Kobe Bryant Needs to Stop Making Excuses

Kobe Bryant says the Lakers are too old. I say he needs to stop making excuses and lead his team. (Andrew D. Bernstein)

The Philadelphia 76ers might not have the prestige names and honors that the Los Angeles Lakers players have had. However, the young 76ers stormed into the Staples Center and dominated the much older Lakers in a 103-99 victory on Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Lakers' record on the season to 15-16. After the game, Kobe Bryant had a colorful explanation.

"You just saw an old @#!*% team," Bryant continued. "I don't know how else to put it to you. We're just slow. You saw a team over there that was just younger and just had fresher legs and just played with more energy, and we were just stuck in the mud. I think individually we all have to figure out how to get ourselves ready each and every game to have a high level of energy. That's all that is."

Do you want to know what this boils down to? An excuse and to be quiet honest with you, a pathetic one at that. They are the fourth-oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 28.4. If this was their fourth game in five days or something, I would completely understand. However, the Lakers came into the home game against the 76ers on the three days rest.

If age is such a huge concern, how come I don't hear other teams and players complaining about? The New York Knicks are the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 32.7. Rather than whining, the Knicks have been one of the league's surprise stories with a 21-10 record, good enough for the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers’ next game is Friday against their crosstown rivals. The Clippers are the second-oldest team in the league with an average age of 29.3. All they've done recently is rattled off a streak of 17 straight wins. That is more wins than the Lakers have managed to get all season. No wonder more and more Lakers fans are becoming Clippers fans every day.

Bryant, 34, is supposedly the leader of the Lakers. Tim Duncan, 36, is the leader of the San Antonio Spurs, a team that is perennially called too old, but is always one of the best teams in the NBA every year. In tonight's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Duncan scored 28 points (11-20 FG, 6-7 FT) to go with 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks.

Duncan and the Spurs let their play do the talking, rather than their words. Bryant is so busy running his mouth and making excuses off the court that he isn't finding solutions on it. If he wants to be the leader on the court, than he needs to step up and make his teammates commit to working harder. Will the Lakers ever turn around this season? It will be when they start making the plays on the court, rather than complaining off of it.

2012 NBA Christmas Day Preview

James Harden singing Jingle Bells is just one of the joys of five NBA games on Christmas Day. (TotalProSports.com)

Christmas Day has almost arrived, which means a great day of NBA matchups will be on ABC and ESPN. I will preview what to watch for in each game. Merry Christmas to all!

Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets  - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN
The Celtics will travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets in a budding Atlantic Division rivalry. The premier matchup of this game will be the point guards, Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Deron Williams of the Nets. Rondo is averaging 14.3 points and 11.1 assists in December while shooting 52 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Williams is having a down year as he tries to find his role with his newly formed team. He is shooting just 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. Williams is still averaging 16.8 points and 8.1 assists a game. There's also a player on each team who is capable of taking the game over. The Celtics' Paul Pierce has been superb lately and is averaging 23.8 points per game in December. Joe Johnson has emerged as the go to guy for the Nets. He scored 22 points in their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers - 3:00 PM EST, ABC
Both teams have been two of the NBA's biggest surprises. The Knicks have emerged as of the league's top teams behind great three-point shooting. The Lakers have struggled to come together as a team, but they will benefit from Steve Nash's return from injury. This game features some great matchups. The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant are two of the league's top scorers. Anthony is scoring 33.7 points and shooting 50 percent from the field in his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Bryant is averaging 33.8 points per game since the start of December. Another intriguing matchup will be two of the league's top centers. Dwight Howard is in his first season with the Lakers, while Tyson Chandler anchors the Knicks' defense. Howard has struggled a bit recently, averaging just 15.1 points per game in his past five games. As the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Chandler will look to shut him down.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat - 5:30 PM EST, ABC
This is probably the most anticipated matchup of any of the Christmas Day games, featuring a rematch of last season's NBA Finals. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, and the Thunder will be looking for revenge. As if you couldn't figure it on your own, the premier matchup in this game is obviously the NBA's top two players Kevin Durant of the Thunder and LeBron James of the Heat. Durant is averaging 27.9 points and 8.4 rebounds this season, while James is putting up 25.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game. The defensive matchup between the two will be intriguing as well. They will most likely be guarding one another for the majority of the game. The Heat will have the home crowd at their back, but the Thunder experienced what that was like last summer.

Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls - 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
These two teams may not appear to be two of the NBA's top teams, but both have played surprisingly well given their circumstances. The Rockets weren't expected to compete for a spot in the playoffs at all. However, a preseason trade has changed everything. James Harden, the centerpiece of the trade with the Thunder, has averaged 25.6 points and 5.6 assists a game as a starter in Houston. He has emerged as one of the league's top shooting guards right now. Meanwhile, the Bulls have kept winning, even without one of the NBA's top players. A number of players have stepped up in Derrick Rose's absence. Joakim Noah is averaging 13.5 points and 10.6 seen rebounds while Luol Deng leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game. They have helped the Bulls remain competitive while they wait for their superstar to return.

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers - 10:30 PM EST, ESPN
The Clippers are one of the NBA's hottest teams right now. The Clippers' offense is led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Paul runs the show with 16.1 points and 9.6 assists per game. In the post, Griffin is averaging 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The Clippers also have an elite defense that allows opponents to score just 91.6 points per game, which is fourth best in the NBA. The Nuggets are one of the most balanced teams in the league. Ty Lawson is one of the fastest players in the NBA and pushes the tempo of the offense. He loves to facilitate the ball to his teammates, such as Danilo Gallinari, Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer. Lawson did strain his left Achilles in Sunday's game and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game. If he is indeed out or not 100 percent, it would be a huge blow to the Nuggets' chances.

What to Watch for in the Battle of the Boroughs III

Joe Johnson has begun to emerge as the star the Brooklyn Nets need him to be. (John Minchillo)

Basketball in the Big Apple has a new rivalry on its hands with the Nets move to Brooklyn. The first installment saw new boys on the block win in overtime. The Knicks took the second behind Carmelo Anthony's 45-point effort. Round Three tips off in less than 30 minutes. If you love basketball, then turn your television on to ESPN. I've got five storylines for you to watch as the game unfolds in Madison Square Garden.

1. Carmelo Anthony is a game-time decision for tonight's game. Anthony has missed the past two games because of continued pain in his sprained left ankle. The Knicks star is taking a cautious approach with his ankle and made it sound as though he's leaning toward sitting out against the Nets. "Of course I want to play," he said Tuesday. "But if I'm not able to go out there and be the player I can be and help my team, then I'm not going to step foot on the court." Reports say that Anthony did run lightly on Tuesday and said afterward that his ankle is still sore and "badly bruised."

2. The matchup of centers Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler will play a decisive role in the outcome of the game. Lopez has been the leading scorer for Brooklyn, averaging almost 18 a game. Chandler is averaging almost 13 points a game and is the focal point of the Knicks' defense. The Nets will try to get Lopez involved as much as possible and try to get Chandler into foul trouble. If they are able to, they'll have a significant edge against the Knicks' less-talented big men coming off the bench. Chandler will have to play smart and not let his emotions get the better of him.

3. Jason Kidd is the x-factor for the Knicks. Kidd was the hero of the Knicks' last game against the Nets and has been the team's leader all season. Despite being 39 years old, he has played a crucial role in the Knick's surprising start. Through 20 games, Kidd is averaging 8.7 points and 1.8 steals per contest, while shooting an amazing 47 percent from three-point range. Apart from sinking the game-winning shot in the Knicks' last win over the Nets, he also had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in that game.

4. Joe Johnson is starting to find his role with the Nets. Johnson struggled early in the season to find his place with his new team, but he is starting to find his groove as of late. Over his past five games, he has averaged 20.8 points on 49.4% shooting from the field. Johnson also sunk his first game-winner as a member of the Nets in a double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons last Friday night before a home crowd at the Barclays Center. The team is starting to believe in him as well. "We were going to give him the ball and ride his back,” said head coach Avery Johnson.

5. The Knicks' ability to make three-pointers could decide the outcome of the game. The Knicks live and die on the three. According to ESPN, "New York's 11.9 made 3-pointers per game and 29.5 attempts are the most by any team since the 3-point line was instituted in 1979-80." Even though it seems unlikely that they will keep that up the remainder of the season, it certainly has a significant impact on this game. Interestingly enough though, the Nets have been very good at defending the three. According to ESPN, "Brooklyn has allowed opponents to hit just 5.7 of their 3-pointers per game, the third-fewest in the NBA." The Nets will need to be just as good if they hope to slow done the Knicks' production from deep.

New York Knicks Allow Linsanity to Join the Houston Rockets

Jeremy Lin had a magical run in New York City with the Knicks, but now he must take his act to Houston to play for the Rockets. (Jim McIsaac)

Unless you were living under a rock (literally or metaphorically) last February, you more than likely know the incredible rise of Jeremy Lin to international acclaim. Nevertheless, the legendary tale is worthy recounting. The New York Knicks were mired in a rut of frankly terrible basketball. One of the major issues was they were lacking a true leader at starting point guard. Due to injuries and other issues, the Knicks were struggling to find anyone to play the position. At the end of the bench, they spotted a long forgotten kid from Harvard, named Jeremy Lin. Lin had gone undrafted, been cut by two teams during the preseason, and played in the NBA's D-League, before filling out the end of the Knicks' roster.

In February, the Knicks finally decided to give Lin a chance. All he did was lead the Knicks to seven consecutive wins. In nine of his first ten games, Lin scored at least 20 points. He started 25 of his 35 games with the Knicks, while averaging 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. Sadly, Lin's phenomenal season was ended prematurely because of his need for knee surgery.

This summer, Lin became a restricted free agent. This meant that while Lin could sign an offer sheet with any team, the Knicks had the right to match it and accordingly keep Lin. As Lin explored options, so did the Knicks. They convinced veteran Jason Kidd to come aboard in a backup point guard facility. Meanwhile, Lin signed a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets. This left the decision as to whether or not to match and re-sign Lin up to the Knicks.

The dilemma the Knicks faced was that the contract offered from the Rockets included a $14.9 million balloon payment for the third year. If they signed Lin, it would cost them another $35 million or more in luxury-tax penalties. The decision came down to whether or not the man in charge, Jim Dolan, was willing to pay the additional money. As it turns out, he was unwilling. Instead, he decided to do a sign-and-trade for another veteran point guard, Raymond Felton. Dolan also declined the option of signing Lin and trading him to the Rockets for something in return.

In my humble opinion, Dolan simply made the worse possible decision for his franchise. The Knicks supporters had already suffered from many of the rash decisions his regime had made. Long mired in mediocrity and continued failure, Lin awoke a stagnate and unhappy fan base. He energized them and gave them someone to hope and believe in. So when Dolan is given the chance to re-sign Lin, what does he do? He simply allows him to walk, while getting nothing in return.

Way to alienate your fan base even more, Mr. Dolan. You should reward yourself with a nice, big bonus. Every move the man makes seems to turn out as a complete flop. The one thing that turned out beautifully, he lets go. All because he doesn't want his franchise to have to pay the additional money out of pocket. Jeremy Lin's historic rise from unknown commodity to international sensation is unprecedented. He has become one of the most popular athletes in the world. I guess all that wasn't enough to earn him a second year in New York.

Twitter, blogs, and more are ablaze with the frustration and harsh criticism of Knicks' fans. Many have stated that they have switched their allegiance to supporting the newly relocated Brooklyn Nets. Normally, I would say that you should support your team no matter the circumstances, but I understand where these fans are coming from. Jim Dolan has time and time again hindered the success and growth of this franchise. As long as he remains in control, I would not dare to wish the fate of being a Knicks fan on even my worst of enemies.

Individual Players' Poor Choices Costing Teams Chances to Win

Photo Credit: Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Everyone knows who egotistical athletes can be at times. We have all acted that way at one point or another. What is unfortunate is when you allow these attitudes to turn into actions that affect other people. That is what three NBA players who are often in the spotlight have done. I already blogged about Metta World Peace elbowing James Harden. His seven-game suspension was a weaksauce move by the league. The Lakers still won Game 1, but the lack of depth and cohesiveness in the playoffs, could come back to bite them in the playoffs.

Sunday, the Boston Celtics were frustrated by how they played and some of the officiating in the game, which was understandable on both accounts. However, Rajon Rondo let the frustration get the better of him. After a loose ball foul call on Brandon Bass, Rondo yelled at the official, which earned him his second technical of the game, and proceeded to chest bump the official. This left the NBA with no choice. I am sure that the league didn't want to suspend Rondo for a instance like this, but they didn't have a choice. The rules are very clear about player contact with the officials. Today, Rondo was suspended for Game 2. This leaves the Celtics, who are already down one game to none in the series, without one of their best players and substantially less guard depth. This puts his team in a real predicament.

Tonight, the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks to take a 2-0 series lead. The Knicks were obviously disappointed, but one star player acted rashly as a result. Amare Stoudemire punched the glass around a fire extinguisher following the loss. He suffered lacerations on his left hand, which required stitches. Stoudemire is almost certainly out for Game 3, basically a must-win for the Knicks, and possibly out for the whole series. The Knicks clearly need him to have a chance in this series. Poor choices have consequences. It is unfortunate, but they most certainly do. When an athlete puts his or her personal ego first, it hurts the team and its chemistry badly. What I would suggest to athletes is that they need to work on thinking being for they act. The choices they make affect lots of people.

Fab Five Performances from the NBA Sunday

5. Phoenix Suns PG Steve Nash - 8 points and 14 assists

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns by 12 at home. The Lakers' return road trip Sunday didn't go nearly as well. The Suns grew the lead to as much as 27 points in the third quarter. Nash was a main reason why. The aging star is still a magician on the court. It doesn't matter who is playing with him. He makes them look even better.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves PF Kevin Love - 20 points and 15 rebounds

This is not the Minnesota Timberwolves teams of past years that would melt in the fourth quarter. This team has shown all year that they know how to win late. This game was another example. Love scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. With his team down by one, Love drove to the basket. He was fouled with 0.1 second left. He made both free throws to clinch the win.

3. New York Knicks PG Jeremy Lin - 28 points, 14 assists, and 5 steals

The Dallas Mavericks are the reigning champions, but Jeremy Lin wasn't intimidated coming off the Knicks' loss to the Hornets. Dirk Nowitzki may have scored 34 points, but it was Lin who orchestrated the winning effort. Lin's turnover rate was still high, but in retrospect his play has been incredible. Another impressive performance for the youngster from Harvard.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder PG Russell Westbrook - 40 points and 9 assists

1. Oklahoma City Thunder SF Kevin Durant - 51 points and 8 rebounds

These two guys have to be mentioned together after their combined performance Sunday. All they did was scored a combined 91 points. That was more points then six NBA teams scored in their respective games. Durant's 51 was a career-high. Everyone knows these two guys like to score. There has been more debate as to whether or not they can co-exist on one team. They seemed to do just fine on Sunday. I think any NBA team executive would be more than happy with that type of dynamic performance.

Honorable Mention - Oklahoma City Thunder PF Serge Ibaka - 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks

The triple-double was the first of Ibaka's young career. The Congolese big man continues show great potential.

JLin Breathes Life into the Knicks and MSG

I already wrote about how absolutely terribly the New York Knicks had been playing this season. The Knicks were supposed to be contenders in the East, but instead were 8-15 and had lost 11 of their last 13. The offense simply wasn't getting it down on the court. One of the main reasons was a lack of a true starting point guard. Veteran Baron Davis was supposed to be the answer, but he hasn't played at all this season with a back injury. The Knicks had tried just about everyone at the spot, so they turned to one of their last men on the bench, Jeremy Lin. Lin is a second year player out of Harvard. Before Saturday's game, he had only played 55 minutes all season and scored only 32 points.

On Saturday, the Knicks hosted the New Jersey Nets. Everyone hoped they could pick up a win here to end the losing drought. JLin came off the bench and was the leading scorer with 25 points and 7 assists. The Knicks won 99-92. Tonight, the Knicks hosted the Utah Jazz. Before the game began, the Knicks knew they would be without star Amare Stoudemire, who left to be with his family after the death of his older brother in a car accident. In tonight's game, JLin got his first career start, but things didn't look good when six minutes in, the Knicks' other start player, Carmelo Anthony, left the game with a strained right groin. This left the Knicks without any real identity. That didn't last long as JLin quickly took over. Lin scored a career-high 28 points and 8 assists. He was clutch down the stretch and nailed a moneyball three to help seal the Knicks' victory.

The Knicks knew they needed to turn around their season. People thought they needed to fire head coach Mike D'Antoni. They thought Carmelo or Amare would make it happen. They thought all sorts of things and theories, but few thought of little Jeremy Lin from Harvard. In two games, Lin might have single-handedly turned around the Knicks' season. I watched the game tonight and Madison Square Garden was rocking like it hadn't been in a very, very long time. Knicks fans have someone to believe in. That someone is Jeremy Lin.

NBA Friday: Separating the Contenders from the Pretenders

Boston Celtics 91 New York Knicks 89

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen helped the Celtics secure a much needed win at home. The Knicks fall to 8-15 on the season. Questions and complaints continue to circulate about this dysfunctional team.

Orlando Magic 102 Cleveland Cavaliers 94

The Magic had trouble closing out the end of January (they went 2-6), but picked up their second win in two February games. Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds in the win. We will have to see the Magic are back on track as it appears.

Miami Heat 99 Philadelphia 76ers 79

The Heat pounded the 76ers behind big games from Wade and LeBron. LeBron has had a MVP first-half of the season to lead the Heat. The loss drops the 76ers' home record to 12-3. While that is still impressive, this game showed the 76ers to be more of pretenders than contenders.

Oklahoma City Thunder 101 Memphis Grizzlies 94

Kevin Durant closed out another impressive win for the Thunder. Their record now stands at a league-best 18-4 (9-1 at home). Each game makes the Thunder look more and more like serious contenders. On the other hand, the Grizzlies have been a disappointment so far this season. Many people liked their talent for a short season, but they have been mediocre to this point.

Indiana Pacers 98 Dallas Mavericks 87

The Pacers are playing like contenders right now. They won in Dallas for the first time in eight years. Their ten road victories are tied for the most in the league. Paul George nailed seven three pointers and scored a career-high 30 points. The defending champion Mavericks continue to struggle. Right now, they are looking a lot more like pretenders than contenders.

Los Angeles Lakers 93 Denver Nuggets 89

The Lakers have had their struggles on the road, but got a quality win in Denver to improve their road record to 3-7. Kobe didn't have his best game, but his solid effort combined with those of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum were enough to secure the win. The Nuggets are trying compete against the top tier of the Western Conference, but lack a true star. They might be regular season contenders, but that is a recipe for a postseason pretender.

Why are the Knicks Mellowing Out?

The New York Knicks have lost nine out of ten. Since bringing in Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are 21-31 (including the playoffs). They are currently in tenth in the Eastern Conference. They have Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. In Mike D'Antoni's system, the two were supposed to thrive and lead their team to the top tier of the East. That simply hasn't happened.

So who's fault is it? Is it D'Antoni's fault? I mean he is the coach. The one who is supposed to be the motivator. However, he didn't want Melo brought in, but no one listened to him. No one listens to him now either though. This is a team without a leader both on and off the court. Stoudemire is in one of the worst slumps of his career. Melo isn't leading the team to wins. Is it one of their faults?

I don't have a definite answer right now. Someone has to go, and I think D'Antoni will be the victim. Will it make a difference? I am not sure. In a shortened season, there is little time to waste. Right now, this team would settle for a victory. They're not so much worried about whether or not they can win a championship.

For more information, check out ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's podcast, where he explains his frustration with his New York Knicks: http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=7520568