Eastern Conference Insider: Howard, Magic doing it with 'D'

By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Nov 27 2008 12:52PM

PHILADELPHIA -- The Boston Celtics have shown us early that they're just as good as they were last season, or at least close to it. With the addition of Mo Williams and improvements to their offense, the Cleveland Cavaliers have shown that they are right behind.

The Detroit Pistons have always been thought of as the third contender in the East, but they're struggling to find an identity under a new coach and with a new star in their backcourt. There's a team ready to take their place though.

After a pair of disappointing losses to start their season, the Orlando Magic have won 11 of their last 13 games and are off to another strong start. And they've done that even with Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis shooting just .389 from the field, numbers way down from last season.

Dwight Howard is leading the league in blocks with per game. Larry W. Smith/NBAE/Getty Images

"We're winning games defensively and on the boards right now," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says.

The Magic are one of the most improved defensive teams through the first four weeks of the season. But the improvement started before they came to camp in October.

"I thought by the end of last year, we were a good defensive team," Van Gundy says. "We're just further along earlier in the year, which should be expected, because we've got a year under our belt in the same defensive system."

There is one significant difference this season, though, and that's Dwight Howard. Howard averaged 2.15 blocks last season and has averaged 1.78 through the first four seasons of his career. Back in October, he blogged that he wanted to lead the league in blocks, an ambitious goal for someone who finished a block and a half behind league leader Marcus Camby last season. But Howard is doing just that, tallying 3.93 per contest.

"He's really focused on the defensive end," Van Gundy says, "blocking shots and really controlling the paint.

"Obviously, that has a big impact inside."

Howard credits his elders with giving him the mentality to be more active.

"I've had some good talks with guys like Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon," he says. "The main thing they always say is 'While you're young, you've got the ability to do a lot of different things. So, take advantage of them and don't let time catch up with you.'

"So, while I can do a lot of good things on the floor, go ahead and do them. Block shots, rebound, run the floor, things that come natural for me. Do them now while I'm young, take advantage of it, and leave my mark on the game."

He was also influenced by his coaches and teammates with USA Basketball this summer. Before the classic gold medal game against Spain, the Americans cruised through the Olympics thanks to a suffocating defense, anchored by Howard down low.

"[It helped me know] that I can be a big presence on the defensive end, blocking shots, altering shots, getting defensive rebounds, forcing teams to shoot jump shots instead of coming in the lane," Howard says. "Guys like Coach K did a good job this summer of putting that defensive mentality in my head and it just carried over into the season."

"He had to play that role, because he never really got the ball much offensively," Van Gundy adds. "His role over there was basically to defend. So, it probably got him in that mindset a little bit more."

Turkoglu says that he and the other Magic defenders can feel Howard's presence down low, but can't use him as a crutch.

"We can't just rely on Dwight, because sometimes we get him in foul trouble thinking that he's going to block every shot. We just have to play as best as we can, and he's going to cover our mistakes."

Howard isn't the only defensive presence on the floor for the Magic. They're tough on the perimeter as well, ranking second in the league by allowing just 4.7 made three-pointers per game. The improved defense takes some of the pressure off when they're not making shots on their own end.

"We know we can win with defense," Turkoglu says. "As long as we do our job on defense, our offense will come."

When it does, the Magic will be a very scary team.

Layups

Delonte West has started all 15 games for the Cavs this season. Jim McIsaac/NBAE/Getty Images

• The improvement in the Cavs' offense is about more than just Mo Williams. Delonte West is having a career year so far this season, thanks in part to a change of roles. Last season, West played the point, but with Williams on board, he's playing off the ball more this season. Still, Cavs coach Mike Brown may have to find a way to put West back at the point at times.

"He's doing things in every game and every practice that make me say, 'Hmmmm... I better call more plays for him to initiate the offense instead of getting it on the tail end,'" Brown said Tuesday. "He can go make plays."

Asked if West made a huge leap this summer, Brown wasn't sure.

"He was probably already there, I just didn't give him the chance," Brown admits.

When asked about his team's offensive improvement, LeBron James was quick to mention West.

"The way that Delonte has gotten better over the summer," James said, "he's like the x-factor to our team."

• The Nets pulled out another miracle Wednesday night.

Last Friday, New Jersey won an instant classic in Toronto on a Vince Carter reverse dunk off an alley-oop inbounds pass from Bobby Simmons at the end of overtime, but the more amazing part of the game was the final minute of regulation, when the Nets came back from seven down with less than 30 seconds to play. Vince Carter hit a three to send it to overtime, but the Nets were helped along the way by a five-seconds inbounds violation by the Raptors and a missed free throw from Anthony Parker.

On Wednesday, the Nets found themselves in another hole, down six with 34 seconds to go in regulation in Sacramento. This time, the Kings aided them with a dead-ball foul and two missed free throws from John Salmons, and it was Devin Harris who hit the game-tying three.

Harris got the game-winner in overtime, an elbow jumper with 12 seconds to go, and the Nets got a much-needed win on their annual Thanksgiving trip out West.

• Cuttino Mobley is still waiting for clearance to play for the Knicks, but he had a great exchange with the New York media at his introductory press conference at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

A reporter asked Mobley and Tim Thomas about playing for a team that has its eyes more on the future than the present.

Mobley: "Tim and I aren't losers. Al [Harrington]'s not a loser. We work hard. We've been on really good teams. So, it's fun. We're in New York now. We're going to have some fun."

Second reporter: "You say you're not losers. What happened with the Clippers?"

Laughter all around.

Thomas: "That's a dead issue."

Mobley: "That's a dead issue. You've got a lot of different guys. It's a new team with 10 different guys and you're working through another system. But, way to follow me up on that one."

Thomas: "Welcome to New York, buddy."

More laughter.

Mobley: "That's a witty guy right there."

Thomas: "Yeah, there's a lot of them out there."

Harlem Globetrotters, NBA team up in international effort

By Official Release
Posted Nov 24 2008 12:50PM

NEW YORK -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Harlem Globetrotters today announced a strategic international partnership that will give fans around the world more access to high-quality basketball entertainment.

This partnership combines the extensive global reach of the NBA with the dynamic entertainment product of the Globetrotters. The NBA and Harlem Globetrotters will work together in planning and promoting the Globetrotters' international slate of games and events. The partnership will debut this February when the Globetrotters take part in a number of activities during NBA All-Star 2009, which is the NBA's global showcase with the game and events televised around the world.

"The Harlem Globetrotters are world famous and synonymous with fun family entertainment," said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations. "We are pleased to enter into this partnership which complements our efforts to continue the growth of the game of basketball globally."

"The NBA has long been visionary in its understanding of the synergies between sports and entertainment," said Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. "We believe our unique and proprietary brand of basketball showmanship, paired with the expertise and infrastructure of the NBA's global operation, is an unbeatable combination for both organizations, and for basketball all over the world. Through this partnership, we can bring more Globetrotter fun to more fans on more platforms worldwide."

The NBA is global, with games televised in 215 countries and in 41 different languages. This past offseason, the NBA hosted more than 135 international events in 93 cities in 25 countries. The league has international offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Toronto. At the start of this season, the NBA features 75 international players from 32 countries and territories.

The world famous Harlem Globetrotters recently visited the 120th country in their illustrious eight-decade history when they showcased their unique brand of family entertainment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October. In addition to their annual 240-plus-game domestic schedule, the Globetrotters play more than 100 games a year internationally. The most traveled team in the history of sports, the Globetrotters have helped introduce the game of basketball to many of the countries they have visited in their 83 years of touring the world.

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2008-09 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league's worldwide reach will be reflected in the 75 international players from 32 countries and territories on NBA rosters.

Domestically, the NBA will broadcast 143 regular-season games on national television during the 2008-09 season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2. NBA TV, launched in 1999 as the first 24-hour television channel created and operated by a professional sports league, will broadcast an additional 96 games.

NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than five million daily visits. More than 50 percent of the Web site's visitors come from outside of North America.

NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $90 million to charity, provided more than 750,000 hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 340 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

About the Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 83rd consecutive season of touring the world in 2009. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining over 128 million fans and crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life. The Globetrotters are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, including their 2008 World Tour schedule, and to purchase team merchandise, visit the team's official Web site: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/

As "Ambassadors of Goodwill"?, the Harlem Globetrotters touch the lives of thousands of children nationally and globally each year with their distinctive community outreach programs. The Globetrotters have brought their "C.H.E.E.R.? For Character" program to hundreds of thousands of elementary school students around the world since the program's successful debut in 2004. Created with assistance from the U.S. Department of Education, C.H.E.E.R.? is a fun and interactive presentation that extols the benefits of character development and leading a positive lifestyle. Smile Patrol? is the Globetrotters' progressive hospital outreach program designed to brighten the day and lift the spirits of some very special fans unable to attend a Globetrotters game. Smile Patrol? visits over 200 children's hospitals worldwide annually, spreading joy and creating lifetime memories. S.P.I.N.? (Some Playtime Is Necessary) is the Globetrotters' newly-launched proprietary program aimed at making fitness fun and helping kids cultivate an active lifestyle, as Globetrotter players visit cities around the world, urging kids to get out and play.

Western Conference Insider: Realigning the West

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Nov 19 2008 2:32PM

So does Oklahoma City share a divisional bond with the Mavericks, its closest NBA neighbor? Nope. At least not yet.

The Thunder resides in the Northwest Division, which made sense when the franchise was named the Sonics and made the Pacific Northwest home. Oklahoma City, two time zones removed from Seattle, is squarely in Southwest Division country.

The Thunder have quite a haul when it comes time to play road games with Northwest rivals like the Jazz. Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

It would have made sense to group the Thunder with Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans, but of course it wasn't that easy. The legal wrangling involved with the Sonics' relocation and the late start of the team's offseason move made realignment for this season impossible.

The NBA didn't have the time do redo divisions when schedules had to be hashed out for the 2008-09 campaign. The league had one schedule if the team stayed in Seattle and another for Oklahoma City.

And it wasn't as easy as just swapping out the two cities on road trips for the other 29 teams. Seattle and OKC are 1,526 miles apart. Imagine Boston going from a Portland-Seattle back-to-back to Portland-Oklahoma City. That wouldn't work.

And if the Thunder is thrown into the Southwest, what happens to the Grizzlies? Under the above scenario of OKC sharing the Southwest with the Texas trio and New Orleans, Memphis is the odd team out.

Would it be fair to move the Grizzlies into the Northwest? Memphis and Minnesota would be relatively close (704 miles) within the division, but actually not as close as Minnesota and Oklahoma City (693). The Grizzlies would also be looking at 1,851 miles of sky for trips to Portland, which is 363 more miles than separate OKC and the Blazers.

While a move to the Southwest would make sense for the Thunder, the Grizzlies get the short end of the stick and the long end of the trip. Under the current arrangement, the city in the Southwest the farthest away for Memphis is San Antonio at just 624 miles.

Is there an answer that makes the most sense for the 15 teams in the Western Conference and the three divisions? And does the situation need to be changed when every team plays the others in the conference three or four times already?

Sure. Divisions should mean something more than the champ being guaranteed a top-four playoff seed. Since the league is split into directional conferences and the divisions have regional names, those five-team sets should share some characteristics.

An informal poll of West team executives, plus the common sense approach of just looking at the map has forged one possible realignment solution. It's not perfect for everyone, but it makes more sense that what is out there now and would reduce travel (fuel costs) for several teams. As one GM reminded, the NBA is trying to go green.

Here are the three proposed divisions and the merits/drawbacks of each:

Realigning the West

An informal poll of West team executives (as well as some common sense from NBA.com's Art Garcia) goes into a realigned Western Conference that makes a little more sense geographically.

Division Realignment Merits Drawbacks Pacific: Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland and Sacramento. All the teams are actually in the Pacific Time zone, and California and Oregon own Pacific Ocean coastline. The Blazers cut down immensely on travel and don't lose an hour or two for division games when traveling east as they do in the current Northwest. The traditional Suns-Lakers rivalry is no longer a divisional one. (It became that much sweeter with Shaq shacking up in the Valley of the Sun.) But Lakers fans should welcome four yearly tussles with the Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and the rest of the up-and-coming Blazers. Mountain: Denver, Minnesota, Memphis, Phoenix and Utah. At most, only one time zone separates the teams in this newly-christened division. (Don't focus on Arizona not observing Daylight Saving Time.) The states of Arizona, Utah and Colorado all share the Four Corners border, so their respective teams should share quarters. Minnesota doesn't have to travel two time zones for a divisional game in Portland. Memphis' travel does increase significantly, with its average divisional trip going from 472 miles in the Southwest to 1,026 miles. But Minnesota has dealt with that setup for years, so the Grizzlies won't be breaking new ground. Southwest: Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Texas borders both Oklahoma and Louisiana. Considering geography and the Central Time zone, this is an easy one to group. OKC fans will have their allegiances tested, at least early on, with the Hornets coming back twice per season as a division foe.

These three divisions cause some major moving and shaking, but make the most sense in the long run. Well, barring another team relocating again or expansion. For the time being, eliminating the three-time zone Northwest is a definite plus.

"If you look at what we have now, you would never 'divide' the teams this way," one general manager said.

Bringing the Eastern Conference into the discussion, another GM in favor of the above proposal suggested a radical restructuring of the playoff format. While keeping the conferences and divisions intact, he supports seeding 1-16 regardless of conference affiliation. In other words, the top 16 teams get in.

"You shouldn't punish teams for their geographic position," he said, "and reward others."

Another exec also backed the top-16 format, adding that it would allow for truer playoff representation and eventually distribute talent more evenly via the lottery. It's an interesting argument and one to tackle in another column.

As far as reformatting the West, there's no word on whether this or any change is in the works. David Stern said in Oklahoma City earlier this season that realignment currently isn't on the league's agenda, but would listen if the subject was broached.

Another GM wondered if the teams could actually suggest realignment. In his words, the "league does what it wants to do when it wants to do it." One league executive said this just replaces one imperfect system with another one.

Yes, but it's less imperfect. There's no need to travel 1,488 miles to figure that out.

Sun working to find his place in NBA, Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- By now, Yao is a household name and Yi is emerging into the collective conscious of the basketball realm, the question remains: Who is Yue?

Sun Yue, a lithe 6-foot-9, 205-pound guard selected with the 40th pick in the 2007 Draft by the Lakers, joins Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian as the third member of the Chinese national team playing in the NBA.

After averaging 6.8 points and 2.5 assists during China's run in the Olympics this past summer, Yue came to America despite no guarantee that he would make the roster as a second-round pick.

Yue (whose name is pronounced SAHN YOU) edged out Dwayne Mitchell, Joe Crawford and Coby Karl in training camp to become L.A.'s 15th man for 2008-09.

Prior to cementing his spot on the Lakers, Yue played for the Beijing Aoshen Olympians of the American Basketball Association for the past three seasons. Sun, 23, was named First Team All-ABA in both 2007 and 2008 while earning Second-Team All-ABA honors in 2006.

He has yet to play a minute during the regular season and you can find him racking and fetching all the balls that rolled around the gym after practice as part of his rookie treatment, but that doesn't change Yue's enthusiasm about being in the NBA.

NBA.com's Dave McMenamin caught up with Yue after a recent Lakers practice to talk about his journey to the league.

Question: What was it like to warm up at STAPLES Center last week across the court from Yao Ming? Two guys from China getting ready for an NBA game in Los Angeles, pretty amazing. I heard he came up to you and said it was funny to see you in a Lakers uniform because he was used to seeing you in the Chinese National Team threads.

Answer: Nothing could be better for me. Me and Yao have had a lot of fun playing on the national team together and it was a funny moment to see each other wearing different uniforms. He already has his position and is proven in the NBA, for me, I still need to find my position. I'm the rookie and I can learn from him. Everything that he does is good and if I keep doing hard work every day, I hope I can find a position too.

Q: What's your first memory of the NBA growing up?

A: The first time I think I was 11 or 12 years old and I watched the TV and somebody was playing basketball and wore the pretty uniform and the nice shoes, too. I think the first game I watched was the Chicago Bulls playing the Utah Jazz in The Finals. The first thing I thought was, "Oh, so basketball can be played like that." It was incredible. I started to fall in love with the sport and I started to play from there.

Q: Did many of your friends play basketball or did they play other sports?

Rookie Sun Yue is still learning the ropes of the Lakers' intricate offense. Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

A: My situation was kind of a little bit different because when I was nine years old, I grew up so fast and was really tall for my age and my parents saw that I was really tall, so they sent me to a sports school where they had all different sports and I lived with the basketball team in the dorms. So all my friends played basketball from the time I was very small.

Q: When did you realize that your skill level was at a point where the NBA was a possibility?

A: I think playing in the Olympic Games gave me a lot of confidence. I think I can play in the NBA. I still have to find a rhythm and I still have to find the right way to play in the NBA, so I still need time and to make adjustments to everything. The team, the offense, the new coach -- I have adjustments with everything. So far I feel pretty good about playing the right way and I feel confident enough to play in the NBA.

Q: I've read you being compared to Magic Johnson and also Toni Kukoc. Are you somewhere in between? Are either of those a fair comparison?

A: I think every player is different. Nobody can be totally the same. Not many players would want to compare themselves with another player. I want to try to be the first myself.

Q: I also read that there is nothing on the court that you like doing more than the other thing. You like passing, you also like shooting. You like rebounding ... you like everything the same. What is your best skill though?

A: I think passing. Since I've played basketball I've played guard, so the last 13-14 years, I played the one position. I enjoy passing. I like sharing the ball with my teammates, that's what basketball is to me. I like passing from the backcourt and watch[ing] my teammate go in for a layup and score. That feels just like I scored.

Q: How did your experience with the ABA in Los Angeles help you?

A: It gave me a lot of help. The skill might not be like the NBA, but the style of play is similar. Many American players are very athletic, so when you play against them that's the hardest thing. They're fast, they jump, they're running, the go for offensive rebounds like crazy, so the first year I came here with the ABA, that was very hard to get used to. When my second season came I was used to it and those experiences playing in the ABA really helped me get ready to play in the NBA.

Q: Where were you when you found out that you were drafted by the Lakers?

Chinese Basketball Terms

Word Chinese Translation Dunk Kou Lan 3-pointer San Fen Qiu Rebound Lan Ban Assist Zhu Gong Steal Qiang Duan Block Feng Gai Jump shot Tiao Tou

A: Before the draft I worked out with many teams. I was travelling everywhere. My last stop was in Golden State. I was in my hotel room watching the draft on TV. After the first round picks I thought, 'Oh, maybe it's not going to happen,' and I just started doing other things like making phone calls and getting something to eat. And then the 40th pick they read my name. I didn't believe it at first because they didn't read my name in correct Chinese. By that time the draft had already been on TV for an hour and a half, I waited through a lot of commercials. That was a long time. It was a hard time to wait.

Q: If you can complete this sentence: Growing up, the basketball court was my ...

A: Many players think basketball is their job, their profession, but I like to think of it as my hobby. When you have a hobby, you are interested in learning about it and you want to spend time thinking about it. So it is my job, but it is also my hobby.

Q: How are you going to reach your ultimate goal of cracking this rotation and getting playing time?

A: For now I'm trying not thinking about it too much. For a rookie, I think I'm in a normal situation. A lot first-year players don't play a lot. For me, the only thing I can do now is work hard and make the head coach have confidence in me. He will start to trust me and then he will give me a chance.

Q: What is the best coaching advice you've ever received?

A: Right now the most important thing is to work on reading the offense. I'm trying to get an idea of how the triangle offense works. They want me to know all the positions in the triangle. I watch tape every day and I write down notes on paper everyday. It's a very big job. The coach told me that some people take two or three seasons to understand this offense.

Q: Are you improving at it?

A: I'm starting to get it. This triangle offense is very famous for being very hard to learn. You need time to get in it. It's very deep. Look at my teammates, they have been playing with each other for three or four seasons. They know it now. For me, it will take a while.

Q: What can you say about your fans back in China and the support you receive?

A: In China, I'm not very famous. I have Yao before me and Yi before me. I'm the "OK" one. I'm not super, I'm the OK one. I know that many people from China like me, they tell me that I can play well, but right now I just want them to know that the NBA is a very, very high-level league. It can take a long time for somebody to get used to everything. I need time. I don't know how long, but I'm trying to make sure that I make it and I'm doing my best.

Lakers-Suns Preview

2008-09 Stats at a Glance

A report surfaced last week that Shaquille O'Neal might want to end his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. They probably don't have any interest in him right now.

His latest reunion with Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson already made this matchup of the Pacific Division's top teams intriguing, but O'Neal's recent comments - besides the fines levied against him - have heightened the interest as the Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

Despite being signed with Phoenix (8-4) through next season, O'Neal told the Sacramento Bee he would be interested in going back to the Lakers after his current contract expires. He won three straight championships alongside Bryant in Los Angeles from 2000-02, though a feud between the two was blamed for why the dynasty ended and O'Neal was traded to Miami.

The report, however, also had O'Neal saying Jackson orchestrated much of the problems with Bryant and never helped get the superstars on the same page. It wasn't until two years ago when O'Neal and Bryant seemingly mended the relationship.

Los Angeles (8-1) is doing just fine along the frontline without O'Neal.

Before the Suns got O'Neal at last season's trade deadline, the Lakers acquired 7-footer Pau Gasol and he helped get them to the NBA finals. That run came without an injured Andrew Bynum, and the 21-year-old center has returned this season to help Los Angeles to the league's best record.

While Bynum has averaged 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds as he continues to work his way back from knee surgery, Gasol is contributing 17.6 points and 10.1 boards per game. Bryant, meanwhile, is averaging 24.3 points and 19.3 field-goal attempts - both his lowest since 2003-04 in O'Neal's final season with the Lakers.

On Tuesday, Gasol scored a season-high 34 points while Bynum had 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in a 116-109 victory over Chicago.

"Me and Andrew, it's hard to match up," Gasol said. "I think we should make a consistent effort to do that every game. You've got two guys who can produce. They're easy looks, 10-footers - high-percentage shots."

O'Neal has had an uneven season, but lately it's featured some bad moments. He was fined $25,000 for his role in an altercation against Houston last week, then fined $35,000 for verbally abusing an official and failing to leave the court quickly after being ejected for a hard foul on Detroit's Rodney Stuckey on Sunday.

"Doesn't matter to me," O'Neal said. "I'm not the one that can be controlled with fines, so that doesn't matter to me."

The latest fine came down Monday, the same day he finished a game with only one rebound for the first time this decade in a 109-97 loss at Utah.

"We just have to suck this one up because we have another good team which we play on Thursday and we got to get ready for that," said O'Neal, who had nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.

The only game in which he faced the Lakers in a Phoenix uniform - and the most recent between these teams - came on Feb. 20, when he had 15 points and nine rebounds in a 130-124 loss. Bryant scored 41 points and Gasol added 29.

At 4-0, Los Angeles is the only team without a road loss this season. The Suns are 3-2 at home and they lost both meetings with the Lakers at US Airways Center last season.

Stats at a Glance
	at
News | Players | Stats | Schedule		News | Players | Stats | Schedule

Los Angeles Lakers - Regular Season Record: 8 - 1 ( .889) Standings: First, Pacific At Home: 4 - 1 On Road: 4 - 0 Last 9: 8 - 1 Streak: W 1		Phoenix Suns - Regular Season Record: 8 - 4 ( .667) Standings: Second, Pacific At Home: 3 - 2 On Road: 5 - 2 Last 10: 7 - 3 Streak: L 1

Regular Season PPG: 104.9 Opp PPG: 91.3 FG%: .446 Opp FG%: .415 RPG: 47.9 Opp RPG: 42.3 Last 5 Games (Reg. Season) PPG: 104.2 Opp PPG: 96.4 FG%: .454 Opp FG%: .433 RPG: 44.8 Opp RPG: 44.6 Last 10 Games (Reg. Season) PPG: 104.9 Opp PPG: 91.3 FG%: .446 Opp FG%: .415 RPG: 47.9 Opp RPG: 42.3		Regular Season PPG: 100.5 Opp PPG: 97.8 FG%: .499 Opp FG%: .445 RPG: 39.3 Opp RPG: 39.2 Last 5 Games (Reg. Season) PPG: 97.4 Opp PPG: 97.2 FG%: .473 Opp FG%: .438 RPG: 40.6 Opp RPG: 42.8 Last 10 Games (Reg. Season) PPG: 100.8 Opp PPG: 96.7 FG%: .495 Opp FG%: .437 RPG: 39.5 Opp RPG: 39.9

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Playoff Stats Player G PPG RPG APG		Playoff Stats Player G PPG RPG APG

Regular Season Stats Player G PPG RPG APG Bryant, K. 9 24.3 5.1 4.0 Gasol, P. 9 17.6 10.1 3.1 Bynum, A. 9 10.8 8.9 1.8 Fisher, D. 9 10.6 2.6 2.7 Odom, L. 9 9.3 5.9 2.2 Ariza, T. 9 8.9 4.9 1.7 Farmar, J. 9 8.6 3.4 2.9 Radmanovic, V. 9 6.1 3.3 1.1 Vujacic, S. 9 5.2 1.9 1.4 Mihm, C. 3 4.7 1.3 0.0 Powell, J. 5 2.8 1.8 0.0 Walton, L. 7 0.6 0.4 0.6 Head Coach: Phil Jackson		Regular Season Stats Player G PPG RPG APG Stoudemire, A. 12 23.3 8.3 2.0 O'Neal, S. 11 15.1 7.8 2.1 Nash, S. 11 13.7 2.8 7.5 Barnes, M. 7 12.0 5.7 1.7 Barbosa, L. 9 10.9 3.0 1.6 Bell, R. 12 9.8 2.3 1.3 Diaw, B. 12 8.6 3.4 1.9 Hill, G. 12 8.3 4.4 1.7 Lopez, R. 9 3.8 2.0 0.0 Dragic, G. 12 3.1 1.8 1.5 Amundson, L. 10 2.7 1.9 0.2 Singletary, S. 4 2.5 1.8 1.3 Head Coach: Terry Porter

Tonight's Games	Time (ET)	Nat TV	Game Notes
Detroit @ Boston	8:00 pm	TNT TSN2	DET	BOS	Preview
L.A. Lakers @ Phoenix	10:30 pm	TNT TSN2	LAL	PHX	Preview
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