Live from Dallas- Lakers at Mavericks
AK's having some net issues (they probably sabotaged his connection... take that, blogger!), but that doesn't mean we can't live blog.
6-5 Dallas as things kick off...
9:00- LO has come out of the gate aggressively, realizing that while Dirk is a tough matchup for him on the defensive end, Dirk can't guard him. He's gone strong to the hoop twice. They need to get Dampier out of the post to give themselves some space at the hole.
7:23- Ronny draws a foul on Dampier off a great feed into the post from LO. That's his second so he's out of the game. Even better than out of the post. Brandon Bass in.
6:00- Ronny is providing some stout D down low. Stack gets past Vlad but Turiaf contests the shot for his second straight block-- maybe Stack lost it on the way up. Either way, he was there. On the next trip, Fish finds a wide, and I mean WIDE, open Turiaf in the post. Tic-tac pass back and forth from Ronny to Vlad back to Ronny, and it's an easy dunk.
That might have been the easiest hoop they've had in a week.
5:13- Kobe rises on the pullup from 18 and buries a jumper over Howard. He's 3-3. Guess that extra gym time has paid off.
4:31- Ronny hits a jumper from the top of the key. That's a massively important shot for him to be able to make. Just like with Gasol, if the opposing center knows he has to honor that shot, he'll have to come out of the post, giving the Lakers much more space.
4:00- Kobe hits a triple. 4-4. Best of all the pas came from the interior, and he had all day to shoot.
3:20- Vlad Rad tip gives LA a 22-16 lead. Good to see him down low, crashing the boards. He is 6'10", you know.
TIMEOUT ON THE FLOOR
You have to like what the Lakers are doing right now. No stress offensively. They're taking what's there, whether it's a jumper from the outside, a drive to the hole, or a pass into the post. They're not turning the ball over, either, which helps limit Kidd and Co.'s runout opps. That's a huge deal for a team that's cranked up the speed level offensively.
2:20 - Walton's first shot is an airball. Guess that extra time in the gym didn't really help.
1:51- Lakers up 24-19.
1:12- Kobe burned by Brandon Bass going for the steal. Kobe didn't get it and Bass had an open lane to the basket. Walton fouls him and prevents the bucket.
Next trip down, Walton gets some redemption, sticking with his initial shot and drawing a foul for two FTs, then making a nice pass to Ronny in the post, holding the ball long enough for Ronny to gain position on Terry, who had to pick him up in transition. Two FTs for Turiaf, and the Lakers are up by seven.
END OF THE FIRST- Lakers up 28-21.
Can't complain about much in that quarter. Offensively, they're a much better team than they were on Sunday (partially because Dallas isn't as good a defensive team as Houston, but I digress...). They're forcing very little, and are actively finding space to operate within the Dallas D by getting the ball inside. Penetration, penetrating passes, etc. All have worked so far. But the ball movement has been really good. Defensively, the Lakers aren't allowing Dallas to have a lot of clean, uncontested looks. They're recovering well, and their rotations are crisper than they were in either game this weekend. 33% shooting for Dallas.
SECOND QUARTER:
Great passing leads to a Ronny pass down low to Luke in the lane, where he draws a foul. Makes both FTs, but again, it's excellent ball movement, and the Lakers not settling for jumpers.
10:30- Kobe, in the high post, hits a cutting Ronny on his way to the basket for an easy dunk. Great play. Kobe does an excellent job of seeing the double coming, but not waiting for it to get there. Similarly great recognition by Turiaf to go to the hole.
FINALLY, AK IS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To say the least, I've had something of a trying go since my arrival at the AAC. Some issue techincal. Some otherwise. I'll get into everything during the postgame report, but let's just say... it's been interesting. And Marc Cuban is still being ridiculous.
Anyhoo...
7:42 - Josh Howard tags Sasha with a forearm to the face, tagging himself with an offensive foul. The crowd seemed pretty surly about the call, until the play came up on the jumbtron. The reaction slowly trickled from "boooo" to "Oooh, yeah, that's a foul."
5:40 - DJ Mbenga stuff former big man in crime Erick Dampier under the Laker hoop. There are a decent chunk of Laker fans in the house, but I think even a few Mavs fan appreciated their man Didier making a good play. After all, he's the one they called "Tac-os!!!"
4:46 - You would think that after guarding him for seven years in practice, Devean George would be invulnerable to every fake move Kobe has. Apparently not. Kobe gets the ball from Vlad above the arc, pulls a few shake and bake moves, then buries the J from downtown over his old buddy's grill.
By the way, for those curious, AAC may very well have the most miked baskets in the NBA. They're all rigged to let the crowd hear the makes and misses, but each time the ball comes near the rim or string, it's like a freakin' rock concert. Some serious volume they got going here.
2:52 - An airball from LO (the Lakers' second of the night... yikes) lands in Kidd's mitts, as his been his case throughout his career so often. The PG takes it downcourt for a streak to the rack. Ronny's got no choice but to foul. Kidd will make both after the timeout.
And speaking of J-Kidd, the jumbotron is showing footage during the timout of The Karate Kid with his head photoshopped over Ralph Macchio's. Pretty amusing stuff, especially since they're playing "You're the best," which I looooooove.
51.6 - Turiaf gets the stuff, then corrals the ball and tries to hit Kobe downcourt Peyton Manning/Marvin Harrison style. The pass is more than a little long, but Kobe tracks it down, adjusts himself, and manages to worm the reverse layup in past some Dallas defender traffic.
MVP chant for Kobe going as the final second and Laker possession tick down. The rock ends up with Turiaf, who puts up a pressured mid-range jumper that's just a little long. Lakers 59, Mavs 38. Some nice D on display right now for the visitors. The Lakers have held the Mavs to 33% over two periods and have forced 8 turnovers (as opposed to their own scant 4). They're also killed Dallas on the glass 26-19 and have two players (Kobe-20, Ronny-10) in double figures. I've had plenty to complain about up to here, but the Lakers aren't on the list. Let's keep it that way. See ya in the third.
THIRD QUARTER
11:00 - An offensive from Stack catches Fish in the chops, negating a two-point bucket. Perhaps an omen for how things are gonna continue for Dallas, who just can't seem to get it together this game.
9:57 - Kobe starts out at the right side of the court, drifts with his dribble, takes off just at the corner of the left and puts it down smooth. That's just pretty. Clearly, Kobe is, as the kids like to say, "feeling it" this evening.
8:51 - Kobe finds Fish spotted up just inside the arc and hits him with a crosscourt pass on the run. Fish is good and the Lakers are up by 23. That shot, along with the last couple of Laker makes, have really taken the crowd out of this game. The P.A. guy was trying to lead a "let's go Mavs" chant and received a halfhearted response at best.
6:49 - Great example of good defense leading to good offense. Turiaf does a nice job of challenging Josh Howard under the rack, causing the miss and Kobe rebound. Kobe drives the rock downcourt, then shoots the no look to Vladdy for the running layup.
5:44 - I've watched A LOT of basketball in my day, but I'm not sure I've ever seen the move Kobe just pulled. Fish hit him on the running while cutting to the cup, and as Kobe met a defender, he pulled... and this is not a typo... a 360 layup.
Yes.
A 360 layup.
I'm actually sitting her flabbergasted. I just asked a few people around me if they've ever seen that before. Everyone's shaking their heads.
3:58 - A steal by Brandon Bass on Kobe, then Walton's subsequent swipe off Bass, really demonstrates the "Hatfield-McCoy" vobe going in this here AAC. There's a pretty sizable Laker contingent on hand tonight.
2:46 - Kobe picks up his fourth, putting him on the bench for at least the duration of the frame, I imagine. Kobe's also helped spot his team a 22-point cushion, so in theory, this shouldn't be all that big a deal.
2:27 - Jason Terry at the line to shoot a pair. The P.A. guy lets the crowd know it's "Jet on the runway." I can't decide if that's kinda cool or totally lame.
1:46 - Dirk got away with a couple things while blocking a streaking Turiaf. 1) Nowitzki got all hand with the block. 2) He actually used his left to give Ronny a little shove on the way out. I wasn't surprised to see Ronny put a little extra mustard on it while fouling Dirk on the subsequent possession. Or the next possession featuring a hard (but clean) foul by Dirk on Ronny. Starting to get very physical between those two.
1:06 - Devean George shoots an sirball from the corner. I feel like I'm back in L.A and it's anywhere from 1999-2006.
The third quarter winds down with LO hitting Luke with a dish in the corner. The 22-footer clangs long and the ball goes in his fellow Wildcat J.Terry's paws. Terry's got about 2-3 seconds on the clock, gets a little inside the halfcourt line before letting fly. Sasha reacts kinda slow to close out. The three ball is good, cutting this Laker to 12. 77-65 Lakers. Remember that whole thing I said about Kobe going out and it shouldn't be that big a thing, since the Lakers were up 22? I apparently had too much confidence. Kobe's back in for the fourth. As am I.
FOURTH QUARTER
10:35 - Ronny gets blocked under the hoop by Malik Allen. Another fastbreak ensues for the Mavs, concluding with Terry finding Dirk crosscourt for a three ball. The Mavs are back within 7 and the crowd is back in this in a big, bad way.
9:18 - Vlad Rad's in for Walton and hits a VERY big three, putting the Lakers back up by 8. But before I can even type that sentence, Ty Lue's got himself a layup.
8:12 - Another three ball from Vlad goes down. As a subplot, it's starting to get chippy between Sasha and Lue. The two were tussling a bit before Dallas inbounded and Lue made a point of telling the refs.
7:33 - Vlad's good from downtown again, now at the 10 point mark. During one of the third quarter timeouts, Phil had been in Radmanovic's ear something aggressive and animated. Whatever he told the Serbian Sharpshooter, it was effective. Vlad's been very active since reentering the contest.
5:30 - The way he was floating through no man's land, with nobody really on him, it was hard to tell if LO, Kobe or Vlad lost track of Josh Howard. All three were near enough to appear theoretically guilty. In any event, J.Ho got the uncontested layup.
4:10 - The crowd wanted a travel on Kobe. The refs apparently thought his flurry of footwoerks and fakes were all legal. The ref's opinion eventually allows Kobe to take the ball strong to the rack for a 8 foot running hook and put the Lakers back up by 9.
2:19 - Kobe's looking a little gimpy after earning a trip to the stripe. He keeps shaking out his right ankle, which may have gone up against Dallas bone while putting up the shot. The first of attempts rattles in and out. The second is good. I'll be sure to ask Kobe what happened to him physically during the sequence leading up to the free throws.
41.3 - The second of two ginormous treys goes down for Dirk. The Lakers actually catch a break on the latter, as there was some contact from Lamar as Nowitzki put it up. The Lakers call timeout now only up by one point.
29.8 - The crowd hates it (as one would suspect), but I think the refs got it right with that over the back (Stack over LO). It wasn't blatantly terrible, but enough that you could call it. After a lot of razzing and fussing (much of which courtesy of a courtside Mark Cuban), Lamar goes to the line and knocks down two crucial ones. The Lakers are now up by a triple with just under 30 seconds to play.
14.1 - Out of the timeout, the ball swings around a lot for Dallas, eventually ending up with Kidd and a shrinking shot clock. Ason (as he used to be ribbed) tries to draw contact against Kobe, but gets no call... along with no bucket. Sasha snags the loose ball and gets intentionally fouled. First is good for the 83 percenter. But the second clangs and Dirk snares it. Timeout Dallas. Some good D by LO and Sasha keeps Kidd and Terry on their heels, with Terry eventually putting up a prayer three over Lamar to beat the clock. Prayer good. The Lakers are now up by one.
Fish receieves the inbound and the intentional foul. Surely the 88 percenter is money for a pair of makes, right??? Wrong. The first is bad, the second good. Dallas can now tie with 2, win with three. The timeout concludes with Dirk attempting a fallback three over a harassing LO. The ball hits nothing but nothing. Lakers pull out the 102-100 win. Not the easiest of wins, even though it sure seemed llike it would have been. But hey, a win's a win's a win. More later. Thanks for dropping by.
AK
Whheeeeewwwww! Close one. As Kobe said, the team gutted it out. But I was afraid to breathe most of the final two minutes.
Stopping Dallas' five game streak was huge. Shutting down Jason Kidd was sweet.
If only VladRad would play every game with that intensity. Lamar played one of his better games, but it sure would be nice if he was determined to finish his dunks the way Ronny does. Ronny's blocks in the first half set the Mavs on their heels.
All those Maverick free-throws in the 2nd half almost killed us. A lot to learn from this game, but a lot to take away, as well. This road trip can still be for 2-2 and .500. Now, on to Utah.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | March 18, 2008 at 08:30 PM
Both DFish and Luke almost cost us the game....
We sure got lucky tonight...
1. Vlade giving us some cushion.
2. Odumb has his head over his shoulders tonight.
3. Kobe who almost lost it tonight, looks like he's losing his clutch...so inconsistent on freethrows, hasn't impress any on his decisions.
Overall, we don't deserve this win. I'll take it as a fan but it would have hit home if we lost. Imagine how demoralizing this one and that will give them the biggest lesson on giving much importance on defense that we haven't seen for a long time. No hustle, no communication on D.
There's always 5 players on the floor, it doesn't matter that we lost a handful due to injury. There's no excuse for not making any effort to adjust and regain our heads to committing the team on help defense.
I'm disappointed. http://www.stevespurrier.com/Spurrier%20Losing2.jpg
Posted by: KiKosDad | March 18, 2008 at 08:33 PM
I wonder what those 0-4 trolls are thinking of now?
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | March 18, 2008 at 08:34 PM
LakerinBC,
You're right. They did step up. And it resulted in a win.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | March 18, 2008 at 08:35 PM
Crazy game! Points to be taken from this one: (1) Push Lamar to be this aggressive on both ends, Kobe must stay on his ear and motivate him to be this aggressive for the rest of the season and PO's, (2) Limit minutes for Luke until Pau, Bynum, Ariza return and then give him only garbage time, pleezze. Did you notice that after every bad shot and TO he was not running back on defense?!? Inexcusable for a professional athlete. I am not suggesting any booes at home court but this dude should reconsider his approach to games. Looks like he is doing some Smush-like role down the season.
Posted by: sead94 | March 18, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Does every Western Conference team have Superman on it?
Dirk was hitting those last three 3's with a dude all the way in his grill. I don't even think he saw the basket on the last two that went in.
If not for Lamar's foot, he would have hit that last one, too. You can bet on that one and take it to the bank.
So, there is both good and bad in LO's feet.
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | March 18, 2008 at 08:37 PM
Great win, ugly or not. Laker guards continue to struggle against their opposing guards. Tonight it was Terry; In prior games they were beaten by Udrih, Blake, Ford, Paul, Alston et al. This problem will continue to plague the Lakers until they can get the bigs back to help out on the backcourt breakdown.
Posted by: Rollo | March 18, 2008 at 08:38 PM
vlad...MVP!!! It shows with Kobe throwing up an airball late in the game,the Lakers can still win..Great team game and great HEART!!!
Posted by: neil | March 18, 2008 at 08:40 PM
I can't believe any of you are ripping Fish and Luke. Fish played hard all game long, some shots weren't falling.
Luke, he had decent game, didn't do well there at the end but regardless, he makes the bench better.
Wait until Pau, Bynum, Ariza and Mihm come back, you'll be arguing that the Lakers should have won by 30 not 20.
Chill out, it's a win and the Lakers have 2 starters out.
Posted by: Bynumite | March 18, 2008 at 08:40 PM
Houston will have five game losing streak starting tonight!
Posted by: chuck23 | March 18, 2008 at 08:40 PM
The rest of the league will cower in the presence of THE BEAST whence he returns. Playoffs are coming, and THE BEAST comes with them.
Tonight was very big for this young squad.
GO LAKERS!
Pig
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | March 18, 2008 at 08:41 PM
take a step back from the short term in game frustration, people. it's cathartic, but it's bad for your health.
.04 had a bit of a disapointing game, but remember where we were when he got here. he came here for a lot less money, basically landed in our laps, and he wasn't supposed to be our saviour. he wasn't really even supposed to be our starting pg or playing this many minutes. kobe and the triangle cover up a lot of weaknesses in pg play, but we need someone.
farmar is young, and he might get better. he isn't playing so well that fish can move to the bench and get some rest. .04 isn't as young as he used to be, and he wasn't that great a passer or defender of quick guards back in the day. but no way would i give up what he gives in veteran leadership, overall experience, and familiarity with the system. sometime in the off season, we have to look at what we have and what we need.
remember, we don't necessarily need a ball handling pure point. i would suggest that what we need more is someone who can run with the triangle, make good decisions, and shoot. also it would probably help to have someone who can guard quicker pgs. maybe farmar can do all that, maybe not. we'll probably have a better idea by the end of the season.
Posted by: phred | March 18, 2008 at 08:43 PM
Rockets will be in the Western conference cellar by the end of next week...
I am not worried about them at all..
We just gotta keep winning and keep the Pacific lead!
Posted by: Korey | March 18, 2008 at 08:45 PM
Kareem Abdul-Jabaar is on "The Colbert Report"! It's awesome.
Kareem's hunting Hitler's Nazi Gold!
GO BRUINS!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | March 18, 2008 at 08:46 PM
I have to acknowledge the Clippers for being the only D league team in the NBA. Got to love the fact that they gave away Sam I Am for nothing ... dumbasses.
The Rockets are very small inside ... they can't keep this up against the bigger teams ... the Lakers included. They'll get eaten up in the playoffs.
Posted by: HmrHed | March 18, 2008 at 08:47 PM
I fear I am becoming . . .
a troll myself.
For shame.
Pig
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | March 18, 2008 at 08:48 PM
Boston is serving Houston right now. We are already back in first place! Did I not say in this very blog yesterday that we will catch Houston?
Yes I did!
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | March 18, 2008 at 08:48 PM
neil Please stop the Kobe Hating. I find it quite bothersome when you ignore one of your favorite players Luke Walton who by the way almost cost us this game! P.S CHILL OUT!
Posted by: chuck23 | March 18, 2008 at 08:50 PM
f not for Lamar's foot, he would have hit that last one, too. You can bet on that one and take it to the bank.
So, there is both good and bad in LO's feet.
--FearlessWhackJob
First of all, it wasn't the luck of Odumb's foot. A recap of the replay shows a very very bad pass from Howard on the inbound play, but like you said with that momentum on their side...there was 80% chance that Dirk would made it.
That brings back to the notion of help defense...what were they thinking??? it's obvious from that play stands that the play was for dirk to cut through the screen but Luke and Fish just let him have almost that 6 feet of separation. No help D. This game was so bad at the start of the 8min of the 3rd that I consider it a lost. Like everyone saw, we got lucky that the ref bailed us out. I dont even want to see it again on my dvr since I can still see how pathetic our defense was. Layup after layup with no contested shots. http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~cdhall/img/Losing.jpg
Posted by: KiKosDad | March 18, 2008 at 08:51 PM
Great game Lakers. Houston will lose tonight, Denver already lost, and Golden State is losing. It's a great night, so I can rest well. Onto Utah!
Posted by: troy | March 18, 2008 at 08:51 PM
The refs have changed a lot of the way they are calling the games in the second half of this season. It really takes a lot away from the credibility of the refs in this league.
Secondly, the defense slacked late in the quarter. Kobe better take good shots in the fourth or Dallas is going to win this game.
Pig
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | March 18, 2008 at 07:29 PM
Pig
Sorry to let you in on this but the bets don't have any credibility. Just the truth.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 18, 2008 at 08:52 PM
phred,
I liked your post. Good to put things in perspective.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | March 18, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Both DFish and Luke almost cost us the game....
We sure got lucky tonight...
1. Vlade giving us some cushion.
2. Odumb has his head over his shoulders tonight.
3. Kobe who almost lost it tonight, looks like he's losing his clutch...so inconsistent on freethrows, hasn't impress any on his decisions.
Overall, we don't deserve this win. I'll take it as a fan but it would have hit home if we lost. Imagine how demoralizing this one and that will give them the biggest lesson on giving much importance on defense that we haven't seen for a long time. No hustle, no communication on D.
There's always 5 players on the floor, it doesn't matter that we lost a handful due to injury. There's no excuse for not making any effort to adjust and regain our heads to committing the team on help defense.
I'm disappointed. http://www.stevespurrier.com/Spurrier%20Losing2.jpg
Posted by: KiKosDad | March 18, 2008 at 08:33 PM
what's wrong with you man?! we were shorthanded.. and won against a very good team, dang.. we have to celebrate every W we get without pau Gasol and Andrew and Trevor.. geeeez!!!
Posted by: darkhangelsk | March 18, 2008 at 08:52 PM
Houston getting HAMMERED.
They play 10 out of their final 15 games....on the ROAD.
Sorry, but time for the Rockets to be gROUNDED.
they will fall back to EArth in the next few weeks...
nice run..but nothing...
Posted by: Lakers4Realz | March 18, 2008 at 08:53 PM
Jason Kidd, Lakers hero for the game.
Fisher sucks! Farmar sucks! Why did we let go of Javaris Crittenton?
Posted by: Staples 24 | March 18, 2008 at 08:05 PM
I only agree with the why did we let go of Javaris Crittenton go. Won't go to say Fish sucks but JF still needs a lot of work.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 18, 2008 at 08:54 PM
OK, lets us all give some break to Fish. Behind Kobe, he is the motivational leader of this team, we should all support him during this rough times for him. But come play off time, he would produce, I am sure.
Posted by: sead94 | March 18, 2008 at 08:55 PM
phred,
it's not about us being lucky we got fish or him replacing the bad that we had from last 2 seasons... It's about now and the consistency and decision making that is killing us with DFish. We all appreciate what he has done so far, but all we want is consistency on playing smart basketball.
We all understand slump...but having your head on the game and playing smart basketball is what we should expect from him at his age. We have enough shooters in the team to help spread the floor and make everyone honest on the perimeter. All we want is an extra pass to spread the floor and not enough dribbling. An extra pass that could have made the defense be on their toes.
Still the one true lacking aspect that we haven't seen so far ever since the start of February was defense. Our defense definitely is suffering like an old folks with alzeimers, it's spiraling out of control. We cant rely on our offense to overwhelm opponents and hope that it will keep going in. I hate being Suns 2.0.
Posted by: KiKosDad | March 18, 2008 at 08:59 PM
Caesar,
You're right and nobody's mentioned that because we assume Kobe's a superhero.
Something happened to his groin and being the warrior that he is he shook it off, but it took a while...
That's not like Kobe. I think he's hurt.
Dare I say it?
DIT DA JOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
He sure was pissed off at the missed freethrows at the end of the game by Rad Vlad, Sasha, and 0.4. And he had every right to be. Three shooters missing pivotal freethrows at the end of a crucial game? We can do better.
Still, overall, let's be honest.
It's good to have this win and we should be happy for that fact.
All is good in Laker Nation.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | March 18, 2008 at 09:00 PM
Big win. It doesn't matter how.
Positives:
Lamar is finding places to score and the team is finding him. Vlad is getting his legs back. Ronny is finding a rhythm with so much PT.
This is a marathon. Houston will drop more before this is over.
It takes time to learn how to play without a player as big as Pau especially against the good teams. Andrew and Pau will have to learn on the fly if AB isn't coming back till the playoffs. Then it's on.
Posted by: Vman | March 18, 2008 at 09:01 PM
From previous thread.
THE LAKERS HAVE ABSOLUTELY 0% CHANCE OF WINNING THIS GAME. 00000000%
Posted by: KARL MALONE | March 18, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Karl? Karl Malone? Where are you Karl Malone????
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 18, 2008 at 09:02 PM
I think a couple of people here are missing certain points about this Laker team.
First why are you guys jumping so happy about Houston losing tonight and the Lakers going up to the first place? Is being on the first place means winning a championship? It is pretty much clear that it doesn't matter who's first, second, third or tenth! This year we'll see lots of surprises.
Second, I see some people here talking about when Bynum, Ariza, Gasol etc come back! Those guys don't make a team, they're only part of a team and, it certainly help with them in the lineup but although I love this Laker team so much, I don't see them making an immediate impact when they come back.
So.. stop singing about the injuried guys and lets just hope they come back health enough and keep health throughout the playoffs because this (Laker) team certainly needs all its parts to become at least a team that can compete for a championship because the reality is righ in front of our eyes... The Boston Celtics is the team with a higher chance to win it all this year.
Celtics player don't take chances... they play for 48 minutes and value every posession and not just that, they play the greatest defense I've seen in a long time and if I am not mistaken, this type of defense, reminds me of those of middle 80s and early 90's Detroit Pistons.
Posted by: Maxximo | March 18, 2008 at 09:04 PM
Cuban was stoned. Joel thought he was staring at Avery, the truth it he was thinking of AK. 'Had I permitted the Lakers Blog in the locker room, Mav's will be released from AK/BK witchcraft. Why is it not a witchcraft? they already got Luke mentally locked, here comes Vlad with his snowboarding shots from Herzegovina. lol
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | March 18, 2008 at 09:04 PM
Houston...it's over.
:)
Posted by: Lakers4Realz | March 18, 2008 at 09:05 PM
Bright Spots: Lamar. Laker D (in general). Radman's 3's. Ronny was solid, too.
Ugly Spots: Farmar/Sasha/Luke shooting. *facepalm* But people shouldn't say THEY SUCK automatically when they fall into a slump then make a 180 and say THEY'RE THE BEST BENCH when they get hot.
On to Utah! (Let's not blow another 25 point lead, please.)
Posted by: Linda | March 18, 2008 at 09:06 PM
MAN, WATCHING THE END OF ROCKETS AND CELTICS GAME IT'S HILARIOUS TO SEE HOW MANY BANDWAGON FANS THERE ARE...HOUSTON GETTING BLOWN OUT BY 25 POINTS AND THE PLACE IS EMPTY! WAY TO SHOW RESPECT BY NOT STAYING AROUND AND GIVING YOUR TEAM A MUCH DESERVED ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT AFTER THE LOSS....GOTTA LOVE THOSE TYPE OF FANS...
Posted by: rob | March 18, 2008 at 09:07 PM
JustaLakerFan,
>>>End of 1st quarter. JT blew by Farmar twice, keep
>>> watching!
Jordan checked in with 2:48 left in the first.
He chases Terry around a screen on the baseline. Terry
comes off the screen catches and shoots before Farmar
can get around the screen. Didn't exactly "blow by him",but
he did outrun Farmar to a spot where he got a shot off.
At the other end, Farmar drives to the basket (which
people keep asking him to do), draws three defenders,
and kicks out to Luke for a wide open shot, which Luke
misses.
Next possession, Terry goes around a Malik Allen screen
with the ball. Farmar gets bumped off, but Lamar picks
up Terry & he ends up passing it off. Dallas doesn't
score on the posession.
A couple of plays later, Farmar is guarding Kidd, and
Sasha is guarding Terry, and Terry actually does run
away from Sasha and blows a short shot.
Final play of the quarter, Farmar stays with Jason Terry
in the quarter while Brandon Bass bricks a last second
shot.
There were two occasions where Jason Terry ran around
screens and got ahead of Jordan Farmar. But there was
nothing that I would call "blew by". Even a slow player
can lose their defender going around a screen.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 18, 2008 at 09:08 PM
Rockets lost by 20. I called it. Yes I did! We are number one once again!
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | March 18, 2008 at 09:10 PM
how is no one talking about bynum being out until the playoffs? check espn. it came from phil though, mind games? i sure hope so....
GO LAKERS
Posted by: mrbarneydangles | March 18, 2008 at 09:11 PM
Phred -- good perspective on the Lakers guards. The off-season will be a time look for an addition in the one-position, as you stated. That said, who would be on your wishlist in the one-spot. I know a steady PG with the attributes that would fit the Triangle quite well. This guy is Andre Miller who is diverse in his skill set -- a veritable five-tool player. Whereas would you find a guy like that other than rare talents such Lebron, Deron Williams.
Posted by: Rollo | March 18, 2008 at 09:14 PM
BTW, I HATE, and I mean H.A.T.E. that we have to be grateful to the Celtics for preserving our winning streak.
F the Celtics!
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | March 18, 2008 at 09:18 PM
A WIN IS A WIN, PERIOD. WHETHER WE HAVE A DEPLETED LINEUP OR NOT... IT IS STILL A WIN. WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE WAY OUR LAKERS PLAYED TONIGHT... THEY COULD HAVE FOLDED UNDER PRESSURE IN THE FOURTH.
GO LAKERS....
Posted by: DICE8UP | March 18, 2008 at 09:20 PM
so the Lakers will go 1-3 this roadtrip and not 0-4.
This troll is just a little weaker... nothing a blow out loss to Utah won't fix.
The Lakers were very lucky to win tonight, considering Dallas didn't start playing ball till the second half.
I love it when you feed me "the Lakers won't go 0-4 " seems to me you guys were predicting 4-0. LOL.
ANALYSIS
01. Lamar has never been a finisher and never will be. He just doesn't have the touch around the basket. He goes strong to rim but it's because he is out of control that he can't adjust to softly lay it up or jam it. Ditto for Fisher, out of control. Someone mentioned he was hitting those layups early in the season, he was, teams play a little weaker defense at the start of every season. It's about what he is doing now though.
02. Kobe's lack of concentration and decision making is a concern lately. Is it fatigue, injury, or just being Kobe? I believe Kobe has multiple personalities and like a box of chocolates.... well you get my point.
03. A key stat that you can blame on Luke, Lamar and Ronny, the Mavs had 11 blocked shots tonight. At what point in one's career does a player learn from his mistakes?
04. Sasha, Farmar, and Luke a combined -28. Laker dreamers still enamored with these guys (Luke excluded of course)
05. Turiaf is playing out of position, use Mbenga you got nothing to lose except for perhaps a 7 footer gaining experience and confidence.
06. Phillip made what I believe his greatest coaching decision (this year) last week when he inserted Coby Karl into the line-up because of the uninspired effort by your bench mob. I guess he forgot about the lift he gave the Lakers. But what do I know, he's forgotten more about BB than I'll ever know.
1-3
Jazz do not lose in Utah
FEED THE TROLLS
CHEESECAKE ANYONE?
Posted by: Troll Man | March 18, 2008 at 09:21 PM
IT’S ALL ABOUT LAKERS BASKETBALL…
How were the Lakers, without Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, going to beat the Mavs and end their 2-game road losing streak? The answer was play Lakers basketball: run the Triangle efficiently, play tough team defense, control both boards, and attack the rim. The result was a 102-100 road win over the Mavs that makes the Lakers best in the West.
The Lakers showed me something tonight that I believe says worlds about their character and toughness as a team. They once again adjusted to losing a key player to injury and proved they could play well enough as a team to beat an elite West competitor on the road even though short-handed. While we miss Pau, we showed we can win without him. It took us a few games to finally make the necessary mental adjustments but we did.
And this was not the first time we have seen this team adjust. Remember the great three games that we played at the start of the 9-game road trip and before Gasol was in uniform. We finally adjusted to not having Andrew and just played Laker ball. We lost to the Pistons by a point but then blew out the Raptors and Wizards, again proving that if we played Lakers basketball, we could dominate teams even though short-handed.
You have to give a lot of credit for the team’s championship character and toughness to Kobe Bryant. It’s funny how many people laughed when Kobe said the problem was the arc on his shot but he would work on it. His offensive efficiency and shooting accuracy in the first half were a professional basketball clinic as the Lakers dominated the Mavs.
The team’s defense against the Mavs in the 1st half was also very strong, especially Ronny Turiaf, who after a couple of sub par outings fiercely defended the rim. And you cannot say enough about Lamar’s warrior-like performance at both ends of the court or Vlade’s clutch trio of 3’s that may have saved the day.
Finally, it’s easy to jump on Phil for substitutions or game-ending plays but when you look at the big picture you really see what a marvelous job he and the coaching staff have done in getting these players to believe and execute. Now we just need to go to Utah and do the same thing to the jazz – just play Lakers basketball and win.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | March 18, 2008 at 09:22 PM
That's another good news Celtics preserved the Lakers record of 33 wins of the 71-72 Lakers
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | March 18, 2008 at 09:22 PM
JustaLakerFan,
Farmar starts the 2nd quarter guarding Lue.
First possession: Farmar stays with Lue, who gives it up
Second possession: Farmar follows Lue around a screen,
but recovers and stays in good position. Lue gives it up.
Third possession: Farmar stays with Lue to the corner of
the key. Lue gets the guarded shot off, but misses.
Fourth possession: Farmar chases Lue around off screens,
but Lue never gets the ball
Fifth possession: With Lue inbounding the ball after the
Lakers score, Farmar guards the inbound well and Lue
almost gets a 5-count. When they go down the court,
Farmar loses Lue and he burns them with a three. Not
because Lue outran Farmar, but Jordan was cheating
toward the lane instead of staying with his man.
That's one bad possession out of five for Farmar so far
in the quarter.
Sixth possession: on the way down the floor, Josh
Howard elbows Jordan in the face. It's a broken play
and all the Lakers are scrambling on d, eventually Dirk
hits
from the top of the key.
Seventh possession starts with Jordan still checking to
see if his nose is bleeding. Jordan stays with his man
while Sasha plays stifling d on Stackhouse until the shot
clock expires.
I could go on for every play of the game, but you get the
point.
Yes, Jordan does get beat on defense sometimes. And
in some games he gambles more than others and gets
burned more. But then again, the same could be said
about Kobe. Sometimes he gambles and gets burned
as well.
But if you're trying to claim that somehow Farmar's defense
was bad in this game, you're wrong.
Defense is a TEAM thing, and most of the time, Jordan stays
focused and puts in the effort to do a good job of it. He's
not a great defender, but he's a decent one. And I think
if he keeps working hard, he can get better at it.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | March 18, 2008 at 09:25 PM
Blazers are battling the SUNS...
Posted by: dice8up | March 18, 2008 at 09:26 PM
From previous thread.
THE LAKERS HAVE ABSOLUTELY 0% CHANCE OF WINNING THIS GAME. 00000000%
Posted by: KARL MALONE | March 18, 2008 at 03:56 PM
Karl? Karl Malone? Where are you Karl Malone????
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 18, 2008 at 09:02 PM
========================================
Very funny.....
Posted by: dice8up | March 18, 2008 at 09:30 PM
The Suns is outworking the Blazers in the fourth... I think they are beginning to get it right playing with Shaq.
Posted by: dice8up | March 18, 2008 at 09:31 PM
Lakers won and that's all that matters at this time. For those still hating on Kobe, he made good decisions down the stretch by passing out of the double teams to his mates. Vlad hit some big threes to slow down the Mavs enough to pull out a tough win. I don't care how we won tonight as long as we got it done. This was a much needed win for our team. Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | March 18, 2008 at 09:37 PM
GONNER!!!
I hope your ok... this is not the end of the world.
don''t worry, LAKERS do loose sometimes so you still have chance to bash KOBE BEAN BRYANT next time...
Posted by: DaxxMD | March 18, 2008 at 09:45 PM