Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Clippers

Lakers Blow Golden Opportunity: Fan Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The Los Angeles Lakers had a chance to make a statement in Game 2. After getting absolutely destroyed in Game 1, the Lakers had a golden opportunity to steal a game in Oklahoma City and plant some seeds of doubt in the minds of the Thunder. With two minutes remaining, Los Angeles had a seven-point lead. The NBA is a league where teams can score points in a hurry, but a seven-point lead with two minutes left should be enough to seal a win. It wasn’t.

Kobe Bryant’s late mistakes doom Lakers in their Game 2 loss to Thunder (Yahoo! Sports)

Kobe Bryant helped give away what appeared to be a near-certain victory for the Lakers.

Kevin Durant rallies Thunder by Lakers with defense and a clutch shot (Yahoo! Sports)

Kevin Durant is a three-time scoring champion, but his defense on Kobe Bryant helped key the Thunder’s Game 2 win.

Clippers-Spurs Preview (The Associated Press)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Hours before turning 30 years old, Tony Parker grinned Wednesday as though his lowest-scoring playoff game since his early twenties was an early birthday gift from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Parker vs. Paul no All-Star showdown so far (The Associated Press)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Hours before turning 30 years old, Tony Parker grinned Wednesday as though his lowest-scoring playoff game since his early twenties was an early birthday gift from the Los Angeles Clippers.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on Forbes World’s Most Powerful Celebrities list (Ball Don’t Lie)

With every passing year, NBA athletes become larger figures on the international scene. They move products as endorsers, influence fashion trends, and lend their cred to new musicians and causes. They’re cultural forces, and that means they also matter to businesses.
So, when a finance-minded magazine like Forbes puts out rankings of the World’s Most Powerful Celebrities, the inclusion of some athletes isn’t a play for diversity. These players do in fact have power. So, let’s talk a little about LeBron James (No. 15) and Kobe Bryant (No. 27) making this year’s list. Here’s the background from Forbes :

Iconic basketball star named big bird of executives (AFP)

Retired NBA superstar Larry Bird was named the NBA Executive of the Year on Wednesday, becoming the first to complete a treble sweep of top awards for players, coaches and front office leaders.