First to post???!!! Maybe....

Thanks AK/BK for posting that - I hadn't seen it yet (I guess I've been under a rock....don't know...)

Well - tomorrow's GAME DAY! Let's go Lakers! We NEED this one (how's that for an understatement??)

G'night all - talk at ya in the AM....

GO LAKERS!

Wow. Thanks for posting that. I really liked that commercial. Has anyone else noticed that the NBA does tend to put out very well made commercials? Way better then any NFL commercial I've ever seen which is always just a montage of people getting hit with some music from a beer commercial playing the back.

I agree. Very cool.

And you know it's true. The playoffs is indeed where it's at.

fear!

Korey,

You raised a good point that’s always an issue when you crash the boards but it is primarily the guards that have the responsibility in the triangle to get back, except when they penetrate, in which case it would be the small forward’s responsibility to cover for the guard.

Crashing the boards is always a gamble, just like going for a steal. Whether it works or not depends on the situation and the players. When Lamar has a big size advantage, then we probably will see a lot of him crashing the board, especially when it is Drew or Pau who have the ball, because he knows his guards have his back. Will it backfire on you? Occasionally for sure. You just have to see what happens and adjust accordingly.

I like your triple towers strategies. You definitely need to play a very controlled game designed to take advantage of your size advantage. Running the triangle offense with great efficiency is the primary step in having good defensive position in transition. Good interior passing should result in great offensive rebounding position for our front court. That's when you crash the boards. Our guards need to be very careful and disciplined, with rotations much like on defense, to protect in transition.

Packing it in down low on defense and chasing shooters off the 3-point line is also the perfect defensive strategy when you have a shot blocker like Drew at center plus another 7-footer in Pau. It’s San Antonio to the tee. Let a guy get an open 3-pointer, and Pop will put you on the bench in an instant. Open 3’s are the biggest single mistake a player can make according to the Spurs defensive handbook, worse than getting beat off the dribble. Wing defenders can stay with the 3-point shooters because they trust their big men to handle penetration.

The one thing that I do disagree with you is the issue of being able to stop penetration. While I don’t deny that it is often impossible to stop guys like CP3 or Roy from getting into the lane, you can dog them all over the court and move your feet to deny penetration or try to draw a charge. Fish tries to do this but isn’t as quick as he used to be. Farmar and Sasha are only slightly effective, but at least the don’t quit on the play like Smush did. Oops, Sorry about that. JK. Anyway, Sun Yue might turn out to be a good 1 defender. Long shot for sure but he has great speed and quickness for his height and length.

I would also like to see Ariza play some of these small quick guards. You need a combination of length, size, and quickness to do it (Michael Cooper, Dennis Johnson), which none of our guards other than Kobe have, even though he did not show it last night. In fact, I don’t agree with you that Kobe played good defense on that last drive by Roy. Crowding Roy is not the way you guard a guy like him. Once Kobe did that, Brandon had him. He’s a bump and run type of penetrators, always herky-jerky.

And you don’t ride him and funnel him into the hole when your big men have not shown up all night. Not with the game on the line. My coach put it right when he made a rule that you always go to the hoop with the game on the line and keep the other team from doing the same. The smart move was for Kobe to keep Roy in front of him and force him into a fade-away jump shot. You don’t get so close that he can dust you, especially when he did it several times earlier in the game. Not then. Dumb move by Kobe IMO.

But wait until the first game next year when we play the Blazers. Kobe has a memory like an elephant and a need to get even like a Mafioso. Anyway, good discussion on defense.

Tom

Thanks for the breakdown on that one bro.

Good Morning Charles.
Good Morning: East Coast Jessie - My Latina Princess
Good Morning : Faith - My Queen of the Defense
Good Morning My Soldiers Boz, Toad, Pig Miller, JustAnotherMambafan
Jon K., LakerTom, JJ
GAAAMMEE DAAAAAAYYYYYY!

I saw the spot, too. It is amazingly cool.

Good morning Laker Nation,

As we have three critical games over the next four days, I've gotten up this morning to fulfill my biggest obligation as a fan. I went to the freezer and checked my supply of vodka. As soon as I've completed this post, I'm on my way to the store to make sure I have plenty on hand to share with Faith and PsychedLakerGurl. Ladies, get your shot glass ready! We're in for a wild ride.

As a fan, I have a sense of entitlement that says, the Lakers should win every game. I also watched the Spurs-Suns game Wednesday night. I awakened to the reality that other teams are peaking while the Lakers seem to be struggling.

How could Lamar suddenly go MIA in a game this late in the season, as he did in Portland? Will it happen again before it's all over? How could the Laker defense still become so porous this late in the season, as it did in Portland? How can the Bench play be so uneven, just when the Lakers need it most?

I need a Roll Call to wash away my anxieties about what's to come. I need the sunny, reassuring posts of Charles, Laker Tom, Edwin G, and Jon K to balance out my thinking. It's Game Day. I'm ready. I hope the Lakers are, too. Go Lakers!

Just to follow-up on the blog string before this one -- lots of you mental midgets continue to find reasons to criticize Kobe's game after every loss -- as if he is playing by himself out there.

Heard a interview with Jerry West on Rome -- Jerry, in no qualified terms, stated that Kobe was the not only the best player in basketball, but all of the criticism of his game is completely unjustified.

Now -- Who am I going to believe? Mr. Clutch or dumbass mouth breathers like you.

Good morning Mamba24, good morning Charles & the rest of this UNBELIEVABLE Laker Nation!!!

Mamba24 - present and accounted for, sir - and waiting on roll call. I'm very glad you decided against holding off on it until the playoffs. WE NEED IT, MAMBA24!!! And - don't listen to the trolls who want you to stop - they're trolls, man. No one should listen to them. Wound the troll, starve the troll, BBQ the troll...!

Charles - I posted late yesterday, so don't know if you saw my thanks for the new handle - lovin' it...! And good morning!

What day is it boys & girls? Well I'll tell you since you asked so nicely - it's GAME DAY BABY!!!!!

Staples is going to be rockin' tonight and the tacos will be flowing freely....can you smell it??? Can you dig it??

Let's go Lakers, let's go CLAP CLAP CLAP!!!

GO LAKERS!

The BEAN for FINALS MVP or NO PEACE!!

By the way - LakerTom - I love your posts, man. Very insightful and well presented - thanks!

Also - JonK - hope Delilah's doing well...

Oh yeah, this commercial was a total trip. I saw it during the Suns/Mavs game last Sunday. AWESOME.

P.S. Let's get another W tonight, yes?

Good Morning Charles---Good Morning Everyone...

Watching the Spurs-Suns game I came to the same conclusion as Rick Friedman (see above)--we really need to close out the season with play-off intensity and desire---WIN OR GO HOME--starts tonight and hopefully continues thru June....

I hope we don't see the Suns until the WCF's, hopefully by that time we have had Bynum long enough for him to be a real factor...Shaq looks good enough to take the Suns to the finals....and the Suns getting Gericheck (however you spell his name) was quite a boost and X-factor....

Yesterday someone made a post on their impressions on how the Spurs (and every great defensive team in general) play each defensive possession like it was their last--and that is the key to defense--to play with an intensive urgency on each possession--as if it was the last play in the finals for the championship---can this Laker team step up and play consistent defense?

If we can play consistent defense we will go far in the play-offs--if not we will have a long summer...

We seem to lose when we leave 3 point shooters open (even though in some games we do a good job of covering them and they just make some unbelievable contested shots etc.) and allow consistent gaurd penetration....

the return of Bynum should help us with the latter--and as someone else posted, maybe we need to adopt the Spurs philosophy about the priority of not leaving 3 point shooters open....

We tend to want to double (and triple !!!!) team too much and sometimes without provocation...

Offensive (as well as defensive, of course) rebounding also needs to be paramount, and again with the return of Bynum, we should improve in this crucial area....

These next four games will show us a lot, either way, and it will indeed be interesting to see how the brackets and match-ups unfold...

IF we can play up to our ability and potential, it wouldn't matter who we face and when, but that is a big IF....

It is time for this team to show us what kind of team they truely are....

YET ANOTHER GREAT DAY TO BE A LAKER FAN !!!

GO LAKERS !!!

That spot was done by the Goodby agency in San Fran, also famous for "got milk?"

They're a smart group and obviously knew enough to realize the Lakers, ex or otherwise, are the story.

HmrHed,

Silly posts about how there was possibly something Kobe did wrong in that game that warranted his being a part of the BShaw meeting are simply uneducated, ignorant, raving mad lunacy.

To anyone who believes Kobe was in that meeting because he slacked on defense, a few words about playing team sports, and the art of coaching them:

1. Kobe Bryant played good defense in that game, his fellow guards did not
2. Team environments are delicate and, especially this time of year, players must not be singled out from the team for any liability, as well as success. Only reporters and other media single out players for successes and failures. Players and coaches always use terms like "we" and "our."
3. If anyone here has ever played a team sport, they are familiar with the previous point (it also goes if you've been part of a military organization, or just a good corporate success)
4. Kobe was mentioned and included in said meeting because he is part of the team.
5. When you include Kobe in that meeting, he becomes even more of a peer to those other players, as well as their leader. Being ingrained with them and seeing that he is one of them creates a much tighter bond with his teammates.
6. I think the admonishment of those players was a great bit of coaching by Shaw. Brian was always a committed defender and is trying to get the current Laker guards to become a defensive minded back court unit. Good on him.

Silly posters! Blogs are for smart people.

Oink Oink

Edwin Gueco said: "Gunner, you just have that excruciating hate on Kobe,
what's new? Will you ever say nice things to him if he says upon receiving
the MVP trophy:...."I won it because of blogger Gunner on the Lakers Blog"

HAHAHA! Now even Edwin is seeking and destroying those Trolls. Oh Woe
unto Trolls, for once you piss off Edwin Gueco I can practically smell the
Troll meat on the Bar B. Keep after them Edwin!

LakerTom D@mn good post. Man you are good!

Floyd, Ditto! Excellent Post Man! Excellent!

Excerpt of "Travels with Charley Rosen" over at Fox Sports:

"In those days, Phil Jackson's version of Tex Winter's triangle offense was usually initiated by a pass into Cartwright — whose bulk and ability to seal a defender made him a reliable target. However, MJ had no confidence (and rightly so) in "Medical Bill's" passwork, so he pointedly ignored both his coaches' instruction and Cartwright's hulking presence.

Time and again, Jordan would look to move the ball elsewhere, even if Cartwright was unguarded. Until, finally, Cartwright took the situation in hand.

One day before a practice session, Cartwright approached Jordan to say something like this: "If you don't pass me the ball when you're supposed to, then I'm going to kick your butt. Plain and simple. This isn't a threat. It's a warning."

Not even His Airness wanted to mess with Cartwright. So, incoming passes from MJ became the norm, and the Bulls went on to win three championships with Cartwright at the hub of the offense."

Mornin' everybody,

Gameday baby and I'm psyched. I'm still for Bynum coming in for at least 5 minutes today. He's back from the NY so let's hope he was given the go ahead.

AK/BK any inside news on Bynum's trip yet?

Mamba - perhaps I've been too subtle in expressing my feelings of how we need Bynum's D to win. So I'll make it real clear: PUT ME ON THE UNLEASH THE BEAST BLOG!

Seriously I predict we can go all the way to the finals IF we can integrate Drew (and later Trevor) into a team D plan in time. So the sooner we start the better! And I'd MUCH rather finish 2nd and get allas (as in Dallas, without D) than have to trudge through the Suns, Rockets or Spurs in round 1. So we need to win NOW - all the more reason to start playing him. The Force is on our side!

Obe Wan Kenobe aka Jay Jay

justanothermambafan

It seems you've given up your hope of Kobe
getting this season's MVP as well.

Well, the media didn't give MVP to MJ when his team won
69 games, led the leauge in scoring
while he was considered the best player in the league.

I'm sure this "let's-give-MVP-to-anyone-but-Kobe" mindset
of media will just fire him up more during playoffs.

Man, in 2002, I was late for my final test due to heavy
traffics and closed streets.

However, since I'm not in college anymore, I could just
call in sick in June and be part of that traffic
and hope my boss(who's also a die-hard Lakers fan)
wouldn't be there as well.

PS. I'm glad to know that TJ Simers won't be voting for the MVP

LakerTom,

"Anyway, Sun Yue might turn out to be a good 1 defender"

I agree with your post but the problem is that Sun Yue will be a mere rookie next year. As usual, this old foggy will not play a rookie so he will be stubborn to insist on the old system and interject his "Zen"ophobic motivations to improve a player. Well, next season will be his last so whatever we are discussing now or dreams that ought to be may happen on the 3rd year i.e. 2010 post PJ era. I wish it is Byron Scott.

No doubt about it, the Zen Coach is the master of strategies especially during the playoffs. If he could adjust, tinker the standings with slow-foot materials on hand like Smush, Kwame and Cookie plus Lukie I guess Fisher, Bynum, Pau and hopefully Trevor would be tremendous improvement. He is paid $ 11M worth for his ingenuity and creativity during playoffs and $1M only for his lackadaisical stare and cleaning of spectacles during the season. He's even reluctant to call timeouts, too lazy to talk to dudes. Everything is on auto-pilot, he would experiment for whims like playing Mbenga or Karl to create entertainment nonetheless loves to insult as his way of wake-up call because it is a mere season. Preseason and summer leagues are for his assistants to prove as entitlement to sit besides PJ while he is there just to unwind at Hawaiian eyes. lol!

PS. Speaking of Hawaii, I don't read much inputs from Aloha Michael H. Time to sound him off, Mamba 24 too much vacation, is there a recession in Hawaii?

Mornin fam!

Game day, Game face, locked loaded and ready!

EastcoastJessie~ yep, it would be great to see Bynum hit the floor in the third quarter. I couldn't be the coach because I'd start the thid quarter with Bynum, Pau, LO, Kobe and Fish....Just do it PJ!

JayJay,
Sasha's defense has improved quite a bit this year. Certainly better than Karl's. He is the best 3-point shooter on the team. At this point Lamar has not shown that he can be conistently effective at SF, and it is unlikely that the Lakers will be willing to go high enough into the luxury tax to keep Bynum, Gasol, and Odom. I think that Lamar is still a likely candidate for a trade. If Sasha can be re-signed for a relatively cheap price, they should do so.

Coolhair - ME????Given up hope of Kobe winning the MVP???? Are you kidding???? NEVER!!!!

I've just come to recognize that the FINALS MVP is waaayyyy more important!!! The regular season MVP is voted on by morons, so there's no way it can matter nearly as much to me, Kobe or any other Laker fan!!!

GO LAKERS!

The BEAN for FINALS MVP or NO PEACE - because regular season MVP doesn't matter & if Kobe doesn't win it he will have even more of a fire in him to win it all!!!!

MY GOODNESS!!!!

did u see how bot of them are blinking at the same time?