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Clippers appear headed for the Playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers have become a daily soap opera, with daily speculation about who is in and who is out. With a record of 31-36, they are headed for a sixth straight season of missing the playoffs. The Los Angeles Clippers, on the other hand, appear to be headed for the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Their record improved to 39-29 after beating the Boston Celtics 140-115 on Monday night for their fifth straight win. The Clippers were l...
The NBA season is already full of more tension than a day time soap opera, now the next few months will be filled with drama evolving teams that will trying to make the playoffs. In the Western Conference no less than 13 teams will be battling for eight playoffs spots and in the Eastern Conference it looks like it's going to be a close race between the top four or five teams. For the Clippers and Lakers the bottom line is they have to win at least 70% of their games if they expect to make the pl...
Both teams are looking for improvement from last year. If the Clippers can stay healthy, they will surprise a lot of people. They were 5-0 in the preseason although they played overseas teams like the Sydney Kings and the Macabbi Haifa. They did have wins over the Lakers, Minnesota and Denver. Three of the Clippers starting five are set but the other two are still up in the air. Coach Doc Rivers will begin his starting five with guard Patrick Beverly, forward Danilo Gallinari and forward Tobias...
The Lucky Ducky Swim will again be at the Fiesta La Ballona Saturday, Aug. 25 and Sunday, Aug. 26. At 3:00 pm on Sunday, the rubber ducks will "swim" across the Culver City Plunge in two preliminary races followed by the final winning race. There will be three Lucky Ducky winners. The top prize is $500 cash, with the second prize of two tickets to a Lakers basketball game and third prize a one-year free membership to the Culver-Palms YMCA. The proceeds from the Lucky Ducky Swim will benefit...
My friend, my coworker, my editor Mitch Chortkoff lost his battle with diabetes and related illnesses this week. He was 78. Mitch was a renowned sports writer in Los Angeles for 50 years. His knowledge and zeal for writing sports was incredible. He was regarded as the "Dean of the Lakers Writers." Services for Mitch will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday July 23, at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills - Mount Sinai Chapel, 5950 Forest Lawn Dr., Glendale. During my career, I have been blessed to work with some...
Culver City Observer Editor and Sports Editor Mitch Chortkoff has died after a short illness. The announcement was made by Observer Publisher Stephen Hadland on Wednesday afternoon. Chortkoff covered the Los Angeles Lakers for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and Copley Press. His column appeared in the Daily Breeze and Santa Monica Evening Outlook. He traveled with the Lakers for over 20 years. Services are planned for Monday with details to follow. A complete story will appear in this week's...
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers are both coming off seasons that neither would call a success. For the first time since 2005, both LA teams missed the playoffs. For the Lakers, this has become a routine. This was the fifth straight season the Lakers have missed the postseason. For the Clippers, this was the first time since 2011 that they had missed the playoffs. The offseason officially starts on June 21st when the 2018 NBA Draft is held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn,...
For the first time in recent memory, both the Clippers and the Lakers will start their summer vacations early. The Clippers will miss the playoffs for the first time in seven years, although they will finish the season with a winning record. The Lakers will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year. So for the Los Angeles professional basketball fan this feels different. With so many other sports in Los Angeles it's not so bad but it still hurts. It's like the NBA All-Star game being played...
The NBA season for the Clippers and Lakers is about to end unless the Clippers can pull off a miracle. The NBA playoffs consist of 16 teams from two different conferences. Eight teams from the west and eight teams from the east will square off in the next few months to see who we be the 2017-18 NBA Champions. The Lakers have already been eliminated from the playoffs so it's up to the Clippers to try and have at least one NBA team in the post season. In order to accomplish that achievement they...
The NBA in Los Angeles is getting interesting. Despite not having any super stars in town the Clippers are battling for a playoff position and the Lakers are starting to play winning and entertaining basketball. Last weekend LeBron James and Cleveland visited the Staples Center to play the Clippers on Friday and the Lakers on Sunday. Both of the Los Angeles teams beat the Cavaliers in convincing fashion and both teams are playing well without big name players in the lineups. "Guys are defiantly...
After covering the NBA for almost 50 years I learned something today that had never crossed my mind. It is possible for these superior athletes to suffer like anyone else. Yes, they can experience panic attacks while playing a game that is admired by millions of fans. Kevin Love, the former UCLA star, has told us he has suffered panic attacks and tells anyone who has done that should take it seriously. He says he’s now paying attention to his mental health. Love isn’t playing right now bec...
A lot of interesting basketball will be played in the NBA this season. We don’t know who the champion will be. If you like the sport you have months of entertainment coming up. But another subject has become very important. With LeBron James breaking records a lot of attention has begun to go his way with fans wondering where he’s going to play next season. You see, LeBron crushed some long-standing records last weekend and he’s reached that super duper place of all-time great. Lebron belongs to...
There was a lot of doubt about this all-star game played Sunday night at Staples Center. I was among the journalists who weren’t thrilled with the drastic change of choosing teams, letting LeBron James and Steff Curry make picks and ignoring the tradition of East playing West. But I must admit the teams played an interesting game that resulted in LeBron’s team winning 148-145. I’m happy to report that there was more defense than we normally see in an all-star game. OK let’s not carried away bu...
The all-star game is over and now it’s time for the 23-34 Lakers and 30-26 Clippers to go back to work. Both teams are hoping to make the playoffs but it still seems like a long shot for the Lakers who are in 11th place in the Western conference. The Clippers are tied for ninth position. Only eight teams from the East and West make the playoffs The next Laker game is at home on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the Dallas Mavericks. Their next four games are on the road starting with their Saturday g...
The tension is building dramatically, just like the NBA knows how to do it: A week before the deadline, on February 8th, the Clippers announced the Blake Griffin trade to the Pistons. Let’s be reminded that just few months ago, Griffin himself signed a 5-year contract for $175 million with the Clippers, right after the Heart*Pulse of this team, Chris Paul, was traded to Houston. One thing for sure: we can sense that the Core of the Clippers is transforming: A New Seed is Born! I am now c...
Magic Johnson isn’t the kind of guy who’ll watch opportunities come around and sit idly. We all know from his playing days that competitive spirit is one of his greatest qualities. Now that he’s in charge of making the Lakers’ roster better he had a chance this week to do something bold and create $70 million in salary cap space within NBA limits, in an attempt to sign two elite free agents, even one this year and the other next year. If you’re a Laker fan you’re applauding. You’re happ...
Professional athletes are traded all the time but when it happens most of the time it’s a shock to the players, families and fans. Unfortunately that is one of the things professional athletes have to deal with. They make a lot of money but on any given day they might have to leave one area of the country and go to another. Two Laker players, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. had to leave sunny southern California and go to cold Cleveland. Former Clipper Blake Griffin was traded to Detroit s...
Magic Johnson isn’t the kind of guy who’ll watch opportunities come around and sit idly. We all know from his playing days that competitive spirit is one of his greatest qualities. Now that he’s in charge of making the Lakers’ roster better he had a chance this week to do something bold and create $70 million in salary cap space within NBA limits, in an attempt to sign two elite free agents, even one this year and the other next year. If you’re a Laker fan you’re applauding. You’re happ...
I expected the fan reaction after the Clippers traded Blake Griffin the other day. The people weren’t happy. They didn’t want to lose a popular player and big-time scorer. But after being around the NBA for nearly 50 years I’ve learned a lot about surprising trades. Factoring in everything I often realize that management had a good plan. This could really work. And let me tell you why. Griffin has missed 99 games in the last four years with injuries, as players get older and injuries occur...
Let’s get something straight. This is me thinking. It’s not inside information from anyone associated with the Lakers. But I see that DeMarcus Cousins, the guy nicknamed Boogie, is having an outstanding season with the New Orleans Pelicans and will be eligible to become a free agent after the season. He’s 6-11 and very talented. He’s played his NBA career mostly for the Sacramento Kings and lately with a New Orleans team that also has Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, all making more than $20 mil...
I watch a lot of games. I see players come and go but now we have one here who deserves a lot of credit – deserves to be appreciated and not traded again and again. “ His name is Lou Williams and he plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. At least I think he does but I haven’t checked yet this morning. So it’s possible he’s been traded just like he has been more times than a player of his caliber should be. Williams’ story interests me a lot because he’s played well for the Lakers and once scored 44...
The Lakers, STAPLES Center and AEG announce the plans for a statue dedicated to Elgin Baylor at Star Plaza at STAPLES Center. The statue will be unveiled on April 6th during an outdoor ceremony prior to the Lakers vs. Minnesota game. "I am thrilled that 60 years after the Minneapolis Lakers drafted Elgin, we are able to celebrate and honor him with a statue," said Lakers CEO and Controlling Owner Jeanie Buss. "Not only is Elgin a part of the Lakers family, his contributions to the game of...
Imagine a gathering of 20,000 people, all coming together to celebrate their hero, Kobe Bryant, leaving the Lakers. They see both his jerseys, No. 8 & 24 hanging on the dais for display. This outstanding production was one of the best shows of teamwork, just like the Lakers Family knows how to do it. The atmosphere in Staples Center was intimate. The Spirit of Love & Gratitude was to the fullness & we were continually surrounded by High Appreciation. The Lakers shared many of their unique...
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This column by sports editor Mitch Chortkoff appeared two years ago in the Observer and is being run again due to recent requests from readers) It was 1996 and I was in Honolulu covering the Lakers’ training camp. It was an especially important one because General Manager Jerry West had made a spectacular move which resulted in the acquisition of rookie guard Kobe Bryant and center Shaquille O’Neal. In the first few days of the camp I found O’Neal to be outgoing, easy to intervi...
Some experts who follow high school and college basketball closer than I often share their opinions so I can write with intelligence. Lately they’ve shared the news that the NBA doesn’t consider middle Ball brother LeAngelo a first round draft prospect. That’s important news since father Lavar has pulled LeAngelo out of UCLA, blaming them for not handling the case properly when LeAngelo and two teammates were caught stealing at three stores when the Bruin basketball team recently played in Ch...
