now that we have a clear picture of Ryans health from miao1234's blog
LOS ANGELES -- In their first game with the Lakers and coach Mike DAntoni, MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore made sure Los Angeles came out a winner in the latest matchup of the NBAs most storied rivalry. Mike Evans Orange Jersey . Brooks scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter against his former club, spearheading a 101-92 victory over Boston on Friday night and helping snap a franchise-record eight-game home losing streak. Bazemore had 15 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers less than 2 minutes apart during the final 4:20 as the Lakers outscored the Celtics 38-18 in the final period. "Me and Kent just wanted to come out here and play with some energy," Brooks said. "I was tired -- real tired. But DAntoni gives you that confidence and he lets you go out there and play your game. So I felt free doing that. The difference in the game was on the other side of the ball. We played real good defence, forced some turnovers, and that really got us going in the fourth quarter." The Lakers are Brooks fifth NBA club and third this season. He played 10 games with the Celtics before he was dealt to the Warriors on Jan. 15 in a three-team trade that brought Joel Anthony to Boston. "You know what, man? A lot of people think I should be mad at the Boston Celtics. But I guarantee you, no one is happier for me than (coach) Brad Stevens and (assistant coach) Jay Larranaga," Brooks said. "Theyve seen all the work Ive put in, and its paid off." The two guards barely had time to get acquainted with their new teammates following Wednesdays trade that sent Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors. But Brooks and Bazemore both turned the game around after the Lakers fell behind by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter. "Jordan Farmar did a great job down the stretch leading us. Hes been around a while, and he told us to just go out there and have fun and leave it all out there on the floor," said Bazemore, who played more than 33 minutes. Gasol had 16 points and seven rebounds in his first game since Jan. 31 after missing seven games with a groin strain. But teammates Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Xavier Henry and Nick Young were still among the walking wounded. Jeff Green scored 21 points during a foul-plagued 33 minutes for the Celtics, who have lost eight of their last 11 games against the Lakers at Staples Center. Brandon Bass had 20 points. Rajon Rondo had 11 assists, six points and six rebounds. The four-time All-Star point guard, who tore the ACL in his right knee almost 13 months ago, is averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 assists in 12 games since his return to the lineup on Jan. 17. The Celtics have lost 10 of them. The Celtics pulled away to a 72-59 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter, their largest advantage to that point, with a 12-2 run capped by Bass dunk. But the Lakers opened the fourth with a 13-2 surge, which Brooks helped fuel with eight points, including a fast-break dunk that tied it at 76 with 9:15 to play after he stole the ball from Jerryd Bayless. "MarShon can score and get can get going," Stevens said. "... As difficult as change is sometimes, its also an opportunity -- and (Brooks and Bazemore) both took great advantage of that opportunity today." The Lakers and Celtics have combined to win 32 championships and have met each other in the finals 12 times -- most recently in 2010, when Los Angeles beat Boston in seven games and avenged the Celtics six-game triumph over them two years earlier. But the teams have experienced a severe reversal of fortune. The Lakers (19-36) are 6-23 since Dec. 21, and the Celtics (19-37) are 7-23 since Dec. 18. Their combined winning percentage of .342 is the lowest since the rivalry began in 1948-49. Lakers players have missed a combined total of 200 games because of injuries, forcing DAntoni to employ 28 different starting lineups -- and six different players at the starting point guard spot. Rondo missed Bostons first 40 games, after the Celtics lost Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to free agency over the summer -- and coach Doc Rivers to the Clippers. Only once have the Celtics and Lakers missed the playoffs in the same season. That was 1993-94, Robert Parishs final season in Boston and Laker great James Worthys final season in the NBA. NOTES: Lakers team physician Stephen Lombardo examined Bryant, Henry and Young at halftime. Bryant still has pain, swelling and soreness in his knee and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Henry has been given clearance to resume basketball activities on Saturday, and Young got the green light to play Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets -- another of Brooks former clubs. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jersey . -- Colin Campbell believes that when it comes to video review, the NHL does it right. Kadeem Edwards Jersey . Evan Oberg opened the scoring for the Wolves (31-17-6) 9:27 into the first period and Ty Rattie added an insurance goal at 12:17 of the third while Abbotsfords Shane OBrien was serving a double minor for high sticking.The news that Bobby Ryan is undergoing season-ending surgery did not come as a complete surprise. Earlier this week, head coach Paul MacLean confirmed that Ryan had been dealing with a nagging injury since November – our first tangible clue that the winger has not been 100 per cent healthy all season. But for the past few weeks, the whispers had been growing louder and louder that Ryan was playing hurt. When the club returned to practice after the Olympic break, the winger took a couple of maintenance days that raised a few eyebrows. Now that the club has confirmed he was playing for the past four months with a sports hernia injury, it forces us to reassess our opinion of Ryans first season in Ottawa. In a strange twist, every player involved in the massive Ducks-Senators trade from last summer suffered a significant injury this season. Jakob Silfverberg had a broken hand, Stefan Noesen tore the ACL in his knee and now Ryan is done with the sports hernia injury. (The Ducks may want to order some bubble wrap to protect their first round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft that they will receive from Ottawa). When he was famously left off the Team USA roster for the Olympics, many suggested that Ryan was crushed by the bad news and went into a prolonged slump. He scored just two goals in 12 games in the month of January and looked like a shadow of himself at times. Certainly, the Team USA snub hurt him on a personal level, but its rather obvious that the physical pain of a sports hernia injury was the bigger factor for his declining numbers. Ryans limited ice time was also a source of controversy in this market, as fans and media openly questioned MacLeans deployment of his No. 1 sniper. He was taken off a unit with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur and was given third-line minutes instead. When the Sens were swept in Alberta earlier this month, Ryan played fewer than 15 minutes on each night – causing some to wonder aloud if there was a rift between star player and coach. In reality, the reduced ice time was likely the result of his nagging injury. In a statement to the media on Thursday, general manager Bryan Murray indicated that Ryan tried to play through the injury and doesnt appear to be concerned about how he was used by MacLean. "I know there were some times in games that he felt like he couldnt contribute very muchh but he stayed on the ice as required by the coaching staff and tried very hard to be a big factor for our team," Murray said.Kadeem Edwards Buccaneers Jersey. "I think he was and obviously we like that kind of person and want to treat him right in return." If you look at Ryans on-ice production from this season (time on ice to produce a point), you can see a significant drop-off once the calendar flipped to December: Month Time on ice/point October 20:32 November 16:17 December 24:42 January 33:10 February 46:40 March 41:47 Ryans struggles were a red flag for many Ottawa fans, who were concerned about his lack of productivity and compete level down the stretch. With a contract set to expire at the end of next season, there were more than a few fans who were suggesting it was time to move on from the 26-year-old winger. But now that we have a clear picture of Ryans health, its a little more accurate to say that his first season was not a complete disaster. The fact that he led this team in goal-scoring with 23 despite the injury is fairly impressive. Considering the recovery time from this injury is about six weeks, GM Bryan Murray says there is every reason to believe that Ryan will come into training camp next season ready to return to his 30-goal form. "Well, he certainly started very, very well. He shoots the puck awfully well, he scored some goals, his line obviously carried the team early on. He was a big part of that," Murray said. "I think after the hernia started to get aggravated a little bit, he seemed to shoot the puck a bit less. Overall, very happy and satisfied with his overall play and we know hell be a real contributor going forward." That last comment from the general manager seems like the one that carries the most weight moving into this summer. Nobody is certain if the Sens will lock up Ryan with a long-term extension in the coming months, but one thing is clear: this organization hasnt soured on him after a disappointing season in which he played hurt. ' ' '
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