Live From Staples - Lakers vs. Heat
January 11, 2009 | 6:37
pm
Everyone knows Kobe plays well when he's mad. But is he just as deadly while happy, as he looked in the glow of Philadelphia's win over the Giants of New York? Time will tell.
The jabber box is below.
AK
Good first quarter...keeo it up...
http://tinyurl.com/5br7qj
Posted by: christopher blake | January 11, 2009 at 07:27 PM
How many times has Rad left his man WIDE open tonight. He has
to be the worst defender on the team.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 11, 2009 at 09:01 PM
Interesting game tonight. Mixed bag for a lot of players.
Vlad couldn't decide if he wanted to be the rainmaker or the space cadet. Derek went 5-13 but had 11 assists (and 3 steals). Pau went 4-15 but had 18 rebs.
Drew's game was all good (the beast is emerging). Trevor's game was all bad. Pau was +18. Machine was 4-5 (including 2-2 from behind the arc) but was -20.
Wade was an assassin and Beasley's stroke looked great.
I'll take the W. Good start to the gauntlet. The Texas two-step is next.
Posted by: lakers_sth | January 11, 2009 at 09:11 PM
Good win, not a Great one, but we'll take it anyway. Turnovers were the abatross tonight. Still need to tighten up on defense. Vlad Rad played on the planet earth tonight. We definitely needed him to be here, since KB was a bit off tonight. Our guys need to be ready Tuesday for the Rockets, and finish the two step with a win at SA. Go LAKERS....Best team in the NBA
Posted by: coachD | January 11, 2009 at 09:16 PM
On to San Antonio...
Go Lakers!
Posted by: dice8up | January 11, 2009 at 09:18 PM
LA dodged the bullet on that one.
Miami would be an even more dangerous team if they had a good big man.
Great to see Baby B. playing well and with some more emotion. Loved the fist pumps from him.
On a night when both Pau and Kobe were off their offensive games, it's good that the Lakers can still win.
Vlad Rad played well for the most part, but why oh why does he leave his man open at CRITICAL moments?
Pau strong on the boards.
ON TO TEXAS!! GO LAKERS!!
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | January 11, 2009 at 09:21 PM
Well folks - we're 30-6 and have the best record in the league right now!!!!!!!!
I'm ok with the ugly W tonight. We can't always win pretty and we are short-handed, so it's all good.
We can only get better so we have much to look forward to! Always a great day to be a Laker fan!
GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: justanothermambafan | January 11, 2009 at 09:26 PM
A W is a W.
Great to see Drew off and running. I don't think the rest of the team has caught up with him yet - they're not used to looking for him as an offensive option. Drew could have easily scored over 30 tonight, had the team fed him properly. As it was, solid effort.
Nice to see Pau contribute, even when his shot's not falling. 18 rebounds is gigantic.
Trevor needs to stop that little shuffle before he dribbles. Those turnovers are getting OLD.
We need to stop taking so many threes and punish people inside. We're not playing like we have two dominant 7-footers in the paint.
I root for Vlad, but I just can't understand what he's thinking when he leaves a shooter WIDE OPEN like that. I have the same reaction when my 4 year old forgets to wash her hands after she goes to the bathroom - "What?? How many times have we done this??"
Once defenses figure out Beasley, he's going to completely disappear. Dude has NO game outside of catch-and-shoot or one-on-one iso plays.
Posted by: SBPimp | January 11, 2009 at 09:31 PM
GOD BLESS ANDREW BYNUM!
AND GOD BLESS THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS!
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | January 11, 2009 at 09:32 PM
A few random thoughts...
Pau may have had a tough shooting night, but he didn't let it get him down...he was a monster on the boards...
Great game from Andrew, Sasha and Vlade...they really carried us on a night when Kobe, Fish, and Pau were off...
I like it better when Kobe comes out more aggresive on the Offensive end than he did tonoght...I think it makes it harder for him to get in the flow later...
That being said, he locked down on D-Wade in the fourth...Wade had 27 when Kobe came back in...and 27 at the end of the game...both times he got hot, Kobe was on the bench...
Robert Horry looked good...am I the only one who thinks he'd be a smart pick-up for us?
http://tinyurl.com/5br7qj
Posted by: christopher blake | January 11, 2009 at 09:37 PM
MIami in that game ran 2-3 Zone. Kobe's penetration wasn't there as much.
Fortunately they are undersized so Bynum and Pau took advantage.
The team were too dependent on Fish and Kobe to give it around. Fortunately Sasha and Vlad was on to make up the difference (Vlad and his defensive mistakes.....).
Until the team gets more passing and more in synch with the Triangle they will be handled by teams who use zones and have bigger men.
Christmas Day against Boston: Passing bust up zones.
"Toni Kukoc is another example of PJ and his seeming need to always mess with foreign and young players. PJ was ALWAYS on Toni."
Irony since it was Kukoc who Jackson selected as the one to shoot the game winner in Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (with Pippen being pissed off at not being the one).
-blitz
Posted by: kobeblitz | January 11, 2009 at 10:09 PM
The game was really a nail biting game up to the last sec. Even they are underman, all the player step up to their game and contributed to the game. Vlade, Sasha, Bynum & Powell did a good job. The main problem is the Team turn over and it comes from Kobe, Fish, Vlade & Ariza. The second problem the low FG% of Kobe, Pau & Fish. Good thing the 3pt shooter deliver compare to the 3pt of the heat and this makes the 3 pts score difference
Posted by: Butchiky | January 11, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Bynum the beast showed up for a game!!!!!
Rad was schizophrenic tonight. I'll win the game (made shot)...
I'll lose the game (turnover)... I'll win the game (made shot)...
I'll lose the game (turnover).
And it didn't help that Ariza kept traveling and Kobe kept passing
more than shooting and Pau was a bricklayer for the night.
And Sasha brought his brain tonight.
I miss Lamar and Luke and Farmar.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | January 11, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Rad is playing good tonight. He better watch out cause last time he played good phil benched him for 5 games.
Posted by: Rob | January 11, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Ahhh, the constants in life...Kobe goes to the bench...other team goes on a 18-10 run...no time outs...and when D-Wade comes in, Kobe stays on the bench until Wade gets hot...
http://tinyurl.com/5br7qj
Posted by: christopher blake | January 11, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Hey Larry,
Would you start a sign Robert Horry bandwagon?
http://tinyurl.com/5br7qj
Posted by: christopher blake | January 11, 2009 at 10:31 PM
This is an improvement of game with the Heat last year that Lakers lost because of poor Free Throw. I hope Sasha & Vlade maintain their rhythm and focus.
Go Go Lakers
Posted by: Butchiky | January 11, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Guys, show me which euro player is the good defender ? Kukoc? Peja? Divac? you guys asking too much about Vlad. He 6-10, don't you know it is hard for 6-10 guy to handle the ball ? I just want to remind you,Gasol-Kobe-Fisher-Lamar-Vlad played in the NBA Final last year.
Posted by: bluesky | January 11, 2009 at 10:47 PM
It was obvious that vlad thought the guy was going to keep running thru and he just stopped in the corner. It's taught from the lower levels not to take your eyes off the ball and your man at the same time using peripheral vision you have to turn certain directions depending on the situation to keep both your eyes onthe man and the eyes on the ball, when someone runs away from the ball and goes back door thru the key you have to make a quick move like vlad started to make but he did it probably out of instinct to help out with the other player who would normally be looking to drive. In that situation you just have to worry about your own guy and not take your eyes off him and forget the 2 points. But overall I would say that Vlad played pretty good D tonight and just made one bad mistake and a couple minor ones earlier. Also a lot of times it may look like vlad is leaving the 3 point shooters open but Beasly was Bynums man and vlad was just shooting to him to try and help because Bynum can't keep up with a small forward player. I didn't even notice marion doing anything, I still can't figure out where he got his 12 points.
Posted by: Ken | January 11, 2009 at 10:52 PM
From AZcenteral, Paul Coro writes:
LOS ANGELES - Meet O'Neal'ovic.
That was Suns center Shaquille O'Neal's nickname around the locker room even before he ran his consecutive free-throws-made streak to 12 during Sunday's 109-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
"If you go around the league, anybody with the last name (ending in) 'vic' is a great shooter," O'Neal said. "(Vladimir) Radmanovic, (Sasha) Vujacic next door (in the Laker' locker room)."
O'Neal has shot free-throws like Peja Stojakovic the past two games. It is the first time in O'Neal's career that he was perfect at the free-throw line in consecutive games. Since saying he reverted to his high school form to start December, O'Neal has made 77 of 111 free throws (69.4 percent).
"I was trying too hard," said O'Neal, a career 52.6 percent shooter. "Now, I'm just shooting it the way I was taught to shoot it. Whenever you switch up on something, bad luck will happen to you. I'm trying to get my name in the top-five scoring before I'm done so I'm trying to get as many easy buckets as I can."
Posted by: | January 11, 2009 at 10:55 PM
i had to run to the blog after watching the delayed telecast here because i want to shout that ANDREW is a MAN! However, i hope the other lakers sees it the same way we have seen it. Andrew should have scored forty tonight. Anyways, great game from him and Vladdy.
I believe in the lakers and like what jon k will say, we play for the championship.
destroy houston on tuesday!
see yah!
Posted by: isang | January 11, 2009 at 11:10 PM
Rob,
"Rad is playing good tonight. He better watch out cause last time he played good phil benched him for 5 games."
Very Funny!
Posted by: Eric M. | January 11, 2009 at 11:37 PM
LAKERTOM,
Enjoy basking in the AB Glory! Averaging 20 and 7 the last 3 games.
Posted by: Eric M. | January 11, 2009 at 11:39 PM
Greetings Fellow Lakeshow Fans,
Whew! 108-105 win vs Heat...ANOTHER nail biter...Our bench is looking REALLY THIN...Could have used a healthy, athletic and lengthy LO on Beasley in the 4th quarter. Ariza looks WINDED...We just can't HOLD big leads with the bench we currently have now. Still GOTTA stop dribble penetration!
Considering that stars KB24 and Pau were off offensively for practically the ENTIRE game, it was Kobe's sticky D on Wade throughout and Gasol's monster boards that helped with the victory. It was nice to see other players step up their game (Bynum with his scoring and positioning, Rad with his scoring, and Fisher with his assists).
Getting back to THIN, nice energy off the bench from Powell and Sasha...
REALLY nice game by Andrew I must say...Slowly, but surely, he looks like he's coming around...nice post moves and better movement on the court...THAT growth, my dear friends, is going to be our CHAMPIONSHIP key.
Once Bynum gets GOING, teams are going to be forced to adjust accordingly with double teams in the painted area (as they must RESPECT his ability).
This should then make the Lakers passing much easier inside and out (with less FORCED turnovers) and the floor more spaced for Kobe (penetration, iso), Gasol (post up and distribution to cutters) and Fisher (spot up long range shots) to operate as well as others.
Like Laker Tom has said all along, the BEAST is going to be the KEY! He is YOUNG and ABLE!
Well, on to Houston and San Antonio for the annual Texas two-step...The main ingredients for victory are going to be consistent team movement offensively and defensively, and bench play!
More specifically, as long as our MVP KB24 plays SMART (getting teammates involved and engaged often, especially Bynum and Gasol in the PAINT), FOCUSED (playing his usual shut down D when necessary) and doesn't FORCE the issue with "individual vs individual" play (with Battier, Artest, Bowen), I see no reason why our Lakers shouldn't win both games. At 30-6, our Lakers SHOULD have an idea of what's lies ahead and what is expected...other teams are going to be UP for them!
Folks, our team is VERY GOOD! However, they can get even BETTER! Still a LONG ways to go...
Laker pride through ADVERSITY!
Posted by: Let's go L's! | January 12, 2009 at 12:52 AM