat the Suns.

Another thing, I've been hearing a lot, saying that no one takes the Kings seriously. If the Lakers didn't take them seriously, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant wouldn't have had 40+ minutes in that game. Odom had the nerve to call the Kings Dominguez High School (#1 high school team in California). Where was your defense on Artest? I still haven't seen it for 2 games especially when Artest dunked on you. In fact I'm putting up lost flyers around Sacramento because that's where you lost it. Your radio announcers are scared because they think the Kings match-up to your team too well. So before you call out on a team who just beat you, make sure you show up to the game. See you in Sac. Peace.

Kings Upset #1 Lakers in 4th Quarter Thriller

Wow. That's all I can say. Going on the road to face the best team in the Western Conference, coming in 0-9 against the Pacific Divison, their division. The Lakers already beat them at Sacramento 5 days before, and now they come to the toughest arena the team will face. It wasn't the veterans who stepped up for the team, it was the young players Beno Udrih, rookie Spencer Hawes, and Francisco Garcia in the clutch and putting up a highlight reel in the 4th. A 4th quarter thriller is an understatement.

By the way, there are some new faces in the rivalry.

Kings: Beno Udrih, rookie Spencer Hawes, Mikki Moore, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright DNP, Anthony Johnson DNP
Lakers: Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza DNP, rookie Coby Karl DNP, D.J. Mbenga DNP

RECAP OF FIRST 3 QUARTERS

It was a seesaw for the first quarter until the Kings had the lead until the 4th quarter. Ron Artest was taking pull up jumpers, and making them. Kobe didn't take long to warm-up like the last game. He made 15-29 of the Laker's first quarter points. In the second quarter, lamar Odom and Pau Gasol stole the show with some dunks, but it was the Kevin Martin show when he scored 10-40 points in the quarter, leading the Kings to a season high 71 first half points, while the Lakers trailed with 60 points.

In the third quarter things started to get rough as Pau Gasol and Brad Miller got into it and were thrown a double technical. Bryant, after all of his complaining, finally got thrown with a technical and leads the league with 13 technical fouls this season. This season he makes Rasheed Wallace seem calmer. Meanwhile, after doing so well, Artest left 16 minutes before the game ended because his sore foot flared up again. Going into the 4th quarter the Kings led 92-89 and the Lakers would get a look at what might be the future of Hawes as the Kings highlight reel began in what could be one of the best 4th quarters in Kings history vs. the Lakers.

4TH QUARTER

Garcia and Hawes started up on fire as Hawes had a slam dunk and dished out 2 impressive assists for Garcia's contested lay-ups for 6 unasnwered points. The Lakers went on a 7-0 run on the faultering to tie the game at 100, including a flop by Sasha Vujacic to get Mikki Moore a technical foul. Hawes and Moore combined for 3 straight slam dunks. After this Phil Jackson called a timeout after letting a rookie drive in and dunk it. King Killer Derek Fisher hit a corner 3 pointer during the dunkfest. After his dunk, Moore hit a jumper and had another dunk, finishing with 14 points. The Kings had 5 clutch dunks in the quarter (Hawes 3, Moore 2), putting up nothing less than a spectacular play.

The game wasn't over yet though. The Lakers would complete their comeback with a Gasol lay-up to put them up 112-113 with 15 seconds left. Usually, this would doom the Kings, being that they're playing the Lakers at the Staples Center. Not this time. Udrih would drive-up to the side of the basket, only to be fouled by a fallen Vujacic. He made both shots with 4.6 seconds left. Coming out of the time out, clutch player and MVP canidate Kobe Bryant would have the ball in his hands.

Guarded by John Salmons, he shook his way to what would be an open shot, until Moore put a hand in his face. Bryant let go with 0.1 (maybe 0.0) left on the clock as the ball looked like it would go in. To see the ball hang in the air after the buzzer sounded, it was a Lakers' dream and a Kings'nightmare. It's what every Laker fan at the arena, watching on TV and listening on the radio wanted to see. A game winner from their supertar against a rivaled team. It hit the rim short.

Suddenly, it was a Lakers' nightmare and a Kings' dream come true. The clock ran out, no more time to play. The Kings won 114-113. Every Kings fan at the arena, the few who were brave enough to come, every fan who watched on the TV or listening on the radio, every guy who bet $20 that the Kings would win, had a big sigh of relief that their team had survived the best team in the Western Conference. Artest was popping his collar with his Kings warm-up jersey, showing the "Kings" logo on it, just how Kobe did it 5 days ago after exploding in ARCO Arena. He actually wanted it to say Sacramento, but I guess he forgot his road jersey was under it. Kobe didn't like Artest's notion, basically call him a copycat, but that was Artest's idea. Revenge. Overall, it was an excellent game.

HIGHLIGHTS
*= Team High
**= Game High

KINGS

Udrih: 25 pts*, 2 reb, 10 ast** (ties career high), stl, game winning free throws
Hawes: 14 pts, 8 reb (4 off.**), 4 blk** (career high), 3ast, stl (bench)
Artest: 17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl**, blk (did not play 4th qtr, sore foot)
Martin: 21 pts, 4 reb, ast
Moore: 14 pts, 9 reb*, ast, stl, technical foul
Garcia: 15 pts (3-4 3pt FG), ast (bench)
Salmons: 4 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl (bench)
Miller: 2 pts, 6 reb, blk, technical foul

LAKERS

Bryant: 26 pts**, 3 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, technical foul, (missed last second shot)
Gasol: 25 pts, 7 reb (3 off.), 9 ast*, 2 blk*, stl, technical foul
Odom: 16 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 2 blk*
Vuajacic: 15 pts, 2 reb, ast, stl (bench)
Radmonovic: 9 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast
Fisher: 13 pts, 3 ast, reb
Famar: 5 pts, 2 ast, reb
Walton: 4 pts, 4 reb (2 off.), ast
Turiaf: 0 pts, 5 reb (4 off.**) 2 blk*, ast

It was a great game, and in Sacramento, the rivalry lives on. Kobe thinks that it's not there yet, but after the loss, he says that the Kings will be playoff contenders in years to come. If Kobe said that, any Kings fan would take it. After seeing a breakout game from Hawes in a clutch situation, not many would find that hard to believe. Hawes made the game difficult for Gasol. The guy had 4 blocks in the game, including on Gasol. Gacia, Moore, Udrih and Hawes all stepped up in the clutch when Artest wasn't coming back. This team might rebound faster than expected, because if the young players can hold their ground against a veteran, championship contender, the Kings definitely have a bright future ahead of them.

Kings Solid but Kobe & Lakers Win 105-117

The Kings played 3 1/2 quarters of great basketball staying on top of the Lakers. It was a intense game like the Kings-Lakers rivalry is always. But Kobe, as usual, led the Lakers with 17 of his 34 points in the 4th quarter, part of a 24-5 run to give Pau Gasol his first win at Sacramento. The 43-18 Lakers are just a better team, but the Kings reminded everyone how well they can play too.

1ST QUARTER

The energy was bursting in a sold out Arco Arena (only the 2nd time), a rivalry renewed for another season. Kings and Lakers fans alike gathered to see 2 teams battle it out for the 8th year. The Kings started off with a balanced 6-0 run, but the Lakers trailed behind them. One thing I never thought would happen for a while, Kevin Martin shut down Kobe Bryant for 2 points, while he got 12 points. It was great to see his defense step up against him because usually Ron Artest defends him. Martin came out on fire with 12 first quarter points. John Salmons played his part for the first time in a while, scoring 6 points in the quarter. Gasol led the Lakers with 10 points as the Kings led 33-27.

2ND QUARTER

Salmons made 7 straight points for the Kings as they began their push to pull away from the Lakers. For almost 5 minutes, the Lakers missed 7 straight shots and had 2 turnovers as the Kings went on an 11-0 run ending as a 15-2 run that lasted almost 7 minutes. The Lakers pulled in, but trailed 58-53 at the half.

3RD QUARTER

The Lakers made 2 shots to pull to 58-57, but the Kings wouldn't give up their lead yet when they got 7 points. It was about to get physical, and personal. Bryant tried to steal the ball from Martin with a dash, but ended up crashing into a photographer while Martin got a wide open dunk. Throughout the game, Martin, Salmons and Artest took turns guarding Bryant who only had 17 points through 3 quarters. Gasol got hacked by Brad Miller with no foul call. Even though Lamar Odom made a shot right after, Gasol got hit with a technical, which Martin sunk. Miller would get hit with a T later, which Derek Fisher hit. There were more scraps for the ball than before and it was tough to play in that game. The Kings pulled away by as much as 12 points as they led 87-81.

4TH QUARTER

Artest was getting real emotional. He was in the game with passion. The Kings stayed competitve for the beginning of the game but they changed from the style of teamwork to too much one-on-one play down the stretch. The Lakers tightened their defense so that style couldn't work. They wouldn't let an inside or outside shot be taken. When the Lakers had the ball, Kobe was their go to guy. He had 15-17 points during his run, including a 360 slam that said GAME OVER. The Kings would go on to lose 105-117.

HIGHLIGHTS
*= team high
**= game high

KINGS
Artest: 23 pts* 5 reb, 2 ast, stl, 2 blk*
Martin: 23 pts* (scoreless in 4th qtr), 3 reb
Miller: 14 pts, 12 reb (4 off.*), 4 ast*, blk
Salmons: 17 pts, 4 reb, 3 steals**, ast
Beno Udrih: 15 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl
Mikki Moore: 6 pts, 13 reb**, 3 ast, stl, blk

LAKERS
Bryant: 34 pts** (17 in 4th qtr) 10 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl
Gasol: 31 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk**, (first win in Sacramento)
Odom: 19 pts, 12 reb* (6 off.**), 3 ast, stl, blk
Fisher: 17 pts, 2 reb, 6 ast**, 3 stl**, blk
Luke Walton: 7 pts, 4 reb (2 off.), 4 ast, stl

Kobe was unstoppable in the 4 th quarter, and after what happened to Dallas the day before, no one shoud feel bad for the Kings, but feel good about them. Kobe didn't drop 52 points on them. They actually played very well for most of the game.

I've said this throughout the season that the Kings have played well despite their record of 27-33, 6 wins away from last year's record. Many thought they'd be 20-40 at the most right now. They've handled adversity very well. Examples:

1. A rookie coach with no previous experience at the NBA level besides playing.
2. Brand new coaching staff, everyone but the trainer.
3. The constant acquiring of and cutting new players, trying to fit with the team during the regular season.
4. Injuries to 3 star players, from 12/27-1/12 all at once, including Mike Bibby (10/25- 1/16), Ron Artest (Suspension 10/31-11/12, Daughter's Illness 11/21, Injured 12/27-1/16) and Kevin Martin (12/5-1/12).
5. Trade rumors swirling around Bibby and Artest.
6. Bibby getting traded.

Out of that, the Kings saw the breakouts of Beno Udrih, John Salmons and Francisco Garcia. It's been tough for the Kings, but it could be worse. It's a rebuilding year, but they're not like the Clippers, Sonics, T'Wolves, or Heat. If you look at them, they're cut off from the Clippers and cut off from the Blazers in the Western Conference. Rebuilding teams look only to get better for the future so they can be the teams on the top. That's what the Kings are doing right now. It doesn't mean losing games, it means getting better.

Look Ahead for the Western Conference

Ever since the Pau Gasol trade, the West has been loading up with talent. Shaq goes to PHX, Damon Stoudemire to the Spurs, and before all the trades, Kyle Korver to Utah. It's going to be a fight to the finish for any position in the West. There are 10 teams that are contenders for a playoff spot, but 2 teams are going to be pushed out.

1. New Orleans Hornets have been an incredible team this especially when you consider that they're in the Southwest division. What makes it even more incredible is that it's in a conference loaded with a bunch talent. Chris Paul has been incredible, maximizing the frontline in Tyson Chandler, David West and Peja Stojakovic. Need to go inside? TC or D-West. Can't get a lay-up driving inside? Kick it out to Peja for three. No wonder he averages 10.9 APG. Paul's also had an MVP caliber season to go along with the Hornets' amazing season so far. If they keep up the pace that they're on, they're definitely title contenders for this year.


2. Phoenix Suns (37-16) Even though they still have one of the best records in the NBA, a lot of people think that the Suns are worse than before. Maybe that's why they made the move to get Shaq in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The trade gave them the much needed size that they needed since they lost Kurt Thomas, but it's still in question if Shaq can hang with the run-n-gun style of the Suns. Word is that they're not done trading yet. The Suns have missed opportunities to get to the Finals for the past 3 years and time is running out for them. Still, 2 time MVP Steve Nash still has the drive to lead the new look Suns to a championship.


3. Los Angeles Lakers (35-17) Six months ago, many people thought Kobe Bryant was on his way out of L.A. With the rise of Andrew Bynum they've been labled as contenders. Then they go get Pau Gasol and get rid of Kwame Brown. Now they're labled as the best in the west. Bynum's got a few weeks to go until he gets back on the court since injuring his knee, and Kobe just injured his pinky finger and said no to surgery. If Kobe can't perform the way he usualy does while he's injured, as tough as the West is, a bad run can drop the Lakers to a 7 or 8 seed, or even drop out of the race. If Kobe doesn't perform as well, Gasol and Lamar Odom will have to step up their game to stay in the race for at least homecourt advantage. But we've all seen Kobe.


4. Utah Jazz (34-19) The Jazz are back on track to repeating where they finished last year. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer have proven to be one of the toughest duos to match up against in the league, averaging 40.8 PPG. Williams has become an excellent playmaker with 9.7 APG while Boozer has been a 20-10 machine. AK-47's been a stat stuffer, Ronnie Brewer's stepped up his game and with the addition of Kyle Korver, the Jazz get a much needed shooter that could help them still be contenders.
   
5. San Antonio Spurs (34-17) The NBA Champions are still in the mix. Tim Duncan has led the Spurs to 4 championships in 9 years but it looked like they were taking a tumble after losing point guard Tony Parker. Many thought that age would finally catch up to the oldest team in the NBA. When Jacque Vaughn didn't look like enough, they turned to newly signed Damon Stoudmire, where they gained control during their annual rodeo trip. Now they look to do what the Spurs haven't done before, win back-to-back championships.
   
6. Dallas Mavericks (35-18) The Mavs have had what has been the best 2 year run in the franchise's history, but at the same time the most disappointing run. They went up 2-0 to the 2005 Finals only to lose 4 straight. They clinched the first seed in the West last year and Dirk Nowitzki got the MVP, only to get booted out the first round by the Golden State Warriors. Now they look to even up with the top teams by trying to acquire Jason Kidd, only to be blocked by Deavean George. They're still working on the trade but if the Mavs don't get the trade through, it could cause problems with the team's chemistry and emotionally hurt them in the second half of the season. It can hurt the players involved with that trade the most.


7. Golden State Warriors (32-20) The Warriors barely made it in last year. This year, they've been in the playoff picture since they hit the .500 mark after starting 1-6. The Yard's own Baron Davis has helped lead this team to where they are dishing out 8.1 APG, Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson are lighting it up from 3 point land, Monta Ellis' stepping up his game. One bad run for this team can cost them the playoffs, but since getting back Captain Jack, that doesn't seem likely. Hopefully Chris Webber will help give the Warriors the size they were looking for.
   
8. Denver Nuggets (32-30) They're right in the mix for leading the Northwest division, fighting with Utah and Portland. As competitive as the West is, they could get knocked out. With a strong line-up Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, they're too strong not to make the playoffs. Melo has made it public that he would like to add to the team by trading for the Kings' forward Ron Artest, which will be a major boost in defensive. Seemingly the organization is willing to part with Eduardo Najera, not the up and coming Linas Kleiza. The Kings aren't interested in acquiring just Eduardo Najera with a draft pick or recent cancer survivor Nene. Either the Artest for Kleiza-Najera, Artest for Kleiza-draft pick or Artest for Nene goes through, or they'll go with what they have, which is still pretty good.
   
9. Houston Rockets (32-20) The Rockets were struggling in the first half of the season with Tracy McGrady injuring himself early, Yao Ming had to help carry the Rockets. During a good run that they had earlier, some were starting to think that the Rockets were better without T-Mac. This was during the time that he wanted to be traded from the team. Luther Head stepped in and had some good games to fill in for T-Mac. But now that McGrady is back, they've won 10 of 11 games to be tied for 7th place and they look better than ever. With Head injured, the team is still doing great and is looking to get even better keeping everyone healthy.
   
10. Portland Trailblazers (28-24) The Blazers were the feel good story of the NBA. Once the hottest team in the league, they won 13 straight games after losing 9 out of 10. Brandon Roy emerged as their leader, LaMarcus Aldridge became a threat, the whole team just performed well with their unbelievable chemistry on and off the court. Since their miracle run, the youngest team in the league cooled back down, losing 4 straght games, going to 4 games over .500 and 4 games out of the playoffs. They're not counted out of the playoffs and definitely not counted out as title contenders in the future, espcially with Greg Oden coming in.
    
11. Sacramento Kings (23-28) Looks like it's time to call it a season, because Mike Bibby just got traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright and Shelden Williams (all but Williams have expiring contracts). It seemed like a bad season from the start for them. Bibby was hurt for over 35 games, Ron Artest was suspended the first 7 games and injured later, and leading scorer Kevin Martin (23.9 PPG) was injured, it all seemed hopeless. Throw in John Salmons and Beno Udrih's breakout year, 3 Francisco Garcia game winning 3 pointers, and throw in beating divisional leaders 7 times, and they have hope for next year. Looking to finish over .500 for the year under new coach Reggie Theus and having over $1 million in cap space for a big free agent, they look to start fresh. And Artest wanting a trade, he's backed off of it.
    
12. Los Angeles Clippers (17-33) After surprisingly starting out a red hot 4-0, they went on to win only 13 more games. Everyone knew that it was going to be a horrible season without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston. That gave Chris Kaman the opportunity to become a great center in the NBA. With Brand and Livingston due back, the Clippers look to get back on track for next year, hopefully getting back on track to becoming playoff contenders, shaping back into the form they were 2 years ago. Hopefully, both players will play the same way did before their injuries.
    
13. Memphis Grizzlies (14-38) There's not much to say about the Grizzlies now. After letting Pau Gasol and a 2010 2nd round draft pick go to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, brother Marc Gasol and 1st round picks in 2008 and 2010, Memphis is looking to rebuild for the future. Mike Miller may be on his way out too and they bought out Damon Stoudemire. Rudy Gay and Mike Conley are the 2 essential pieces for their future. Gay could be a potential superstar with the way he's performing. He's one of the league's best dunkers and has a great jump shot. To think he's still developing. Who know's, Darko Milicic might be a defensive key with the way he's blocking shots.
    
14. Seattle Supersonics (13-38) The Sonics are right around where they're expected to be. Kevin Durant has been one of the leading canidates for Rookie of the Year. The line-up has shaken up a little bit. Luke Ridnour lost his starting point guard job to Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins earned the small forward spot then lost it to rookie Jeff Green and Robert Swift was marred by injuries again after expecting to start this season (I know, he told me). Add this bad season with a franchise record 14-game losing streak with the controversy of moving out of Seattle, it's a year to forget, except for the fact they got the number one rookie in the draft. It's a rebuilding year, and they look to develop all the young players that they have, and players like Swift and Delonte West might not come back next year.


15. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-41) It was a dead on predicition that Minnesota would be one of the top lottery teams this year. Seven players have expiring contracts, including point guard Sesbastian Telfair, one of their best players. Obviously after trading Kevin Garnett away, this team was in rebuilding mode. Signing star power forward Al Jefferson to an extension gave the team a centerpiece to work with for the next few years. Rashad McCants has put up good numbers. They brought in some experience too by trading for Antoine Walker, while getting rid of Mark Blount and his big contract. In 10 wins so far they've beaten the Suns twice. Before going on their current 5 game losing streak, the team showed signs of development by getting two 2-game winning streaks, winning 5 out of 7 games. They've got a lot of work ahead of them, but under Jefferson, this team has a future to look ahead too.

It's going to be a wild finish for the Western Conference. Many teams have performed well throughout the season but only 8 can make it to the playoffs. There might even be an upset.