Lakers Continue To Be Artest-ed

Artest close lined JJ Barea Wednesday night,
and it seemed intentional. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have been continually faced with challenges this postseason and will now need to overcome yet another.

On top of facing 2-0 series deficit to the Dallas Mavericks, the two-time defending champions will also be without forward Ron Artest in Game 3 Friday night at Dallas.

Artest has been suspended by the NBA for his flagrant foul on Mavericks point guard J.J. Barea in the closing minute of Game 2.

With Artest playing well offensively through the first eight Los Angeles playoff games and the bench struggling to produce, this could hurt the Lakers.

Artest is the fifth leading score on the Lakers this postseason, averaging 10.5 points a game, well exceeding his 8.5 in the regular season.

In the biggest game of his career last June, Artest played his best game of the postseason in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Against the hated, rival Boson Celtics, Artest recorded 20 points in 46 minutes and made a game-sealing three-point basket late to extend the Laker lead.

The former St. John's standout has proved time and time again, even though he comes with a lot of baggage, he plays his best when it matters most, doing so again in the his team's most recent playoff run.

Artest, with, at times, suffocating defense, has been known to get under opposing players skin and caused them to make uncharacteristic like decisions. He is a former Defensive Player of the Year, winning the award back in 2004 as a member of the Indiana Pacers.

A year later, Artest would be involved in one of the messiest brawls in NBA history at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Artest flew into the the stands to confront a Pistons fan and was suspended by the NBA for the rest of the regular and postseason play, missing a total of 86 games.

So, this is not the first time Artest has been suspended and probably will not be the last, but this one might have come at the wrong time.

The bench has been inconsistent most of the season and even worse this postseason, totaling just 12 points in their Game 2 loss Wednesday and have been outscored in the series 70-31 by Dallas' reserves. Despite that, Los Angeles has controlled the series, leading in most major categories.

The Mavericks have turned the ball over 22 times in the first two games compared to the Lakers' 21. Los Angeles have also outscored Dallas in the paint, 88-72, and outrebounded the Dallas bigs 88-79. But it has been Dallas's ability to hit the outside shot that has allowed them to win the first two games.

The Lakers missed their first 16 three-point attempts in Game 2, finishing 2-for-20 from behind the arch with Dallas putting in eight-of-25. That can not continue, but at any rate, Los Angeles' long range shooting has been atrocious thus far. Lamar Odom has been reported to be the player chosen by Phil Jackson to replace Artest in the starting lineup, meaning more minutes for players like Matt Barnes and the ghostly Luke Walton, who has yet to appear in the series.

This Laker team has faced adversity all year and responded every time. Expect that not to change in Game 3, trying to avoid falling into an 0-3 series hole in this best of seven series. Teams that are faced with a three-game deficit are 0-98 in NBA history, a mountain Los Angeles does not want to climb.

Could the most recent Artest antics cost the Lakers a chance to head back to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year and the right to defend their back-to-back titles?

Los Angeles and Dallas began their third hand of Texas Hold 'Em with the chips down and ALL IN Friday in Dallas.

Odom For Sixth Man

Odom's versatility makes him
a prime candidate for the
Sixth Man of the Year.

Los Angeles Laker forward Lamar Odom is enjoying the most consistent season of his 12-year playing career.

Over the last couple of seasons Odom has been widely considered the X-factor on the Lakers during their recent title runs and given the label of the most versatile big man in the game today. 

At 6'-10", Odom runs the floor like a point guard and poses the inside presence of a center. He was snubbed at this year's All-Star Game in Los Angeles after averaging 14.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest. The 14.3 points per game is the most since his first season in Los Angeles, were he averaged 14.2 points per.

Despite Odom starting 34 of the Lakers' 73 games this season, he has been the best player off the bench in the NBA. Odom has showed he can put his ego aside for the opportunity to win another NBA title. The southpaw could be a starter on any other NBA team including the Lakers, but as we have discovered the Los Angeles is a better team when he is coming off the bench. 

Dallas Maverick guard Jason Terry seems to be the one to give Odom the most trouble in capturing the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Terry is averaging 16. 4 point per game, but does not give the same value to Dallas as Odom does to the two-time defending champions.

If Terry were to win the award it would be his second in three years, after taking home the honor in back in 2009.

It would be the first time Odom has won the award and a huge honor at that, knowing he would have done his job to put Los Angeles in a position to win their third NBA title in as many years.