There may be more than one way to skin a cat
But tonight didn't feature one of those methods.
Any team can go out and do the expected. It takes a special one to consistently shock the world. The Lakers have done just that, almost exclusively for the good, for most of the '07-'08 season. Running their way to the top of the Western Conference. Swinging a trade for Pau Gasol. Losing on their home court by 13 to the 25 win Charlotte Bobcats. What, you thought all the shocks had to be positive? Nope, Wednesday night in their 108-95 loss to the Bobcats at Staples, the L.A. pulled a fast one on everyone who assumed this would be an easy win (presumably, that includes the Lakers themselves, judging by their faire play), and not only gave away the game, but all important position in the ludicrously crowded Western Conference. AK has the breakdown below, which given that they just lost by 13 to one of the worst teams in the league (I mentioned that, right?) is light on "Good," heavy on everything else.
BK
THE GOOD
DJ Mbenga: It ain't often the guy gets a chance to even play enough to be a candidate for this section, much play well enough to land here. But in limited minutes, Mbenga arguably played the best of any Laker out there. 2-2 from the field. Four boards. One very nice dime to set up a Luke Walton layup. He also poked away a post entry from Jason Richardson, which led to a trip to the stripe for LO (both converted). Throw in the solid post presence in spots and it was a nice showing for the man often referred to as "Tacos."
I've seen about a million different versions of the "Why didn't Phil play Mbenga more?" question posed to me and BK. We didn't get a chance to ask Phil (his postgame was, to say the least, brief), but my guess at his explanation would be, in a nutshell, that the player in question is DJ Mbenga. Yeah, he played well, but with a player of his limited abilities, the returns typically become more diminished the longer he's out there. I realize the irony of pointing this out on a night where he was 100% from the field, but for the most part, he leaves you playing four-on-five offense. And his court stints were always during situations where the Lakers were playing catch up, meaning it's tough to leave him on the floor for too long. Could he have played a few more minutes? I guess, although they didn't really lose any momentum gained from his fourth quarter PT until four minutes after he sat. Bottom line, Mbenga's PT had little or nothing to do with them losing, despite his nice showing.
Lamar Odom: The string of double-doubles dies by just a rebound (18/9), but LO deserves mention here for not only playing a solid (and at 7/10 from the field, proficient) game. A lot of time spent close to the basket and with only one (made) exception, resisting the three ball fever that overcame a lot of his teammates (more on that later). In a game where quick, wild play persisted at a rate that would have made the Warriors blush, LO was often the guy looking most under control and following what I imagine was the game plan.
Um... er... the corned beef sandwiches for the media dinner: Yeah, it's a reach, but that would be required to fill out the good during this night. Plus, we're talking corned beef sliced right off the slab. Sauerkraut. Some quality rye bread or onion rolls. In my particular case, habanero mustard sauce. Good stuff, Maynard
THE BAD
Laker ball movement and shot selection: I felt at times like I was doing research for my upcoming book ":04 Seconds or Less: My Season in the Media Section with the Chucking and Chucking Los Angeles Lakers." I can't even count the number of times the ball went up from 20-feet out or further after one pass, tops. Eight of the Lakers' 20 assists came in the first quarter. From there, many stretches ensued where fluidity and motion became non-existent. BK and I were joking that Sasha Vujacic (3-8) and Jordan Farmar (1-4) appeared to be engaging in a three-point shooting contest during the fourth quarter. PJ apparently found this less amusing than us, since JF got a rather unceremonious yank after a rapid-fire 24-foot miss. But in fairness to the young guards, they were hardly the only guys catching the... wait for it... boo-bomb-ic plague. The Lakers hoisted 27 in all from distance, connecting on only 8. Vlad Rad: 1-5. Kobe: 206. D.Fish 0-3. Maybe it's just me, but I've got a nagging feeling that's a hair too many long balls than what's traditionally considered ideal.
Kobe Bryant: He didn't play particularly well (8-22 shooting, three turnovers, too much iso and some D that he'd likely rather forget), but his composure was even worse. That first technical appeared to come after he was complaining about a no-call from two or three possessions previous, which put him in the refs' bad graces. Meaning kicking the ball to the ref, even lightly, would be enough to nab a quick second T and the early shower. The Mamba's now sitting on fifteen technicals, meaning it's an automatic one-game suspension upon receiving the next. That's just not smart on Kobe's part. Whether or not he was arguing a valid case is irrelevant. Even if Kobe had gotten legitimately screwed, he also racked these T's in a game where the Lakers down 13 with under four minutes to play and a push was looking less than likely. Forget stupid. It's actually wasteful, especially in a situation where you've got so little leeway down the road and the final outcome is basically a given. A player can pick up a technical foul so easily, even in situations where he's not bitching at the refs. Frustrating and embarrassing loss or not, he needed to do a better job keeping his cool.
Defense: All aspects of it. Those 50 points in the paint? As Clark Griswald told his son, "Nothing to be proud of, Russ." But for what it's worth, the Lakers were equally bad defensively the further they moved away from the basket. The Bobcats shot 46% from downtown, with at least a trio apiece from Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Matt "I'm literally in the game to do nothing else, so why not guard me in downtown?" Carroll. As for the stuff that happened in between, the Cats' overall percentage was 50%, so that stuff went down pretty smooth, too.
Energy: From the opening tip on, anything resembling a pulse came in spurts and usually ones that weren't particularly long. The last few minutes of the first quarter. The opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Maybe another few possessions here and there. But for the most part, there was more "pooped" in the Laker step than "pep," and if you're offering the "fifth game in seven days" excuse, don't bother. "This is what the NBA is all about," insisted Odom in the locker room. "Playing a lot of games. So no excuses. They deserved it. They played better than us tonight."
No argument here.
AK
Those of you looking for insight from Phil Jackson on what exactly went wrong tonight will not find it in his postgame press conference. I'd type it out- wouldn't take long- but it's actually more fun to listen to (Download phil_jackson_3.26 post CHA.mp3). Shortest presser of the year.
Regarding the T that got Kobe tossed, I believe the official ruling was that Kobe kicked the ball at/to the ref (depending on who you ask, I guess). I missed the play and will have to see the film. I talked to a couple people, and while most agree that it was probably harmless, a couple security guys who had a good angle seemed to think, at least based on appearances, that Bryant might have goofed up. Still, it wouldn't shock me if Kobe and the Lakers appealed the T, hoping to get it reversed. But given how he's racked them up this year, it also wouldn't surprise me to see said appeal get denied.
One thing we all agreed on? When you're sitting on 14 T's for the season and already have one in the game, it's probably a better idea just to hand the ref the ball.
BK
ok guys, it is time to call phil jackson's stubbornness and dictator like behavior into question. here are my observations:
1- phil wants the players to figure out the rotation on their own. heaven forbid that he should come down from his thrown and tell them where to stand on defense; noooo they are better off falling on each others' legs until they learn! he has lost so far gasol, bynum, ariza and mihm in the same exact way; falling on your teammate leg. this is not acceptable from phil. he should get over himself and his outdated style of play.
2- he wants to make sure they can play well in kobe's absence. fine put kobe on the bench and let them try to figure it out. noooo, he wants to keep kobe on the court yet instruct him to sit near the post and do nothing waiting for the other 4 to figure it out on their own. first, it is too late in the season for that and second it is frustrating the life out of kobe. as competitive as he is, kobe finds himself choaking trying to comply with his coach. excuse me but this is bs. I was on hand when he got tossed out for the first time against seattle last month. I was able to see the body language. kobe is frustrated about phil's crazy game plan and it is killing him.
PHIL CASTRO, get over yourself and give kobe some leeway or he is going to get into trouble before the playoffs and I don't mean more technicals. I mean risk of injury increases with frustration as we have already seen.
Posted by: che | March 27, 2008 at 12:17 PM
=== When Will Bloggers See The Light about the "Role MoB" ===
No more Bench Mob,
We should call them the "bench mob" when Pau and Bynum are out.
I am going to include Fisher in this mix and call it the "Role Mob".
See, this is a collection of guys who get too full of themselves when they make a few 3ptrs. We end out blowing out the current opponent and then the next 2/3 games struggle because all they do is jack up 3s trying to catch fire.
This isnt a game of NBA Jam yet Farmar, Fisher, Sasha, Luke, & Vlad get on the court and act like the only goal is to shoot 3 after 3 after 3. Quick shot after quick shot.
Hey guys, HOW ABOUT FORCE FEED LAMAR IN THE POST? HOW ABOUT FORCE FEED KOBE IN THE POST?
This Laker team as currently constructed wont win at any high clip because we rely on the Role Mob to come in and provide positive play. Problem is, this is a 50/50 chance. None of them really play D and their each will take about 3 threes if given the opportunity.
Want evidence, OK... well last nite we lost and lookie here, the Role Mob was a combined 6-21 from 3pt land.
GSW we won... Role Mob 11-31 from 3pt. land. Reason why we struggled to win the game? Hmmmm
GSW at home ... Role Mob 5-18 from 3pt. land... loss
I mean, NEED I SAY MORE?!!!
We are losing because we have way too many guys who want to shoot these damn 3ptrs.
I cant wait for Pau and Bynum to come back not only cuz they are great, but because it will limit the playing time of the Role Mob and hopefully get the Lakers away from shooting a ridiculous 20-25 3ptrs a game.
This is crazy and why we are losing...
Now, who wants to disagree with that? You cant. So dont.
Posted by: Korey | March 27, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Marty,
Living in France, I really should have quoted "En attendant Godot", because Beckett, the native Irishman, actually wrote it and most of his mature works in French. I thought I'd go with the English translation so as not to offend the two people who would understand the reference or completly freak out all the others.
What ever happened to last year's wonderful blogger - sorry, his name slips me - who cited Lautréamont last year when referring to some of the lovely and mysterious prose of Jorema? And where is Jorema when we need her?
Posted by: Tsphere | March 27, 2008 at 12:55 PM
In my opinion, one more T on Kobe and you can expect Lebron or Chris Paul to go home with the MVP award. Kob's whining is the one really irritating remnant of his supposed selfishness, though I'm sure he thinks of it as part of his role as team captain and motivator. He may not realize that it only motivates the refs to exert their authority over him.
Otherwise, I think it's a symptom of something else, something we all feel. Frustration with not seeing the bodies we need coming back. In the first two games without Pau (including the one when he went down) the Lakers didn't know how to adapt to new configuration which took them out of their very effective inside-outside routine with Pau. Then they made adjustments, including Ronny posting up and handling the ball inside trying to mirror Pau's game to a certain extent as well as Lamar playing more aggressively in Pau's spots. But it wasn't entirely natural for anyone and turned out to be a bit wearing, especially when other teams got an inkling of how to deal with it. I think a lot of the defensive breakdowns in the last four or five games are due to spending more energy than is normally required on offense. They just don't have that spontaneous ability to read the opponent's offense and adjust their rotations in time (losing some expected length around the hoop also upsets things).
But I think the hardest thing is the waiting for GODOT (Gasol Or Drew Or Trevor), who just like in Beckett's play never appears, but everything hangs on him.
ESTRAGON:
Charming spot. (He turns, advances to front, halts facing auditorium.) Inspiring prospects. (He turns to Vladimir.) Let's go.
VLADIMIR:
We can't.
ESTRAGON:
Why not?
VLADIMIR:
We're waiting for Godot.
ESTRAGON:
(despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You're sure it was here?
VLADIMIR:
What?
ESTRAGON:
That we were to wait.
VLADIMIR:
He said by the tree. (They look at the tree.) Do you see any others?
ESTRAGON:
What is it?
VLADIMIR:
I don't know. A willow.
ESTRAGON:
Where are the leaves?
VLADIMIR:
It must be dead.
...
BOY:
(in a rush). Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won't come this evening but surely tomorrow.
...
ESTRAGON:
We are happy. (Silence.) What do we do now, now that we are happy?
VLADIMIR:
Wait for Godot. (Estragon groans. Silence.) Things have changed here since yesterday.
ESTRAGON:
And if he doesn't come?
VLADIMIR:
(after a moment of bewilderment). We'll see when the time comes. (Pause.) I was saying that things have changed here since yesterday.
ESTRAGON:
Everything oozes.
...
Yes, in this immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come—
ESTRAGON:
Ah!
...
VLADIMIR:
You have a message from Mr. Godot.
A DIFFERENT BOY:
Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR:
He won't come this evening.
BOY:
No Sir.
VLADIMIR:
But he'll come tomorrow.
BOY:
Yes Sir.
VLADIMIR:
Without fail.
BOY:
Yes Sir.
Silence.
...
ESTRAGON:
Oh yes, let's go far away from here.
VLADIMIR:
We can't.
ESTRAGON:
Why not?
VLADIMIR:
We have to come back tomorrow.
ESTRAGON:
What for?
VLADIMIR:
To wait for Godot.
...
Doesn't that sound like the announcements we've been hearing about the injuries? This has to be affecting the team pyschologically. GoDoT, we need you.
Posted by: Tsphere | March 27, 2008 at 12:59 PM
We are losing because we have way too many guys who want to shoot these damn 3ptrs.
I cant wait for Pau and Bynum to come back not only cuz they are great, but because it will limit the playing time of the Role Mob and hopefully get the Lakers away from shooting a ridiculous 20-25 3ptrs a game.
This is crazy and why we are losing...
Now, who wants to disagree with that? You cant. So dont.
Posted by: Korey | March 27, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Korey,
I couldn't agree with you more. There was a reason we were so efficient with Andrew and Pau in the post. Andrew was leading the league in FG percentage at nearly 65% before he went down and Pau was over 60% as well before he got injured. That's really incredible. With one or both in the lineup, we're a different team because of their presence and productivity in the post. We have more balance, an inside outside game, higher percentage shots in the paint and better spacing and open shots for our shooters. Turiaf is playing his heart out, but he's still not Andrew or Pau by his own admission. He's doing an admirable job, but the dynamics are different with him playing out of position.
There's no disputing these points because it's obvious we were at are best with either Andrew or Pau in the middle. There are still things that the Lakers could do better in their absence, mainly on defense. As I've said before, even when the offense isn't clicking, games can still be won on the defensive end. Go Lakers!!!
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | March 27, 2008 at 01:06 PM
Mamba24,
janaya2 reporting for duty. I thought that I saw some trolls rolling down the 10 freeway towards Staples Center. I swerved at them and ran them off the road. Turns out I was wrong and I apologize for running an old lady off the freeway. But if given the chance to do it all over again, I would. I can't take any chances of letting a troll get away!
ADD ME TO THE PATROL...
janaya
p.s. Most trolls 4get that every team plays their "A Game" against the Lakers. Why? READ MAMBAS "We are the Lakers" mantra.
Teams like the Bobcats (sub-500) are easy to overlook. Simple as that.
Posted by: janaya2 | March 27, 2008 at 01:19 PM
who cares about the #1 seed? It's meaningless this year, all the teams are good, anyone can win in any round.
who cares about one loss to the bobcats? they also beat the Celtics in Boston earlier this season. It happens, it's the NBA. We're now 27-5 against sub-500 teams.
who cares why PJ took Mbenga out of the game? He's the coach. He makes thousands of decisions a year, and he must be doing pretty well considering their record.
who cares what a bunch of big-baby "the Lakers aren't winning every game" fans say? wah wah, go change your diaper.
We're tired. We're shorthanded. We may even be overperforming considering our talent and experience levels, and certainly considering who's actually on the floor. Anybody who knows anything about NBA basketball cannot reasonably think this team should be playing better over the course of 82 games, all things considered.
The Lakers will be fine.
Posted by: drewpaukobe | March 26, 2008 at 11:40 PM
DPK
I care as a fan. We signed players Coby Karl who made the team (as is member of team) and does not get pt.
We have signed Mbenga and Ira as insurance policies because we are precisely short handed and they get no PT. That is like taking out an insurance policy and not cashing it in when needed. No team has and wil go 82-0 but the best chance is to minimize the losses when possible. Playing who is available can help or maybe not but it is worth the try to find out. Sure was working when Mbenga was playing.
I care and I would venture to guess Jerry Buss, Jim Buss and Mitch care too. How much would you care if it was you paying for their contracts? A lot more I would venture to guess.
You are right about the other points as any team can win a PO series no matter the seeding. But I also care that I want to have the team have the odds or best chances in our favor. Every little edge helps.
So use the people we have and don't wear out our core players. Again every edge counts.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 27, 2008 at 04:37 PM
Another of Kobe's decision making follies is doubling or helping out on defense way too much. Teams have been exploiting his defensive deficiency by cutting baseline resulting in layups. Since Kobe's defensive positioning is off, it puts the bigs on team in a bind as evidenced tonight on several occasions when Odom and Turiaf tried to cover. It's ok to funnel your player to your bigs but it's not ok when the player isn't even making an effort to get over the screen. Due to Kobe's poor defensive positioning, he has to recover to his own player which made him foul 2 players taking a 3 that resulted in 4 point plays.
Do you know who leads the league in technicals? Ron Artest? Nope. Rasheed Wallace, the perennial winner? Nope. It's Kobe Bean Bryant. He got torched by Richardson tonight. Fouled Carroll which resulted in a 4-point play. Felt the need end the game right then and there. Didn't matter if his teammates felt their efforts on the court deserved a response from their supposed leader. Didn't matter that the game was still within striking distance. It's all about him. It's all about the petulant "leader". It's this type of action that has his teammates pondering Kobe's inability to lead by example.
Posted by: Jeffs Aho | March 27, 2008 at 12:00 AM
This post is wrong and does not make sense to me.
He is the best player on the planet but yes he makes mistakes. So what! He is unfarly being beaten down by you in misguided views. First Kobe was late and out of position. You try playing the minutes he has through running teams and in OT and with his injuries. Any player would be tired but he is beyond that.
Yes he tried to cover on the 3 pt shot and was called for a foul. Did you see the replay. He did not touch the 1st shooter and at most grazed the guys jersey. Even Stu moaned on that one. The other one was just as bad. He ran challenged the shot the ball was away and Kobe did not hit the guy and was called for foul. Yet he gets banged around and no calls. See why he was mad.
Even Luke was smacked in the face9forehead 0 by Richardson and Richardson was not playing the ball but Lukes head. Why no flagrant. Luke did not even have ball above his head.
Yes Kobe leads the league in technicals but 7-8 of them or more are from him standing up for his team mates as captain of team and he is called. Sounds like leadership to me defending his team.
I can go on but I think it is reasonable to guess that you can see the disagreement with the input you have from me.
have a great day.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 27, 2008 at 04:53 PM
BLOG POLICE aka (THE TROLL PATROL)
and/or those who feel the need to rip one (deserved) a new a..hole
Feel free to add a name to the list
01) "Pig" Miller oink oink
02) Jon K
03) : (nameless blogger)
04) Long Time Laker Fan
05) Mamba24
06) Evil Cartman
07) JustaLakerFan
08)
09)
10)
I love you guys
Posted by: Evil Cartman | March 27, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Thank you so much. I deeply take this as a true honor to be listed on your meaningless list of true Laker fans.
You bring me so much joy to know that you took the time to honor me by adding me to the list.
I am so humbly grateful to be acknowledged so.
Keep up the good work as I will continie to post my opinion and take heart that you so appreciate them.
Thanks again!
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | March 27, 2008 at 05:06 PM