RIP Jerry Buss

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...

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.

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.

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...

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.