Lakers lose a tough one to Celtics
Celtics 87, Lakers 86 (final)
The Lakers had one last chance to pull out a victory over the Boston Celtics without their star on Thursday night at Staples Center.
But Derek Fisher, who had a horrible shooting night, put up an off-balanced jumper as time expired, failing to draw rim and sending the Lakers to their first loss in five games.
Kobe Bryant missed his fifth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle.The Lakers don't play again until Tuesday night in Memphis, meaning that if Bryant plays then, he'll have rested his ankle for 18 days.
But the Lakers aren't sure when Bryant will play again.
Fisher was one-for-nine shooting from the field, his last shot not even close.
Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 22 points.
The Lakers remain 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the best record in the NBA. But the Denver Nuggets, who defeated the Cavaliers earlier Thursday night, are five games behind the Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference
Ray Allen (24 points) gave the Lakers the business, which was something he didn't do in the first meeting this season.
Allen was two for 10, missing all six three-point attempts, in the game last month in Boston. He had just seven points.
Even with that, the Lakers showed how tough they are without Bryant.
The Lakers fell behind by nine points early in the fourth, but they rallied back.
When Lamar Odom made a three-pointer that tied the score at 80-80, the crowd roared.
Odom just smiled as he came back down court.
-- Broderick Turner
Photo: Celtics forward Paul Pierce is tied up by Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic as he tries to drive against Ron Artest in the first half Thursday night. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times
fisher lose this game for us
Posted by: lakersdude | February 18, 2010 at 10:32 PM
fisher lose this game for us both on defense and offense
Posted by: lakersdude | February 18, 2010 at 10:33 PM
WOW! Yeah, we are SOOOOO much better without KB24! I supposed everyone will be crying, "we need Kobe!" What a joke. And another IMPRESSIVE game from Fish, 1-9 and gets the play called for him, 6'1" shooting over 6'5"??? Way to coach COACH!
PS-Our guards were 8-31 with 7 assists (only 2 from our PG's) and 3 steals. Rondo had 11 assists and 5 steals by himself. Good thing we didn't trade for a point guard! By the way, Cav's and Nugg's looked really strong tonight. Oh, Celts get Nate Robinson too!
PS-Please Kobe if you read this, please come back, please, please, please!
Posted by: DJ | February 18, 2010 at 10:43 PM
Peace,
Read the blog and weep...the guy is washed up.
Jackson and Fisher are both too old and too stubborn to face the facts !!!!
Posted by: DFish | February 18, 2010 at 10:46 PM
Substituting Sasha for the cold DFish with 3 minutes left in the 4th qtr was one of the worst coaching move by Phil. Sasha was playing well and kept Allen checked in the last quarter before he got yanked in favor of DFish. UPS did not deliver tonight, Farmar can't run the offense and allowed Rondo to pickpocket him several times. Lakers could have one with someone else taking the shot instead of DFish. DFish is finished!!!
This game is the game the coaching staff literally gave away!!!
Posted by: Wallace | February 18, 2010 at 10:50 PM
These are the reasons why we lost.
Relying on Shannon Brown several times in the 4th period. Allowing Shannon Brown to shoot that technical foul shot. I was screaming to have Gasol shoot that, but inexplicably Gasol let Shannon Brown shoot the free throw and he missed and Lakers lose by 1. You NEVER assume that based on one game or even one season that someone will be a superstar. Lakers should not re-sign Shannon Brown after his 2 years for more than a couple of million a year like his current contract. Otherwise, you're going to end up with another Devean George. Shannon Brown is a horrible passer. He should never be considered the future point guard. His turnovers caused a huge run for the Celtics.
Andrew Bynum, now with the trade deadline passed played with zero passion. He should have hammered home a lot of those shots. He was terrible tonight.
Derek Fisher. Need I say more. 1-9? How many days like that does he have to have before we let Farmar start? Not that Farmar is any better. Now that the trade deadline has passed, he's back to his crappy self again.
All those fans who said that the Lakers are better without Kobe, well, that's the kind of last second shot they get without Kobe.
Does the Lakers ever practice free throws?
Josh Powell should not be allowed to shoot unless he's wide open and faced up. Despite how well Ray Allen shot, how many free throws Lakers missed, how badly Fisher and Farmar played, they still could have won this if not for that wild shot Powell attempted.
Not the most disappointing loss of the season, but top 3.
Posted by: dj855 | February 18, 2010 at 10:51 PM
WOW! Yeah, we are SOOOOOOO much better without KB24!! I am so hacked! Fisher is hurting us so badly on both ends of the court. Way to clutch up, 1-9 with an assist! Ray Allen just lit him up, as does everyone else. Good thing we didn't trade for a point guard!
PS-Our guards were 8-31 with 7 assists and 3 steals. Rondo had 11 assists and 5 steals all by himself. Cav's and Nugg's looked really good tonight and Cav's didn't have Jamison. Of yeah, Celts get Robinson too. We stood pat.
Posted by: DJ | February 18, 2010 at 10:51 PM
I know we lost that game. But don't despair laker fans, this team is the real deal.
They got poise, they got hunger, and when without their best player they still prevail to the best of their ability. With Kobe this team will be unstoppable...come playoffs. They know what it takes and they're uber talented to boot. No one can stop us but ourselves.
GO Lakers!
Posted by: Faith | February 18, 2010 at 10:53 PM
i dont know about you guys but i was happy with our team so much. How much passion they were playing with and how much grit they had and never gave up all the way to the end. We did loose but you cant lie to your self and say the lakers didnt play good. They played with there heart out. I wish we can play like this more with kobe making the game winner.
Posted by: omega | February 18, 2010 at 10:57 PM
No problem. It's February.
The Celtics are irrelevant. They've got no shot at a June rematch.
Posted by: VMan | February 18, 2010 at 10:57 PM
OK, haters. Still wanna trade Kobe? Huh? Do you? Do you? Did you really want Derek Fisher taking that final shot? Huh? Did you? Did you?
I didn't think so.
The Mamba had a lot of reasons to be proud of his boyz tonight. They say there's no such thing as a moral victory, but this was as close as it gets. I didn't get to follow the game straight through from beginning to end, but everything I saw showed character. The experience that Shannon, Jordan, and Sasha got tonight in crucial minutes will pay dividends as the team marches towards the playoffs.
Yes, it sucks that we lost. No doubt about it. Shannon will learn from that fatal 4th quarter shot selection. Phil will learn that as much as he loves Fish, he's no longer the guy he once was. Fish's days as Mr. Clutch are over.
No reason to rush the Mamba back. Let him heal completely (well, at least as much as is possible.) So far, I like how this team responds to being tested. But come May and June when the chips are on the line, it will take Kobe to bring it all home. We're Lakers fans. We're damn lucky. We saw a great effort tonight. Go Lakers!
Posted by: Rick Friedman | February 18, 2010 at 10:58 PM
Peace,
How many more years does Fisher get to play ?
Should we keep him on the team till he is 40 years old.
He is the classiest guy on the team so we will give him a 5 year contract !!
Are you for friggin real !!!!!
Posted by: DFish | February 18, 2010 at 10:59 PM
Fisher is DONE! Phil WAKE up!
Posted by: lakers4life | February 18, 2010 at 11:01 PM
i was gong to make a smart comment about the Lakers being better without Kobe, but there's no need. there's also no need to blame any particular person for the loss. the game wsn't for the championship, as much as i hated to see the loss. now it's time to get right for the next game.
Posted by: mud | February 18, 2010 at 11:05 PM
Near the end of the season, this is how I play them and into the playoffs (not going to rest anyone much.):
PG-Kobe
SG-Brown
PF-Gasol
SF-Artest
C-Bynum
Reserve-Odom
Reserve for just a very few minutes: Farmar
Reserve for less than a few minutes: Sahsa, Fisher, Powell.
Just gonna have to ride the 6 Horses as far as they can take us!
Posted by: DJ | February 18, 2010 at 11:06 PM
So disappointed... our backcourt was garbage tonight. I love Fish for everything he's given to the Lakers but he's not up to the task right now. Unbelievably, Sasha was the best of that bunch tonight.
And SO MANY questionable (at best) coaching decisions tonight I don't even know where to begin. Sitting the wrong people at the wrong time, sitting others for too long, not calling the TO right when LO got the reb. Ugh. Awful...
Lakers, I wish I could quit you!
Posted by: Victor | February 18, 2010 at 11:06 PM
If Fisher does not take the veteran's minimum this summer, then let him leave.
Posted by: Tom | February 18, 2010 at 11:07 PM
Our guard play remains our weak point. Even with Kobe we need to defensively figure out how to guard the 1 and 2 spot. With Artest, Kobe has stopped trying defensively (Affalo anyone?). Hopefully things will change in the second half as he lets the team take on more offensive and he gets back to being a stopper on defense. The point, however, is a huge problem defensively. Fish is too slow. Farmar gets caught flat footed on EVERY play and as quick as he his Shannon somehow plays smaller than he is and doesn't really affect his man enough. He's just kind of out there but not making any statements with picks or deflections.
We're in trouble if we can't stop the point. Portland in the 8 spot with their quick points could mean an early exit. The west is just filled with quick and scoring point guards. Roy, Parker, Westbrook, Billups, and Williams. With a slight shift in the conference standings you've got Brooks and Paul waiting as well. Most of the games we've lost this year have come from our inability to stop the guard penetration/scoring. The offense will figure itself out. Too many guys who like to shoot to not be able to score. The D though, despite the rankings this year, is suspect.
Posted by: AndyN | February 18, 2010 at 11:12 PM
The one play that turned the game (and my stomach) was when Tracy Morgan faced up to the basket, tried a swingthrough move as if he was Kobe or MJ, then finally pulled up and shot...an airball. No more talk about being an All Star, Mr. Morgan.
D-Fish must have contributed something to the "stimulus plan", with all those bricks he must have saved or created a house.
Do I need to see 7 footers laying up a ball next to the rim (instead of dunking it and whoever dares challenge them)?
Has anyone effectively guarded Ray Allen yet?
Posted by: colorfulmetaphors | February 18, 2010 at 11:14 PM
tough loss for l.a. tonight. they played with a lot of heart, but it wasn't enough. the lakers should have worked the ball into gasol down the stretch. brown took a few ill advised shots too! missed free throws, poor back court play from fish/brown. all of this, AND we only lose by 1. not to bad. don't get me wrong, i hated to see us lose tonight, but l.a. couldn't execute down the stretch. coaching decisions played a big part in the ending. p.j. should have kept sasha in. he played purposeful basketball tonight. hustling and defending. i love d-fish, BUT he can't be in the game anymore with it on the line. we should have won this game! damn!
Posted by: lakeshowinphx | February 18, 2010 at 11:14 PM
Excellent defensive effort tonight. Missed a few open looks, but I really liked our defense.
I'd like for use to keep the same intensity when we play next week. If I'm not mistaken, we get a bit more time off until our next game, correct?
Posted by: Caliphilosopher | February 18, 2010 at 11:15 PM
I think we are 4-6 against: Cleve, Bos, Den, Orlando and Dallas, We have a home and away with Den and are at Dallas and Orlando. Yikes! And tonight's give away was huge in the scheme of Home Court in the Finals! It wasn't just a loss. We will lose more than Cleveland simply because the East is so weak and the West so tough. Game 7 at the Cav's? I AM a Laker fan since West and Baylor (very young then, however), but I am tired of this same old same old (Fisher in particular).
Posted by: DJ | February 18, 2010 at 11:16 PM
We should sit Fish for the last half of the season like we did with Ron Harper. Keep him fresh and bring him back for the playoffs. Let's see if Farmar and Brown are the real deal. If not say good bye to Farmar and, maybe, Fish (unless he heads to the bench) this summer as Mitch goes hunting for point guards.
Posted by: AndyN | February 18, 2010 at 11:17 PM
Fisher should be fined anytime he goes into the paint. Dude couldn't make a driving layup if his life depended on it. Neither could Odom. How many driving layups has he actually made in his life?
Farmar was simply trash tonight. Only one shot made of any consequence. Horrible on both ends of the floor. Brown, Gasol, Powell, the list goes on. Thankfully, it's still February and perhaps by some miracle, these guys can actually improve -- collectively and individually -- by the time the playoffs roll around.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed but my hopes aren't that high.
Posted by: HCE | February 18, 2010 at 11:18 PM
I'm a tremendous fan and always will be, as well as "long-time lurker, first time poster"
Tonight leaves a sour taste because we lost at home, lost to the Celtics, and lost an opportunity to get within a game of the best record in the league. Still, we went toe-to-toe against a Celtics team that was at full strength while our top guy was out. And, let's face it, this win was more important to the Celtics who had really been struggling lately and needed a solid win against a top opponent.
That said, there's a lot of nitpicking to do. Off the top of my head:
1. PG play. Just not there. Poor spacing, no knocking down easy, open shots, and I'm looking at both DF and SB.
2. Pau was awesome for most of the game but, when he (finally... overdue) gets put back in, instead of taking Rasheed baseline which he had been doing effectively all night, he's looking to pass off to Shannon Brown? C'mon Pau, we needed you to win the game for us with buckets, not passes to our backup PG who couldn't buy a shot all night.
3. PJ, as much credit as he deserves for all his accomplishments, still baffles me sometimes. And I know I'm not the only one. He took Pau out in a critical part of the 4th, totally took him out of his rhythm, and put him in with only 3 mins left? And for Bynum? The way out backcourt was shooting the most logical thing to me was to exploit our advantages in the low-post, and Bynum had been getting the job done. We should've gone big to end the game, look to get the line or get layups. Yes, that creates matchup problems on defense but hey if they can drive the lane and make the buckets over our two 7-footers, or make the jumpers, credit to them. The Celtics didn't, and remarkably, didn't have to, because we were atrocious offensively to end the 4th. Also, Phil should be calling the timeout after Lamar gets the rebound with 6 seconds left. I know Gasol did it, but the refs aren't looking at every player at the floor, the coach should be calling it. No excuse. The final play should've been for LO or Gasol, but not blaming PJ really for that, the coverage was pretty tight there.
Lamar was great tonight, and Artest played tough the way we need him to. Tough loss, lots of things to improve, but I think this team is starting to come together at the right time.
Victor you are completely right!!
Posted by: hiltontown | February 18, 2010 at 11:19 PM
No offense, but the Blog is awful slow in posting?
Posted by: DJ | February 18, 2010 at 11:21 PM
I saw a lot of things I liked tonight. Obviously, some not-so-good things, too. I thought Bynum played with more fire than I've seen in a long time. Lamar was outstanding.
Pissed about losing. But I'm always pissed about that.
The bigger picture is that this team is poised for a strong run to the finish line. Nothing but a parade will do.
Go Lake Show!
Posted by: The Outlaw | February 18, 2010 at 11:29 PM
$1000 fine each time Fisher shoots in the paint and misses.
Posted by: Tom | February 19, 2010 at 12:14 AM
Little known fact. Fisher 4 airballs, that is an NBA record !!!!!
Posted by: DFish | February 19, 2010 at 12:16 AM
Old habits die hard...old dogs hard to learn a new trick..that was the lesson for tonight's loss...we played really good, competed really great despite playing w/o Kobe and we could have won the game...breaks of the game....however I really cannot understand why when the coaching staff can clearly see that Fish had been overplayed in defense and offense and allowed to continue on instead of making adjustment....case in point Farmar & Vujacic were doing excellent job in the 4th qtr and in fact we took the lead by 4 pts coming from a 9pt deficit. Vujacic in particular played great defense against Allen...Allen did not make any points in that match up and Phil replaced them with Brown & Fish and from that on the offense became stagnant...I really like Brown he improved a lot this season and he came out from his shelf but I think he needs to develop his passing skills...not just dribble and look for his shot...Fish can still play but I think when the coaching staff noticed he is being outplayed they really need to make adjustment. I know a lot from here really do not like Vujacic for he really is not playing great but this guy can really play tough defense w/c we overlook...he also develops his passing skills w/c is a component in the triangle...he plays tough, hustles w/c you and I cannot see on the box score...The good thing about this game was they fought the good fight...they lost the battle in this game but not the war......they are improving a lot...but we still need Kobe.......more than ever....
Posted by: appolo c. vermont | February 19, 2010 at 12:20 AM
See where is TODD about Kobe Bryant preventing ANDREW BYNUM from being a 30ppg center?
Where is jimjoyce saying that the Lakers are a better team without Kobe?
Where is STAPLES 24 gushing about Bynum and saying to trade Kobe?
There's a reason why Kobe is the best player in the league and isn't winning because he has talented teammates oh no.
Fisher was horrible. Farmar was horrible. Shannon really choked after a career game.....and you guys are saying to trade Kobe Bryant?
Pau with the exception of trying to force the one play into Shannon played well. So did LO and Artest. Seriously though why the hell was BYNUM put in the 4th when we had a run? To treat his confidence?? Bynum was 7-15 and with a exception of 3-4 nice put backs was slowing down our offense SO DAMN MUCH. And Todd/Staples 24 already put him in Shaq's level?
There's a reason why Gasol-Odom is the MUCH BETTER combination over a 22 year old who thinks he's the next best thing next to slice bread (and those fans who believe he is).
I don't blame Fish for taking the last shot but there is a difference between Kobe who has MADE ALMOST AS MUCH GAME WINNING SHOTS as Michael Jordan versus another clutch player in Fish who gets alot of ATTENTION diverted away from him when because of a person who wears #24!
So all those Gasol is the number one option/Bynum is already better than Shaq (Todd/Staples24)/Kobe sucks foos better take note as how the Lakers are BETTER with Kobe than they are WITHOUT.
Posted by: KB Blitz | February 19, 2010 at 12:44 AM
There were numerous errors we did tonight:
- Brown's wild shots and bad plays - dribbling out and giving the ball to Pau with 2 sec left in the clock, as if Pau is a spot-up shooter.
- Farmar's bad decisions, and air-balled 3s..
- Bynum's lack of rebounding and questionable shots.
- Josh Powell's crap fadeaway - even he did not hope it would be going in..
- Pathetic FT shooting (thanks to our guards again).
However, all these are NOT the reasons we lost. Derek Fisher. He is the reason we lost this game. If our starting point guard makes 1/9 FGs, 1/3FTs, has more personal fouls(2) than assists(1), then we dont deserve to win the game.
Anyone who saw Fisher shooting the ball would have been dismayed. You knew the ball was not going in as soon as he shot. Yet he kept shooting and shooting, and never scored. None of his shots were shot in balance, they were crap or hurried ones.
One assist!! Really, thats the number of assists our starting PG could muster??
Fish, your time is done. Please retire or dont re-enter late into the game when the flow is going well.
Posted by: Kobefan in Cupertino | February 19, 2010 at 01:47 AM
Kobefan in Cupertino,
I agree 100%
Also, sure Fisher made some huge shots in the Finals, but if we had a decent guard, we never would have been in a position where we would have needed him to make those shots. We would have won by 10 points!
If we had a true point guard, a 70 win season is possible. But I would not start Bynum. I would not have him in the game at the same time as Gasol unless we need him for defense against centers that Gasol has trouble guarding or we're playing against another team with a power forward that Odom can't guard.
Posted by: dj855 | February 19, 2010 at 02:19 AM
KB Blitz,
Just an observation. You seem to be totally obsessed with bashing Bynum any and every way possible. Why don't you just come out and say that you don't like the kid. Seriously, I respect your opinion and posts, but you're going to the opposite extreme of those propping Bynum up as the greatest center of all time.
I agree that Andrew made several mistakes, but he was far from the reason we lost the game last night. Drew, Pau, LO and Artest more than held their ground against the supposedly more "physical" and dirty Celtics frontline. I'll also point out that Pau wasn't all that special down the stretch as well, missing a jump hook and making a bad pass to Shannon Brown along the baseline(although I believe that Ray Allen pushed Brown on the play). The Lakers had ONLY TWO POINTS in the final 7:13 of the fourth quarter!!! I'm shocked that you failed to mention the horrendous play of our guards, particularly Fisher and Brown combining for 3 of 18 from the field and yet you slam Bynum for going 7 of 15 from the field and grabbing 9 boards in 6 less minutes played than Pau and 10 fewer minutes played than Perkins???
I still get frustrated by the way Drew plays defense or lack of at times and holds the ball too long, but he along with Pau and LO gave the Celtics bigs all they could handle. Fisher not only had a terrible night offensively, but he couldn't cover Ray Allen last night if his life depended on it!!!
I enjoy reading your posts because you're very insightful and have a lot of basketball knowledge, but you seem to go overboard at times in locking in on one player as the reason the Lakers don't play so well. Also, I'm curious to know why seem to always post that you know what Bynum thinks. This is in reference to your "...22 year old who thinks he's..." quotes in some of your posts. We all know what Paula Pierce thinks because he comes out and proclaims himself the best player on the planet and the greatest shooter of all time, but I still haven't found one quote of Andrew Bynum saying anything close to what Pierce falsely claims. I've never heard or read anything from Bynum saying or thinking that he's the best center of all time or best center in the league right now.
I don't know if there's anything Bynum could ever do to get in your good graces, but I cheer all our players because they're Lakers. Have a great day Blitz. Peace.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | February 19, 2010 at 06:00 AM
Could someone PLEASE bump the needle on DFish's record. It's been skipping for months.
Geez, the Lakers lose by one to the Bean Town Leprechauns and the blog has a melt down and opens the door for everyone that hates. Yeah, Fish had a pretty poor game: Big Deal. He wasn't all that stellar last year either...until the playoffs. Shannon is trying, but you don't fill in big shoes in just 4 games.
Did nobody notice Sasha's game? Did nobody notice the non-calls at home?
Be calm bloggers, all will be well in 26 games.
JR
Posted by: Jolly Rancher | February 19, 2010 at 06:42 AM
Nemaia Faletogo,
1. Hola.
2. You wrote this to KB Blitz: You seem to be totally obsessed with bashing Bynum any and every way possible.
my response: It seems to me that there are two lightning rods for the LA
Lakers. Kobe & Bynum. Think about that for a second ....
Ok. Did you read any of the Kobe bashing? Did you agree with the bashing?
Did you try to address the bashing?
On the other hand, we have the pro-Bynum squad. We're not talking about
people who support everybody who wears purple & gold, we're talking about
people who have indicated that he is the future face of the franchise. While
they may not have used these specific words, the hyperbole they've spouted
certainly supports "future face of the franchise". In addition to this, the
interesting comments about why the Lakers shouldn't trade him have been ...
well, I'll let you come up with a word.
Ok. Final thing. Everybody here has seen me & various others go at it.
However, there are some posters who are "fair-weather" posters. They only
post when circumstantial evidence for their beliefs shows up. When it
doesn't then they hide like mice around a hungry cat. However, rest assured.
When more circumstantial evidence shows up, they'll be loud posters.
Kinda like a runt who talks big when is older brother is around, but is a
coward when he's by himself.
note: I am not picking on Bynum. I do wonder where jimjoyce, Todd, &
Staples24 are hiding. I read a lot of "smack" about how Kobe impeded the
triangle offense. Yet, we had a problem from the word go with the Celtics.
I'd like to see some of these people choke on some crow for their idiotic
statements. I have. :)
Posted by: hobbitmage | February 19, 2010 at 07:08 AM
I agree with the bloggers, Ray Allen pretty much "raped" Fish all night..But that usually happens with anyone Fish is assigned to cover!!
Because Boston isn't very good -- we had a chance to win but cannot shoot free throws to save our lives --- Fish even missed his!!!
Sometimes it seems like this team takes even the little things for granted.
Josh Howard should never be on the court..Never...I also agree that we need to sit Fish until the playoffs and then bring him in for spot duty!!!
Let Lamar run the point or Ron, they are better ballhandlers than Fish/Farmar/Brown. Sasha actually handles the ball better than those three mentioned..
Damn, we didn't make a trade -- Larry Hughes is about to get bought out.I say we grab him up. He can still hit an open shot and create his own, if necessary and provide some needed "D"
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | February 19, 2010 at 07:47 AM
CORRECTION to my POST: I meant JOSH POWELL of course, should never be on the court...
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | February 19, 2010 at 07:51 AM
Is it a left-handed thing or is it that DFish and Lamar simply cannot make lay-ups????? I am going to venture to guess they just never worked that hard on lay-ups and or being able to use both hands consistently...
And Lamar, that last layup where he drives all the way to the basket -- he doesn't miss that if he goes up strong and dunks it ! I don't get it, he dunks twice in the game with emphasis and then when he really needs to, he goes up with some wild ass ISH!
My feeling. 7, 8 players into our bench -- we are pretty raggedy and still on top of the West -- go figure!
Posted by: lakersrydeordie | February 19, 2010 at 07:59 AM
>>>Farmar can't run the offense and allowed Rondo to pickpocket him several times.
Wrong and wrong again.
The Lakers were +11 with Farmar on the floor and -12 with Derek Fisher on the floor. Someone ran the offense fine and someone else didn't. If Phil had left Farmar on the floor for the end of the game, they probably would have won it.
And Rondo only picked Farmar ONCE. Not several times. Once. He picked Shannon Brown twice and Pau a couple of times as well.
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:02 AM
>>>Otherwise, you're going to end up with another Devean George. Shannon
>>>Brown is a horrible passer.
Ouch. Shannon isn't nearly that bad.
You do realize that Devean George is a career 39% shooter who's never shot over 41% for a season.
Over the last 4 seasons, Shannon has shot 47%, 46%, 52%, and 45%. Shannon and Devean may be comparable on the defensive end and passing, but Shannon's a much much better shooter.
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:07 AM
>>>Has anyone effectively guarded Ray Allen yet?
Sasha did.
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:10 AM
>>>I think we are 4-6 against: Cleve, Bos, Den, Orlando and Dallas,
But only one game out of those 6 was the whole squad present and healthy.
It's all about health.
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:11 AM
>>>the lakers should have worked the ball into gasol down the stretch. brown
>>>took a few ill advised shots too!
Ironically, they did. Twice in that stretch late in the 4th they got the ball in to Pau Gasol in the post and Boston left him with single coverage, but he passed back out. Once he passed back out to Shannon Brown who bricked a 20 footer and the other time he tried to pass to Shannon under the basket, but Ray Allen forced him out of bounds, so it resulted in a turnover.
You can't complain about them not forcing the ball into the post if Pau refuses to shoot it, and when Drew shoots 1 for 3 in the 4th quarter.
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:15 AM
>>>Also, sure Fisher made some huge shots in the Finals, but if we had a decent
>>>guard, we never would have been in a position where we would have needed
>>>him to make those shots.
That is a very salient point.
Similarly, in the game vs Denver where Ariza got the late steal to save the game, if Ariza hadn't shot 2 for 8 for the game, he might not have NEEDED to steal the ball.
It's a shame that Phil doesn't trust Jordan. He isn't perfect, but he's a lot better than Fish at this point (with all due respect to Fish).
Posted by: LongTimeLakerFan | February 19, 2010 at 09:20 AM
With Kobe it all seems to be black or white.
I think what these strech of games without him show is that:
his current approach to the game is not benefitial to te team , let's say -20% in team dynamics. He is, however, so excedingly good as an individual player, that he by himself can has impact accounting from +10% to +40%.
Now that he's injured, his nightly impact was being closer to +10% than to +40% most nights. So while injured, his impact would be neutral or even negative most nights. I think we've all seen that, regardless of wether he hit the last shot, many nights he slowed the team by utterly dominating the team dynamics.
That is not to say he´s worthless or that he should be traded. What this means is that he can do two things:
1. Heal completely but keep dominating team dynamics. He can be a +30, +40% individual that impacts a -20% negatively team play. Then he will only have a net possitive effect of 10-20% most nights.
2. There´s a better possibility: he comes back healed AND accepts the offense must be run throug Gasol. Then we'd be unstoppable
Posted by: lakerssssss | February 19, 2010 at 10:16 AM