Bynum Rising to the Elite

A healthy Bynum could almost assure a
Laker three-peat.

The Los Angeles Lakers have gone an NBA best 10-1 since the All-Star break and Andrew Bynum has been right in the center of it all.

Los Angeles went into the break losing three straight at the hands of two sub .500 teams and the Orlando Magic. A lot has changed since then with the 'Lake Show' cruising in the second half.

And Bynum rising to be one of the most elite centers in the NBA.

There is no argument that Orlando's Dwight Howard is the best at his position in the NBA, but Bynum creeped a little closer to his status Monday night.

Bynum and the Lakers outplayed the Magic, coming away with a 97-84 victory on their home floor. In 28 minutes, Bynum outplayed Howard grabbing 18 rebounds while Howard was able to track down 15 in almost 43 minutes of play. The former first-round pick also blocked four shots, three of them coming against Howard. What a difference a month makes for Bynum and the two-time defending NBA champions.

Bynum has been the difference for the Lakers since the break with his defense and enegry on both sides on the floor. In the eleven games since the break, Bynum has averaged 13 boards and brought his season average up 1.9 blocks per contest.

Still only 23, Bynum seems to be reaching his full potential that the Lakers thought he would when they drafted him with the 10th overall pick in 2005. Despite Bynum says his knee is not fully healthy from his offseason surgery, he sure is playing like it. With Bynum playing at an elite level, the Lakers look even better than their previous title runs each of the last two years.

The size and length the Lakers now bring to the table increase their chances even more to three-peat. Bynum showed his heart last June, playing the entire postseason on a bad knee and now seems to have taken his game to the next level.

If Bynum plays this way rest of the way and can stay healthy, you can almost bet on Los Angeles this postseason.

Lakers Hitting Stride for June

Barnes adds fresh legs to the Laker bench.
(Bahram Mark Sobhani / Associated Press)

The Los Angeles Lakers headed into Sunday's afternoon game in Texas losers of their previous two meeting with the San Antonio Spurs this season.

Most recently, at home on a buzzer beating tip in by veteran Antonio McDyess. Los Angeles jumped out to an early 34-13 first quarter lead and never looked back, handing the Spurs only their third loss at home this season. Before the loss San Antonio had won 22 straight games at the AT&T Center.

San Antonio has widely been considered the best team in the NBA most of the season and deservingly so with the best record (51-12) and playing the most consistent. The Lakers came out sending a message Sunday, that they are still the two-time defending champions and still the team to beat in the Western Conference despite what the standings say.

The Lakers have won seven straight since the break and have played solid defense, holding opponents under 90 points per contest during that stretch.

It seems as if the Lakers were waiting for the right time to hit the gas pedal and put themselves in a good position for the postseason. It is almost certain that this will be Phil Jackson's last season as a head coach in the NBA. Kobe Bryant and Co. know this and are focused on achieving their ultimate goal for their legendary coach.

Jackson would love nothing more than to finish his career with his fourth career three-peat, securing six NBA titles each with two of greatest players in NBA history.

Most of the season, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest looked disinterested on the defensive side of the ball if they were not getting their share of touches on the offensive end. That seems to have changed in the second half with both playing superb defense as well as contributing on the other side of the floor. Forward Matt Barnes returned the lineup Sunday with five points and six rebounds in only 14 minutes.

Barnes should also add some depth and energy to a team that is hitting its stride at the right time. These two teams will not meet again until the final week of the season, with the Spurs holding a 2-1 season edge.

With Los Angeles healthy and slowly climbing up the standing, they look primed for their third parade in as many years down Figueroa.