Los Angeles Lakers 2012 NBA Season Preview:
While the Lakers weren’t able to land Chris Paul this offseason, the nucleus (minus Lamar Odom, who was shipped off to Dallas) that captured the Pacific division and second seed in the West last year is still there. The lockout is a mixed blessing for the team who, after several championships won and sought after, logged in the most minutes of any team over the past half-decade. While they had time to rest and recoup (and dance and change their name like Ron Artest, nee Metta World Peace), the upcoming season has weeks of three consecutive games that will be a test to the knees of future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and his teammates Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher. The difference-maker will, of course, be Bryant, who has been the barometer for the team—as he goes, the team does. It will be interesting to see how the schedule and the tumult surrounding the team and its trades affect one of the signature franchises in all of sports.
Recommended Lakers Games
Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks (January 16 & April 15) – Dirk brings the reigning NBA Champions to face the Lakers.
Lakers vs. Miami Heat (March 4) – Kobe and Pau Gasol vs. Lebron and D-Wade on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a must-see game!
Lakers vs. Boston Celtics (March 11) – Hollywood’s biggest stars are always in the house to see this East Coast versus West Coast rivalry.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS FRANCHISE FACTS:
Founded: 1946
Location: Los Angeles, California
Stadium: Staples Center
Conference: Western Conference
Division: Pacific Division
Rivals: Los Angeles Clippers
Coach: Phil Jackson
Dancers: Laker Girls
Notable Players: Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers Championship Titles: 14
Los Angeles Lakers Conference Titles: 29
See Also:
Los Angeles Lakers Playoff tickets
Los Angeles Lakers Season Preview History
LOS ANGELES LAKERS INFORMATION:
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful franchises in all of professional sports, with 16 banners hanging from the rafters in the Staples Center. The Lakers have featured some of the biggest names in the history of professional basketball on their roster, such as Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, George Mikan and Kobe Bryant. While the Lakers became an international sensation in Los Angeles, the team got its start in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," where its name originated. The Lakers are also one of the few teams to play in the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America before the merger in 1948 created the National Basketball Association.
The Minneapolis Lakers were one of professional basketball's first dynasties, winning the NBL championship in 1948 and the BAA championship the following year. The team followed the lead of its 6'11" center George Mikan and proceeded to win NBA championships from 1950-1954. After his retirement in 1954, the Lakers stayed competitive, but couldn't find a way to replace Mikan's production. The team got progressively worse as the decade wore on and flagging attendance numbers forced the team to become the NBA's first West Coast team in 1960.
The squad slowly built itself into contenders during the early '60s and made a number of appearances in the NBA Finals, but was still unable to overcome another dynasty, the Boston Celtics. It wasn't until 1968 when the team traded for all-time great Wilt Chamberlain that they finally got over the hump. The Lakers won the NBA championship during the 1971-72 season, the year that they also won 33 straight games, an American professional sports record that has yet to be broken.
The Lakers traded for league MVP Kareem-Abdul Jabbar before the 1975-76 season and surrounded him with top-tier talent. However, it wasn't until the arrival of Magic Johnson in the 1979 draft that the team really started to put it together. The Lakers won the NBA Finals eight times throughout the 1980s and soon thereafter were considered one of the best teams to ever take the court. With another impressive run taking place in the 2000s led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers are one of the few teams in professional sports that have built multiple dynasties throughout their tenure and still remain a force to be reckoned with the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Lakers Ticket Information:
The seats TicketCity offers for the Los Angeles Lakers come from our large network of suppliers. Those suppliers list and price these Lakers tickets, and in many cases the ticket prices will be higher than the face value printed on them. After submitting your ticket order, TicketCity will verify the availability of those seats with our supplier before confirming your purchase. Tickets are shipped via FedEx as soon as they are available to send.
TicketCity is not affiliated with the Los Angeles Lakers, the official Lakers website or Staples Center.