Check in to keep track of this game live. I will be commenting on the game as well as taking polls from readers. I wil be updating the score as the game goes along as well as breaking down key plays throughout the evening.

I invite everyone to participate and chime in with questions, remarks, comments, etc.

Enjoy and please provide me with some feedback and thoughts afterward so that I can continue to improve this process.

The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have had many exciting playoff series’ over the last eight years, and this one seems as though it will live up to past expectations.

Unlike most fans, I am very glad that we arent playing the Hornets because their speed and athleticism scared me a lot. Look no further than what Atlanta Hawks did with its speed and athleticim to the Boston Celtics… 7 games? No, thank you.

The Lakers match up great with the Spurs. They have big bodies who arent very quick and athletic, but know how to play fundamentally, can rebound, and can shoot the mid range jump shot. They have wiley veterans that can play defense and can shoot the ball, and after all that, they still have Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker who can get to the basket and finish with the best of them.

The Spurs, however, do not and will not have an answer for the Lakers. Tony Parker will be bothered by Derek Fishers size and strength, and when he drives to the lane, he will be met by two seven-footers. Manu Ginobli will likely be guarded by Lamar Odom which gives both teams advantages on two diferent sides. Lamar Odom wont be able to keep up with Manu Ginobili off the dribble, but Ginobili will undoubetbly be unable to guard Lamar Odom in the post. This will probably cause the Spurs to put someone bigger on Odom such as Fabricio Oberto or Kurt Thomas. In this case, Odom will just have to take them off the dribble.

Lamar Odom will be key for the Lakers in this series.

A match up that I am excited to watch will be Pau Gasol going up against Tim Duncan. They both are essentially the same type of player and both should do well guarding the other. Look for Gasol to face up 15 feet out against duncan and shoot the jumpshot as Duncan will give him the space because he wont want him driving to the basket.

I will also be looking for Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton to revive themselves in this series because they wont be faced up against defenders who are quicker than they are. This will essentially be the Lakers largest advantage, and also where the Hornets failed.

The New Orleans Hornets where unbale to play a slow halfcourt game which forced them to push the ball erraticly most of the time. The Lakers will not only be able to play a fast pace game, but will also be able to play an inside and physical half court game.

I fully expect the Lakers to take control of this series. Oh, and by the way, I totally forgot to mention….We have Kobe Bryant.

The NBA Playoffs are underway and the Los Angeles Lakers are ready to go. To win the legendary NBA Title, a team needs 16 wins in the playoffs… how hard can that possibly be? Obviously, a lot harder than we thought!

The Lakers finished the regular season with the #1 seed in the Western Conference and were assigned the task of taking on the eighth seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round. With the Lakers winning all three of the regular season games between the two teams, most Laker fans were happy to see the Nuggets.

The Denver Nuggets have plenty of amazing fans, but one of them is quite special. One Nuggets fan takes the time everyday, sometimes a few times a day, to report on the team’s status and everything that has to do with the franchise. The NuggDoctor has put together a great recap of the game and explains that the Nuggets were only alive for the first half.

This game was quite exciting in the 1st half as the momentum shifted back and forth. The Lakers came out big early, took a ten point lead, and things were looking good, up until the last few minutes of the 1st quarter. As the 2nd quarter opened, the Lakers had a four point lead and soon were in a deep hole. The Denver Nuggets continued to push the tempo of the game and took an eight point lead midway through the quarter.

The Los Angeles Lakers were out to show why they were #1 though. Pau Gasol led the Lakers back into the game and LA took a two point lead heading into halftime. Lamar Odom contributed big time as well while Kobe Bryant struggled to make his jump shot. He went 2-10 in the 1st half.

The 2nd half was underway and the Lakers were ready to make their case proving to the world why they were seeded #1. The entire team was mentally and physically prepared as they opened the game and outscored the Nuggets by 17 in the third quarter. The team’s offense was great, but the team’s defense was that much better.

Once again, in the 4th quarter, the Denver Nuggets made a push to get back in the game, but Kobe Bryant would have nothing of it and took over when the team needed him. Bryant scored 18 points in the 4th quarter finishing with 32 for the game.

Pau Gasol truly deserves a lot of credit for this game though. He made his free throws, 8-8, he made his layups, he got the rebounds, he played the defense, he passed the ball… he did everything we could possibly have asked for. 36 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists. I’d say that’s a solid game.

Game 2 is on Wednesday and I look forward to seeing what the Los Angeles Lakers have in store for us fans.

Wow this has been an incredible game so far. The Los Angeles Lakers opened the game with a strong first quarter taking a 10 point lead and then the Denver Nuggets made a quick run to close the quarter and close the lead to four. With the 2nd quarter starting, the Nuggets were still pushing the momentum they built at the end of the 1st and turned the game around giving the Nuggets an 8 point lead.

The time that the game seemed to turn was when the Nuggets starting playing zone defense. Obviously, the matchups kill the Nuggets as the team defense struggles and especially with all the size advantages the Lakers have. Either way, the Nuggets lead didn’t last very long as the Lakers pushed hard to finish the 1st half and take a 2 point lead at the break.

At the half, the stat line was already pretty incredible. Lamar Odom had an amazing first half but the talk of the game was really just the superb play of Pau Gasol. They brought Gasol in before the trade deadline hoping he can be the ultimate fit with the triangle offense, turnes out, Mitch Kupchak was correct! Pau Gasol was well on his way to a triple double having already reach double digits in scoring, having nearly 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kobe Bryant struggled with his shooting only making two out of ten shots, but the Lakers showed off how they play team ball and maintained control of the game throughout every point.

The second half will be quite interesting to watch but I don’t see the game coming down to the wire. It seems like as soon as Iverson sat down, the team started to struggle. With Allen Iverson getting tired in the 2nd half and not being able to push it all game long, i don’t see the Denver Nuggets keeping up.

LA Ball Talk prediction: Lakers blow the game open by about 15 in the 3rd quarter and cruise to the finish line.