He’s Feeling Sore About Laker Defense

I guess it was Kobe Bryant’s tendinitis that made Derek Fisher miss two of three free throws down the stretch against the Warriors. Kobe’s ailment also led Fisher to foul a 5-foot-5 point guard with two seconds on the shot clock, giving him the game-sealing three-point play.

I guess it was Kobe’s tendinitis that prevented Shaq from rotating defensively or rebounding. I guess it was Kobe’s tendinitis that allowed Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Samaki Walker and Devean George to continually get beat on drives to the basket or to loose balls on the court.

The real story is not Kobe’s tendinitis, it’s the complete and utter lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. This fact was buried deep in Tim Brown’s article after the loss to the Warriors.

If the Lakers are looking to bring their record up to that .500 plateau, they must start at the defensive end. If the effort doesn’t start now, the Lakers are lottery-bound.

Craig Kwasniewski

El Segundo

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Your coverage of the Clippers responding to Andre Miller’s personal sadness by inspiring a five-point victory over Sacramento left out one important fact. The Kings shot seven free throws while the Clippers made 38 of their 46 attempts.

And Chris Webber and the gang thought they got jobbed last season in Game 6?

Hank Rosenfeld

Santa Monica

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I have noticed some puzzling NBA suspensions this season.

Rick Fox gets a five-game suspension for mauling Doug Christie. Chris Mills gets three games for assaulting the entire Portland Trail Blazer team and their bus. Rasheed Wallace gets seven games for making a couple of comments to a referee after a game.

This inconsistency makes me wonder how the league goes about determining the duration of a suspension. I suspect it has something to do with throwing darts at a board or spinning a wheel.

Tim Jensen

Redondo Beach