Results tagged “briancook”

Three losses in a row. A close loss in Milwaukee. A thrashing at the hands of the Boston. Then losing a 14-point lead and the game to New Jersey. That’s what last week brought the Lakers, pain and misery. And now a 7-6 record after a promising start.

He was a dominant force at Westchester High School. He was part of the first year of Ben Howland’s turnaround at UCLA. And now he is a Laker. Trevor Ariza has come home, bringing with him some amazing dunks, good defense and a high-energy game that should fit in well with the young core of the Lakers. He was traded for veterans Brian Cook and Mo Evans. Call us crazy, but this is the rare...

After years of pressure from stats geeks thoughtful mathematicians, the NBA has started keeping a new official statistic — the old plus/minus. It’s a simple idea that hockey has used for decades: How much does a team outscore its opponent (or get outscored) when a specific player is on the floor. It’s pretty simple.

Now that the Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs after last night’s 119-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns, local sports writers weighed in this morning about where to place the blame. columnist J.A. Adande joins a growing number of people who are looking to coach Phil Jackson for some answers. Jackson is a Hall of Famer and is considered by many to be one of the best coaches in NBA history, but lately some have been questioning the efficacy of his triangle offense with the current Lakers team. Adande thinks the Lakers certainly have the right players, but proposes that Jackson rethink his coaching style. “Something different than the erratic, three-point jacking under former coach Rudy Tomjanovich, but not as limited as what they’re doing now,” he suggests.

It seems as if the Lakers are inventing new ways to lose of late. Last night’s double overtime loss to Minnesota included some beauties –- including failing to throw the ball in bounds to the open man, something successfully pulled off by junior high teams. Laker veteran Aaron McKie couldn’t see Brian Cook waiting for the ball with a wide-open shot to win the game.

There have been plenty of excuses: Luke Walton and Kwame Brown are out with injuries; Kobe Bryant had to miss a game because he can’t control his arms; Lamar Odom is not 100% from his knee problems; it was a long eight-game road trip to cold places; Mercury was retrograde so the stars were lined up against the Lakers.

Pistons 93, Lakers 78 - Unless you're a Chris Webber fan, this game was not Tivo worthy. Thursday night hosts Must See TV, but the contest was over long before prime time rolled around. Detroit went up by as many as 20 and dominated from the outset. Webber had 18 points and 11 rebounds, leading a rejuvenated Pistons squad to their fifth straight win and a 9-2 record since he joined the team. Kobe Bryant...

Lakers 124, Heat 118, OT - Unlike the Golden Globe acceptance speeches, nobody was upset when this went a little long. Boasting a budding rivalry that didn't even need Shaq or Pat Riley, the Lakers survived the Heat in a game featuring plenty of lead changes and ties. Dwayne Wade had a game high 35, but it wasn't enough against a Lakers squad that spread the ball around (seven players scored in double digits). The team shot 14-for-25 from beyond the arc with five from Smush Parker and four from Brian Cook. Miami was just 9-for-26 from deep.

How much has Lamar Odom meant to the Lakers this season? Look at it this way, he was playing more minutes per game than Kobe Bryant.