NBA Playoffs 2011: What Each Player on Roster Needs To Do for Lakers To Succeed
The Los Angeles Lakers opened their title defense against the New Orleans Hornets as if in a mindless stupor, losing the first game at Staples Center and barely squeaking out a win in Game 2 before heading to The Big Easy for the next two.
One week ago, all the talk was about how old and slow the Lakers had suddenly become and 101 reasons why the team would not three-peat and might even exit the playoffs as soon as this first round. Chicken Little was rearing its nasty feathers and could be heard bellowing “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.”
Well, the sky is not falling—yet. But, it is getting cloudier by the day, and Tuesday night's forecast for Staples Center in L.A. is 50 percent storm and 50 percent clear skies. It's driving the local prognosticators a little batty.
Last Friday was a good day for the Lakers, who were never threatened in a 14-point blowout of the Hornets. L.A. played like a two-time NBA champion, with purpose and passion. Up two games to one and with a golden opportunity to come home needing just one game to close out the series, the drama-prone Lakers lost by five, and in the process, may have lost much more.
Kobe Bryant suffered an ankle sprain in the final minute of the game and literally hobbled on crutches to the team bus after telling reporters he would play on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Team officials wanted Bryant to get an MRI on Monday—he refused, saying that he would be ready to go on Tuesday and did not need any more tests on his sore ankle.
The Lakers, on paper, are a much stronger team than the depleted, vertically-challenged Hornets. They swept four straight regular-season games from New Orleans, and most thought they would waltz in four or five games in this series. They find themselves in a suddenly serious series, a best of three win or go home.
The Lakers have nine players who matter most during this playoff season, and all have specific roles to fill in order for the team to get to the Finals and win yet another title. But first, they must get past the Hornets in the opening round, and that is proving to be much more difficult than most of us thought.
Steve A. Smith of ESPN Radio thinks the Lakers are "in serious trouble." John Ireland, also of ESPN Radio and KCAL-TV, thinks the Lakers still win this series in six games.
At this time of year, it’s all about execution. Their roles are clearly defined—the Lakers have a map and know which road to take. They just need to avoid any more detours like the one they encountered in Games 1 and 4. The road to distraction.
Let's see what the Lakers really need to do in order to succeed and still be playing in June.
Steve Blake: Point Guard Needs To Facilitate and Focus
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Steve: lose the head band. Certain players just look and play better with no additional accessories—you happen to be one of them.
Blake has always been an above-average outside shooter and a steady hand at point guard who makes few mistakes. He was an excellent pickup in the offseason, someone who could spell starter Derek Fisher and make a contribution.
Blake's been up and down this season, appearing tentative at times. The 6'3" guard was taken out before the playoffs even started, coming down with a severe case of the chickenpox that had him bedridden for a week.
He has three games under his belt since coming back and appears to be regaining some of the lost stamina that comes with illness.
"He's an effective player," Phil Jackson told Elliot Teaford of the Daily Breeze. "He handles screen-and-rolls extremely well."
For the Lakers to be strong and cohesive, Blake needs to give them 15-20 solid minutes of point guard play and sound defense. If open, he should take the three-point shot—he's a career 39 percent shooter from beyond the arc, and as the season progressed, Blake appeared to feel more confident taking the occasional shot from downtown.
He also needs to lose the yellow band around his head. Unless the Lakers keep winning, then it doesn't matter if he wears matching purple and gold ones at the same time.
Matt Barnes: A Really Good Haircut Adds Strength to Your Game
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Matt Barnes doesn't need a cereal bowl, tomahawk haircut to intimidate the competition. He's a fearless "warrior" not afraid to go where mere mortals do not tread on a basketball court.
Like Steve Blake, Barnes ended the regular season on the sidelines. In his case, he was still recovering from knee surgery and had to have his knee drained prior to the playoffs.
The key to Barnes being effective is the intense energy he brings to the team when coming off the bench. He normally will replace Ron Artest in the lineup at small forward and is at his best when pestering the opposition.
Barnes hustles, claws and scrapes for points, passes and steals. He's clearly not come back 100 percent from his first major surgery, and the team needs the old Barnes for them to make a deep run.
Barnes had zero points in 12 minutes on Sunday. The Lakers need his 15-16 minutes, seven points and tenacious defense for them to be effective. He seems well enough to give them that. Barnes is a big part of a Lakers bench that's been too silent so far.
Shannon Brown: You're Playing with Four Other Guys
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Shannon Brown is a tremendous athlete and a human highlight film unto himself. But these are the playoffs, and team play is what's going to get it done, not Picasso-like dunks.
What stands out the most over the first four playoff games is Brown's three-point percentage. During the regular season, he averaged 35 percent from beyond the arc and close to nine efficient points in just 19 minutes per game.
In four games against New Orleans, Brown is averaging 4.8 points and is shooting just 17 percent from three-point range. No, that wasn't a typo—Brown's accuracy from long distance has disappeared faster than a double dose of chocolate ice cream on a hot summer night.
Brown really needs to just play to the form that he displayed during the regular season. He should be driving the basket much more, because he is able to create plays with his athleticism and will consistently go to the free-throw line if he does. Brown makes virtually every free throw (over 90 percent) he takes.
L.A. needs the Shannon Brown of the regular season, not the Shannon Brown of the last four games. If the former shows up and remembers to play within the team concept, the Lakers will win going away.
Lamar Odom: Not Cleaning His House but Needs To Clean the Boards
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Lamar Odom is the NBA's best sixth man. He needs to start playing like it, or the Lakers will be making tee time reservations in about a week.
During the two games the Lakers lost to the Hornets, Odom secured a total of five rebounds (one in the first game in 31 minutes). His regular season average per game was close to nine.
Maybe it's just coincidence that when the reality show—Khloe & Lamar—airs on Sunday nights, the Lakers lose, and Odom fails to show up and play his A game. Apparently, Khloe is not happy that Lamar doesn't want to clean up their house—he's used to a maid.
Here's another case of a big-time player just needing to replicate what he did over 82 games. Crash the boards—remember, the Hornets are a small team in comparison and yet are pushing the Lakers and Odom around in the paint.
And since when did Aaron Gray become a household word? Since about a week ago playing the Lakers and getting more second chance points than a seven footer who literally doesn't leave the ground has a right to.
Lamar Odom needs to break out and have one of his special games that he seemed to consistently put together this season, his finest as a professional. Rebound on both ends, look for the open man and take the occasional jump shot.
A typical Odom game from the regular season and the Lakers roll by the Hornets on Tuesday.
Derek Fisher: Leadership, Determination and Hit the Big Shots
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You certainly cannot cite Derek Fisher's play as the reason the Lakers lost Game 4 on Sunday. Sure, he guarded Chris Paul, who scored 27 points, had 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a performance that was pure gold.
But, then, Chris Paul is one of the best point guards on the planet and seemed to have his way with virtually every Laker player at one time or another.
There's a line around the block that's been calling for Fisher's head for a long time. He's too slow, they say. Too old, too small, plays terrible defense.
Well, this writer is not part of that contingent. Fisher is not the reason the Lakers are 2-2 in this series with the Hornets. He's still making important shots when the team seems to need them, takes the offensive charge when other players won't and is fearless attacking the rim, even against seven footers.
Fisher is built for the playoffs: he's upped his average to 9.3 points from 6.8 during the regular season as his minutes have gone to 34 from 28. He's connected on 60 percent of his three-point attempts in four games and is making good on 43 percent of his shots overall, up from 39 percent during the regular season.
Fisher gets an "A" for his play thus far in the series. He works hard against Paul and does what he can to slow the quick superstar up. No one can guard Paul one-on-one. Fisher is doing his part—he needs his teammates to step up and help out.
Ron Artest: Let's Play Loco
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The two players who seem most focused this series, ironically, are the two that virtually traded places on the same day in the summer of 2009: Trevor Ariza and Ron Artest.
Artest has been focused, passionate, smart and aggressive the first four games, and his play has kept L.A. from being down three games to one.
In four games, Artest is averaging 14 points, well above his 8.5 regular season numbers. He's shooting 53 percent from the floor, including 46 percent from beyond the arc, also above his 40 and 36 percent averages for the regular season.
What's more is that Artest is making plays on both ends—he's playing great defense, making the opposition work for its points. He's averaging six rebounds per game and is the team's leader in hustle plays and points.
Artest needs to find a way to spread his passion for this series to his teammates. He was up to the task before Game 3, when he tweeted his thousands of followers that it was "time to get loco" that night. The team played very loose and won going away.
Andrew Bynum: Avoid Fouls, Stay Aggressive and Rebound, Rebound, Rebound
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Andrew Bynum may be the only Laker big man playing like a big man.
Foul trouble has always been a sore spot for Bynum, but he seems to be better at playing through it.
Bynum has averaged almost 32 minutes of playing time which, considering his history of injuries, is a little bit much. Still, despite a couple of falls and scares about the tender knee, Bynum has produced. His scoring average of almost 14 points a contest is about 2.5 points more than he scored during the regular season.
And Bynum continues to play well on the glass, averaging about 10 per game. During the Lakers post All-Star Game run of 17 wins in 18 games, Bynum averaged over 15 boards a game.
Given the lack of help he's been getting, Bynum needs to step up with an even bigger rebounding game on Tuesday and Thursday of this week in order for the Lakers to move on to the next round.
Where Have You Gone, Pau Gasol?
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If there's one Laker who has really played below expectations, it is power forward Pau Gasol.
He picked a bad time to disappear—Gasol's tepid shooting and lack of rebounding has had a ripple effect on the rest of the team who count on him for a variety of shots, passes, rebounds and smart play.
In the first two games of this series, Gasol missed 15-of-19 shots while averaging 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, well below his 18.8 and 10.2 for the regular season. He was pushed around in the paint by such relatively small players as Carl Landry (6'9" averaging 17 points) and Emeka Okafor (6'10", 60 percent shooting).
If Pau plays his regular game, the Lakers would have ended his series in four. In a team game, Gasol stands out as the one player who must really step up. He scored 16 on Sunday but only pulled down four rebounds in 32 minutes. That is just unacceptable.
Gasol may be one of the nicest guys in the league, but these are the playoffs, and the playoffs are not for nice guys.
Expect an aggressive Pau Gasol in Game 5 at Staples Center tonight. If the Lakers see an aggressive and accurate Gasol, they'll be going back to New Orleans needing one win to clinch and move on.
Kobe Bryant: Will the Lakers Get a Pain-Free Kobe Tonight?
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No one wants to win a title more than this man. Five is not enough—he wants No. 6, and he seems determined to play through anything to get it.
Even a badly injured ankle.
Kobe Bryant has been hounded and harassed very effectively in this series, mostly by Trevor Ariza, the former Laker. He's tried to be a facilitator and probably passed too much, and he's been forced into taking some awful shots when it seemed as if the rest of the team had gone off for a nap.
Kobe was Kobe in Game 3, in which he scored 30 points on 10-20 shooting and pulled down six rebounds. Otherwise, his shooting is way off and now he has a major injury to deal with.
While Bryant told reporters on Monday that he would definitely play Tuesday, he also apparently said no to suggestions that he get an MRI taken of his sprained ankle. Bryant injured the ankle while guarding Willie Green of the Hornets, turning it as he moved laterally.
There's no question that the Lakers need Kobe Bryant more than any other player—the guess here is that he will play on Tuesday but his effectiveness will be limited. Up till the injury, he was averaging 23 points on just 42 percent shooting. It seems unlikely that he will improve on those numbers given this injury, but, then, this is Kobe Byrant we're talking about.
What this all means is that every other Laker in the rotation, from Steve Blake to Pau Gasol, must pick up their respective games considerably. The Lakers, even with a depleted Bryant, should be good enough to beat New Orleans at home and then take them out in Game 6.
This has been a strange series in a very surprising first round of NBA playoff games. Expect the unexpected tonight.
