[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Lights go out on showtime

The Los Angeles Lakers, as it turns out, will be in the NBA playoff picture.

Kobe Bryant, specifically, won't be taking May off. He'll come to work as always, ready to flex his muscles and show his stuff during that special time when champions are made.

Except that he'll be lifting weights instead of Larry O'Brien trophies, watching instead of dominating. Three televisions hang in the Lakers' workout room, where Bryant will spend his next five months, the postseason in clear view but outside his grasp.

"After that last game, I'll be back in the gym doing my weight program, my shooting program, doing the same thing I used to do when I first came in the league," Bryant said. "Back in the gym, watching the games on TV, hoping to be there next year."

Bryant got what he wanted this season - to be the man, the face of the franchise, the player with expectations and acclaim heaped upon his shoulders. All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, a calculated sacrifice by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak in an effort to retain the younger Bryant.

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Sacramento (48-30) at LA Lakers (34-44) 10:30 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Sacramento Kings seek a sweep of a home-and-away series with the Los Angeles Lakers when the teams meet Friday at the Staples Center.

The Kings have won three in a row, including a 124-105 victory over the Lakers last Sunday at home.

The Kings, who are averaging 121.7 points during their three-game winning streak, enter Friday in fifth place in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Houston Rockets (48-31).

The Kings have won two of the first three meetings and can clinch just their fourth season series win over the Lakers since moving to Sacramento before the 1985-86 season.

GO KINGS!!!

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Sacramento Kings Team Report - April 15

(Sports Network) - The playoff-bound Sacramento Kings go for their fourth straight win, as they visit the disappointing Los Angeles Lakers on Friday at the Staples Center.

The Kings are No. 5 in the Western Conference and hold a slim 1/2 game lead over sixth-seeded Houston. The Rockets, who are just 1/2 game ahead of No. 7 Denver, are off until Saturday when they host the Nuggets at the Toyota Center. The Lakers will not participate in the postseason for the first time since 1994.

It is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the clubs. Sacramento defeated the Lakers on November 26th at the Staples Center and on April 10th at ARCO Arena, while the Lakers beat the Kings, 115-99, on December 16th at Sacramento.

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Report: Kings owners helping Vegas get All-Star Game

Las Vegas is negotiating to host the 2007 NBA All-Star Game and the Kings owners are involved in bringing the game to the city, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported in Friday's editions.

If awarded, it would be the first time a city without an NBA franchise would be awarded the event.

The Review-Journal reported NBA Commissioner David Stern, a staunch opponent of legalized betting on the league's games, became receptive to the proposal after Goodman secured over the last 10 days assurances from Las Vegas' gaming companies that they would not accept wagers on the game, which would be played at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Is this a sign that the team will get moved there?

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Originally Posted by DaUnbreakableKinG

Gotta bet a THOUSAND on the Kings.

Done!!!

[Twix]

Originally Posted by DaUnbreakableKinG

Hiring Gary Gerould was a decision that never came back to haunt the Kings.

^I didn't know he had a jesery of his own?

Gary's one of the best, IMO!! I always listen to Kings games on the radio and it's never the same when Gary isn't doing the PBP. Sometimes Koz fills in and he annoys me. Makes me miss Gary. I hope the Maloofs continue their contract with Gary!!

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Originally Posted by Twix

^I didn't know he had a jesery of his own?

Gary's one of the best, IMO!! I always listen to Kings games on the radio and it's never the same when Gary isn't doing the PBP. Sometimes Koz fills in and he annoys me. Makes me miss Gary. I hope the Maloofs continue their contract with Gary!!

Me too.

[DaUnbreakableKinG]

Hey guys, if you have NBATV, right now they're showing Game 5 of 2002 Western Conference Finals, between the Kings and the Lakers. The game has just started.

Watch if you want to see Vlade, Christie in Kings uniform.

[Pejavlade]

20000 on Kings vs Lakers.