THE CHAMPION 2019-2020 LOS ANGELES LAKERS: A VICTORY FOR THE WORLD

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LAKERS ANALYST

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  There's a scene in every zombie movie where desperate people take refuge in an old house.  There's lace curtains on the windows and family photos on the walls and pots and pans in the kitchen.  Despite the post-apocalyptic misery, this charming taste of life before hell was unleashed gives the refuge seekers comfort in their time of need.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Escape from Hell!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  That's what the restart of the NBA season was like for me.  The Covid-19 pandemic and the wave of social unrest that followed with the ensuing lockdowns and curfews disrupted our lives like never before.  Hiding away in our homes with no work, no school, no social events, not even sports on TV made it seem like we were indeed, in a zombie apocalypse.  Oh, I'm sure the NBA restart was motivated by fear of the league and sponsors losing big bucks, but they did it well and with no illness to any of the participants.  The games gave me something to look forward to every day and they made the world seem halfway normal again.  And who better to fight through the restarted NBA season and win the championship than the legendary LOS ANGELES LAKERS?  THE LAKERS rebuilt and revitalized with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and winning it all ... it's like The Earth being put back on its rotational axis.  Congratulations to the 2019-2020 NBA Champion LOS ANGELES LAKERS, their victory belongs to all of us ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... and The World seems a little less f**ked up!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sakes' Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com 

LAKERS 2019-2020 A NEW DYNASTY?

"BLUE" JIMMY: LAKERS ANALYST 

BLIND DOG OZZY: NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  THE LAKERS are a few games into the 2019-2020 season and with the exception of a few players, they have a whole new team with two established All Stars ( LeBron James, Anthony Davis) one former All Star ( Dwight Howard) and one potential All Star (Kyle Kuzma) in the lineup.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Looks good on paper!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  As I wrote in my last blog last season, I was not a big fan of LeBron James and his style of play and I disagreed with THE LAKERS paying him so much money ($154 million) when they could have got three younger All Stars in their prime for that amount.  I also predicted he might get a serious injury at his age and that the team would be mediocre without their one All Star.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And that's exactly what happened!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  That being said, it looks like this season LeBron  is determined to be injury-free and still has some serious game in him and Anthony Davis looks like the monster that THE LAKERS traded half their team, draft picks and a lot of money for.  They also added some outside shooting in Danny Green and Avery Bradley but I still don't see the sharpshooter (like a Klay Thompson) that THE LAKERS have needed for years.  Rajon Rondo is an excellent veteran who can run the offense when LeBron is not doing his thing but he's often injured.  If THE LAKERS have a weak spot, I think it's at the point guard position.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wouldn't you have loved to see Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker there?!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  And then there's Dwight Howard.  I was pissed when he left during the Kobe years and like many LAKER fans, I booed him when he would come back to Staples Center with another team.  I was totally against THE LAKERS bringing this fool back but he's here and has played well off the bench in the first few games of the season.  He's on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.  If I was coach, I would use him like an old Ford pickup until the wheels fall off.  Don't "save him for the playoffs" or try to limit his minutes to prevent injury or develop him for next season.  He seems to be in good shape.  Run him into the ground for the one year you have him and see what he's got.  That brings us to Kyle Kuzma.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  KUUUUUUUUUUZZZ!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Picked # 27 in the 2017 draft and having absolutely no Lonzo-Ball kind of hype, he averaged 16 points in his rookie year and 18 points in his second year. 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  That's better than Kobe Bryant did in his first two years as a LAKER!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  And out of all THE LAKERS high draft picks in the last few years (Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball),  he's the only player THE LAKERS have kept.  THE LAKERS wanted at least one more All Star to compliment LeBron James and Anthony Davis and narrowly missed out on a few.  Could  Kuzma be the X Factor and future All Star?  Or will he just have a career as a solid role-player off the bench?  These are the variables that make THE LAKER season so full of drama and excitement.  Win or lose, championship season or rebuilding season ... I never miss a LAKER game.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  I do love me some LAKER basketball!

"BLUE" JIMMY: Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com

LEBRON JAMES JOINS THE LAKERS???

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LAKERS CONSULTANT

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Ok, so everyone knows I write a LOS ANGELES LAKERS blog and my inbox is full of people asking me to comment on Lebron James becoming a LAKER.  As I mentioned in Facebook posts recently and talked s**t during his failure in the 2018  NBA finals, I was never a big fan of James and his style of play.  I love finesse players who are not necessarily physically imposing but incredibly skilled like Kobe,

Michael Jordan,

"Pistol" Pete Maravich,

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe

and of course ... the great Dr. J. 

Those are my kind of players.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  James commits a charging foul every time he goes to the basket, takes 10 steps, doesn't get called for anything ( what they call in the NBA, All Star privilege) and then he complains he got fouled! 

 "BLUE" JIMMY:  I've never been a fan of bullies but then I thought the exact same thing about Shaq.  He would back his big ass into the basket every play and then elbow and stay in the key for 10 seconds and then dunk. 

But then he did lead THE LAKERS to 3 NBA Championships in-a-row so ... what are you gonna say? 

I just hope James came to THE LAKERS with the intent of using all these excellent young players they already have and not using his fame and influence to clear out THE LAKERS roster and pick his own team (and coach!).  And as far as the other signings over the past week: Rajon Rondo; Lance Stephenson; JaVale McGee ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:   ... Who are these guys?  When are THE LAKERS gonna sign someone who can shoot a basketball?

"BLUE" JIMMY:  As statistically excellent as James is, I hope he realizes that THE LAKERS were legendary before he got here and they will be great long after he retires.  Unlike Miami or Cleveland, we don't rely on him to secure a spot in pro sports history.  LAKERS fans expect nothing short of CHAMPIONSHIPS on a regular basis. 

This is not Little League sports. THE LAKERS don't give out little juice bags of Capri Sun, ribbons and high fives just for participating.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  James, when you left Cleveland you done jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

LAKERS MAKE THEIR MOVE!!! FEB. 2018

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LAKERS CONSULTANT

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The LAKER world is ablaze with today's trade that sent one of the NBA's best sixth men (Jordan Clarkson) and solid power forward (Larry Nance Jr.) to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a 1st round draft pick.  I'm taking an outsider's view of this trade rather than a LAKERS insider view and it's pretty strange ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  !!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  First of all, no one seems to be excited about the fact that THE LAKERS  are acquiring the league's third-leading scorer last season (Thomas) who at 28.9 points per game last season was scoring Kobe-in-his-prime-like points.  LAKERS commentators seem to think the best thing about this trade is that it opens up payroll for THE LAKERS to pursue big-name players this Summer.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Before everyone pees themselves, LEBRON JAMES IS NOT COMING TO THE LAKERS!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Lebron James is not a LAKERS fan, has never expressed any desire to become a LAKER and if THE LAKERS keep Isaiah Thomas next season, James is not likely coming into the same dysfunctional scenario (with Thomas) that put the Cavaliers into a funk this year.  I like Thomas and his style of play.  I hope he can become an All-Star with THE LAKERS.  But as a LAKERS consultant, I advise them to develop the young, talented players they have and not try to buy a quick-fix and sacrifice their rising stars to acquire former All-Stars and aging veterans or they'll end up with another Dwight Howard/Steve Nash screw up ...

BLIND DOG OZZY: ... Not that s**t again!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

LAKERS, BABY!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LOS ANGELES LAKERS COMMENTATOR

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS season begins Saturday with their first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Oh, I know!  Some people say the preseason doesn't mean anything.  Some NBA coaches even want to eliminate the preseason and just start playing regular games which show up in the standings.  Let me tell you why the preseason is important. 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Here it comes! ...

"BLUE" JIMMY:  It is not fair to rebuilding teams like THE LAKERS to NOT have a preseason.  Using the NBA Western Conference as and example, let me show you exactly why.  Teams like the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder have their all-star rosters intact.  They know what they have, they just want to start the regular season and jump so far ahead in the standings that no one will be able to catch them.  Teams like THE LAKERS on the other hand, have extremely promising rookies, skilled, developing young players and nice off-season acquisitions which look good on paper but no one knows exactly how it will all work until they all get on a court together and play against other NBA teams.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Scrimmage is not an NBA game!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The preseason determines who will  get to wear that proud purple and gold LAKER uniform, who will be a starter, who will be coming off the bench, who will be sent to the LAKER D-League and who will get cut from the team and end up playing for food and rent money in some ghetto in Lithuania.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  You know that tall, shiny-baldheaded, MOFO you see standing outside the club letting people in? ... failed NBA player!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  So everyone is asking me, "What do you think of THE LAKER'S chances this year?"  My prediction:  They are still a couple years away from championship contention and if everything goes FUBAR in the Western Conference, they might squeak into the playoffs.  But I am very excited about this young LAKER team:  Second overall pick Lonzo Ball; consistently excellent Jordan Clarkson; seven-foot scoring machine Brooke Lopez; automatic double-double beast Julius Randle and the young man who everyone predicts will be a future all-star, Brandon Ingram plus a cast of other solid players (KCP, Larry Nance Jr. et al.).  This team is not going to suck!  I predict that no matter what the standings say, THE LAKERS are going to be the sensation of the NBA and sell out every game at home and on the road and owners of teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be frustrated and wonder why this young group of LAKER upstarts are grabbing all the headlines ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... I don't care if you just won a championship, I wanna see those Bad Boys from L.A. !!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

THE CHURCH OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LAKERS ANALYST/CELTICS HATER

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  S**t !!!  Fri. Mar. 3, 2017  at  Staples Center LOS ANGELES LAKERS 95 - Boston Celtics 115.  And the score doesn't even show what a blowout it was!  The Celtics were showboating and getting easy All-Star game dunks and 3-pointers and The Lakers looked like those out-of-shape fools you see running back and forth at your local rec center.  This is unacceptable to a lifelong member of THE LAKERS religion like me.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  F**k The Celtics!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  At this point in the season with a championship or the playoffs or even a winning season out of the picture, the only thing Lakers fans have to look forward to is watching The Lakers kick Celtic ass!  They lost a close game back in February in Boston and should have been Out For Blood here in L.A. ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... Instead they let the Celtics come into their house and piss all over the furniture!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  These Laker players are obviously too young to remember or care about the great LAKERS / Celtics rivalries of the past and the good and bad memories they created:  The 1969 Finals where there were hundreds of balloons up in the ceiling at The Forum to be released after THE LAKERS anticipated win and The Celtics pulled out a 2-point victory and the balloons had to stay up in the ceiling;

The 1984 Finals where Kevin Mc Hale clotheslined Kurt Rambis on his way to the basket which causes Lakers fans to boo him mercilessly to this very day;

The 1985 Finals Memorial Day Massacre at Boston Garden where The Celtics beat THE LAKERS by 34 points; The 1985 Finals where Kareem Abdul Jabbar became the oldest player in NBA history to win Finals MVP;

Magic Johnson's Baby Sky Hook in game 4 of the 1987 finals that gave them a 1-point win and sparked them to beat The Celtics in 6 games;

The 2008 Finals where the revitalized Kobe / Gasol Lakers seemingly didn't show up for game 6, got pounded by 39 points and had Celtics fans spitting on and kicking their tour bus as they left the arena as Finals losers; Kobe Bryant standing on the scorer's table as cheers and confetti rained down on him after beating The Celtics in game 7 of the 2010 finals ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... I still get tears in my eyes when I see that picture!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  And I'll never forget the standing ovation and chants of, "Kobe, Kobe ..." at Bryant's last game at TD Garden in his farewell season from  BOSTON  CELTICS fans as he left the court ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... I was like WTF?!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Young Lakers, this history is what you play for when The Boston Celtics come to town in their ugly green jerseys and LOS ANGELES LAKERS FANS expect you not to play but ATTACK when you put on that sacred purple and gold uniform and go out on the floor.  Raise your eyes to the ceiling and witness THE LAKERS glorious history hanging from the rafters and be inspired for The Lord may forgive you for losing to The Celtics ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... But LAKERS FANS won't, motherf**kers!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com

LAKERS NEED TO DO OR DIE!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  LAKERS ANALYST

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA:

"BLUE" JIMMY:  With a loss to the Sacramento Kings last night (Tues. Dec. 12, 2016), THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS have lost their 7th game in a row!  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  What kind of s**t is that?

"BLUE" JIMMY:  They started the season really well, going over 0.500 at one point and beating some NBA finals contenders like Golden State and Oklahoma City. Now, they're starting to look like last year's LAKERS, losing to pathetic, struggling  teams (Phoenix!) and playing from behind all game long and making average teams look like the Michael Jordan era Bulls.  THE LAKERS have some impressive talent on their roster like: Lou Williams; who can score 30 points off the bench anytime, anyplace, Julius Randle; who can score, is a beast on the backboards and is not intimidated by anyone's big man, Jordan Clarkson; who would be a starter anywhere else in the league and D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram; who could be future All Stars with some experience and maturity ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  The key word is maturity, which comes from experience ...

"BLUE" JIMMY:  ... I can already predict what will happen when the trade deadline comes around, NBA contenders are gonna go through THE LAKERS roster like fat guys in the buffet line and offer useless, aging stars and draft picks for all THE LAKERS prime meat and then THE LAKERS will be right back where they started ... it's a vicious cycle!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And when all that good young talent is gone, there's no KOBE to fall back on!!! 

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com