Kobe (photo. Chris Sembrot)For last night’s advance screening of No Country for Cassell & Dikembe, the role of Anton Chigurh was played by Kobe Bryant, with the Memphis Grizzlies as Llewelyn Moss. Chasing the Griz around for two and a half hours with an ankle-length heater and bad intentions, Kobe did a lot of damage — spraying 53 points on 19-for-37 attempts and 9 triples — but didn’t exactly finish the job, as Rudy Gay (28 pts, 7 rebs, 3 blks) and Darko (20 pts, 12 rebs, 4 blks) walked out of Staples with the win. After a somewhat-explainable loss to the Bobcats the other day (letdown following the Warriors mini-series), the Lakers didn’t have an excuse against Memphis. Even if Pau Gasol was still sidelined for the matchup with his old squad and Andrew Bynum is still wearing out that ridiculously-expensive treadmill, the Lakers cannot afford to be dropping home games to Lottery teams with the West as tight as it is … Typical Grizzlies: Up by two with 0.9 on the clock, Rudy was at the line with a chance to ice it. After missing the first free throw, Rudy was gonna miss the second on purpose and the game would be over — even the five Lakers on the court seemed resigned to the outcome. But then Rudy’s line-drive aimed at the front of the rim actually went in. Everyone on the Griz bench, even Marc Iavaroni, had a good laugh, but now the Lakers had another shot … On that last gasp, Luke Walton took about 4.9 seconds trying to get the ball inbounds, finally managing a bad pass to Kobe that Hakim Warrick poked away to end it. (At the spot where Luke placed the pass, Kobe wouldn’t have been able to do anything with it anyway.) And Kobe didn’t hide his frustration with Luke for not taking a timeout when the play initially broke down; he threw a little temper tantrum as soon as the buzzer sounded, then followed Luke off the floor making the “timeout” motion at him with an “Are you stupid or something?” look on his face … Way to show the Lakers what they missed out on, Kwame. Next time you might get out of the warm-up suit and really take it to ‘em … How about the Lakers fans being genuinely excited for Chris Mihm’s return? Some people were giving Mihm a standing O when he checked in for the first time. Rudy Gay gave him a dunk in his mug … None of the Sweet 16 games were close last night: Kansas simply out-talented Villanova; Texas was too fast for Stanford and handed them a 20-piece (despite a 26-10 line from Brook Lopez); Memphis whooped on Michigan State, getting 27 from Derrick Rose (including a sick reverse dunk); and even underdog Davidson stomped Wisconsin by 17. Stephen Curry hit for 33 and 6 threes. He’ll have his hands full against Kansas’ backcourt in the Elite Eight, but we’d be terrified to bet against the kid at this point … Kevin Garnett had it in him that David West was not scoring another 37 points on the C’s. Once when it was time to D-up, KG was literally on his knees and salivating like he was gonna throw West on a barbecue grill. It would have been 10 times cooler if West (14 pts) didn’t drive on KG and get a bucket on that same play, but still … Like they did against Phoenix a few days ago, Boston blew what was a close game out of the water in the second half and won by 20. And again, Rajon Rondo (17 pts) gave an elite point guard the business. Yes, Chris Paul had a better stat line (22 pts, 10 asts, 3 stls), but Rondo hardly missed a shot or made a mistake and made it a back-and-forth contest … The Sixers have been playing so well lately and killing teams in transition, we were surprised that the Suns beat them so badly right out of the gate. And at home, no less. Phoenix was up by 19 at the end of the first quarter and held on from there. The Dalembeast and Reggie Evans couldn’t handle Shaq (15 pts, 13 rebs) and Amare (22 pts, 5 blks) in the paint, and then Raja Bell started dropping bombs (5 threes) when the bigs kicked it out … Crazy dunk by Andre Iguodala over Grant Hill that looked almost exactly like the cram Trevor Ariza unleashed on Hill back on Christmas Day. You admire Grant for trying to take the charge, but damn … Determining the best point guard in the League is like picking the best team in the West — it seems to change every night. And going by what we saw Friday, no one is better than Deron Williams. He destroyed the Clippers, dropping 22 of his 32 points in the first half and spiking a hellacious dunk on Chris Kaman. Deron added 10 dimes and only missed two shots Utah’s blowout win, playing the position about as well as you can play it whenever he was on the floor. Carlos Boozer added 34 points and 17 boards, making his claim for best PF in the game … All the reminiscing over Chris Webber this week took us back to a time when Mike Bibby was nasty. (Which wasn’t that long ago.) Mike turned back the clock last night, dropping 30 and 8 assists on the Bulls in an ATL win … When you look at all the quality point guards around the League, it’s really amazing that Kirk Hinrich and Luke Ridnour still have their names attached to the Team USA program. Not that any of them are making the 12-man roster over Deron, CP, Chauncey or J-Kidd (and don’t forget Gilbert Arenas), but you could replace Hinrich and Ridnour at the next tryout with Baron Davis and Rajon Rondo just to make it more interesting. Or if Baron doesn’t wanna risk injury, go with Bibby, ‘Dre Miller or Ray Felton … A lot of YouTube clips were made last night: Deron’s dunk over Kaman and Iguodala’s dunk over Hill were hot, but there was also Gerald Wallace crowning Francisco Elson, and Caron Butler crossing up John Salmons before getting a Dwight Howard-style throw-in flush over Kevin Martin … But the most embarrassed guy from Friday? Jared Jeffries. Jared ended up guarding T.J. Ford on a switch, and T.J. gave him a lefty in-and-out that dropped Jeffries on his butt. After sticking the jumper, T.J. went back on D shaking his head and wincing for Jeffries … Also from that game, Anthony Parker was coming down on a break and faked an underhand lob to Jamario Moon, baiting Jamal Crawford into the air before keeping the ball and getting a layup. The Knicks lost, of course … We’re out like taking the charge …
March 29th, 2008 at 3:47 am
KB24! says:
ErgGGg. Luke is retarded. Kobe should have socked him in the face! MJ would have done that to Kerr.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:49 am
Jay Hov says:
Am i first..? the iguodala cram was nasty…bet GH feels old now..
March 29th, 2008 at 5:40 am
Mike says:
Iguodala’s dunk was mesmerizing
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZwiRITBZf64
http://www.squidoo.com/AI2
March 29th, 2008 at 5:51 am
YOUNGFED says:
Damn 20 & 12 for Darko all I can say is WOWWWW!! Never in a Million years. “WhoDa Thunkit”.
Seems like the TJ Haters are slowly leaving the building. Can’t believe that people actually thought Calderon should’ve gotten an allstar spot. GTFOH!
March 29th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Chris Cason says:
The Igoudala slam was nasty. I thought the only Suns player to take charges was Nash. Hill will now think once more before stepping in front of that rim.
The T.J. Ford cross, was probably the most funniest I have ever seen from a defender. Jefferies feet didn’t even know where to go.
Bibby had a turn the clock back performance but there is no way he should be invited to the USA roster tryouts. If the didn’t invite A.I. why would they invite Bibby.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:37 am
word says:
damn cats just love to dunk on Grant’s head, he needs to be easy trying to take charges before he gets reinjured.
so Lakers are running into more problems, fisher is injured but going to play through it like Kobe is with his “pinky injury”.
thats 4 out of 5 starters hurt right now on their roster
rajon is sick, wayy better than hinrich’s weak ass but even still the bulls couldn’t win a game to save a life
ucla and nc are winning tonight. and how sick is curry? Davidson is not playing around, but I don’t think they will make it in the final 4, I think its gunna be 4 #1 seeds this year, going to be interesting.
I’m out like Wisconsin
March 29th, 2008 at 7:38 am
YOUNGFED says:
Question of the Day?
Who’s really the best point gaurd in Toronto?
TJ or Calderon: I say T Jizzle, he’s got a better all around game and his passing is improving. However Calderon is their future.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:03 am
sans says:
Jose Calderon. Also the best fantasy pick up (10th rounder) to work out huge. Out-performed Felton who I got at 6. And how quickly did Curry (Stephen not the guy that has any orbit of defenders raining shots on him) become a lottery pick? Was he even in the first round before two weeks ago?
And–I know, full of questions–will Iggy get broken off by Philly this summer? He’s taking the Sixers to the playoffs and is definitively the leader of that squad. Hustles, dunks on everybody, isn’t a big gunner…doesn’t everybody need that on their squad?
Oh, on the reffing front–t-d up a guy in a alumni game five times (once during, four times after his squad lost). It is really impossible to do that. 2 times you gotta leave the floor, but no matter how may people pulled him away, he still came back to drop ridiculous noise on me and my partner. Then he waited for us in the parking lot. Best part was, every time he made a basket, he did the Tony Yayo/Deshawn Stevenson “can’t feel my face” move. I’m out like drinking before my alumni tournament.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:56 am
djKianoosh says:
dime, having lots of issues getting to your site without the ‘www.’ prefix at work. at home it works a little slower than usual but still goes through. at work it’s a no go, and we have no site blocker set up either.
as for the sixers, they ALWAYS have problems with talented big guys. it’s why they have no shot against the likes of KG and Duncan. Now Phoenix has Shaq and Amare, forget about it. Sixers stand no chance. Dalembert has a hard time with one talented big man. Even again KG last week, they won, but he was getting discombobulated in the first half by KG.
Hate to admit it, but the Celtics are very impressive. If Rondo keeps playing at a high level like that, they can do anything. But it seemed like Chris Paul was more fatigued than usual. He wasn’t his usual quick self and couldn’t catch up with Rondo quite a few times. Maybe Rondo is that fast…
March 29th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Amar says:
d-will and booz beat up the clips without three starters . . . no mention of that?.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Top Gun says:
TJ Ford always makes Knicks look bad…
Check this out…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BM062UCMOno
March 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Max Power says:
Team USA should have no problem at the PG with Kidd, CP, Deron, and Billups. But, I don’t think any team (let alone Team USA) would take Rondo, Felton or a washed up Bibby over Hinrich. The Bulls are a mess without a legit scoring options and without a real coach. Next year he’ll bounce back.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
i Fux aka Etheraldinho aka Farouq Obama aka Cecil Cocksure says:
The Lakers need to quit fucking around, if Kobe doesnt get the MVP this year he never will, True Story! TJ Ford is a little rat bitch, Calderon is going to get that GUAP so TJ is gone, The Knicks should do whatever it takes to get a selfless PG like him. Word, I think The Lottery is fixed, but the Knicks will get the 2nd pick and the Heat the 1st on GP because Beasley is a dumb ass and you cant put a dumb ass on the Knicks but you can put him on the HEAT with Riles; Riles dont play no kind of shit, Word to Fat Ass Antoine Walker. Derrick Rose will then be the Knicks pick therefore getting the unselfish PG they need. Trade Marbury and Zach and keep Eddie because he is a good dude and can score with a foot in the paint better than almost anyone. Rock With Lee as the 6th Man and then pick up a Power Forward who will rebound and hit the jumpshot, Maybe Kurt Thomas or some shit. Hinrich and Ridnour are some overrated Pussies, I truly thought Ridnour was going to get it in but, he hasnt seemed to shake the injury bug and the No D he plays doesnt help either. Ridnour should look at somebody like Bibby or Derek Fischer and try to mold his game a little like them, you know bring the ball up court, hit the open jumpshot, keep turnovers to a minimum.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:31 am
i Fux aka Etheraldinho aka Farouq Obama aka Cecil Cocksure says:
Why do coaches get fired after just one year? doesnt that cost the team more, cuz they have to pay a buyout and then hire another coach? I think there is more to it, Like Ivaroni and Vincent are getting fired. They’re probably just not cut out to be head coaches and lose their players but we cant see what they do behind close doors, so we are left to speculate why they didnt cut it as head coaches. Like Nobody in Memphis expects them to win, so why even fire Ivaroni, he must truly be a jackass that alienates his players or some shit.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:33 am
jz_smoove says:
k-hova…t jizzle …where the hell do these anally suffering nicknames come from? you must been a lonely abused child bro.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:53 am
YOUNGFED says:
JZ Smooth STFU and stop yo bitchassness. What fukin difference does it make what I call’em. Tire of lame ass Dik Biters worring but the kid.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:56 am
KL says:
Favouritism put aside, in terms of PG’s, Calderone makes a solid argument in making this years ASG. I’m not saying he should have played. It’s just that he should have been in contention. Pull up the stats. “At the time”, he was the 3rd best PG in the EAST (behind Chauncey and Kidd). Too bad after Kidd and Chauncey were selected, they filled the remaining spots with overall guards,,,not specific PG’s.
That being said, imho, when Ford wants to be that past first guard he’s capable (what Calderone is), Raps have a solid team. When he’s got that shoot first mentality….no so much. Bottom line, I’m glad Ford is starting again. He’s the 2nd best scoring option they have and can ‘maybe’ get the Raps past the first round, IF they don’t play detroit
March 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
nick says:
ford last night had the passer’s mentality however the past few games he has not. Also starting instead of coming off the bench has a huge effect mentally for him. I don’t think he can accept coming off the bench ever. Jose has no problem either way, he is a true team player.
In terms of who is better, i would say at this point that jose has the advantage, better shooter and a greater team player.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Furai says:
Whoever says that TJ is a better point guard than Jose needs to get the fuck off of Tj’s dick and realize he’s nothing but a whiny little punk with an undeserved ego.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Fed-Up says:
Furai -
Obviously, it was Young-fizzle-hova that thinks T-Jizzle is a better point guard than Jose caldizzle based on 2 games and an in and out crossover on Jeffrizzle and he can actually ignore the season Caldizzle was having before Boshizzle got injured.
Check this quote :
“he’s(TJ) got a better all around game and his passing is improving.”
You got to be a delusional m-f to think TJ is even close to JC as a point guard. Better all-around game? Improving passing? What??? Delusional…
March 29th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
TJ Ford is good, no doubt, a dependable starter? That’s up for debate. Would his skillset be perfect for a backup PG? Absolutely.
And that’s the problem, TJ should be making like $5 mill and Calderon maybe a $6 mill a season. In hindsight, Raptors fucked up by rewarding TJ with that contract but how were they to know that Calderon would become the man they need at the point.
What they should do is sign Calderon to a mid level exception and switch the names on the cheques when they’re handing ‘em out at the office…
March 29th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Joe says:
bizzle jizzle fizzle mizzle dizzle wizzle
March 29th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
KL says:
LOL…you guys kill me….but there are some valid points. Just a few comments/responses.
-TJ got paid becuse Raps gave up Charlie V at the time and wanted to lock TJ (excellent point mentioned earlier…who the h3ll knew that Calderone would play so well)
-TJ is a punk, agreed, but he’s still the second best scoring option, imho. Albiet…the mofo better grow sooner than later and learn the team concept.
-another great point above…calderon is a “team” player. Him coming off the bench will keep TJ honest. Hoepfully, Mitchell won’t be afraid to pull the trigger and sit TJ’s ass if he doesn’t make use of Bosh
-cr4ppy attitude aside, TJ is most valuable for the raps when breaking down the zone. There’s no denying…kid is FAST
March 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
E$ says:
it’s a shame Jose could only take Tj job after Al Horford’s help.
How about both Memphis college teams winning yesterday, & both were underdogs! lol The Fake Show will never win a ship’
March 29th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Furai says:
TJ would’ve lost his starting spot regardless. His shit face act got old fast.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
F#1 says:
How was Memphis an underdog? and I never seen it put down as a “ship’” before…
March 29th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
2 Easy says:
Lets put this TJ/Jose thing to bed now. TJ’s gettin paid as someone said because no one knew Calderon would be this good so they wanted to lock up what they thought was their PG of the future. Now whose better, its easy to say Calderon simply because he makes who hes playing with better. does that mean he’s fault-less hell no. Calderon could break people down off the dribble easily but he’s TOO unselfish and as admirable as that is, it becomes a problem at times. TJ can only be effective starting and I find that disgustingly sad but if thats what it takes for the Raps to win then so be it because Calderon will raise the play of the 2nd unit and be a motivational tool to use on TJ. When u f*** up, we have someone to replace you. Now all the Raps need to do is improve their defense and learn how to catch some rebounds
March 29th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
What is this!? says:
The Celtics are not playing around with anyone this season. They are handeling their business, nobody on that team is worried about getting their “shine on”, they are just worried about one thing…that Championship ring. Which is the way things should be done.
Looks like the Suns brought the Sixers back down to earth lastnight….Next!
And you know what I find it funny how hypocritical the media and people can be at times. I remember earlier this season when Iverson went for 50+ points against the Lakers and lost (because of a fatal Coaching mistake made by Coach Karl to switch Iverson to the PG position and had him pass the ball in the 4th, which costs them the game)… the media ripped AI to shreds for it. Kobe scores 53 points (on way more shot attempts and had only 1 assist) and lost to the Grizzlies, one of the worst teams in the league…and the media hardly has a damn thing to say about it. Infact, ESPN put up this timeline about how whenever Kobe gets punished by the league (technical fouls, etc.) how he responds by going off on these scoring benges. Even if its at the expense of his team? GTFOH! Its just funnny how the media picks and choses who they want to throw under the bus and who they want to give a free pass to. Its hilarious.
While its a pleasure to watch Kobe play, I watch Kobe react to his teammates when they make a mistake and almost everytime you can count on getting that same reaction out of Kobe that he gave Luke Walton lastnight. Thats why I would rather see the MVP award go to either KG, CP3 or Lebron. Not only for what they did for their teams this year, but their positive effect on their teammates and how they go about handeling things. I think Kobes peers in that league respect him and like watching him play, but I don’t think people respect Kobe off the court and probably don’t like him as a person (big shock, I know).
March 29th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Furai says:
IF you were Kobe, wouldn’t you get pissed at Luke Walton too? I mean, Nobody in the Western Conference can afford to drop games they should be winning.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
What is this!? says:
^^ Sure, i’d be pissed, because the West is so tight this year, teams can’t afford to lose easy games like that…but Kobe acts crazy like that towards his teammates when they make a mistake nomatter what the circumstance. LOL! It could be the beggening of the season and you can count on him ice-grilling a teammate in public if they make a mistake (or calling them out in the media). He can’t wait till the locker room for all that? But thats the difference between him and the other top MVP canidates. They were talking about Kobe’s temper on sportscenter, they were wondering if it will mess up his chances of getting the MVP…who knows, time will tell.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:30 am
rlf says:
do you guys really think kobe cares about the mvp? please, he cares about the championship, that’s why he’s always so competitive,and don’t worry about luke, he’s one of the lakers that could care less what kobe tells him.
and dime, he didn’t throw a tantrum, he was frustrated and told luke to take a timeout, they should not make mistakes this late in the season.
get real.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Austin Burton says:
He jumped up and down the same way I did when I didn’t get what I wanted at the mall when I was 6.