Was that a game or what? The Lakers staved off Phoenix’s charges to eventually pull out the 130-124 victory in Shaq’s Suns debut. The Lakers looked a tad bit lethargic coming off their complete sodomization of the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. Against most teams being a bit lethargic wouldn’t be a big problem, but this is the Suns we’re talking about here. Each time the Lakers went on a run, Sun’s coach Mike D’Antoni would......

Lakers 130, Suns 124 - So I'm like "OMG!" and then she's like "fer reelllllz!" And then I'm like "NO.WAY." and the she's like "totally." Whoops. That's the last time we let our teenage niece borrow the keyboard -- but she did sum things up pretty well. Jimmy will have all the deets on the NBA's greatest February game of all time at 9:00am. Clippers 100, Grizzlies 86 - The Clippers are officially LA's bastard......

Lakers 122, Hawks 93 - Atlanta had a bad draw. They were coming into a pumped-up Staples Center that hadn't seen the Lakers play a home game in weeks. They were coming in against a team rejuvenated by Pau Gasol. They were coming in against a Kobe Bryant with something to prove. Before halftime, the Lakers had a 41 point lead. Gasol and Bryant each scored 23. Bryant whacked his hand a couple times and......

Ducks 2, Avalanche 1 - Teemu Selanne isn't back in hockey shape, but he did hit the back of the net for the first time this season. Anaheim is 5-0 since he returned from a lengthy personal debate over whether or not he should retire. The five wins balanced out a nine game road trip that started with three losses and a tie. Blues 4, Kings 2 - A struggling St. Louis found just the......

I first heard about Shaquille O'Neal in middle school. Back then, he was more of a playground rumor than a superstar. The first kid to learn about him tried to tell the rest of us. 7'1"? Impossible. 375 pounds? Nah. Size 23 shoe? Are you sure that's not his jersey number? Clearly, he was telling tales. There was some giggling, name calling, and a serious demotion in the lunch seating hierarchy. Nobody could be that......

Lakers 103, Washington Wizards 91 - The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates. The Lakers led by 22 at halftime, and led by as much as 25 points in the third quarter. Kobe Bryant, who outscored the Wizards in the first quarter 19-15, ended up with 30 points on 10-15 shooting with eight free throws. Vladamir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf rounded out the starters with double-figure scoring, and Sasha Vujacic......

Suns 106, Lakers 98 - Maybe Mitch Kupchak isn't a cupcake, but an evil genius. After mis-managing the Lakers in recent years, it turns out he was right about Andrew Bynum. He refused to trade the young center, and all of a sudden the kid got GOOD. Unfortunately, he's out with an injury and his backup was worthless against Phoenix (hence the evil part). Kwame Brown had seven turnovers and missed an open dunk. Bravo.......

What to do, Lakers fans! As the countdown to tip off commences against evil vampire leader Steve Nash and the rest of the Suns (ironic, isn’t it? That they’re named the Suns? Because Vampires HATE sun!), the faithful should cherish the Laker’s tentative hold on that first place spot in the western conference. We ain’t gonna have it long, folks. Laker GM Mitch Kupchak called into the Dan Patrick Show on AM 570 KLAC this......

Clippers 97, Suns 90 - LA picked up their second win in the past 12 games and snapped a 4 game losing streak on the back of Sam Cassell, who scored 32 ... In their previous three meetings, Phoenix won by an average of 15 ... The Clippers are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA (92.6 points per game) while the Suns are the highest (110.3 ppg). Ducks 4, Stars 2 - Scott Niedermayer notched......

Suns 108, Clippers 88 - After getting pushed around by Laker's big man Andrew Bynum, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire took his frustrations out on Clippers center Chris Kaman. Stoudemire had 30 points and 15 rebounds while limiting Kaman to just 9 points. Now lets all pause for a moment and appreciate that this is a picture of Clipper guard Dan Dickau doing, apparently, what he was born to do. Ducks 2, Oilers 1 - Doug Weight......

Lakers 122, Suns 115 - Andrew Bynum's growth as a player has been the Laker fans' biggest gift this year, and they celebrated on Christmas by watching the youngster drop a career high 28 points along with 12 rebounds and 4 assists ... All five starters for both teams scored in double digits, with Kobe's 38 leading the way. He seems as intent and driven as ever, though it's still difficult to really trust the......

There was no local action last, night, so enjoy ESPN's top 10 things that have been thrown onto fields. Included are a soccer player being plunked with a lit flair, referees being pelted with beer bottles (that game was called early), and a manager pleading with the crowd to stop throwing baseballs into the game. Oh yeah, then there are the rats. Can't forget those. If you need your post-present sports fix (especially is......

Sarah Silverman @ Largo Metal Skool Tommy Peacock, 3 Against 1 @ Key Club Razorlight, Gran Ronde @ Henry Fonda Chris Daughtry @ Orpheum Softlightes, Sunday Drivers, Arizona, Unbusted @ Spaceland Tickle Me Pink, Dead Sara, The Record Life @ Safari Sam's Pedestrian, Cydney Robinson, Holly Palmer @ The Bordello Black Hole Suns, Scott Wolf, Grogans Girl @ The Good Hurt Mercy Killers, The Black Rose Phantoms, Static Though @ Knitting Factory......

Monday Elizabeth Gilbert discusses and signs Eat Pray Love 7pm @ Vroman's Sasha Abramsky presents American Furies 7pm @ Book Soup Bruce Dern signs Things I've Said, But Probably Shouldn't Have 7pm @ Dutton's Tuesday Michael Ondaatje presents Divisadero 7pm @ Central Library James St. James presents Freak Show 7pm @ Book Soup Ann Brashares discusses and signs The Last Summer (of You and Me) 7pm @ Vroman's Robert Ellis presents City of Fire......

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. Times 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......

Suns 119, Lakers 110 - Everybody saw this one coming, but at least the Lakers made a game of it. Already trailing 3-1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced double-digit deficits for much of the night. However, they pulled within two in the third quarter and five in the fourth thanks to strong performances from Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom. Kobe had a typical 34 point game, but he needed......

A Word or 4 dozen : Somehow I totally missed posting that the Shield was on last night and again it was good. I think one would be hard-pressed to find more raw and compelling performances on any other show available on the networks or basic cable. Being a former SF resident, I haven't been able to get enough of Conan's broadcast from the Orpheum theater on Market Street- too bad that's still bum-junkie......

The Lakers head into a must win game tonight in Phoenix (7:30 on KCAL 9 or TNT) with many fans and pundits thinking this is more a nationally televised execution than a playoff game. Look at the reports from yesterday’s Laker practice and the same feeling seems to have washed over the team. Not to worry though Laker fans, you’ve got Phil Jackson’s amazing motivational tools: “I did tell them that they had the brainpower......

Suns 113, Lakers 100 - The Laker's season could be down to one game. The Suns outshone Los Angeles and took a 3-1 series lead thanks to huge performances from Steve Nash (23 assists, 17 points) and Amare Stoudemire (27 points, 21 rebounds). Nash's assist total was one shy off the all time playoff record, held by Magic Johnson (who was in the stands) and John Stockton. Not bad company. On the other side of......

Right around the start of the second quarter of game three between the Suns and Lakers last night, a wave of desperation washed over Laker fans -- lose this game and it’s over, and the good guys were down by 17. But that same wave seemed to wash up some hustle -- not to mention the sudden ability to defend the pick-and-roll -- on the Lakers' players. Seemingly out of the blue, the fun-to-watch Laker......

Lakers 95, Suns 89 - After getting smacked around in the first two games of the series, the Lakers were looking up at a 17 point Phoenix lead in game three. Then something snapped. Kobe went on a 45 point rampage and -- surprise! -- Kwame Brown had 19. Lamar Odom had 18, but more important were his 16 rebounds (6 on the offensive glass). Los Angeles finally has the spark of hope that sometimes......

Steve Nash and the Suns are in town tonight playing the Lakers. And to us, he looks like the product of a Tom Petty and James Blunt affair.........

Suns 126, Lakers 98 - Phoenix had lost game two in each of their past five playoff series. Not this time. The Suns burnt the Lakers so badly that Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire both sat out the entire fourth quarter and each only saw 24 minutes of action. Kobe Bryant made just five of 13 and was held to 15 points. Unlike game one of the series, Kobe tried to set up his teammates......

A Word or 49: Iggy Pop redeems Jimmy Kimmel tonight. For petessake when is the stupid 'house' gimmick ever gonna end on House? (new one tonight) I'm rockin' the slot with the Shield tonight though - now that Vic seems to be in the clear perhaps we're just back to some stellar violence. Today - Tuesday - April 24th, 2007 Rita Hayworth Marathon (TCM, 5- p.m.) Starting with Pal Joey, then Salome, etc. Check......

Tigers 9, Angels 5 - Mike Maroth threw 105 pitches over just 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits, five walks, and three runs (two earned). He left the game with the bases loaded. Yet the only reason he didn't earn the win is that he didn't pitch the minimum five innings required of starters. Despite his ugly stats, Detroit still won thanks to a barrage of seven runs in the first two innings.......

Kobe Bryant has always seemed to me like a character out of Greek mythology or a classic novel -– his greatest strength is also the cause of his undoing. Sunday in game one against the Suns, it was part of the Lakers undoing. Kobe could not be Kobe without his supreme self-confidence, without his unshakable belief that the next shot is going to fall regardless of if he made the last one, regardless of where......

Despite all the talk about the Lakers’ newly revitalized motivation after reading about how the Phoenix Suns and their coach put them down in a book about last year’s playoff series, no one realistically expects the Lakers to beat the Suns in this year’s playoffs. Recent projections by four “NBA experts” printed in Sports Illustrated called Phoenix to win in either five or six games. Couple that with the Times reporting Lakers coach Phil......

In the last 23 years, NBA playoff seven seeds have won four and lost 42 series of their first-round playoff series. Not good news for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who tip off against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday (noon on ABC). Still there is some hope -- last year in the playoffs against these Suns the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead (but eventually lost in seven games); and even during the recent Lakers slide some......

Hornets 86, Clippers 83 - Sports fans talk about "meaningless games" towards the end of the regular season. Those are contests held after a team is already in or out of the playoffs and seeding isn't a major issue. It's a common indicator of an exciting team in baseball. In this year's NBA playoff chase, the Clippers didn't play a single meaningless game. They did play roughly one meaningless quarter. Despite taking a solid lead......

Clippers 103, Suns 99 - The sun hasn't set on the Clipper's playoff hopes yet. Los Angeles surprised Phoenix, who played their regular starters despite a lock on the #2 seed in the West. The Clippers need to beat New Orleans (a/k/a Oklahoma City) on Wednesday and root for Portland to beat Golden State. That scenario would tie them with the Warriors at .500. The teams split their season series, but the Clippers would advance......