GRIZZLIES -at- LAKERS - 4/12 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Bear Hunting... The storm clouds hovering in the distance are slowly closing in on you. Subconsciously, you have been trying to block them out, but you can't ignore how they coil around you like giant python made of dark cloud and who knows what else.

That Clockwork Orange boy band, P-Town, jumped you in an alley a couple days ago. Now you tap your steering wheel and debate whether to get out and enter the forest up ahead. Last time you tracked the Horsemen and this opponent, they got hurt. You know the best medicine is to climb back on the saddle like the Horsemen do, so you get our of the car and head down the path.

After a few minutes, you come to a clearing where the action took place. The battlefield, however, is much different than others you've encountered. You start spotting odd items: several rabbit's feet, cloves of garlic, salt scattered in small patches. On a nearby tree next to a four-leaf clover is a horseshoe nailed upright like a "U". There is broken clear glass on the ground beneath it. Three sheep pass the far side of the clearing where two crows sit in a tree. On another tree you spot two robins. What is going on here?

Everywhere you turn is some kind of good luck charm or omen. Someone had been working overtime to exorcise some bad mojo.

Pages of a magazine flap in the breeze on the ground a few feet away. You pick it up and read, "Bear Hunting Magazine: The Bear Hunting Authority." A subscription card falls out. You grab that. Below the phrase "Your source for year-round bear hunting information," you see some familiar writing. It's DancingBarry:

The Four Horsemen were here. All four came out unscathed. They were no match for this opponent and crushed them with ease.

Almost time to get the face paint out, almost time to prepare for the war. Soon we will know whom the Association is throwing at the Four Horsemen.

I will continue to follow them...

Andrew Bynum didn't hesitate when asked whether this game was toying with his mind. "I thought about coming out in bubble wrap," he said, "but you can't play in that." The Lakers made it through this game without issue, winning 92-75.

The addition of Bynum has made the Laker bench a threat to destroy teams once again. Getting easy scores around the rim and having another bigman who gets the line and knocks down freethrows, has given the team some rock steady bench performances. Bynum led the Lakers with 18 points in his 25 minutes.

At the same, Shannon Brown appears to be taking minutes from Jordan Farmar. If the Lakers face the Jazz in the first round, he will likely be the first guard off the bench.


Kobe -- -- Pretty much a cruise control game for Kobe. I think you will see the same in the next game, before he starts looking to take victims in the playoffs. Asked the cliche question about which team (Dallas or Utah) he would prefer to face, Kobe said, "Either/or, it doesn't matter." Neither team can defend him. The Jazz will be more physical. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-9 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He found Bynum for a layup on the break. No challenge on his man and he gave up a three. He had an offensive board tipped out to him and he knocked down the 16-footer. He lost Mayo on a little reverse cut, he the knocked down the open FT jumper. He sank a baseline turnaround. He attacked and kicked to LO for the corner three at the end of the quarter. He cut down the lane off Luke and scored a layup. He drew defenders and hit LO over his shoulder with a no-looker for the three. He drained a turnaround on the baseline. He missed a long three with the shotclock low. He had 10 points on 5-6 shooting, 4 boards and 3 assists in 18 minutes. Second Half: He pounded the dribble, crossed over and swished a pull-up from the wing. He attacked four defenders in early offense and drew FTs, he made both. He missed an early offense three. He threaded a pass between defenders to Pau for a layup. He dribbled too closely in front of a defender and the ball was swiped. He swished a turnaround over a double team on the wing.

Gasol -- -- The Lakers kept Memphis to just 26 points in the paint. Always having two impact bigs on the floor will cause opponents some problems. But against a team like Memphis, they can really lockdown. The perimeter defenders can funnel to help, our bigs can trap off the high screens, and if we keep the transition ball down, all of that D will grind the Grizzlies offense to a halt. It's important for Pau and Bynum to get on the same page defensively to cover for each other, especially behind those screens. "We did a much better job on screen-roll defense tonight," Phil said. Pau and Marc went head to head quite a bit, both getting in some quality shots. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-14 shooting (0-1 from the line) to go with 13 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, no turnovers and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He scored a layup in transition for our first score. He airballed a turnaround. He missed a 12-footer. He missed a reverse, got it back and missed the jumphook. He missed a 16-footer. He took contact on a face up, then hit the baseline jumper. He missed a baseline jumper. He posted up Marc, backed him down and hit the And-1 jumphook, he missed the FT. He had 6 points on 3-9 shooting and 9 boards. Second Half: He swatted Marc from behind. Great catch on a pass that Kobe threaded between defenders and was deflected, he scored a layup. He missed a little flip of a layup attempt, got it back and hit the short jumphook with his left. He swished a fade over Marc off the dribble.

Bynum -- -- "It was going through my mind, but I was able to make it through the whole game," Bynum said, talking about his bad luck against this team. He got kneed on a spin move by Marc Gasol early on in this one. Bynum stood there for a couple seconds, the wheels turning in his mind. Apparently, the knee passed that test. Three games back and Bynum is your leading scorer of the game. Granted, we rested starters, but the production is there, especially in the amount of minutes his clocking. He described himself as at about 75-80 percent. He said he needs to work on finishing over the top of people, and you can see on both ends that his explosion isn't quite there yet. He also hasn't won a jumpball in his three attempts. Making it out of a Memphis game healthy and with a W, can't ask for more. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-10 shooting (6-6 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. The Action: He airballed a jumphook for our first attempt (not great position). He grabbed a Fish miss and dunked. He scored a layup running the floor with Kobe. He missed a short jumphook when Kobe threaded an interior pass to him. He airballed a turnaround jumper. He flashed weak to strong across the low block and drew FTs when Luke hit him, he made both. He hammered Warrick on help D. He tried to attack in the lane, wasn't able to elevate and got blocked. He picked up his third foul at the end of the half trying to push off on a bad lob pass. He had 8 points on 3-7 shooting and 4 boards in 15 minutes. Second Half: He picked up his fourth foul on another push off trying to receive a pass. He then sat a minute into the half. He scored a layup off the return pass from Brown when the two worked the high pinch post nicely. He took contact, spun the other way and hit the jumphook. He had Jaric on him and was instantly fouled when Lamar recognized the mismatch and fed him the ball, he made both FTs. He dunked off the two-man game working the inbounds pass with Luke. He was upfaked but landed, then swatted Warrick with his length after he came down. He drew FTs when Luke hit him with the high entry pass off the two-man game, he made both.

Ariza -- -- This was his first decent game since Bynum has returned. With the struggling three ball dogging him the past few weeks, Trevor looked to slash to the rim more tonight. The threes he did take were up against the clock, so must-take shots regardless. Defensively, he was active and back to himself, deflecting passes and changing ends of the court with speed. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 6-9 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He hit the side of the backboard on a drive. He faked from the three line, attacked the lane and dunked. Bad pass to Bynum, he got it back and reverse jammed. Second Half: He attacked off the three line and scored a layup. He spun away from his man, attacked baseline and reverse dunked with both hands. He threw down again trailing the break when Brown found him. With the shotclock down to 2, he sank a 16-footer from the right side. He missed an open corner three with the shotclock low. He hit glass on a 70-footer at the third-quarter buzzer.

Fisher -- -- He played just one stint then rested for the remaining minutes of each half. The Lakers will dial his minutes back in these final two games. They still need to play him a little to help with the chemistry of the new lineups, but reducing these minutes will help. Hopefully, he is also getting rest during practice, as well. "He'll claim his legs back during the course of the week and he'll be live again," Phil said. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-9 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 2 assists and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He was blocked on a drive. He missed a wing three in early offense. He missed a runner, but kept it alive to Bynum for a dunk. He missed a wing jumper just beating the shotclock. He attacked, took contact and muscled in the layup. Second Half: He missed a jumper off the Pau pinch spot. He missed a three, wide left. He swished a long jumper in transition, trailing the break. He attacked baseline and was rejected.

Lamar -- -- Lamar continues to outshoot the forwards from three. He sank a couple more tonight, the only thing really working for him offensively. He got swatted a couple times at the rim and missed a gimmie layup another time. Lamar is going to finish the season with his second best blocks per game number (1.3) despite playing the lowest minutes per game of his career (29.9). He averaged more than 2 blocks per game during March. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-10 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 block and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He missed a wing jumper right off the bench, but got it back. He didn't use glass on a great pass from Pau and he blew a layup. He drained a corner three on a kickout from Kobe (much better than the Luke airballs we've seen in a couple of games at the end of quarters). He dumped a pass off to a cutting Bynum for a jumphook. He blocked a bigman on one end, then was blocked himself in transition at the other. Kobe drew his man and kicked out, Lamar swished the straight away three. He attacked with speed in transition and scored the layup to his left. He missed a floater and was looking for the foul. Second Half: He missed an 18-footer. He missed an open wing three out of a timeout. He tried to keep Warrick on his hip pushing the ball up, but he was swatted at the rim.

Luke -- -- Luke tried to thread a couple too many tough passes tonight and his turnover number was up. He was trying to find Shannon on the break on a couple of those turnovers. Despite those turnovers, he showed some good chemistry with Bynum on a couple of plays with the second unit. This is where Luke should be at his best, turning nothing into a good opportunity for his bigman. That will make the second unit especially effective. He finally showed a little life in his perimeter game, knocking down a couple J's. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-3 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnover and 4 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He went behind his back to Brown on the break for the And-1 dunk. He posted up and went over his shoulder to a cutting Kobe for the layup. He swished a wing jumper off the pitch out. Second Half: He threw a pass away, forcing it in transition. Again, trying to thread the needle on the break, another turnover. He went between his legs on the pinch post to Sasha for the jumper. He inbounded to Bynum, curled off him and bounced it back to Drew for the dunk. He took a post entry flashing weak to strong and overpowered Jaric for the layup. He set up Drew for FTs on a high entry pass off the two-man sequence. He drained a long jumper, standing on the three line. He drew FTs on a drive in traffic, he made both.

Brown -- -- Seems like he always has a grin on his face, even when he wasn't earning more minutes and moving up the depth chart. He came in with Lamar to close out the first quarter once again at the PG spot. Farmar's minutes dwindling by the game as we tune up for the playoffs. Using Brown, we are finally making the Vlad trade work in our favor. He's playing strong D at the point and making good decisions on the other end of the floor. The Lakers need to get him extended minutes going head-to-head with Deron Williams in the next game. Against the Jazz in the playoffs last year, Farmar was as bad and as big a liability as he is right now. Brown or Ariza would be must better defensive options if we face the Jazz in the first round. Phil seemed to hint that the guard rotation will probably depend on match ups. Farmar seems like he will be the odd man out in this first series if it's the Jazz the Lakers face. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, no turnover or no fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He missed a three, short. He poked a ball loose, Luke took the outlet, and fed backward to Shannon for the And-1 throwdown over Jaric, he made the FT. He missed a 12-footer trying to create with the shotclock low. Second Half: He forced Memphis into a bad pass on help D, he took the outlet, then hit a trailing Ariza for the dunk. He took the pinch post handoff from Bynum, then whipped a pass back to him for a layup (great weakside Tri execution). He attacked to his left, but tried to shoot with his right and was blocked out of bounds.

Farmar -- -- He came in with 8:52 left in the second quarter, the second game where Brown's minutes stretched into the second quarter over time Farmar usually gets. Despite Brown's lack of Tri experience, he's just not the train wreck Farmar has been. Farmar didn't have the turnovers in this game, but still couldn't hit a freethrow. He's 45-77 from the line (.584). In case you are wondering, Shannon Brown is shooting 29-36 from the line this season (.806). Phil The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He elevated nicely off the two-man game and swished the wing jumper. He was way short on a pull-up in transition. He attacked, spun and drew FTs, he then bricked both, uggh. He fouled a man on a reach 30 feet from the hoop. He couldn't feed the post from his angle (rather than move over to a better angle, he swung the ball away). He gave Conley a straight line to the hoop for a layup. Second Half: He bricked a wing three badly. He missed a chuck at a three.

Vujacic -- -- Machine make big dunk after Machine steal. Machine make ready for playoff. Sasha was feisty on the defensive end. He was coming up with steals and never fouled. Combine that with making some of his shots and he's giving quality role-player minutes. He's got to keep stringing these together. We need a designated shooter to spread the floor. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-8 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 steals and no fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He swiped a pass. He missed a pull-up 18-footer. He missed a flat three from the corner. Better looking shot from the same spot next time down, he swished the corner three and was hit in the face with no call. Second Half: Nice D shading his man but staying on his shoulder to challenge the shot. He missed badly on a drive with his left. He missed an 18-footer off the screens next time down. He sank the wing jumper off the between-the-legs pass from Luke. He swiped the pass to Warrick, pushed it out and threw down the dunk (bench was up again). He swiped the ball on the perimeter, pushed it out and was swatted. He was fouled on a breakaway, he made both.

Powell -- -- He came in for Bynum a minute into the second half. Phil wanted to keep his bench rotations in tact to Lamar and company could continue to play together. Serviceable minutes, not much more. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He was swatted from behind by Gay on the high-low from Pau (that's a score for LO or Bynum). Horrible jump pass in transition, right out of bounds. He was caught pushing off trying to get a loose ball. He airballed an 18-footer.

Morrison -- -- He came in with 4 minutes left in the half, then got a brief stint later. Typically, he plays very passive and seems to handle himself defensively despite the lack of quick feet. He missed both jumpers he took. These final two games might be all the daylight he sees for a long time. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 foul in 6 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He missed an open baseline jumper. Nice D on Gay, staying tight and challenging his jumper. Second Half: He clanked a wing three.

Phil -- -- Back from him his game off, Phil is no longer holding any hopes for best record in the NBA... The Lakers didn't hit the rim on their first three attempts and trailed 8-0. The Lakers went on an 8-0 run themselves to tie it up... That was as closed as it would get... The Lakers allowed just 7 more points to the Grizzlies the rest of the quarter and led, 23-15... Phil started the second quarter with a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Sasha, Brown lineup... He later brought in Pau for Bynum and Farmar for Brown... He closed the quarter with a Bynum, Pau, Morrison, Kobe, Farmar unit... The Lakers led by as many as 17, but led 48-37 at the half. Memphis shot 33 percent and had 7 turnovers. The Lakers shot 45 percent and had 2 turnovers... The Lakers went through the motions during the third quarter and both teams scored 22 points. The Lakers led 70-59 heading into the final quarter... The second unit locked down in the fourth, holding the Grizzlies to just 16 points. The starters, except for Bynum, got to ice down (not like Phil probably would have put them back in anyway)... The Grizzlies shot 37 percent, the Lakers 45 percent. The Grizzlies had 17 turnovers (the Lakers getting 13 steals)...

Game Flow -- LINK -- A 10-point fourth quarter from Bynum as he anchored the second.

[kontrast]

First!

Great game, lets finish it out

[ecksor]

thanks, DB!
_________________
We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire... Give us the tools and we will finish the job.
- Winston Churchill

Who is my avatar? Kharunisia

[MedRomLaker]

Thanks db, still kinda irked over losing hca but a ship will make that all go away. Props to Brown for showing hustle,energy and a don't give up attitude. Maybe its a lack of fatigue since he hasn't played as much as Farmar has this year?
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11/9/12 the day the brown was flushed down!!!!!!

4/30/14 the day the ant left the building!!!!!!

[DancingBarry]

[jonnybravo]

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Thanks again for the recap DB.

One more game to go until the 'REAL' season begins.

Go Lakers!
_________________
"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[Shaber]

Good games before playoffs. Nice development of team game (not the Portland game, though). Bynum and Brown bringing so much hope for the future.
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.

Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan

[Mation]

Thanks DB!

Bynum's defense on Marc was terrific. He altered quite a few shots around the rim and his big body alone lets Gasol eat up those leftover boards.

Can't believe it's only one more game till the offs! Here we go!

[targetman]

It's fun to watch the Gasols go at each other. If Marc ever picks up some of the finesse moves of his older brother he will truly be a force to reckon with.
_________________
Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

[20,000]

Is it OK to have a bromance with both Ariza and Brown at the same time?

I feel so dishonest.
_________________
Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

[limchrc]

Nice win.

[Sage_10]

thanks DB! Good stuff.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks again DB!!!

Good to see Bynum, Brown, Sasha and Walton coming around to join the rest of the starters for this party. One more game, then it's on!!

[prisma8slg]

[Burgundy]

DB - I don't think I've mentioned this, but let me be the 5,762nd person to give a warm, heartfelt thanks to you for the work you do on Lakersground. I've been reading your recaps forever, and they're consistently the best there is. I always know that if I miss a game and I REALLY want to know what happens, DancingBarry's will let me know and give me real insight. The stories you've added this year have taken it to another level. I can't wait to see what you have in store for the playoffs. My only request for the playoffs is that you write a story at the beginning, even if they lose...gotta take the bad with the good, right?

I don't want to jinx it, but it appears Sasha is finally rounding into form.

I am 1,000,000 times more comfortable with Shannon Brown on the court than with Farmar. Even if Brown isn't making shots (like last night), he's still bringing energy and defense.

[najim]

man when Brown, Bryant and Ariza are in the game at the same time, it's like three attack dogs being sic'd on the other team's wing players. skip passes and playground crossovers are just a No-No in that situation.
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This is what a B. Scott offense looks like: http://i.imgur.com/q2hlUZc.jpg
(everyone standing still, and three guys pointing to each other)

[Rick12322]

Thanks DB! This was much better, wasn't it? It's amazing how much better the officiating was now that the Cavs have all but sealed up HCA. Kobe was playing in sync, in fact I see he was sporting some bubblegum, haven't noticed that in a long time. Hey, whatever it takes for him to relax and play in the groove.

Love Shannon's on ball D, Ariza's drives, Bynum's progress and LO's shooting with confidence.

[Rick12322]

Wow, I'm so spoiled by Pau's great play I hardly ever mention him. But he's been awesome, a huge part of our success! Love his lefty hook, too.

[noJINX]

great game-- a good game to try and keep rotations

[DancingBarry]

[Burgundy]

[JJ81]

Machine shouldn't have dunked it. Shannon was right behind him, he should have given a behind the back pass and Shannon would have done something amazing.

[JJ81]

Ariza got like 4 or 5 dunks! He was going to the hoop whenever he could - that's the Ariza we need!