NBA Playoffs 2012: LA Lakers' Takeaways from Game 2 Loss to OKC Thunder

The Lakers dropped to 0-2 following their heartbreaking 77-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles controlled the ball and the score for a majority of the fourth quarter, but collapsed in the final two minutes due to a series of missed shots and turnovers. 

Here are a few takeaways from the Lakers’ loss. 

Horrendous Three-Point Shooting 

The Lakers continued to struggle from three-point land on Wednesday night, going 2-for-15. In case your computation skills are as bad as the Lakers’ shooting, that’s a mere 13 percent from deep. 

Kobe Bryant led the atrocious exhibit, going 0-for-6. 

The Lake Show will have to prove their ability to hit shots from the Promised Land if they plan on pushing the Thunder to the brink of elimination.

Inside Dominance 

The silver lining in all of this may have been the dominance of Lakers bigs in the paint. Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill made nearly 54 percent of their shots in and around the painted area. Bynum received significantly more touches than in Game 1 and was much more assertive, although not quite as efficient. 

L.A.’s dominance inside the key was also partially due to their control of the glass and activity on the offensive boards. The Lakers’ frontcourt had 13 offensive rebounds in all, converting seven of the extra opportunities into points. Hill was especially impressive, grabbing three offensive rebounds and capitalizing on two of them himself.

Better Defense

Another positive from the Lakers’ nauseating breakdown was the fact that they played much better all-around team defense. 

L.A. improved leaps and bounds from Game 1. Bynum and Gasol showed more effort defending the pick-and-roll, resulting in fewer made mid-range jumpers. Russell Westbrook, whose jumper nearly single-handedly dismantled the Lakers in Game 1, went 2-for-9 on mid-range shots. 

Mike Brown’s squad’s intensity and communication was more visible as well, as evidenced by quicker and more effective defensive rotations. The Lakers swarmed to the ball on nearly every extra pass by the Thunder, paving the way for a 42 percent shooting night. 

Obviously, the degree to which the Lakers impacted the Thunder’s offense is up for debate, but the overall improvement was evident.

Phantom of the Mamba 

The curious case of Bryant, which started in Game 5 of the Nuggets series, continues. 

Bryant came out hot at the beginning of fourth, making two consecutive difficult jumpers over the outstretched arms of defenders. 

Kobe and the Lakers’ downward spiral didn’t begin until the midway point of the quarter when Bryant missed his first of five jumpers. The Black Mamba also contributed to two turnovers in the final minute, the first of which culminated in an easy transition dunk for Kevin Durant. 

It’s tough to watch the supposed consensus best and most reliable closer in the game come up empty in the biggest match of the season. Instead of stopping the bleeding, Bryant proved to be the catalyst behind the Lakers’ collapse. 

If the Black Mamba wants to get out of the second round, let alone win his sixth ring, he’ll need to stop sippin’ out of the same fourth quarter cup as LeBron James. 

Other Articles: Lakers' Takeaways from Game 1 Loss to OKC Thunder