LAKERS -at- HAWKS - 3/31 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Staggering Home... You've lost the path of the Horsemen for days. When you finally catch up with them, the path leads through an orchard of gnarled peach trees. Dead branches reach like arms from their trunks and stretch menacingly toward with burnt fingers. Anything edible here has long since been scavenged.

You follow the trail into the dark orchard. Every step seems to take you further away from safety and further into the heart of something terrible. The trail of of the Horsemen never seems to end. You grow tired, hungry and sickly. Something about the air here seems to be poisoning you.

You drop to your knees and gasp. Your vision blurs and you can't see straight. What is wrong? A paper blows up against you. You grab it, expecting something from DancingBarry...but it's not him. It's part of a poem from Robert Frost:

'The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.'

You get up and push yourself onward step by step. You keep walking. When you come to, you're home again. Back in the city. But where is DancingBarry? Where are the Horsemen?...


One wonders whether the red flags popping up at the PG position last season are starting to look like white flags to Phil. He finally raised a white flag on DFish early in the second half against the Atlanta Hawks tonight.

"Fish couldn't buy a basket," Phil said as his first reply when asked about the Laker shooting afterward. The Hawks knew it and had been leaving him wide open to double the post and bog down the Laker offense. Phil is struggling with his point guard spot and teams are taking notice.

Combine that with a defense unable to force turnovers, hold opponents to one-and-out possessions or get any anchoring and the Lakers fell 109-92 to the Hawks.

The Hawks played with more purpose. They are in a battle for playoff positioning, a lot at stake. With a Boston loss, they inch higher. The Lakers are staggering on the road again, finishing the Death March with a 5-6 road record.

Had Bynum been on the court, the Lakers probably handle their business better and finish the month with a winning road record. But is help on the way? Bynum's uncertainty is a cause for concern.

"We're hoping that next week is kind of a breakthrough and he's capable of playing by week's end," Phil said. "It's been 10 days and could be another 10."

There will be no help coming at the PG spot, however. They will have to slug through it with what they have. Don't doubt them yet. They have miles to go before they sleep.


Kobe -- -- It seemed very apparent from the start that Kobe would have to come up with a huge game for the team to win. More than a few teammates just didn't look up for the challenge. Were they "lollygagging" as Kobe has said? That might be true for most of the team, Kobe included, on the defensive end. Kobe carried them by himself for a while on the offensive end. The Hawks have no answer for him and both sides know it. In the second half, he tried to get others more involved via the two-man game. The Lakers had a few good sequences there, but the defense could never hold the line. Mo Evans going for 18 points off the bench isn't a good thing. Kobe struggled from the freethrow line again. That finger just seems like it's going to be this way until the season is over. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 12-21 shooting (2-3 from three, 2-6 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 41:38. He was a -15. The Action: Off-balance jumper trying to draw contact from the wing, he missed. He swished an elbow fallaway. He sank a face-up 19-footer from the left wing. He missed a pull-up three in transition. He sank a long fallaway from the wing over Smith. He attacked and threw a pass away. He swished a 17-footer, flashing weak to strong. He ball-watched and gave up a putback. He swung through to draw FTs, he made one. He sank a step-back 19-footer. He hit Shannon on the breakaway for the dunk. He missed a step-back baseline jumper. He swung through and swished a 15-footer from the left side. He faded and drilled a bank from the right side over a couple defenders. He swished a baseline turnaround. He missed another turnaround from the same spot. He didn't hit glass on a tough fade, got it back and didn't hit rim on a falling hook. He sank a face-up three in early offense. He was stripped trying to split a double. He had 20 points on 9-15 shooting. Second Half: He swished a pull-up from the right wing. He fumbled the ball twice, recovered and clanked a short baseline jumper. He attacked with speed around Smith and drew a foul, he came up limping and they called a timeout, he made one FT. He missed a wing jumper. He sank a turnaround from the baseline. He forced up a fallaway over a double team while looking for a foul. He attacked Zaza off the dribble for FTs, he missed both. He ball-watched and gave up a three. He sank a turnaround three off the inbounds.

Gasol -- -- Pau seemed to be sleep walking defensively throughout the game. A number of Lakers were giving up second-chance opportunities, Pau just got outworked too often, too consistently. Not enough one-and-out possessions. Not enough anchoring. Offensively, Pau was victimized by poor shooting from the PG spot. The Hawks decided to not even guard the PG position and that meant doubling Pau when he got the ball and wanted to go to work. Few scores for him in the first half, way too many missed long jumpers not making the D pay the price. In the second half, the Lakers went with Farmar at PG and also worked the two-man game a lot more. That helped the offensive execution some. But the inability to anchor and hold the line on the D made it a moot point. Pau just didn't play with any fire on the defensive end. The Stats: The Action: He dunked off the extra pass in the interior from Ron. He probed baseline, bounced back to the middle and hit a fading And-1 jumper, he made the FT. Backed Horford under the hoop for an easy And-1 layup, Horford's second foul, he missed the FT. He drew an illegal D facing up. He fumbled away a sure dunk under the hoop. He had 7 points on 3-3 shooting. Second Half: He got tapped on a lefty jumphook. Horford sank back-to-back easy jumpers over him. Horford missed, Pau stood around, Horford cleaned it up. He drew FTs trying to dunk on a rare screen-roll play, he made both. Another putback for Zaza and Pau was looking for a call. He sank a lefty jumphook on a rare post score without a double. He missed a face-up baseline jumper. He tried to attack and Zaza tied him up. He was mugged hard off a screen-roll with Kobe, flagrant, he made just one FT. He missed a wing jumper, the ball was kept alive, he recovered it and scored. He worked the post and drew FTs, he made both. Totally lost on D and he gave up a dunk. He missed a two-footer, uggh.

Artest -- -- Ron and Kobe seemed to be the only guys fighting for this game. Ron was able to hit a number of shots or drive into the paint and score. Phil ran him a little at the PF spot and he held it down well. There was a brief flash of Crazy Ron in the second half. Evans shoved him after Ron owned him on a defensive rebound battle. Ron got in his face and teammates pulled him back, but he looked under control. They gave double techs and moved on. Ron was one of the few Lakers playing physical this game. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 5-9 shooting (1-2 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal and 4 fouls in 38:30. He was a -14. The Action: Off ball cut, he took the pass from Kobe, then fed Pau who dunked (vital when we can get off-ball action from Ron like that). He forced Johnson into an airball. Quick step past Johnson and Ron scored a layup with his left. He swatted the ball away from Johnson from behind, but couldn't retrieve it at the sideline despite a good effort. He pushed out the rebound, overpowered two defenders and scored an And-1 layup, kissing his guns afterward, he made the FT. He was hammered working the ball down low, he made both FTs. Looked like his layup was goaltended with no call. He attacked and missed a layup on a nice drive at the PF spot. He attacked off the three line and hit a fading, high arch jumper. He had 9 points on 3-5 shooting. Second Half: He drained a wing three on a scramble for a loose ball. He swished an 18-footer. He missed a fading wing jumper. He missed a sideline three. He drew FTs under the hoop, he made one.

Lamar -- -- Whether this was one of those games where he let the refs get to him or just one of those many Lamar Odom gmes that disappear into the basketball ether, he didn't bring the impact ball the team needs to win tough road games. He played 38 minutes, you noticed he was on the floor for maybe half of that. The bench certainly misses his impact, but it's hard to survive games like this when the starters miss it, too. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: He choked a layup on a good drive left. He was called for a charge on his next drive. He attacked and bricked a drive. He cleaned up a blocked shot with a putback layup. He bricked a three badly out of a timeout. He gave up a putback to Smith not boxing out. Second Half: He was swatted on a drive. He missed a sideline three out of a timeout. He hit a short jumphook in the lane. He grabbed a missed Kobe FT, tried to power it up and missed, looking for a foul that didn't come. He left the hoop open on a inbounds pass which allowed for an easy dunk. He sank a three on a kickout from Farmar.

Fisher -- -- Early in the second half, Phil seemingly had enough. Bibby wasn't even guarding DFish. The Lakers would dump the ball in the post, Bibby would go to double and that would kill the offense. Fisher was a complete lack of a threat and that was exploited badly. It's been a theme of late and will likely continue. You've got to be a threat or spacing goes to hell. If Fish isn't hitting jumpers, he's certainly not cutting to make them pay that way. After Farmar took over the team was able to hold the line better, but damage had been done. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-6 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Bibby hit a series of jumpers to start the game. Fish missed a 16-footer, flashing to the ball. He attacked down the lane slowly to his left and flipped in a layup over a bigger man. He missed an early offense three. Crawford made him look silly on a couple dribbles for a score. He attacked off the three line and drew FTs in transition, he made both. He missed an open three. He missed an open baseline jumper. He bricked another wide open three, the D just leaving him to double elsewhere. Second Half: Benched early. Nothing to report. Phil brought him back in briefly as a back up SG.

Brown -- -- When you think about what kind of deal Shannon might be able to pull in free agency this off season, remember these games here. The ones where our starting PG is struggling; where Shannon is given the opportunity to be the first guard off the bench; where he is provides the team with little. The hurt hand may be causing some issues, but too often this season Shannon has disappeared like this. He's a valued player for us because of the system we run. It suits him better than a traditional pro offense. He also brings great hustle off the bench. But, ultimately, it's games like these that you have to hold the line on any major salary increase. These happen too often. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 steal and 1 foul in 15:28. He was a -9. The Action: He made a tech FT. He fouled Crawford on a jumper. He airballed a 50-foot chuck at the buzzer. He missed a 20-footer, not probing the offense. He took an outlet from Kobe, elevated and slammed (holding his injured hand after that). He bricked a 3-footer. He missed an open three. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Farmar -- -- The starting PG spot should have been taken a long time ago. Farmar, however, hasn't been up to the task. His defensive lulls and poor decisions have often gotten the best of him. Phil pretty much had enough of DFish's ineffectiveness in the second half and handed the keys to Farmar. He played a strong half, though back-to-back turnovers late ended up being the nail in the coffin. Just when Phil is giving him a chance, Farmar reminds him why he may not be ready for it. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 5-9 shooting (4-7 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -10. The Action: He missed a quick-fire wing three. He missed an open 19-footer working behind the screen. Second Half: He swished a step-back three behind a Pau screen. He missed a sideline three. He hit Pau on the two-man game for FTs. He drew FTs trying to create off the dribble, he made both. His man grabbed a jumpball and dunked on the breakaway (looked like Farmar got muscled or held). He drained a wing three. He swished a wing three out of a timeout (worked the offense well). He sank a pull-up three in transition, heat check. He hit Lamar on a kickout for a three. Nice challenge on a jumper to force an airball. Horrible entry pass, easily picked off. He then threw the ball to Kobe in the backcourt on the next possession. He attacked and scored a reverse.

Morrison -- -- Brief stint at the end of the first quarter. Later, he got some garbage time run. With Sasha in the dog house for his confrontation with coaches, Adam is getting some of the scraps. Rather have Sasha. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 2 assists in 6:32. He was a -1. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He attacked and swished a floater.

Powell -- -- Phil went with Ron at back-up PF more in this game, limiting Powell's minutes until garbage time. The Stats: He scored 1 points on 0-1 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board in 2:32. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a baseline jumper. He attacked around his man and drew FTs.

Mbenga -- -- Mbenga got the back-up C minutes again. Defensively, that's usually fine. Offensively, the team bogs down trying to avoid him touching the ball whenever possible. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting and had 1 board in 6:41. He was a -4. The Action: He swatted an offensive board off the backboard to keep it alive. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Phil -- -- The injury to Bynum and the tough road schedule against several .500 or better teams have the Lakers staggering out of March... The starters got the day off yesterday, the bench had to work... Phil subbed in Shannon for DFish to go against Crawford after he made Fish look silly on one defensive stand late in the quarter... Phil brought in Ammo for Kobe with a minute left in the quarter... The Lakers trailed 29-25 after the first quarter. Both teams shot 55 percent... Phil started a Mbenga, Lamar, Kobe, Shannon, Farmar unit... Phil ran Artest at PF... The Lakers were beat 11-2 on second chance points... DFish/Farmar/Shannon combined for 2-13 shooting. Pau was just 3-3... Atlanta had a 24-3 scoring advantage against the Lakers bench early on... The Lakers trailed 55-45 at the half. They shot 44 percent, the Hawks 52 percent. The Lakers were 1-9 from three, the Hawks 4-9... Phil benched Fisher after just 4 minutes. The Hawks weren't even guarding him... The Lakers trailed 80-64 after three... Phil started a Pau, Artest, Ammo, Shannon, Farmar unit... Phil took a delay of game out of a timeout... Phil went with a Pau, Lamar, Kobe, Fisher, Farmar unit... They were working the two-man game more to get some better flow in the offense... With 2 minutes left, Phil brought in the deep bench (no Sasha)... The Hawks had just 5 turnovers for the game. Hard to beat a team when you can't force them into mistakes...

[LakerLanny]

Welcome back DB!
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Love, Laker Lanny

[DancingBarry]

Thanks. Hopefully, my writing was coherent. Still foggy headed.

[AutoShackMotorSports]

Welcome back homie, hope you're feeling better.

[fsc401]

Ain' looking good.

Good to see you back DB

[lounger]

Nice to have you back DB!

[8750]

welcome back, DB, you're always our mvp
if this team look so uninspired and plays without hustle..
if from many years we can't defend p&r...
if we have horrible defensive rotations...
if we let their shooters wide open especially on the weak side...
can we say that our winning wise coach is doing a very poor work?

[Sister Golden Hair]

Well, many of us have been ringing the klaaxon on Fish since last season. Even his heroics in the play-offs didn't dispel the notion that he was at the end of his string. The decision not to be aggressive at mid-season IS coming back to haunt. No upgrades at the most vulnerable position on the team -- no true PG play, no good defense at the 1; bad decision-making. Combine that with injuries and complacency .... it's awful right now.

I think they'll be healthy enough once the play-offs start. I know they'll stop coasting (let me change that to I think). But there's very little than can be done to fix the 1 short of going to a radical move like playing Kobe at the one, and Ron at the two.

I really have lost what little faith I had in Fish, farmar, and Sasha. At least Shannon gives you some athleticism and decent defense, even though he has fairly paltry PG skills. But its better than what we've been seeing from some of the other. IDespite tonite's game, I have zero confidence in Farmar. His bad attitude and predilection for the early three-ball is hard to stomach.

[LakerDynasty6.0]

Welcome back DB! Now, i've never had a kidney stone, but i can tell you, your game thoughts were perfect medication for that stone the Lakers inflicted on us!
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Starting Lakers Dynasty6.0! NOW!!
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....." each year in Lakerland is marked by four seasons: Kobe’s Mad at His Teammates; Kobe’s Shooting Too Much; Kobe Leads the Victory Parade; Kobe Receives His Championship Ring."

[Freddie Buckets]

Nice to have you back, DB.

On a side note, how the hell isn't Jordan starting at PG yet for this time? I think he is much better than Fish and Shannon.

[ishi331]

Welcome back DB.

And @ guard play....again.

[DancingBarry]

[mhan00]

good to see these rating back. very much missed.

our guard rotation is just horrible. we have the best guard (best player, in fact) in the league at the sg, and our guard rotation still looks like the worst in the league right now. i'm not sure how the other guys manage to completely neutralize kobe's contributions, but they're certainly getting it done on a consistent basis lately.

[Addicus]

I'm not close to being a fan of his, but Sasha seems very effective at the 1 with the starters. No one's gonna continue to leave him open, that's for sure. I say play Sasha, Kobe, Ron, LO and Pau.

Oh yeah- Welcome back DB. I missed you.
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Stop crying and start doing.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addicusbrown

[limchrc]

Thanks, hope we win the next game.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[OregonLakerGuy]

Welcome back.

[adtz]

welcome back, love reading ur TAR.

[Paillard]

Welcome back, DB.

I hope that you're back to 100% quickly.

[Qsmiff]

Welcome back DB...I was afraid this game was gonna cause a relapse Drew's absence exposes the bench, Pau, LO, et all.....as I said in another thread I think #24 is going to have to play important minutes at the 1

[Paillard]

Welcome back, DB.

I hope that you're back to 100% quickly.

[IPK]

DB!!!!


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Our tribute to Phil, the man behind LG

[ChefLinda]

Glad you staggered home too, DB.

[prisma8slg]

welcome back DB
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[Rodman28]

Thanx.
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*On Thin Ice*

I guess I am kind of injury prone.- Andrew Bynum

These young guys are playing checkers. I'm out there playing chess.- Kobe Bryant