Big Drew Carey: Shaq Traded to Cleveland

Shaquille O'Neal was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Yahoo Sports. The deal sent Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and the Cavs' 46th overall draft pick to Phoenix. Shaq has won four championships, and played with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash, arguably three of the greatest players of this generation. Now O'Neal will play with possibly the greatest as his newest teammate is none other than LeBron James. The trade will no doubt create more buzz, tension, and marketing when Cleveland plays the Lakers, with the matchup of Kobe versus LeBron and Shaq.

Lakers Get Sun-Burned

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Phoenix Suns, only the third time this season the Lakers have lost consecutive games. Phoenix finished the game shooting .558, while LA shot .447. The Lakers had a 75-70 lead over the Steve Nash-less Suns with less than 6 minutes left in the third quarter, but coughed it up, allowing a 21-6 Phoenix run. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 49 points and 11 rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 30 points and 7 rebounds. No other Laker scored in double-figures, and Lamar Odom fouled out in the fourth quarter. Shaquille O'Neal led the Suns with 33 points, and Matt Barnes had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Lakers Crush Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-106, their 48th win of the season. LA finished shooting .574 with a season-high 38 assists, and scored 31 points off turnovers. Every Laker played in the game for at least 5 minutes, including DJ Mbenga, Shannon Brown, and Adam Morrison. Lamar Odom scored 23 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead LA, with Kobe Bryant adding 22 points. Pau Gasol finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Mbenga had 8 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 blocked shots. The Suns were without Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash, and relied on 18 points from Leandro Barbosa and 12 points from Shaquille O'Neal.

Clippers Suffer Deja Vu

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Phoenix Suns 142-119, the second straight day the Suns scored 140 points on LA. The Clips were without Zach Randolph, who is serving his two-game suspension after throwing a punch in Tuesday's game. The Suns shot .589 from the field, including 10-for-21 from 3-point range. LA shot .477 and turned the ball over just 8 times. Ricky Davis was ejected in the fourth quarter after taking his 2nd technical foul. Al Thornton scored 33 points, and Eric Gordon had 23. Fred Jones scored 20 points, and Baron Davis had 14 points and 7 assists. Amare Stoudemire had a game-high 42 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix. Steve Nash had 21 points and 12 assists, and Shaquille O'Neal scored 16 points to go with 6 rebounds.

Kobe & Shaq Reunion Dominates All-Star Game

For the NBA's annual All-Star Game in Phoenix, there was no one more excited than Laker fans. Kobe Bryant was named a starter, Phil Jackson was named head coach of the Western Conference, Pau Gasol was named a reserve, and former-Laker Shaquille O'Neal was named a reserve as well. The West defeated the East 146-119 in a purely offensive game, with both Kobe and Shaq being named Co-MVPs of the game. Kobe scored a game-high 27 points and had a game-high 4 steals. Shaq scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in less than 11 minutes. Gasol had 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. LeBron James of Cleveland led the East with 20 points, and Boston's Paul Pierce came off the bench to scored 18. Dwyane Wade of Miami scored 18 points as well, and Orlando's Dwight Howard had 13 points and 9 rebounds. Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix added 19 points to the West, and New Orleans's Chris Paul scored 14 points and added 14 assists.

Hallway Series Pt. 3

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated their cross-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-97, their 6th straight win over the Clips. Andrew Bynum dominated the game, scoring a career-high 42 points, the only time a Laker has scored at least 40 points other than Kobe Bryant since Shaquille O'Neal in 2003. All of the Lakers' first 39 points came either in the paint or at the line, and shot 50% from inside the arc for the game. The Clips tried to hand on, and even led by 6 early in the second quarter, but were held to just 42 points in the second half. The Clippers shot 48.7% overall from the field. Kobe Bryant had his second triple-double in 3 games, with 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom scored 19 points and snagged 9 rebounds. Luke Walton had a good night with 11 points. Rookie DeAndre Jordan had a stand-out night for the Clips, scoring 23 points and taking 12 rebounds. Al Thornton followed with 20 points, and Eric Gordon had 16.

Suns Set Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Phoenix Suns 109-103, their 11th straight loss. The Clippers failed to hold on to another lead with 4:27 left, giving up a 14-5 stretch for the Suns. Shaquille O'Neal made all 5 of his free-throw attempts, extending his streak to 12 straight from the line. O'Neal had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix, and Amare Stoudemire scored a game-high 26 points. Jason Richardson added 21. Al Thornton led the Clips with 23 points, and Marcus Camby had 18 points and 18 rebounds.

Lakers Barely Set Suns

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 115-110, rebounding from their upset loss in Sacramento. Phoenix, however, was shorthanded with Shaquille O'Neal being injured and a trade that sent Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte for Jason Richardson. Pau Gasol took over for Kobe Bryant, leading the Lakers with 28 points, while Kobe had 18 with 7 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic had 15 points off the bench, and Andrew Bynum had a double-double, scoring 17 and rebounding 11. Matt Barnes led the Suns with 23 points, and Amare Stoudemire had 21 points with 11 boards.