Orlando Defeats Cleveland to Set Date with Lakers

The Orlando Magic displaced the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs, winning the Eastern Conference Finals 4-2. They will play the Lakers in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 set for this Thursday at Staples Center. The Lakers will have home-court advantage in the series, and they will need it since LA was swept by the Magic in the season-series 2-0.

Cubs Shell Dodgers in Loss

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs 7-0, their first shutout loss of the season. The Dodgers could manage only five hits and two walks through the entire game. The Cubs enjoyed what could be Eric Stults's last start with the club before being sent down to the minors, scoring four runs off of him in three-plus innings of work. Jeff Weaver was unable to keep LA in the game, giving up three runs in 2.1 innings. Reed Johnson had three hits, including a homer, two runs scored and two RBI, and Milton Bradley collected three hits. Mike Fontenot had a double and a triple and drove in two runs. Matt Kemp had two hits, and Andre Ethier and Russell Martin doubled but to no avail.

Game 6: Movin' On Up

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 119-92, winning the Western Conference Finals 4-2 and clinching a berth into the NBA Finals. The Lakers led early, going into halftime with a 13-point advantage, and never looked back as they out-scored Denver 66-52 in the second-half. LA dominated in rebounds (38-27), assists (28-14), and field-goal percentage (.573-.438). Kobe Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists, and Pau Gasol added 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Trevor Ariza scored 17 points, and Lamar Odom had another stellar game with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 25 points, and J.R. Smith had 24 points off the bench.

Dodgers Come Up Short Against Cubs

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs 2-1, snapping a four-game wining streak. The Dodgers got on the board after Matt Kemp hit a solo-homer, but Chad Billingsley gave up two runs to earn his third loss of the season. LA could only muster five total hits all game. Koyie Hill hit a one-run bomb, and Kosuke Fukudome had a double and an RBI. Ted Lilly pitched seven stellar innings for his sixth win of the season.

Dodgers Slip Past Cubs

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 2-1, their fourth win in a row. The Dodgers scored two early runs and Randy Wolf cruised through seven-plus innings to get his third win of the season. Ramon Troncoso pitched two shaky-but-scoreless innings for his second save of the season. Rafael Furcal had an RBI-single in the first inning, and Casey Blake drove in the winning run in the third inning on a groundout. Juan Pierre had two hits and scored a run, and James Loney also had two hits. Andre Ethier had a double, and the Dodgers contained Chicago with four double-plays. Bobby Scales had a solo-homer for the Cubs' only run, and Derrek Lee had two singles.

Will Ohman was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder pain. Catcher A.J. Ellis was called up to take his place, allowing Brad Ausmus to be used as a pinch-hitter more.

Game 5: Lakers Plead the Fourth

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 103-94, taking a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and putting them just one victory away from advancing to the NBA Finals. After both teams tied after each quarter, the Lakers dominated the fourth, out-scoring Denver 27-18 in the final period. LA managed to close the gap on rebounds, and out-blocked the Nuggets 12-4. Denver shot just .386 from the field. Kobe Bryant led the Purple-and-Gold with 22 points, and Pau Gasol added 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Lamar Odom had his best game of the series, scoring 19 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking 5 shots. The Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 31 points despite shooting 9-for-23. Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin both added 12 points.

Dodgers Enjoy Rocky-Mountain Sweep

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 8-6, completing a three-game sweep of Colorado. The Dodgers scored five runs in the seventh to take the lead, and a 9th-inning hiccup by Jonathan Broxton did not spoil the lead. James Loney had a bases-loaded double that scored all three runners, and Juan Pierre had three hits, two RBI's and a run scored. Andre Ethier singled twice and scored twice, and Loney finished with four runs-batted-in. Clayton Kershaw pitched six solid innings to get his third win of the season. Ryan Spillborghs hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, and Dexter Fowler reached base three times.

Editor's Note: It's Your Patriotic Duty

As All-Star voting gets underway, the Dodgers try to send more than just Russell Martin to the Midsummer Classic. Orlando Hudson's best start of his career certainly warrants consideration. Russell Martin, while his offense has tapered off, is still posting offensive numbers to lead most of the catchers in the league. Even Juan Pierre is showing no signs of cooling off after getting a chance to start in place of Manny Ramirez. But they need your help. The Dodgers need to get the votes in order to represent in St. Louis. And while it appears that Milwaukee fans are stuffing the boxes to send undeserving Brewers like Jason Kendall and J.J. Hardy to the All-Star Game, there is still plenty of time to get out the vote.

Dodgers Continue Onslaught

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-1, their seventh win in nine games. The Dodgers jumped on the board early, scoring a run in the first inning, and never looked back. Eric Milton was able to go five innings and received his first win in two years. Juan Pierre had three hits, including a triple, scored twice and knocked in two runs, and Casey Blake had a 3-run double. Brad Ausmus singled twice and scored two runs, and Orlando Hudson reached base four times, twice by a hit, and knocked in and scored a run. Juan Castro enjoyed his third straight start by getting two hits and a walk and scoring a run. Not one Rocky had more than one base-hit, while Clint Barmes hit a homer for Colorado's only run.

Editor's Note: Get Inside

The Lakers faltered in another Game 4 opportunity to take a strangle hold on their rival, this time collapsing to the Denver Nuggets. The key flaw was clear from the very beginning: rebounds. Denver had complete control over the glass, grabbing 58 boards as opposed to LA's 40. The offensive rebounds were even worse, as the Nuggets grabbed a total of 20. The Lakers must improve their inside presence if they want to win Game 5. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum both were out-hustled and lost on the court, and Lamar Odom was a non-factor throughout the game. Chris Andersen exploited LA's front-court, something he cannot be allowed to do again. The Lakers have to do anything to keep Denver from succeeding inside, even if it means using DJ Mbenga. Right now, the Lakers have to find a way to take a 3-2 lead in this series, and not go into Denver on the brink of elimination.

Game 4: Deja Vu Splits Series

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets 120-101, evening the series at 2 games apiece. The game was reminiscent of the Lakers' loss to Houston in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, in which LA was clobbered despite holding a 2-1 lead going into the game. Denver grabbed 58 rebounds, 20 on the offensive glass, as opposed to the Lakers' 40. The Nuggets also had 14 more free-throw attempts than LA. All five of the Nuggets' starters scored in double-figures as Denver did not trail since the beginning of the game. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 34 points, and Pau Gasol had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Andrew Bynum was productive as he added 14 points. Chauncey Billups led Denver to victory with 24 points, and J.R. Smith added 24 points as well. Carmelo Anthony was quiet with 15 points, but his help was not needed as the Nugget bench outscored the Laker bench 42-24.

Dodgers Break Open Bats for Rox

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 16-6, improving to 5-2 in their last 7 games. The Dodgers scored in bunches, putting up 7 runs in the fourth inning and 8 runs in the seventh. LA totaled 19 base-hits, with each player in the 1-8 lineup getting at least two hits and a run scored. Juan Pierre had a three-run triple and scored twice, and Jamie Hoffmann had his second double in as many days. Orlando Hudson had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI's. Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, and Juan Castro each had three hits and two runs scored. Casey Blake added a double and two runs. Brad Hawpe collected two doubles, two runs, and two RBI's for the Rockies, and Dexter Fowler reached base three times.

Editor's Note: Too Many Options for Clips

Along with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Clippers have a lot to think about regarding their front-court. The Clips will almost certainly pick Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, but that won't stop their wheeling-and-dealing. Griffin's arrival creates an over-abundance of big-men, with Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, and Zach Randolph. The most obvious option for LA is to trade, but who they trade is up for grabs. Camby is on the last year of his contract, which expires at the end of the 2010 season. Chris Kaman is young, and could yield a lot of interest from teams in the market for a center. And Zach Randolph had a standout year, but a hefty contract might prove to be immovable. The best bet would have to be trading Camby. He came to LA very angry after being blindsided by Denver trading him. He never truly embraced being a Clipper, and with the end of his contract coming, he could be traded to a team like Detroit or Chicago that lacks a standout power-forward or center in exchange for a solid guard and a few draft picks in the future. While Griffin's fate is already sealed, three other Clippers find their future up in the air.

Dodgers Can't Endure Angel Slugfest

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 10-7, losing the 3-game series two games to one. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 4-0 victory after Jamie Hoffmann hit his first career home run, a three-run jack. However, Chad Billingsley was less than stellar, giving up five runs, four earned, in six innings to get only his second loss of the season. The bullpen could not keep the game close, as Corey Wade, Brent Leach, and Ramon Troncoso combined to give up five runs on seven hits. Hoffmann added a double and finished with four RBI's, and Orlando Hudson scored twice. Casey Blake had three hits, two runs scored, and an RBI, and James Loney drove in two runs. Matt Kemp had two hits and scored a run. Torii Hunter had two hits and 3 RBI's for the Angels, and Bobby Abreu added a triple and two runs scored. Juan Rivera singled three times, drove in two runs, and scored once.