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Spurs vs Lakers – Not a Very Fair Fight
Even without Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs came out of their away game against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 91-85 win that might not have been the smoothest, yet still showcased the ability of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to lead and dominate even without the missing angle from their big three triangle.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Xavier Henry and the ‘Bench Mob’?
Very few people gave the Los Angeles Lakers the benefit of the doubt when it came to their chances of winning on opening night and succeeding in making the playoffs this season, but maybe there’s still hope as the performance by Xavier Henry and the rest of the bench unit shows that there might be more to this team than meets the eye.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Chasing Points Instead of Title Rings
At this point of his career, the obsessed about his legacy Kobe Bryant is playing only for one thing: Winning that sixth NBA title ring. However, he doesn’t have a good enough team in the current Los Angeles Lakers to help him achieve that goal, which means he’ll have to settle for trying and becoming the greatest scorer in NBA history.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Pau Gasol & Chris Kaman the Key to it All
Big man harmony might mean the difference for the Los Angeles Lakers between a total disaster of a season and actually being somewhat playoff contenders once again, even with all the doubts about this team. Kobe Bryant still isn’t playing, only watching from the sidelines, but the developing on-floor relationship between Pau Gasol and Chris Kaman is going to do wonders for the Lakers if it works out.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Wasting Time Until Kobe Comes Back
There’s not much to really expect from the Los Angeles Lakers as they lose their first game of the preseason, because Kobe Bryant isn’t part of the setup right now. Their loss to the Denver Nuggets is twice as meaningless as it usually would be because nothing you see on the court in terms of team cohesion and team blend matters, as Bryant has the knack to make everything different the moment he steps on the court.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Makes it Impossible to Rebuild
The word rebuilding doesn’t exist in the universe of the Los Angeles Lakers; it’s always about winning as much as possible as soon as possible, and the hell with player development. The team has a shot at making a clean break from Kobe Bryant and his disastrous hold over the franchise for the last few years, but it probably won’t go down that road.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Championship Caliber Team a Bit Too Early
The Memphis Grizzlies’ lineup from the 2004-2005 NBA season proved to be a breeding ground for champions, especially on the Miami Heat, as Jason Williams, James Posey, Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Pau Gasol all went on to win titles after leaving the team.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Going Down With the Ship
The best option for the Los Angeles Lakers to ensure immediate future success (beyond the end of next season) is tanking, without actually mentioning the word. The problem? Few players hate to lose as much as Kobe Bryant does, and he alone, if his comeback from injury is successful, is worthy quite a lot of wins even for a damaged team like the Lakers.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Not Used to Being the Underdogs
It might not be so bad after all. Expectations are far lower than they were last season from the Los Angeles Lakers, which might lead to a reverse kind of season, as Kobe Bryant won’t be expected to do everything coming off an injury, while Pau Gasol and Steve Nash feel like they have a lot to prove, just without the burden of being talked about as title or even playoff contenders.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant as the Basis for Any Kind of Hope is Very Risky
When a general manager says he expects his team to win in the 2013-2014 NBA season, what does he mean exactly? Kobe Bryant is one huge question mark coming off his injury, when he actually returns. Pau Gasol probably will never be 100% with his knee problems, while Steve Nash has a very low ceiling. The rest? Athletic players who have disappointed in the league. What is exactly winning?