Bleacher Report - Articles by Clublakers.com

Cru’s Corner: Careless Play Bites The Lakers for 2nd Loss

Clublakers.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:13:45 -0500

Careless Play Bites The Lakers for Loss 2nd Loss

It’s the first road trip with a larger time zone difference for the Lakers. The question on everyone’s brain was: Will the Lakers continue to play with the focus they’ve developed at home? We all know they can play well, but it’s that determination to win as many games as possible, while focusing on defense, that still remains the big question for this team.

Not only did the Lakers take Indiana lightly, apparently they ignored the scouting report. The facts are that this Pacer team had already beaten the Celtics and the Rockets.

The Lakers allowed the Pacers to do whatever they wanted, (much like they did with the Raptors). When the Pacers missed, it was more from their own fault rather than the defense.

The Lakers chose to play matador defense. Meaning they played too close to their man, and didn’t let the big men protect the deep paint that well. The big men were forced to rotate out to the elbows or to the high post, leaving the inside painfully open any Pacers’ lay-up-a-thon in the first 24 minutes.

The perimeter defenders have got to cut down on gambling in favor of playing some more defense. That spacing is still an issue on defense whereby it wasn’t to start the year. They can’t lose that.

Defensive rebounding—(along with the defense in general) basically lost the game. It was absolutely nowhere near to what it should be.

When the Lakers finally began waking up in the second half (thanks to Trevor Ariza), you saw the immediate turnaround in the score as they ran it to an 11-point lead. But after taking the Pacers lightly and running zero solid plays early in the 4th, the game went right back to the slop of the first half.

If you want a quick, overall defensive assessment (outside of the loss itself)—19 offensive rebounds, 61 points on 53% shooting in the first half and 118 points total for the Pacers. The Pacers—yikes!

Offensively, it was uncomfortably similar to the Raptors game. When the Lakers had the lead or the chance to close the game out, they started playing sloppy offensively. They stopped looking for plays and getting into this freewheeling game that had nothing to do what they were supposed to run.

The bench unit, although no lineup in particular excelled at this tonight, was again the main culprit behind this. Although they are allowed to play a looser triangle offense, it’s still a triangle. It’s not a panicked scramble, spotted with forced shots.

They, the bench mainly again, did not exploit the inside strength they inherently have against a team that has such few shot blockers.

Free throws were yet another aspect of this game that was just unacceptable.

Individually speaking…

Andrew Bynum’s mobility was good this game. The move along the baseline for the quick dunk from outside the post was something new to see. It was good to see him mixing up his game like that.

Additionally, the quick paint position Bynum got throughout the game was also good. It got him a lot of easy shots, including a beautiful pass from Lamar Odom for a reverse alley-oop.

Ariza played with his usual hustle. He jumped the lanes on the Pacers perimeter passing with incredible sharpness. In the 3rd quarter alone he nabbed three steals. The block he had on Granger in the 4th was also pure work from Ariza. He is a great lesson in what activity, even in a stagnant stand-around defensive game like this, can do for a team.

For as many potential spark plugs as the Lakers have on the squad, Ariza is all-out electric when getting his team fired up. The best part is that he does it the fundamental way—through his defense.

When Kobe Bryant is in the game, Jordan Farmar has to go inside, and that’s what he did. It made his game and the Laker offense a lot smoother and more spaced for the whole team. The thing is that Farmar looks like he’s trying too hard at a lot of points. He’s pushing offense through himself instead of using his probing and penetration to open up passing lanes for his teammates. Once he establishes this, then his game will open up when the defense fades off of him in expectation of pass. Right now they’re collapsing on him knowing that most of the time he’ll take it up himself.

Bryant’s pass to himself off the board for the score in the 2nd was amazing. But even more amazing was his return to relentlessly pushing the ball inside Pacers’ teeth.

That pass off the board was only part of Kobe’s first half display. He, and sometimes Odom, looked to be the only ones that were really attacking the middle with some kind of destination in mind. Bryant may have been gunning for that 22,000-point plateau (congratulations to him by the way), but he was also doing fantastic by putting Indiana on their heels. Every time he got inside the whole team either collapsed on him or they parted the seas, giving him a lane to get an easy bucket with.

Bryant’s decision making was also spot-on. The passes he made to others off the dribble or in transition were perfect. Unfortunately both his good play and the milestone he reached tonight were spoiled.

In the end, this is why the Lakers earn their loss.

1.    Atrocious defensive rebounding
2.    Slow to non-existent rotation to the inside on drives
3.    Letting the Pacers play to their strength
4.    Blowing a lead due to lazy/non-communicative play on both ends
5.    Getting bitten from letting a team shoot a high percentage. They were expecting them to crumble instead of making them do so.

If they continue playing games like this (which they wont, right?) against veteran teams with any kind of inside presence, the losses will start coming in droves.

Crucifido’s Corner: Lakers vs. Bobcats [Preseason Game Seven, Oct. 23, 2008]

Clublakers.com — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:16:51 -0400

Fumbling Their Way To A Win

Well, Kobe (alongside Phil and the medical staff’s prodding) wisely sat the game out to check out some minor swelling in the back of his knee. Now, once the swelling subsides, Kobe will continue to sit out until the 28th.

Meanwhile, the Lakers “hosted” the hapless Bobcats in Anaheim to see what they could do without the MVP in the mix. That leaves the team with some questions: Who will lead in scoring? Who will be the go-to guy? How will the team cope without an obvious leader on the court? Will Kobe don another Cosby sweater to watch this game?

(And yes, to answer the most pressing question, another sweater in the Kobe Collection made its ominous sideline debut.)

Actually, this Kobe sitting out thing is a good thing for this team at this point. With this and another game to go, they have the chance to kind of assess where the team is outside of the obvious. Granted, Pau, Bynum, and Fisher are also members of Club Obvious as to what they bring, but it’s good to get a glimpse the team without their hub.

The first glimpse went right to Andrew. The kid was having a cozy little impact on the defensive end, pretty much dominating the paint in the way of rebounding. You gotta love those blocked shots, too. Its great having a goalie back in the net again.

The best thing in this preseason for Andrew has been his balance between offense and defense are both moving, head to head, to where they should be.

To that effect, the Lakers controlled their own board well.

Pau looked a touch lost tonight. He was having some real trouble early on keeping track of his man, as anyone he was guarding was getting easily free while Pau paid attention to the ball a bit too much.

Offensively though, the guy is/has been in midseason form. His positioning is incredible to see. Don’t watch the ball when it comes up, just keep an eye at how quick and deep Pau gets into the paint every single time down the court, maintains that position, and always shoots methodically.

That early position is something you saw Andrew getting the hang of a bit tonight, too. Though he was out too high a lot, Andrew wasn’t wasting time languishing around the free-throw line, waiting for position to open up as he does sometimes. Playing with Pau isn’t only advantageous for Andrew’s stat line, it's going to do wonders for teaching Andrew what he can or can’t do in his career.

In terms of how the team plays with two giants in the middle, they need to either get passes into them as soon as they get into the post, or they need to be more patient in getting it into the post. A lot of turnovers are coming from rushing ill-advised passes into the post as the double team is gathering itself.

The Bobcats showed you tonight how easy it was to swoop in from the weak side during those slow passes into the post.

Odom was “interesting” tonight. Coping with being put on the bench will be an issue until he adjusts, but he has had a bit of a temper this preseason—notably, his words with Jermaine O’Neal and now the tiny tussle with Brown on the Bobcats.

I suspect some of the temper change is from his new assignment, but like it or not, Lamar has done well so far as a member of newly coined Minutemen. He does have to increase his drive and energy though. He was enveloped in cruise control for the better part of this one. Come the fourth quarter, he woke up a touch, but he has to find out how to come into a game with instant energy in order to run with the speed of the bench lineup.

The hotly debated (which is ridiculous to type) Coby Karl played well defensively. He’s not a stopper, but his recognition of screens and jumping out around them to switch was quick and without hesitation. He did well in defending the NBA’s favorite carnie, Adam Morrison. Offensively, he was finally taking the shots he was given (with a couple hits mixed in there).

As far as defensive switching goes, the whole team did well, particularly the bench unit that played most of the second quarter. There were a couple sequences with missteps, but for the most part, you could tell the communication and understanding was sharper, defensively.

Trevor was up to his passing-lane thievery again. His offense was unsure. He showed tonight why he is better suited as an energy guy off the pine rather than someone who can get you off to a potent start on offense.

Offensively, this game was an inconsistent mess. When the Lakers weren’t shooting shots in thick traffic, they were forcing low-percentage ones up or standing stagnant off the ball, waiting for the play to come to them.

The third quarter, with the infusion of Farmar, is when the Lakers ran the lead up to double-digits. Farmar is quickly getting the knack of how to play calmly with quickness, something that is easier typed than done for young points.

Another buzzer beater at the end of the third for Jordan, too—that’s looking like it’s becoming a trademark. Every time Jordan is inserted into the game (despite the lineup he runs with), the offense hums.

Best of all, Jordan’s making players around him better. That’s huge.

Preseason or not, this wasn’t, how you say, “Fun to watch.”

As expected, the offense was rickety for most of the game. Without your main focal point, things tend to go south like that. What the Lakers have to do in case this situation happens again (which it won’t, right?) is learn patience with the offense.

There was a lot of panic when plays got shut down. Losing a huge player like Kobe will change things, but fundamentally, the team still knows what to do. You can’t make up for that kind of loss by abandoning control.

Thankfully, tomorrow spells the demise of the preseason, and we can all await the massive debut of the 2008-'09 edition of the Lakers against a rough Blazer team. One more game to go, one more chance to run tests, one more look at experimental lineups, and one more game until the drive back to the promised land.

Kobe Bryant’s Knee Injury Not Serious

Clublakers.com — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:47:13 -0400

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP)— Lakers fans can rest easy. Kobe Bryant’s right knee was a bit sore Wednesday, but the injury isn’t serious and it’s possible he won’t miss any playing time.

“I’m all right, a little bit better today, a better mood, anyway,” Bryant said after sitting out practice due to the hyperextended right knee he suffered Tuesday night in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 102-98 preseason victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in San Diego.

Wearing an ice bag on his knee, Bryant said he felt a lot better about his injury Wednesday morning.

“There was no swelling,” he said. “At that point, I knew I was OK. Some injuries can go either way. You’ve got to get lucky. I didn’t sleep much, to be honest with you. Just moving it around, seeing if it was all right. These type of injuries kind of sneak up on you.”

Bryant, the reigning NBA MVP, was injured under the Lakers’ basket when he banged knees with teammate Josh Powell while going for a rebound. He immediately signaled to the bench that he was hurt, and a timeout was called. Bryant then sat at the end of the bench before walking to the locker room, and didn’t return for the second half.

“I saw the ring flash before my eyes,” Bryant said. “I was pretty worried. That’s the scariest part, sitting there for five or 10 minutes, seeing what’s going to develop.”

Powell said he didn’t feel anything.

“I didn’t see him until I turned around. I turned around, saw him jumping up and down. I thought he rolled his ankle,” Powell said.

“It was all his fault,” Bryant said with a smile. “We just happened to run into each other.”

The 30-year-old Bryant, examined Wednesday by trainer Gary Vitti, won’t see a doctor or have an MRI. He said he hopes to play Thursday night when the Lakers face the Bobcats again, this time in Anaheim.

“If I can go, I can go,” Bryant said. “It’s all good.”

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he wouldn’t talk Bryant out of playing.

“We always like players to go out and play,” the coach said. “That’s what they do. It gives us a chance to go out and function on the floor.”

While Jackson said he wasn’t too concerned, he added: “Seeing this injury over the course of my career, it’s an injury you can’t minimize at all. It could have some lingering effects. We’ll see how it is tomorrow. We kind of go day-to-day in this business.”

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Lakers-Nuggets: Kobe Bryant’s 31 Points Helps Los Angeles Sweep Denver

Clublakers.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:08:50 -0400

Sweep!!

The first round is over. The Lakers have swept the Nuggets, and above all - they beat them the right way – as a team.

This series showed to a lot of people just why the Lakers walked away with the West’s #1 seed – team play. They of course played through Kobe, their anchor (as they should), but when all was on the line, they played together to eliminate a 50-win team in a sweep for the first time in NBA history.

This isn’t to say there weren’t rickety moments.

All in all though that 1st quarter was exactly what you want to see from your team. Aggressive ball movement and a whole lot of inside play to spark the rest of the offense had the Nuggets running around in a panic from perimeter to paint. Defensively, the Lakers were helping out so well off of screens and picks. It was the rotations down the middle of the paint that were most impressive. Odom was working real well moving with Nene or along side of him to help out on drives. Creating traffic in the middle is all you need to do with Denver’s drives.

The Lakers used their experience to their advantage – yet another sign of team that has learned from their mistakes and is growing stronger – mentally.

We’ve all been looking for that kind of jump-start with focused aggression all year. The times the Lakers have done what they did tonight, they’ve fared real dang well.

Derek started out real well looking more for the drive and kick rather than setting up a 3-point shot early in the game. The thing with Derek was that he just ran out of gas against Iverson’s constant motion everywhere, as many point guards do, have and still will as long as Iverson plays.

But in that 1st quarter the entire Laker team looking to set Gasol up first. If it wasn’t Gasol it was getting the inside game established first, then running off of that success. And key to that success was Gasol’s off ball movement.

Pau was in such a great groove in that 1st quarter – and quietly. His scoring column wasn’t so quiet, but the way he was worming his way from 4 feet out into deep position, as Odom held the ball on the block was real good. When Pau came out of the game for the start of the 2nd quarter, the Lakers stuttered a bit on their communication in the post. The unforced turnovers coming from those miscued passes looked to stem from the Lakers not having that sliding movement from Pau from side to middle.

The surprise with Pau’s game was the strong defense in the paint. The blocks that he had were not only unusual but often came at times when the Laker defense was having trouble finding its rhythm. It got to the point of the Nuggets actually changing shots because of pau’s presence in the middle.

It was the 2nd quarter that saw some reversion from the Lakers back to the unforced turnover team that gives up way too many easy transition buckets. Between those turnovers and the weak rotation along the baseline that cropped up from nowhere, the Lakers ran into a wall that mostly built by their own lack of sharp play.

Speaking of that 2nd quarter, Mbenga was fantastic. After the monster block, he just caught fire. It wasn’t so much of a scoring frenzy, but Mbenga’s activity off the ball was both unexpected and great. His running of the floor from defense to offense especially was all hustle. To see him fill the gap in the paint when Kobe or Lamar brought the ball to the side of the key was so gratifying. He looked to be getting the hang of the off-ball motion of the triangle.

The enthusiasm he showed the entire time he was on the floor, culminating in that spectacular put-back dunk off the missed free throw that really got Mbenga and the team moving with some big hop in their step.

What a great cap to Luke‘s series. That 3 he hit was just a microcosm of the concentrated play Luke gave on the court at all times. Having him come into this game again with that Rambis-esque intensity did wonders to spell the uneven play of Radmanovic.

Lamar played with some serious poise. The lay-up he hit for the basket and the foul against Kleiza in the 4th was yet another microcosm for his season. In that tiny play it showed that the aggression everyone has been hoping would come to Lamar is alive and well. Lamar did great tonight in making himself an obstacle in the paint on defense. The out and out stops weren’t there, but by getting into the mix, he took up the couple of steps the nuggets needed to get their driving game moving. The more he pushed his will in the paint, the more the Nuggets were forced to pass out of the paint or take long range shots.

The same thing was true on offense. Few pays passed by without Lamar getting himself planted in the teeth of the Denver “defense”. By getting that deep position Lamar had several instances of rebounds in traffic, great interior passes or creating a lane of room for a closer shot by the perimeter players.

Kobe was simply unfair tonight. There were countless “How did he do that!” moments. The drive of Kobe came out very obviously tonight too. Every time the Lakers lost the double-digit lead or looked to be struggling he began to take over with scoring, but more importantly he got the rest of the team to wake back up.

Kobe’s problem tonight was what he’s done at times this season, trying to force action to get a whistle. In a game full of real strong / unbelievable play at times by Kobe, this was the only thing that got Denver a hope that they could play some kind of defense.

There is no denying that Kobe displayed, yet again, why he’s the best player in the game. The leadership he showed walking Lamar off the court after a tough miss, consoling him, getting him pumped back up. All the while maintaining mental control of his game and keeping the rest of the Lakers completely in the loop. The dish to Lamar and the swing to Luke for what was basically the game-winning 3 by Luke was something that would’ve never happened before this year. Then the trust in giving it up to Lamar then it finding its way to Gasol on a nice pass from Odom for a dunk in crunch time. It was another moment that showed just how far Kobe’s game has progressed.

The majority of the shots that came in that ugly flat 3rd quarter were because of rushed plays. The ball movement fell victim to the one-pass and shoot style that does the Lakers in. The defense was a bit unsure of positioning, but when the defense did get the stop or got the loose ball, it was the jagged offense that had the Nuggets getting back into the fast up and down game they thrive in.

The 3rd quarter was the Achilles heel tonight, but despite playing completely out of their rhythm and basically playing into Denver’s desperate hustle in the 3rd, they walked out of the quarter with a lead. That was beyond huge.

Then came the tightly played 4th, where the Nuggets finally dug deep and showed they wouldn’t fade without a fight. But the big thing was that no matter what the Nuggets did, the Lakers were always under control. There was no panic in the Lakers play when the Nuggets took their first lead; there was only a deeper focus that led to the Lakers shaking themselves loose of the absent-minded play that reared its head in the 3rd.

The trust of the team is there, the leadership is there, the composure is there, and now the wins are there.

There were 2 key moments for me in this game: 1) When Kenyon Martin was flailing before an inbounds in the 3rd quarter. He was freaking out and when the camera went to Kobe, he just looked at him with a wry smile. That right there magnified the difference in composure, professionalism and overall control between not just the two teams, but just how far the Lakers have come. 2) There was one point in the 1st quarter where Lamar, Kobe and Pau were all rebounding with some serious determination. The desire to win has now found its way into every facet of the game, and into every player on this admirable Laker team that we should all be proud of.

All the praise aside, the Lakers have done nothing yet. The sweep is exactly what they needed to do, but the focus cannot dissipate. There are 3 more rounds to go and it doesn’t get any easier.

For now though, let those flags fly high, sport all the gear you can and keep the positive feeling we all have right now fresh in your mind. That attitude will be needed as the Lakers attempt to march back to where we all know they can be.

Lakers-Nuggets: Kobe Bryant Leads Los Angeles to 3-0 Series Lead

Clublakers.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:25:17 -0400

In came Game 3 and the Lakers looked more than ready for the challenge. The intensity the Lakers showed from the very first tip was exactly what they needed to show. Having a team down 2-0 is no big deal, but the way the Lakers played this entire Game 3 was a big deal. This was one of the best all around team oriented playoff games since the 3-peat days.

This was a game that should show everyone (despite it being “just the Nuggets”) that the Lakers are ready, poised and dialed in for a good long playoff run.

As the 1st quarter started I was kind of looking for the Lakers to attack the middle quickly via cuts and dives. The first couple of possessions though were a little soft in both play and motion. With a quick attack especially against a team as good at home as the Nuggets are, you want to get them on their heels immediately. You have to make them think even harder (if possible) about every defensive motion they make.

But as the game hit about the 10 minute mark in the 1st, you could see the Lakers shaking themselves loose of the soft play and attacking the way they have in the last 2 to 3 months. This is why this Laker team gets people excited. They are showing the signs of a team that not only can win in a big way, but a team that knows how to win in a big way.

Here’s a shocker - Kobe played real well - again. You could see the Nuggets in almost a panic mode when Kobe jabbed into the paint. As the Nuggets collapsed in or around Kobe, Pau did great in simply holding position. The way that Kobe came into the game looking to set people up without ignoring opportunities for himself was awesome – again. As the season keeps on, Kobe’s ability to see his teammates and read opposing defenses seems to grow exponentially.

The best part, Kobe had to do very little in the way of the scoring column for the Lakers to dominate from end to end.

Because of Kobe, Pau was open virtually every possession early in the game. For that reason alone, the Lakers need to keep their eyes aware of where the Nuggets are sagging on defense. Due to their generally inept play on the defensive, the Nuggets play a big scrambling game and with Kobe and Gasol on the floor at once, it sends them into a headless chicken kind of defensive mode, where they can’t cover the ground as fast as the ball can.

So when the Lakers continue to pass and move, Denver falls apart easily. Then due to exhaustion and not having enough defensive fuel to tap into to, they get exhausted quickly.

Sasha came in and had a great impact right away, getting the turnover on JR Smith and hitting a really nicely spaced 3 in the opening minutes of the 2nd quarter. As Najera (who should’ve been kicked out of the game) got added to Sasha’s list, it was good to see Sasha get right back up, knock down the 2 free throws and continue to hustle off the ball to option spots without losing a step.

I love that Mbenga was ready for that great behind the back pass from Farmar in traffic. He had some decent hustle on defense, but most of all DJ played a good footwork game while he was in. The post-whistle block he had on Smith in the 4th was great. You have to like seeing him hustle even after the whistle to clean up the inside.

This game felt like a ramping up kind of game for Lamar. He wasn’t outstanding but elements of what has made him so valuable started to peek out again. He had a couple real good rips on the defensive end and made great decision when driving the ball to the rack. His defense alongside of Pau in the middle was on target though. He didn’t allow any room for Martin or Camby to operate inside.

This is so key in this series – keeping Camby out of rhythm. Between the activity of Lamar in positioning and the good spacing of Gasol, the Denver big men were kept under tight control.

While I’m on this, you probably won’t read or hear much about Pau’s defense on Camby. For that matter Pau’s overall inside defense was amazing to watch. The blocked shots on anyone getting near him or trying to get cute under the hoop was an unexpected plus. He has effectively shut out Camby for 3 games in a row now. He’s given absolutely zero room for him to move to, around or under the rim. All of those lobs to the back door, all of that weak defense on the second rebounder has completely disappeared. A big, giant, massive chunk of that credit goes to Pau.

Luke was absolutely stupendous today. Again, all hustle, with very little wasted motion. Luke moved with purpose on every play, getting himself into the post, using it to absolute perfection and just playing with serious playoff energy. When he did get an inside shot he did well in keeping the ball protected with his body and not forcing heavily contested shots.

Defensively he was playing with sharp lateral movement, which for Luke is something he’s struggled with for a while. But when he was stepping out on Anthony his spacing on him was real good. He wasn’t allowing easy outside shots or any clear drives around him. That right there is good value for your buck. Throw the quick-minded offense he played all game and you have a heck of an unexpected and strong role player. His crisp motion off the ball (especially after giving the ball up and diving back down into the paint for the pass) in the 4th quarter when the game all but over was astounding. He didn’t let up the entire game.

Just another fine performance from Luke in what has become the best playoff series he’s played by far.

Farmar was just flat-out on his game today. He did a fantastic job of getting the ball into the Denver defense without settling for distance jumpers too soon in sets. His decision-making in traffic is what was really impressive. The pass to Mbenga in the 2nd quarter, the protected lay-up and his general awareness on all spots of the court had Farmar looking sharper than he had in the series. He was beginning to wake up in Game 2, but he truly came into the series today.

What was real good to see was crisp motion coming from the side into the paint either along the baseline or straight through the middle. Radmanovic had a couple nice hard cuts (one for the bucket and one for a decent range shot).

The help defense on the baseline runs was right on the money. If Iverson or Anthony tried to post up and turn to the baseline for an easy lay-in there was always someone rotating down. More often than not that someone was Radmanovic. Valid played real good help defense in an often crowded lane.

Speaking of help defense, everyone did a lot better with Derek’s shading of Iverson to the baseline. There wasn’t a giant gap between the help and open space behind Fisher. There was one defensive set in the beginning of the 3rd quarter where Derek spaced himself perfectly between a trapped Anthony on the outside and a running Iverson along the baseline. Suddenly in this series Derek has seriously stepped up his defensive awareness. More importantly, his defensive chops in general just seem to be smarter and more in tune with where his help is coming from.

WTF Of The Game: Playing the Nuggets is like playing a team of Shawn Bradley’s with the amount of elbows being thrown out there.

The thing with Denver is playing through everything. At some point the Nuggets will let you back into the game or let you blow the lead up. They don’t have the wherewithal to hold a positive pace in a game against a quality team. So as the Lakers move through this hopefully short series, they have got to play with consistency. They have to have an eye towards sticking to what works for them and let that break Denver down naturally.

In fact, they need to be playing with that in mind every game in every series.

So they’re up 3-0 but everyone has to expect a knock-down drag out overly physical game in Game 4. The Nuggets won’t go quietly, but its up to the Lakers to make sure that they do go in 4.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets: Game One

Clublakers.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:18:57 -0400

Game No. 1/Win No. 1

I have a love/hate relationship with the playoffs.

I love that it’s the pathway to the Finals, that the best teams in the league are competing, and that every game means something.

But I hate the tension, the nervousness, and the worry over little problems that may become big ones leading to a key loss.

But when all is said and done, when the Lakers play with the poise, professionalism, and control they played with today, the playoffs can be a joy to watch.

Starting from the tip-off, the Lakers were playing some incredibly fluid team ball.

There’s nothing like seeing the Lakes go up by double digits without the offensive services of Kobe. The rate this team was moving the ball (with that touch pass drill from Luke to Lamar back to Gasol for the jam in the first) was so gratifying to see.

This team operates best when they pass three times or more in a set. When they settle into a one or no pass offense, like they did in the vacant second quarter today, they struggle.

Of course what helped the offense to flow early on in the game (and later, too) was the hustle and mostly strong-footed defense they played.

In that first quarter there was a total of three inside shot attempts, with two of those coming off of ill-advised three-pointers.

The Lakers held the Nuggets to a mid-range game by playing well-spaced defense.

There were no gaps left in the lane by overplaying one side. There was no weak spot along the baseline because the Lakers were balanced between leaning towards help in the paint and watching the cuts along the bottom.

The weak spot in this game came in the second quarter when, for some odd reason (again), the Lakers fell in love with the three though it was the inside game that was destroying the Nuggets.

To survive in these playoffs, the Lakers can’t be tempted to play a game that doesn’t lend itself to their strengths. The Lakers are a strong passing team with great ability to cut and move off of those (as the triangle lets you do).

To run away from that is senseless really. There’s no reason for the Lakers to devolve into a range shooting team against a team that forces you to make no adjustments all game.

This is no news flash, but when you’re playing a fast team like the Nuggets who want to run it, you’re playing right into their hands by shooting the long ball.

They know the percentage isn’t huge for the Lakers from range. They positioned themselves for rebounds accordingly, and then the Nuggets got way too many uncontested run-out scores to take the lead.

Some of the reluctance to do what worked came from the bench.

This is the first year the bench has been leaned on to play significant minutes and roles in the playoffs. When they come in to spell the starters, they have to keep up the cuts and dives and movement to the open spot that the starters have perfected.

There was a lot of undue packing in the middle on defense. They were apparently looking to prevent the second chance rebounds, but at the price of leaving wide open shots for known Laker-killers like Smith and Kleiza.

Sticking with the bench, though, Luke was in (hopefully not) rare form. His work from the post was admirable. He wasn’t forcing the shot from it; rather he was using it to bring down the Nuggets mid-range defense.

A couple times Luke recognized mismatches against him on the block in great time. My favorite part was seeing Luke get his blocked once in the first quarter, but instantly making an adjustment to use his body to protect the ball on the very next possession of his.

Luke showed why he is perfectly matched with the triangle today. His movement off the ball was on the money. He had Carmelo jumping from perimeter to mid-range without ever giving up access to good post position in the process.

The help defense coming from the paint to the mid-range on jab drives has got to be a touch quicker. There was too much lag time (in the second quarter in particular) to take those two or three extra steps in to cut off defense collapsing dribbles.

One guy who was helping and practically doing everything any player could on the court was Lamar.

The guy, from the first tip, was hustling for any ball within his long reach. Most impressive was Lamar’s ability to neutralize Camby on the defensive end. He had Camby (and Martin at times) completely shut out of rebound position.

The back door lobs the Nuggets made their living on against the Lakers were non-existent. Lamar held space so well defensively, too. Once he was where he had to be, the position wasn’t given up without a fight.

Offensively, the guy was stunning to watch work in the paint. His passing (the pass to Gasol in the first for the jam and the gorgeous touch pass to Gasol in the second quarter at the 40-second mark) was beautiful.

Best of all was seeing Lamar finish with aplomb every time he had the chance to. The cute layups and soft finishes in traffic have disappeared in favor of some seriously strong cuts with the ball for the dunk.

Odom was working hard all game, and that work paid off in great looks for Gasol.

With Odom playing watchdog all along the mid-range and inside, it left Gasol as the odd man out of the Nuggets “defensive” scheme. Having that hustle guy off the ball and getting passes on the fly to a perfectly positioned Gasol was a mammoth key in the Lakers offensive flow today.

It was truly a flawless game from Gasol.

The guy was exactly where he should’ve been and needed to be every single time. There wasn’t one moment when he got caught even a step away from where he was needed.

When the ball was driven on the side he stepped out of the paint giving room for the inside cut, the put-back dunk, the pass, or a simple rebound. His spacing was textbook today.

It's tough not to go adjective crazy with the way Gasol played today, but it’s unbelievable that the Lakers have a guy like Gasol to flank Kobe.

It wasn’t the amount of scoring he had (although that was great in a pretty inefficient game from Kobe), but more the manner in which he got his points.

Defensively, Gasol played off of Lamar well.

I think if Lamar hadn’t played as strongly as he did all game in the paint, things may have been tougher for Pau. But the fact is that Pau gave the space necessary to Lamar for him to do what he has to while also keeping live in every play underneath.

Radmanovic, though not on fire from the perimeter, did what he usually does pretty well, contributing in other manners.

He was really active offensively and looking to feed everyone off of the unexpected post position he was pushing. It’s key for Radmanovic in this series to make sure he’s a part of what’s going on, even when he isn’t drilling shots.

One guy who I thought played real well for his lack of playoff experience was Farmar.

When the crowd was pumped and the Lakers were looking to blow up, Jordan kept the ball, himself, and the team in check by slowing the ball down when he had to and running plays.

He did well in not letting the bench guys or anyone on the court get carried away into moving off of what was working.

Oh yeah, Kobe was decent today, too. It wasn’t the Kobe who can dominate a game, but wasn’t it fantastic to not have to have that Kobe on the floor to get a playoff win?

Kobe’s leadership and support for his teammates was his highlight for me today. The trust and excitement he shows when his teammates are dong well is better than any stat.

Just a couple more things…

The Lakers have got to be careful in every game now not to let the possibility of three-pointers sway them from the triangle offense, their plays, or their calm.

The Nuggets want the Lakers to shoot long, to lower their percentage, and move away from their inherent advantage on the inside. Shooting threes is fine if the play calls for it, or if it’s designed that way, but just because you’re open on the arc doesn’t always mean you have to chuck it.

It’s a zone defense; don’t pass around it or wait until seven seconds in the shot clock to get the ball inside. Attack it soon and often.

I did love seeing the closeout of Kleiza after his mini-run in the beginning of the second quarter.

The team did a fantastic job of not letting Kleiza get into an unbreakable rhythm as he has before. They saw the problem and quickly corrected it without giving up another element to Denver to swoop in on.

The giant bright spot today was that third quarter, obviously. Kobe played minimal minutes but the Lakers were looking like a championship caliber team as they played under control and strong at once.

I can keep going, but that’s long enough. Keep in mind it's only one game, but it was so great to see a Laker team play like they’re ready for the challenge that the West will be.

Lakers-Warriors: The Sequel Surpasses The Original

Clublakers.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:14:19 -0400

The Lakers had to go up to Oakland looking to redeem themselves against a team that they should beat without having to come back from 26 down.

Luckily, through this hard fought game, the Lakers found the composure they sorely lacked in L.A.. They rode that, along with a concerted effort on the defensive boards and mid-range, to a much needed, heart-attack inspiring win.

There was a lot of good and a fair share of bad in this one, so let’s run through it.

Good early offensive post work by Ronny. When he got position in the second half mostly, he wasn’t letting go of it. That hold on position went a long way to giving the Lakers a pass option to the middle inside, easing up movement everywhere else. He has got to stop passing the ball in or out of the paint when he has a shot. He’s right by the basket for a high percentage shot, a foul, or sometimes both. It’s not a bad problem to have (players that pass too much), but it can’t come at the expense of three-second violations or missed easy chances.

There was determined defensive work from Ronny though. He isn’t letting any shot go without a fight and you’ve got to love that. He had numerous changed shots and played some really well contained jumping defense. The emphatic swat he was doing before has given way to a more controlled type of block.

A most impressive element to the Lakers game tonight (mostly in the second half) was the team effort on the defensive boards. Lamar was heading the effort, but there were few times in the second half that he was alone underneath. Luke, Kobe, Vladi, Sasha and Jordan were crashing the key to get position alongside Lamar. That bolstering of the paint helped almost completely wipe out the second shot chances of the Warriors in the 4th quarter and overtime.

Sasha, overall, is shooting well, but he has really got to settle down from the arc. Making shots is great, but hoisting up a shot early in the clock is doing no good in the long run. He has got to get back to his drives along the baseline that he was doing earlier in the year. At the very least he’s got to put the ball on the floor along the key once in a while to ease pressure off of his shot. Defensively, he has to stop gambling on steals. Once he gets beaten on drives, he reaches for the improbable steal when he should be looking to get into a recovery position to help on the other player rotating onto his man.

Sasha’s fourth-quarter help defense on the swing through moves of Davis and Jackson were desperately needed. With the Baron looking to sweep from side to side up high to set up his drive or get space for his jumper, it was really important that the Lakers had someone on him that could take a quick step back or laterally to keep up with him.

So I guess consistency is no longer a problem for Lamar. From the outset the guy was in the groove on the boards. The one board he got away from two Warriors underneath, holding it high with one hand then going coast to coast for the three-point play was fantastic. Even when the rest of the team decided to stop helping on defense and let their man run free into the middle, Lamar was there to contest (with Ronny at his side) the drive. He guy is working harder than anyone on the floor. Seven double-doubles in row, back-to-back 20-20 games, domination of the paint on the defensive end, stepping into shots, taking the drives available to him and standing straight and tall in all circumstances are all impressive.

Like him or not (and if you don’t right now you never will), Odom is playing like a no-holds-barred stud right now.

The real snag to me in the Lakers’ offensive struggles against the Warriors is why they refuse to run more post plays for Lamar right now. With small teams like this (and with the absolute roll Odom is on) you have got to use him to your advantage in the block. Relegating him to a watchdog on the boards (though he’s done spectacular in that respect) or having him shoot from 10 feet that often is doing nothing but shooting yourself in the foot and out of the game.

Kobe looked like he was running in mud at times. He got stuck on post after post without the ball on the offensive end with limited agility that he usually has. He just didn’t have that cutting power that he normally has. With Kobe being as immobile as he was, its even more imperative that the Lakers get the ball inside to create freer space for Kobe and the perimeter players to move. His shot is being affected by his ankle now as you can see that the lift he gets isn’t quite where it should be.

Despite that, the guy played like a true warrior again. There is nothing that can keep him from being on the floor and that kind of determination got him out from under his hindered movement to put up yet another strong game.

The smartest / most gratifying defense the Lakers played tonight was on broken plays. They closed out on everyone incredibly well, once the Warriors had a play get shut down or altered.

There was still a control issue in this one. Once the ball started running faster by the Warriors, the Lakers started copping out for jumpers on breaks instead of getting to the half court offense they thrive in. Even with the lead the Lakers just weren’t careful enough with the ball or the pace. There should be no reason the Warriors force the Lakers into shooting these one-pass break rhythm shots or the bad passes they had in the fourth.

If I were coaching I would fine every player that shoots a three off of one pass, on a break or when there’s tons of clock left. The Warriors have NOBODY – ABSOLUTELY NOBODY inside that should be intimidating the Lakers this way. I can’t believe that I have to write this, but get the ball inside a measly five times a quarter, please!

Every single time the Lakers got inside they got a foul called, the shot made or a three-point opportunity. The third quarter was evidence to that. Patient, though-out ball movement and jabs to the paint got the Lakers the pace they needed. When the Lakers began to not throw a shot up without working the ball in and out things fell into place. The Warriors were scrambled on defense and exposed on the inside.

Make shooters out it on the floor and make slashers shoot or give up the ball. To that end the Lakers have to make Ellis (and speedy guards in general) more of a shooter. Sometimes they push up so close to him it gives him easy runs to anywhere he needs to go. I swear it’s not that hard to do, take two steps off of him. If he makes a shot from the space, so be it. It’s not the points, its giving up that many drive and kicks through one player. They did better in the second half containing this, but at times (ala all last game and the first half of this one) the Lakers make this easy type of defensive maneuver look about as hard as taking the SAT in Chinese.

I know it’s hackneyed to read in my rants, but I have to say it - this game brought the 8th (that I can recall right now) buzzer beater against the Lakers. They continue to relax at the end of quarters despite getting burned time and time again. Closing out quarters means playing until the buzzer sounds. This kind of easily contained nonsense is the type of thing that can lose you a series in the playoffs. Not just from the points, but also from the confidence and momentum it gives the other team.

By the way, it’s a zone - a weak in the middle stagnant defense that is seemingly a 20-sided Grand Canyon sized Rubik’s Cube for the Lakers. Stop passing around it and attack it!

WTF Of The Game: A re-jump of a ball because of a “bad toss” and a step into the key on the first free throw called in overtime. Those two calls weren’t just rare; they were flat out preposterous.

Well that was just one complaint laden article for a win, huh? I and we all will take the win, but the Lakers will hopefully be getting healthy soon because the cracks in the armor are starting to show. For now, first place is back where it should be, in the Lakers’ hands and they now have a favorable run of games coming their way.

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Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks: The Lakers Win With A Big Ol’ But

Clublakers.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:35:53 -0400

After the loss in Houston there has to be a sense of urgency on the Lakers to not let this little losing streak turn into a big one. That urgency can’t turn to panic it has to go into focused determination. Dallas hasn’t been a kind arena to the Lakers recently, but even despite the shortage of personnel, the Lakers have more than a chance to beat the Mavericks on their home court with communication, defense and smart play on both ends.

Now I don’t know if it’s the tight race in the west, the 2 game skid, playing the Mavericks at their arena or just general game time jitters, but I wanted this game badly. A 3 game losing streak (as seen by the Spurs) can be deadly to your positioning in the West. Yes, there’s a ways to go, but with a higher seeding the Lakers can fall into an easier second round match-up if they advance. Anyway, suffice to say, I hoped the Lakers wanted this win as much as us fans did tonight.

The Lakers can ill afford getting down early to teams on this road trip. They’ve got to come into games looking to take the upper hand by dictating pace. The Lakers have for the most part been a victim to pacing the first two games. This game saw the Lakers making the pace. Bringing the ball up quickly on open breaks, but showing good patience in the half court sets.

Getting the ball into the mid-post to Ronny was smart. As Ronny started to take the ball into Dampier without fear, it took Dampier out of the game early and right there the Lakers should know that the inside is compromised and the playing field on the inside evened out. Ronny’s pushes into Dampier, even getting knocked down a couple times in the process, got the Lakers the inside presence that they sorely needed/ignored in Houston. Those knockdowns didn’t deter Ronny at all. In fact, it looked like the early contact fired his game up offensively and defensively. Ronny’s movement off the ball has usually been spot on, and tonight it was no different. Ronny was moving off the pass into pass option spots with crisp steps.

When Dampier did come back in the game Ronny had good shot selection stepping out of the paint and draining the 15 footer he’s adopted into his arsenal.

The Lakers moved to the inside via passing or via driving with smarts tonight. Without a legit center stepping in after Ronny took Dampier out of the game, the Lakers had a wide-open chance to exploit the softer than usual belly of the Mavericks. Kobe did fantastic passing the ball to the cutter and the patient movement around the horn pulled the Mavs out of defensive comfort spots the way the Lakers were doing earlier in the year. There are typically wide gaps in the mavericks mid range defense, but the Lakers forced an even bigger gap in the middle tonight with aggressive and forthright movement to the hoop.

Defensively, how can you complain about Ronny tonight? His blocking has become much better timed and the over-eager swiping has taken a backseat to controlled movement. Without a legit 7 footer in the middle, Ronny has done a more than admirable job holding down the center spot. Ronny (along with Lamar) absolutely owned the paint tonight. There was not one shot that came within the reach of Ronny that wasn’t contested. The guy just played like an 8 footer tonight, not letting anyone get into any kind of rhythm in any post.

Luke did better using the post. He used it to set up the play, instead of setting up a highly contested shot in traffic. He is put in the post to be used as a passing pivot and the more Luke plays the paint to that end, the better the Laker offense moves. Very smart transition defense tonight from Luke. He got back on defense but more importantly he wasn’t losing sight of where the ball was. His defense outside was a bout 2 steps slow, but he did well in getting into rebound position when he did get beat.

Farmar has fallen in love with the long shot recently, and I was screaming my head off last game for him to get back to the probing dribble in the paint and right around the key that he was doing before. In this one, Farmar looked to make amore concerted effort to just that. There were open jumpers here and there, but Jordan did well in taking the ball into mid-range gaps, moving the Mavericks defense with him, instead of moving his game around their defense.

Farmar however has got to make his post passes sharper and not as telegraphed. He’s holding the ball too far out before he makes the pass, letting his defender and the others around him where the ball is going to go.

Sasha officially freaks me out on breaks. I don’t know if its his hair bouncing everywhere that’s making him look out of control or the bullish head down dribbling style into the front court, but either way Sasha has got to start giving the ball up about 2 seconds earlier on breaks.

Kobe was pure genius in the first half of this game. He made Dallas pay for doubling him at every turn. Of course being Kobe, you can’t help but double, so you take that passing look from Kobe and the good movement from the Lakers and there’s no mystery as to why the Lakers played the way they did early on. The key was Kobe’s amazing vision on the court. The confidence in his teammates was there in full effect. Kobe’s hustle to loose balls and everywhere at once defensive mentality was spectacular. There was no ball that was with in 3 feet of Kobe that wasn’t either gathered or gone after.

Alright, Derek’s offense has got to be more varied than strictly spotting up on the arc. The driving game he had earlier this year has disappeared and because of that defenses are not being forced to move from the outside. With Derek standing only on the line not moving his feet, he’s keeping the offense from moving, as it should. Derek’s smarter than this and this addiction to the long distance jumper has to stop - now.

Radmanovic has now strung together two quality defensive games. His job on McGrady set the pace for the team and tonight he was locked in on the perimeter. He gambled a bit too much on post passes or players swinging the ball from down to up, but all in all, Vladi has played really good defense on whoever has been thrown his way. Offensively there’s no streakier shooter on the Lakers other than Vladi. I’ve said it a lot, if there’s one wild card that can swing a game in the Lakers favor, its Vladi. If that shot gets going and he moves to the option spots he should be in (as he was in the 4th) the guy can truly swing a game.

Real good takes by Odom into Dampier and Nowitzki in the 1st quarter. Plays like that are something that has risen to the surface since Gasol’s arrival. The best part of that game is that right now the same aggression is still there even with Gasol out injured. The diving effort off of the bad shot from Lamar in the 4th goes to show just how much hustle has worked its way into Lamar’s game.

The help defense Lamar played in this one was much better than in Houston. Odom set the pace by keeping a hold of the baseline, avoiding the 3-second call but always watching when to slide over to cut the drive off. His timing on the slide and on help was on the money. The strength Lamar held the ground in the paint also helped his growing rebound numbers. He had complete control of the area directly under the boards and about 1 to feet around it. The Mavericks were throwing 2 to 3 guys into the paint on shots and often holding one right outside the block to swoop in, but Lamar held ground superbly.

By the way, missed free throws make me crazy. I don’t expect 100% but the Lakers are shooting without following through most of the time and are letting too many points escape them from the line.

The Lakers have a bad habit/awful/terrible/horrible/deplorable of playing prevent defense. Whether Kobe is in or not, or there is a viable offensive option in the game, the Lakers seem to settle back on their heels offensively when they get a big lead. They can’t do this. They still have to learn that when you have a lead, it’s never big enough. There can be no sluggish play or getting away from running successful plays simply because you have a lead.

You simply cannot let a team (home or away) get a look at the game when you have a lead the size of what the Lakers had (25). The killer instinct that everyone begs for is still escaping the Lakers. There’s no tired excuse, there’s no back-to-back excuse, in fact, there’s no excuse to let the good game you played in the first 3 half.

How in the world do the Lakers continuously give up threes in crunch time, especially against the team you recently went to overtime against from the same thing? I will forever not understand how every single Laker doesn’t understand how to push the out soothe ball has to be either passed away from a shooter, turn a shooter into a passer or have the ball put on the floor. There’s just no reason, aside from lazy play this should happen as much as it does.

I’ve harped on it before too – tonight saw another end of the period 3 that swung the momentum Dallas’ way going into the 4th. Along with the prevent defense mentality they show, the Lakers have got to keep alive until the buzzer sounds. There is no relaxing simply because a quarter is winding down. I rip on fans leaving games early, and this is right along the same lines. You have to play sharp until the game is over.

The ball movement in the 1st quarter was real good. What facilitated that movement were the Lakers getting to the spots of the offense before the ball fell dead in a post or in an iso set. Its real good to see the Lakers realizing that movement off the ball, rotating with the play gets the ball better passing angles. The ball’s been falling dead quite often on this road trip due to 3 or 4 Lakers watching a play develop rather than making the play develop.

The whole Kobe and company coming to the arena fresh off a flight after a loss to practice shooting is something that is simply beautiful to hear happening. That kind of dedication is contagious, beyond helpful and shows a drive the Lakers haven’t had in a long, long time.

WTF of The Game: The mics on the nets in Dallas are hilarious. It makes every basket sound like a punch in an Indiana Jones movie.

Despite the wacky play in the second half, the Lakers won – in essence that’s what matters. They showed good composure in holding on when the pressure was really clamping down on them. I can point out other things, but I’m going to take this win and run away to the Utah game looking for our guy to come home 2-2 and hopefully getting healthy.

Lakers-Rockets: Disappointing on More than One Level

Clublakers.com — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:32:55 -0400

Before I get into this game, let me let everyone know that there is a positive side to this injury plague. Once Bynum, Gasol and Mihm come back fully healthy from their bumps and bruises, the Lakers will have a team of guys that up to 13 deep know how to play in the meat of a game. That is to say that once the team is all on their feet again, the Lakers will be a team that has experience in meaningful game time down to the last guy off the bench. That will come in huge handy once the playoffs arrive.

Now onto my tirade that I had to step away from before in order to formulate it rationally.

First off, it was a waste of a real good defensive performance on McGrady. Team-wise Tracy was held to far below what his average and/or what he can normally get in a big game. The Lakers did so well in pressuring every single move he made and keeping right up on him on every outside shot. There were a couple instances of McGrady working around the Lakers in the mid-range, but overall they kept him out of rhythm the whole way. But that wasn’t enough…

While they played decently on McGrady, they (for some reason) let the 3 point shooting go practically unabated. While the Lakers packed it in on the inside because of the lack of a big man, they chose to ignore the fact that Houston drains 3’s with the best of ‘em. Every Laker was splitting space on the outside, keeping a step to the inside for no good reason. Meanwhile that step or often 2 steps allowed every Rocket with any kind of shot to slide to any spot they wanted without obstruction. Essentially the Lakers were defending open, possibly used space in favor of defending the actual threat.

It’s the umpteenth time the Lakers have done this. For some unknown reason, the Lakers enjoy letting shooters do what they do best. There was no effort to make anyone play outside of their comfort zone. Once McGrady was taken care of, it’s almost as if they figured nobody else would dare to contribute. So again, the Lakers get burned from outside, not because the other team was running efficient plays to get the shots, but because they simply let the Rockets go wherever they wanted. Once that 1st quarter 4 3’s from Alston thing was done, you’d hope the Lakers would get together and clamp down on it happening again. However, they not only let the Rockets continue to hit 3’s, they let Alston keep getting open for any shot he wanted. That’s maddening.

The Lakers also let 6 minutes of Rocket ineptitude on offense got to waste. Yes, they climbed back into the game, but they were making it as tough on themselves as they possibly could. There was little to no use of Odom on the inside. The entire game Lamar was playing aggressive and looking to cause havoc in the paint. Yet while Lamar played on like that, the Lakers were running mid-post plays for Mbenga. Now I like Mbenga, but running plays for him (even without the big man core intact) is something that just shouldn’t happen. At best he should be a passing pivot point, not an offensive option.

Without the exploitation of Odom in the middle, the Lakers relied solely on a shooting contest. Once again, they got caught up in a game that is both out of their realm and a style of game that utterly destroys the methodical passing offense the triangle is. The Toronto game saw a little preview of the Lakers doing the same thing. Today you saw the fully fleshed out version of that same thing.

The Rockets, surprisingly, weren’t using the middle offensively whatsoever. Even with Mutombo in the game (and Scola as well) they weren’t using the post for anything but a rebound jumping off point. So when the Lakers saw that they should have been going right into the paint immediately to push the apparently soft Rocket inside game on its heels. Alas, that didn’t happen.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have got a big hill to climb without Gasol on the road. That hill led to Houston today as the Lakers limped into the Rockets crazy winning streak looking to do what no other team could do in the last 21 games versus the Rockets.

Without any legit center (outside of Mbenga) rebounds are obviously the story coming into this game. The Lakers had to look to have a team rebounding kind of mentality on both ends. But there’s no reason to send everyone into the paint on a drive to help, leaving the outside ridiculously open for Alston to drain 3’s. You cannot let the outside suffer the consequences of the lack of size in the middle.

Also again, there was no rotation to help on drives. Even Kobe, the team’s best defender had 2 times in particular (one on a drive by Battier in the 4th) where he stood within help distance watching Battier waltz to the hoop without contest. It can’t be that tough to send one help guy (not off of a shooter) to seal up at least a little space in the middle. It doesn’t have to be a shot blocker, but it has to be somebody. You can’t stand and hope they miss a lay-up.

The real problem today came with the point guard core of the Lakers again. They’ve had a recent bad run on the defensive end in particular and today was no different. With Derek letting Alston run free on the outside, it got Alston off to that quick start that usually proves deadly with him. The foot speed just isn’t there with Derek and in game like this against big outside screen sets like Houston sets that can really hurt the Lakers perimeter D. Farmar did slightly better, but got caught on screens over and over due to an all to familiar lack of communication.

The Lakers played horrible defense on the high pick and roll. Once the roll came off of the pick, the Lakers got stuck where the pick was set., There was no movement to drop down with the roll and like mentioned above, if the roll was contested but still open, help was nowhere to be found.

The Lakers had a deplorable habit of obstructive flash defense on 3-point shooters today. The flashing is fine but you can’t flash by getting in the way of your teammate defending the shot, ultimately screening him out, then running off of the flash leaving the shooter wide open. That happened way too many times today against Alston.

Lastly, a little point about the way the Laker injuries are happening. They’re coming off of guys stepping on each other’s feet. To me this smacks of a communication problem. Even when the Lakers were rolling there was little talking going on. If the Lakers would open up their communication more and let each other know what’s going, call each other off of rebounds and also move to open space, maybe all of this slipping off of each other’s feet thing will take a step aside. I’m not saying it solves all injury problems, but maybe it plays a small role – who knows.

O.K., enough of that rant. Let me bookend my whining with some positives from today.

Like I said before, Odom played a real strong game. Aggressive from the start and looking to be a factor in this one, Lamar had an impact from end to end. He played real well in the post with ball. He was showing the full range of his arsenal today, often freezing the Rocket interior D without problem. His rebounding was outstanding. Even without the pad of Gasol in the low block, Lamar has developed a real knack for grabbing boards. His rebounds in heavy traffic were beautiful. He was reaching above 2 and sometimes 3 defenders to get boards and even better was kicking back out to reset the offense instead of jacking up low percentage contested shots.

Defensively he was a little slow on the help, but when shots were coming off the glass, Lamar was in perfect position more times than not to either get the board or clear space for a teammate to grab it. Particularly, Odom was getting the long rebounds off of long shots with great accuracy.

Radmanovic did an admirable job on McGrady early on. In particular he did real well no biting on the multiple head fakes that McGrady threw at him. He played with solid footing and didn’t really let McGrady get any breathing room around or in front of him. Of all people to set a defensive pace it was Vladi in the 1st quarter that showed that McGrady can be contained.

Ronny played really, really well active off the ball. Hat activity from mid-range into the paint was invaluable in making the Lakers a bit more threatening inside than they would’ve been without Ronny playing so alertly. He cleared space on the defensive end good too. If he wasn’t moving people around to create space for himself in the paint, he was constantly in the mix, not letting easy offensive or defensive boards go off without him having a say in it.

I loved the blocks today. Usually Ronny goes in with way too much swipe in his motion but today he was a bit more under control. The blocks were timed well and he was going up when the at the height of their jump rather than crashing down his swing on them when they were almost back down.

Luke did some quality work in the high post. He’s still slowly moving away from his low post forcing offense, but today he was vital in the mid to high post, delivering some tough passes and keeping his shot under control well.

Kobe did alright, but without any movement off the ball, it was real rough for Kobe to find any room to move. The Rockets were free to send double teams at him because the rest of the Lakers weren’t getting to their pass option spots whatsoever. It’s hard to gauge Kobe’s game today, he never really got a chance to get going. The Lakers allowed the Rockets to pay heavy attention to him, without making them pay for overplaying Kobe.

Like I said, to me, this was one of the more disappointing losses of the year. It’s not because 1st place has been surrendered (although yeah, that does suck) but moreover because this game was easily winnable.

The Lakers failed to cash in on the Rockets almost handing to them by playing intolerable defense on the arc. I don’t like losing, but I don’t mind it as much when the Lakers give their full focus and effort. Today, they just looked disinterested, almost glum. They looked like a team that was giving up the ship before it even left the harbor. That’s what angered me the most about this game.

First place is a hot potato in the West right now. As of this moment the Rockets have it, but with more focus, common sense on the defensive end and a continued aggression on the boards (along with other things, but you get the point), it can once again be the Lakers’ place to have.

Eight Reasons the Lakers Won't Be Champions

Clublakers.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:17:28 -0400

By trodgers for Clublakers.com

1. Lack of Athleticism

With Pau Gasol playing the 5 spot, the Lakers can put a fairly athletic team on the floor at the 5, 4, and 2 spots.

Derek Fisher lacks a bit in athleticism, but is a hustle player with good strength. So long as Luke Walton is starting at the Small Forward position, the Lakers are at a (sizable) disadvantage against nearly every team in the NBA. That is a problem.

And while Jordan Farmar brings improved athleticism at the PG spot, I cannot imagine seeing an upgrade to that pivotal SF position at any time soon. Vladimir Radmanovic is more athletic than Walton, but he is no athlete, either.

Cause for concern: slight

The Lakers have many other things going in their favor that can cancel out Walton's lack of athleticism.

2. Inexperience

This is not the same team that was bounced from the playoffs the past two seasons. This is a much deeper team with more experienced players in the starting lineup.

That said, aside from Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom is the only other player with noteworthy playoff experience.

Compare this to, say, the Spurs, the Pistons, or the Celtics and the Lakers will be at a disadvantage come playoff time.

Cause for concern: slight

Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher have about as much experience as anyone could ask for. Odom, too, has solid experience. The bench is fairly seasoned from two consecutive trips to the playoffs. Finally, some upgrades (Gasol) have added decent playoff experience as well.

3. The Road to the Finals

The odds of any team winning the Championship are small. Factor in the tough, tough Western Conference that could see the Lakers face Phoenix, the team that has beaten them two years in a row, in the first round.

A victory could send them up against the Rockets, a team with a 18-game winning streak or the Mavericks, arguably the best team in the league last year.

A Western Conference Final game likely against the Spurs would be a true test. And a win would put them up against LeBron James (the only player in the NBA who has a chance against Kobe every night), the Detroit Pistons (who shellacked the Lakers in the last meeting between the two teams in the Finals), or the Boston Celtics (everyone's favorite at the beginning of the season to win it all).

Cause for concern: slight to moderate

It's a tough road, but someone will travel it. I like LA's chances.

4. Not Enough Winners

The Los Angeles Lakers are not winners. Kobe Bryant is. Derek Fisher is. Lamar Odom is not. Pau Gasol is not. Vlad Radmanovic is not.

If success in college matters, I suppose Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf are, but it really does not matter. This is a different game.

Gasol has never made it out of the first round. In fact, neither has Farmar, Coby Karl, Sasha Vujacic, Turiaf, Andrew Bynum, or Trevor Ariza.

That means just Kobe, Fisher, Odom, Walton, Vlad, and Mbenga have made it past the first round. (Chris Mihm is in limbo.)

Cause for concern: slight to moderate

Make no mistake: Kobe, Fisher and Odom have enough skill in previous playoff trips to make the team formidable. Gasol has been very impressive as well.

5. Derek Fisher

I love Derek Fisher. I was so pleased when the Lakers signed him even when other Lakers fans said that he was too slow, too old, could not defend, and was not even a good shooter when he wasn't getting open looks.

Derek Fisher was exactly what this team needed to go from so-so to good.

He is not, I think, what the Lakers need to become the best. At least not as a starter. When his shot isn't falling, he is absolutely a detriment to the team because he does not have the footspeed necessary to defend against Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Jason Kidd, and the rest of the PGs he will face in the playoffs.

Cause for concern: moderate

A 4-5 duo of Gasol and Bynum will make dribble penetration very difficult, but we have not seen Bynum in a long, long time in purple and gold.

6. Jordan Farmar

Sorry to pick on the young guy, but when you get past Derek Fisher, you come to Farmar. He is playing heavy minutes at the 1-Guard position and his game must be honed considerably if he is going to give the Lakers what they need to win.

His outside shot is solid and he has slick handle and great passing ability to go with tremendous athleticism. That said, he plays like a rookie.

His defense is subpar most of the time with him losing track of his man fairly routinely.

His love for complicated and fancy passes gives him more Turnovers than he should commit.

And his Free Throw shooting is dreadful for a Point Guard. He MUST improve.

Cause for concern: moderate to severe

7. Injuries

When Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury, LA fans thought it was over. Pau Gasol changed all of that in the minds of Lakers fans and seemingly in the minds of most sports enthusiasts as well.

Unfortunately, I must remind everyone that Bynum still has not come back and Trevor Ariza, the most consistent perimeter defender on the team other than Kobe, is still out as well.

Chris Mihm's recent progress is encouraging, but he has missed basically two seasons in a row now. Kobe's finger is hanging on by a thread and is painful.

I don't think Lakers fans realize how close this situation is to critical.

An injury to Kobe or Gasol would almost certainly mean the end of the title hopes. With no Bynum and Ariza, it will be very, very difficult for LA.

Cause for concern: moderate to severe

8. Defensive Toughness

The Lakers are NOT a good defensive team with Walton and Vlad at the Forward spot. Fisher's weaknesses are exposed more with Odom at the PF spot.

While the Lakers do not give up a lot of points per possession, they play a fast-paced game that gives opponents a lot of possessions.

They lag off shooters at the perimeter and have been absolutely crushed inside by unlikely players who are far from offensive juggernauts i.e. Kendrick Perkins.

Cause for concern: severe

A healthy Bynum makes the Lakers the best team in the NBA without any question. Having Ariza as an option at the 2/3 spots gives LA another specialist in a role they need.

Without either of these guys, LA is going to get worked by the Garnetts and Duncans of the world. And if you're saying that they are only two of those guys, LA will also get worked by the Zydrunas Ilgauskases of the world.

And there are several similar players in the NBA.

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Sacramento Kings-Los Angeles Lakers: No Game Can Be Taken Lightly

Clublakers.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:06:17 -0400

After the bailed out game up in Sacramento and the drubbing the Lakers handed down to the Clippers a couple days ago, you would expect revenge-minded play.

What you don’t want to see is the Lakers playing like they’re reading their own press or they can flip the switch whenever they want.

Kobe’s bail out of the Lakers in Sacramento was certainly worthy of praise, but you don’t want to see the Laker team slip back into that big of a dependence on Kobe. That, in a nutshell, is why the Clipper game was so good to see.

It wasn’t an absent-minded performance by the Lakers.

They went out as a team, driven and looking to bury the Clippers. Better yet, they didn’t just look to do that; they executed that game plan to perfection.

That game showed the first glimpses of a Laker team that may hopefully be developing that “killer instinct” that everyone has been clamoring for the Lakers to have.

You have to be aware that no matter how bad the Kings are, these games against the Lakers are their Super Bowls, and they’ll always play accordingly. Beating the Lakers is a top priority for them, so you have to come into every game against them knowing this.

The Lakers have got to ramp up their game when the Kings come to town or they go up to Sacramento.

Now the big question tonight was would that same focused play show up against the Kings or would the Lakers skate through the start of the game looking to wake up on the back end?

The answer—the Lakers decided to play it sleepy—again.

In a terrible defensive game there were some good things, but all in all it was a disappointing game for everyone in uniform tonight.

Radmanovic has been running the curl off the high post really well since coming back. It was real good to see is Vladi changing his game up. He began the game working inside, rather than chucking up shots from the arc right away. The more Vladi sets himself up inside the more open his outside game will become. There was a decent balance in Vladi’s game from inside to spotting up on the arc. That balance threw the Kings defense into crowding the paint or crowding one side of the paint far too much. The inside play of Vladi opened up his outside shot in the second half.

Defensively, he’s getting switched onto Martin almost every turn.

That’s good for the Kings, but the Lakers have got to recognize that mismatch and move to help out as soon as possible. Leaving Vladi on the perimeter against the likes of Martin or Salmons is nothing but bad news.

Pau’s setting up of everyone from the post was patient, methodical, and more often than not, right on the money. Whether it was passing to a curl, resetting the post, or taking a step inside to get his own shot, Pau’s post work was beautiful to watch.

Defensively Pau was closing the drive from the side to perfection. The problem was when the Kings collapsed on Pau in the post, no Laker was moving to open a passing lane.

Pau’s help defense running from the posts to perimeter or vice-versa was decently timed. It gave the Lakers the confidence to play more aggressively on the perimeter, chasing people off of comfort spots or getting the ball out of shooters’ hands.

The shot blocking of Pau is a completely unexpected dividend right now.

It started with the touch on Dirk’s shot in the Dallas game and since then Pau has been looking for the block on the perimeter. It can be a gamble, but tonight it was anything but.

It was real good to watch Gasol come in to crash the boards with Lamar. You could see him tracking shots and getting into early position just outside of Lamar’s low block positions.

Kobe was aggressive from the get-go. Some of the shots he was creating out of bad situations versus three or four Kings were incredible. The acrobatic takes he had in the paint were amazing to watch also, but I’m still concerned about Kobe shooting shots in anticipation of the foul, instead of concentrating on the shot more than the possible whistle.

Yes, he can make any shot in the book and often does, but he has a tendency (especially if he isn’t getting calls early) to force action in the paint.

Lamar was far too tentative on the offensive end in the first half.

The concentration defense and rebounds is appreciated, but the Lakers can ill afford Odom waiting to get into the scoring column until the second half.

The shots were there (due to the size mismatch he had every time down the court), there just wasn’t any assertion to step into the shots like he did versus the Clippers. Defensively, Odom got lost in the first half, but collected himself a little better in the paint in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, by the time Lamar dug in on defense, he let Artest get into a groove that was nearly impossible to push him out of.

The strength of Artest and him bringing Odom out to the perimeter, leaving the block essentially open was wreaking havoc on the Laker defensive rotations. This game wound up being a schizophrenic affair for Lamar though. When you thought he got taken out of position sometimes, he would dive down into the block securing a board with strength that was absent in the first half.

Without a doubt, Odom’s game was mimicking the ragtag effort by the Laker team.

Good work on the boards for Luke tonight.

He was tenacious on the offensive boards especially and usually in heavy traffic too. Along with everyone else there were plenty of questionable passes in the paint, but at least the hustle was there. His defense was just as scattered as everyone else, its tough to lay any blame on any one player in this one.

Sasha’s expertise for annoying the living hell out of players is still in tact.

He got his shot back a bit tonight and right along with that was the pestering style of defense that he does so well.

The technical foul on Mikki Moore was just the latest in the long list of players Sasha has grown to aggravate to no end.

WTF Of The Game

What did Pau do in another life to not get any calls tonight?

That last shot with Hawes swinging down on Pau’ shoulder was maddening.

Credit Pau with not letting it get him a T, if it was me I would’ve been out in the second quarter.

My Gripes

How many times do the Lakers have to realize that letting teams (good or bad) get into rhythm quickly is beyond a dangerous game to play?

Make a statement early and don’t let teams get running as easily/early as they let the Kings go tonight.

Poor decision making from the point guard core tonight didn’t help much. Not so much from shooting range, but on drive and kicks and breaks, the Laker point guards were not at the top of their game. There were too many passes to count that were thrown from cluttered spots on the offensive end. Both Jordan and Derek know the system too well to be playing as carelessly as they did.

Earlier help when Vladi or Pau get stuck on the perimeter with a slasher moving to the paint from the sides would shore up the soft middle of the key that gets exposed from time to time.

Awful passes on the interior and the break, threading a needle that wasn’t there, passing into a barrage of flat angles, making the ball travel too far and spacing in the lane were big problems early on in this one. The clean spacing on breaks, too, was sloppy at best and the scoreboard showed it in the first half.

The Lakers created some decent turnover numbers, but let a lot of them go to waste. Again, getting the ball into transition off turnovers is fantastic, but it goes to waste when the break is rushed, thoughtless passes get thrown around, or they’re played without regard to spacing.

No defense from the perimeter on end-to-end plays let the Kings get into rhythm early. The same thing happened in Sacramento. There was no reason other than distracted play to allow the Kings so many easy lay-ups from distance.

Too many points were given away (31 points first quarter, forty points second quarter! Are you kidding me?), including four coast-to-coast trips for the Kings—a team that has no business scoring like that on their court, let alone the Lakers home floor!

There were odd defensive sets where the Lakers would immediately pack it into the paint, leaving the perimeter wide open then switching the next set to pushing outside too much. That just speaks of no or little communication and not looking to where your man was on the run back to D.

Unless you’re absolutely assured of getting the steal, stop jumping out of position to gamble on a swipe. With the Lakers defense being a sieve like it was, giving up position without any contest didn’t help whatsoever.

I didn’t think the Lakers needed to be told that when a shooter is hot shooting, close out on them and make them become something else.

Garcia had it flowing from three in the first half.

When you see this happening get out on him, make him out it on the floor or pass it off. Don’t keep sagging off of him or losing him on screens allowing him to do what he was doing best.

Due to that first half Garcia’s confidence from every spot on the floor was rough to slow down.

The Lakers need a big man in the middle again. These easy drives from everywhere wouldn’t be happening with an intimidating size in the paint. The Lakers have got to find a way to shore up the strength in the paint until Bynum can return.

It’s not like this loss was tough to see coming after the first half.

The Lakers got caught playing asleep and without the sharpness that’s gotten them into first place. They can’t expect to play with the lethargy of a team that doesn’t need every win they can get.

The schedule is soft right now and this kind of loss is absolutely unacceptable in such a tight Western Conference.

Luckily, the Spurs lost and the Suns are still a full three games back, so if the Lakers were going to lose, this one probably has the minimal amount of impact.

Use this game as a springboard for the game against the Raptors.

Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks: Overtime, Free Throws, and Lay-Ups—Oh My!

Clublakers.com — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 21:11:44 -0500

In this Western Conference where every win is magnified and every loss can knock you out of the playoff picture, it was vital that the Los Angeles Lakers come back home after the loss in Portland by getting back on track in their minds.

Unfortunately they had to get themselves back into the winning groove against one of the top-flight teams in the West—the Dallas Mavericks.

But fortunately, the Lakers brought an "interesting" performance to battle the Mavericks.

It wasn’t a great shooting night for either team, as both teams tanked a lot of easy jumpers.

The Lakers main bane of existence was at the free throw line where a normally infallible Kobe came up shy a total of seven times.

Then there was Lamar Odom with his late game misses. Every miss can kill you, but when they came in bunches like they did against the Mavs today, it looked like it might be the inevitable thing that "comes back to bite you in the butt.”

Thankfully Kobe straightened his stuff out on the line and wound up sinking double digit’s worth in second half. But with the missed free throws came a batch full of missed lay-ups as well.

Uncharacteristic over-shooting by Pau Gasol, eyes off the rim lay-up misses by Lamar and Derek Fisher didn’t help the Lakers get any room against the Mavericks.

When it became an epidemic, you had to be a little worried that the Mavericks would simply use every one as an excuse to get into transition for easy buckets.

And that they did.

Luckily, the Lakers' transition defense, for the most part, was in tow. Though they did get beat back a couple times, one time for a big Jerry Stackhouse dunk, the Lakers did an overall good job making sure they sent back at least two lead people back to defense on every full and half-hearted full court push.

Aside from transition defense, there were some good defensive performances that kind of got lost in the shuffle due to the playoff excitement that was all around Staples Center.

The first half saw Lamar hold Dirk Nowitzki to a paltry five points. Watching Lamar off the ball on the defensive end was a welcome sight. There was physicality in Lamar’s play that kept Dirk from even getting close to any post spot he wanted to do. Lamar’s insistence on Dirk being shadowed even out to the perimeter for screens kept Dirk from getting into any rhythm. In fact, it kept him from even getting the ball for the good part of three quarters.

Lamar’s biggest problem came when he let a couple obviously questionable calls get to him.

Once he started playing tentative worrying about what the refs may call, his defense started to give two steps to Nowitzki’s driving.

When Dirk smelled that Odom was giving those couple of step Dirk found the room he needed to get back to the offensive game he can play. In turn, those same calls that got to Odom on the defensive end looked to take some concentration away from his offense.

Lamar lost sight of the rim when he was around it, and as free throw opportunities came his way, he looked tired at the line.

Lamar’s usual rebounding prowess was hampered a bit by the Mavericks sending two guys to every single rebound possibility.

When Lamar was in position he was getting absolutely crushed by center Erick Dampier and another on every attempt. All of that kept Lamar from putting up the numbers we’re getting used to seeing.

Another good defensive performance that got lost in the shuffle was guard Sasha Vujacic on Jason Kidd. In the first half both Fisher, and especially Jordan Farmar, were getting burned by Kidd in the post.

Once the second half rolled around and Sasha was moved over to Kidd to give him a different defensive look, the Lakers stuck with it.

Sasha did real well keeping Kidd to the mid-range at his deepest. There was only one probe allowed in the entire second half from Sasha, and that alone kept Kidd from getting to any spot to lure the Lakers defense into the switch they were easily pulling in the first half.

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Los Angeles Lakers: Ninth Time The Charm

Clublakers.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:26:09 -0500

I’m never one to play the blame game, son, or say that a referee alone has completely changed a game.

However, when you start into a Laker game and you see Steve Javie is one of the refs, you have to know that this could be a problematic.

The clunky calls in the first half were reminiscent of the way of his crews have called Laker games (and a fair share of other games to boot). The real story of this game for me was that the Lakers fought through the unusual reffing, the sloppy play on the offensive end, the soft interior defense of the first three quarters and the generally disjointed play by some of the team, and came out with another win.

There would’ve been no way that the Laker teams of the last three seasons could’ve pulled out a win like they did out of this game tonight. The first big shots of resiliency they showed in Phoenix were astounding to say the least, and now to watch them grind out a victory from the 15 point deficit they put themselves in, was at the very least gratifying. The fact that this Laker team (even with Pau coming on board) has absorbed the injuries they have with really ever suffering a major setback to their intentions this season is something Laker fans should be proud to be a part of right now.

There hasn’t been any self-pitying or wallowing in circumstance. The Lakers showed again tonight (yes even against a Roy-less Blazer team, which remember had them down by 15 with relative ease in the 1st quarter) why they could very well be the team to contend with in the West. The bench came through in a big way tonight.

Led by Farmar who had a banner game on the offensive end, hitting shots when nobody else on the Lakers seemed to be able to hit anything, the Laker reserves were beyond key. Farmar lit the fire offensively, with Ronny bringing the effort in the paint and Sasha bringing tenacity on both ends of the court.

Starting with Jordan – the key for his game tonight was him developing a downright dangerous aggressive jabbing kind of “half-drive” on half court sets. Where Derek faltered against Blake (as he is apt to do versus quicker guards) Farmar, took Blake to task on his footwork. There were probably 3 or 4 times I counted Farmar having Blake completely on his heels without any momentum to get back up to Farmar. Jordan took the ball into him and made quick decisive passes to the high post, getting to his spot without a moment of hesitation at any time. When that fast run of the offense came down, Kobe (who mostly got his passes in the high post) was quick to see him and hit him with the pass.

Shooting can go in and out to be sure, but when those passes hit Jordan the shots were falling in tonight. Farmar’s shot has of course gotten a ton better than it was just last year, but you could see Farmar using the half court set plays to his advantage tonight. When he got Blake back on his heels, there was little time for him to recover to catch back up with Jordan at his shooting positions. When Jordan didn’t bring the ball up he had great lateral movement along the arc, using the Portland big men against themselves to give him the extra foot of room he needed to get his shot off. That was just a real solid performance from Jordan tonight offensively.

Defensively, though he did get beat by multiple screens set through the middle, he did well in staying on pace with Blake and his side to side runs.

The next guy off the bench, Ronny played with his usual passion that tends to get the entire arena awake and alive. Whether you find his game appealing or not, the one thing about Ronny that is indisputable is that he has a positive impact on the game whenever he gets into it. The very first offensive play he stepped foot on the court for tonight, at the end of the first half was the great setup by Kobe he put in for a three-point play. Defensively, when Lamar was hampered by fouls, Ronny came right in and gave everything he had to at least causing havoc in the middle where the Lakers were falling deathly flat for a while.

Sasha had a rickety night offensively, but what struck me tonight was his tenacity on the defensive end. The frustration he had with himself offensively didn’t just get balled up; it came out as impassioned focus on the defensive end. The height of that being the one literal rip Sasha came away with from the Blazers. There was no light swiping at the ball or apprehensive off screen defense. Sasha came with purpose on steals and with a physicality that he usually doesn’t show as often as he did te4onight. He’s never been shy with the defensive buzz saw routine, but tonight there was purpose behind it and it showed.

I loved seeing him shoot his way out of his little mini-slump he had in the first half. Though it would be great to see him follow his shot much more than he does. Once he got himself into rhythm, the defensive hustle stuck as well. They both served great roles in taking some focus off the Lakers’ usual offensive / defensive key players.

The third player of the game to me, behind Jordan’s inspiration off the bench and Kobe’s sweetly familiar all-around play, was Lamar. There was a little concern I the first half, as Aldridge took Lamar into the block too often and made Lamar pay for some slow footwork in the paint on and off the ball. When the fouls starting rolling in I was hoping Lamar wouldn’t let them take him out of his game. It looked to be that way for a while, and then the 4th quarter came. I don’t know if it was Phil’s faith in Lamar in leaving him on the floor with fouls racking up, or if Lamar just kicked himself in the butt, but it was something to watch for sure.

Doing his best Dennis Rodman impression (point total included) Lamar came into the 4th quarter with a defensive tenacity on the boards that was simply amazing to watch. The entire Staples crowd got to a point where they were on their feet to see Lamar do his dirty work in the paint on defense. That incredible ferocity he showed on the backboards (on both ends eventually, but mostly defensively) was another in a long line of encouraging signs from Odom and his ever growing capacity for focused play.

Onto this Kobe guy, turns out he’s not too bad after all huh? The frustration for Kobe with the refs was apparent to even the unbiased viewer tonight. I don’t know if it was seen at home but Kobe was being held onto on the defensive end pretty consistently. There was a concerted effort to bring the ball to Kobe’s man, cycle it back out to the outside, and then as Kobe moved to keep up with his man, there was a screen and hold behind that screen, keeping him about two steps behind Webster, or whoever he got thrown onto. The push in the back on the alley-oop, was easy to see, but during timeouts Kobe was going over to the refs to tell then what the Blazer defense was doing the whole game.

In the first half Kobe did a good job of denying Webster the ball. Early on in the game there was a concerted effort to keep the ball from getting to Webster, letting him get hot. Kobe split space very well between Webster’s multiple spots on the arc and inside of it. They were running every half court set they could for Webster, but Kobe was usually between the pass and Martell, keeping any kind of shooting rhythm away from the Blazers. That denial of rhythm ultimately kept the Blazers from getting hot from the outside.

Pau had a bit of a down game, but luckily for Laker fans, Pau’s down game still resulted in a 16 point performance. There was a noticeable downgrade in the energy for Gasol. Offensively he was a touch slow getting to post spots. When he got a shot off from places he’d usually drain everything, he was short-arming them. That kind of play just spoke a bit of a player that looked tired. Which honestly, is both acceptable and alright. One tired game out of 10 for a guy who has so seamlessly integrated himself onto the Lakers is perfectly fine.
Overall, the Lakers would do well to not let fast break opportunities tempt them into making ill-advised passes. There were a couple tonight, the most noticeable being Sasha’s pass off the fingertips of the Blazers to a not so open Kobe on the break. The Lakers have to not let break opportunities become opportunities to turn the ball over unnecessarily. Sometimes foregoing the tightly threaded break pass for a sure fire half court set would be the best advice.

Again, coming into every game with passion and desire is always key. No matter the team, they’re all professionals and anything can happen at any time.

Team rebounding is so vital. There may be games where not everyone is playing with the spark of life they need to get over the edge. But what must always be there is the knowledge that limiting second chance shots for your enemy and opening second chance shots for yourself, is going to play huge in who gets the trophy this year. The weapons for getting most every board (especially your own defensive ones) are there en masse’ with this squad. The Lakers had one run tonight where they let the Blazers get four chances to score, that can’t happen—again—at all.

Nne in a row at this time of the season, with the West being so ridiculously close as it is, is invaluable to both the Lakers’ confidence and to their playoff seeding. There’s certainly a long way to go and everyone knows that a two-game losing streak can take you from first to fifth to almost out of the playoffs. What can’t be overlooked is that the Lakers are focused on taking care of their own business and letting their wins dictate the pace of the West. Worrying about what other teams are doing is wasted energy.

The Lakers are taking the wins they want, and right now its damn close to every one of them—don’t let that stop.

Crucifido's Corner: Sun-Lakers, Resiliency in the Desert

Clublakers.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:06:11 -0500

It was one of the biggest stages surrounding a regular season game in a good long time. As the tip grew closer in Phoenix, the fans became more anxious. When the ball was finally thrown, the Lakers stepped on the gas and didn’t look back until the final buzzer.

There were plenty of ups and downs as Phoenix fought back from a 13 point deficit, took a late lead, and had momentum working for them throughout the second half. Despite all of that, the Lakers stood tough. Their will to win wasn’t broken, and for the first time in a handful of years the Lakers looked like true contenders.

My main goal for the Lakers in first half was to just stay within four or five points. A lead would’ve been great to have, but I figured if the Lakers could keep close, they’d give themselves a chance to pull it out in the end.

Luckily for me, them, and the rest of the Laker faithful, the Lakers had bigger goals in mind. From the first run they had about midway in the first quarter it was apparent that intensity was alive and well within every player on the floor and on the bench.

Out of everyone, there was Kobe leading the way. I hope that now we can put to rest the great pinky debate and realize that a simple injury won’t hold Kobe back right now.

I loved seeing Kobe waiting in the wings as the game got itself up to a boil. He did a perfect job of letting the rest of the team get them into the game mentally. It didn’t take much because the Lakers looked focused from the outset, but by Kobe taking a backseat to the team’s welfare, he let everyone rev their game up to speed. That speed kept up the entire game.

Kobe’s work on the defensive end was easy to miss, but it was powerful tonight. Raja Bell, normally good for 10 to 21 points against the Lakers, was held to zero. His switching from top to bottom to help out with Shaq in the paint was on the money.

It was a defensive performance that in a 130-124 game where there was little defense to speak of overall, could easily be unseen. But with Kobe holding one of the key elements the Suns look to spread the floor was big.

Along those lines, I liked that the Lakers for most purposes let Amare do what he had to do. Certainly Shaq eased up a lot of room for Amare to operate more freely, but the Lakers did well in holding down the peripheral players. They didn’t let guys like Bell, Diaw, Strawberry, or even Shaq go off for big games.

It’s so tough to spout off about defense in a scoring-fest like this; there were things like containing Phoenix’s bench and what I mentioned above that kept the Lakers mentally focused throughout.

A big key in beating the Suns is to make them dig into their thin bench for help and the Lakers did that well. The Lakers bench was looking a bit intimidated, but for the most part they did really well keeping the Suns from going on a game changing run.

When the Suns did go on a run (at a couple points in this game) the Lakers bounced back consistently. They showed a focus and dedication to their game plan that veteran teams show. Though the Lakers are still vastly young, tonight they showed that their confidence in Phil’s system, in each other, and in each of their own games is growing by leaps and bounds right now.

Along with Kobe there was inimitable Lamar Odom. Again, now that the Lakers don’t rely on him to score more, he does. When the Lakers don’t ask him to rebound more, he does that too. There’s been a lot of talk of trading Lamar right now (and in the summer the Lakers MAY very well shop him, maybe) but after games like this one and games like he’s played since the arrival of Pau, it’s hard to see dealing Lamar for someone who will do more.

I loved the aggressiveness from Lamar in the beginning. We haven’t seen him go after boards with that much tenacity even during this recent tear he’s been on. The Suns had real trouble keeping track of Lamar. You could see Phoenix’s focus turning to Gasol and Kobe in the paint, but often Lamar found himself with a free run to the back end of a board on both ends.

There were some missed lay-ups in heavy traffic that Lamar should still be finishing with strength, but that was minimal. Odom did a great job in patrolling the mid post too. When the attention of the Laker defense sunk low, Lamar popped out on either side of the hoop to get early board position.

When the Suns moved Lamar out of the paint his recovery back into strong position was without hesitation. It was one of Lamar’s best performances of the year, if not as a Laker.

So you have Kobe throwing down another MVP game, Lamar doing well playing watchdog in the mid-post, and Gasol playing as strong as he could down low. It was a tall order for Gasol to try and keep stable against a big body like Shaq, but once he got the hang of where to get his feet set (after a bit of a disjointed first quarter), Gasol did as well as an undersized (girth wise) five could do.

He found a good balance of energy from defense to offense too. He did get beat down low, but often he flipped back around and made Shaq play into his strength: mobility.

I would’ve liked to have seen Gasol step outside a touch more to get Shaq out of the paint, but what he lacked for in that he more than made up for in footwork. Pau’s dives down the lane and timing on cuts were spot on. His finishing with bigs running at him was amazing to watch.

Having a seven-footer run breaks like he did and also finishing with that kind of conviction is something the Lakers can just thrive with.

As many times as the Lakers did well running dives with Gasol, they all need to begin to look for him more often. There were some drives by Sasha, Kobe, and Lamar that left Gasol with space on the side of the key. If the Lakers can begin to keep their peripheral vision open to Gasol filling those spots, the Lakers can exploit Pau’s talents even more.

But seriously, Pau was just brilliant in his first big time game as a Laker. It was the kind of game from Pau that leaves you wondering just how much more he may be able to add to an already strengthening Laker team.

Derek Fisher played Nash the way you need to play him: physical. (Even though Nash had 20+ points.) Nash still had plenty of easy runs (mainly around picks by Shaq), but Derek did well in keeping within arm’s reach of him. Playing quick point guards is definitely Derek’s big hitch on D, but tonight he did about as well as he could do against a point with the talent of Nash.

One game that might not have been seen so well was Ronny Turiaf’s. He played Shaq really well. He kept right up in his face, keeping his arms wide and pushing up into Shaq as much as he could without getting a foul. He did well in literally bouncing off of Shaq in the mid post to drop down under the bucket in help situations.

Jordan Farmar is obviously getting his feet back under him. He again had great timing on his shot. He made solid decisions on when to shoot, when to drive, and when to play the perimeter offensively.

His defensive rotation on Barbosa was right where it needed to be. Farmar played a big part in keeping Barbosa off of his normal slashing game that usually kills the Lakers. Farmar also did well in abusing the weakness of the Suns’ defense in back door passes. With Gasol moving as fluidly as he was, Jordan was equally aware of where to put the pass for an easy lay-in for Pau.

Radmanovic, though quiet offensively, did well in the first half defensively. His hands were still active from the last couple of games and he made a decent contribution on the perimeter D. The Lakers did well watching the Suns drive and kick to the corners for threes and Radmanovic was right in step in the first half by keeping good split space between the paint and his man on the outside.

Sasha played well again. What he did particularly well tonight was movement off the ball. There were a couple times when the Lakers got stagnant on the offensive end, but when Sasha came in the game his motion from the perimeter down to the corners kicked the rest of the Laker off-ball players into gear. When you couple that with really good shot decisions, Sasha threw down yet another good game.

WTF Of The Game: What was up with the eight to 10 seconds of the clock stopping in the third quarter? It was weird watching the refs look up at the clock and do nothing to stop the game. It’s comforting to know the refs are really paying attention to their jobs.

There are just a couple things to look out for.

All the Laker point guards have to be aware of big picks up top. If they play the Suns again, or when they play the Spurs, they’re getting caught up top too much.

The Lakers were still soft on boxing out the weak side rebounders. When there’s big guys like Phoenix has now and/or activity on the low block from jumpers, the Lakers have got to always be aware of the off man coming around the back end.

Movement off the ball kind of fell flat for a bit. When it did the Suns went on a run. The Lakers have to use their athleticism and activity off the ball (especially with defenses having to focus on Kobe and Gasol) to the utmost. When the Lakers keep getting to spots and don’t watch, they click.

Maybe more nitpicking from me, but the late quarter (and in particular late first half) buzzer beaters can be a dangerous game to flirt with. Often those shots change momentum.

The Lakers have kind of gotten sluggish in the waning seconds of quarters. They’ve got to prevent late shots from not only going in, but even getting off in the first place.

But really, this game was huge. It was a big win in more ways than one. What’s important to remember though is that it was just one regular season game. There can’t be a letdown when the Lakers get into this run of weaker teams.

A second of a back to back in this big of a game atmosphere is tough to pull off, but the Lakers showed the focus of a team that, like Kobe said, doesn’t think they can win, but knows they can.

Lakers-Hawks: A Tiny Bit Of Revenge for Los Angeles

Clublakers.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:21:15 -0500

The Lakers return from a historic road trip, Pau’s first game at Staples, the first test of Kobe’s now-overblown infamous pinky, revenge for a silly loss to the Hawks on the road.

There were a lot of storylines to watch in this game—the least of which being the debut of Bibby in a Hawks uniform.

The rust was kind of there in the firstst, with one turnover a blatant bad pass by Gasol and another over-pass to Kobe from Lamar on the break, but that’s it. It was shaken quickly via defense, both in transition and in the half court set.

Once they shook off that tiny amount of squeakiness, the Lakers showed some serious team hustle on all fronts, creating rebounds, passes, seams and plenty of open chances all over the place. That defensive hustle got their shots going and the entire team involved in more than just the box score.

Jumping onto teams like this is a good lesson for the Lakers to keep taking to heart. Its starts like they had tonight that will serve a giant double purpose, no matter who the opponent. First, you dictate the pace and second, you get your rhythm in gear before the other team even knows what hit them.

What you had to just love watching was the Lakers not only creating turnovers from the Hawks, but also cashing on a vast majority of them. And when the Lakers did score off turnovers, they were emphatic. There wasn’t any indecisiveness on breaks or off of turnovers, which is a solid sign of this team getting into a groove – as a team. The pressure was put on early in the half court sets and it pushed Atlanta into some seriously sloppy play.

The Lakers obviously enjoyed some home cookin’, because that kind of energy for a whole game hadn’t been seen in quite a while. You watch this game and have to wonder how the Lakers dropped a game to these same Hawks.

Odom – Again, he’s taking the shots given to him, which for most players is no big deal, but for Lamar it’s a big deal. He was working into the lane immediately, with the lay-up on Smith and the driving cut down the lane for the dunk in the first. I liked seeing Lamar push his way into the low post tonight. He often squirms around defenses taking seams given to him, but there was a little fight in him tonight. With guys like Smith around, you have to play strong in the paint and Lamar did well doing just that.

The key to Odom’s game tonight was anticipatory positioning. He looked like he had gotten the hang of reading where his teammates will be and where balls will come off the rim to. The rebounding from Lamar was gorgeous to watch. He cleared space and got virtually every board with two hands whether contested or not. It was textbook board work from Lamar tonight.

He was pushing it into Smith’s chest from the outside all the way to the hoop offensively. Aggressive contact initiated by Lamar like that got Smith on his heels in a hurry, making him expend a lot of energy running from outside to inside trying to keep up with Lamar.

Walton – Much better defense from Luke tonight. His lateral movement was livelier. Though his offense is still just out of character right now. Its still forced and starting from too deep to be effective.

Farmar – Strong drives was the order of the day for Jordan. The push he had against Law in the second quarter along the baseline for a soft reverse lay-up was great. The steal and dunk in the second wasn’t terrible either. They were both good to see not only for the score, but because it showed that the All-Star break indeed gave Jordan his wind back. He was looking ragged before the break, but tonight Farmar was back to his off-ball activity and smart offensive play that’s made him one of the better back up PG’s in the NBA.

Farmar did a good job of budgeting his three-point attempts tonight, only taking open or structured threes.

Gasol – Along with Bynum running the floor well when he’s out there, Gasol is another big for the Lakers that runs the floor ridiculously well. It starts with the tap with Gasol and there was no slowing down for him the entire game. Pau’s control under the hoop was remarkable, even in heavy traffic situations. When he got himself the board or in position there was no wasted movement in the block.

What was and is great about Gasol, aside from everything else is that you rarely catch him off guard. If it’s a quick or sudden pass, he doesn’t lose sight of it. His awareness is at a super high level.

One defensive hitch for Pau is when he has to run with his man from the high post to the block. He should be calling for help, or the Lakers should rotate over to help him quicker. He doesn’t have the elevation to make up for the space he loses with a slower side step.

Radmanovic – I loved his perimeter defense on Williams. He did a good job staying in front of him. He gave up space on lateral dribbles, but Radmanovic did well keeping his man pushed a bit more to the outside than the outside. This was the most impressive defensive performance from Vladi since he’s been a Laker. I loved watching the full court pressure he put on the Hawks. It was relentless hustle from Radmanovic.

He also did well keeping on eye on passing angles from the high post. Though a bit sluggish getting to spots sometimes, he was paying attention in this one, which for Vladi is a big key to him getting more involved with the team.

Karl – Being the last guy off the bench isn’t easy, but you had to like Coby’s energy tonight. That throw-down he did was a fantastic strong finish and some sweet enthusiasm for a guy that rarely sees time in a game. It was good to see him come in ready.

Bryant – Pinky? What pinky? The funny thing about all the talk of Kobe’s finger was that the guy who’s actually hurt has said since day one it was no big deal. Now believe him or not, if he feels he can gut it out with it for the rest of the year, then nobody else’s opinion really matters. When Kobe got that bouncy trot in his step outside, you knew he was feeling fine. Yet again, he did a fantastic job playing a quiet game in the fist half, letting the rest of the team get their rhythm and find their way.

By the way Lakers, head fakes do wonders against shot blockers. There were far too many soft takes or unaware takes to the rim. If you give one small fake to adept pogos like Smith, more than likely he’s leaving his feet opening a pass or a shot.

It may seem like nitpicking with a blowout like this, but the Lakers have got to stay on top of teams, even when up by 40 or so at home at all times. Certainly the first half was amazing to watch, but that kind of hustle play cannot stop until the final buzzer – against any team. There can be no letting up. It not only seals games up, but it lets your starters rest (especially with a big game versus the Suns tomorrow) and it sends a message to other teams that once you get up on them, you won’t relent.

Also the Lakers have to be careful of not getting carried away with the crowd and the energy ion the court. The hustle, play and movement were great, but you can’t let the excitement lead you to playing out of control. Just like with Ronny, balance energy and control.

Well, Atlanta got their taste of payback tonight. Next, it's onto the Suns and Shaq’s debut.

Crucifido's Corner: Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Break Report Cards

Clublakers.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:36:43 -0500

The Lakers were definitely showing signs of exhaustion last night when they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves.

When you see so many shots fall short, you know the weariness has set in. Running up on offense, even the half court was sluggish at times.

Rotations and help on defense were also lagging in the first half, but picked up in the second. Luckily, the slack to be a tad slow in the first half was there, but it's something they should never count on—on the road or at home.

The Lakers played well in the third quarter in particular, putting the hurt on the Wolves without mercy, in turn making a “gimme game” exactly that. The instinct to put away teams when you have the chance to is going to be monstrously important the second half of the season on into the playoffs.

Aside from the obvious great result, there’s been very little one pass or no motion off the ball offense on this road trip. Everyone is getting to their spots early or working on getting to option spots before the clock becomes an issue.

It’s been a team game more than it has in a long, long time. Because of that, the Lakers came out looking like a team on the verge of something big.

Now onto midseason report cards:

Ronny Turiaf

Missed lay-ups mostly due to exhaustion were haunting him today. The post defense was a touch slow, but semi-effective.

Need to: Stop swiping so hard on blocks. Keep his swing under control a bit more, not coming down so far onto player’s hands. Don’t lose sight of the weak side rebounder sneaking in behind. Too many times Ronny’s gotten too far under the hoop to be mobile enough to defend both side of the block.

Keep on: Playing with that trademark energy that has now become the gold standard for the Laker bench. The jumper from the elbow needs more work. Help defense from mid-post on down has been great too.

Grade: B

Sasha Vujacic

That pass from Sasha off of his drive along the baseline in the second was just amazing to see. That’s what I was talking about—working off of drives about every third or fourth shot. Doing that opens up shots for everyone else, but it also opens up his shot.

Need to: Keep working on putting the ball on the floor. Anticipate screens a bit more. He’s been lagging off of his man and fading back on D too early and too often.

Keep on: Getting to the spots like he has been. There’s been quick movement to where he’s supposed to be. Take the shots that other defenses give you. Never be afraid to take the big shot down the stretch or in the meat of a game.

Grade: B

Vladimir Radmanovic

Radmanovic played his defense with real awareness from the beginning. Stepping out to steal and playing well, grounded footwork outside got the Lakers off to the races quickly and strongly. It looked like maybe Vladi is seeing the benefit of defense. Radmanovic put in some good inside to outside work the entire game too.

Need to: Remember that the game has two ends. Falling asleep on guys on the perimeter has been an Achilles heel for Radmanovic so far, but that can easily change with some focus. Vladi is a casual guy with an easy-going attitude, but he has to increase intensity on the defensive end if he expects to get significant minutes.

Keep on: Spotting up as well as he has on the arc. He looks like he knows the game a lot better, at least the triangle, and his shots are showing it. Just like Sasha, take that ball inside like he did in this one against Minny to open up your natural game more.

Grade: C

Pau Gasol

Man, Pau’s efficiency from any range is just beautiful to watch. Very deliberate style of shooting with spotting up like he’s been here all year put Gasol off to the start that I think every Laker fan can get used to really quick.

Need to: Continue wide stance he had against Jefferson on D tonight. As Andrew’s return gets closer Pau has to know that moving from the defensive high post to mid post is going to be key.

Keep on: Playing strong defense. The offense is easy as it can be right now (without Andrew) but without Pau staying rounded in the high post the Lakers have to depend on Andrew too much.

Grade: A

Lamar Odom

Odom did very well patrolling the court. Offensively he was diving down low with the ball then popping out up top to give pass options. Free motion from Lamar was the order of the day as it has been since Gasol’s arrival. Lamar has made the most of the room that Gasol has given him.

Need to: Work on getting some boards in traffic with two hands. He’s good at tipping the ball to himself on smaller guys, but he’s been tipping in tall traffic too. Look for open shots down the middle. With Gasol and the other Lakers pulling play out of the middle right now, the lane is wide open for Lamar to keep diving down for lay-ups, passes, or dunks.

Keep on: Playing loose and easy. The pressure is officially off of Lamar permanently now, so the free-flowing play should be easy to keep up for the rest of the year. He’s been doing great lately taking the shots that have been given to him and that has to continue to.

Grade: B

Kobe Bryant

It was an unfair game tonight. From the passes off of drives to the cruel crossover he threw down on Brewer, it was a full-on cruise control game for him. It was a good way to end the road trip—relaxed play with a mind to drive and kick.

Need to: Not let the ease of offense let him slack on defense. He played really well in Miami and had spurts of the defensive stopping power he showed earlier this year. In the second half of the season he has to also keep his own scoring in mind. Odd to say, but with Bynum, Gasol, Odom, and everyone else out there, he can’t get share-happy.

Keep on: Being the team leader he’s become. The encouragement, motivation, and heart he’s given to the rest of the team has to keep going for the Lakers to be playoff successful.

Grade: A+

Derek Fisher

He had a quiet game tonight. The shooting was still there and his spotting up was on the money, but all in all he was a small contributor.

Need to: Not leave his man as much distance on the perimeter. He had moments tonight against the Wolves and times this year when he’s split space too far in favor of the paint. With all the bigs in the middle now, he can move more to the outside on his splits and not give up so much room to shoot the three or long two.

Keep on: Shooting like he has never done before in his career. A lot has to do with the offense he knows so well, but Derek’s decision making has been spot on all year.

Grade: B+

Andrew Bynum

Need to: Move laterally on defense from weak to strong or back again without jumping. Having the ability to block shots is great, but Andrew has to stay grounded when play gets scrappy in the middle. The middle is his to give up or to protect, keep his mind as sharp as his timing has been.

Keep on: Showing the varied offensive attack he began to show before the injury. His spacing on defense has been great and for the Lakers to keep on a roll when he gets back he has to know that he still owns the low block with or without Gasol.

Grade: A

Luke Walton

He showed signs of coming out of the injury-plagued, sloppy play. His defense on the perimeter was sharp tonight. There were times when he turned his head to move to a play before he had control of the ball, but mostly Luke had a good “coming out of the fog” kind of game.

Need to: Work more from the high post instead of getting into trouble in the low post where he doesn’t belong. Improve the mid-range to distance shot he had last year. With so many big guys here and coming back, shooters will become important. The post work he has been working in should take a backseat to the more active off ball play he does so well.

Keep on: Staying positive and playing tough-minded. It hasn’t been a smooth season for him, but he’s shown heart in playing hurt this long when the Lakers needed him.

Grade: C

Trevor Ariza

Need to: Get healthy. Play under control on the defensive end. Don’t let the ability to jump through the roof take you out of position.

Keep on: Playing with smooth, quiet enthusiasm he has. The athleticism off the bench has been a welcome element to a Laker team that needs him to be as active as he can be.

Grade: A

Jordan Farmar

There was a bit of a pick-up in his game tonight. He was playing more wake and aware of where he was on the court tonight. Spotting up well and breaking down the defense on drives in the middle were back to a small extent.

Need to: Stay sharp even though Crittenton isn’t breathing down his neck.

Keep on: Developing the consistent shot from outside. Don’t get lost underneath screens or multiple picks on the outside. Keep your eye on your man above the screens and don’t get pulled down low to leave them so open on the outside.

Grade: B

DJ Mbenga

He played well tonight. The little hook he showed in the fourth was surprising, but a nice little peek at the control DJ can play with.

Need to: Stay ready at all times. With the big men of the Lakers being a thick and full rotation, minutes can be thrown your way at any time.

Keep on: Stay positive no matter how far down the bench he gets.

Grade: C

Coby Karl

It was great to see the team really fight for him to get in the box score tonight. He had a great block late in the game and showed some good energy in off ball movement while he was in.

Need to: Shoot like he does in practice. Make adjustments to your shot in game rather than throwing up the same hitch in your shot.

Keep on: Play with energy when he’s in. Time will be tough to come by as the season wears on, but that's no excuse to grow complacent.

Grade: C

Lengthy article, I know, but we’re in the All-Star break now on a fantastic run. Let’s just enjoy the break and gather steam for the second half of the season that’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting, interesting, and fun to watch seasons we’ve had as Laker fans in a long time.

Crucifido’s Corner: Los Angeles Lakers Clean the Slate in Charlotte

Clublakers.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:59:12 -0500

Charlotte hasn’t been a kind place to the Lakers lately, but things changed tonight, as the Lakers continued their push to 7-2 on this almost finished road odyssey.

The two-headed Pau/Kobe monster was in full effect tonight—and from the outset too.

Gasol started off hot and then settled down a bit. Then Kobe started draining distance jumpers and breaking down the D with the drive. Once Kobe got more pressure put on him, Gasol moved back into the post and drew attention away from the mid-range players, letting motion in the mid post down to the block ease up.

It was a taste of the 1-2 punch of Pau and Kobe. (Imagine what could happen when Andrew gets back into the fold.)

Kobe picked up his smooth scoring right where he left off in Miami. It's tough to find a flaw in his last few games (and this one too). He’s done an MVP job of setting up the team while balancing his own stats. The defense on the perimeter lost a step or two from the incredible job he did in Miami, but it wasn’t needed as heavily in Charlotte as it was against a scorer like Wade.

Not much else to say except that Kobe’s kept his game rolling while integrating Gasol and the rest of the guys. Sounds like an MVP to me.

From the first ball given to him Pau Gasol looked to be in common form. Starting with the easy reception from a brilliant bounce pass from Kobe to get the Lakers’ fourth point of the game, Gasol was off to the races. His efficient scoring was great to see. Most of Gasol’s shots were within his skill set. There were no forced shots or plays beyond his capacity. That right there is enough to make anyone appreciate the things that Gasol can do and will do.

He did well with his defensive rebounding help on the inside, creating purple and gold traffic down low to allow Lamar to reach for most of the boards. The noise he was making underneath was enough to push most of the Bobcats (sans Okafor) out of ideal rebounding position.

Gasol’s problem is still the same one we knew he had when he got here: his post defense. He doesn’t have the strongest lower body and by default has trouble maintaining position against the powerful big guys like Okafor, or even against mobile big guys like Mohammed.

It will help to have Andrew back so Gasol can get back to his natural position of PF, but for now he would be well served to widen his stance and lean into his man a bit more.

Having Gasol and Kobe able and willing to set up the rest of the team with their play along with putting up points without really playing at the top of their game is a luxury to say the least. Thankfully, the rest of the Lakers are finding where to lineup beside Pau and Kobe.

Lamar did a really good job helping out on defense. Working the step to the baseline to shut off drives with perfection, Lamar kept his casual but strong performance streak in tact. Loved the dive down the middle of the paint in the first quarter. He was showing freedom of movement within the offense he hasn’t shown very often.

Not handling the ball as much has left Odom with a ton of room to operate from top to bottom right down the throat of the Bobcats D. He was once again aggressive with the chances given to him, not turning away from gimmes.

The best thing about this game for me was the return of Ronny to the form he was playing with a couple weeks ago before the Gasol deal. He was in control this game. His turnaround jumpers from the mid-post were good to see again. The shot’s been a little absent lately, but it looked like Ronny found his comfortable post position in this one.

He used the high and mid post as run-in spots to take stabs at boards and get involved inside off missed shots. If he didn’t dive into the paint, he popped out around small traffic for open looks around the elbow. That use of the mid-post is a nice area for Ronny to operate in with or without another big in the game.

Jordan had a couple spurts of play we got used to this year, but he still looks tired. He can make things easier on himself by jab dribbling a bit more, pulling his man out of the paint. With a presence like Gasol inside and Lamar rebounding like a demon, there’s space for him to remain along the top of the key arc instead of feeling obligated to take it the full distance to the rim every time. Maybe this way he can keep his man on his heels, create some space for himself outside, and preserve energy until the much-needed All-Star break.

As far as Luke goes, the guy is working his way off of injury better with the game he played tonight. There was less shooting from the post and more work jumping out of the post to make room for better low block players. Rebounding was decent, but I would still like to see Luke operate in the mid-range perimeter far more than he has this year.

His work on defense was slow-footed, but I liked what he did keeping his eye on passing angles and getting a couple key steals toward the end of the game. It would be easier for Luke to get his legs back by playing active defense more than pushing low block offense. He’s adjusting to a different role with Gasol here now; he’ll have to adjust again once Bynum comes back too.

The bench unit was too slow on defensive switches. Luckily the Bobcats didn’t see a multitude of mismatches that were there for most of the time the full bench was on the court. They’ve got to recognize those more quickly, if not eliminate them by better communication through screens and traffic.

I really liked the sporadic full court press of the Lakers tonight. If you press too much it gets predictable and easier to run around, but the Lakers did well mixing it up tonight. Mostly toward the end of quarters, the Lakers pushed up on the Bobcats with random perfect timing, making them turn the ball over or disrupting them at the least. (That Radmanovic steal in the full court set was beautiful.)

The thing about the Lakers that surprises me is the ease of spacing they have been doing since Gasol’s arrival. You’d think bringing in a major cog like Gasol to a team in the middle of a road trip would cause stumbles. Instead, it’s gotten the Lakers more confident in where they need to be. Some of that speaks to experience, and some speaks to the talent level of this team.

The IQ of the Lakers doesn’t hurt either. Adding a smart player like Gasol to a guy like Kobe backed with the steady hands of a team knowing the roles they need to play to be successful is a rare treat to watch. Either way, it's good to see the Lakers knowing where to be rather than screaming directions at each other like they were last year at this time.

Letting other teams into games late is a dangerous game to be playing. At some point it could bite the Lakers in the butt. Hopefully they’ll learn to push their will on teams for the whole 48. You can get away with this against the likes of the Bobcats and Heat, but like we saw in Detroit, it’s not a habit you want to get into.

To that effect, it would still be nice to see the Lakers notice when they have a team on the ropes and to push them over the cliff. Developing that takes a while. The leads have to come first. But now that the leads are starting to roll in with frequency, it's time to tighten the screws on teams not only like the Bobcats, but on every opponent.

WTF Of The Game: The scourge of aggravating arena PA guys is becoming pandemic. Can’t wait for the Lakers to get back home, simply so I don’t have to hear a 30 second wail over a stinkin’ lay-up for a while. Save me Lawrence Tanter!

It felt like a quiet game tonight. Maybe it’s the road trip coming to a close or maybe I’m just tired, but it feels like it’s almost the end of a big road trip for me as well as the Lakers. As they roll into Minnesota on a winning streak, coming off this voyage and looking forward to the All-Star break, it's vastly important for the Lakers to not overlook this game.

Go out there and get yourself into the break with a streak of wins and a streak of confidence.

P.S. Congratulations DJ!!

Crucifido’s Corner: Lakers Road-Weary, But Still Winning

Clublakers.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:55:40 -0500

First things first—you just didn’t want the Lakers to take this game lightly.

Coming in against a broken team like Miami on the high, the Lakers could’ve been dangerous. You add the first game from Marion on a team desperately looking for an infusion of energy from anywhere, and this game could easily spell trouble.

The fourth quarter run of the Heat showed just how giving any team a look at a comeback can be bad news.

Off the bat, I loved Kobe’s takes on Wade’s typical lackluster defense (and no one semi-blocked shot doesn’t count as a game of defense) in the first quarter. Pushing the ball into the middle like he was along with Pau being inside, had Miami immediately dumping all defense down low. When the defense was drawn in, Kobe’s mid range jumper was left wide open.

Then when Kobe’s jumper got shut off, Sasha, Farmar and everyone else were spotting up at great angles for the pass (i.e. Farmar’s first quarter ending three off of Kobe’s take).

Kobe’s passing was spot on today, too. In fact I think he may have passed a couple times too many in the first half, but as usual Kobe getting his on offense is never a worry. The jab dribbling, and the pushes to the inside set the Laker rhythm up really nicely overall. That was as smooth a 30+ point performance as you’ll see in the NBA.

As we all know it’s not all about the offense with Kobe. Since he’s gotten the inspiration to play defense with determination from his international stint, he’s been on a tear. Though it wasn’t mostly the intense rebounding he showed in Orlando, today it was lock down perimeter D.

The stop Kobe pulled off on Wade in the third quarter with seconds left, resulting in a travel was a sampling of the genius of Kobe’s D.

Odom played really good perimeter defense today. Rarely, if ever, biting on head fakes and keeping perfect distance between him and shooters or slashers, kept Miami from moving the ball through any defensive position he was filling.

Radmanovic did a good job early on playing off the curl to the basket. Coupling with Kobe’s jabs to the middle, Miami was sent scrambling pretty often.

The problem with Vladi offensively was him crowding the lane almost every time anyone got the ball even in the mid-post. When he stepped out to the three after running through the key instead of holding up in the paint, everything eased up. Also, he’s lagging after missing a shot on getting back.

There’s too much sulking or complaining for the foul from Radmanovic. He doesn’t have the speed of or defensive ability to carry that off. Stop griping and get back quick—every time.

Luke finally looks to getting himself back into shape and able to trust the ankle more. Some good passes off of the block and cuts underneath for a lay-up or two were more what we’ve come to expect from Luke.

Sasha has just been the unnoticed killer this season. It continued today as it has for the entire season. I’ll be the first to admit I gave up on him far too early in his career. This season he has been magnificent at spotting up. Whether he makes the shot all the time or not, Sasha’s understanding of the offense and where he needs to be has improved exponentially.

With Sasha nailing the shots like he did in this game, Miami was forced to go single coverage on the floor. Not being able to double Kobe off of Sasha (or Farmar either) was huge. Having yet another guy that the Heat couldn’t leave to shoot at will was just another thing that sent Miami’s “defense” into scramble mode even further.

Defensively, Sasha did a decent job keeping tabs on his man. He crowded the shooters and kept from getting picked off as much as he could.

The thing about Gasol on offense that I find impressive is his almost immediate knowledge of spacing and where he needs to be on every single play. Already there are few times Gasol is crowding, out of step or slow to move from post to post.

His pass after cutting along the baseline to Walton for the lay-up was beautiful. Versatility in the post like that is a rare commodity in the NBA.

Defensively, Gasol showed his weakness in the post. It has always been a soft spot in his game, but the activity of Blount in the paint really froze Pau. Once he can get to the high post and swoop in to get boards or help defense with Andrew in the idle, that weakness won’t have that big of an impact on the Laker D.

It was yet another good game from the player of the game for me, Odom. Now that he’s free of having to do things he’s doing the same things with ease. Most impressive today was his rebound positioning – consistent, proper and strong, every time. When the 15-foot jumpers are flowing from Odom’s hands, you know he’s having a good game.

His rebounding was effortless and better than that, it was always under control. Controlled taps, two hands on all boards, kicking it back out to reset the offense and holding it well to set the Laker offense into motion off of defense.

His defense was good, too. I liked him running from the free throw line down to the baseline with purpose. There was no hitch in his movement as he fought through a lot of traffic to consistently get involved in every play from the mid range down to the block.

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Raptors-Lakers: Los Angeles Loses on TayShaun Prince's Three

Clublakers.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:27:34 -0500

After a disappointing 90-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers must regroup as they head to Toronto to play the Raptors.

Toronto has won eight of its last 11 games.

The Lakers trailed by as many as 17 points in the first-half in their game against the Pistons, but came back and took a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The rebound the Lakers couldn’t grab in the final 16 second of play led to a wide open three-pointer from TayShaun Prince—which was all Detroit needed to secure a win.

“It’s a tough loss because I felt like we had the game, but we made mental errors down the stretch,” said Kobe Bryant. “But I’m encouraged, and if we keep playing hard like this on the trip, we’ll be all right.”

Kobe Bryant scored 39 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but committed a season-high 11 turnovers.

Los Angeles is now winless in four of its last five games and have lost its third straight game away from Staples Center.

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Crucifido’s Corner: Knicks vs. Lakers

Clublakers.com — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:41:41 -0500

Aside from the usual never let a team—no matter how bad or good—get a look at a possible win (especially on your home court), there was an important thing to be taken away from last night's Knicks vs. Lakers matchup: the importance of unpredictability.

Now sure, teams come in knowing the opponent's strategies, knowing the style of game the opponent prefers, but no one should ever bank on static play.

In last night's game the Lakers did a good job working with what the Knicks were dishing out defensively. The Knicks dared the Lakers to shoot from outside, so the Lakers exploited the open shots and kept themselves in the game—despite their radically poor defense.

But the problem came when the Knicks decided to vary their defensive game, and the Lakers failed to adjust. They sank into a pattern that the Knicks may well have premeditated and certainly desired.

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Los Angeles: Déjà Vu for the Lakers

Clublakers.com — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:12:42 -0500

Is it all doom and gloom for the Los Angeles Lakers now?

Has the injuries sent the déjà vu to levels where all we can do now is accept our fate and hope the differences in our chemistry will pull us through a tough first round matchup? You know déjà vu is a weird feeling, but that’s all it is—a feeling, we control our own destinies IMHO and that goes the same for the Lakers as an individual.

Sure some things are beyond our control, but let’s not get wound up in the superstitious mumbo jumbo that the press are happy to jump on when it indicates a bad run for LA!

Even as I type it I cringe—what’s wrong with people that all we can do is focus on the negative. Did we honestly believe this was one of those dream seasons from start to finish where everything would be laid on a plate for us? How do you cope with adversity if the first time you meet it is in the playoffs? Just ask Dallas last year.

You have to go through tough spells to achieve real success—you often learn more in defeat than victory—they key here is you must learn if you want to avoid that same thing next time and not just accept the defeat as fate.

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Running on Empty: How Much Fuel Remains in Kobe's Tank?

Clublakers.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:05:11 -0500

Kobe Bryant has logged 29,947 minutes of regular-season play during his career. That is the 104th-most in NBA history.

Add in 5,084 playoff minutes. Add in 265 All-Star game minutes. That gives Kobe 35,296 minutes (excluding preseason) in his professional career.

That includes 966 career games—again, excluding preseason.

That is wear and tear.

Although Phil Jackson has tried to keep him fresh by playing him roughly three fewer minutes per game this season than last, Kobe's minutes have crept into the danger zone since Andrew Bynum's injury.

Kobe has responded admirably to the demands of carrying a good deal of dead weight.

Luke Walton and Lamar Odom have been atrocious since Bynum's injury. Trevor Ariza is gone. Vlad Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, and Ronny Turiaf have struggled with injuries. Kwame Brown has struggled with conditioning. DJ Mbenga has struggled to learn the triangle on the fly.

However, despite his efforts, fans around the league must be wondering how long Kobe can continue at this pace.

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Vee's Spot: Disappointed in Los Angeles

Clublakers.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:38:54 -0500

The Los Angeles Lakers started the game fairly well against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the rain outside AND inside of Staples Center, the half started out pretty well. First quarter went better than the second, and the Lakers ended the half at 40-49.

Like the recent games, it was made to believe that the 3rd quarter would tell all, however, for this Sunday afternoon game, this wasn’t the case.

The 3rd quarter went rather smoothly. Kobe Bryant and his teammates showed up and ended the quarter scoring 31 points over the Cavs 20.

Surprisingly enough, Bryant and Derek Fisher had no 3-point shots, leaving 3-point attempts only to Sasha Vujacic (1-1) and Jordan Farmar (2-2), neither of who were in the game for the final 3-point shot for the tie.

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BDG: How DJ Saved Tacos

Clublakers.com — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:48:50 -0500

So I’m sitting next to the television set and I’m full of hope.

“Extend the lead so we can play DJ Mbenga.”

The Lakers had just announced earlier that day that they had signed him to a 10-day contract. With the crushing blows of injuries to Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza, the Lakers were thin in the frontcourt.

But he was donning the purple and gold warm-ups and I was ready for his Laker debut. The anticipation had been building.

We’re in the middle of the Lakers blowing out the Nuggets in Los Angeles. If the opposition is held under 100 points, the crowd gets vouchers for free tacos at Jack-In-The-Box after the buzzer sounds.

With 5:03 to play, we return from timeout. He enters. The crowd gives Mbenga a roaring ovation. At least in my mind.

Two possessions later, The Nuggets come down the floor. The ball comes loose. Mbenga has the strip.

The rock rolls down mid-court as a scramble ensues. DJ is half-crawling on the floor, seeking out the ball like it’s the cure for the common cold.

He dives onto the hardwood. Jacques Costeau style.

Although he doesn’t fully manage to gather it up, his body knocks the ball into the hands of Jordan Farmar, who pushes it downcourt. Mbenga quickly recovers.

A couple of possessions later, Javaris Crittenton drives down the lane and scoops it off to Mbenga eight feet out.

With the Nuggets’ Steven Hunter in his grill, he arches the ball back behind his head and hoists up a jumper. Somehow, his knees stay bent even after he has left the ground.

It smacks off of the backboard, grazes the rim and hits the ground.

Miraculously, like a homing pigeon, DJ gathers the rebound. Official Dick Bavetta doesn’t realize that the clock should be re-set and whistles Lamar Odom for a shot clock violation after his trey fails to draw iron.

As animated as Phil Jackson has been all season, he gets out of his chair and barks at the officiating crew.

One way to resolve this. Jump ball. Mbenga to center stage.

Bavetta with the toss and Mbenga gets contact . . . with Steven Hunter’s arm. Nuggets recover the ball so no need to stop the action again with under three minutes to go. Yet DJ is determined to make amends.

Denver’s Anthony Carter gets a high screen at the top of the key from Hunter. Mbenga shades out and quickly retreats to his man down low. Meanwhile, Carter feeds Linas Klieza on a cut to the basket.

Swatted. Mbenga meets Klieza’s layup at the apex of it’s ascent. Okay, upon looking at the replay, maybe it was goaltending. Nevertheless, it still remains magnificent.

Linas hardly agrees and picks up a technical.

Nuggets coach George Karl gets to watch his son Coby sink a free throw for the Lakers.

DJ is still aggressive on defense. Maybe too aggressive. He plays piggy back with Hunter and is whistled for it. He would pick up three fouls in his five minutes of play.

On the other end, Coby feeds DJ in the post as the crowd is obliged to chant “We want tacos!” by the STAPLES Center arena music.

Mbenga attempts the closest thing the NBA has seen to a skyhook in about two decades. In and out. Heartbreak.

A couple plays come and go. Mbenga refuses to give Hunter rebounding position as Klieza fires up a three. Tacos are in jeopardy for the Lakers crowd. It’s off the mark and the dream is still alive.

Time passes and now we have under a minute to go. Hunter catches the ball baseline and attempts a running hook in the middle of the paint. But DJ shadows him. Mbenga contests the shot and it comes up short.

Farmar fouls Klieza. The Nuggets stand at 98 points. If he makes both, no one goes to Jack-In-The-Box.

The first sinks. The noise rises. Klieza’s second attempt rattles around the rim and spins out.

The game is decided, but the same cannot be said about the tacos. This one is going down to the wire.

Okay, the score is 116-98 with 43 seconds to play. So not really. But for the sake of all Laker fans who enjoy beef and cheese is a crunchy shell from a fantastic fast food chain, we will make an exception.

This should be the Lakers’ last possession. With just under 30 ticks remaining, Coby Karl fires up a three from the baseline. It’s way off. Camera pans to his father’s face and he isn’t showing any visible emotion on the outside.

But the Nuggets are in transition. Klieza is trying to go coast to coast.

He takes off with an intensity unknown to mankind. As he glides toward the basket, the Lakers’ Ronny Turiaf meets him at the top. His block attempt barely misses. If the fingerroll falls, so do the chances of taco time.

Out of nowhere, DJ appears. He is not suited with a cape, but it would be fitting.

Mbenga with the swat. The ball flies out of bounds.

The crowd erupts. The arena is standing on their feet. The thundersticks are clapping.

Turiaf practically goes crazy and nearly knocks off DJ’s hand with a high five.

Kobe is out of his chair shouting. Sasha raises a fist, clenched as if it were the hammer of Thor.

The Nuggets inbound it, trying to crush the possibility of free food at the exits.

It’s Klieza again, and he’s back at the rim. Coby Karl slaps the ball off of Linas’ knee. It’s Laker ball and the audience is overjoyed. I am a freeway ride away from STAPLES Center, but I feel the glee that is running rampant throughout the building.

DJ saved the day.

DJ saved tacos.

Crucifido’s Corner: Lakers vs. Spurs (Game 40 1/23/2008)

Clublakers.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:42:09 -0500

The All-Too Familiar Battle Of San Antonio

Say what you will about the Spurs, their troubles at the moment (which are fairly overblown), the age of the team, the sparse young talent coming in behind the big 3, but any way you slice it, they’re still the champs and still a huge mountain that must be climbed if the Lakers are to step back into the shoes of the best team in the NBA.

It’s a pick your poison kind of game with the Spurs, between Ginobli, Parker or Duncan. The Lakers looked as if they chose to let Duncan get what he had to get and to concentrate on Parker primarily. A good choice as Parker is the guy that typically destroys the Lakers.

But with the absence of Bynum being felt particularly hard this game, the gamble wound up backfiring. The outright size of Duncan, let alone the experience, in the low post was too much for kwame’s planted defense. Duncan’s reach on his shot was too high for Ronny to use his low center of gravity to keep him out of easy scoring position.

The 1st quarter was a well-fought quarter and really it’s a good way for the Lakers to get a feel of the Spurs without Bynum. As you watched, you got the feeling that the Lakers were looking for the Spurs game plan and trying to see the seams in their defense. Their point total showed the prodding Laker offense was working well early in the game.

I loved seeing the Lakers take advantage of Duncan’s absence in the game at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Making little runs like that when a team is running their bench is key to beating any team.

Just like playing the Celtics and letting Perkins or Allen get going though, the Lakers have got to keep an eye on the outside of the core players like Udoka. Sure its better to let them try and carry a team rather than let the better players get going, but you have to be careful of not letting them get into such a rhythm that you can’t get them out of it.

Again, Ronny comes into the 1st quarter and has an immediate impact. His energy and most of all his nose for the offensive boards recently has been unbelievable. He played a fantastic game coming into the 2nd quarter. His help off the ball when the Spurs were swinging the ball around the court was just perfect. There is still a lack of boxing out the off man on rebounds (ala the put back by Udoka in the 2nd), but overall Ronny’s awareness of his defensive position and spacing has seriously improved this year. That room he’s giving himself is allowing him to recover, help and seal off lanes on defense with speed. Its putting that signature Turiaf never say die energy to awesome use. If he continues to knock down those 12-foot jumpers like he has here and there, Ronny becomes a very dangerous player very quickly.

Keeping on the Ronny love fest, its no wonder he’s been getting a ton of dunk attempts recently. He is almost always exactly where he should be on every play. It’s not just the cutting but it’s the positioning early in sets, the motion off of screens and the screen and rolls. His activity everywhere opened up the game for the entire Laker offense in the first half.

You have to love Sasha finally showing his dead eye shooting skill in a game rather than chronically in practice only this season. A lot of it has to do with Kobe’s brilliant table setting, but the second third of it is Sasha assertively spotting up where he should. Where Sasha’s undoing comes is when he gets on a hot streak. He tends to pull himself out of that comfort zone and begins trying to do too much on the court. Mainly getting the ball into bad situations inside. If he keeps spotting up and contributing with what he can do best, the rhythm he gets into rather easily nowadays won’t be disrupted so often.

Kobe’s methodical play this game was interesting to watch. I mean the way he picked apart the Sours mid post defense was something to see. The pass to a cutting Ronny for the dunk in the 2nd quarter was fantastic. I must have replayed that thing 10 times.

There’s more to Kobe’s run too. His communication with the team on the bus, the plane and most of all on the bench during games is outstanding. The leadership role that a lot of people have longed to see Kobe step into with full force has been filled. Not enough can be said about Kobe talking with Crittenton, Karl and the younger players on the bench.

You have the skill set, the leadership and the trust in his teammates all running at full tilt right now.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lamar did dunk the ball on a drive in the 2nd quarter, right? Lamar was playing unusually aggressive inside tonight. One can only wish that it stays that way, but at the least it’s good to know that Lamar saw the importance of the game and came out looking to fill the middle more. Odom’s rebounding has been stellar recently. His positioning off of every shot has been deep and in good anticipation of shot distance. The long rebounds aren’t running away from him being too deeply rooted in the paint. The small boards are falling right to him, and watching him put them back up once in a while rather than dishing it out for a lower percentage shot was gratifying.

Defensively it was definitely a tale of two totally different halves for Lamar. The first he was hustling, moving well on all sides, helping quick and playing sharp. Come the 3rd quarter and Lamar let Ginobli send him into defensive confusion. The solid play Lamar had in the first half shouldn’t have been disrupted so easily by one player.

Good early work getting inside from. Luke’s effort on the boards was impressive as well. However, his foot is looking like it’s having a big effect on his lift for his shot. It may be why Luke has taken to forcing shots from the post rather than jumping to shoot from outside. To counter it Luke should be looking to facilitate from the mid range until his foot gets strong enough to work from the post with more certainty.

Kwame has a bit of a jump on Duncan as far as strength in the posts. He used it decently, though pushing Duncan a step or two further in for a pass outside or to make room for a cut underneath would be good to see. Kwame played real well knowing when to stand ground on Duncan defensively and when to give enough room for Duncan to show the ball. Of course Duncan will hit a good portion of his shots, but Kwame did a good job in the beginning of the game making Duncan work for it.

What Kwame tends to do with more mobile big men is take that one extra step to either side after his man has committed to his shot. That extra step usually pulls his stance wider and that pull causes the foul.

Derek was taking Parker to the rack very well in the first quarter. What was good to see Derek do was keep a strict eye on Parker wherever he went. By simply keeping track of Parker off of screens and through traffic, Fisher was able to slow down Parker in the first half. Opposite of dealing with shooters, making Parker an outside shooter helped the Lakers dictate the pace of the 1st quarter in particular. However Parker’s speed eventually wore Derek down and his offense was showing it. IT was a battle of legs at the point, and in the end Parker’s activity wore Derek down enough to send him to the bench for most of the second half.

Come the 3rd quarter and the Lakers looked like they were trying a couple different things out offensively. Unfortunately it got San Antonio that small window they needed to get back into the game. It’s a dangerous game to play, messing with what was working against a good defensive team like the Spurs. It’s a gamble that sometimes puts teams on their heels. You vary your offense; your approach to the game and it takes away adjustment coming out of the half. But at its heart it is a gamble. This time, it didn’t pay off and it let the Spurs back into it.

Obviously you also can’t go 6.5 minutes without scoring against any professional team, but especially when you’re playing a veteran team at home coming off of a weak half.

The Lakers flat out fell asleep from the beginning of the 3rd to the end of it. Letting steals off the inbounds passes or one step from them cannot be allowed. The Lakers must keep their heads in the game whether up or down by anything. They’ve let a total of 5 games slip out from under them due to partly this and having this one join that dubious group was just a crime.

It was really odd to see the post passes from everyone become suddenly very labored, telegraphed and lazy too. Crisp passes into the post should never be taken for granted. In the second half almost every one looked like it was just that.

When it comes down to it, playing high-powered teams is tough to be sure. What makes it easier is making those teams work for everything they get, rather than letting them get into an easygoing rhythm. What also helps is the incredible hustle the Lakers showed as soon as the ball was tipped. That kind of hustle can easily make up for a lack of personnel. For a predominantly stand still type of team like the Spurs, it makes them have to play out of their game in order to keep up. The big thing is that hustle can’t be sporadic, it can’t be only when you’re up on the scoreboard, hustle has to be a 48 minute mindset.

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