Hype. Nervous. Anxious. Excited. Nerves bad. Ready.

Let’s go.

The Lakers improved to 27-5 and have the rest of the NBA chasing them for the best record.

By J.A. Adande (ESPN.com)

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers have a growing list of injured players. They have concerns that their young big man hasn’t recaptured the form that made him so promising a season ago. They have lapses when they forget what it takes to be effective. They also have the best record in the NBA.

And so, almost accidentally, the Lakers (27-5) claimed the top spot by beating Portland 100-86 on Sunday night after the Celtics (29-6) lost at New York and the Cavaliers (27-6) lost at Washington. Avoiding those losses to the bad teams is one of the ways the Lakers got here. They’re 11-2 against sub-.500 teams. (The losses came at Indiana and Sacramento.) They’re also 18-1 at home. So that’s the basic part of the formula: win at home, beat the bad teams.

What makes the Lakers look championship-worthy is when they remember to play defense. They did so in the third quarter Sunday, a 12-minute stretch during which they forced five turnovers, held Portland to 16 points on 36 percent shooting and turned a one-point halftime lead into a 15-point advantage. Those types of quarters and games are there for them whenever they want. The greatest challenge during the course of this schedule-friendly month that features 11 games in the Staples Center and only one trip out of state (a back-to-back set in Houston and San Antonio next week) could be staying focused on basketball.

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By John Schuhmann, NBA.com

This may have been the most interesting seven days of the season so far. We didn’t have the marquee matchups that we had last week on Christmas, but we had the first 15-game night in NBA history and plenty of late-game drama.

We also had plenty of upsets, capped off by a bloody Sunday, when three of last week’s top five lost to three of last week’s bottom ten. That typified the last seven days though.

Only three teams, the Pistons, Lakers and Suns, went without a loss this week, and the Lakers played just two games. Only one team, the Clippers, went without a win. The other 26 teams had at least one of each.

In a season where the Cavs, Celtics and Lakers have clearly been head and shoulders above the rest of the league, and where seven or eight teams can only seem to beat each other, this was a change of pace for sure.

What does it mean in the long run? Probably not much. The Raptors, Wizards and Knicks still need to show us more before we’re ready to call them playoff teams. But it’s good to see some fight in those squads that have shown little until now.

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As I continue to navigate down the path of community change through the vehicle of CLIMB, we constantly partner and build relationships with like-agencies as well as individuals/companies looking to be a part of the solution.

I recall in 2005 when I first set out to start the organization and began constructing the strategy/vision, I had a short-list of individuals, companies, and organizations that I reached out to with intentions of creating youth programs and sustaining relationships that will position CLIMB as a part of the “solution”. On this list, there was a particular organization spearheaded by the USC Football Coach Pete Carroll: A Better LA. Impressed by his community awareness and action, I have since then developed a relationship that in due time will reflect a shared interest in community service.

Just recently, Pete Carroll was featured on 60 Minutes (CBS): highlighting not only his success on the field, but also his involvment in the surrounding South LA community. 

It may be hard to believe that professional sports in America are now feeling the recession. The Yankees are still willing to shell out $160 million dollars to pitcher CC Sabathia. And you’d think TV ad budgets for sports will stay steady. Presumably, more fans will tune in for a distraction from all of the negative financial news. People are still paying for diversions and treating one’s family with tickets to the game is a lot cheaper than hopping on a plane.

Yet even the mighty NFL today announced 150 job cuts. Apparently football’s finance’s are still strong but uncertainty over 2009 is prompting the league to play it conservative. 

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by J.A. Adande (ESPN.com)

The two biggest NBA myths around are that LeBron James needs to be in New York and that the league needs the Knicks to be good.

Anyone who still believes you can make it only in Manhattan probably still calls remote controls “clickers.” This isn’t the Walter Cronkite era, when we got our news from men sitting at desks in New York. These aren’t the old Don Draper days, when everything we thought we knew and needed was generated by the ad shops on Madison Avenue.

LeBron, playing in little old Cleveland, stands to make more in endorsement money this year than New York Yankees superstars Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter will combined. And they play for the Yankees. LeBron could win eight championships with the Knicks and they still wouldn’t rule that city the way the Yankees do. Oh, and you could add Peyton Manning’s $13 million to Jeter and A-Rod’s $14 million and it still won’t match LeBron’s $28 million in off-court money this year.

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I’ve always been a believer in the theory that, if you do what you’re supposed to be doing (as in successfully) and doing it right, people will notice.

As many of you may know, I am a proud graduate of St. Bernard High School and will bang represent Bernards to the fullest. With that said, I am compelled to help one of my fellow alums get into the 2009 NFL Pro-Bowl. 

Personal 

Donald Ward Penn (born April 27, 1983 in Los Angeles, California) is an American football offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He playedcollege football at Utah State.

Pro Career

Big-bodied lineman who made a seamless transition from back-up to starter during the 2007 season… Tremendous quickness and footwork… Played in 26 career games with 22 starts, and has started only playoff appearance… Signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 4, 2006… Signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad on September 3, 2006… Released by the Vikings on September 2, 2006… Entered the league with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2006.

VOTE

Directions: Click link below > Under the “Offense” tab, scroll over and click on “Tackles“

Then, VOTE for Donald Penn (a million times).

Voting link here: http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot

pictured above (nphocus photography): Eze Burts, volunteer Youth Basketball Instructor, leads program participants through pushups during routine health exercises for the CLIMB Youth Basketball Camp

Only about a third are in the ‘healthy zone.’ L.A. Unified’s scores also edged up but are below the state average.

By Corina Knoll (LA Times)

When it comes to their physical fitness, students are taking baby steps toward better health, according to results from the 2008 California Physical Fitness Test released Tuesday.

The annual public school test measures six areas, including cardiovascular endurance, body fat percentage and strength and flexibility. Every spring, students in grades five, seven and nine run a mile, among other activities. They are scored on whether their performance falls in the “healthy fitness zone,” a term used to reflect a reasonable level of fitness. 

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In a recent game versus the Chicago Bulls, The Lakers organization, Lakers Girls and Lakers fans all pitched in to raise money for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The money will be used to provide shelter, meals, health and mental health support for those affected by the recent Southern California Wildfires.

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