Route 66%
Easy access to confirming numbers notwithstanding, we'll go out on a limb and assume that there have been very few NBA games when a team shot 66% from the floor, as the Lakers did Friday night against Philadelphia, and lost. Well, it didn't happen yesterday, either, as L.A. controlled the game from start to finish en route to a glass smooth 124-93 win over the Sixers. The purple and gold hadn't seen that level of efficiency since 1984, and were aided in part by a Philly defense that practically laid a red carpet down to the hole. Everyone, from Andrew Bynum (who dominated early, notching a double-double by the middle of Q2) to Ronny Turiaf (who stepped in for a suspended L.O. with 15 points and five blocks) to Javaris Crittenton (career high 19 points in a career high 24 minutes) found access to the rim fairly clear. Who needs the three pointer? L.A. notched 58 points in the paint, and picked up 26 more from the stripe, many of which came thanks to fouls on the way in. All told, seven Lakers scored in double figures, as L.A. took care of business against a weak foe, something they've struggled to do over the last season or two.
Given the gaggle of weak sister opponents they'll see over the next ten days, it's a habit they'll be happy to break. The Lakers were happy to have a bounce back game, and particularly happy to see one from Andrew Bynum, who showed a little more polish in the post while still energizing the crowd with some big time dunks.
A few more of these robust box scores, and L.A.'s place in John Hollinger's fancy playoff projections will get even better.
The Lakers will get Odom back for Sunday's game against the Pacers, but don't expect Vlad Rad to run. The lanky forward will miss that game, and perhaps a couple more with an ankle that's all swoll. Sasha Vujacic also missed Friday night's game, but is more likely to suit up tomorrow. If he doesn't, the Critter could see some more minutes, a precious commodity for him this year, due in part to the strong, steadying play of Derek Fisher (and Jordan Farmar, of course).
The supporting cast in general has been strong, and if Kobe wants to land his first MVP award- we think he'd be willing to clear some space on the mantle, if need be- that'll need to continue, as team success is a major prerequisite.
Good news? If the MVP doesn't go his way, maybe Kobe has another potential career move- as an agent, starting with Andre Iguodala, for whom he had some praise and advice.
Dallas is still winning games, but they haven't been dominant in doing so. Does that mean a J. Kidd deal could be on the horizon for Cuban and Co.? Phoenix, who has seen their depth erode over the last few seasons, may still stick with what they've got.
Backing up Darren Collison at UCLA hasn't kept Russell Westbrook off the NBA radar.
Sometimes, you just have to go Lenovo.
Finally, just for funsies, "Wang Chung."
Mike T...I could have sworn that you mentioned Chandler and Bynum as the same type of defender.....Then you say ..But the team to keep an eye on is the hornets..
???....still waiting for the big man journal...Can you explain who seals the middle for the hornets..????
Posted by: Thirty2 | January 06, 2008 at 12:00 PM
AK & BK - By the way, thanks for your great blog. You're freakishly good at what you do (I mean that as a compliment!).
I think the energy, insights, and enthusiasm that you bring to this blog always make for an interesting read.
I haven't watched many Laker's games this season, but reading this blog has always kept me informed with the behind-the-scenes info that brings depth to the usual media outlets..
Posted by: jef | January 06, 2008 at 12:08 PM
I'm just gonna state facts for the past two years. Here's the stats for the past two playoff series against the defensively challenged Suns.
05-06 7 game series against Suns:
Andrew Bynum:
1 game, played 2 minutes, had zeroes across the board. He only played two minutes the entire series.
Kwame Brown:
7 games, 32.1 minutes per game, 6.6 rpg, 12.9 ppg. We lost this series despite Kwame being matched up against 6'8 center Boris Diaw making the Suns even more defensively challenged without Amare Stoudemire. Big play of game 6, Kwame running past Tim Thomas instead of challenging shot that tied game and sent game into overtime. Bottom line, we lost even with the big advantage inside and so called elite status defense(If the Suns beat our elite defense with Kwame, where does that put their defense, above elite?)
06-07 5 game series against Suns:
Andrew Bynum:
5 games played, 11.0 minutes per game, 4.6 rpg, 4.0 ppg
Kwame Brown:
5 games played, 26.6 minutes per game, 5.6 rgg, 8.6 ppg
We lost the series 4-1 and the only game we won was game 3 in which Kwame scored 18 points which helped boost his scoring average to 8 points per game. Amare averaged better than 20-10 for the series. No way can anyone say that the Suns scored all their layups during Drew's 11 minutes on the floor which is less than half of Kwame's starting minutes. Once again, if our defense is elite with Kwame in there then Suns who beat us again and is defensively challenged played better defense than we did. I'll point out again that it's not about Kwame versus Andrew, but team defense. Anyone who states that we're elite defensively with Kwame in the middle has to say that the Suns who play no defense are better defensively than we are if they beat us twice in the first round and easier and quicker the second time around. This is the bottom line despite all the analysis.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | January 06, 2008 at 12:19 PM
I'm not going to even speak about Boston, Detroit or SA because we haven't played any of them in a real meaningful game in three years. I'll just speak to our main nemesis over the past two seasons, the Phoenix Suns. In both the regular and postseason since the arrival of Nash, the Suns have owned us period!!! Keep in mind that this is the team that everyone says can't win a championship unless they play some defense and yet they're the team that we can't get past. If we're supposedly the better team defensively, than why do we lose to a team that doesn't play defense at all? Maybe because when we play them, they're better defensively than we are with Kwame in the middle. Hard to argue since they kicked our butts the past two regular and post seasons.
Fast forward to the present where we've beaten the Suns twice convincingly with the changes we've made. Drew has outplayed Amare in both games and the Suns have been unable to stop the Lakers which hadn't been the case the past two seasons. This is why I said that the changes PJ has made this year is intriguing because we need to make a run for our division first before looking to bigger things and the Suns are again in the way. Should we get to SA, Boston or Detroit it would mean that we've bypassed a Suns team that has held us down the past two seasons. When we get beyond the Suns, then we'll deal with the next level of beasts that await. Until then, go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | January 06, 2008 at 12:39 PM
LTLF,
Your suggested lineup is good when those players are producing; unfortunately Sasha, Walton, and Vlad haven't been playing well lately. Having Kwame with the second unit doesn't do a lot. Not many teams have backup centers with a strong offensive game, so you get minimal benefit from his defense, but the maximum deficit from his lack of offense and poor rebounding. Those are covered up to some degree with the starters. But Bynum is so much better than Kwame now that it doesn't make sense not to start him.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | January 06, 2008 at 12:46 PM
I'll say over again and again that we have only the past two years of hard evidence to fall back on when it comes to analyzing our teams progress which went from a grueling 7 game series against the Suns(I don't know if we can count game 7 because we didn't even show up) to feebly bowing out in 5 games last year. The major difference in the two series was the return of Amare Stoudemire in the middle. The result was the series ended more quickly and wasn't anywhere near what it was the year before. If anything, we went backwards not forward, worse not better. The one game we won was when Kwame actually scored and made Amare work on the defensive end.
Even in the 7 game series that we nearly pulled out, Kwame was averaging nearly 13 points a game which shows how different the game can be come playoff time if our bigs can give us something on both ends of the floor. Anyone on here think that PJ and the Lakers wouldn't take 12 points and 10 boards a game from Kwame even now is out of their mind!!! When Kwame averaged 12 and 6 we stretched the Suns to 7 games, when he didn't we lost in 5(could've been swept, but barely pulled out game 3). Fact is when Kwame produced on both ends of the court we won or were close, when he didn't we lost. We can't even talk about the Spurs, Celtics or Pistons until we get past the Suns. Enter Andrew Bynum.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | January 06, 2008 at 01:02 PM
With Kwame and Drew splitting time and the addition of Fisher and Ariza, we should go further this year than we have the past two seasons. Like any other team, we'll need some luck as well when it comes to injuries and other issues that may arise. We'll see how things progress with these changes as the season goes on. PJ will definitely keep us on the edge of our seats.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | January 06, 2008 at 01:15 PM
If Kwame were so doggone good...then the Lakers would be great. Bottom line is that he isn't and the team is still a work in progress.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 06, 2008 at 01:25 PM
Anything new ? duh ...
Kwame vs Bynum .... bbbboooooooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg
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Posted by: Albert Philippines | January 06, 2008 at 01:54 PM
"Mike T...I could have sworn that you mentioned Chandler and Bynum as the same type of defender"
They are! You would want to watch the Hornets because of how they would play against the Lakers. That could spell trouble for the Lakers.
When I say watch the Hornets I kinda meant that they resemble the Suns in a way. By that I mean Chris Paul and Steve Nash. They operate a bit differently but they have the effect on the game.
What makes them different is that have Chandler in the middle, while the Suns have Amare. Now that is interesting!
Check out the last 2 Hornets games against the Warriors and the Suns.
Check out the Warriors game first:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=Ats0TzrjVsja4mqFy8RP8WSQvLYF?gid=2008010409
Check out the numbers for Chandler and Biedrins. Both score 20 points but look at the rebounds.
But then check the Warriors shooting percentage. It's like over 500 from the field. Then check out their 3 point shooting. It's 304.
The field goal percentage verses the 3 points percent tells you that the Warriors were getting a lot of points in the paint.
Then look at the Hornets shooting percentage. It's 483. That's not bad at all. But then look at the 3 point shooting percentage. 444...that's not a bad 3 point shooting percentage.
What it all means is that both team were allowing points in the paint. You know the Hornets with Chris Paul were killng Biedrins and the Warriors middle.
But the Warriors were killing Chandler in the middle, too.
This is what I mean by the idea of having no defensive philosophy. What they do is just go up and down and whoever is hot will win the game. That's a weak philosophy. What makes the Hornets interesting is where they were last season compared to where they are this season.
The Hornet are a 2nd tier team, in my opinion. They resemble the Lakers in philosophy.
Now check the Hornets next game against the Suns:
Look at the numbers for Chandler and Amare.
Chandler got the best of Amare for the same reasons why Bynum gets the best of Amare. Amare is really a power forward and not a center.
But Chandler wasn't able to stop the Suns from playing their philosophy of ball. Again, look at the shooting percentage of the Suns from the field. 532...that's excellent.
Then check out the Suns shooting percentage from the 3 point line. 333...that's where they lost the game.
Again, check out the Hornets shooting percentage from the field and the 3 point line. It's almost the same as it was against the Warriors.
What does it all mean? That Chandler isn't able to control the pace of the game just like Bynum can't.
In both of those games the Hornets scored very high or else they would have lost.
Again the reason to watch the Hornets is because they are practically the same as the Lakers. The difference between the Hornets and the Lakers is that the Hornets have a low post scorer in David West. The Hornets have what many are saying is the best point guard in the league right now.
But with all that I didn't say that the Hornets are an elite team. Just a team to watch.
Interesting enough is how the Hornets are 23-11 and the Lakers are 20-11. They play almost the same style of ball because their centers aren't able to control the pace of the game.
What's interesting about the Hornets is that their defense is the 4th best in the league but when it came down to it against the 2 best run and gun teams, the Suns and the Warriors...they couldn't control the pace of the game.
The difference between the Celtics, Pistons, Spurs and the Hornets is this:
The Celtics, Pistons, and the Spurs can impliment their defense to control the pace of the game against the likes of the Suns, Warriors, and the Lakers.
The Hornets who average 97 points a game had to score 116 and 118 points against the Warrior and the Suns. They weren't able to set their defensive pace that would allow them to win with 97 points in those games.
But look at the Hornets from Dec. 9th to Dec. 29th.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3930/gamelog;_ylt=AkKCHqOGaYVP8U5dT9qggcmkvLYF
Look at the solid wins. Look at the scores. Then look at who they played. Then go further down and look at the scores against Detriot and San Antonio.
Detroit beat them 91-76.
San Antonio beat them 97-85.
In the Detroit game look at Chandlers' numbers. Not bad! Not bad! But look at the shooting percentage of the Hornets from the field and the 3 point line. 347 and 267.
That's Detroit's defense. But then look at the Pistons shooting percentage. 412 from the field and get this 286 from the 3 point line.
What does that mean? It means that the Piston rely on their defense to win games. And their offense is based on pure execution. Chanlder can get his number but what good is that against a team that plays defense first.
Chanlder's rebounds in that game were 22. But the Hornets only outrebounded the the Pistons by 1 rebound 48-47.
But look at how the Pistons got their rebounds. Their starters all came away with decent rebounding numbers. The Hornets had to rely on Chanlder's 22 rebounds to keep pace. The Pistons' bench outrebounded the Hornets 9-8.
What does all that mean? The configuration of the Pistons' team defense serves the whole, while the Hornets' configuration serves Chandlers' stat line.
Just like the Lakers the Hornets will beat the weak teams and the likes of the Suns and the Warriors. But against true defensive teams. No chance!
Watch the Hornets...they play similar to the Lakers. Watch what happens when the play the Lakers. Is that better?
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | January 06, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Mike T.
The Lakers are just not that kind of team to play Detroit/SA style. We do not have the personnel to be that way. LO is not very good at holding SFs or PFs by himself. He's a decent help defender/ passing lane type player. Kobe can play any style of D, and Fish, to me, is underrated on his on ball defense. Ariza is good at one on one but his help D is suspect. Kwame, also doesn't have the motor to be a lock down 40min type player. He's just so relaxed out there. If he was a really good, like say, B. Wallace then maybe we could play like that. Where we are deliberate in our offense; waiting to get the best shot possible. However, Kwame is not that type of player. Best believe that the coaching staff has tried to find Kwame a niche. It seems he plays best against bigger opponents and those who run pick and roll offense. Kwame is needed against the bigger teams like Boston, but he didn't help out that day. Maybe because he just came back from injury.
But it doesn't matter as long as no one can stop us offensively. Getting easy/ high percentage shots helps this particular team. The Laker personnel is better suited to play the way they are playing now. The Lakers are a work in progress. So lets just hope they continue to blow out lower echelon teams and have a chance at the end against elite teams. All Kobe needs is a shot at the end.
Posted by: Drefdeezy | January 06, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Mike T....Thanks for the reply..and the breakdown...Your points are valid ....one last thing.....When the Hornets played the Pistons and the spurs
the 2 things that stand out to me are this...1....Bruce Bowen to keep Peja in check....Prince to keep Peja in check........
....2......Billups to guard Paul.....Parker on Paul...In the Laker game the 2 players that cut us up......Peja and Pual....
Fisher and Walton are not the answer...Ariza might help
Posted by: Thirty2 | January 06, 2008 at 05:24 PM