Congratulations, Lakers

From 2010: Congratulations, Lakers

From 2009: One-peat!

Congratulations, Cleveland

From one title-challenged franchise to another.

(Awesome to Nike for getting this out so quickly.)

Does This Make Up for Carlos Quentin?

Jason Collins and Carlos Quentin, both Stanford men.

Earlier at SoSG:

• Who Will Be the Gay Jackie Robinson?
  
• I Want to Be a Professional Apology Writer
  
• CORRECTION

Merry Christmas, SoSG Fans

It's been a pretty quiet holiday here at SoSG HQ. Have a safe Christmas, and here's hoping Santa brought you something better and more fashionable than these horrific uniforms, which look like F-League practice jerseys (I have a feeling they're reversible too in case the players pick new teams in the second half).

photo: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Happy Thanksgiving, You Crazy Kids...

May all the SoSG-maniacs have much to be thankful for... and within arm's reach.

Thanks to Danny Silver for the assist.

Nike Continues to Make Kickass Commercials

Best Sporting Day of the Year?

Today, for your viewing pleasure:

• 9 AM (PT): Netherlands vs. Denmark, UEFA Euro 2012 Group B (WatchESPN.com)
  
• 11:45 AM: Germany vs. Portugal, UEFA Euro 2012 Group B (WatchESPN.com)
  
• 4:15 PM: Dodgers @ Mariners, Kershaw vs. Vargas (Fox)
  
• 5 PM: Kings @ Devils, Game 5, Stanley Cup Final (NBC)
  
• 5:30 PM: Celtics @ Heat, Game 7, NBA Eastern Conference Finals (ESPN)
  
• 6 PM: Pacquiao vs. Bradley (HBO PPV)
  

Enjoy!

NBA Playoffs Game Thread: Lakers @ Nuggets (Game 6), 7:30p

And you thought Dinger was annoying.

Lakers look to close their series out before their fellow Los Angeles team does. Andrew Bynum may or may not decide to show up tonight. He's a busy guy, you know.

Best. Week. Ever.

Thanks to SoSG stalwart ubragg for this post on his blog (referenced yesterday here), in which he researched LA sports teams records to figure out that last week's 13-0 combined run for the Dodgers, Lakers, and Kings was the best week ever:

Earlier this week I posted about a Kings/Lakers/Dodgers trifecta on Wednesday. Well, it is actually much better than that - my three teams actually went 13-0 for the whole week from Monday to Sunday, with three trifecta days!

The Dodgers were 6-0 to surge to the best record in the majors, the Lakers were 4-0 games without Kobe in the lineup to hold on to their #3 playoff position, and the Kings have jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on the #1 Canucks (believe it or not, their first 3-0 playoff series lead ever!).

I decided to do some research to see if this was the best week ever for LA sports (I don't count the Clippers or Angels, sorry). With some help from the great data available at http://www.sports-reference.com/ and some python scripting, I was able to find the answer.

As I expected, this was in fact historically the best week ever for the three teams in which all were active in regular or postseason. I started with the Kings first season of 1967-1968, since before that it was just Dodgers and Lakers.

Here are the top 5 weeks ever:

• 1) 4/9/2012: 13-0 (1.000) LAD 6-0, LAL 4-0, LAK 3-0
• 2) 4/22/2002: 10-2 (.833) LAD 5-1, LAL 2-0, LAK 3-1
• 3) 4/23/2001: 9-2 (.818) LAD 5-1, LAL 2-0, LAK 2-1
• 4) 4/7/1997: 9-3 (.750) LAD 4-1, LAL 3-1, LAK 2-1
• 5) 5/7/2001: 8-3 (.727) LAD 5-2, LAL 3-0, LAK 0-1

Ubragg has more research...go take a look!

Merry Christmas, SoSG Readers

I don't know if I'm ready for some NBA basketball, but I suppose I will give it a try. Let this be a quasi-NBA GameThread.

Happy Christmas to all you, and thank you for reading.

Game 85 Thread: July 3 @ Angels, 5p

(Via Golden State of Mind.)

Chad Billingsley (7-6, 4.22) vs. Ervin Santana (3-8, 4.08).

(You thought we were going to do the "Groundhog Day" gag again, didn't you?) Although this season has brought an endless litany of crushing defeat both on and off the field, the 37-47 Dodgers aren't even close to being the worst team in the league. (Worst-run team, yes.) The 29-55 Astros have that dubious honor, but a loss today would put the Dodgers one step closer to that goal. If you can't think big, think small!

NBA Finals Game 6 Thread, 5p

photo by Robyn Beck/AFP

NBA Playoffs Round 2 Game Thread: Lakers @ Mavs, 12:30p

"I delayed retirement for this?"

The Lakers are waiting until the last second to show up in this series. So is this NBA Game Thread.

NBA Playoffs Round 2 Game Thread: Lakers @ Mavericks, 6.30p (Game 3)

Nowitzki is popping, Cuban is guffawing, Bryant is tiring, Gasol is disengaging, and Artest is sitting. Oh, and Accuscore has Dallas as a 64% favorite in tonight's game, which would effectively nail this coffin shut (if it hasn't been nailed shut already). Is this the way the threepeat dream dies?

SoSG's Mr. LA Sports Czar Writes Tomorrow's Plaschke, Today

Well done, Mr. LA Sports Czar...Bill may actually use this himself and save himself from thinking about a lede:

Bill Plaschke's article* from tomorrow's paper:

The Lakers were distracted.

Distracted by Phil's last game.

Distracted by the pressure mounting on their shoulders.

Distracted by Lamar's new reality show.

Distracted by that one dunk Andrew Bynum missed back in December of 2007.

Those distractions ultimately distracted the Lakers out of two home games.

*Note- article is entirely fabricated

MAVERICKS 93, LAKERS 81

Earlier: Deadspin Exposes Plaschke's Pre-Written "Distracted" Narratives

NBA Playoffs Round 2 Game Thread: Mavs @ Lakers, 7:30p

You know why we lost the first game of this second-round series? Because we Sons were too lazy to give the Lakers their own GameThread. Won't make that mistake again!* (Neither will a pissed-looking Kobe, by the way.)

(*) To be fair, we didn't get this GT up until 6.28p. So it's entirely conceivable that this could happen again. I gotta get me a new alarm clock.

photo: Harry How, Getty Images (May 2, 2011)

NBA Playoffs GT: Lakers @ Hornets Game 6, 5p

This foul from Game 5 was upgraded to a "flagrant 1" today. Which means, if they retroactively find one more flagrant 1 in their review of Game 5 tapes, Kobe might be retroactively ejected from that game, right?

Kobe Bryant and his "bum ankle" go against Chris Paul and his "black eye." More importantly, if the Lakers win, this series of ups and downs is finally over, and the Lakers can rest until Monday. Make it so!

photo: Mark Terrill / AP

NBA Playoffs GT: Hornets @ Lakers Game 5, 7.30p

Kobe Bryant approaches the Lakers team bus after Game 4.

photo by Gerald Herbert/AP

NBA Playoffs GT: Lakers @ Hornets Game 4, 6.30p

After a statement 14-point win in Game 3, the Lakers challenge Chris Paul and a sea of yellow shirts once again. Isn't yellow supposed to signify "chicken"? (The line is Lakers by 6.)

Kobe Bryant, Turkish Airlines Spokesperson

Found this ad in an obscure travel magazine, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I didn't know Kobe flew to Istanbul that often!