Mike T. Limpag
Fair Play
IT WAS supposed to be a battle between the top two teams in the West, but the LA Lakers had other things in mind when they faced the Dallas Mavericks at home.
Kobe and Company made the Dallas Mavericks (23-11) look like the New Jersey Nets as the Lakers rolled to 27-7 with their biggest win this season, 131-96.
Jason Kidd, who is 40.2 from the field and 34.4 from the three-point area for his career, hit a perfect zero.
He missed all 12 shots, six from the three-point area.
Kobe Bryant had a quiet 15 points, but did it on 6 of 12 shooting and also had eight assists.
The NBA finals MVP also overtook Patrick Ewing at No. 15 in the NBA’s all-time scoring list late in the game.
Andrew Bynum only had eight looks at the basket but made them all and also made 3 of four free throws to finish with 19.
It was all over for Dallas in the first quarter as the Lakers zoomed to 30-13 before taking a 64-39 lead at the break.
““Some nights you don’t have it offensively, but you at least have to get some stops to stay in the game,” Nowitzki told AP.
“They had whatever they wanted. Bynum was on the inside, Kobe was making shots everywhere. On offense, we just couldn’t do anything right.”
That about sums up the game.
Dallas couldn’t do anything right.
In the East, the Cavs inexplicably stumbled at home, dropping to 27-9 after going 8-2 in their last 10 games, including a road win over the Lakers.
After scoring 48 in his birthday, King James had 29 but missed a trey that could have tied the match.
Despite the loss, Cleveland still owns the best record in the East and is second only to the Lakers.
Those who are hoping to see LBJ23 vs. KB24 in the finals can continue to hope.
The Cavs can afford to take a holiday in their next game, against the woeful Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are 10-21 and have to deal with the distractions created by Gilbert Arenas, who’s idea of a joke is to take unloaded guns from his locker.
Who is he kidding?
Arenas’s version came after reports hit that he and another teammate took out their guns after a heated argument regarding Agent Zero’s gambling debts.
The Wizards aren’t laughing either.
The team is reportedly looking at using the morality clause to rescind the player’s very fat six-year $110 million contract signed in 2008.
With $92 million to go in the contract and the Wizards at 10-21 and dead last in the season, letting go of Agent Zero might be the Wizards’s best act this season.
Arenas should know the Wizards takes violence—or perception of it seriously.
The team used to be known as the Washington Bullets but changed their moniker because of the negative connotation.
The latest episode shows a 180-degree turn between the relationship of Arenas and the Wizards.
When they were negotiating for a contract, Arenas won a lot of hearts by turning down a $124-million deal so the Wizards will have enough rough to re-sign his friend Antawn Jamison, the second most expensive player in the roster at $11 million a year.
Now, it seems, Arenas has worn out his welcome.
(mikelimpag@gmail.com)