Lakers 132, Timberwolves 119: Links n' Thoughts
It's not often a 16 win team can generate a case of the willies, but there were reasons to feel a hint of nervousness heading into Friday night's game in Minneapolis. After all, the Lakers were kicking off a long road trip, the Timberwolves have enjoyed a bountiful January, and Trevor Ariza was fighting the effects of a concussion. As it turns out, there wasn't much to worry about. The Lakers got off to a quick start then used a big third quarter en route to a 132-119 win. It was another great night for Andrew Bynum, who ripped off his fifth straight double-double (27 points on 10-15 from the floor, 15 boards) and clearly got the best of Minnesota's would-be All Star Al Jefferson when the two of them were on the floor. Toss in 21 from Pau Gasol and it's pretty clear the Lakers were a little too long in the frontcourt for Minnesota.
And 30 from Kobe helps, too, of course.
It was a good way to start the roadie, with the Lakers (with occasional exception) in firm control of the game throughout. Yeah, the defense could have been better, but things were still good enough to keep the minutes for non-European starters pretty reasonable. Not bad for the front end of a back-to-back. This was one of the two non-Cleveland/Boston games on the trip that I thought could cause a stumble- Monday's game in New York is the other- I thought could cause a stumble.
Other thoughts:
- I was surprised to see Ariza on the floor, but on the odd chance anyone forgot how valuable he is in the near three quarters of basketball he missed ahead of last night's game, he provided a reminder. The stats (eight points, five boards) weren't necessarily gaudy, but Ariza was all over the floor. He picked off and deflected passes, made a great block in the fourth quarter, and crashed the offensive glass to keep plays alive. On a side note, Ariza and the coaching staff now suspect his concussion came against San Antonio, and was aggravated against Charlotte on Tuesday.
- I would imagine people are starting to feel a little better about Bynum's extension. The key will be fore him to bring it (as they say) on a nightly basis, but for now he looks great. Given how his high post game is maturing, the Lakers should be left with great offensive options in the frontcourt between Bynum and Gasol.
- Bynum's improvement does make PJ's job a little tougher. Before the season started, I felt strongly that the allocation of minutes would be a big challenge for Jackson, especially among the three bigs once it became clear that Bynum, Gasol, and Lamar Odom wouldn't be spending time on the court together. Who plays deep into the fourth quarter? Who is given the "critical" minutes? There are games when matchups take some of the mystery out of it, but Bynum's uneven play helped make Jackson's decisions easy. Now it will require a more delicate hand.
- The last time LA caught Memphis, the Grizzlies were on (for them) a bit of a roll. Not now. Memphis has lost 11 straight, and genuinely seem to suck. I don't expect the Lakers to do them any favors in tonight's game.
One final note, the LAT has put together a pretty cool page that's worth bookmarking for help in keeping up with Lakers news. Good NBA news along with the latest in Lakers info (including what's up on the blog). It can save you a few clicks, for sure.
BK
132 points=Great. Kobe scored 30 points (50+FG%) Gasol chipped in 21 and Bynum got 27. Both bigs only missed 10 shots combined!
119=Not so great. 2nd Unit was a roller coaster. First they scored points then they did not. Wonder if the 2nd Unit's energy is a double edged sword. They can score in bunch but sometimes play some of the most inconsistent of defenses.
Memphis has been on a losing streak and had their D'Antoni prodigy coach fired. So probably less firing within 7 seconds or less though never take a game lightly. This is a road game after all.
Where are the clowns who want to trade Pau now?? Or those who say Marc Gasol is better than Pau?? (Don't see a rookie of the year candidacy for Marc compared to Pau).
-KBBlitz
Posted by: Kobeblitz | January 31, 2009 at 10:21 AM
[Repost]
{Laker Secret Agent Jon K. Reporting From Deep Behind Enemy Lines In The Gray Decaying Frozen Wastes Of Cleveland, Ohio}
Greetings Laker Nation!
I went to see the Clippers-Cavs game last night and I'm prepared to report what I've seen.
1. First of all, the Clippers did not disappoint! As they have made a habit of, they kept the game within single digits into the fourth quarter and then collapsed. For whatever reason, when the clock reads 7:45 left in the fourth, they collapse. It is like clockwork. I think they just get worn out because they don't have anyone to substitute.
2. The Hobbit (Eric Gordon) is the real deal. A future All-Star. Many times in the game I heard Clevelanders shout out in exasperation, "SOMEBODY GET ON THAT GUY!" as Gordon drove to the net or hit a quick three pointer.
3. Cleveland started the game out 16-0 before the Clippers finally scored. Still they fought back and at one time lead by 10.
4. Cleveland is not invincible at home. The crowd was into it, but not as rabid as I thought. I didn't receive a single insult for my Clippers shirt, which thoroughly surprised me.
5. Half of all Clevelanders are obese; 1/4 are thugs; 1/6 appear to have an extra chromosome.
6. Perhaps to address this 1/6, on the Cleveland score board between the opposing score is a statistic called "The Diff" which lets you know the difference in score between the two teams so you don't have to do the math yourself because... umm... THINKING IS HARD!
7. Z Igulaksas (that hulking Lithuanian center) was back last night. The Cavs are a much better team with him playing. Stopping him will be the key to the Lakers victory. And stopping him is simple: Z's game is limited to one trick--He catches the ball about seven feet from the basket. Upon catching the ball, the defense moves to protect the rim. Igulaksas instead takes a step away from the rim and uses the open space to drain a perfect eight foot shot--which he hits everytime. The guy can hardly dunk at 7' 1" but he has a beautiful midrange shot. So... if the Lakers want to beat the Cavs, they're just going to have to anticpate his game and recognize that this huge center does not attack the rim. So when he gets the ball, rush him, get a hand in his face and no room to move. If we do that, we shut him down and gain a major advantage.
8. The only Cav that regularly attacks the rim is LeBron James. If when The Crab King catches the ball, the Lakers immediately shut down the lanes to the rim, LeBron will instead settle for long-range jumpers and is much less effective when that becomes the focus of his game.
9. I counted seven crab dribbles (travels) by The Crab King last night. I think he was called for one. If the Lakers coaching staff can exploit this somehow (speaking with the refs beforehand, positioning players to take the charge, etc.). It will thoroughly diminish LeBron's game. He is succeptible to offensive fouls and he doesn't take receiving fouls very well. He gets visibly upset and whines and dwells on it longer than the average NBA player does. In short, he's not very mentally tough. So, if you upset his ability to travel and attack the rim and get him to commit some early fouls, it will get in his head and he won't play very well. Phil Jackson (Dr. Phil), psychologist extraordinare, should be able to figure out an effective strategy of mindgames, because LeBron James is a perfect candidate for mindgames.
10. Lakers players must avoid looking at the Cavs' jumbotron. Whoever is manning that thing is either a psychiatric patient or on drugs. The jumbotron constantly displays random images such as a dead squirrel when someone hits a three-pointer or The Three Stooges during an inbound pass or Homer Simpson after a dunk. It makes no sense and is utterly confusing. So, if the Lakers want to remain focused and in the present, they should avoid looking at the jumbtron at all times.
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 31, 2009 at 10:30 AM
That L.A. Times central Lakers info resource page is pretty cool.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 31, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Jon,
I didn't say "Clippers suck forever Jon K!" I only said it to Laker Tom hehe.
And they do suck.
Posted by: Kobeblitz | January 31, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Good Morning Charles....Good Morning Everyone...
very cool game last night indeed---great start for the road trip..
Bynum has definitly elevated his game and I think it will continue for the rest of the year...
I thought his match up with Jefferson (who is a legitimate skilled big man) was a great measuring stick and points favorably to Bynum's emergence as a premier center in this league..
Jefferson is a good player that probably did get snubed for the all star game to some extent, though a lot of it has to do with positions...
Jefferson looks like he just got done with a heavy weight fight with Ali and was stung (repeatedly) by a bee..
I hate Herman Munster and was glad we could wipe his baggy eyed face in his bad trade decision---do you think he was sitting there wondering what it would be like to have Bynum, Lamar, and Farmar....
wonder if a few fans in the arena last night were thinking the same thing...
It really seems as if Farmar is playing much more focused and more relaxed, for lack of a better word---I think the injury and the time away from the game was beneficial to him and the Lakers...
surprised (and elated) to see Ariza suit up (and play well)---very cool indeed...
I like to see Pau dunk...especially backwards...
we shot free throws well until the end or so---come on boys CONCENTRATE !
"standing on the cast iron shore, yeah"
"Mr. Smokestoomuch? better cut down then" "What, I'm afraid I don't follow you."
AS ALWAYS, AS EVER, YET ANOTHER GREAT DAY (AND SEASON) TO BE A LAKER FAN !!!
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | January 31, 2009 at 11:25 AM
I hate not watching the postgame chats with the players.
Posted by: A-Train | January 31, 2009 at 11:33 AM
@Agent Jon K. A.K.A Closet Clippers fan:
Excellent field work agent.
LOL at "the Diff". Funniest thing I've seen in a while.
Nice that you also counted the Crab King's (nice one) crab dribbles.
When we played them last week, I was screaming man he travels more than our sales dept.
Posted by: Ice | January 31, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Kobeblitz,
Okay. Come on, man. I think you're a great blogger and I appreciate your intelligence, humor and insight.
Still, I don't like it much when someone PURPOSEFULLY tries to antagonize me for whatever reason.
I thought we talked about this and you agreed to lay off the subject matter, but now you're back at it again.
So, I'd rather not get a verbal sparring session with you. Can you just lay off the little passive aggressive attacks? I'd appreciate it if you did.
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 31, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Jon K. - Great report.
re: #4 - no offense meant to the clippers, but I wonder if you would have received the same non-reaction with a Lakers shirt?
re:#6 - I have not laughed that loud and long in ages. Are you serious? Do other score boards around the league post the score differential as well?
Thanks for injecting some entertainment into a slow Sat morning.
VoR
Posted by: VoR | January 31, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Ok ok Jon K. I apologize. I won't do it again except for Lakers-Clippers game otherwise I won't. I promise dude. And I won't say "Clippers suck forever Jon K." Just in the preimse of Lakers RULE LA not the Clippers.
-Kobeblitz
Posted by: Kobeblitz | January 31, 2009 at 11:55 AM
I vote that as long as I'm awake, there should be an NBA basketball game on for me to watch live.
Anyone second that?
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | January 31, 2009 at 12:07 PM
I'm just catching up on the blog after a busy week at work. Lots of interesting stuff has been written. I know I'm late on this subject but I'd like to give my take on the Bynum hard foul in the Charlotte game. First of all, I hope that Gerald Wallace makes a complete and speedy recovery. One of the things that I give the NBA credit for is trying to crack down on the hard, deliberate and cheap fouls for the last 20 years or so. Physical basketball is a good thing, but can totally get out of hand at times. The NBA tries to police its product and players to the best of its ability to minimize these types of occurences. With the speed and power of today's players, it is a very difficult job.
One thing that I didn't see mentioned in the discussion of the Bynum foul is that he seemed to step on Wallace's foot and lost his balance as he went over to prevent Gerald's drive. In that split second, Drew was out of control and I think he felt vulnerable to being plowed over. I think that led to him throwing up his arms to try and brace himself for a blow. Unfortunately for Wallace, it led to a bad collision. Bang bang play with a bad result. But no malicious intent in my opinion and I think the league office handled it correctly by not suspending Drew.
About last night's game, it was good to see the Show get back to its winning ways. Defense was suspect to say the least, but we'll take the win. Ever since Kareem said Drew was becoming "unstoppable", the kid has been kicking azz. It's as though the endorsement of one of the G.O.A.T. has truly unleashed the Beast. It was coming for a while, but now Andrew is playing with a definite sense of purpose and confidence that has to be sending shudders down the spine of every team in the league. I love it!!
Speaking of thuggish fouls, Kendrick Perkins really laid one on Jason Maxiell last night in Auburn Hills.
http://tinyurl.com/b2gd3n
Now, that was truly dirty, cowardly and suspension worthy. Did I mention that I can't stand the Green Slime?
GO LAKERS!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 31, 2009 at 12:36 PM
VoR,
"I wonder if you would have received the same non-reaction with a Lakers shirt?"
No, I think I would have gotten some hatred if I would have worn a Lakers shirt. The whole world is envious of the Lakers. However, I can guarantee you I was the only person wearing a Clippers shirt at The Q; however, I can equally guarantee you there would be other people wearing Lakers shirts if it were a Lakers game in Cleveland.
"Are you serious? Do other score boards around the league post the score differential as well?"
Dead serious and I doubt other scoreboards around the league have "The Diff". That seems like a perfectly Cleveland invention.
As does the Cavs' mascot "Moondog". Do they have a muskateer or a cavilaler as a mascot? NOPE. They got some guy in a dog/cat/bear/thing costume running around doing sommersaults and occasionally putting on an additional hot dog costume and running around the edge of the court.
There was A LOT of entertainment going on during breaks, but all of it pretty juvenile and marginally competent at best. It was a little surreal. I felt like I was watching a real world episode of "The Simpsons" when Mr. Burns buys the Boston Celtics and moves them to Springfield. It was just odd.
Kobeblitz,
" I won't do it again except for Lakers-Clippers game"
Deal. If the Lakers are playing the Clippers, feel free to go medevil on me. It's cool. Just please avoid the purposeful antagonizing otherwise.
Go Clippers!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 31, 2009 at 12:50 PM
ramblin' thoughts or so seemingly, as it were...
Why doesn't League Pass allow the entire feed from a game, including pre game shows, halftime, and post game coverage...
it sure seems like the advertisers involved would like more of their message of mass consumption to go out to a bigger audience of potential goods and service hungry consumers...
since I don't live in So Cal any longer I really miss seeing pre game and post game shows--and when there is a KTLA feed we don't even get the halftime with perhaps my favorite Laker of all time James Worthy---WTF?
I was also thinking how cool Chick Hearn's pre game call in radio show was---and how unique it was...a lot of really interesting and cool questions were adressed by Chick...
for a while Chick would have a post game interview with a player on TV---it was always fun to try and guess who they were going to have on..
and for a while Stu had a post game radio show with an interview with a player...
Speaking of Chick, I still have a video tape of him reading a message over the air during a game (!) to my wife from me while I was at the game---how many announcers did / do that?
Long Live Chick
GO LAKERS !!!
Posted by: Floyd | January 31, 2009 at 01:28 PM
HAVENT HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK NBA STANDINGS LATELY... DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHO HAS THE BEST RECORD IN THE NBA?
Posted by: 131-92 | January 31, 2009 at 01:40 PM
The great thing about Drew is that he learnes so well. His confidence is back and he has found his role on offense. He is also trying to provide some much needed toughness on defense, but is still learning, his feel and timing is not there, hence the couple of hard fouls lately. I think he will work on this and provide the enforcer the Lakers need without risking suspensions or injuring opponents.
But maybe the raps on Lebron and Wallace will make folks think before venturing into the lane.
This team is definately coming together - rumors of Kobe being injured are gone, Pau is comfortable, Trevor is playing well, the Beast is back, Farmar is back.
They are poised for a great playoff run, with only a few teams that could stop them.
Posted by: Tom Daniels | January 31, 2009 at 02:46 PM
usually the coaches get it right for the all star lineups but I have several specific problems.
Shaq shouldnt be there...how can an underpeforming team like phoenix have three all stars? and Im not one for team record too much (hence the name ALL STAR) but Al Jefferson SHOULD be there.Carmello Anthony is a guy that should have to be properly upsurped.His teams good and surprising and its all Billups? dont you think Anthony had to adjust ? just harsh and wrong when youve got David west there.
In the east...Ray Allen was the celtic most responsible for their win streak and he should definitely be there.If you really needed a third magic player then how about Hedo? in my mind hes been consistently doing it for two seasons yet Nelson gets rewarded for his improvement?
And how come Joe Johnson is allowed to regress and have an off year but be a stalwart and Melo cant? How about Vince Carter? We need three suns and three magic? those teams are THAT GOOD?
Usually you can say 'well coulda been either or...... 'theres'more all stars than places on the team but some of these picks this year are plain wrong.
Posted by: Kiwi | January 31, 2009 at 05:01 PM
Floyd...
That is a great point about League Pass. Part of the act of watching a game is the pre and post-game shows. I sometimes miss the post-game analysis, especially after a controversial game. It's like...Slam bam, thank you, man! Game over...goodbye!!
Another aspect that would make the package better is being able to choose the home team's or the opponent's announcers. The MLB package sometimes allows this. I know that a lot of folks here don't like Stu and Joel Myers, but compared to other teams' announcers, they are pretty darn good, IMO. Their level of professionalism and objectivity is far superior to most of the other announcers around the league. Trust me.
That being said, League Pass is a Godsend. I haven't missed seeing a Laker game in a long, long time and that's a good thing!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 31, 2009 at 05:03 PM
131-92,
As a teaching point, you might want to be a paperor check the web, like MOST people do...Wait! TODAY'S HEADLINE may read...PAULA HAS YET ANOTHER CINDERELLA INJURY...Stay tuned!
Have a nice Lakers day!
Laker pride through ADVERSITY!
Posted by: Let's go L's! | January 31, 2009 at 05:09 PM
131-92,
Because I was so intrigued by your SILLY question, my thoughts went astray as well as my spelling...What I meant is that YOU should invest in BUYING a paper or SEARCH the web for your most CREATIVE question known to mankind...
BTW, here's another HEADLINE on your Paulas that just came in via the mind...PIERCE TO GET GOLDEN WHEELCHAIR FOR FEB. 5th GAME vs LAKERS (just in case). Stay tuned!
Have a nice Lakers day!
Laker pride through ADVERSITY!
Posted by: Let's go L's! | January 31, 2009 at 07:29 PM
trade for Kirk Hinrich
Posted by: | February 01, 2009 at 10:12 AM