NBA Finals: Odom & Gasol Need To Give Kobe More Help Now
The Lakers finally won a game in the Finals yesterday, thanks to Kobe Bryant's dominant game in which he scored 36 points. Bryant hit several huge baskets for the Lakers to save their season and got to the free throw line 18 times.
Sasha Vujacic also came through as he scored 20 points off the bench to help spread the floor for Kobe to drive and to be Kobe's second option.
Yeah, that's right. In the Lakers' biggest game of the season, Sasha Vujacic of all people, was the second best player on the court after Kobe. Not just that, Jordan Farmar was third as he came in off the bench with a big spark.
Not Pau Gasol, their prized Spaniard big man, not Lamar Odom who is the biggest underachiever in the whole league considering he is as talented as anyone in the NBA but is way too inconsistent. Not even Derek Fisher, the veteran leader who is supposed to be huge in these kind of games.
Gasol scored a mere nine points while shooting just 3-8 from the field. He did grab 12 rebounds and played solid defense of Kevin Garnett, who shot only 6-21 from the field and scored only 13 points, but he looked completely lost on the offensive end throughout the entire game.
He couldn't do anything in the post, he couldn't hit any mid-range shots and even when he drove to the rim for an uncontested layup, he missed it. On top of all that, he was 3-8 in free throw attempts and had three turnovers.
Lamar Odom played like he was a 12-year-old girl playing in the NCAA tournament. He was completely pathetic.
He couldn't do a damn thing offensively as he scored four points, shot 2-9 from the field, had five turnovers and had five fouls. The whole game he was driving and getting an offensive foul. He always lowers his damn shoulder when he drives or gets to the rim to only blow the layup or get his shot blocked.
If he continues to struggle and the Lakers lose the series, Odom will be the player who will get moved. He will probably get moved for a true small forward to fit better with the Bynum/Gasol/Kobe trio for the next several upcoming years.
The rest of the starting lineup was just as bad. Vladimir Radmanovic was pathetic defensively as he got three fouls in the first quarter and four in the game in just 12-and-a-half minutes.
He might have played even worse offensively as he made just one three while grabbing only one rebound and ended up not getting one assist, block or steal.
Fisher also played miserably. He shot just 1-6 from the field while getting only one assist and grabbing three rebounds. He didn't make any contributions offensively like he usually does and needs to provide much more outside shooting to help spread the floor the Kobe, Gasol and Odom in the middle of the floor.
Finally, Luke Walton needs to do something for the Lakers when he is on the floor.
He is playing like a scared little wimp right now. He has scored two damn points the whole series while shooting 1-7 from the field. He has played terrible defense and hasn't even passed the ball that well as he has averaged only one assist for the series.
As a die-hard Lakers fan, I expected the Lakers to win in five or six games because I thought they had way too much offensive firepower. However if Gasol, Odom and Fisher don't come up with big performances in the next two games, then the magical season the Lakers have going, will end with a thump.
The Lakers need to win the next two games to give themselves a chance. They cannot go into Boston down 3-2 and expect to have a chance to win the championship.
They are good enough to win one out of two games in Boston, but not good enough to win two straight games in Boston to defeat their rivals. Gasol needs to play tougher, more physical and with more heart. He needs to be much more of a force in the post and play smarter.
Lamar Odom has got to show up for once in his life. He hasn't gotten double figure rebounds in the last five playoff games dating back to the last two games of the San Antonio series.
He has also shot just 41 percent from the field in his last eight playoff games while getting into constant foul trouble as he has averaged three-and-a-half fouls per game in that span.
I think the Lakers could still win the series. They still have the best player in the league and the greatest coach of all time.
All they need is a little bit more production from every player other than Kobe and hit their free throws and they will be in good shape to win the next two games at home. This will give the Lakers a chance to win the title by needing to win one of the last two games in Boston.
