Bueno!
April 2, 2008 | 11:17
pm
For the Laker Nation, the return of Pau Gasol naturally sparked visions of a return to the 16-2 dominance "The Spaniard Era" brought before his injury. But the first twelve minutes of this 104-91 win over the Blazers felt dangerously similar to some of the nonsense going on during the struggles of the last week or so. Failure to guard the three point line, allowing this particular opponent 6-12 makes from a downtown distance. Coming up short on the glass (13-9 Blazer advantage). Seven purple and gold turnovers that cut down on any ability to effectively defend. When it was done, the Lakers were down 31-26, and looked like they were building the foundation for a night spent playing catch up. But the second quarter brought about some order, along with a 50-50 tie at the half. From there, it was all Lakers.
In particular, the third quarter helped blow open the contest, with some absurdly stiff defense holding the Blazers to 22% from the field. All five Laker starters hit double figures (along with Jordan Farmar's 10 off the pine), but it was Kobe Bryant shining the brightest in one of his best games of the season. 36 points on 10-16 shooting to go with 13 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals and just one turnover. Fourteen of those points came during the final frame, including back-to-back trey balls that tilted the box score in his squad's favor.
AK
The breakdown is below, courtesy of BK
After a bad Q1, the Lakers controlled things the rest of the way, so there isn't all that much to complain about.
The Good:
- Kobe Bryant: One of the best games he's played all year, and that's saying something. It wasn't a pile up the points, wow the crowd with a host of acrobatic shots type deal, either (though he certainly lit up the scoreboard). Instead, Kobe was able to exert his influence on the game in a variety of ways. He scored (36 points on 10-16 from the floor) but also controlled the pace of the game by getting to the line (12-13 from the stripe). He hit the glass hard (13 boards) and distributed (seven dimes)- one particularly great assist coming when, crashing the offensive glass after a teammate's miss, instead of simply tapping the ball out Kobe batted the it to JF on the baseline, where he hit the easy jumper. And down the stretch, he shoved the fork into Portland, just to make sure they were done. A few times. About 14 fourth quarter points worth. Defensively, Kobe led the Lakers' defensive charge to start the second half, helping hold the Blazers to 22% shooting in the third.
- Jordan Farmar: 10 points on 4-7 from the floor, but more importantly, only two attempts came from downtown. Farmar was aggressive all night, taking every opportunity to get to the hole instead of jacking up three's like a dude trying to win a stuffed Mickey at the local carnival. He wasn't perfect, notching two TOs in nearly 17 minutes of play, and narrowly avoiding a couple more because of loose passes, but overall Farmar was back to playing the aggressive, to-the-rack game that made him effective earlier in the season.
- Second Half D: Over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Lakers held the Blazers to five points, this after limiting Portland to 13 in the third. Meanwhile, the Lakers were able to turn a 50-50 tie at halftime into a ten point lead after three, and run it to 18 at the 7:37 mark of the fourth. Portland managed to cut things down to seven with just under five to go, but by then the Lakers had already done the dirty work that let them build the lead and withstand Portland's run. Trading baskets down the stretch is fine once the lead is secure. The Lakers did a good job on LaMarcus Aldridge, who normally kills them, holding him to 4-15 from the floor for 11 points. PJ said after the game that Gasol's length had an effect on Aldridge, but that they were very conscious about doubling periodically on him, and generally trying to make him either give up the ball, or shoot from less a advantageous position on the floor.
- Pau Gasol: Dude got out on the court for almost 32 minutes of run, despite predictions. He was clearly rusty and towards the end struggled to get lift off the floor and arc on his shot, but once the Lakers readjusted to his presence, his influence on the game was clear, and I was pleasantly surprised by his ability to push in the low post to gain position. On the night, he finished with 10/6/7, but the numbers are less important than the fact he was out on the court to begin with.
- Better Shot Selection: I asked Luke Walton after the game if having Pau available helps explain a much more reasonable number of Laker trey attempts tonight- 17, as opposed to, say, four billion a night like they've been hoisting over the last few games: "Hopefully," he said. But it wasn't simply a question of feeding the post. The offense attacked, penetrated, and went to the rim. If a 15 footer was available, they took it instead of going for the three. The offense was run through the post in one form or another, the spacing improved, and the results were, as expected, much better.
The Bad:
- The First Quarter: Once again, the Lakers were slow out of the gate. 31 points allowed, including six three pointers allowed (many on easy, open, and uncontested looks... assuming those aren't all the same thing). The Lakers turned the ball over seven times (three from Vladdy), allowed the Blazers to snatch six offensive boards, and generally looked lethargic. No doubt some of it had to do with being out of sorts in trying to get Pau back into the swing of things, but mostly it was a question of focus and intensity. The way they played as the game went on made it pretty clear it was missing in the opening 12 minutes.
- Sasha Vujacic: The dip in the overall quality of Sasha's play continued tonight, mostly coming in the form of poor decision making, whether off the dribble, in shot selection, or taking care of the ball. While the effort is still there, Sasha isn't playing with the same degree of control as he did earlier in the year. Defenses are responding to him now, working to limit his open looks and force him to put the ball on the floor or give it up. Big picture-wise, that Sasha has reached a new level of confidence where he seems to think he can do anything on the court will serve him well. Right now, though, it's getting him into some trouble. If his floor game doesn't improve, Sasha could see his minutes go down.
The.... (sigh) mediocre:
- Vlad Radmanovic: He earned a measure of redemption via a big three pointer with two minutes to go that basically ended any chance Portland had of coming back. But in the first when the Lakers were at their worst, Vlad was even worst-er, and his second go round before the half wasn't much better. He turned the ball over, took some odd shots, including a running left hander and a pull up jumper that isn't exactly a patented part of the arsenal. He got lost defensively, and generally didn't answer the bell. Typically inconsistent play. But as guys come back, the Lakers will have more ability to best take advantage of Vlad's strong suits while protecting the weaker aspects of his game.
BK
AUDIO:
- Download kobe_postgame.mp3 (Kobe Bryant, who offers a very specialized Berlitz class)
- Download phil_jackson_postgame.mp3 (Phil Jackson, on Gasol's return, Kobe's night and some interesting stuff about Bryant's technicals situation, which featured a total 180 on a question I asked. And you gotta love PJ's singing to kick things off.)
- Download luke_walton_4.2 post POR.mp3
- Download pau_gasol_4.2 postPOR.mp3
Luke Walton
On the team taking only 17 three-point shots, as opposed to the oodles on display the last few games
"It's fun to jack up threes, but if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning, you don't want to shoot 45 threes in the game (like against Memphis last Friday). You want to keep it around 20, a little less than that. It does help having Pau back in the center. You run the offense through the post and you get better shots."
AK
"It's fun to jack up threes..."
-Ancient Basketball Proverb
(and Luke Walton)
Posted by: ajax | April 02, 2008 at 11:32 PM
It's amazing how much smarter we were offensively with Pau there. I don't think it's so much that there's a guy out in the middle that the defense had to pay attention to (that's of course always a good thing)...but that we just made better decisions overall.
I also noticed that we've been using our PGs to double off the post...but they often get caught, and it leads (you can set your clock on it) to an open 3...an adjustment we made in the third is having Kobe do that instead. And only in some instances, not all. That made a whole lot of difference.
I'm still not happy about our propensity to gamble, but active hands are usually never a bad thing.
I like to think of these next games as us arming ourselves for the playoffs. Hopefully the team does too.
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Faith | April 02, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Let's go Lake Show!
Time to win out for the rest of the year and start the playoffs strong!
Posted by: Caliphilosopher | April 02, 2008 at 11:44 PM
AK/BK,
which one of you wrote this:
"taking every opportunity to get to the hole instead of jacking up three's like a dude trying to win a stuffed Mickey at the local carnival"
Now that...is Grade A journalism!!!!
Wow... great great great line... Save that for later!
Posted by: Korey | April 02, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Looks like AK/BK and the Laker players agree with me on this whole 3pt madness.
Aaaaaahhh, it feels great to win a sports argument!!!
I'll just bask in the glory and leave a few re-iterated parting shots:
Pau post-game:
"WE needed to attack the basket..."
Luke on 3s:
""It's fun to jack up threes, but if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning, you don't want to shoot 45 threes in the game You want to keep it around 20, a little less than that."
AK on Sasha:
"While the effort is still there, Sasha isn't playing with the same degree of control as he did earlier in the year. Defenses are responding to him now... If his floor game doesn't improve, Sasha could see his minutes go down. "
Posted by: Korey | April 02, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I think Jack in the Box should book the cost of free tacos for about 6 more games this year.
Nice to see Pau back, on defense as well as offense.
Defensively - Even though Pau gets knocked fo being a poor rebounder, he still gets to some balls just by virtue of his height and wingspan, balls that Ronny and Lamar can't reach. And he altered more than a few shots tonight.
On offense, what can you say? The guy hits fifteen footers, passes well in the paint, and has a sweet hook. I still think the Lakers should utilize him more as a face up player than as a back to the basket guy. Although his back to the basket game is competent, his real strength lies in his ability to read the floor facing the basket, his ability to drive on opposing big men, and rolling after setting a high screen. In short, utilizing him in the high post more often will create headaches for the opposing team.
Welcome back, Pau!
Posted by: Amazing_Happens | April 02, 2008 at 11:57 PM
I'm really glad that Pau has come back and we got this 3pt crap out of our system.
I think Phil did this on purpose. He let his players go crazy, shoot 45 3ptrs to prove a point. If you want to play like that, even Charlotte and Memphis can beat you.
Now that he has their attention, our team D , shot selection and energy looks focused.
Just in time for the playoff run...
And this man isnt a great coach? Wow, whoever says that is absolutely crazy...
Posted by: Korey | April 02, 2008 at 11:58 PM
I know the Blazers were without Von Wafer but hey, a win's a win - right?
let's hope he plays on Tuesday. Him and Kobe in a shootout in Portland will be something to see
Posted by: EKO | April 03, 2008 at 12:09 AM
AK/BK, you might want to correct the final score in your post. Some good points, though, especially about Farmar and Vlad.
Posted by: The Dude Abides | April 03, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Javaris Crittenton had 23 points on 7-11 shooting, 8 rebounds and a few dimes. Granted it was against the Knicks, but I'm happy for the young fellow. Hell, Kwame even had a decent game for his standards.
Posted by: never | April 03, 2008 at 12:22 AM
AK/BK,
How bummed were you that there were no Von Wafer sightings tonight?
I don't know WHAT Nate McMillan is thinking....
Posted by: gokobego | April 03, 2008 at 12:43 AM
*_____________________________________*
WELCOME BACK PAU GASOL BANDWAGON
*_____________________________________*
(01) DREWPAUKOBE - Driver & Owner
(02) MAMBA24 - Riding Shotgun
Posted by: mamba24 | April 03, 2008 at 05:58 AM
*_________________________________________*
VON WAFER WILL BE A FACTOR IN THIS LEAGUE
WHEN ALL IS SAID & DONE BANDWAGON
*_________________________________________*
(01) AK - Driver
(02) BK - Owner
(03) MAMBA24 - Von Wafer's shot selection coach
Posted by: Mamab24 | April 03, 2008 at 06:04 AM
FAITH SAID: "' active hands are usually never a bad thing."
I could not agree more! LOL!
Posted by: Mamab24 | April 03, 2008 at 06:06 AM
Maybe if Phil played Vlad all the time in the fourth quarter of close games he would be more consistent. Or maybe the Lakers would just lose a bunch more games.
Ah, what the heck does PJ know about winning games!
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 03, 2008 at 06:33 AM
Ahhh... that was like getting a sumptuous gourmet meal after a month of cafeteria food and McDonalds.
Posted by: The D | April 03, 2008 at 07:34 AM
Korey,
I'm sorry, but I'll take 43% from downtown ALL DAY.
Why?
Points per possession.
.43 x 3 = 1.29
That's equivalent to shooting 64.5% from inside the arc.
I think that would get it done almost every time.
Yeah, you'd give up a lot of easy points on the misses, but would the other team REALLY get more than 1.29 pts per possesion? No way.
Posted by: Tim-4-Show | April 03, 2008 at 07:40 AM
Yet more proof that Mamba24 has it right!
From ESPN.com:
"The Lakers have reached 50 wins for the 29th time in franchise history, and have a magic number of one to reach the playoffs for the 55th time in 60 seasons"
Posted by: The D | April 03, 2008 at 07:45 AM
It's about time we got some tacos!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: toad | April 03, 2008 at 07:51 AM
Faith,
Very good observations. The Lakers defensive philosophy has always been help (double-team) and recover. Kobe is about the best Laker at doing that. LO can be as well, when motivated. Everyone else is somewhere below that with Vlade being the worst, possibly.
That has never changed. With Pau and/or Bynum in the game, though, there is a guy back there who can erase mistakes. Its those erased mistakes that makes our defensive strategy look good.
For some reason, even though Roni blocked a LOT of shots when he was starting, the opposition was not intimidated by him. It has to be a size thing. He was just too short. But, when you got a seven-footer in there, dude's actually alter their shot, which is usually even more effective than a block because the Lakers are more likely to get a rebound that way. If you notice, most blocked shots become offensive rebounds.
So, it isn't that Pau and/or Bynum makes our defense better. They instead make our defensive scheme more complete, and thus more efficient.
I can't wait until we have two-seven footers back there guarding that rim. Can't wait.
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | April 03, 2008 at 08:00 AM
AK/BK,
which one of you wrote this:
"taking every opportunity to get to the hole instead of jacking up three's like a dude trying to win a stuffed Mickey at the local carnival"
Now that...is Grade A journalism!!!!
Wow... great great great line... Save that for later!
Posted by: Korey | April 02, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Actually I don't think you can get a "Mickey" at the local Carnival. Maybe Disneyland...........
Posted by: pslakerfan | April 03, 2008 at 08:02 AM
Jordan Farmar looked fantastic out there. I love when Jordan has the confidence to drive the lane and throw it up for an easy deuce. He's a tough kid with skills so I feel more at ease when he plays that style of basketball instead of jacking up three's. Seeing Jordan driving the lane reminded me of guys that were undersized but tough as nails like Scott Skiles and Jeff Hornecek. JF did a better job defensive by not allowing his guy to out run him. I also noticed the defense was a heck of a lot better than before. The rotation was there and the guys were communicating as well. It was not an easy win, but the guys played extremely well. It's also great to see the big Espanol out there playing hard.
How about that Kobe Bryant? When I think he's done amazing me he nails a tough three point shot while getting fouled or how about that awesome spin to get away from two opponents to lay it in. He is truly playing like a MVP.
Posted by: SFLakerGirl | April 03, 2008 at 08:12 AM
BK, why are you so down on Vlad, I thought he had a nice game, I thought he should have only been credited with one turnover, the other 2 were pretty difficult passes. Plus he was trying to drive off the 3 point line and pull up for some mid range jumpers if that was Kobe or Lamar you wouldnt say anything, he was just trying to stay agressive on a night were they werent going to him that much. Luke had 2 turnovers, was 3 for 7 where's his mediocre comments?
Posted by: Ken | April 03, 2008 at 08:16 AM
It did not surprise me that Lakers played a lot better last night. The mere presence of a low post player like Pau makes the triangle offence function properly. It restores proper spacing and order and makes everything a lot easier for everybody.
Posted by: Robyn | April 03, 2008 at 08:26 AM
It's funny how the day after a win just seems a little more peaceful, as if the natural order has been re-established. Nope, not worried about mutant C.H.U.D.s taking over my house and splattering tuna fish all over my drapes. Nope. Not at all.
I can only imagine the equanimity I'll feel once Andrew Bynum is back. Very good.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 03, 2008 at 08:29 AM
The D said: Yet more proof that Mamba24 has it right!
From ESPN.com: "The Lakers have reached 50 wins for the 29th time in franchise history,
and have a magic number of one to reach the playoffs for the 55th time in 60 seasons"
Thanks D. When you are a fan of an organization
of great tradition it makes things Freakin Easy. LOL!
Posted by: Mamba24 | April 03, 2008 at 08:41 AM
Ken,
Rad Vlad is still only playing at 65% of the player he was at Seattle or the Clippers. He's improving, but still... we want him playing at 120% of his previous capability, not 65%
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 03, 2008 at 08:41 AM
AK/BK
In the previous thread, someone who is anonymous engaged in a well spirited exchange with Korey regarding the Lakers. Is it too much to ask if we could use an assumed name before allowed to post in this blog? If someone habitually leave the name box blank, perhaps you can post their email address instead. As a courtesy, if someone left the name box blank, they should identify themselves in the succeeding posts. Anybody here can make himself (blank) and participate in the conversation. It will be chaotic if we can ALL IDENTIFY OURSELVES BLANK posting opinions, inferences, which will be tantamount reduced to a communication between blank-to-blank distinctly identified only by the time of posting. Lakers Blog is the means of communication in the Lakerville, we want to avoid such misinformations and maintain harmonious relationship with one another even if we disagree with each other. In a nutshell, we are all anonymous in this blog both assumed names or real. It makes it daunting and can be interpreted as disrespect of our blog of given the liberty of participating in the conversations without any distinct identification with other Laker fans. I am not saying that the previous Mr or Ms. Blank was discourteous, in fact he or she and Korey made valid points on their stand. Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 03, 2008 at 08:42 AM
Good Morning Mamba24, Good Morning Charles, Good Morning Laker Nation!
Mamba, I'm hopping on that Welcome Back Pau bandwagon, please!
Amazing what a "big" does for the "D"........can't wait to get the Welcome Back Bynumite badwagon rolling.
TIme to get ready for the "tool's" Mavs and Dirty Dirk. Wouldn't it be great to win out?
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: toad | April 03, 2008 at 08:48 AM
BK/AK,
Where and what are injured players doing when they're not sitting on the bench in a suit? I saw Trevor sitting there last night on the bench in a suit, but I didn't see Andrew there unless I'm blind or I just didn't see him.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | April 03, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Good Morning Charles---Good Morning Everyone....
Great to see Pau back in Gold---as someone posted earlier we are simply a better team offensively (and even defensively) with the man from Spain playing for us...
I would still like to see us run the pick and roll a lot more---maybe we are saving that for the play-offs ???? One thing for sure, teams won't be ready for it from us as we rarely display that basic (and most beautiful) of basketball plays---I think Kobe and Pau (and Bynum / Ronny) could really run that thing as an unstoppable offensive weapon...maybe it's not part of the triangle????
I really hope we can break that "I never promised you a " Rose Garden curse when we go up there next week---I really can't stand Portland fans--my least favorite fans next to Utah of course....
If we can win both in Portland and Sacramento, it will really help the momentum and attitude needed for the play-offs--and of course we need to play hard and intense and focused (!) in all the remaining games and try to close out the season like a contender should blah blah blah....
Positives For Puke: I thought he had a good solid game--he certainly didn't hurt us while he was in, and made more good plays than bad--it seemed he played less minutes last night than usual---still needs to practice his mid / long range jump shot--he gets quite a few open looks and needs to make defenses respect his shot---practice practice practice buddy---only 12 years left on his contract....
Rad, as stated by the K-Bro's did indeed have a mediocre game--about half good, half bad---wish he could get more consistent (same with Sasha, Jordan, and Puke)--the question is will more playing time lend itself to that end---it seems The Lakers need to determine his value and whether him (and his contract) needs to be moved this summer or not....
I thought Lamar played really well and it seems his consistency is really something we can count on--and his aggresiveness and playing level is on the rise.... yee frickin' haw!
Glad to hear they signed Ira for the rest of the year--but will they ever play him???
YET ANOTHER GREAT DAY TO BE A LAKER FAN !!
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | April 03, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Good morning Laker Nation,
Did you wake up today feeling as good as I did? No hangover from the game? No, not that kind of hangover.
Since Faith and PsychedLakerGirl kept reaching for my vodka in the first half before I could get to it (LOL-thanks for the laughs, ladies) all that was left for me was a single beer in the refrigerator.
Speaking of the refrigerator, thanks to Faith for channeling Chick to our blog. Who among us doesn't feel a chill down our spine at the words ""...and the jello's jigglin'."
Faith's observations about the game were as always right on target. Gasol is worth every dollar Dr. Buss pays him. It does make you appreciate how over their heads the rest of the squad was able to play some nights without him.
All that said, there should have been no cause for any of us to reach for the vodka during the first half. It's still a mystery why it is so hard for the team to come out Defense minded from the get-go.
It's also worth noting that Jordan Farmar showed progress from the coaching that he's getting, referred to in the Kambrothers' PJ soundbite on another thread.
Checking the splits, his contributions and minutes were indeed down from his season average the preceding five games. The Lakers need him to be effective more than ever because of Fish's foot injury.
Pau and Dirk returning to action the same night makes Friday's Mavs-Laker game even more important. It'll be a night the Lakers must hit the floor with maximum focus, hustle, and Defensive effort. Have a great day. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | April 03, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Hola - buenos dias!
Es muy bueno!
Oh, its Thursday and its going by fast because Dallas will be here tmrw.
Can we maybe try to get something in the LA Time regular sports section trashing Cuban about his blog stance. Welcome to LA Mark, now go home! Or maybe we need to work on making the blog super busy tomorrow with some good discussion points. Lastly, I think AK/BK when they get to staples need to wear big old press passes and sit as close as possible to the lame owner making sure he knows the LA Time LAL blog is journalism at its best!
I know some of the creative and witty types will come up with some good stuff today to make Cuban's welcome a losing and very short stay.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | April 03, 2008 at 08:50 AM
Jon K said:It's funny how the day after a win just seems a little more peaceful,
as if the natural order has been re-established. Nope, not worried about mutant
C.H.U.D.s taking over my house and splattering tuna fish all over my drapes. Nope.
Not at all. I can only imagine the equanimity I'll feel once Andrew Bynum is back. Very good.
Please, please please Jon K. Name your price but
may I please have some of what you had thism morning.
LOL!. I think you all by yourself sir have put the Force back in balance.
Posted by: Mamba24 | April 03, 2008 at 08:54 AM
http://www.armchairgm.com/Article:2008_Hottest_
Sports_WIfe_Tournament_-_Fill_Out_Your_Bracket
Make sure you vote for Kobe's wife Vanessa Bryant in order for her win.
Besides Vanessa, who do y'all I think is the hottest (I think its Adam Archuletta's wife Jennifer Walcot)?
-Adam
p.s. - Vlad Rad scored 10 last night and we won which further supports my formula.
Posted by: Adam | April 03, 2008 at 08:55 AM
pslakerfan-
Beg to differ. You can win just about ANYTHING at a carnival, especially unlicensed merchandise (haha).
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 03, 2008 at 08:56 AM
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8119
Town Hall Meeting: Mitch Kupchak Talks Lakers
Very good article. go read it!
Posted by: STEVEN | April 03, 2008 at 08:57 AM
Forgot to mention department:
I really dig seeing Famar go to basket, even if he doesn't always convert--he had been (like the rest of the team) been relying on the three too much---I hope he stays aggressive with his drives, then his three's will be that much more open etc. ...
We need more guys driving to the basket (easier siad than done I know) than just Kobe---Lamar has been doing well in that department, but I would like to see even more of that from him, as well as from Farmar and Fisher---
Penetration (no double meaning intended, nudge nudge, wink wink) is always a wonderfull thang.....
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | April 03, 2008 at 08:58 AM
Kobe's lone turnover came when trying to save the ball from going out of bounds.
MVP!
Posted by: Tsiry | April 03, 2008 at 09:00 AM
The Mediorcre (sigh) Vlad
So the first half wasn't his best outing but why is he getting the ball in places only Kobe can score?
If ya have a Vlad why not use him for what a Vlad does: shoot rainbows. Kobe looked him off 4 different times in the second half as he stood wide open in his zone. It's not like he wasn't on. He's suckin' up salary space to shoot.
Defensively, he was good at being 6'10, unfortunately not always in the right place.
Posted by: Vman | April 03, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Good Morning To all!
I am happy for the win! Glad to see Pau back. Glad to see Jordan drive to the basket again.
Have a great one. Too much blog-sync-think in the blog...
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 09:00 AM
*________________________________________*
MARK CUBAN WILL ADDRESS AK& BK
AS SIR WHILE AT THE STAPLES BANDWAGON
*_______________________________________*
(01) MAMBA24 - Driver, Owner & elocution coach
Posted by: Mamba24 | April 03, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Korey,
You have lost it. Those 2 games will probably cost the Lakers 1 or 2 spots and home court. Given how close these teams are that could be the difference between winning and losing a series. Do you really think PJ threw a couple of games to make a point?
Posted by: McGarnagle | April 03, 2008 at 09:04 AM
Good Morning Lakers Fans
Go undefeated this April!!!!!!!!
Go Lakers!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Botsoy | April 03, 2008 at 09:07 AM
Ken-
I'm not down on Vlad. I think he hasn't played particularly well over the last 10 days (with some exception) but overall, he's been a positive contributor. Last night, though, especially early, I thought he was pretty bad. A step behind everything, making questionable decisions. He got better later (as did the team) and made a couple important triples.
But as for that running lefty hook and the pull up J, yeah, it's different if Kobe takes those shots. He's much more likely to make them. Vlad can drive the lane and should be encouraged to do so periodically, if only to force opponents to respect the possibility. But there's a difference.
Vlad is a guy who can be very inconsistent, isn't always focused, etc. But he's also a deadeye shooter who can change a game when he drains shots from outside. The reason Vlad ended up in the "mixed" category was that there isn't much middle ground to his play, especially Wednesday. When he was good, it was clutch, when he was bad, it was pretty freakin' awful. He's like that a lot. But don't get hung up on the categories. It's not exactly science, but an evaluation of what I saw. Not every player is going to be mentioned by name.
As for Walton, just as you point out that Vlad could have had fewer TOs credited to him, Walton was the same way. One came at the end of the half with a courtlong baseball style pass to try adn beat the buzzer, the other early getting the ball into Ronny on the block, but Turiaf was being held and couldn't reach the ball. Whatever- I'm not making excuses for him, just pointing out that I don't just look at stats to determine what I write. I thought overall Walton played a pretty good game. Not great, but not bad. Same with LO. Not great, not bad.
Like I said, not everyone is going to get mentioned.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 03, 2008 at 09:12 AM
PSLakersfan
"Actually I don't think you can get a "Mickey" at the local Carnival. Maybe Disneyland...."
Actually, I have seen Mickey like creatures at the local carnivals. Imitations of the pirated kind. You know, slightly off color, off shaped, and spelled 'Meeky Mouse'.
I think this is what AK/BK were referring too and were probably speaking from personal experience of them trying to win prizes at some local carnival.
AK to BK, "You can do it man, chuck up another 45 attempts. You've only spent $50. What's $100 spent for a .50 'Meeky Mouse' worth, compared to see the smile on Mom's face when you give her that prize?"
Carnival Barker Fatty
Posted by: Fairweather Fatty | April 03, 2008 at 09:17 AM
Can't wait to see both bad ankles matched up and playing against each other tmrw night as well.
Thankfully, there will be no more buffering issues with the links since it will be on espn. And I will have re-stocked my vodka (ketel, absolut citron and vanilla so I am not reaching for Rick F's.
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ESPN's First Cup: Thursday
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-32-12/First-Cup--Thursday.html
And here is some lame ESPN blogger's comments about it and our blog (the nerve!): Theagreement: "I really appreciate SOME of the more educated comments that are on this blog from some of the more educated respondents, but to all of you biased Laker fans that make this your own personal 'LA Lakers Lovers Forum' every day, why don't you try to talk about ANYTHING else. This is one of the most dramatic seasons in the history of the game, and you really show your short-sightedness when you fell on a regular bases to even mention another player on another team. Yeah the Lakers are a great team, but so are the Jazz, Spurs, Hornets, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Suns ext... Yesterday there was actually a debate on this blog as to whether Kobe was better than Jordan-REALLY??? I mean the guy isn't even in the same sentence. I know your team finally matters again, but its not the second coming."
Remember those aren't my comments above.
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | April 03, 2008 at 09:23 AM
EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE PATTIN EACH OTHER ON THEIR BACK"S, WHY MIGHT I ASK, DO THEY HAVE A BRONZE STATUE OF THEMSELVES, THAT EVERYONE REVERE'S, AS I DO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: KARL MALONE | April 03, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Sounds like Gasol will need to be very careful in the last week of play to avoid further injury. This guy has a history of injuries and it's a precarious position for the lakers right now - working gasol in without pushing too hard, but also needing to win games.
Dallas vs lakers 1st round? Lakers vs Denver? vs. utah?
Posted by: BUTLER | April 03, 2008 at 09:34 AM
It cracks me up seeing some people criticize Phil. While I know that I often say, "what the heck is he doing" not calling a time out or taking a hot hand out, I think he knows that there are larger forces at work there. We as fans, are shorter sighted than he or the organization is. While its okay to think he is overrated, those merely acting as trolls aren't being genuine in their analysis.
At the same time, going back to the mantra of "play the cards that you're dealt", I can't help but notice that a team without their starting center, starting power forward, most experienced backup center, and their defensive specialist (if not the best defender) hasn't done half bad in their absense. They played the cards they were dealt and did quite nicely. We're not talking about a championship, but their record of staying atop the western confernce and the the Pacific division is decent enough to warrant some credit to Phil and the players.
Posted by: #4 | April 03, 2008 at 09:43 AM