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Yes it is, the season has been shortened to 13 games, and it has been too easy
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/p...cruise-thunder
Updated: November 23, 2009, 9:19 AM ET
NBAE/Getty Images Kobe Bryant posted 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists against the Thunder.
Bynum, Lakers Making It Look Easy
By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com
Since apparently mini-concerts are now part of Lakers' games, what with Will.i.am grabbing a silver microphone and performing "I Gotta Feeling" during a fourth-quarter timeout Sunday night, next time they should bring out the Wu-Tang Clan for a rendition of "Can It Be All So Simple."
Shouldn't there be a longer adjustment period when it comes to bringing a starter back with an eighth of the season already gone? Shouldn't Andrew Bynum get thrown out of whack now that he no longer has the paint all to himself? Can anyone get within 10 points of the Lakers again now that Pau Gasol has returned from his hamstring injury and the Lakers have their starting lineup intact?
Their 101-85 victory over Oklahoma City made it seem like there's nothing to it.
"It's easy," Kobe Bryant said. "Because they're both good passers and have good touch outside. It's pretty seamless. We just plug 'em in and off we go."
Phil Jackson thought it would be enough of a challenge that he changed up the schedule and held practice the day after Gasol first played against the Bulls Thursday. Except Bynum missed both that and Saturday's practice with a "jammed" right ankle.
On top of that, Bynum was injured when the Lakers first traded for Gasol in 2008, and he played only 50 games last year. He should still be in the adjustment stage. How's this for an adjustment: 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting (along with nine rebounds and two blocked shots)? And this is basically big man training camp for Bynum.
"It's a good learning experience for me because we're able to go out there, we're able to play together on the offensive side of the ball," Bynum said. "On defense, we're both pretty long, we're both pretty athletic, we're able to change a lot of shots."
The Lakers took control of the game from the outset, with a 24-10 first-quarter advantage in points in the paint, a category they won 60-44 on the night.
"They protect the rim, they protect the paint, they make you play to the weakside, and it's tough to get over there," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
Offense was supposed to be the bigger adjustment, but Bynum has already figured out what works.
"[Gasol] can just stand at the free-throw line," Bynum said, "and they can pass me the ball in the post, and his guy can't drop off of him, because I can throw the ball out to him and it's an easy jump shot. If they don't double, then I'm able to take my time and do what I do with the ball."
An effective Bynum is what can make the Lakers better than last season, even if the Ron Artest-Trevor Ariza swap is a wash. The Lakers won with Bynum as a non-factor in the playoffs last season. Now he's averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds and shooting 59 percent. So if Gasol's numbers aren't special, as they were on a 15-point, 7-rebound Sunday (oh, with six assists), the Lakers can still win easily.
"As the season goes on, both of us are going to do better together," Bynum said. "The numbers will go down a little bit. But I think we'll be a stronger team, because everybody will be scoring. We'll be able to get more assists, a lot less double teaming."
Sunday's game in which the Thunder shot 37 percent, with double-digit missed shots from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, was a laugher. Most of the entertainment came from Bryant's circus shots, such as an over-the-backboard jumper and a lefty bank at the first-quarter buzzer, Shannon Brown dunks and the mini-concert.
Will.i.am and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, along with Alex Rodriguez, took courtside seats after partaking in the American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre across the street from Staples Center. Celebs at a Laker game? Nothing new. Until Will.i.am. started singing as the group's hit song played over the loudspeakers. Then they all gathered for a picture with B. Real of Cypress Hill.
As Bynum said, perhaps unintentionally quoting the song, "It was a good night tonight."
From the looks of things, one of many to come.
J.A. Adande is an ESPN.com senior writer and the author of "The Best Los Angeles Sports Arguments." Click here to e-mail J.A.
Yes it is, the season has been shortened to 13 games, and it has been too easy
You can use that amount of game b.s with other teams but you can't use it with the world champions. At their best they are the best! Period. Check the hardware.
Laker fans, stop tlongIIing the NBA section.
touchy, touchy
Is it possible to create a filter that hides threads that have 'Oden, Kobe, Sasha' etc in the subject line?
wouldn't that be nice
Adande is constantly 5 feet deep in Kobes ass, so this article holds no weight. I like how he threw in a Wu-tang song to make him look cool too
He probably had to look the song up.
A prescription for Laker fans:
Yeah, go back over to Sose's Joint where the rallying cry is: "Just stay humble!"
Too Round. Too Deep. Too Plump. Too Delectable. I'm in love with that girl's ass crack.
Too early.
adande basically works for espnlosangeles.com except the site doesnt exist
i heard stuff like this in 2004 with the 4 HOFs...
Looking around the NBA, there really aren't any teams you'd look at say they can beat the Lakers in 7 games. Best record in the NBA belongs to the Atlanta Hawks and the Lakers blew them out a week ago.
Some things just don't look right in Boston, Cleveland and Orlando.
In the West, it looks like the Lakers, Suns and Mavs are all better than any East team.
I thought there'd be more compe ion to the Lakers this year, so far it looks to be disappointing.
Boston can still be a challenge, as can Orlando. You can't rule them out yet. A Laker/Boston final would be a close one.
And I don't think anyone gets excited about playing in a playoff series against Lebron (and possibly Stern)
Yea, I heard stuff like this last year and...
oops, never mind.
too bad malone had a crippled leg to give the spurs a shot
Except the Celtics were the favorites to repeat going into last season. Noone predicted 70 wins, demanded that we just give them the trophy before the season started, or talked about how easy it was early in the season for the Lakers. All of these are true of 04' and of this year.
The . LA beat the Spurs bro and Malone was a big part of it with his defense on TD. Your team lost to the Pistons and sure Malone was hurting that series but lets be honest here, the Pistons didnt just beat the Lakers they waxed the floor with them and if it wasnt for Kobe's Game 2 heroics it wouldve been a sweep. A fully healthy Malone wouldnt have made enough of a difference to swing the outcome in favor of the Lakers.
lol laker fan
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