Three games of this road trip have been completed, three wins have been sealed, one guy has been lost for a few months, and another guy has rejoined the MVP race.

This 6 game road trip has been ridiculous so far as the Lakers have played the three easier teams and will now meet up with the three tough ones. They are guaranteed to go .500 on this trip, but this will be a great time for them to gauge how they stand in comparison to the other elite teams in the league. Before the Celtics and Cavaliers test, they must overcome one more opponent.

Tonight, the Lakers match up against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have been struggling this season, and I truthfully haven’t been following along enough to be able to identify the reason. With that said, they are a dangerous team either way.

Chris Bosh is a superior player and I really hope that Pau is able to contain him. The franchise has had lots of problem with Bosh recently as Stephen A. Smith continues to report that Bosh wants out of Toronto. While all the drama continues with Bosh though, let’s not forget the other big superstar name in north of the border.

Jermaine O’Neal has been a solid piece for the Raptors but I don’t think he ever truly evolved into the player they expected. Although the team’s point guard problem was quickly solved, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind seeing O’Neal do a little bit more for this team. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them try to ship him out before the upcoming trade deadline. If not, then he better step it up and start contributing like the dominant player he has the ability to be. This is a great chance for him too considering Bynum is out for this matchup.

Speaking of Bynum, with the big man out of the lineup, it is time for Kobe to step it up. For those of you that didn’t see him drop 61 points on the Knicks, the most points ever scored at Madison Square Garden, here is a quick video of all the baskets:

Just watching that again gave me the chills. When the crowd at Madison Square Garden chants MVP for Kobe, you know he’s up to something special. Reggie Miller of course wasn’t too happy about Spike Lee giving Kobe a standing ovation. Let’s not forget that miller was Spike Lee’s biggest enemy on the court, he can’t help but feel betrayed by the Knicks fans after he first hand experienced so many boos.

Either way, tonight’s game against the Raptors will be a great starting point for the Lakers taking on a team with two strong big men. Tomorrow night is the second of their back-to-back facing the Celtics! For now, let’s just hope for a win!