Considering the price of tickets and parking, they should play free basketball more often
Arguably more than any franchise in sports, the Lakers have a gift and flair for drama. And this 108-104 OT win over the Mavs featured more drama than those chicks on "The Hills" after one too many appletinis. Seven lead changes. Fifteen times knotted up. A three ball from Dirk Nowitzki with two seconds left in regulation, meaning five minutes of NBA action on the house. A missed freebie from Jason Kidd after a brain cramp foul from Pau Gasol when a conceded bucket was in order. Laker D on display from start to finish (save the first quarter, Dallas' FG% remained below 40). And finally, a monster effort from Kobe Bryant, who helped his squad overcome some poor shooting of their own by offering them eleven seats on his back. 52 points to complement eleven boards, four dimes and two blocks. 22 points in the fourth. 8 in overtime.
Perhaps the stat that demonstrates Kobe's much ballyhooed ability to turn it on when it counts the most: 15 attempts from the stripe during the fourth quarter and overtime. 15 makes. Pretty clutch under any circumstances, but when you take into account the rare struggle he was encountering during the opening three frames (5-12), the impressiveness of that perfect clip down the stretch becomes further magnified.
There were others helping Kobe in his quest. Luke Walton fouled out, but racked his third consecutive solid game (11/6, with a pair of steals and some active D), slowly providing Laker fans with some hope that his season-long cobwebs might be fading. Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic both struggled with their shots, but provided solid D on (respectively) Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd for long stretches. LO was also good for ten boards. And while Pau Gasol's lockdown deficiencies were exposed on several occasions during the contest, his 17/14/5/3 steal/2 blocks hardly brought nothing to the table).
Similar to how Tuesday's win against Portland struck me as beneficial and revealing of this team's makeup (the first in eons where these Lakers needed to come back from far down), this afternoon was also pretty key. Big game. Legit team. National TV. OT. Lot of breakdowns and gaffes that could have left a team too deflated to continue battling. Not the case with these Lakers. Not that I expected oodles of quit on the hardwood, since this team's been pretty consistent when it comes to keeping their heads up and blood icy. But it never hurts to see one more reminder, especially against a team they could find themselves doing battle with sometime in April or May.
The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK.
AK
The Good:
- Kobe Bryant: 52 points, 11 rebounds (including some massive, massive grabs on both ends down the stretch), four dimes, two blocks. He scored 38 of LA's 58 second half points, including 22 of 28 in the fourth, and eight of 15 in OT. After missing seven free throws early, Kobe was lights out down the stretch, hitting all 15 he took in the fourth quarter and extra period. As we've written a lot on this site, Kobe has, going back to last season, altered his game, and I think has allowed it to mature, exerting his influence on games more profoundly in ways that don't involve shooting and scoring. Today, he had one of those signature Kobe Bryant games, where down the stretch he simply refused to let his team end up on the wrong end of the final score.
- Lakers D: There were some holes- the Dirk Nowitzki shot to put the game into OT for example, and the Pau Gasol foul, perhaps one of the ten worst fouls in the history of the game, that gave the Mavs a shot to send it to a second extra frame- but overall the Lakers played some pretty good defense against a very solid team. Dallas came into the game averaging 99 points a night, and scored 93 in regulation. As a team, they shoot over 46% from the floor. Today, Dallas was stuck at 37%. Among those who were particularly good:
Sasha Vujacic, who couldn't shoot to save his life (more on that in a sec), but made Jason Kidd work hard down the stretch to get some space. Nobody shuts Kidd down completely and there were times Kidd got the best of him, but at the every least, Sasha worked his ass off to make Kidd's life as tough as possible. He was as effective on him as anyone Phil Jackson put on the future HOFer all night.
Lamar Odom. Yes, Dirk hit the three to send the game into OT, a play in which a) Odom didn't stick closely enough to Nowitzki off the inbound (as many bloggers pointed out), then got lost in a double screen while b) Gasol was craptastic in his effort to close as the help defender. But overall, Odom made Dirk work offensively. He'd finish 10-26, which is a lot of shots to end up with 30 points, and at one point was 7-21 (with a couple makes coming against Gasol). Most of the shots Dirk made were basically unguardable. Remember, the dude has won some MVPs, so there's not a defender on the planet who can shut him down totally. Overall, LO did about as good a job throughout the game as anyone could expect.
- Turnovers. The lack thereof, specifically. Eleven all night (including five from Kobe, about the only possible blemish in what was a stellar game), which is solid for a game that extends into OT. The Lakers seem to be over their butterfingery ways of the early season, which helps explain why they've been so successful of late. Hold onto the ball, and you minimize easy points for the opposition.
The Bad:
- Offensive flow. Early in the game, the Lakers aggressively cut and were very effective without the ball. As the game went on, that went away, which helps explain why the Lakers scored 36 points in the second and third quarters combined. Players spent too much time standing around. Part of the trouble was...
- Outside shooting. 5-23 from downtown, including a wretched 1-10 for Sasha, who was a little trigger happy today. I love that he has confidence in his shot these days- he's certainly earned it- but Sunday he was a little bit of a black hole. The ball came in, and very rarely went back out. He wasn't the only culprit. Fish was 1-4, and continues to struggle from the floor (3-11 overall). Jordan Farmar was 1-6 from the field, 1-3 from three. Anyone who reads this site regularly knows I'm a big advocate of inside-out play, but it becomes difficult to keep teams honest and open lanes for penetration and cuts when nothing falls from the outside. Open jumpers need to go down with more frequency than they did today, or Friday night in Portland.
- Decision making. There were multiple breakdowns late. Beyond the aforementioned defensive breakdowns on the Dirk three at the end of the fourth, Phil Jackson's decision not to foul and send Dallas to the line isn't one I agree with. He was asked about it after the game (the audio is below), and said "In a situation like that, with all three point shooters (on the floor), you risk a chance of a four point play, or three free throws. I did tell Lamar that if Nowitzki put the floor to foul him, but the rest of the team I didn't tell them." Coaches seem divided on this point, whether to foul with a team needing a three with little time on the clock. Especially with that little time remaining- 6.1 ticks when Dallas inbounded the ball- I'm a believer in the foul. Overall, I thought the Lakers played a pretty smart game, and it's not fair to throw the entire thing away on a couple plays, but in this case, I think Phil chose wrong.
UPDATE: I spoke to Mitch about the play after the game, and he said the mistake Odom made, as some of you wrote in the game thread, was dropping off Nowitzki after the inbound, following the natural instinct for a defender to "drop to the level of the ball." Mitch then said he quickly realized the mistake, but by then it was too late because he'd been hung up in the pick. And, as we talked about in the game thread as well, Gasol didn't do well in an effort to rotate up to contest the shot. The collective wisdom of the blog, confirmed!
It's worth noting, though, that Gasol made up for it in the OT, when he did a great job of fighting through a Terry screen to force Dirk into a tough three attempt, fading away from the basket. Interesting/effective adjustment, too, from PJ to put Gasol on Nowitzki for that play, and switch Odom to Howard.
Overall, though, this was a very good win against a very good team. I love how the Mavs looked with Kidd on the floor. Clearly they're not a pushover. Would it have been nice to win running away? Sure. But the W is the important thing, and they got it. It's nice, too, to see them pushed and respond when heading into OT the Lakers could have lost their composure. Obviously, Kobe helps there.
AUDIO: Technical difficulties today, so all we have is PJ.
BK
Mavs G Jason Terry
On the game itself
"It was amazing, man. That's what playoff basketball is all about. That's the intensity level that was in the building. It's nip and tuck, all up and down the standings. Each game is critical. You lose one or two, you could be in 8th place. There's lots of basketball left and it's going to be tough all the way through."
On it already feeling like the playoffs for about ten teams in the west
"That's the type of intensity it's been for us, probably for the last week and a half. I can only imagine it's going to keep turning up as we get closer and closer."
Mavs Coach Avery Johnson
On trying to stop Kobe
"The funny thing is we gave him a single look, then we double teamed him, then we triple teamed him and he split the triple team and scored. Obviously, he milked the free throw line on us and he just had it all going. We tried to zone him. We tried to funnel him in the trap for a zone and he went the other way. He didn't cooperate on any of our defenses. He's a great player. You can't anything away from him. He has these nights. Lots of those."
On the game itself
"These games are a game of waves and when you have two really good teams out there playing, it's a game of inches."
Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a great line.
AK
Fire32,
Na -- man, I was asking a serious question. Trying to get the pulse of Suns Nation.... I wasn't bashing.
>>>what's the sense for Suns fans -- is it still a work in progress or are there deeper issues here?
Posted by: HmrHed | March 02, 2008 at 07:44 PM
the best thing from tonight game......
KOBE BIG SMILE in Interview...
it must be like.. FInally i got team that could win and make something face.. it's like a little poor boy who got a new PS3 face.. A VERY VERY HAPPY FACE...
love it..
GO LAKERS
Hope Andrew come back soon...
Posted by: kobe24 | March 02, 2008 at 07:44 PM
Lakers 24 365,
Sweet post. Way to not let the adversity of being a Laker fan in enemy territory bring you down.
I'm a Laker Fan in the East Bay, and while people don't like it, there are enough of us that they've become tolerant of the likes of us.
Posted by: Benjamin | March 02, 2008 at 07:46 PM
C'mon EVERYONE!
What Fisher has been doing to this team is not just "SLUMP," it is out of control.
Even my girlfriend could see that, she asked me during today's game "who paid him to do those fake plays, he's been intentionally making some nonsense plays"
Well............
Posted by: kisha | March 02, 2008 at 07:48 PM
Fire32,
About Fisher, he's slumping, but it's not a certain forever sort of thing. It was smart to keep him out of the 4th today. I'm not sure it will be in the future. I think he can play better than he has, but probably not as well as he did earlier in the season when he was shooting lights out.
It's interesting how it looks like all these players look like they're going to help out a ton initially, then they don't do as much and Kobe has to be Kobe superstar again.
What's also interesting (as others have pointed out) is how we continue to perform well despite all these injuries which we could easily use an excuse.
It's seriously been like one of those "if we didn't have all those injuries, we would have..." type of seasons. Yet we're still kicking ass.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Benjamin | March 02, 2008 at 07:49 PM
I just don't believe the Spurs can be beat without Bynum, but I'm not panicking – for lack of a better word – until Bynum is not on the playoff roster. It sounds like from the in game interview he has gotten a direct order not to publicly guess at a return date. He did say that it was 8 weeks now more like 11. That’s the end of the month – just hope for the best.
Posted by: HmrHed | March 02, 2008 at 07:52 PM
Lakers 24 365 -
Great post! Like the humor. I live in a place worse than Sac Town as far as being a Laker fan: Ontario, Canada!
At least you can talk hoops and have (hopefully) friendly arguements with neighbors and characters like Sonnybelfast...here in Toronto Maple Leafs World, nearly everyone is a hockey fanatic, and your devotion to the Lakers is looked upon with a scowl or indifference. I went to a Raptors-Lakers game recently, and was ignored though I wore the "Sunday Best " white Laker jersey. Very few rabid b-ball fans on this side of the continent.
I used to live near Riverside, CA, so I know about heat and smog, but I'd trade for that anyday for the below-freezing temps, snow, freezing rain, and hellatious wind we've had for the past three months.
You are admired for being a fan in enemy territory;
As Jim Hill would say, "KEEP THE FAITH!"
hubbit
Posted by: hubbit | March 02, 2008 at 07:57 PM
HmrHed
My bad, well I can only speak for myself and I always look at things as never give up or it's not over till it's over, b/c it's really not you know.
Ya things don't look so good now, but I'm gonna wait to see how we do this next week, 4 tough games.
If we can stay afloat for march and get a hot streak in april going into the playoffs, we'll be all good.
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 07:58 PM
I think you have to be pretty encouraged by this win even if it was pretty close.
1) No way Dampier gets 13/18 or whatever with Bynum in the middle. No way they kill us on the glass in general.
2) LO has the length and lateral quickness to make Dirk take fadeaways with a hand in his face all night long.
3) On the other hand, the Mavs don't seem to have anyone remotely capable of stopping Kobe. He embarrassed pretty much everyone they sent at him in the 4th.
4) Farmar/Fisher/Vujacic were off. Even with just "below average" games from them and LA should've won comfortably.
Posted by: kaioukenx | March 02, 2008 at 07:59 PM
Great news that Coach Wooden (top 10 all time greatest Americans) will have a full recovery.
Now if only Andrew could follow suit. C'mon AB, coach got 80 years on ya. Join the party!
Good gut check game. Playoff atmosphere. The kids are growing up before our eyes. Next time, they can save Kobe.
Posted by: Vman | March 02, 2008 at 08:01 PM
Benjamin,
Thanks. We need to stick together. May the force be with you.
I didn't realize it was so bad where I am at. It hit me when I enrolled my son into Little League. He was to play in the National League. He was put on the Giants "B" team because they did not have a Dodgers team. They said that they once had one, but the city came out in droves to throw batteries at the kids. Go figure.
Posted by: Lakers 24 365 | March 02, 2008 at 08:04 PM
We are going to the WCF.... that's for sure... and batlle the spurs for the right to be in the NBA FINALS...
Man, I love this team....
Posted by: dice8up | March 02, 2008 at 08:05 PM
It's better for bynum and for all of you if he just decides to sit for rest of the year. Don't make him think that he has to rush back in order to get the ring this year. Bynum will not be 100% and will actually hurt you guys in the playoffs. It's not fair for bynum and not fair to you guys, it's Better if you guys start thinking that and move forward this year with the team you have now.
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 08:09 PM
Fire32,
Fair enough re the Shaq experiment.
As for Bynum, If there is any chance of re-injury -- I agree with you 100%.
Posted by: HmrHed | March 02, 2008 at 08:24 PM
Watching this game I felt like Jules in Pulp Fiction discussing the fact that they escaped being hit by the bullets from a "goddamned hand cannon" where he says,
"Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God."
That's what it feels like when Kobe takes over a game. He is so damn gifted I feel lucky to be able to watch him play in his prime. Go Lakers!
Amen
Posted by: thedropper | March 02, 2008 at 08:25 PM
About Fisher, he's slumping, but it's not a certain forever sort of thing.:
Benjamin
No what you need to realize is that fisher is not in a slump. He's been playing out of his mind this season, been having a good shooting year. So what your seeing now is how fisher really plays like, he's coming back to earth.
He's being his old self again, fisher was never a good shooter or finisher. The 3 years the lakers won the championship, he wasn't a good shooter oh but the guy would give up his body for charges like a mo fo. The .4 last shot in the playoffs against the spurs well thats was luck man, I mean it was. When he came back for the second half against the warriors when he was with the jazz, Ya he hit that 3, but what else did he do....
The guy is just not very good, never has been never will be. You guys say he's a great leader right, well I think it's in your teams best interest if he leads on the bench and in the locker room.
I'm not hatin, just an unbiased view coming from someone who's not a laker fan. He (fisher) hurt you in the playoffs.
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 08:27 PM
Hubbit,
Thanks. Good luck with the elements. I might take you up on the trade of locales eh. Since I am despised here, I spend most of my time indoors anyway.
You know what they say...."The snow is always whiter on the other side"!!!!
Posted by: Lakers 24 365 | March 02, 2008 at 08:27 PM
LOL fire32...do I sense fear in your trembling voice?
That's OK, there was never really a historical rivalry between Suns and Lakers bec. Suns were always omega dogs to the Lakers' alpha. The Lakers WC historical rivals were always Portland, followed by Utah, then Houston, then San Anton, then Sacramento and GS, and Phnx was just 7th or 8th, tied w/Dallas. Just afterthoughts really.
Posted by: LakerinBC | March 02, 2008 at 08:30 PM
Living in Arizona, its not always easy being a passionate Lakers Fan. I'm usually quiet and respectful when talking to workmates about basketball.
My daughter, on the other hand is the exact opposite to me. Being in high School and 16, she revels in torturing Suns Fans. She gives them no quarter and needles them at every turn.
She is the thorn in the side of every Suns worshiper in her school. It is her duty and honor to represent the Lakers.
Seeing someone wearing a Nash jersey for her, means opportunity.
When the Lakers win, its text message time, including the score.
One teacher gave her a poor grade on a report because of her Lakers stand. Dad was mad and threatening action against the school. She was beaming and felt superior to the teacher because she had won. (it was a Kobe Bryant essay, extremely well researched and written. Using the LATimes Lakers blog as a primary source for material)
She has become a punk for sure. But respected by her friends for her tough stand.
Loyalty to the Lakers in the face of adversity, while living in an Orange and Purple world. That's what makes her daddy proud.
Honestly, she is really not a great Lakers fan. And why? She's tied into personalities. She's upset because her favorite player was traded for Pau Gasol, Kwame Brown. Which goes to show, she's not quite perfect, just 16.
Posted by: AN 1 | March 02, 2008 at 08:31 PM
LakerTom
Good Times they were. It might have been my youth but I thought they would never end. Reality bites.
Here's to the Lakers in restoring the universe back to where it should be.
Posted by: YOU EVER NOTICE | March 02, 2008 at 08:31 PM
AK/BK
I haven't seen JON.K post, did he get banned?
and if he did what if he comes back using another user name like I've been doing?
jus kiddin LOL!!!!!!
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 08:35 PM
Fire32,
About Bynum, I'm not sure why you'd say it's best to sit him out since:
1. You're not his doctor or other medical professional.
2. He would have time to heal over the summer and next season early.
3. An .80 Bynum would help us in the playoffs.
You might be right, but it really looks like a you could end up being right, certainly not that you can fairly predict now what you're proposing. Bynum doesn't have a firm prognosis and it's been clear his condition relies heavily on "wait and see."
Are you just engaging in wishful thinking? Trying to sink the Lakers or boost your own playoff hopes?
Posted by: Benjamin | March 02, 2008 at 08:39 PM
Fire32,
With all due respect to this blog, nothing we say here is going to rush Bynum back. If the doctors say he's cleared, he'll be back. If not, he won't. Only time will tell.
But you'll never disabuse anyone here of the hope that he'll return, and we'll continue to dream about how dominant we can be if he can make that healthy recovery and contribute this season.
Also, getting playoff experience, obviously as long as it's not at the risk of further injury, is HUGE for a 20 year old.
Posted by: DrewPauKobe | March 02, 2008 at 08:40 PM
AK/BK or whoever else knows,
how much does swelling after injury actually show about the progress or (lack of) progress in healing?
Posted by: laker hopeful | March 02, 2008 at 08:43 PM
Aloha
Another big game. What is amazing to me is we never seem to win a game the same way. It always seems that somone else steps up. Today we needed a big one from Kobe, next game who knows? That is true depth.
One nice little story that is flying way under the radar is Luke Walton. This is like his 5th nice effort in a row. We might not have won today without Lukes all around game, because lets face it, a lot of the other guys were pretty flat.
I am hoping the break helped heal some of his physical problems and we see this Luke the rest of the year.
MH
Posted by: michael h | March 02, 2008 at 08:49 PM
"Do we win if Walton doesn't foul out? I wonder.
Posted by: Benjamin"
COMMENT #4 in the thread...
Didn't take long to bash Luke...
25 MIns, 11 Pts, 6 Rebs, 2 Assts, 2 Steals, 1 Block, 0 Turnovers
Did you watch the first quarter? While everyone else was standing around he grabbed boards, Luke played strong defense, made steals, went to the floor for the ball, battled. He energized the team.
Do you even watch the game before you post your bashing? I wonder.
What a joke.
And before you say "he fouled out" - Dampier fouled out too - did his contributions help his team?
Posted by: DrewPauKobe | March 02, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Fire32
You should hope that Bynum does come back. On the outside chance that the Suns do make the playoffs, Drew is one of the few guys in the league that Shaq could guard. He is an old fashion back to the basket type of center. Pau pulls Shaq out of the paint were he is totally ineffective. Of course on the other hand thats 48 minutes of post pressure that the Lakers could cause by rotating Drew and Pau and I dont believe the Suns could handle that either. Man It must suck being a Suns fan this year.
MH
Posted by: michael h | March 02, 2008 at 09:01 PM
Are you just engaging in wishful thinking? Trying to sink the Lakers or boost your own playoff hopes?
Benjamin
C'mon benny, If you haven't heard before, I don't want to see an injured bynum on the court when we meet in the playoffs ( and we will be there), b/c that'll just leave room for excuses when, well you know when.
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 09:04 PM
Two things:
1. Is swelling at this point normal or is it a sign of something wrong?
2. Did you guys catch Kobe in the huddle during OT? "We are not losing this game." Confidence wins games. The (young) Lakers feel they can win any game. And when shots aren't dropping and when defense toughens up against them, the kids know that Kobe's there to take care of things. As long as they play hustle basketball it's all good. Did Kobe actually get 3 boards off of missed FTA? He sealed the deal on the MVP award tonight.
Posted by: mel | March 02, 2008 at 09:06 PM
LakerinBC
Recent historical facts show me that right now we're you r number 1s hated rivals, b/c if not mistaken in recent history we, yes the SUNS have kicked your as@es out of the playoffs for the past 2 YIZZ EARZZZ!!!!!!!!!!
That's why you LakerinBC hate the SUNS so much right now.
Posted by: Fire32 | March 02, 2008 at 09:14 PM
Xodus,
Wow nice memory of my knee stories. I feel the Laker Blog cares.
As far as Bynum...I figured that hed be back no later than end of March on the court. But he still has to play into basketball shape, but more important, learn how to use that knee again. Anyone who has had a knee injury knows that they have trouble trusting it after hurting it. Especially since he didnt get a surgery where they fix him, in the back of his head he doesnt know if its 100%. Hes not going to be putting on the sick spin move until a few weeks of playing.
I put the timetable at early April, hopefully.
But come on guys, we can survive until then!!!!
Posted by: The Lake Show | March 02, 2008 at 09:19 PM
Unfortunately, this will probably get lost in as a new post goes up tomorrow, but here goes:
I've noticed that Gasol is much more effective on a pick and roll or pick and pop situation, or cutting off of the ball, rather than when the Lakers dump the ball into him, like a traditional center. Gasol's skills are above average in the post-up, but I think that's what resulted in sub-par games for him the last two games. I think the Lakers should avoid posting him up low and just letting him go at the defender. It puts the Lakers in an all or nothing situation. Either he makes the basket or he doesn't. Gasol should be setting a pick or cutting most every time on offense, and it will run much smoother.
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | March 02, 2008 at 09:24 PM
Fire 32....
We don't need any Phx. fans to tell us anything about Derek Fisher. We know who Fish is and what he is capable of. So .4 was luck, you say. Well, I believe that luck is the residue of design. Derek Fisher and the Lakers executed that play to perfection and played out the string in that game. They never quit.
We Laker fans saw Derek Fisher return from injury in the 2000-2001 season and lead the team to a 15-1 playoff record. Included in that run were 3 series sweeps in the Western conference. The only reason that Philly surprised the Lakers in game 1 of the Finals that year was a great performance by Allen Iverson, who scored 48 points in that game. The Lakers had also been idle for almost two weeks at that point because they had handled the West so easily.
So, do us a favor...please don't come on this site with talent evaluations of our players. We know that Fish is not the greatest shooter ever, but we have seen him make BIG shots. We know he has the heart of a champion. And we know that unlike Steve Nash, he has been the starting point guard on an NBA champion. We know who Derek Fisher is.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | March 02, 2008 at 09:53 PM
laker hopeful-
I'm a few years short of a medical degree, so honestly, I have no idea. I've seen enough ER, House, and Quincy reruns to assume that no swelling is better than some swelling, but beyond that, I can't really say. There isn't anything necessarily abnormal about the situation, and it would be a mistake to assume that something has gone horribly wrong with the procedure or the recovery. Remember, it was a minimum of eight weeks to recover. That could mean ten, that could mean twelve.
I wish I knew more, but like wrote earlier, I think it's hard for anyone to predict. Even if you asked a doctor about it in the abstract, you might get an answer... but that wouldn't matter unless the doc was speaking to Bynum's specific injury.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | March 02, 2008 at 10:34 PM
i don't agree on fouling the other team if they need a three to tie.. i mean, dallas is the best free throw shooting team... so then they would make both.. or they might miss the second and have an easy put back. then we would be down by 1. or.... they can make both free throws... and we could turn over the ball on the inbounds... or we simply inbound and they foul us... and we're up by 2 or 3 again... and then it goes back to them... and it's back to square one. so what's the point in fouling them? that's silly logic to me if you give them more opportunities to increase the score. i'm with phil on this one. how can you even doubt phil? a lot of his coaching style is catching on with the rest of the league. ever notice how more coaches are letting their teams play and not call timeouts? i swear, time outs don't come until the half way mark during quarters nowadays. also, whereas it seemed normal seeing coaches pace back and forth... now it's more of a frantic sign. so, i think whatever phil thinks is usually the right one.
Posted by: yee | March 02, 2008 at 10:36 PM
So, do us a favor...please don't come on this site with talent evaluations of our players. We know that Fish is not the greatest shooter ever, but we have seen him make BIG shots. We know he has the heart of a champion. And we know that unlike Steve Nash, he has been the starting point guard on an NBA champion. We know who Derek Fisher is.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | March 02, 2008 at 09:53 PM
VERY WELL SAID
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | March 02, 2008 at 10:40 PM
Yee-
You're basically getting at the reasons some coaches don't choose to foul. in talking to Mitch about the pros and cons of fouling- not surprisingly, he didn't come down on either side- one big con is that there is the potential for really bad things to happen. If you don't foul, the worst thing that is likely to happen is tie game. If you do, there's a variety of things. A foul on a made three, an offensive rebound that leads to a kickout three, a turnover that leads to another shot, etc. Those could mean a loss instead of a tie.
Play defense, get one stop, and the game's over.
On the other hand, fouling prevents the one thing you KNOW can tie the game, and with so little time left on the clock, even if you only make one shot on the other end, you still force the other team to come back with two, three, maybe four seconds and make another shot. If you make both, you can even foul again and repeat the process.
A lot of factors play into it. How many TOs the opposition has left (whether they can or can't advance the ball), the quality of the shooters, time on the clock (that's a biggie), the quality of your foul shooters.
I can see both sides of it, but in the scenario seen today, I'd foul. I asked a few people after the game (players, media, etc.) their opinions, and got a few different ones. Clearly, there's no universal opinion. But in this case, I think PJ made the wrong call.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | March 02, 2008 at 10:48 PM
Why is the AP story still up more than seven hours after the game ended? Does the new LAT not pay its beat writers to work on Sunday?
Posted by: jimjoyce | March 02, 2008 at 10:54 PM
mrbarneydangles....
Thanks....I usually don't get into it with fans of other teams but when Fire 32 had the nerve to say that .4 was luck....well, that just stuck in my craw. Blasphemy I say!! HaHa!!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | March 02, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Games like this is what our Lakers team need to sharpen them and prepare for the main event - playoffs. my two cents worth.
Posted by: lakersfan_NZ | March 02, 2008 at 11:38 PM
On the inbounds pass you have to foul Jason Kidd below the 3 line. His free throw mechanics are... mechanical. He herks and jerks shots and it's better than even money he'll miss.
Terry hit shots he hasn't been hitting, Jordan, Sasha and Fish all missed shots they've been hitting.
Great to see Sasha contribute even though he was brickin'.
Pau needs to toughen up. LO needs to make better decisions, stop worrying and just make the damn free throw. Character building games like these will help all that.
Posted by: Vman | March 02, 2008 at 11:47 PM
LakerTom,
"Wooden was the most gracious basketball coach I ever met."
What a fantastic person!
Posted by: exhelodrvr | March 03, 2008 at 05:35 AM
It's interesting that a Funs fan would have the nerve to come on Lakers blog and deliver "unbiased" analysis and talent evaluations.
Hey Fire,
Here's some "unbiased analysis of the Suns. Shaq is old and a bum at this point in his career. Steve Kerr made possibly the worst trade in franchise and piossibly NBA history when they acquired an overpriced aging formerly great center. Amare Stoudemire is the only true young talent the Suns have left. Leandro Barbosa is the most overrated, one-dimensional player in the NBA. Steve Nash was once good, but is clearly showing his age with an abundance of turnovers. Raja Bell is no longer the defensive stopper he once was. Grant Hill is sporadic and Old. Finally, there isn't one guy on the team that gives a crud about playing defense. Not one, which is why that were blown out by the Pistons, and lost at home to the Sixers, who are 10 games under .500. I hope you've read this and seen it as "unbiased" just like you expect us to believe that any analysis you give is unbiased.
Pig
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | March 03, 2008 at 08:00 AM
Fantastic game!! I think it has really been understated how good the Lakers really are. Tell me if any team was to lose their key center (Bynum) a starter (Rad) and a key defender from the bench (Ariza) and be in the Western Conf. and see what kind of record they would have.
AW
Posted by: AW | March 03, 2008 at 08:29 AM
Benjamin,
>>>Do we win if Walton doesn't foul out? I wonder.
Don't be the turd in the chocolate pudding. Luke played
well - Josh Howard was 4-15 shooting, and Luke was defending
him most of the night.
And Luke shot hit 4 of 8 of his shots. If he was on the
floor instead of Sasha, maybe they make a couple more
baskets and win it in regulation.
There's a difference between being critical of a player
who isn't playing well and being critical of a player because
you're a hater. Don't be a hater.
>>>Sasha should never, ever, ever have passed that
>>>ball to Odom at the end of regulation. Sasha is a
>>>way better foul shooter. He should have just gone
>>>hard to the rack hoping to be fouled.
I partially agree here. He shouldn't have passed to Odom.
But he shouldn't have gone to the rack. Dallas WANTED
to foul and stop the clock.
They were down with only 6.9 seconds left. Fake to the
basket and drive over to the corner. That way even if
they did get to Sasha to foul him, he'd have run 3 or 4
more seconds off the clock. If Dallas only had 3.5 left
instead of 6.9, Dirk's 3 doesn't get launched in time.
Never take a shot when you're leading with less than
10 seconds on the clock. At that point using up time is
more important than scoring more.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 03, 2008 at 08:53 AM
Fire32,
>>>, yes the SUNS have kicked your as@es out of the
>>>playoffs for the past 2 YIZZ EARZZZ!!!!!!!!!!
Yep you did. It must give you great joy to know that you
could knock a rebuilding team out of the playoffs. I'm sure
you'll be telling you grandchildren about how great those
Suns teams were. It must be great to be you. Your team
made it out of the first round. WOO HOOO!!!!!!
When you get your first championship (if that ever happens)
then your smack talk might actually sting. Until then,
your boast sounds like the bark of a chihuahua who
managed to bite the doberman while it was sleeping.
The alpha dog has now awakened.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 03, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Fire32
>>>That's why you LakerinBC hate the SUNS so much
>>>right now.
Huh? I don't hate the Suns. They were an amusing foil
for the Smush-Cook-Kwame Lakers. Now that the team is
mostly rebuilt, they'll go back to being insignificant, as they
usually are.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 03, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Fantastic game!! I think it has really been understated how good the Lakers really are. Tell me if any team was to lose their key center (Bynum) a starter (Rad) and a key defender from the bench (Ariza) and be in the Western Conf. and see what kind of record they would have.
AW
Posted by: AW | March 03, 2008 at 10:31 AM
LakerinBC, I recall an interview with Kobe a while back and that Kobe question would you consider coaching after you have finished your career and Kobe affirmatively responded with a resounding, "No, that's not me."
i could see him being a GM though. He has sooooo much knowledge about the game and is real keen on scouting his opponent prior to playing a game.
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | March 03, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Long ways away, but when the NBA draft comes up, what positions do you think the Lakers would focus on??
Surely, this is just speculation and likely based on how we fair during the playoffs and what Kobe is gonna do. However, I will go out on a limb now and guess that the Lakers will be looking for a swing player and a PF.
Anyone want to chime in??
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | March 03, 2008 at 11:52 AM