Live from Oakland- Lakers vs. Warriors

9:10- Jackson cruises in for an easy layup... a little too easy.  I'm not sure the sequence could have looked worse for the Lakers, actually.  A three relatively early in the clock from Fish, who misses, then a long rebound to Harrington, who outlets all the way down the floor to Jackson.  Unfortunately, Fish was the only one who released defensively, so he was the only one back there.  Two on one, easy points for the Warriors.  Can't have transition breakdowns like that. 

6-4 GSW.

7:45- Kobe backs Davis down into the lane, then as the double comes kicks it out to Fish for a wide open three, which Fish drains.  Next trip down, LO gets penetration, and kicks again to Fish, who is again wide open, this time from the corner.  Another swish.  Two great shots from outside- that's how the Lakers have to do it.  Work in, then kick out.  Don't settle. 

6:15- 13-10 LAL.

Davis ties it up with one of those step-in threes the Lakers were hoping to avoid before the game.

5:10- Kobe again gets into the high post, and uses Davis. Quick dribble, quick shimmy, and then an uncontested fallaway jumper.  He's living in that mid to high post area tonight, with great success for himself and the Lakers generally.  Davis isn't long enough to handle his game down there.  Strong, but not long.

4:30- LO goes the length of the floor, nobody stops the ball, and then he  draws contact on Biedrins, who stood deep in the lane and tried to draw the charge.  Just sort of leaned into it, like a plant swaying in the breeze.  Truly one of the worst attempts I've ever seen at drawing a charge, actually.

3:26- 18-17 LAL.

2:44- Timeout on the floor, as Ellis takes the ball on the break and aggressively on the break, comes down the wing, and scores, drawing contact from Ronny in the process.  He makes the FT, and the Warriors are on an 8-1 run, 23-18. 

Walton and Farmar in after the TO.

1:40- Davis gives Kobe a little of his own medicine, taking him into the post, and then putting a great move in him.  Fake into the lane, great drop step, and an easy bucket around Kobe.  That's a great battle between the two of them right now, and unlike last night, it doesn't seem like foul trouble is going to muck it up. 

:25.9- Again Ronny gets the ball in the lane, cutting along the right baseline off a great feed from a penetrating Kobe, and instead of shooting, kicks it out to Farmar on the perimeter.  Three seconds called before JF could get the shot off.  Twice it happened Sunday night, and again it happens here. 

END OF THE FIRST:

GSW up 28-20, but really it should be much closer.  LA is missing a lot of shots around the rim.  You have to finish against a team like Golden State, not only because the points come in handy (after all, the team with the most at the end of the game will indeed be declared the winner), but because it slows them down and can force them into a halfcourt offense.  The Lakers are getting the shots they want in the way they want- close and off penetration, but they're not hitting.  8-26 (30.8%).  On the other end, they're holding GSW to a low percentage (37.5%) and are generally playing some decent D, but it would help to hit a shot or two.

GSW up 14-3 in points off the break, and outrebounding LAL 19-13.

SECOND QUARTER:

Sahsa, Kobe, LO, Walton, Farmar for LA.

10:05- Walton in the high post hits a cutting Farmar for an easy bucket with the and one.  Granted, in the immortal words of Curly (City Slickers) "The day's not over yet," give or take, on the paraphrase, by the way, but at least early Walton looks like he's playing with a little more confidence.  He's getting involved on both ends. 

9:13- 35-27, Timeout on the floor, GSW.

8:26- Sasha drives hard and draws a block on Harrington.  No shot, but it could have easily gone the other way.  But the Lakers keep the ball, and eventually turn it into a Sasha triple after Luke earns himself an easy layup, misses, then gathers the rebound and kicks.  So good, bad, then good again. 

7:38- Pick and roll leaves Jackson open, as once again the Lakers leave him with too much space on the pop.  Whatever the plan is, be it a switch, an attempt to stop the ball, or whatever, the communication needs to be crisp, because if Jackson has any space at all, he's going to shoot, and very likely make.

6:56- 40-32 GSW.

6:19- Timeout on the floor, LA.  PJ is laying into Sasha, who launched from three, then hesitated defensively and wasn't in position to contest the run out from the Warriors, who converted easily on a long Ellis outlet to Azubuike for the dunk.  On the previous trip, Sasha traveled, nearly lost it in the trip before that but was bailed out by the refs.

He stays on the court out of the TO, and Vlad replaces Walton. 42-32 GSW.

3:51- Sasha drills a three, as the Warriors, for reasons I don't quite understand left him wide open.  he was practically coming out of his shoes begging for that ball.  Then GSW comes back with two straight threes of their own. First from Davis, who used a screen to exploit Vlad Rad (for the second time this quarter) who was afraid to come out close to him- a few trips earlier, Davis did the same thing. 

Then in transition, Davis gets into the lane, and kicks to Jackson who was absolutely, positively, and ludicrously wide open for an easy three attempt.  Bucket.  Crowd is LOUD after that on, despite the fact ehy're competing with some Lakers fans in here.

2:49- 53-43 GSW.  Odom going to the line to try and complete the and one, after getting fouled putting back a Fish miss.  He makes it, and it's a nine point lead for Golden State.

Walton back in as Kobe gets a rest.

1:44- Quick one, as Kobe's back in for Sasha.

1:15- Terrible play by Walton, who passes up a shot he needs to take from the top of the key, then tries to hit (I think) Kobe underneath, and throws it right to Jackson, who gets the ball out to Baron, who goes behind his back on Luke before tucking in the reverse layup.  That was an incredibly sweet move, there.

Walton makes up for it (sort of) by drawing contact on the other end, and making some FTs.

END OF THE HALF: 63-52 GSW.

Ellis buries the runner at the buzzer, after it looked like Kobe was hacked to death trying to penetrate on the other end.  From the moment that ball went up, you knew it was going to go in.  it's been that sort of half for the Warriors from behind the arc.  8-14 from three point land (57%) which is higher than their percentage from inside it (48%, which ain't bad either). 

Too many breakdowns for LA, who continue to be slow to close on the perimeter.  The're taking better care of the ball, at least relative to last night (a reasonable eight, considering the pace of the game) but are getting killed in the paint, as well (as Jackson warned before the game).  30-12 on points in the paint, advantage Golden State.  On the break, it's 24-8 Golden State.  Fortunately for LA, tey're getting to the line (11-12, vs. 3-4) or this could be a bigger lead for the Warriors. 

Offensively, the Lakers are only shooting 37.5%, and are 5-18 from downtown. Not enough makes there to justify the launching- and it also explains the fast break disparity.  14 dimes on 18 makes, but there haven't been enough makes.  LA has missed a bunch of shots from close proximity to the hoop- can't give away the chippies against these guys. 

More to come after the half.

THIRD QUARTER:

Ronny back in.  He tweaked the ankle in the first, but a Gary Vitti tape job later, he's good to go.

9:50- Great feed from LO to Rony underneath.  Penetrates, then finds Turiaf on the left block cutting to the bucket for the and-one on Biedrins, who exits the game.  Ronny makes the FT, adn it's an eight point lead for Golden State. 

8:55- Jackson draws a foul on LO, who gets whistled for coming across his arm after the ball was about eight feet gone.  An unnecessary whistle to say the least, but on the other hand, with the ball that far out of Jackson's hand, Odom probably should have avoided the contact. 

Warriors zone up, and Fish shoots over it for the three.  They're going to dare the Lakers to beat them from outside. 

7:45- What looked like it was goign to be a totally lost possession for the Lakers against the zone- mostly Kobe dribbling into and away from attention, turns into an and-one chance for the Lakers when he threads a pass to Odom along the right baseline.  Odom drives to the hoop, and draws contact on Ellis.  His third.

7:04- Radmanovic left wide open in the corner, and only a halfhearted runout by Jackson.  He hits it, and the lead is down to five for Golden State.  I'm not sure how, because if you watched this game without a scoreboard, the assumption would be that Golden State was killing them.  But here we are.  Just as they did last night, the Lakers are making up some ground in the third. 

4:41- Lakers get to within one on consecutive putbacks from Ronny and LO, then the Warriors run it out to three when the Lakers lose Biedrins underneath, and five when Azubuike is left open for an easy mid range jumper.  Another three second call as Ronny passes off to LO, and the Lakers turn the ball over.  Not sure if that one's on ronny in the same way the other three over the last couple days have been, but it's clear guys are expecting him to shoot and he's not always obliging. 

2:50- Timeout on the floor, after Fish hits a three for LA.  Inside out passing sets it up.  LA down two, 80-78.  They've stayed in the game with some timely shots- not necessarily good shooting, but timely shots- then by getting some good bounces off the glass and putting them back through.  The Lakers, despite struggling mightily in a lot of ways, have managed to stay close, and are outscoring GSW 26-17 in the third.  GSW is 6-15 in the period. 

Farmar in for Fish out of the TO.

1:38- Lakers briefly grab the lead, when JF hits LO from the right side of the arc to the left, and Odom, with nobody but Biedrins standing in between, attacks the glass for an easy layup. Then the Lakers lose Jackson in the corner, he hits a three, and the Warriors grab the lead again.

1:10- Azubuike gets inside for a layup, and is drilled by Ronny to prevent the easy bucket.  Kobe gets ticked at Vlad, it looks like, but from where I was sitting, Kobe let Azubuike cut right past him.  Never moved to disrupt the lane. 

On the other end, Vlad gets pickpocketed by Davis, who feeds Jackson, who is fouled by LO to prevent a dunk.  Seven straight points from the Warriors on mistakes from the Lakers, and the lead is back to six.

END OF THE THIRD:

Huge shot from Odom gives the Lakers a one point lead heading into the fourth.  Kobe cleaned up a Sasha miss, and found Odom for the midrange shot, which he drilled.  Big turnaround there for LA.  The Lakers outscored the Warriors 35-23 in the quarter, and did it by cleaning up inside.  18-6 in the Q for points in the paint, 11-2 on second chance points.  Some of that is opportunistic, no doubt, but you have to take advantage of what's there. 

FOURTH QUARTER:

Great two man D from Walton and Odom switching off on Jackson and Biedrins.  Back and forth, each picking up the other a couple times, until Jackson finally tries to drive, and Odom ties him up for the jump ball, whch the Lakers control.

Sasha hits a jumper, and they turn the D into two points on the other end.

10:14- Great start to the quarter for LAL.  Sasha hits a J off the aforementioned great D, then Kobe gets down low on Davis, hitting the turnaround J off the glass.  On the next trip, he penetrates and draws contact for two.  They keep getting inside, where they can hurt and slow down the Warriors, all at once.

9:34- 93-88 LAL.

9:18- Lakers get a steal, and Kobe takes it coast to coast, drawing a foul on Davis underneath.  He makes the first, then the second.  Lakers up by seven. 

8:07- Officials TO on the floor.  Lakers out to a 10-2 run to start the quarter, as GSW has gone totally cold and the Lakers continue to attack. 

5:58- The Lakers, specifically Lamar Odom, are doing a great job around the hole. Two straight blocks for Odom, snuffing out dribble drives from the Warriors.  The Lakers are putting much more pressure on the ball much farther out on the perimeter than they did earlier in the game, and it's causing the Warriors some problems.  LA isn't giving up on the shooters, and Odom has made hte strategy work in the last couple minutes. 

Right now, the Lakers are the far more aggressive team, and since they're not feeding the beast, so to speak, they're able to play far more effectively.  By playing smart and aggressively, theyr'e not allowing GSW the easy points that help create the perpetual motion machine. 

4:45- Ouch. Davis drives, and as he's going up, Kobe, who tries to draw the charge, takes an elbow in the face.  Nothing intentional, but that smarts.  Kobe does down hard under the basket and is down for about thirty seconds.  Looks like he's okay, though.  Those smart, no doubt.  Nothing worse than getting popped in the nose.  They call the block on Kobe, though, and Davis will go to the line for two to try and cut the Lakers lead to six.

Nice moment as he and Davis slap hands- all good.

Davis misses the first.  Makes the second. 

Turiaf in.

2:37- Great play by LO.  Davis overplays him going for a steal at the top of the lane, and instead of settling for a jumper, he drives hard, sticks out that 11 foot long left arm, and lays the ball in.  ON the trip before, he hit an open midrange J- Lakers up by nine, 110-101. 

1:02- Two straight bad plays lead to two straight layups for the Warriors.  First, Kobe launches a contested three, leading to an easy run out and an Ellis layup.  Then turiaf turns the ball over to Ellis, and the Warriors convert with an Azubuike runner in the lane.

kobe isos on the next possession, and bricks bad.  On the other end, Davis finds Ellis underneath for a layup.  Lead down to one. 

:9.9- LO comes back with a drive in the post and picks up the sixth foul on Biedrins.  He needs to knock down both of these, and then we'll see if the Lakers can defend the three point line.  Great spin between the double team, then going in with the right hand.

He misses the first.

Timeout on the floor.

Makes the second.

Davis drives on Kobe, and draws the foul.  Penalty situation.  Davis makes the first... the next one will tie it... and he gets it.

Tied at 111.  Lakers call timeout to advance the ball. 

3.6 left on the clock.

END OF REGULATION:

Lakers get the ball into Fish, who gets a clean look at the rim, but misses the runner.  Overtime.

OT-

First two Lakers possessions, no real ball movement.  Two missed Kobe J's.  Azubuike converts on the other end, and the Warriors are up by two.

Third LA possession is nearly a shot clock violation. Lakers aren't getting the ball down low... but are bailed out by Fish on an emergency three with about five ticks left on the shot clock. Tied at 113.

Kobe gets hit for a charge driving, thenlooking to kick to Sasha in the corner.  Looked like a good call, too. 

2:02- Ellis on the line, misses the first, but Kobe is called for a lane violation.  I saw it from here, too.  He stepped in then pulled back as Ellis was shooting.  He makes the second try, and the Warriors are up by one.  114-113.

Fish hits a monster three, as Kobe tries the same play driving along the baseline then kicking into the corner.  Big shot makes it a one point game.

Warriors still zoning up, daring LA to shoot over it.  The Lakers are giving it their best shot. No pun intended.  It's too late in the game and I've been typing too long and too fast for that sort of thing....

Sasha elevates and hits a three to give the Lakers a lead, then on a broken play, the Warriors tie it on a tip in.

Great play on the next trip to pass on the jumper and find LO, who has an easy path to the basket.

4 ticks left... Warriors don't get the ball in as Ellis basically bullrushes Fish, and plows through him picking up the offensive foul.  Fish goes down hard, possibly on his hip, and is limping bad.  But it's Lakers ball.  On the inbound, Lakers get the ball into Kobe, who is fouled with 3.3 left.  Two makes and it's over...

...there's one...

...and the other...

Lakers up 123-109, and fans are heading to the exits.  Which is good, since I need to wade through them to get back to the press room.  The more that are out of the way, the easier it'll be for me.

FINAL SCORE: 123-119, LAL. 

Lakers make some clutch shots in the extra period, and come away with a big, big win.

Thanks for following along.  More to come in a sec.

BK