a dismal start

This new look Lakers team is damn exiting on paper but on court it is looking like a bunch of guys just playing ball together. No rotation. No set plays. Worse yet, no defence. It is just frustrating for a Laker fan to see these guys just go through the motions. Maybe its time for a Kobe session in the locker room. Dwight said you got to be good before you can be great. Lakers...be good...

Steve Nash is a Laker

'Steve Nash is a Laker'

I read this headline and did not know what to think. Steve Nash. A Laker. I have not been a big fan to Steve Nash. Not that he does not have game. I always despised the fact that he got back to back MVP's when, in my opinion, he did not deserve the second one. And the fact that the Lakers and Suns have been in some gritty playoff battles over the years. So yeah, Nash as a Laker was something which did not sink in fast. But when it did...I could not help but think what a great pick up this was. Nash has great court vision and he will help the non triangle offense to be fluid. The big men will get more touches. Kobe will be effective off the ball. And Nash has a great jumpshot. The only thing lacking...some D but then no one can guard any of the fast guards in the west without help defense anyway.

So Steve Nash...a Laker....welcome to Showtime!

Tim Duncan - war horse

It is quite apt that Tim Duncan is a Spur. All these years in the NBA and he is still going hard at it every single game. This year the San Antonio Spurs have come together like no other team in this lockout shortened season. They are injury free and playing some beautiful basketball. It looks like they are going to win the championship this year and it seems like destiny that they win all lockout shortened season. Mr. Fundamental. War Horse. Champion.

gut check time

What was a 3-1 series lead has now become a tied series. Against the Nuggets. This Laker team has been all over the place this season and it is even more apparent in this current series against Denver. There have been only flashes of the team which can be dominant and a serious contender to the title. Everything else has been sub par. Suddenly game 7 has become a must win for Kobe and crew. Metta World Peace will be back for this one. Will he be the x-factor putting the Lakers over this Denver hump? Will have to wait and see.

Its gut check time.

what next, knicks?

The worst and the best first round match up in this years playoffs for the New York Knicks was the Miami Heat. The worst because no one really expected them to win the series. The best for the very same reason.

The Knicks have a great basketball legacy and despite being the Mecca of basketball and all that the professional basketball teams just have not lived up to the expectation.

The Knicks have a great team. Any team which has Amare, Carmelo leading them with a great supporting cast like Chandler, Fields, JR Smith, Jefferies etc. (sorry...not jumping on the Lin bandwagon). It just boggles me that such great talent cannot be a threat night in and night out. I guess it boils down to heart. None of them seem to have the heart to win...to dig deep down and deliver when it counts...desire is what separates the greats from the so called superstars...

Its going to be a long off season for the Knicks. I hope they emerge from it with an identity, stronger and with desire.

it's the playoffs!

The 2012 Playoffs are underway and there has already been a lot of drama.

No Metta World Peace (give Peace a chance)

No Derrik Rose (unfortunate..)

The Clippers are in the playoffs.

The Mavs are almost out of the playoffs

Amare punched a fire extinguisher

It is shaping up to be a great playoffs. I LOVE THIS GAME.

he got game

A lot has been said about Virat Kohli; the middle finger raising, girl chasing, charismatic youngster has been in the news for a long time. What is refreshing to see is that all the stuff off the field does not seem to affect his performance on it. And what a performance it was yesterday. A batting CLINIC. 183 in 148 balls against a formidable Pakistan bowling attack. It was an absolute treat.

Virat Kohli embodies everything that we need not only in Indian sport but also the political arena. Young, brash, willing to take risks and above all, skillful..being able to back the talk and walk the walk. We need more Virat Kohlis. HE GOT GAME.

chin up Lamar

I like Lamar Odom. I've been a fan of Lamar ever since his Clipper days..when he came in the amazing Nike Freestyle commercial. I was thrilled when he came to Lakerland via a trade involving Shaq. A player as versatile and athletic as Lamar...I thought here we go....finally a Pippen to Kobe's Jordan. Unfortunately though, Lamar never fully got into his role. He was brilliant...but in short stretches. He has always been quite distracted and turning from HOOD (say South Jamaica, Queens!!) to HOLLYWOOD. His wedding to one of the Kardashians (does it matter who?) and the subsequent 'reality show' got me thinking how hard he really wants to play ball...or just live the lifestyle of a baller.

The CP3 to Lakers trade was a massive fiasco. For the players involved in the not-to-be trade it was devastating. Some took it on the chin and became stronger (shoutout to my man Pau Gasol for keeping it real) and others took it really badly. Lamar especially. He has always been the sensitive type. He demanded a trade from the Lakers (I am sure he regrets it now) and got it. Being dealt to the Mavs for absolutely nothing seems to have dented his confidence and he just not the same player who was using his skill, getting in KG's grill, drilling a three pointer and contributing to a championship team. Now I read the news that he is going to be demoted to the D league by the Mavs for a game. Knowing Lamar, it is not a good move. He is going to take it hard. And may note even recover.

Lamar has been a warrior, recovering from personal tragedy, finding solace on the court and with his Laker teammates. I hope his Mavericks teammates are there for him and he bounces back. Keep your head up Lamar. Keep your head up.

KobeMask

Everyone who follows (and some who don't!) basketball know by now that Dwayne Wade broke Kobe Bryant's nose during the all star game last week. It was a hard, cheap foul but enough has been written about that so I'll just let that pass. What was interesting was that reports that not only did Kobe suffer from a broken nose but also a concussion. Now that is serious stuff. Everyone was wondering how he will adapt. Today we got our answer.

The Lakers played the Timberwolves today and Kobe was....well...Kobe. Jumpers. Dunks. Steals. Assists. Rebounds. All there. A stellar game. All wearing a face mask which must be making him look even more fearsome to those guarding him. Even haters can't help but appreciate the dedication Kobe has to the game of basketball. Respect.

Rise of the hockey spirits

The FIH Olympic Hockey qualifiers are on right now and it is absolutely refreshing to watch India play. What is even greater is the attention the media is finally giving Indian hockey. I am not sure if this is the result of the trashing the cricket team is receiving in Australia, the lack of any major bollywood scandal or anything else. Seeing Hockey get the front page of newpapers gladdens me. We've also got some massive results in the first few games and I hope the momentum carries on in future play. We have a lot of grassroots hockey projects going on all over the country and this can be just the boost they need for more and more kids to pick up those hockey sticks. Rise, team India. We are with you.

hit this for a six, Yuvi

When he first burst onto the Indian cricket scene, there was no one like Yuvraj Singh. Lightning fast in the field and in between the wickets, fearless batsman and bowler and thoroughly outspoken, Yuvi was an injection of excitement into the Indian cricket team. His attitude carried over to others and he has been part of some great wins for Indian cricket. His playboy image apart, his first love always has been cricket.

Now he has been diagnosed with a rare type of seminoma, a malignant tumor between the lungs. He has been battling this for at least two years and finally receiving much needed treatment for the same. It is supposed to be completely curable and we hope to see Yuvi back on the field in a few months.

Yuvraj Singh is a warrior and someone our team needs, not just for his cricketing talent but for his attitude. He is the catalyst, the adrenalin of the team. As the whole nation prays for his speedy recovery, our media as usual has gone overboard with the attention on him. Don't keep reminding him about his illness with this report and that report. Let the guy heal up in peace and battle his demons....I'm sure he will come up on top.

who would you want to be?

As kids we often have these wishlists - what would you wish for if you had three wishes? A lotta guys in my gym also have similar wishes - I wish I had those abs, I wish I had those arms. Well the human physique is so amazing, we have the power to make these wishes come true.

This morning I was thinking...if I could have an ideal physique, which one would I have? I personally think basketball players have the most ideal physiques. They have to be a combination of quickness and strength. Look at Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. Amazing physiques. Soccer players too have a good physique...less bulky...like Beckham. Boxers are great too but they lack the footspeed and leg strength I am looking for. NFL players have a great physique. And strength too. Like TO and Michael Ray Gavin. Purely cosmetically, Randy Orton from the WWE has a great physique. Alister Overeem is a BEAST now.

Decisions time....so many choices to choose from! Its tough because a lot depends on what body type one is. Whether you're Endomorph, Mesomorph, Ectomorph goes a long way into defining what kind of physique one can achieve. I think I'd go with a physique like Lebron. Mix of strength, speed and athleticism, Time to hit the gym.

(when it comes to game though, Kobe all day...)

Los Angeles - Represent

The NBA All Star votes are in and on the West squad, four out of the five guys wear Los Angeles across their jersey. It is quite impressive for any city to dominate the all star voting....the funny thing is the co-tenants of the Staples Center don't really like each other much. It all started when CP3 was a Laker for a few hours until the NBA decided to extend their reach and veto the deal. CP3 ended up in LA eventually but as a Clipper and there has been bad blood between the teams ever since.

It is not really a rivalry...Lakers are a storied franchise and the Clippers are just getting into their groove. One thing I'd grudgingly admit though is that the Clippers are ahead of the Lakers this season in where they want to be...

Anyway...four Los Angeles players on the Western Squad. It is quite likely that Gasol is voted in too. Los Angeles. Represent.

a whitewash, a marathon, another road loss and a great win

It was a weekend of mixed emotions for me sports wise.

Team India got their collective asses handed to them by Australia. While this in itself is nothing new, the way it happened was just embarrassing. No fight shown. No pride. Pathetic. There are larger questions the Indian Cricket team has to address. They have now lost 8 test matches in a row. Heads have to roll. Cricket is the only game which our people care about....time to see how much.

My Sunday morning started with watching the Lakers playing uninspiring basketball and losing to an undermanned Bucks team. That took the team to a woeful 1-7 road record. They better start balling soon...the season is only 66 games long. 20 games already done. Kobe, give them all an earful...and show a commitment to defense..

I stopped watching tennis regularly after Agassi and Sampras retired. However I've enjoyed the Federer and Nadal battles over the past few years. This years Australian open had Djokovic taking on Nadal in what turned out to be an epic, marathon battle and some of the best tennis I have seen in a long time. Hats off to both of them. And yeah, huge congratulations to Leander Paes for completing a career grand slam. He is the unwavering light of Indian tennis...

The weekend ended on a positive note as Arsenal came back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 and get into the next round of the FA Cup. Arsenal has had too many dry seasons and the FA Cup may just be the catalyst to take the club off into a new era...

Three in a row

The Lakers have lost three games in a row now. The loss to Miami was, well, uninspiring. The next two losses were just laziness. Us Lakers fans have been used to this mid season scare when it seems as if none of the Lakers apart from the one wearing #24 give a damn. And it is damn frustrating.

This is a short season and we need every win we can get. The team is still reeling from the loss of Lamar and the guys are still taking time to learn Mike Brown's system. Lets see how it goes. A lot of people have written off the Lakers this season. The odds are stacked against them. It's just how Kobe likes it. Time to go to work guys.

where's the fire, Team India?

So team India (the cricket team for those who are confused....is there any other sporting team in this country which has been dubbed 'team India'?) is in a slump again and catching a pasting from the Australians. I mean we are getting whupped like never before. It is embarrassing. It is a NO CONTEST. If this were a boxing fight in a movie, we would have a spectator shouting 'somebody stop this fight...'.

I don't mind the losing. It is part of the game. I've always stood by my teams when they are going through a rough patch. Arsenal. Los Angeles Lakers. Team India (cricket!!). Always stood by them. But lately it is getting harder for me to do it for Team India.

There is absolute lack of effort and just no desire to win. It is almost as if we decided that the series is going to be a one sided affair as soon as the team landed in Australia. No one has shown any spark. Virat Kohli flipping the bird has been the only emotion showed by the team so far. I salute you Virat.

It is this lack of trying which really pisses me off. I mean lets face it..the only sport Indians care about is cricket. The players are multi millionaires and the richest in the world. We are a 'cricket crazy' nation. Our cricketers are hailed as Demi Gods. And we still can't win a damn game? We can't bat two times in one test match. Are you fucking kidding me?? In any other sport the highest paid players are the best players, who don't make excuses and perform every single time. They most likely can't look at themselves in the mirror if they have a shitty game. And here we have a bunch of prima donnas blaming the pitch and acting like a bunch of wussies. This was supposed to be the series where Sachin Tendulkar gets his 100'th 100. Turns out, our entire team is struggling to put up 100 as a total. I remember Michael Jordan saying that he always practices hard so that in the game it comes naturally. He also said that he feels he has to give it his best every time he plays someone may be watching him for the first time and he does not want to disappoint them. Words of a champion.

Speaking of champions...Indian Media....can we please stop referring to this team is 'world champions'? They would not e able to play at Shivaji Park given the way they are playing right now.

I will always support Team India...but until they show some heart and gumption, I won't care for them much. Lose by an inning but at least give it your all you whiners. I remember someone asking Kobe Bryant after he had had an amazing scoring run of 10 games. He pointed to his heart and said 'In here. Where is yours?'

Where is your's Sachin? Where is your's Mahi? Time to soul search and bring it out. The whole nation is with you. Now be worthy of that support.

new year...same old Sania

So Sania Mirza, the poster child of Indian tennis got a wildcard entry into the Australian open. Again. She lost in the first round. Again.

I'm not hating on Sania but she has never really put in the hard work and dedication to be consistent in an ultra competitive sport like tennis. She reached stardom quite early in her career and seems to be stuck there. There has been no progress in her game, in her fitness, in her skills. Injuries have bothered her for years now and that is primarily because she is unfit. I'm not saying she should lose weight and look like Maria Sharapova. Hell even Arantxa Sanchez was plump. But she had game. And she worked hard to improve it. So did Conchita Martinez. I do not see Sania Mirza working at her game at all.

What is more alarming is that Sania Mirza has been around since 2003 and all these years there has been no one who has managed to get to her level (which incidentally now is out of the top 100) in our country. Sad but true.

big fish(er) in LA

The General did it again. Derek Fisher has been all but written off this season by almost everyone. He is too old. He can't move with the new young point guards. He is out of shape. Valid points. But the guy can still shoot and the guy is C-L-U-T-C-H. He is probably the only guy Kobe trusts to take the last shot. And he delivered. Again.

Way to do it D Fish.