Live Blog - Lakers AT Spurs
Still trying to find my seats (never been here before), but don't let that stop y'all from gabbing.
-AK
First Quarter
Okay, figured it out. And speaking of figuring things out, any question as to whether Ronny would be willing to give close buddy Tony Parker a hard foul was pretty much answered at the 8:57 mark. Put his boy right on the floor.
6:36 - Kobe blocks a Duncan floater... and may have gotten away with a goaltend. But I'll take it.
5:50 - After going sky high to corral a board, Kobe goes into "head down" mode, which results in Bryant coughing the ball up out of bounds and a Spurs time out. Not the greatest of possessions. In the meantime, the jumbotron shows on of those "race" animation dealies with marble looking objects going through a maze. I'm glad wasn't Vlad didn't enter the game, because he was watching the hell outta that thing. Out of the time out, Ronny and Mihm exit, Luke and Bynum enter.
2:34 - Beautiful spin move by LO around the rack for the layup, giving the Lakers a 15-14 lead. This one's changing hands back and forth. The Lakers are doing a nice job keeping TD from going nutty (1-6 from the field and no boards), but Mr. Eva Longoria already has 8 points. A pick one's poison team, for sure.
2:13 - During a timeout, it's announced that the Spurs Coyote has been inducted into the mascot Hall of Fame, eliciting big cheers from the home crowd. He gets a tiny banner next to Sean Elliot's retired jersey. Good for him.
1:49 - Nice job by Bynum using his length to force Manu into taking a circus shot around the rack. While Ginobli's been known to make some of those througout the years, this one bounced off the rim.
.48 - Bynum zigs when Jordan Farmar expects a zag. Or Bynum zags upon receiving a zig. However you wanna phrase it, Farmar tossed the ball into the stands.
Walton attempts a hail Mary to Kobe to beat the buzzer, but time elapses while Bryant runs it down. Spurs 21, Lakers 15. Like I said, the Lakers doing a nice job making Duncan a non-factor and are outrebounding San Antonio by a large margin. Unfortunately, they've already turned the ball, as Principal Roony would say, nine times. Can't have that and expect to come out on top.
SECOND QUARTER
10:23 - Manu sinks a long deuce to put the Spurs up by five. I can't quite figure out the correlation between the Argentian star and "Juke Box Hero," which may be his scoring music. But hey, who doesn't love a Lou Gramm vocal?
10:15 - Bynum with the board, the dunk, the and one. That's pretty much how you wanna see a 20-year old go strong.
8:32 - Bynum taps the ball out of the Spurs paint to Luke, who sprints halfway up court and tries Hail Mary #2, this time to Farmar. This time, successful with a captial "S." Or make that a capital "T," considering the throwdown Farmar administered for those two points. Kid got way the hell up there.
Time out Spurs. By the way, wanna know a difference between the AT&T Center and Staples? Fans at Staples don't EVER clang cowbells. AT&T folks occasionally do. I prefer the Staples approach.
8:13 - Fantastic job by Andrew using his length to force a posting Duncan into a wild miss. I've heard a few analysts talk about how Duncan is actually bothered more by wingspan defense than physical players. Frankly, I'm not sure how much Duncan is truly "bothered" by anybody, but I've seen Bynum have some luck against Timmy using those arms in the past. Not that Kwame's muscle doesn't come in handy, too. But there can definitely be more than one way to skin a proverbial future Hall of Famer, so to speak.
6:16 - Kwame enters the game for the first time and immediately gets the gift of an alley oop from his good buddy Kobe. But while Kobe giveth, he oft take away, too. Take away from the Spurs that is, after blocking TD's shot. That's block #3 for Kobe this HALF. If he's gunning for DPOY, this is all some very nice resume fodder.
I'm curious to see how the center minutes get divided up in the second half. I know all three want as much PT as possible, but if they're all playing well, there are worse things in the world than a trio of guys you wouldn't mind seeing on the floor.
3:09 - Duncan takes Kwame off the dribble, but Ronny's there for the... goal tend. The block party only has so many kegs on hand, but with 6 (and counting) so far, it's turning into quite the shindig.
2:50 - Fish turns the ball over in the paint. Chalk up the 15th. Too much dribbling, not enough passing it off. The Lakers would be much closer in this bad boy if they'd take better care of the rock.
1:36 - That goofy looking Matt Bonner hits a trey, increasing the San Antonio lead to 15. LO quickly hits a deuce to make it a baker's dozen, but it's bumped up to 16 on the next possession after Bowen hits from downtown. Spurs are shooting 55% from behind the arc. I don't know everything about roundball, but me thinks that line needs to be better guarded.
LO misses a triple of his own to close things out. 54-38 Spurs. Some better D (particularly from distance) and some stick-em would be in order. The Lakers can definitely make this a game again, but only if the sloppiness stops. We'll see if they come out better in the third. See y'all in a bit.
THIRD QUARTER
Kwame starts the half in place of Mihm. Dunno if this means Mihm will pull a vice versa and close out the last five minutes of the game, but at any rate, the switch didn't prevent the Spurs from getting a quick four points on the board (although Kwame did do a very nice job bodying up Duncan on San Antonio's third possession, causing another miss for TD, having a tough night).
&:03 - The Lakers catch a huge break when a masked Francisco Elson can't hang onto a Tony Parker bounce pass, leading to a considerably less frequent Spurs turnover. But had Elson snatched the ball, it would have been an easy bucket. Weren't nobody within three feet of the painted area.
6:33 - Fantastic job by Kwame of putting the ball on the floor, knifing between two defenders and going strong to the rack for an uncontested dunk. When he can do stuff like that and make the defense reguarly account for him, whether he makes every basket or not, it will open up big worlds for himself and his team. Perhaps he's taking my advice, since he soon ended up at the line to shoot a pair after drawing the foul against Elson. One sank. Lakers down by 15... Make that 17, after Parker gets inside for the easy layup. That's 24 points already for the 2007 Finals MVP. Dude is killing them.
5:13 - Ronny blocks Duncan. it's been a tough night for Turiaf (he's got 6 of them turnovers by his damn self), but he's extending the Lakers' stinginess on Timmy. Unfortunately, nobody seems to wanna do the same for Parker or Ginobli, who just hit a bomb.
2:42 - Terrific defensive stand by the Lakers, in particular on a switch that left Bynum on Manu around the arc. Bynum kept with Manu until Kobe could provide the calvary and force Manu to give the ball up. More sticky D, eventually leading to Bonner putting one up to avoid the 24 second violation. Miss. The lakers need MUCH more of that, and quick, since this one's about to hit "ain't getting back" territory.
1:10 - Vlad takes a couple dribbles, pulls up, then sinks the mid-ranger. I just wanted to type that, otherwise I could have easily gone all night without typing his name. Quiet night for the Artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.
33.6 - Mo clangs one off the side of the rim. Not what he had in mind, I'm imagining. Thankfully, Bynum is there to clean up for the lay up.
9.9 - Instead of scoring against the Lakers, Manu instead sets up Darius Washington for the triple. Do you like that any better?
Third ends. 79-62 Spurs. Lakers need to make some headway and fast. I'd reccomend some D. We'll see what happens.
FOURTH QUARTER
7:19 - Bynum draws Duncan's third foul, then heads to the line for two. Sad thing is that Duncan's having such a bad game, the Spurs might prefer he foul out.
6:31 - Some nice bobbing and weaving by Kobe around a few Spurs defenders, with #24 eventually in the air for a fancy dunk. Unfortunately, it's only Kobe's 14th point, part of the quiet night he and all his laker homies are having.
5:15 - Bowen hits a three. I might as well just start cutting and pasting the phrase "hits a three," then entering the specific Spur connecting.
3:33 - Vlad misses a gimme layup. It's just been that kinda night for everyone.
1:03 - it's officially beyond garbage time, but Bynum is digging around for a loose ball, getting himself to the line for the And One attempt. That's some effort his coach will surely like.
And there you have it. 107-92 Spurs. On the plus side, the Lakers certainly (or hopefully) didn't use up their best stuff before heading to Houston. On the minus, when they played this poorly, I don't know if I even want them to take on the Rockets to begin with. Yikes. A lot ugly in that one. But like the Lakers, y'all will be back to fight another day. So will I. Thanks for dropping by. More to come later.
AK
this was clearly Cook's fault.
Posted by: Vman | November 13, 2007 at 07:53 PM
Andddd we're done. Well, that wasn't quite what I expected. I wouldn't have thought they could blow us out with TD having such a quiet game.
Posted by: Michael A | November 13, 2007 at 07:55 PM
We had a total of 15 assists in the entire game, and Lamar and Kobe combined for zero trips to the FT line. The offense was just as stagnant as the defense tonight.
Posted by: RDaneel | November 13, 2007 at 07:55 PM
Vman, that was pretty funny. First laugh I had tonight.
Posted by: Michael A | November 13, 2007 at 07:56 PM
Get Kobe some help. He is wasting his prime years on this group of pretenders. This team needs help if they want to contend. He is playing like the Defensive Player of the Year, but it's all for nothing because his teamates are pathetic on defense. This team cannot stop anybody. Their only chance is to outscore the opposition, yet the fans and the media want Kobe to pass, and stop shooting so much. Does this make any sense considering the makeup of this roster? A trade needs to be made before the trade deadline in February. IT MUST BE MADE.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | November 13, 2007 at 07:57 PM
Last observation of the night.
I mean not defensive related, because really, I saw none. At least outside of the first 3 minutes.
AK is in San Antonio.
Posted by: Faith | November 13, 2007 at 07:57 PM
the WOLF,
I don't think it is about who starts, but about the distribution of minutes. Andrew ended up playing 27 minutes, which is about right for him. Mihm, who started, played only 6. Kwame was stinking it up, and so Phil restricted him to only 15 minutes.
I think the minutes worked out right. The problem was primarily that our big guns couldn't get untracked (Kobe and Lamar) on offense, and we were moving in slow motion on defense.
Posted by: RDaneel | November 13, 2007 at 07:58 PM
I don't see why Phil Jackson doesn't throw Critter into the mix when the game gets decided so early. This team played without any energy today.
When you see Ronny Turiaf sitting on his laurels on the bench with his hands covering his face, you know it's going to be a long night.
Posted by: AndrewT | November 13, 2007 at 07:59 PM
Faith,
I think this might have been Sasha's night Phil had put him in.
That pink under shirt could have started a trend on his breakthrough night!
Posted by: Vman | November 13, 2007 at 08:00 PM
Kobe Ball was our only chance tonight.
Unfortunately, he tried to be a fascillitator and the defensive stopper.
At least the Kobe haters are happy that Kobe didn't force many shots tonight.
The Kobe haters are happy that Kobe passed the ball to Luke and Kwame all night long.
The outcome doesn't matter, they played team ball. That's all that matters.
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | November 13, 2007 at 08:01 PM
No loss is as bad as it appears. And no win is as good you would have believe. Sure, they roasted us from the perimeter (6/6 for Bowen??), and we couldn't hit water in the ocean ourselves. Reverse that, and take into account the fact that it was on the Spurs' floor, it wasn't that bad.
Though not as simple, this is the second game where we have left the perimeter to pack the middle. Hopefully we learn from that.
Good news is that Bynum had another good game. Hopefully that gives him momentum going into the next game. Hope Phil was saving Kwame for Yao :)
Posted by: hariyahu | November 13, 2007 at 08:08 PM
Point differential. It's all point differential. How many times do I have to tell you?
Posted by: exhelodrvr | November 13, 2007 at 08:09 PM
15 guys strong? Why didn't sasha suit up?
Posted by: zen | November 13, 2007 at 08:10 PM
Lakersville, INTERNATIONAL…
By Michael C. Teniente
The San Antonio Spurs: Half-Court Offense: Elite Team
Are you kidding me? What the hell was that? Phil Jackson starts the game with Chris Mihm at center. Then he pulls him with 6 minutes left in the 1st quarter and replaces him with Bynum. He also pulls Turiaf and replaces him with Walton.
Then he plays Walton and Bynum for 12 straight minutes.
It’s not that the Lakers were doing bad during this time it’s that the players are getting the chance to establish any type of rhythm to the game.
Than at around the 6-minute mark of the 2nd quarter he replaces Bynum with Kwame Brown. The Spurs extended the lead during this time. The Lakers also committed a lot of turnovers in this stretch.
Kwame didn’t look good but neither did any of the other Lakers during the last 6-minutes of the 2nd quarter.
Now if you believe what the fans are saying on the blog…then why did PJ go with Kwame to start the 2nd half?
It was too late, man. The rhythm of the game is established at the start of the game and not with 6 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter. The rhythm of the game is established at the start of the game and not at the start of the 2nd half.
PJ is just incredibly stupid. He acts like he doesn’t understand the game. He acts like he doesn’t understand the concept of rhythm.
What are the Lakers going to do with this guy?
The rhythm of the defensive game revolves around the center.
The rotations of the center go like this:
Starter: 8-9 minutes
Back-up: 6-7 minutes
Starter: End the half with the rest of the minutes
Then you repeat that in the 2nd half.
What PJ did was absolutely insane. The game needs ONE rhythm! It would have been better to go with Mihm with the starting center rotations. This guy is trying to please too many people with his rotations. He’s not doing what is best for the team.
I mean here we are down by 19-points with 6-minutes left in the game. Both Bryant and Bynum are still in the game. If Bynum is the supposed starting center then why is he still in the game?
Now here’s what happened at the end of the 2nd quarter when Kwame entered the game.
Kwame enters the game with 6:22 left in the quarter and the score is Spurs 33-30.
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=271113024&period=2
We actually took the lead in less than a minute to make the score 34-33 with 5:31 left in the game.
Here’s how the Spurs separated themselves from the Lakers the rest of the way.
Parker makes a 7-footer to get the Spurs the lead 35-34 with 5:13 left in the quarter.
4:47: Turiaf turned the ball over.
4:43: Ginobili makes 2 free throws off of the turnover. The score is 37-34 Spurs.
4:35: Turiaf turns the ball over.
4:20: Bonner makes 2-points off that turnover. The score is 39-34 Spurs.
4:09: Turiaf makes 2 free throws. The score is 39-36 Spurs.
3:42: Bonner makes a 3-pointer. The score is 42-36 Spurs.
3:19: Bonner blocks a Turiaf shot.
3:09: Tim Duncan scores 2-points off that blocked shot. The score is 44-36 Spurs.
2:49: Derek Fisher travels and turns the ball over.
2:33: Bonner scores 2-points off that turnover. The score is 46-36 Spurs.
2:19: Kobe misses a 3-pointer.
2:00: Parker makes a 2-pointer. The score is 48-36 Spurs.
1:39: Kwame misses a shot.
1:29: Bonner makes a 3-pointer. The score is 51-36 Spurs.
1:15: Odom makes a 2-pointer. The score is 51-38 Spurs.
0:38: Bonner makes a 3-pointer. The score is 54-38 Spurs.
No more scoring for the rest of the quarter.
Now how is that Kwame’s fault?
The game was over right there! I’m stunned by the rotations. And if Kwame was at fault then why did PJ start him in the 2nd half? What happened to Mihm?
Those rotations were insane! The game had zero rhythm. Or the rhythm started by the Mihm unit wasn’t allowed to develop.
What is management going to do about this guy?
mike
p.s. The only good thing about this night is Jackie Johnson's style.
Posted by: Michael Teniente | November 13, 2007 at 08:12 PM
The intensity was good, execution was terrible.
It was a team loss, to the world champions.
If we keep playing with that intensity and as a team, good things will start to happen.
Posted by: Rocky | November 13, 2007 at 08:16 PM
What's frustrating about games like this is that the Lakers as constituted have the ABILITY to win, they just get scattered and out of rhythm. Mo Evans is completely over-rated. I'd rather see J-Crit get those minutes as a backup shooting guard. Sure, he'll get burned defensively a lot, but it would be an investment. Giving Evans minutes is just a waste.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | November 13, 2007 at 08:17 PM
Who sucks more; Luke Walton or Kwame Brown?
Posted by: troy | November 13, 2007 at 08:17 PM
Andrew was 4 of 5 from the field tonight, 4 of 5!!! What the hell is going on?!!! 5 freakin shots?!!! His teammates need to get him the ball early and often. Another team had a 3pt party tonight. PJ has got to get his lineup straight and have the Lakers play the 3 point line better. I would rather have Duncan try to score more than leave wide open shooters for the 3. Our bench once again played great, but the starters were lethargic after the first quarter. Kwame really sucks!!! Can't believe PJ started him for most of the 3rd quarter. If PJ criticizes Andrew and not Kwame tonight then PJ got his goatee from kissing Kwame's a$$ too much. We've got to get a win at Houston.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | November 13, 2007 at 08:20 PM
Mike T,
"Mtich Kupchak, in the Lakers Insider Magazine, said he does what all other fans do. He reads what's in papers and on the Internet.
KCAL 9, on LTV, reported last year that this site gets 5-7 thousands hits a day.
This is the largest newpaper outlet in the 2nd largest city in the States and you think the FO doesn't read what thier fans think?
So? Whats your point? Sure Mitch will go to L.A times and read the news. He's human just like all of us. But I find it extremely far fetched that he would read through our boring blog posts..Give me a break! If he would go as far as to read these blog posts, he would respond once in a while.THIS BLOG IS NOT WORTH HIS TIME.
KCAL 9 annouced the hit totals because AK/BK told them during a feature they did on them. Again, get your facts straight.
No, I don't think the Laker FO reads this blog. They read the paper, but actually going online and reading all these blog posts is a complete waste of their time.
Posted by: zen | November 13, 2007 at 08:23 PM
We were still in the game until that crucial substitution in the 2nd, taking out Bynum and putting in Kwame.
This was certainly a team loss, but since Kwame is allegedly the defensive stopper, I found it odd that the lay-up drill began right when Kwame entered the game.
Things that make you go, Hmmmmmm.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | November 13, 2007 at 08:25 PM
Oh my God....I am so angry right now. For the less than handful of you who read my responses to these blogs know that I am all Lakers, all time...Right now however, I am feeling so angry it hurts!
Why Why Why Why, can't the Lakers get it....make Tony Parker beat them, DO NO COLLAPSE on him because good PGs kick it out, especially a team like the Spurs.
The second and certainly the thing that hurts me most is Andrew Bynum. Why in God's name did they not get him involved....through three quarters Bynum had only two or three touches....I counted them! My God I have never been so hurt watching a game. The only time Bynum got the ball was when he got a rebound or a block! Anyone here to disagree with me that Drew didn't look good out there would be a fool...the few times I was mad and I can't blame him was when he went to play help defense...I knew Fisher wouldn't fare well against Parker because that was the start of the Laker's true playoff demise when the Spurs eliminated them preventing them from going for their fourth straight (hence why they got Malone and Payton the next season)....he cannot play the screen roll and recover in time to a much faster Tony parker...noticed how the complexion of the game changed once Jordan Farmer (who I think may be closer to being a legitimate impact than I first estimated) entered the game, watch it, this kid still has an uspide he's just starting to tap...good stuff on Duncan by the way. Another thing that gave me hope but angered me was when Bynum first got in the game, they (lakers) went to him and Duncan picked up a quick foul, followed by that other Spurs player down in the block. The Lakers failed to show the concept of common sense right then and there by not capitalizing on the two quick fouls by feeding Bynum....poor kid, must be frustrating.
And to all of you Kobe Haters (mind you the only gripe I have on Kobe was that he took too many threes in the end) THAT is what happens when Kobe gets this 'TEAM' invovled....he tried to not play KOBE-BALL as some of you call it and get everyone invovled....and as for Lamar Odom, I will resurrect my battle cry; TRADE HIM! He had countless mismatches and failed to instigate the one-two punch that Kobe needed, and what did he do? resort to the same old passiveness and decided to be agression when the game was over! It was a mistake to start Fisher over Farmer, and where is the taller/faster Javaris, yes he's a rookie but if you're gonna try some of the crap Phil did tonight, might as well toss the hungry rookie out there and let him get a taste.
Honest to the Father above, right now If I were to see Phil Jackson I would send the butt stock of my M-16 into his brand new hips so he can feel the kind of pain that I am feeling. I am so hurt by this! Get Bynum invovled! The key to the Laker's sucess this season depends on that 7ft 1 20-year old kid, and if I turn out to be wrong at season's end I will never post here, and I will take my black purple and gold, powder blue and white, purple white and gold along with the Laker's home jersey to salvation army and never watch basketball again because I wouldn't know the slightest thing about it. I've never been more certain....the Laker's success this season will go through Bynum, and I say we dump Lamar Odom in a trade now...kiss and make up with the Suns for Marion...just get rid of him! His recent return from injury is no excuse, especially if he had a game of mismatches. Phil Jackson must be high on what Jeanie is giving him to somehow think he could get more out of Mihm and Kwame by starting them over Bynum. If Phil and the Lakers don't want to use Bynum...fine send him over to us Army guys...I'd definitely take him in my squad...we'd know how to use him even for a a lot less money than he's making right now. This is the kid's year...give him the reigns to the middle NOW!
Posted by: Rhon Salmon | November 13, 2007 at 08:26 PM
Good morning Lakers nation!!!
We got executed tonight. Spurs are veteran team and the gave the lakers a clinic tonight.
Positives KOBE, Bynum, Jordan & Ronny.
These passed six games Kobe has been playing good defense and shooting around 50% on 20 shots per game. That is good. His defense tonight was good.
Bynum is the real deal.
50 rebounds and we still lost!!!
Negatives , two words 'Luke Warmton',
What the hell was doing to . We have had 'Kobe Ball' now we have got 'Luke Ball'. That is namely, I will dribble the ball aimlessly then got to basket with on of my patented missed lay-ups. This guy should be on the 'Bench Unit'
Turnovers killed us tonight, we really got stay focused and reduce them.
Kwame nice dunk, but please keep your eyes on the prize ball and off those cakes
We are a Ying/yang team, on game we scary good ie at Phoenix, then tonight we scary bad.
We will win at Houston, go lakers
p.s. I have been off the board due to moving house!!!
I have not been kicked off by AK/BK LOL!! Well not yet!!!
Aaarrrhhhh!!
Angry_Laker
Posted by: Angry_Laker | November 13, 2007 at 08:32 PM
How a guy 7-feet tall can only get one board in 14 minutes is beyond me. I guess he just isn't into the game.
Posted by: Michael A | November 13, 2007 at 08:43 PM
It is time to Start Andrew. NOW!
We are down by 33-30 when Kwame comes in. 13 points on SIX OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS IN SIX MINUTES later we end the half down by 15. End of the ball game.
Yes it was much more then Kwame but folks you can not have your center with 1 rebound!! Andrew had 12 in 26 minutes. And he held his own defensively as well. The Spurs only had 21 at the end of the quarter.
We also need to feed the post more. He is a scoring option that will make everyones job easier. Start Andrew NOW!!!
MH
Posted by: michael h | November 13, 2007 at 08:50 PM
I mean, how do you start a guy, Mihm, and not go back to him for the rest of the game?
If PJ actually believed in Mihm why didn't he go back to him? And if he doesn't believe in Mihm why did he start him?
This guy is not making any sense.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | November 13, 2007 at 09:00 PM
This three center thing is just stupid. I didn't get why Chris Mihm started the game with Kwame back. And I understand it even less when I see that Mihm didn't even make it back into the game. And after fans complaining about how Kobe stops the offense by dribbling the clock out and getting taking a crazy shot we've got Luke doing the same thing. I never thought I'd be screaming at the screen for Luke to pass the ball.
Posted by: Xodus | November 13, 2007 at 09:13 PM
No matter how you look at it. we lost the game. It's not anybody's fault but the whole team sucks. We're no match better luck next time when they get to Staples. Our focus should be on the next game tomorrow which are the Rockets, get even and we're back to the groove. For the loss tonite, it's not Walton, it's not Mihm, it's not Kwame alone but a team meltdown.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 13, 2007 at 09:13 PM
We dodged a bullet with Mihm in there, but we got our chest blown out by a 12 gauge with Kwame
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | November 13, 2007 at 09:13 PM
Thank God NBA.com started keeping the +/- stat. In hockey, its one of the key stats used to evaluate players. I've wandered why not in B-Ball for years and years. For those who don't know, it simply means how many points your team outscored the opponent while you were on the court (+), or got outscored (-).
Look at tonight's numbers:
http://www.nba.com/games/20071113/LALSAS/gameinfo.html?nav=scoreboardhome
The only Lakers in the plus are:
Luke +7
Mo +7
Drew +3
and Radman +3
Kobe let the way in the minus column with -23, and Kwame got -17 in just 14 paltry minutes. Minus 17 in 14 minutes of play for the cowbrain. That means in the 14 minutes Kwame played, Lakers got outscored by 17 points. Abysmal!
Must have forgotten to chow down his corn flakes this morning.
Posted by: HAB | November 13, 2007 at 09:15 PM
Laker Truth
Tell Kobe to assure the F.O that he will not opt out and you might see a trade. If he doesnt, there will be no big trades.
MH
Posted by: michael h | November 13, 2007 at 09:20 PM
Oh man what a game! I'm glad its over..wish it was a WIN but whatever...the Lakers need to be consistent..but that's asking a lot it seems...hopefully they can WIN in Houston..but remember what happened last season..Battier went crazy for 3 balls..I just hate it when teams decide to unload from 3 point land when they play the Lakers..it makes me angry >:(
Posted by: drew | November 13, 2007 at 09:20 PM
HAB-
It's a good stat, for sure, but to really use it well you need to keep track of the other four guys on the floor as well. Obviously, the combination on the floor (for both teams) can alter that stat significantly without actually being a reflection of how an individual player performed. But no doubt it can be an instructive stat, and it can often confirm what you thought you saw while watching.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 13, 2007 at 09:24 PM
I mean check out the Tim Duncan rotations
1st quarter: 8:10 played
2nd quarter: plays the last 9:11 of the quarter.
That's 17 minutes in the half.
3rd quarter: He played for 8:37 of the quarter
4th quarter: Enters the game with 7:52 remaing and the Spurs leading by 20.
He gets pulled with 3:15 left in the game.
He played 31 minutes. The Spurs coach uses the normal rotations for the centers.
A rough pattern is:
8 minutes to start.
Rest the next 8 minutes
Finish the half with the last 8 minutes.
Repeat that in the 2nd half.
I don't care if our centers aren't as good as Duncan. Our starting center has to go with the normal rotations for the sake of rhythm unless, from the start of the game, we're getting killed.
I don't care who starts but one of our centers has to get the starting center's normal rotations.
What PJ is doing right now isn't going to benefit any of our centers.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | November 13, 2007 at 09:26 PM
A few impressions.
I don't want to praise anybody too much after such a loss - but Bynum looked solid. Not perfect - there were times he was pushed away from the basket. As his body continues maturing, that will improve. But for most of his time he was more than solid. The NBA TV commentators repeatedly wondered why the Lakers weren't getting the ball to Bynum.
Farmar looked excellent at times - though he made some stupid mistakes too. But again, the NBA TV commentators were floored by his raw speed.
Turiaf played great at times - made mistakes at others. Overall, very solid.
I won't bag on Kwame for two reasons. First game back after a lingering injury, it had to affect him. Second reason - he wasn't as bad tonight as some posters have said. He made some very nice plays. His rebounding was terrible, which makes me think that his foot injury is affecting that.
What killed the Lakers is defense against the three, and their ability to hit the three. Prevent a couple of them, and hit a decent percentage of them, and the Lakers are in it. Instead the Lakers clanked the rim on their threes, and kept leaving Spurs wide open on the outside. Same thing as against New Orleans. That's a problem that has to be fixed.
Posted by: akrasian | November 13, 2007 at 09:26 PM
Are we getting a post game wrap up from AK?
Posted by: Xodus | November 13, 2007 at 09:28 PM
I like how some of the comments on this blog go up and down like a rollercoaster. One minute Bynum and Farmar are the second coming, and the next Kobe has the worst supporting cast in the league.
The bottom line is, as I've been saying for some time, just like the last 2 seasons the Lakers stink on the defensive end. This year, in particular, we're giving up a lot of 3s because the coaching staff decided that stopping the penetration was key -- remember Phil said in the preseason that he wants the team to play D where they keep shooters in front of them. Well, while they focus on stopping penetration, the opposing players are taking and hitting wide open 3s.
The Lakers need to switch more aggresively on the perimeter and make players pick up their dribble, or turn their back to the basket. They also need to challenge entry passes better. Bottom line: they need to play a little harder and a whole lot smarter.
I do hope though that the team will get better defensively as the season goes on. You can't just turn on great defense, it has to be groomed and learned over time. So, hopefully, the Lakers will gel defensively over the next few weeks.
Posted by: b4hoops | November 13, 2007 at 09:32 PM
Mike T.
I agree on the center rotations. PJ needs to decide on two centers instead of trying to play three. Kwame and Bynum need to get the minutes and Mihm needs to be used in emergency situations. Either when both are in foul trouble or because of injury. What he did tonight with those two was stupid.
And Walton needs to pull it together. If he's not playing at a high level on offense, he's useless.
Posted by: Xodus | November 13, 2007 at 09:35 PM
Akrasian, the foot can't be an excuse for his poor rebounding. Wes Unseld couldn't jump over a pencil, and was only 6'7", but he could rebound like a demon. Of course, he knew what he was doing. Maybe it's not Kwame's foot that's the problem.
Posted by: Michael A | November 13, 2007 at 09:35 PM
If there is any experiment PJ want to try lI recommend this one:
For Rockets
1 Fisher/Farmar/Critt
2. Kobe/Mo/Karl
3 Vlad /Luke
4 LO/Turiaf
5 Bynum/Kwame
Inactive: Mihm, Sasha, Cook
For Pistons
1 Fisher/Farmar/Critt
2 Kobe/Mo/Sasha
3 Vlad/Cook
4 LO/Turiaf
5 Bynum/Mihm
Inactive: Karl/Luke/Kwame
Let's try some other looks on unknown players and slowly get to the game. We need shooters, we need speed & activity, we need competence and accuracy out there.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | November 13, 2007 at 09:35 PM
Sasha is going to save us! I just feel it.
Posted by: minu | November 13, 2007 at 09:38 PM
LO had no idea at all how to get into the flow. THat was the most disappointing. If our 6'10 flash of a forward can't dominate a 6'6 white guy from South America, there's no hope. Without a consistent #2 option the Lakers will remain 2nd tier.
Posted by: Vman | November 13, 2007 at 09:45 PM
Goodnight Jackie Johnson!
LOL!
She's so beautiful, man.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | November 13, 2007 at 09:46 PM
vman,
LO was pulled from the 3 spot just 6 minutes into the game. PJ pulled Turiaf and Mihm for Bynum and Walton. When Walton came in that moves LO to the 3 spot.
This guy is crazy!
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | November 13, 2007 at 10:00 PM
"Akrasian, the foot can't be an excuse for his poor rebounding. Wes Unseld couldn't jump over a pencil, and was only 6'7", but he could rebound like a demon. Of course, he knew what he was doing. Maybe it's not Kwame's foot that's the problem."
Most rebounders rely on jumping to get rebounds. Unseld was unworldly at getting position - but you can't judge most rebounders by that. It's just a fact that rebounders who are having trouble jumping do poorly, for the most part. And since Kwame normally rebounds much better than he did tonight, and we know he is coming off of an injury, I think it's most realistic to account for that. Now, that is a reason to not play Kwame (at least heavily) until he is fully recovered. One thing amazing tonight was that the only Laker center who could actually rebound tonight was Bynum. Incidentally, not counting tonight (which would actually help his stats) Bynum is second in the NBA among players for rebounds per 48 minutes - not counting those who don't even get on the court for ten minutes a game. He's turning into a rebounding machine.
Posted by: akrasian | November 13, 2007 at 10:04 PM
BK,
I realize a single stat is not a tell all. But when you look at numerous pieces of stats at random, and they all tell the same story, that story starts to sound better and better. That story is that when Luke plays, Lakers do much better than when he doesn't.
35 and 24 = 59% winning percentage in games Luke played last season
7 and 16 = 30% winning percentage in games Luke did not play last season
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3735/gamelog;_ylt=As16WXJjwGOCGXe7beT72iakvLYF?year=2006
In 11 games that Luke played, but both Kwame and Lamar missed Lakers went 7 wins and 4 losses. 64% wins (Jan 4 thru Jan 22)
In games Kwame played, but both Lamar and Luke were out Lakers went 0 wins and 5 losses. 0.00% win (Mar 4 thru Mar 11)
Yes, Luke made a couple of boneheaded plays today. Even Kobe almighty makes mistakes. I've seen it happen myself, so it's not just a rumor. Expert after expert come out and call Luke one of the highest BB IQs in the league. Magic said it. Norm Nixon said his is the best on this Laker team (not excluding Kobe).
It's not like Luke has ever been my favorite player. I used to say Lamar is my favorite Laker, but this season I am loving seeing Drew dominate the paint. But when I see several posters write that Luke is the reason Lakers lost, it makes me want to knock some sense into them.
Yes, Luke is slow and unathletic. Yes, he will never make the All-Star game. But he when he is playing, Lakers win at a much higher clip than when he is not. He is glue. And some of you are on glue. Phil knows it, and Phil will continue to look for ways to play Luke as much as possible. Deal with it.
Posted by: HAB | November 13, 2007 at 10:10 PM
akrasian
"Kwame normally rebounds much better than he did tonight"
He had A rebound tonight. It is a whopping 6 away from his sorry average. I'm gonna have to look through webmd.com because im not sure if lack of passion for the game is one of the major symptoms of bursitis. I think it's safe to say that kwame is built to at least average 10 rebounds per. The guy is a complete failure in everything but defense. As for his defense, I wouldnt even call it great. Above average at best. GARBAGE GARBAGE GARBAGE.
Posted by: sixonezero | November 13, 2007 at 10:26 PM
Incidentally, I don't know what was specifically up with the center rotation tonight - but Bynum got about the number of minutes I expected. I suspect that Jackson saw that Mihm was ineffectual, and gave the minutes he didn't want to give to Bynum to Kwame instead. No reason to think of some weird conspiracy on it. Jackson hasn't been starting Bynum, since the other two centers have health issues and he thinks Bynum can come in whenever appropriate, with no downtime. He thought Mihm would be better than Kwame, with Kwame's foot problem. When that turned out not to be the case, he yanked Mihm, and played Bynum and Kwame the rest of the way - starting Kwame in the second half for the reason that has been stated since opening night.
I'm not sure why anybody is acting like it's an insane rotation - it fits in exactly with what the Lakers have been saying since opening night.
Posted by: akrasian | November 13, 2007 at 10:31 PM
HAB-
I'm with you in terms of how it can be an instructive stat. Just pointing out that it, like most, has limitations. But like you say, when you start to put it together with other things it can be revealing. I think their record without Luke last year shows that he plays an important role on the team, and they're not nearly as good when he's not healthy. His game over the first few isn't as good as it was early last year, but a) it's a long year and he can get back to it, and b) he's still a valuable commodity on the team.
People (not talking about you specifically) often look to try to find "the" problem with the team when they don't succeed, as if success and failure on a basketball team is a zero sum game. It's "______'s fault." In reality, the Lakers have a lot of players who provide value while being imperfect. They're role players, and role players usually aren't more than that for a reason. They lack certain skills. But the Lakers need all of them to be playing well and staying healthy if they're going to make any progress in the W.C.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | November 13, 2007 at 11:21 PM
It's all about boxing out. Every good rebounder knows that. Sure, jumping helps, but to be consistent at it, you have to know where your man is. And good foot, bad foot, for his size, Kwame is a TERRIBLE rebounder. That's the biggest reason I doubt his foot was that much of a factor.
Posted by: Michael A | November 14, 2007 at 04:33 AM
Akraisian,
Rebounding is much more about positioning than jumping. Those who depend primarily on jumping pick up a lot of "bad fouls"; Bynum is doing much less of that this season. Unfortunately, Kwame almost never puts himself in position for rebounds. Same thing with playing help defense. You would think he would have learned by now. That has nothing to do with the size of his hands or rushing his shot, it's simply paying attention. Not paying attention would also explain the frequency with which he drops passes.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | November 14, 2007 at 06:28 AM