Side note, there is a woman behind me with the most piercing voice I've ever heard.  It's absolutely shocking, and a little annoying.  There are likely dogs wailing outside Staples right now, the tone is so high pitched. I can't imagine paying $100 for killer seats... only to be seated next to the likes of her. 

Ugly.

6:58- Timeout on the floor, Lakers.  15 up, after a D Fish pull up J.  Thus far, the Warriors are getting and converting some clean looks.  6-10 from the floor, thought the Lakers have forced two straight TOs.  Or, if you prefer, have been the beneficiary of two straight TOs.  The latter is probably more accurate, really.

6:40- Turiaf hits the 17 footer, and the lakers have a two point lead.  He comes back on the next trip to run it to four, hitting the same mid-range shot.  That's a massively important aspect of his game for the Lakers.  As long as he's on the floor and can make that shot, he'll force opposing centers to move out on him, and it'll open up the floor.

4:54- 19-17 LAL.

4:13- Lakers turn the ball over, and the Warriors turn it into a Stephen Jackson triple.  On the trip previous, the Lakers were burned, as Vlad threw a lob pass to nobody in particular,
and the Warriors cashed in on the other end.  They'll get plenty of good looks on their own.  If the Lakers make it easier, it'll be a long night.

3:33- Turiaf picks up his second foul, hitting Harrington on a three.  Not a good foul, and it'll send him to the bench.  23-19.

3:05- No excuse for the Lakers- Coming off a Kobe miss, Baron Davis gets the entry pass, takes a few dribbles, then feeds a wide open Ellis for an easy layup in transition.  It's one thing for the Lakers to give up a bucket off a broken play, but off a make?  That ain't good. 

2:21- Timeout on the floor, tied at 26.

Farmar in off the TO.

Jackson is hurting Vlad on the defensive end...

1:00- Nice little flip from Walton to Odom for an easy dunk. 

:30- Kobe doesn't even try to close on Jackson, and he buries a three in front of him.  Had he made a hard run, I'm sure Jax would have pumped and penetrated, but it's better than the alternative. Not a good defensive play, there. 

END OF THE FIRST: Lakers down 34-30, and while GSW is hitting a lot of shots, the Lakers aren't making it tough.  Seven TOs, which accounts for the score at this point.  The Lakers also need to do a better job closing on shooters.  Give 'em an inch, and they'll take it.  The good news is at some point the Warriors will go cold, and for the most part when they get into the O without turning it over, the Lakers are doing what they want.  10 dimes on 13 FGs, which is an outstanding percentage.  They need to tighten up on both ends, though.  More care with the ball, more attention to transition D, etc.

AK with the second.

SECOND QUARTER

10:52 - Luke Walton will undoubtedly throw a lot of inbound passes pver the course of his career.  And they will be better than the one ended up a turnover in such bizarre fashion, BK and I are debating how it happened.  If anyone can help describe it, we're all ears.

10:16 - Another turnover, this time from Ronny.  He tried to do a two-handed overhead crosscourt to Sasha.  Assuming Vujacic was allowed an extra 15-20 feet of real estate and nobody was seated in the first five rows or courtside, it was the perfect pass.  Otherwise, not so hot.

8:56 - Monta Ellis racks his third layup of the frame and we're barely three minutes in.  To say the least, the speedster (who's already notched 12 points) ain't meeting nearly enough resistance while heading into the paint.

8:17 - Kobe bricks a 26-footer from behind the arc, one posession after Sasha misses a long two.  The Lakers are spending way too much time bombing from outside, not connecting nearly enough, and giving the Warriors too many opporunities to run the gun they're into.  They need to slow it down, work the ball inside and take advantage of the fact that Golden State has nobody who can man the post.  The feed Kobe dishes to set up Walton's layup?  Exactly what I had in mind.  As it is, they're playing right into what Golden State wants. 

6:19 - Walton taps out  Farmar's second miss at the stripe, helping set up a three ball for Jordan in immediate fashion.

4:45 - Horrible shot by Sasha in transition.  Barely five seconds had passed after Davis' layup before Sasha jacked that one up.  He recovered his miss, drove the lane and drew the foul, but that's almost beside the point.  Plays like that are exactly what Nellie wants from his opponent.  The Lakers are getting way too caught up in G.S.'s tempo right now.

4:19 - Vlad may have shaken, by in large, Phil's "space cadet" label.  But if he lets another rebound go off his hands again like the one he just let roll away off Harrington's miss, he'll regain the moniker all the same.

3:17 - Absolutely no resistance as Davis head to the rack.  He spends about 3 seconds a little bit inside the circle working on Walton, but there's no way Luke's gonna be able to stay with him forever.  Once the eventual move comes, LO gets beat easily offering the help (of sorts) and Vlad's protection of the rack offers none. 

2:35 - Back to back bad turnovers by Walton, the second a REALLY lazy pass.  I don't think that sound you hear right now is the crowd yelling, "LUUUUUUKE."

The quarter winds down with the Warriors up 72-49 and the fans really letting the Lakers have it.  And they should.  They've spent this half doing actually what Golden State wants.  Jacking up a lot of 3's to match style (and making a paltry 3-13), rarely slowing down and looking inside to take advantage of Golden State's lack of interior and generally allowing themselves to get both frustrated and taken out of the game.  These decisions have also played no small part in the Lakers having already turned the ball over a ridiculous 14 times.  I'm not sure they can dig themselves out of a hole this size, but I'm willing to guarantee it ain't happening if they don't make a few adjustments.  Basically, everything.  We'll see what happens.  BK in the third.         

THIRD QUARTER:

   More of the same to start.  Kobe picks up his third, Harrington drills a three.  Lead up to 26. 

9:37- Lakers pick up a three second violation, and it goes on Ronny.  He was set up with a great look inside, and passed off.  By the time the Lakers worked the ball around again, they had picked up the violation.  Overall, they're running the offense better early in the third and making better decisions, except now they're missing some easy looks.

I love how Ronny has played in Gasol's absence, bu the still defers offensively too often.  If you have an open shot, take it.

9:00- GSW 77, LAL 52.

7:09- Kobe hits a three off a broken play, as Fish hit the deck to avoid a turnover of his own making.  That cuts the lead to 20, and Nelson calls a timeout.  Overall, the Lakers seem to be making better decisions right now, and are limiting the Warriors to more of a halfcourt game.  Shame they didn't adopt this strategy back before the Warriors built up the 25 point lead.

The goal here has to be to get the lead down to 10 before the end of the quarter.  Give themselves a shot to win over the final twelve. 

5:30- Odom hits a jumper, and the lead is down to 18.  Kobe isoed on Baron up to, took a hard dribble left, then as the defense came over quickly passed off to LO for the J. 

Fish hits a three, adn the lead is down to 16.  GSW has gone cold, taking a lot of shots from the perimeter without much movement.  The one time they managed to pass the ball around, Biedrins ended up with an easy layup.  As much as the Warriors can shoot a team out of a game, they can shoot a team back into one, too.  If they continue to settle, the Lakers could be in luck.

4:15- Davis drives and is met by a crew of Lakers on the rotation, and I believe Ronny gets credited with the block. 

4:00- LO hits a pair of FTs on the other end, and it's 79-67 GSW.  The big difference between this half and the last, aside from the score, is turnovers.  The Lakers have one, and it came on a three second call.  No easy run outs and break opps for the Warriors in the third.  Combine that with a little calm on the offensive end, and it's easy to see why the Lakers have been able to cut the lead.

3:16- Bad shot from Kobe, early in the clock without trying to get the ball down low, he launches from outside on Davis, and misses.  Ronny goes up for the board, and draws the loose ball foul.  That's his fourth, and he'll have to sit. 

2:34- Fish hits a three, and the building is going nuts.  The Warriors' lead is down to seven.  Catch and shoot in rhythm.  Timeout, Golden State, up 81-74.  Lakers have outscored Golden State 25-9 in the third, aided in part by horrible decision making from the Warriors, who have no concept of game management (which is why they're dangerous for one round, but no threat to go deep into the playoffs).  But the Lakers still have only one TO in the quarter, and have done a good job getting the ball down low.

The Warriors have missed a lot of shots they were making before, but the big thing is the Lakers aren't playing into their hands anymore.

2:15- Rad gambles, trying to poke the ball away from the guy on the post, and pays for it as the ball is kicked back out to Baron for an open three. He drills it.  Can't get caught up in the fever- guys need to stay disciplined.

1:55- Kobe draws the fourth foul on Ellis.  They're starting to pile up for GS. 

1:24- Fish hits an open three from the corner off a Walton block, a quick outlet, and nice feed, and the Lakers are down only five.

:19.5- Horrible foul from Vlad, 55 feet away from the bucket gives the Warriors a pair of FTs.  Barnes makes one of two, so it could have been worse.  He then follows up with the air ball on the tear drop for the last shot of the quarter, which catches nothing but nothing.  Air ball.  Which is strange, since he's known for that little floater driving in the lane.  It's the shot that made him famous.

END OF THE THIRD:

Vlad Rad's mental breakdown aside, the Lakers had a fantastic quarter, and we officially have a game on our hands.  Lakers took care of the ball (I believe two TOs, maybe just the one) slowed the Warriors down by getting the ball inside, and generally didn't give anything away to the Warriors, who helped them out immensely with some shoddy shot selection. 

Quarter ends 87-81, GSW. 

I'll keep typing for the fourth, since the last time it was AK's turn, the Warriors went freakin' nuts and shot, like, a billion percent from the floor.

FOURTH QUARTER:

10:42- Lakers down seven (92-85) after Odom cleans up a Kobe airball.  Or was it a pass?  Well, they didn't give him the dime....

10:01- Great sequence from the Lakers.  Walton outlets to Farmar, who makes a great pass to LO on the wing for a trip to the basket.  He goes hard at the hole, and Jackson is late getting over (barely), and the Lakers get the and-one, and the fourth foul on Jackson in the process. 

9:35- 93-88 GSW.

9:03- Davis picks up his third, on an offensive foul coming into the lane out of control.  Great play by Farmar to slide in and absorb the contact.  The Warriors are really coming apart at the seams, while the Lakers continue to gain confidence.  By turning the game into a halfcourt affair, they're eliminating a major strength of the Warriors.

Some Q3 stats:

GSW shoots 3-19 from the floor (15.8%), and turned the ball over five times.  LA was 10-21 from the floor, still a little three happy (3-9 overall), but got to the line.  9-10 from the stripe in the third.  Why?  They got the ball near the hoop. 

8:42- Ronny back in, as Ellis goes to the line with a chance to put the Warriors up five.  He makes both.  95-90 Golden State.  There will not be tacos tonight.

7:14- Luke ends up on Ellis, and brings him inside on the mismatch.  During the postup, Ellis picks up his fifth foul. Personals are becoming a major factor for the Warriors. 

Ronny loses the ball on the way to the hole, off a great p and r feed from Kobe- that happens a little too often to him.  Got to grip that ball a little harder! 

6:48- There you go!  Turiaf converts with a strong dunk and-one, off a spectacular feed from Kobe, who went behind the back, then spun, then still managed to know where he was well enough to find Ronny for the easy dunk.  That was pretty freakin' impressive.  Very likely to end up on YouTube by the time we all go to bed tonight.  To get through the lane with that sort of control (as a reminder, he went behind the back on the dribble, then spun... in case you forgot) without losing the ball was impressive enough.  To find the open man?  Damn.

With the FT, the Lakers have come all the way back, and the game is tied at 95.

6:12- Again, Ronny passes up an open look, this time deep in the clock, which had there not been a three second violation would have forced Fish to hoist a rushed three.  He's got to take those shots when they're available.  His teammates are expecting it, which is where the three sec calls come from.

3:53- Jackson to the line, with a chance to tie after drawing the foul on Walton w/ penetration.  He makes the first, then the second.  Tied at 99, but momentum has clearly gone back with the Lakers.  They need to keep running the offense, get guys in the post, and move the ball.

Kobe gets into the post, but the double (and a triple on the way) come.  He misses the turnaround- not a bad shot for him- and LO gets the loose ball foul going after the rebound at the 3:35 mark.  100-99 Golden State after Jax makes the first. Timeout on the floor.

By the way, if we judge blogging on +/-, I'm killing AK tonight.

3:35- Jackson back to the line, and makes the second.  Big possessions for the Lakers coming up here.  They need to get clean looks. 

3:17- Luke forces a post up along the baseline- it wasn't there and he needed to kick the ball out- but LO bails him out with a tip in. Tied at 101...

2:00- Fantastic block by Odom on Davis at the bucket.  He had Kobe on the wing, and after a few tries, found space baseline and got past him.  Odom came over at the last possible moment, and blocked the shot clean.  On the other end, Kobe draws a foul heading to the basket, and makes both. That's a four point swing, and fi the Lakers win this, could be a play to look back on. 

Kobe still on Baron. 

1:25: 107-105 GSW.

1:03- Tough break for the Lakers.  Warriors three is an airball, and Azubuike is right there for the put back, forcing LO to hack him.  Easy call, easy FTs for the Warriors. 

Kobe comes back on the other end with a three, and it's a one point game.  The crowd is up. 

:38.5- Confusion between Walton and Fish on the pick and roll.  Both went with Ellis, leaving Jackson all alone for the three on the pop.  I have no idea who screwed up there, but someone did.  Walton tried to close, but it was too late.  Easy look for Jackson,and he converts.

Four point lead for GS, 112- 108.

Kobe hits the three, and brings the Lakers back to within a point, then the Lakers give it right back as Fish gives up way too much space to Jackson, who drills another three.  As Charles Barkley would say, that was trruble.  At least the last terrible play came with a screen to deal with.  This one?  Nothing there but space on the rotation and ball movement around the perimeter.

FINAL SCORE: GSW 115, Lakers 111.  LA gave themselves a chance to take the game, but in the end, had two critical breakdowns defensively gave the Warriors the opportunity to take it back, and they did. Miscommunication on the pick and roll again rears it's ugly head.  But as bad as the finish was, they really lost the game in the first half, letting the Warriors end the first two quarters with a 23 point lead. You can't let that happen, and expect a decent team to give it up at the end.  Golden State tried in the third, but didn't waffle enough for the Lakers.

Overall, they played a very good second half. Unfortunately, both count.

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

BK