Locked N Loaded | Los Angeles Lakers 2K13 Association

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Lakers waste little time in coaching search, hire Mike D'Antoni
Reunited with Steve Nash whom he coached in Phoenix, Lakers expectations just got bigger

LOS ANGELES - After a bizarre weekend began when Mike Brown resigned as the Lakers head coach following the team's very first winless pre season the Lakers wasted little time in their search for a new coach knowing they needed one before opening night on Tuesday night came around. Many thought that with Brown resigning that the door was open for former Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson to make his return to the bench and his third stint as the Lakers head coach especially with the talent that acquired during the off season in Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks. Rumors were running all over the place as to who else is out there that would or could handle this team and lead them to a championship? Names like Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillian were brought up, but no formal meeting was every scheduled, but the Lakers narrowed it down to three people, Phil Jackson, Mike Dunleavy and Mike D'Antoni. Clearly the basketball world knew that it was Jackson's job to have or pass on, but on the eve of the NBA 2012-13 season opener, the Lakers decided they couldn't play the waiting game and had to make a decision then and now and that's when they signed and agreed with Mike D'Antoni on a 3 year contract with a team option for a fourth year and flew him out early Monday morning to be introduced as the new head coach and reuniting him with two time MVP point guard Steve Nash. During the course of the press conference D'Antoni addressed questions concerning his style of play on the offensive end and the defensive end saying "This team will be a defensive stopping team. With the players we have on this team and with Howard, World Peace, Bryant being our anchor on the defensive end the other players should feed off that and we should be one heck of a defensive team because offensively I think we could score at anytime we want". D'Antoni is no stranger to these players as previously mentioned he coached Nash in Phoenix when Nash won his back-to-back MVP awards. He coached Dwight Howard on the USA Basketball Team back in 2008 as well as Kobe Bryant whom he had deemed the one player in the league that he gets caught up in and just watches him do his thing. So is Showtime 2.0 going to be released tomorrow night onto the NBA or will the Lakers need time to mesh together, following an 0-8 pre season? One thing is for sure though and that is Kobe Bryant is ready to go and get his sixth title and he has the weapons to do so.

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NBA Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record
1 ()	Los Angeles Lakers	0-0
2 ()	San Antonio Spurs	0-0
3 ()	Philadelphia 76ers	0-0
4 ()	Chicago Bulls	0-0
5 ()	Miami Heat	0-0
6 ()	Oklahoma City Thunder	0-0
7 ()	Indiana Pacers	0-0
8 ()	Denver Nuggets	0-0
9 ()	Boston Celtics	0-0
10 ()	New York Knicks	0-0
11 ()	Memphis Grizzlies	0-0
12 ()	Dallas Mavericks	0-0
13 ()	Minnesota Timberwolves	0-0
14 ()	New Orleans Hornets	0-0
15 ()	Portland Trailblazers	0-0
16 ()	Golden State Warriors	0-0
17 ()	Los Angeles Clippers	0-0
18 ()	Brooklyn Nets	0-0
19 ()	Cleveland Cavaliers	0-0
20 ()	Phoenix Suns	0-0
21 ()	Utah Jazz	0-0
22 ()	Atlanta Hawks	0-0
23 ()	Sacramento Kings	0-0
24 ()	Milwakee Bucks	0-0
25 ()	Detroit Pistons	0-0
26 ()	Houston Rockets	0-0
27 ()	Toronto Raptors	0-0
28 ()	Washington Wizards	0-0
29 ()	Charlotte Bobcats	0-0
30 ()	Orlando Magic	0-0

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Matchup Preview | October 30, 2012
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Dallas Mavericks (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Los Angeles Lakers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Darren Collison Point Guard Steve Nash O.J. Mayo Shooting Guard Kobe Bryant Shawn Marion Small Forward Metta World Peace Dirk Nowitzki Power Forward Pau Gasol Chris Kaman Center Dwight Howard Injury Report Dominique Jones Inactive/Day-to-Day Earl Clark Inactive/Day-to-Day Bernard James Inactive/Day-to-Day Darius Johnson-Odom Inactive/Day-to-Day Jared Cunningham Inactive/Day-to-Day Robert Sacre Inactive/Day-to-Day Game Notes Opening night here in Los Angeles as the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks to tipoff the 2012-13 NBA season. It's going to be a much anticipated matchup with both teams over hauling their roster core this off season beginning with the Lakers and their additions of point guard Steve Nash and center Dwight Howard to start along side Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. Also the additions of Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks to their bench and the re-signing of Jordan Hill gives the Lakers a solid and competitive core group. The Mavericks got younger and more athletic with the additions of O.J. Mayo, Darren Collison, Dahntay Jones as well as picking up two low post veterans, Elton Brand and Chris Kaman to go along side Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion. It's also the head coaching debut for new Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni who was hired just 48 hours ago after Mike Brown was relieved of all duties following the Lakers first winless pre-season in team history going 0-8.

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Kobe Bryant leads retooled Lakers to victory over Dallas
New additions Howard and Nash each provide double doubles in debut

LOS ANGELES - With the 2012-13 NBA season getting underway it wasn't just another opening night event taking place at STAPLES Center tonight, it had a different atmosphere and you could feel it the moment you entered the arena. The stars were gathered both Hollywood stars in the stands and the stars that occupied the court taking center stage in what could only be described as the most unusual opening night in Lakers history. Just a week ago the Lakers had suffered their eighth straight loss of the exhibition season which culminated in them going winless for the first time in team history not to mention the fact that over the last three games Laker fans that attended the games made sure their voices were heard as they filled the arenas with "We Want Phil" chants for almost the entire game and voiced it extremely loud whenever they would put Mike Brown up on the scoreboard. Well the fans got what they wanted a day later when the Lakers fired Mike Brown, citing that there had been no improvement that could be seen positively since training camp had begun plus the way the team looked on the court during the games seemingly lost and unsure of what to do. Not even an hour after Brown was fired did the phones and blogs and rumor mills start to talk about the possibility that Brown was fired because the Lakers had reached out to former coach Phil Jackson to see if he would return to coach the star studded roster for a third stint and one could only come to the conclusion that Phil's response was good enough that the Lakers weren't going to wait and see if things would turn around and bit the bullet with Brown have 2 years left on his contract guaranteed that called for him to make in the ballpark of $9 million dollars with the fourth year partially guaranteed. In less then 24 hours the Lakers and Jackson had a sit down meeting for two hours where the Lakers did indeed offer Jackson the job telling him "it is his if he wants it" and Jackson asking the Lakers to give him til Monday morning to give them an answer. Now all this happening on a Saturday, just a mere 72 hours before the season begins and the Lakers find themselves having to wait til Monday morning to find out if they have their next head coach, but Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss insisted that while they wait for Jackson's decision they would continue to interview potential candidates. They met with former Lakers and Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy and reached out to former Knicks and Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni, both of whom were believed to be the Lakers second and third choices behind Jackson. Well not being able to wait til Monday morning, the Lakers sent shockwaves through the sports world at midnight on Sunday night as it was reported and later confirmed that they had indeed found their next head coach, agreeing with Mike D'Antoni on a three year deal worth twelve million dollars and a team option for a fourth year. Take into account the hectic and eventful last 48 hours for Mike D'Antoni and this Lakers team and it wasn't quite a far gone conclusion that perhaps the Lakers were going to be in for a long night playing a much more youthful and athletic Dallas Mavericks team. Fans and players alike were not sure what to make of the recent events that management had been involved in as well as what to think Phil Jackson's answer was going to be or would've been before the Lakers hired D'Antoni. One person who was not caught up in the soap opera eventful situation was one Kobe Bryant, who made it clear to the media that he supports the coaching hire and is focused on the game tonight against Dallas and nothing else so no more questions about that. It seemed probably that Kobe was not overly happy with the decision but wasn't about to make a scene about it, instead he decided to take any frustration he had out on the Dallas Mavericks and it was swift punishment that drove Kobe to take his game to that level that nobody else in the game can go to and in a game filled with stars galore Kobe Bryant managed to shine the brightest scoring a game high 40 points and hitting 14-26 shots from the field, including 12 of the last 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Lakers denying the Mavericks any chance of an upset or celebration on his court. The two new stars that joined the Lakers, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard each added double doubles of their own aiding Kobe's scoring barrage in the Lakers 97-93 victory. Nash finished with 16 points and dished out 11 assists while grabbing 8 rebounds and Howard put in 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while blocking 3 shots. The Lakers remaining starting stars Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace did not score in double figures, but put up very impressive numbers in other areas of the game. Gasol finished with just 8 points, but grabbed 9 rebounds and was 6-6 from the free throw line while World Peace was everywhere and teased a triple double of his own with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. The Mavericks battled back from a double digit deficit in the second half with the help of their star Dirk Nowitzki who finished with a team high 32 points on 12-25 from the field, but got little support from the rest of his teammates. O.J. Mayo would've preferred to have had his Maverick debut go differently scoring 11 points and finishing 5-20 from the field. Shawn Marion recorded a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to get Dallas over the hump. The Lakers led 52-43 going into the second half but saw the Mavericks make a furious run to end the third quarter and tie the game up at 67-67 and then take the lead to start the fourth quarter going up 71-67 in the first minute. Kobe Bryant then went to work for the Lakers scoring twenty of his forty points in the fourth quarter and recapturing the lead for the Lakers and never allowing the Mavs to any closer then four points. It wasn't the run and gun high powered offense that Mike D'Antoni teams are known for, but it was good enough for the Lakers to smile and embrace eachother after the final buzzer finally getting that much anticipated first win with the all-star studed starting lineup. "I was very pleased with the way they played tonight. It wasn't about going out there and simply dominating from a scoring standpoint, but it was more about going out there and finding some chemistry between the guys and making sure that we could make things easier for each other and not put us in situations where things could get complicated," said Dwight Howard in the locker room after the game. It was smiles all around, but the smiles slowly went away when Kobe Bryant made sure everyone knew that all they did tonight was win the first game of their regular season and that they need to focus on the next game which is less then 24 hours away when they travel up north to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. So while the Lakers can now distance themselves from that winless stigma that they garnered they can now begin to establish their identity and who they are as a team. They get another test tomorrow night as Portland is one place where they have not been known to play their best in recent years.

Spoiler

Dallas Mavericks (0-1) at Los Angeles Lakers (1-0)
Oct 30, 2012 1 2 3 4 Final Dallas Mavericks 26 17 24 26 93 Los Angeles Lakers 23 30 14 30 97 Top Performers Dallas Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki - 32 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal O.J. Mayo - 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant - 40 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists Steve Nash - 16 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals	Team Stats Comparison FG Made-Att 37-102 34-79 3PT Made-Att 2-10 7-22 FT Made-Att 17-20 22-23 Rebounds 53 53 Assists 28 26 Turnovers 4 11 Steals 8 3 Blocks 1 5
STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO +/- PTS Darren Collison 34 3-11 0-0 2-2 4 8 0 0 1 1 8 O.J. Mayo 35 5-20 0-3 1-2 5 5 0 0 1 -6 11 Shawn Marion 34 4-8 0-0 2-2 11 1 2 0 1 -3 10 Elton Brand 18 4-10 0-0 0-0 7 1 0 0 0 0 8 Chris Kaman 31 3-8 0-0 1-2 12 3 4 0 0 -7 7 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO +/- PTS Vince Carter 20 1-4 0-1 2-2 3 3 1 0 0 -8 4 Elton Brand 18 4-10 0-0 0-0 7 1 0 0 0 1 8 Rodrigue Beaubois 13 2-5 1-2 0-0 2 2 0 0 1 4 5 Dahntay Jones 11 2-5 0-1 0-1 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 Brandan Wright 9 1-4 0-0 2-2 4 0 0 1 0 2 4 Jae Crowder 5 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 -4 0 Eddy Curry -- DID NOT PLAY -- Totals 240 37-102 2-10 17-20 53 28 8 1 4 93
STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO +/- PTS Steve Nash 38 5-16 2-8 4-4 8 11 2 0 1 -5 16 Kobe Bryant 33 14-26 2-4 10-10 3 4 0 0 5 7 40 Metta World Peace 36 3-4 2-3 0-0 8 6 1 1 0 -1 8 Pau Gasol 33 1-6 0-0 6-6 9 0 0 0 3 4 8 Dwight Howard 37 6-10 0-0 0-1 13 3 0 3 1 2 12 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO +/- PTS Antawn Jamison 21 3-6 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 6 6 Steve Blake 18 0-7 0-6 0-0 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 Jodie Meeks 16 1-2 1-1 2-2 5 1 0 1 0 6 5 Jordan Hill 12 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Devin Ebanks -- DID NOT PLAY -- Darius Morris -- DID NOT PLAY -- Chris Duhon -- DID NOT PLAY -- Totals 240 34-79 7-22 22-23 53 26 3 5 11 97

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Matchup Preview | October 31, 2012
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Los Angeles Lakers (1-0, 0-0 Away)		Portland Trail Blazers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Projected Starters Steve Nash Point Guard Damian Lillard Kobe Bryant Shooting Guard Wes Matthews Metta World Peace Small Forward Nicolas Batum Pau Gasol Power Forward J.J. Hickson Dwight Howard Center LaMarcus Aldridge Injury Report Earl Clark Inactive Joel Freeland Inactive Darius Morris Inactive Victor Claver Inactive Robert Sacre Inactive Will Barton Inactive Game Notes The Lakers coming off a successful opening night victory last night over Dallas travel up north to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in their home debut and regular season debut for new head coach Terry Stotts and first round pick Damian Lillard. The Blazers have had more then adequete success against the Lakers here in Portland over the past few years. Interesting matchup to watch in tonights game is Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge going against each other.