Gone is Shaq, and with him the once hot tension between the Lakers and the Heat. In come an oddly happy Marion and a humbled Wade to Staples with hardly the same kind of buzz behind them.
Just like with every other wounded animal or weak team, all you want was the Lakers to come into this game not looking past it or taking it too lightly. The energy was instantly better than the Portland game, letting you know that they may have shaken off some the malaise that teams on a winning streak can get.
Odom was, once again, doing his diving act through the paint and making himself available for any pass from, through, or in the lane. His first jump shot in the 1st quarter had such a confident step about it; it just doesn’t look anything like the same Lamar Odom that was field-mouse-timid about shooting earlier on this season. What was good to see in this one was Lamar correcting his spacing mistakes before they destroyed plays. He recognized crowding or a wrong run somewhere and went to the right area without having to be told to do so.
I love the early-concerted effort by everyone on the team to get a quick start for all on the starting squad. When one gets the shot, there’s a run to the open spot and a look to another to get them going, too. Not only does it get your whole team going, but also it kept the Heat defense running around like headless chickens for the entire first quarter.
At the forefront of this effort is Kobe. It was just another great distribution run from him. I wish there was an attempted assists category for the years when the Lakers were struggling. These same passes were there before, but now he has a team that is both willing and able to make the shots off of his passes. But you have to give it to him for getting his mates going before getting his own.
His shot seemed to be a touch off, but his drives into the paint were just amazing. There was a great jump in his step through the middle. If the amount of drive and kicks that Kobe was looking for keep coming, it will give the Lakers yet another facet to this developing offense.
Kobe’s defense on Wade was right on the money again. Keeping Wade out of any open shot or any chance to make a run to a spot for a pass was key in getting the Lakers out to the kind of start they needed on a team like Heat. Although I don’t think Wade has any shot at getting going like he has on other teams against Kobe, it’s still good to see Kobe really push Wade far outside.
Looks like the heat went from Miami to Jordan, because the rhythm he had shooting versus the Blazers flowed right into this game. He’s got a real nice first step into his shots. He’s becoming downright dangerous, to the point of teams needing to send a man to him on the arc. It’s awesome that Jordan has found his stroke and best offensive spots on the floor. He is becoming downright scary from the corners of the arc right now. Hopefully he can remember to not become just a shooter and that his real strength still lies in leading breaks and keeping the offense in rhythm on half court sets. But I don’t think I’d turn this shooting development down at any time.
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