Lakers Hit It--3000 and Counting

Last night's game (January 13, 2010) between the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks was memorable and not just because the Lakers won. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks hit 20,000 (and beyond) NBA career points. Congrats, Dirk! Dirk is a 7' tall forward and has been with the Mavs since 1998. Born in Germany, he plays for he German National team during the offseason.  He and the Mavs have been in NBA playoffs 9 times since 2001 but have not yet won a title.

Back to the game, the announcement of Dirk's 20,000 points ignited the Dallas fans at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Undaunted, the Lakers went on to win, 100-95, without forward Pau Gasol and with an injured Kobe Bryant. The rest of the team took up the slack with three starters in double figures (Lamar Odom, 18 points, 14 rebounds; Andrew Bynum 22-11; Ron Artest, 16-11).

But wait! There's more! The Lakers have now won 3,000 games--the most in NBA history. Their record is now 3,000-1,851, with most wins coming since the Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960. You guys are awesome!