Operation Reach B.L.A.C.K. - Sports News

Champion Lakers: A look back

2010-10-01T16:28:00.000-07:00

As the NBA Champs get ready for a new season, here's a look back at how they kept their crown.

The back-to-back champs beat a gritty Celtics team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals 83-79. Kobe struggled, but found other ways to lead his team to the win. Pau Gasol was quiet at the start, but took control of the paint late in the game. D-Fish hit a big 3-pointer like clockwork. And, perhaps the most unlikely hero of them all, Ron Artest was the most consistent Laker from start to finish. His 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter sealed the deal. . . his post game comments and interview capped the entertainment value of a tremendous Finals showdown.

In the end, it was a total team effort. A sweet victory for your 2009-2010 NBA Champions: The Los Angeles Lakers!

L.A. stands tall, beats Boston for 1-0 Finals lead

2010-06-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

The road to redemption started early for Lakers forward Pau Gasol. His physical play, dominating the offensive boards, helped lead the Lakers to a 102-89 Game 1 victory over the Boston Celtics. Gasol finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds (8 offensive rebounds).

Kobe Bryant was nothing short of brilliant, workin' the mid-range game for a game-high 30 points to go along with 6 assists and 7 rebounds. And number 24 did it on the defensive end as well, taking the challenge of guarding Celtics guard, Rajon Rondo, and capping the night with a big block on Tony Allen in the second half.

The defense, the rebounding, the overall intensity all sided with the Lakers last night. It was a dominate performance and the Lakers will look to make it a 2-0 series lead when both sides meet again this Sunday at 8 ET.

Good news for Lakers fans . . .

In case you haven't heard, Phil Jackson's teams are 47-0 when they win the first game of a playoff series. There's a long way to go, but, if that trend holds up, L.A. will be hanging its 16th championship banner.

Santana Moss linked to Galea HGH controversy

2010-05-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Breaking news hitting the wires as Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss is alleged to have received human growth hormone from controversy-laden Canadian doctor, Anthony Galea.

via The Washington Post:

by Rick Maese and Barry Svrluga

One source said that Moss was the player Galea's medical assistant, Mary Anne Catalano, was on her way to meet in Washington, when she was arrested at the U.S.-Canada border on Sept. 14, 2009, with banned substances, syringes and other medical equipment in her vehicle.

Moss would not discuss the matter at Redskins Park on Wednesday.

"I'll talk about football. I don't know about nothing else," Moss said. "I ain't got nothing to do with nothing that ain't about me."

You can read the rest of the article here.

L.A.'s supporting cast gets some. . .Lakers take 2-0 series lead over Suns

2010-05-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Kobe dropped 40 in game one. So holding Bryant to 21 points in game two should have been good news for the Suns, right?

Wrong.

Double team Kobe Bryant and leave his supporting cast wide open to do damage. That was the story of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Kobe Bryant dished a career playoff-high 13 assists to lead the Lakers past the Suns 124-112.

Ron Artest can't shoot?

Lamar Odom got lucky?

How about 18 points for Ron Artest on 6 of 9 shooting? Odom contributed with 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. And if that weren't enough, Pau Gasol closed the deal down the stretch. The Lakers big man scored 29 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

As for the Suns? Grant Hill had his mid-range game on point the entire night. But, his 23 points weren't enough -- neither was Richardson's 27 or Stoudemire's 18.

The series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 Sunday at 8:30 ET.

Orlando stumbles down the stretch, Boston takes 2-0 lead

2010-05-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Boston Celtics gained a stranglehold in the Eastern Conference Finals last night with a 95-92 win over the Olando Magic. Late mistakes cost the Magic in the final minutes of the game. Vince Carter missed two crucial free throws and J.J. Redick let precious seconds fall off the clock when he failed to immediately call a timeout after securing a rebound late in the game.
Boston looks like it smells blood in the water. Paul Pierce, who finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, made it clear . . . the Celtics hope to close this series out when they head back to Boston later this week.

Game 3 is on the Celtics home court, this Saturday at 8:30 ET.

Kobe scorches Suns, Lakers take 1-0 series lead

2010-05-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

Image by Aaron Frutman via Flickr

The Suns were the hottest team coming into last night's opener for the Western Conference Finals . . .

Aaaannd Kobe cares, why?

Someone forgot to tell #24 that the Suns were on the rise. The reigning Finals MVP torched Pheonix for 40 points on 13 of 23 shooting from the field. The Lakers took their first lead mid-way through the first quarter and didn't look back - ballooning their lead to the 30s in the 4th quarter and crusing to an easy 21-point, 128-107 victory.

The Suns set early this tim around. The game was so far gone that Steve Nash sat the entire 4th quarter of garbage time. He finished with a quiet 13 points and 13 assists. Amare Stoudemire had 23 points. None of it mattered Monday night.

The Lakers' Pau Gasol orchestrated the paint, finishing with 21 points. But, it was the impressive play by Lakers' sixth man, Lamar Odom, that sealed the deal. Odom had 19 points and 19 rebounds off the bench, doing anything and everything he wanted on the court.

The Lakers will look to take a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night at 8pm ET.

Celtics take 1-0 series lead with win over Magic

2010-05-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Fresh off of dropping Cleveland, the Boston Celtics continued their impressive play with a 92-88 Game 1 victory over the Orlando Magic. Boston takes a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and continues to surprise critics who've doubted the age and health of the 2008 world champions.

Paul Pierce led Boston in scoring with 25 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field. Ray Allen kept it going with 22 points including 2 of 5 from the three point arc.

The Magic were favored coming into the match-up, but the Magic's star center only scored 13 points on 3 for 10 shooting. Vince Carter's solid 23 point effort wasn't enough, and now Orlando will have to do something it hasn't had to do this entire playoffs . . . respond to a loss.

Game two is back in Orlando on Tuesday, 8:30 ET.

NBA: What went down (3/13/10)

2010-03-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

What went down?

Um . . .yeah, that happened. No need to fix your computer screens. Yes, the Knicks whooped the streaking Mavericks by 34 points last night, 128-96. Al Harrington and Bill Walker (um, Bill Walker? Yup, he did that) had strong games off the bench for New York. They combined for 43 points. Walker had 21 points in a Friday loss to Memphis. Could this be his coming out party? Is he the diamond in the rough from the Nate Robinson deal New York made with the Celtics at the trade deadline? Something to think about. And check out David Lee's stat line: 15 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists - proving his All Star material.

As for the Mavs? Well, sometimes you just gotta throw a game in the garbage and start over. We'll see if they get another win streak going after this. But for now I'm guessing. . .

Mr. Cuban, you have a call on line one from a gentleman named Spike Lee.

What else went down?

The Nuggets got a half-game up on the Mavs in the Western Conference standings with a 125-108 win over the Grizzlies. Scola dropped 44 and 12 on the Nets. And Stephen Curry continued his strong push for Rookie of the Year with a 35 point performance over the Raptors.

Here's the rest of the action:

NBA: What went down (3/12/10)

2010-03-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

What went down

The heavyweights pulled out close wins last night. Cleveland beat Philadelphia 100-95 and the Lakers survived a back and forth struggle with the Suns 102-96.

What else went down?

Charlotte beat the Clippers 106-98. Boston overpowered Indiana 122-103. The T-Wolves couldn't handle the Spurs - San Antonio won 103-85. And Denver handled its business against New Orleans, winning 102-95.

Take a look at the rest of the action:

NBA: What went down (3/11/10)

2010-03-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

What went down?

A slow night in the NBA on Thursday. Brandon Roy dropped 41 to beat the Warriors. Orlando crushed the Chicago Bulls. And Atlanta knocked the Wizards. Check it out:

NBA: What went down (3/10/10)

2010-03-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

Mavericks roll to 13 straight wins

The Dallas Mavericks just keep on winning. Last night the Mavericks overcame a 14-point first quarter deficit to beat the New Jersey Nets 96-87. Jason Kidd and Caron Butler had strong performances to offset Dirk Nowitzki's subpar shooting night.

What else went down?

Boston dropped its second game in a row with a loss to Memphis. The Bobcats and Thunder continued their impressive play with wins over Philadelphia and New Orleans, respectively. And D-Wade did damage in a win against the Clippers. See that and much more in NBA.com's The Daily Zap:

NBA: What went down (3/09/10)

2010-03-10T04:38:00.000-08:00

King Kobe does it again . . . sinks game winner to down Raptors

He knew he was gonna do it. The Raptors knew he was gonna do it. But Toronto couldn't stop the Black Mamba from notching yet another game winner to his growing list of late game heroics. The Lakers beat the Raptors 109-107. Lakers center, Andrew Bynum, had 22 points and 2 blocked shots. Raptors big men, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, combined for 43 points in the losing effort.

What else went down?

The Magic crushed the Clippers, Beantown got beat in Milwaukee, and Utah proved too much for Chicago. Catch the rest of the action from last night:

NBA Christmas Recap: Cavs and Celtics get gifts they asked for

2009-12-26T06:35:00.000-08:00

Celtics won a low scoring contest to knock off the Magic. Meanwhile, Lebron James and Mo Williams combined for 58 points to steal L.A.'s holiday cheer. Here's the recap from yesterday's action:

Preview: NBA Christmas Showdown

2009-12-19T06:05:00.000-08:00

So what can the NBA give you for Christmas? Well, how about a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics. And if that weren't enough, the marquee event showcases the league's two biggest stars as Kobe Bryant squares off against Lebron James. Oh, and let's not forget that big Shaq Diesel will be making another appearance at the Staples Center.

Coverage begins at 2 ET on ABC.