It’s not all fine and dandy for Lakers

As they prepare for the playoffs with Oklahoma City, they learn that Jackson is fined $35,000 again for comments about officials and Vujacic will be out for a significant amount of time with an ankle injury.

Amazingly, the real season starts now in the NBA

The Cavaliers romped through the regular season while the Lakers and Celtics didn’t quite hit the 73-win mark. But the race to 16 wins should be fun.

At NBA playoffs time, everyone has an opinion

Charles Barkley says he would be shocked if Lakers don’t make the Finals, but that’s not a universal feeling at TNT. Dallas

There’s no guarantees for Lakers this time around

Text messages from press row…

Andrew Bynum will be back, but how long will he last?

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson says he is ready for anything and center will be watched closely for symptoms when he returns, which is expected to be Sunday in playoff opener.

Lakers have no playoff momentum

They lose to Clippers, 107-91, Sasha Vujacic is injured and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant is angry about Phil Jackson’s statements.

Phil Jackson begins the mind games with Kevin Durant

The coach says the Thunder’s star player “really gets to the line a lot.” The teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Lakers win, but it’s more of the pain

Jordan Farmar strains his left hamstring in a 106-100 victory over Sacramento, joining Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum on the sideline as the playoffs approach.

Shannon Brown smiling through the pain

The Lakers’ reserve guard is playing with an injured thumb that is especially painful when he hits the rim on a dunk. But when called on to start Tuesday night, he scored 24 points.

Lakers' Kobe Bryant chooses to sit the last two out

He tells Coach Phil Jackson by text, and team says he won't play again until playoff opener because of broken index finger. Also, Andrew Bynum is only beginning to run again.

Lakers need a power boost before playoffs start

With the postseason starting next weekend, they’re running out of time to ‘flip the switch’ and start playing better.

In 1960, the Lakers had their worst trip ever

A copilot recalls the harrowing flight the Minneapolis Lakers took 50 years ago on a cold winter's night after a game in St. Louis -- a flight that ended with a makeshift landing in an Iowa cornfield and could have ended much worse for Elgin Baylor and others aboard the DC-3.

Lakers lay it all on the line and still come up short

The team's struggles are even more evident when Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher are missing end-of-game free throws.

Lakers continue their mysterious ways in loss to Trail Blazers

Even with Portland missing its best player, Brandon Roy, for much of the game, Lakers find a way to lose at home, 91-88, to a team they could face in first round of playoffs. Kobe Bryant returns after missing two games but shoots eight for 23.

Ron Artest watches Lakers lose from the bench

Among the surprises at the game’s finish is Artest sitting out the last minutes as Sasha Vujacic plays. Coach Phil Jackson says Artest ‘had a tough night.’

Kobe Bryant is doing a banged-up job for Lakers

A continuing series of injuries (finger, ankle, knee) has slowed the Lakers star since December, caused him to miss seven games and taken some of the edge, and elevation, from his game. As playoffs approach, it could be cause for concern.

Kobe Bryant hopes to play Sunday against Trail Blazers

The Lakers guard sat out the last two games because of swelling in his right knee.

Lakers' Pau Gasol wants to keep playing down the stretch

He doesn't want to sit out any games despite the team's clinching best record in the West with a victory over the Timberwolves on Friday night.

Not exactly thumbs-up for Lakers' Shannon Brown, Sasha Vujacic

Brown, nursing a sprained thumb, and Vujacic, out of the 'doghouse,' help Lakers close the gap in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough to prevent a Denver win.

Lakers aren't especially good in victory, but they're still best in the West

They squander most of an 18-point halftime lead against lowly Timberwolves before winning, 97-88, to clinch home-court advantage throughout Western Conference playoffs. Kobe Bryant sits out again; Pau Gasol has 29 points and 15 rebounds.