The Peterson Principle 4/2/12

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant is having an MVP year

From the NBA to the NCAA to the MLB to the CIF and high school football…

Lake Show Canceled?

I guess the bright side is that Kobe Bryant made the one that counted – a three pointer that turned out to be the game winner against New Orleans. But you have to wonder how far the Lakers are going to go when they have that much trouble beating the worst team in the Western Conference. The Hornets were missing four starters and yet were leading nearly the entire contest.

Do you look at Kobe’s three as encouraging or do you look at the reality of Bryant being scoreless for three quarters and going three for 21 for the game? Bryant has been in a slump for the last two weeks when he went three for 20 in a game against Utah. Then there’s Andrew Bynum. Why is he shooting threes, talking about shooting them more and not joining the team during huddles? And it was clear the Lakers are nowhere near Oklahoma City in a loss to the Thunder last week. Ramon Sessions is an upgrade over Derek Fisher and Steve Blake but I’m sure you were cringing like I was when Russell Westbrook outscored him 36-7 in OKC’s win.

OK in OKC

Everybody is having trouble with Oklahoma City these days. The Thunder blew out Chicago, the best team in the east, on Sunday leading by 29 at one point. A week ago OKC dispatched Miami in the same fashion. With Kevin Durant playing like an MVP and Westbrook playing like the best point guard in the league, right now there is nobody better.

Vinny is still Alive in LA

Since Clipper Head Coach Vinny Del Negro’s head was rumored to be on the chopping block, the Clips have won four straight. They are the number four seed in the West and have climbed to within a game and a half of the Lakers. Most NBA people say the Lakers can never be counted out as long as they have Bryant, Bynum and Pau Gasol. Can’t the same be said about the Clippers with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Caron Butler? By the way Nick Young is averaging over 15 points a game since coming over from the Wizards in a trade.

KU or UK?

I can’t see Kansas beating Anthony Davis and Kentucky Monday night for the NCAA championship. Davis, a freshman, could start for a number of NBA teams right now. The Jayhawks have Thomas Robinson, but Kentucky has Davis, Terrance Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, etc, etc…It’s hard to believe that Wildcat Coach John Calipari is trying to win his first title. As long as we’ve been hearing about him it seems like he’s won one before. He took Massachusetts to the final four in 1996 and Memphis to the championship game in 2008 where he lost ironically to Kansas and Coach Bill Self. No I don’t think Kentucky could beat an NBA team, like Charlotte for example, as has been suggested recently.

Dodger Blues

I’d be lot more confident about the Dodgers chances if the group led by Magic Johnson had completed the purchase back in November. It’s too late for any big free agent signings now and there are a lot of holes to fill. In 2013 and beyond you can expect big things. As for this season, there is Clayton Kerhsaw, Matt Kemp, and…and…did I mention Kershaw?

7 + 1 Does not Equal Sims

The fact that new La Canada Head Coach James Sims has experimented with the 7-1 defense does not mean it is a staple of his defensive package. He mentioned last Tuesday night on the Mid Valley Sports Show that he had used it before but that’s about it. The comments on our site were suggesting that he will be using it as a regular scheme which is not the case. Personally I wouldn’t mind seeing it. Maybe once a game? Just for the fun of it? I’m sure it would give offensive coordinators something to think about.

That’s my principle.

Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com.

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