Yep, they’re slowly becoming those irritating cocky sonsabitches again…

Of course, we can’t blame them too. With only a couple more games before the 2008 NBA playoffs begin, the Lakers are back on top after spending a few years in the doghouse after Shaquille O’Neal left Tinseltown.

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers have come a long way and now that they’re back at the top of the Western Conference, you can’t help but feel happy for them. Last Sunday, the Lakers showed the rest of the league why some people are starting to call Tinseltown as ”title town” again, coming up with a huge 106-85 over the defending NBA champs, San Antonio Spurs.

You read it people, the Lakers took care of the San Antonio Spurs as if they were nothing, winning by 21 points to capture sole possession of the Western Conference lead.

”It was a big game for us,” Kobe Bryant said. ”It was another step in the right direction. Going into the playoffs is all about momentum. Now, we just have to take it up another notch once the playoffs start.”

MVP candidate Kobe Bryant had 20 points, five rebounds and five assists before sitting out the final quarter. The Lakers’ win over the Spurs was their seventh of eight games, giving them all the momentum they need coming to the 2008 NBA playoffs.

The Lakers will win the Western conference title if they can beat state rivals, Sacramento Kings, on Tuesday night. If they do, they’ll have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs until they face probably the Boston Celtics at the 2008 NBA Finals.

”It’s still our responsibility to finish this the right way,” Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. ”And that was our message in the locker room after the game. Fortunately for us, we got some rest, got some guys who had a little bit of time to recover before Tuesday night.”

Who will win the NBA title in the 2007-08 NBA basketball season? AcesAce Sportsbook has the odds.

San Antonio Spurs EVEN +350

Cleveland Cavaliers EVEN +1,300

Boston Celtics EVEN +450

Detroit Pistons EVEN +1,000

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more basketball betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant