Sometimes that meant abandoning the inside game to run with their opponents, which not only robbed themselves of a decided advantage but also played directly into one of Chicago's strength, a speed game that rookie point guard Derrick Rose converted into 23 points and nine dimes.  Sometimes that meant offensive execution that would be charitably described as "careless," which further aided Chicago's track meet yearnings.  But mostly, it meant coming off like a team rightly aware an opponent was outmatched, meaning they could take their foot on and off the gas as needed and still crank out a winning box score. Yes, that instinct proved correct.  And yes, the Lakers weren't the first elite team to do something like this, nor will they be the last. But they need to be careful, because that can occasionally equal a spot of trouble against a good team.  Sometimes against a bad one, too. 

The breakdown is below.

THE GOOD

• Pau Gasol: According to my Spanish language-fluent fiancee, the phrase "en fuego" means "on fire," which definitely describes the first quarter enjoyed by the power forward.  He put the Lakers on the board five seconds into the game, then went 7-9 from the field for 18 of the home team's 30 points, later adding a sweet 16 before the night was done.  And beyond just accruing a game-high 34 points, it was Gasol's impressive variety of moves on display while dropping the Spalding.  Baseline hook shots over Drew Gooden.  Shimmy shakes to the bucket.  Jumpers.  And ones.  Dunks.  There was even a bit of handle on display.  Late in the second, after being met by Gooden en route to the paint, Gasol backed up, took a couple of between the leg dribbles, then shuffled a pass to a cutting LO, who heads to the rack unfettered for the dunk.  Long of the short, it was basically a "fluidity" clinic.
  
  After the game, when a writer mentioned to Andrew Bynum how the Lakers' starting frontcourt dominated for a combined 52 points, 17 immediately wrote off his night as one spent catching lobs and rebounding.  In his mind, Gasol was the one shaping the contest.  "I just want to give big ups to Pau.  He played great tonight.  He really dominated. I didn't do too much dominating.  He played extremely well."
• Lamar Odom: An odd game for the Laker sixth man.  He attracted whistles like a short skirted gal at a sailor bar, a flurry so strong that his DQ came with 8:30 remaining in the fourth, done in only 22:14 of burn.   "I was shopping at Target today," shrugged Odom with a sly grin.  "Fouls were two for one."  Unless he's their new celebrity pitch man, it was clear Odom disagreed with some of the calls against him.  But sometimes big impressions can be made in small doses, and along those lines, LO definitely impacted a stat line in just 22 minutes. 10/8/5, with a trio of steals and swats (and he really should have gotten four blocks, but a stuff of Ben Gordon's layup that didn't come close to glancing a wrist led to one of those frequent whistles).  He also provided highlight reel material going coast to coast on rebounds, whether taking it to the rack or setting up Gasol for an easy bucket.  Similar to Judi Dench's "Shakespeare in Love" best supporting actress Oscar win (basically a masterful cameo), a little went a long way for LO.
• Kobe Bryant:  21/5/6, with three steals and two blocks, one a sensational play coming in from behind Gooden under the bucket.  But in my mind, Kobe's continuous proximity to the night's most entertaining (albeit not always intentionally) action stood out the most. 
  
  There was a Lambeau leap off both feet and over a pair of courtside fans, followed by a nonchalant "You doing okay?" check that starkly contrasted the spectators' slack jawed reaction (me thinks they ain't forgetting that thrill anytime soon).  A third quarter alley oop pass to Trevor Ariza's came out a mite (okay, a "much") too casual, leaving the small forward no choice but to pass back out to Bryant.  With every Chicago defender gathered around the bucket in anticipation of a dunk-to-be, a wide open Kobe was able to dribble out behind the arc- body language hilariously "Dude, I didn't plan to shoot, but fine"- and casually drain the triple. 
  
  Best of all was a Showtime reminiscent sequence off an Lamar Odom rebound/Hail Mary outlet caught by Kobe facing away from the Bulls' rack.  No problemo.  Just dribble the ball behind your back to turn yourself around, which puts you in perfect position to whip a behind the back pass to a trailing Pau Gasol. Every bit as sensational as it sounds.
• Andrew Bynum: As mentioned before, The kid wasn't all that impressed by his night.  But the Lakers were still plenty happy to accept his "subpar" 18/9.
• The D (at times): 11 blocks and 16 steals, with Derek Fisher and Vlad Radmanovic (whose presence was barely felt, period) the only players with 18+ minutes and no representation for either stat.  In particular, the swats did a lot to fire up the Staples crowd, whether you're talking Jordan Farmar skying to thwart Derrick Rose or LO on a springboard to send out of bounds a shot from Aaron Gray, who was well funneled into trouble by Bynum.  As for the grand basketball auto, Sasha Vujacic's quartet of steals was tops among Laker defenders.   

The Bad

• Concentration/Focus:  Like I said earlier, the Lakers looked like a team capable of being as good as they wanted to be.  And at times, that simply wasn't very good.  Not because they looked like a bad team, but rather an extremely unfocused one.  During the first quarter, Bynum kept allowing Gooden a clean look on outside shots, despite continual proof that he was capable of purity.  After pushing a second quarter lead up to 17 with just under four minutes remaining, the Lakers headed to the locker room up only five, mostly due to lax play and the shunning of detail.  From there, the lead again ballooned during an outstanding third quarter (only 18 Chi-Town points allowed) before the Lakers wrapped things up by never truly putting the final outcome in danger, but playing loose enough that the Bulls never felt a boot on their neck, either.
  
  For what it's worth, the Lakers may have played like a team with their head in the clouds, but they weren't oblivious to this trend.  When asked about Chicago's ability to hang around, Bynum wasted no time labeling the culprit.  "Bad defense.  We're gonna have to play better on Thursday, especially when we play against Phoenix."  When I began to note those times where the Lakers clamped down on Chicago, Drew quickly cut me off.  "Yeah, but you can't relax like that.  We did great for three, four, five minutes like that, relax, and they come right back into the game.  You can't do that."
• Alley oops: Kobe previously mentioned gaffe wasn't the only example where a Laker seemed to think he could chuck the ball up anywhere and a slam was inevitable, no questions asked.  And they often led to Chicago opportunities on the other end.  A little more judiciousness is order.   

AUDIO

• Andrew Bynum: Download andrew_bynum_111808.mp3
• Lamar Odom: Download lamar_odom_111808.mp3
• Phil Jackson: Download phil_jackson_11.18 vs. Chicago.mp3

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