It certainly doesn't suck to be Sasha Vujacic. After hitching his star to Kobe Bryant, he and the rest of his teammates became the envy of the NBA, helping the Lakers win their 15th championship in franchise history. And now? After reportedly hooking up with Maria Sharapova, he's become the envy of men, period.
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I should note that Sharapova has yet to be seen at a Staples Center courtside seat wearing a Vujacic jersey (they sell those, right?), but the two were seen "cuddling up" in public at a recent U2 concert, as reported by CNBC's Darren Rovell. Clearly, that's enough to go on, right? OK, maybe not, but whatever is going on, Vujacic is in no hurry to set the record straight.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
It was about a year a go when Sasha Vujacic ("The Machine") signed a three-year contact with the Lakers. One of the lines in the contract read that Sasha was not required to cut his hair. After a long season of being in a hairy situation, "The Machine" showed up at training camp with a new look.
We caught up with Sasha during a recent charity event hosted by Kobe alongside Clippers players Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon.
Training camps by themselves provide a fresh start for every NBA team, but sometimes, players feel the need to take things to a more personal level to cleanse themselves of the previous season.
This was certainly the case for Allen Iverson, who has gone back to his trademark braids after a year where he was traded to the Pistons, and was unceremoniously used as one of the scapegoats for his new (now old) team's horrific downward spiral.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Shannon Brown, a member of the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers, is one of the most popular players on the team. Besides his basketball skills, Shannon gets a lot of attention, especially from his teammates, because of his resemblance to singer Chris Brown. In this FanHouse exclusive we hear from Shannon, Josh Powell, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic as they all tell us about the Shannon Brown - Chris Brown saga.
Maybe, before the Western Conference finals began, you really didn't know if the Nuggets could knock off the Lakers. After two games, it's seems apparent they can.
Not that they will, mind you. Just that they can.
The series is even one game apiece and Game 3 is tonight in Denver. Here are five questions heading in:
Three-point shots often play a critical role in an NBA playoff contest. But in Denver's win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the threes that were made (and missed) by both teams came at such key moments, that they ended up defining this game.
Video: Billups Inbounds Off Kobe's Back RoundCast: Are the Lakers Now "Screwed?"
The Lakers took long enough, but they finally dispatched of the pesky Houston Rockets, and were able to advance to the Western Conference Finals. And now that they've gotten there, they'll face a team that has been patiently waiting for them over the last six days: the two-seeded Denver Nuggets.
Denver has arguably been every bit as hot in the post-season as the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. But their style of play is simply a bad matchup for this Lakers team.
If it's true the two most important positions in basketball are the point guard and the center, than the L.A. Lakers are going to be in for a doozy of a Western Conference final.
OK, so technically the Lakers haven't quite advanced that far yet. But after their 118-78 Game 5 blowout win over the Rockets, is it really going out on a limb to say L.A. is going to get there? Ditto for the Denver Nuggets, who lead the Mavericks 3-1 in the conference semifinals and have two cracks at putting them away on their home floor to close out the series.
After stunning the Lakers in Game 4 in Houston, the Houston Rockets actually played like a team that was missing its two best players. As well, Phil Jackson finally got the memo that Yao Ming wasn't in the lineup, and came up with a game plan that took advantage of the undersized and undermanned Rockets.
Jackson re-inserted Andrew Bynum into the starting lineup Tuesday night, and Bynum and Pau Gasol combined to punish the Rockets inside.
With Bynum and Gasol clicking on the inside and Kobe Bryant in Mamba mode (20 first half points), the Lakers pretty much had this game wrapped up by the halftime buzzer en route to a 118-78 laugher. It was basically an ultimate reversal of the results in Game 4, complete with Sasha Vujacic breakaway dunks and Jordan Farmer 35 foot buzzer beaters.
Lakers 118, Rockets 78: Recap | Box Score Lakers Lead 3-2 | Next Game: Thursday @ Houston, 9:30 PM ET
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
But what went on in Game 2 of the Houston-Lakers series, with the physicality, fouling hard and flopping was a bit over the top, don't you think? Game 3 on Friday night – a 108-94 L.A. victory – was tamer, but rest assured the dust-ups and skirmishes will return in this series.
It was about a year a go when 
Training camps by themselves provide a fresh start for every 
Maybe, before the Western Conference finals began, you really didn't know if the Nuggets could knock off the Lakers. After two games, it's seems apparent they can.
FanHouse previews 
After stunning the Lakers in Game 4 in Houston, the Houston Rockets actually played like a team that was missing its two best players. As well, 
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
