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
PSLakersfan
Did you find any takes? Thanks again for the offer!
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 09:48 AM
PsychedLakerGirl
Which blog paragraph link was that attached to? I'd love to find out who that person might be on this blog. I have a gut feeling who it might be...
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 09:57 AM
Any ideas who may have posted this? I have definitely woken up!
"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."
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 10:01 AM
*_____________________________________*
WELCOME BACK PAU GASOL BANDWAGON
*_____________________________________*
(01) DREWPAUKOBE - Driver & Owner
(02) MAMBA24 - Riding Shotgun
(03) THE_D Director of setting the banquet
(04) TOAD – Getting experience to drive the welcome back Bynum bandwagon
(05) ROBYN - Dirfector of finding newn trainers
(06) AMAZING HAPPENS – Director of all things Amazing
(07) KOREY - Will personally replace all trainers
(08) Charles – Director of Analysis
(09) She will be new Laker trainer -
*_________________________________________*
FAITH TO BE NEW LAKER TRAINER BANDWAGON
*__________________________________________*
(01) MAMBA24 – DRIVER OWNER
Posted by: Mamba24 | April 03, 2008 at 10:05 AM
To all of you who are picking on the 3 pt shooting,
1st. Would y'all *please* consider what we had?!?!
Do you realize that our 1st, 2nd & 3rd string centers
were all out? We had to go *find* a center in Mbenga
because everyone else was injured. The Lakers
"essentially" became versions of the Suns, Rockets
& GS who don't have centers.
2nd. Will we be able to win a championship without
3 pt. shooting?
It *seems* to me that y'all are bitching just to bitch! With
all of the injuries that we've had we went 5 & 5 waiting
for Pau to get back. Why not say: Way to go team!
We will need confident shooters to win a championship
*this* year. We are going to need: Vlade, Sasha, Farmar,
Lamar, Fisher & Kobe to hit 3's.
It seems to *me* that we don't give Phil enough credit for
looking at the big picture. The big picture is winning the
whole "Super Taco" [ going with the we want tacos
theme ]. That's a championship. Over the long season,
Phil has put the role players in pressure situations to
prep for the playoff drive to the championship.
Farmar has made a number of buzzer beaters at the
end of quarters this year. Fisher already has the poise.
Sasha has had a great year and is confident in his shot.
Luke is playing confidently right now. The way the
*role* players are playing right now is a testament to
1. Individual player's hard work.
2. Phil's coaching.
3. Kobe's play on both ends.
4. Kobe's passion.
5. Kobe's endurance.
Go Lakers!
Go Kobe!
ps. Bynum & Trevor. Get well soon. We need you!
Posted by: hobbitmage | April 03, 2008 at 10:10 AM
ShowtimeTake2-
Sorry, I missed the interview, so I'm not exactly sure what PJ was referring to.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | April 03, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Forget all my inquiries about the ESPN True Hoop Link. I switched to our PC and I can view it now...
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 10:17 AM
PsychedLakerGirl,
To that poster's (theagreement) credit, he has SOME reasonable post's pertaining b-ball speak...
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Mamba24
"(08) Charles – Director of Analysis"
Lol. Love that Mamba24!
Posted by: Charles | April 03, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Korey,
Your claim is that shooting more 3's leads to the Lakers losing,
if I understand it correctly. If so, then explain this series of
7 games at the end of January/start of February:
January 21 vs Denver: Lakers shot 25 3's and won
January 23 vs San Antonio: Lakers shot 15 3's and lost
January 25 vs Dallas: Lakers shot 14 3's and lost
January 27 vs Cleveland: Lakers shot 12 3's and lost
January 29 vs New York: Lakers shot 27 3's and won
January 31 vs Detroit: Lakers shot 19 3's and lost
February 1 vs Toronto: Lakers shot 27 3's and won
In that series of 7 games, all without Bynum or Gasol,
every time the Lakers shot 25 3-pointers or more, they
won. And every time they shot less than 25, they lost.
It directly contradicts your claim about 3's and wins.
But if you look at the WHOLE SEASON instead of just a
4 or 5 (or 7) game stretch, then there isn't a strong
correlation between number of 3's shot and W-L.
If you want to see the stats for the whole season, check
the last game blog. I did a kind of histogram of the number
of wins and what the win percentage is. The result?
When Bynum or Gasol plays, the Lakers tend to shoot
less 3-pointers. And when Gasol or Bynum plays, the
Lakers tend to win more.
But for example, when Gasol plays, the Lakers are 3 and
1 when they shoot more than 25 3's, and 4 and 2 when
they shoot between 20 and 25.
Don't get me wrong. Shooting 45 threes is way over the
top. But it is a side-effect, not a cause of the situation.
When the Lakers are without Pau, they are as ineffective
when they shoot less than 20 3's as they are when they
shoot more than 30 3's.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 03, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Korey,
>>>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. "
Oh, well it's a good thing that AK decides how many minutes
players get. So you and AK will be happy when Sasha's
minutes go down.
Yes. Sasha made some mistakes in the Blazers game.
But in that same period where he made a couple of bone
headed passes, he led the Lakers from 5 points down
at the start of the 2nd to a 1 point lead at the 5:50 mark.
Sasha scored 6 of the Lakers 14 points over that period.
While in the first quarter, the Lakers were slow rotating
to the 3-point shooters and got themselves into an 8-point
hole, Sasha came out and was hustling on defense, and
scrapping for loose balls. HIs first foul at 7:58 should
have been a no-call. It was him and James Jones running
for a loose ball and they collided. In the first quarter, Fish
would have just let Jones get the ball and then left him
wide open for a 3-pointer. Sasha was at least TRYING to
get to loose balls.
After that stretch, Vlad and Fish came back and were playing
harder on defense and were more successful from then
on out. It's like what Coby Karl did in one game a couple
months ago. The starters came out lethargic and gave
the other team a lead, and he came out and hustled and
scrapped for every ball and it energized the starters.
Sasha's play (along with Farmar's) in that stretch at the
start of the second gave the team a boost of energy when
lack of energy was losing the game for them.
Thus, I disagree with AK's "Bad" assessment for Sasha.
He made enough mistakes that I couldn't justly put him in
the "Good" section tonight, but he was neutral. He had
both positive and negative affects on the team.
And guess what! I have as much say as AK does over
the number of minutes that Sasha plays. WHOOP DE DOO!
Now that Gasol's back, he takes up some of the front
court minutes, so Lamar will get more minutes at SF and
Sasha will go back to the 10-15 minute range for the rest
of the season and the playoffs (barring further injury).
And that is where he belongs for now. He is a role player
who should be brought in for a few minutes a game to jack up
a few threes and go get under someone's skin on defense.
At this point in his career, Sasha shouldn't be called on to
take 17 shots. But when there's no Gasol or Bynum to
throw the ball into and when Odom and Turiaf are throwing
up bricks and losing the game, then he becomes the second
best option (behind having Kobe take every shot).
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | April 03, 2008 at 11:01 AM
Charles - the comment was on the espn first cup thread. But since the person mentions our blog I thought I'd share. Go on espn.com click on true hoop where you see the pic of Jordan.....
Posted by: PsychedLakerGirl | April 03, 2008 at 11:04 AM
If no one is open for a significantly better shot closer in, and there isn't a reasonable expectation of getting a significantly better shot, then the smart thing to do is to let a good three-point shooter take an open, "in rhythm", three-point shot.
The vast majority of the recent three point shots were good shots to take.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | April 03, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Korey/LTLF,
Just to clarify, that's actually BK you're both quoting in the postgame breakdown about Sasha. He did that section. Granted, I actually agree with Brian about Sasha's overall play over the last couple weeks or so. But if you're looking to attribute the copy to someone, it's actually my brother.
That being said, LTLF is correct that neither K Brother has an ounce of control over any Lakers' PT. Were that the case, I think we all know Von Wafer and Slava would have been a hell of a lot more time on the floor. haha
AK
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | April 03, 2008 at 11:27 AM
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
Sorry Korey
I think he was lucky to get Pau back from injury. Not great coaching. Do you really think it is wise to lose to Charlotte and Memphis on purpose to teach a lesson? Especially in tight West Conf ? If so would you sit Pau just to make sure the lesson is learned and lose a couple of more games to make sure?
Naw, me neither, just luck Pau is back.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 03, 2008 at 11:39 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
I think Vlade would play more consistent than Luke! Also I think it is personal between Vlade and PJ and it is clouding PJ's opinion about players ability playing rather than players ability to stand up to himwhich he resents.
I see Kobe trusts Vlade and is coaching hom on the floor doing PJ's job and tells PJ to pull him when referring to Luke.
But I guess Kobe don't know much either.
PJ knows a lot about winng games when he has had MJ and Pip, Shaq and Kobe.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 03, 2008 at 11:53 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.
_________
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
PsychedLakerGirl
I read that too after you posted it and I looked to see who this guy was to respond. He is not an active member so he posted randomly. TROLL.
Well seems he comes here but not enough (thankfully). We mainly talk of our passion which are the Lakers so why discuss other teams players? We could go to those teams suites if that is what we wanted.
But after saying that we have talked about other players from MJ, Lebronze, Shaq, Amare, Nash, Dirk etc. So this guy has no clue.
No worries since he has not posted here then great!
He would fall into that uneducated category.
Posted by: JustaLakerFan | April 03, 2008 at 02:37 PM
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
Hey #4
I would like to see and find out what cracks you up. Heck I need a good laugh. LOL.
So what is the larger force here? Losing to sub 500 teams. Losing in tight WC race when seeding is very important? Calling out players in press? Maybe its the isolating Rad off the team because he is in PJ's doghouse instead of using him over PJ's pride.
I give a heck of a lot of praise to the players because even though they have been short handed they played out of their normal roles and stepped up. At least most of them. That is in spite of PJ not because of. They eventually wore down and as I have said and Mitch just said they could not sustain it. I should tired out but you get that right? That was PJ's fault by not going deeper into bench.
Heck ya I credit the players for that but sorry no props to PJ yet. Lets see if he stays at 9 rings or he gets that 10th one. Then I will see what final analysis he will have.
Look forward to the larger forces as I really do need a good laugh or maybe you can make sense of it to me.
Thanks for the input hope to hear from you soon bro.
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Posted by: Aspispevalley | April 04, 2008 at 10:27 AM