Lamar Odom getting married to Khloe Kardashian

The recent buzz has been all about Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom, not for his recent championship ring with the Lakers, not for his $33 million contract extension signed in July, and luckily not for any off-court legal problems. The recent news is that Lamar Odom is getting married to Khloe Kardashian, famous sister of Kim, from "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and "Khloe and Kourtney take Miami", both of which air on the E! television channel.

Well known celeb-diva, paparazzi booty queen, Kim Kardashian, who was most recently linked to running back Reggie Bush of the NFL's New Orleans Saints told People.com:

"They're very, very happy," Kim told People.com. "They are literally inseperable. Khloe thinks he's amazing and makes her laugh and smile constantly."

The news may come as a big shock to many fans of either of these stars. According to reports, Odom met Kardashian at a party in Los Angeles and the two really hit it off. They dated for just over a month, and soon were engaged. A wedding is tentatively planned for Sunday September 27th, 2009. The reason for Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian getting married so quick wedding is due to Odom's upcoming schedule involving the NBA season. All's fair in Love & Basketball, but don't we see so many Hollywood style marriages end fast? I guess it's good to start fast and get it over with quicker? Feel free to leave your thoughts on this recent NBA transaction off the court for Lamar Odom...

(Sources: latimesblogs.latimes.com, people.com, usmagazine.com)

Lakers Perfection Continues

The Lakers are sitting pretty at 7-0 as the last undefeated team in the NBA. Last night they held off the ultra-talented Chris Paul-lead New Orleans Hornets to remain unbeaten. With Andrew Bynum back after last season's devastating knee injury, it adds even more talent to the squad and fuel to the Lakers' fire. A Seattle Post-Intelligence article details how Andrew Bynum is a major contributing factor in the Lakers' early season success. They definitely have the hunger thanks to losing to the Celtics in last year's Finals, but with Bynum they can compete even closer to the level of the C's. At 22 years old and imposing, Bynum gives an inside presence along with bigs like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to help rebound and intimidate those attempting to score in the paint. Those Big 3 plus Kobe make for one deadly quartet, and will possibly be the NBA champs in 09'.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligence article, the Lakers biggest threat may come from the Phoenix Suns. I'd argue that the Mavs, Hornets and Spurs all have the potential to get hot at any point in the season and offer true threats to the Lakers. Add Houston and Utah. and there's 7 of this year's playoff teams. The Portland Trailblazers have what it takes to make the #8 spot, should Oden remain healthy for the remainder of this season. Should LA finish 1 and Portland 8, that definitely makes for an interesting playoff debut for Mr. Oden, and quite a challenging test for the young Andrew Bynum.

Impressive Celtics Comeback for Game 5

Call it a comeback. In fact one of the greatest comebacks in Celtics basketball history. Earlier in the series, the Lakers made an impressive comeback to narrow a 20 point Celtics lead to just a 4 point Boston win. Tonight the Celtics did that and then some. They were down as much as 24 in the 2nd quarter and 20 points in the 3rd quarter, but held in there. Through tight defense, scoring and capitalizing on Laker's TO's, the Celtics won the game behind Pierce's 20 point performance. The Celtics now lead the series 3-1 and can wrap things up Sunday in LA.

Kobe continued to give a gutsy performance, slashing to the hoop and hitting shots, despite hands in his face. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol finally came alive in this game, but again a bench player, James Posey helped keep the Celtics in it with his 18 points and a huge 3 towards the end. During his postgame interview, Paul Pierce remarked it was their defense that kept them in this and got them the tough win. Pierce added he's not counting on the statistic that no NBA team has come back from a 3-1 deficit, and wants to close it out Sunday.

So will the C's capture another impressive NBA title on Father's day? Tune in to ABC Sunday, it could be another magical moment.

2008 Celtics vs. Lakers - Rivalry Renewed

Cue up the "NBA...where amazing happens" and Kobe/Pierce split screen ads, because one of the most storied rivalries in all of basketball and maybe even sports has been rekindled. On June 5th, 2008, the Boston Celtics will host the Los Angeles Lakers on their court, setting off another showdown between the two most winning NBA champs.

Boston is perhaps a Cinderella story. Last year they were worse than the New York Knicks in the league, and looking to the NBA's draft lottery to win that #1 pick. They didn't, but the pick they had for # 5 was good enough for a trade. Eventually, the Boston Celtics brought in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and a host of helpers for the bench. James Posey, PJ Brown, Eddie House and Sam Cassell have all been huge for the team as they provide great veteran experience. Posey and Cassell both have rings so that's only helped more in the playoffs. So give Boston credit for assembling one terrific team for 2007-08. They went from worst to first thanks to smart strategic personnel moves. Recently, Bill Russell, a Celtics legend, even told KG he expects the Big Ticket to win at least 3 titles before his career ends, or Russell will give him a ring since he has a few to spare.

The Lakers have more of an individual turnaround, as the focus has been on MVP Kobe Bryant. As the season was starting, it was unknown if the Lakers star would be in LA or moved to another team such as the Bulls. But the Lakers management and the superstar came to a mutual agreement. Eventually, Pau Gasol was brought in to LA in a deal involving NBA-bust, Kwame Brown. Gasol's addition to the team has been a huge one, and fans need to know he was not on the court for the 2 times that Boston and Los Angeles met this past season. So LA has definitely upped the ante. Add in Lamar Odom, and you have a great 3 on 3 battle, before the other guys even get involved. LA may have a better inside presence with Odom and Gasol, and the deadly assassin Kobe Bryant may be able to take out the Celtics. Kobe may be on a bit of an unspoken mission here to match Shaq. As we all know just several years ago Shaq was part of an impressive Miami Heat team which won Shaq his 4th ring. Kobe wants his now, and then some.

It's going to be a fun and interesting series to watch, and once again is a great thing for the NBA. Both teams have huge fanbases as they are the epitomy of basketball before Chicago, Detroit and San Antonio got their names involved. Sit back and enjoy the games, they start June 5th and are well worth the price of cable or sattelite TV.

Spurs Advance Past Hornets 91-82

In the words of former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, you can never "underestimate the heart of a champion". Perhaps many people did just that, self included, as the Hornets were blowing San Antonio away in New Orleans. Many people expected the champion Spurs to be done as of Monday night.

Monday night marked the final Game of the series, with a trip to the Conference finals on the line. Each team had been really dominating the other on the homecourt, but that wasn't the case here. Experienced champions were consistent here and the younger Hornets couldn't overcome their spirit. San Antonio was up by 9 as the teams headed into halftime. They had a hot 3rd quarter, going up by as much as 12. In the 4th, Janero Pargo narrowed the gap to just 3 points after New Orleans played volleyball with about 4 different offensive rebounds. Tony Parker hit a nail in the coffin type shot and the Spurs ended up winning it 91-82. Despite the loss, Chris Paul definitely had the breakout season of 2007-08 and should continue this heading into next season. Watch out for the Hornets!

We now get a great Western Conference finals matchup pitting Kobe's top LA Lakers against the World champion Spurs. I actually give San Antonio the edge here believe it or not, because I think they do hold the experience factor. While LA still has Derek Fisher and Kobe from the championship Lakers teams of past, I'm not sure they can solve Tim Duncan effectively. The combo of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom inside could work well to stop the Spurs' guards as they guys on TNT's postgame show mentioned. Will Kobe have it in him to bring this Lakers team back to the Finals? Will Duncan and his crew earn a return trip to defend their title? Either way it should be a great series in the Wild Wild West!

Tuesday night will see the start of the Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons series which also will make for some must see NBA TV!

Read more about the Spurs victory over the Hornets at AP.

Power Shift to Lakers?

A great trade was pulled off on Friday involving Pau Gasol being sent to the Lakers. Gasol was traded along with a draft pick to LA in exchange for basically Kwame Brown, who's been a bust in the NBA. Kobe is definitely happy with the move because he now has more star power in addition to himself, and Lamar Odom. Gasol brings about 18 points, 9 rebounds and a few blocks per game which will make for a strong front court. Many analysts now say the Lakers are among the best of the West.

The Grizzlies will clearly be in rebuild mode now. They have several young stars on the team, including emerging star, Rudy Gay. With the trade they will be able to clear up extra salary money once Kwame's contract is up. They can also use the extra draft picks to add to their team.

So will this make the Lakers the best in the West? It's tough to say, but as long as they keep superstar Kobe Bryant happy, all is good in Hollywood.

Top 10 Facial Dunks of 2007

NBA.com has presented its "Top 10 Facial Dunks of 2007". Here's a look at what made their list for the past year.

10 - Lamar Odom delivers a facial on Amare Stoudamire
9 - Kevin Durant's Tomahawk dunk on the Raptors
8 - Tyrus Thomas dunks it on Josh Smith
7 - Manu Ginobli takes it to the hole on Diop of the Mavs.
6 - Rudy Gay dunks on the Rockets' Scoda.
5 - Tim THomas with the vicious dunk on the Knicks.
4 - Elton Brand on Jerry Stackhouse
3 - Trevor Ariza dunks it on Emeka Okafor
2 - Lebron James jams it on Rasheed.
1 - Baron Davis takes it strong over Kirilenko

Check out the highlights of these at NBA.com.

Also today, NBA TV will be presenting highlights and games from the classic Lakers versus Celtics rivalry. Tonight the new look dominant Celtics face Kobe and his Lakers in Los Angeles at 10 PM EST.

Lamar Odom's Car Crash Victim

TMZ.com is reporting that Los Angeles Lakers Forward, Lamar Odom, has paralyzed a woman's left leg due to an auto accident he caused. The accident occurred when Odom ran a red light and then T-boning the 37 year old woman's car. Odom was driving to the Lakers' Tuesday morning shootaround before their season-opening game against the Houston Rockets. The jaws of life and firefighters worked frantically to get the woman out of the wreck. The woman has reported she is "keeping her chin up" and staying strong. As some commentors at the site have noted, most people would keep their chin up when they will be settling an auto accident suit with an NBA player, or most any celebrity. Odom reportedly suffered a slight concussion from the accident, and he is still recovering from shoulder surgery.

TMZ.com has photos from the accident here.