KINGS -at- LAKERS - 4/13 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Distant Thunder... Little Larry is about to be in play again. The Association has set the date. They have set the opponent. Until then, you are just killing time between now and Sunday.

You scored a box of old VHS tapes and finally found a VCR to match it. Time to chillax.

Popping in the first video tape, you watch an alternative future about your city. Released from their Cryoprison, Simon Phoenix and his henchmen wreak havoc upon San Angeles.

You nod off to sleep, drifting into a purple and gold haze. You dream of war and distant Thunder. You dream of hell and ammunition.

Ammunition. Do you have enough of it? The thought snaps you awake in a cold sweat.

On the television, the flick has finished and credits are rolling. After a double take, you realize they aren't credits at all, but a message from DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. While some recover from injury, others sharpen their weapons. Each prepares in his own way. The Battle for Little Larry is about to begin.

I will continue to track them..."

Pau Gasol seems primed and ready for the playoffs. After dropping 28 points on an efficient 12-15 shooting in the Lakers 106-100 victory, he is perhaps the only starter in that position at the moment.

"Obviously, you want to go into the playoffs healthy and playing you're best basketball. We have neither one going for us at this particular point," assistant Frank Hamblen said at halftime tonight.

While the Lakers rest their wounded warriors, the bench has a chance to fine-tune its game. Shannon Brown was thrust into the starter's role and answered the call with 24 points. Sasha Vujacic led the bench in minutes, points, boards and big plays.

Even some of the unconventional lineups Phil put out there against the Kings seemed to have their moments. Phil ran the Mbenga/Artest matching golden hair bigman combo that somehow seemed to thrive.

While it was mostly good news for the bench, the one thing the team didn't want in this game was an injury. Jordan Farmar went to the locker room early with a strained hamstring. It was classified as a "slight" strain, and Farmar wants to play all 82 games this season.

One more game. Then the real season begins. Hopefully, Kobe and Bynum will bring it in their return.

"Once we get those two pieces back, we're going to be ready to roll," Shannon said.


Gasol -- -- Just another all-around good game from Pau. While much of the team seems to be floundering a bit heading into the post season, Pau's game is getting better. "I wanted to get myself as sharp as possible and in the best shape as possible for the playoffs," Pau said. They're going to have to lean on him quite a bit. He was an efficient, dominant scorer tonight. His high and low post games are clicking at a high level. He and Bynum had been putting together some very good games together before Drew went down. They will have to integrate their games together again and try not rush things against a speedy, athletic Thunder team in the playoffs. Controlling the tempo and pace will be a key to that series...and a key to getting Drew and Pau's chemistry back to where it had been. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 12-15 shooting (4-5 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 3 fouls in 32:15. He was a +5. The Action: He swished a face-up baseline jumper with the shotclock low. He missed a lefty jumphook. His post pass to Lamar was off-target, hitting the backboard. He flipped the ball over his head and in as he fell backwards in the lane. He slammed off the corner entry from Fisher. He spun on the post entry in the middle of the lane and scored the easy layup. He missed a wing jumper. He had 8 points on 4-6 shooting. He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Luke. He drew FTs in the post, made one. He was fouled on an offensive board, he made both FTs. He had 13 points on 5-7 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: He cut to Ron who was posting up and hit the quick jumphook. He posted up and missed a flip from the left block. He posted up, spun, went up and under and banked. Early low position and he hit the turnaround in the paint. He faced up and hit a running hook across the lane (so nice). He drew a clear-out foul on a good challenge. He threw an outlet away. He spun backdoor and scored on the lob pass from Ron. He had 10 points on 5-6 shooting in the third. He faced up and swished a wing jumper, just beating the shotclock. He scored an And-1 off the great feed from Sasha, he made the FT. He was knocked over from behind with no call and turned the ball over with a minute left.

Artest -- -- He and Mbenga sported the matching golden domes tonight. Last time he colored the hair, it didn't go so well for him against Orlando. Tonight, similar results offensively. Despite that, some of the bench lineups Ron was running with had a pretty good run. The result was a team-high +14 while Ron was on court despite his poor shooting. Again, that DFish/Artest combo may be too stagnant as they park themselves on the perimeter. When Ron was out there with the bench, the offense had more motion to it. The Stats: He had 2 points on 1-7 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 2 turnnovers and 2 fouls in 25:30. The Action: He sank an 18-footer with a soft bounce on the rim. He missed a layup on a drive baseline. He forced Nocioni into a carry. He missed an open corner three. He hit a cutting Mbenga for the And-1 layup. He missed a wing jumper, short. He tapped an offensive board to Luke for a score. He kicked out to a wide open Shannon for three. Second Half: He hit a cutting Pau for a score after posting up. He was called for a foul trying to post up. He missed a layup in the post. He missed a wing three badly. He clanked another wide open three. He had just 2 points on 1-7 shooting after three quarter. He lobbed to Pau who spun backdoor.

Lamar -- -- "Tonight, we wanted to play how we practice," Lamar said. "We want to move the ball and get everyone involved." It did seem like a scrimmage/preseason type of feel to the game. Generally, these aren't the kind of minutes where LO is going to bring the A game. He did a good job on the glass, but had a few too many turnovers and never really got engaged offensively. Late in the game, it looked like Phil went with him at the PG spot as the team went big. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: His high-low pass was deflected. He hit Pau in the lane for a layup. He outlet to Shannon for the And-1. He attacked to his right in early offense and drew FTs, he made one. He missed an And-1 throwdown he should have had, he made both FTs. He pulled down an offensive board and hit Luke for three. He hit a jumphook over Nocioni in the post. He attacked left and missed a running bank. He had 5 points on 1-2 shooting and 3 assists. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He swatted Thompson out of bounds. Pressure D on the inbounds and he forced a turnover. Long outlet to Sasha for FTs on the breakaway. He was stripped on a drive.

Fisher -- -- Just a couple of stints with the starters for Fish in this game. Got to keep his minutes down, but now that Farmar tweaked his hammy who knows how that will stand come playoff time? More Shannon at the PG spot most likely. Fish's shot has looked better the last couple of games. Keep it up. Please. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-3 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 assists and 2 turnovers. He was a +3. The Action: He swished a DFish Special from the wing. Corner entry to Pau for the dunk. He swished a quick wing jumper off the Artest screen. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He threw a pass out of bounds when Pau thought he was shooting. He sank two tech FTs.

Brown -- -- A couple of out-of-the-offense chucks, but he did a good job getting into the paint and finishing strong with some highlight dunks. He also knocked down some of those inside-out threes that are critical to help space the floor. Kobe's absence leaves a good 25 shoots or so available. Shannon gobbled up 19 of them on his way to 24 points. He can be streaky and tonight he had it going. This is the kind of impact they'll need off the bench in the playoffs, especially against OKC's young guns. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 10-19 shooting (3-7 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 2 fouls in 41:50. He was a +9. The Action: He kicked out to Fish for a toe-on-the-three-line jumper. He bricked an early offense pull-up jumper (run the offense, please). He missed a wing jumper. He worked off the Pau screen, got into the lane, brought the ball down, then back up for the slam. He probed the lane, pulled up and banked from the left side. He busted out on the break, took the pass, took contact while holding the ball high with his right, he brought it down and banked in the And-1 layup with his left. He swatted a bigman in the paint to save a hoop. He had 7 points on 3-5 shooting in the first. He drilled a three like a freethrow on the inside-out from Ron (those are the threes he needs to take). He missed a wing three. He swished a pull-up elbow jumper, attacking off the three line. He got tapped on a pull-up elbow jumper in early offense. He missed an open three at the buzzer. He had 12 points on 5-10 shooting and 3 assists. Second Half: Left wide open, he swished a three on the Pau kickout. He swiped an inbounds pass and dunked. He missed a sideline three. He missed a pull-up jumper on the break. He ball-faked and hit the flat-footed wing three with the shotclock low. He missed a wing jumper at the end of the third. He had 8 points on 3-6 shooting in the third. He missed a corner jumper. He sank a wing jumper off the two-man with Pau. He drained a pull-up wing jumper with 30 seconds left.

Farmar -- -- He strained his hamstring. Just what you don't want in a game like this. "He told me he's playing no matter what tomorrow," Luke said. That's good news, but his minutes should be light. After a short first quarter stint in which he had a dunk erased and hit a three, his playing time was cut very short tonight. Shannon and Sasha will have to pick up the slack with Farmar hurt if this injury slows him. The team will miss his speed and shooting if he goes down. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-3 shooting (1-1 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist in 6:10. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He missed a pull-up baseline jumper. He drew FTs trying to push out the break, he made one. Garcia worked him in the post for a couple of scores. He drained a quick wing three. Bad call by the refs, erasing a Farmar lob slam when they thought Mbenga had set a moving pick. He attacked to his left, hung, stretched and missed the layup, but Mbenga cleaned it up (wonder if this was the play that hurt him).

Luke -- -- "He helps," Phil said of Luke. "I don't know if he's going to be able to sustain the effort...but offensively he does things that create a little offensive rhythm for us and offensive opportunities." He definitely seemed to help the offense flow when we had some unconventional lineups out there. Luke sank a three, putting him now at 7-16 from beyond the arc this season in his 28 games. The back issues didn't seem to be any problem. "I feel great," Luke said afterward. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-11 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 2 offensive boards, 3 assists and 1 block in 23:34. He was a +1. The Action: He posted up and hit a one-hander on the turnaround (about time he hit one of those). He hit a jumper in the lane off the offensive board tap from Ron. He swatted a shot to help Sasha in the post. He threaded a pass to Pau for a layup on a slow developing drive. He choked a layup. He missed a long jumper. He drained a corner three. He posted up and hit Lamar under the hoop posting for the score. He had 7 points on 3-5 shooting. Second Half: He missed a turnaround in the post. He attacked and was dumped on the drive. He attacked Garcia off the dribble and hit the layup over him. He choked a layup off a great pass from Powell. He missed a corner three. He got tapped on a wing three.

Vujacic -- -- Mr. Buzzer Beater tonight. Sasha sank a couple of shots as the buzzer went off to end quarters. "I love buzzer beaters. I love last second shots," Sasha said. Combine that with some superb crashing on the offensive glass, a few nice passes and knocking down some jumpers...that was another quality game from Sasha. He even had a few clutch plays down the stretch. The Lakers need all the help they can get at the guard spot right now. The bench has been awful. This Sasha needs to show up in the playoffs, especially if DFish and Ron are having trouble spacing the floor or providing any other dynamic to the offense for stretches. "That's an offensive rebounding machine is what he is now," Phil smiled afterward. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-9 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He didn't hit rim on a quick-fire three, not running the offense. He posted up and no-looked to a cutting Lamar for FTs (should have been a dunk). He swished a wing three at the first quarter buzzer. He missed a three to start the second quarter. He swiped the ball in the backcourt to regain possession and draw a foul. Second Half: He leaked out and was fouled on the layup, he made both FTs. He missed a layup cutting down the lane. He attacked down the lane and dumped it off to Josh for a layup. He grabbed a missed jumper by Shannon and swished a baseline fallaway at the third-quarter buzzer. He was stripped on a drive. He set up Powell for FTs off the two-man game. He crashed the glass and tipped in a missed Mbenga jumper. He swished a fading 21-footer off the inbounds with the shotclock low. He skied for the offensive board and tipped it in while flailing in mid flight. He missed a wing jumper. He drew a charge on Casspi on the perimeter. Up just 4, he whipped a pass to Pau in the lane for a key And-1.

Powell -- -- He got his first run with under 3 minutes left in the third. Sasha seems to be the only guy who knows what to do with Powell. You run the pick and pop or you draw the D and dish to him for open looks. No post ups. No getting out of his way to create off the dribble. No boards from Powell, either. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-3 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 1 foul in 9:37. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He posted up and was promptly blocked. He scored a layup off the Sasha drive and dish. He drew FTs off the two-man game with Sasha, he made one. He couldn't finish a lob from Lamar. He airballed a fading jumper off the dribble. He threaded the needle to Luke who choked the layup.

Mbenga -- -- There was a stretch in the first half when Mbenga was nearly the leading scorer. Had he dunked instead of choking an open layup, he would have been at that point of the game. Some good minutes from him in the first half. The offense seemed to bog down a bit around him in the second half. Phil opted to go with Powell instead of Ron and that probably had something to do with it. Loving the effort from DJ on the offensive glass. DJ on the OKC match-up: "We just got to respect them. We just got to respect them," he said. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-7 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 5 boards (3 offensive), 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 15:45. He was a +1. The Action: He blocked Thompson's drive, but fouled after we couldn't recover it. Bogus foul on Mbenga when he freed up Farmar for a lob dunk off the backscreen, DJ didn't move. He choked a wide open layup, not dunking it when no one was around him. He tipped in a Farmar missed drive. He cleaned up a missed three by Ron next time down. He cut off Artest and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a jumper, got it back and bricked another. He had 7 points on 3-6 shooting and 4 boards in that 6-minute stint. Second Half: He missed a challenged 15-footer. He drew a charge in the post.

Morrison -- -- Some rare minutes for Adam at the SG spot tonight as Phil mixed up lineups. These very well could be Adam's last minutes in the purple and gold. He could see time in the next game, but it seems doubtful he gets any run after that. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-2 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist and 1 foul in 6 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He drained an open three straight away. He missed a three. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Phil -- -- "I'm sure there must have been one of those 10 teams struggling down the stretch," Phil said of his previous ring-winning teams... "The amount of minutes he can play is going to be an issue," Phil said of Bynum's health. He's not sure whether he will just be able to play him single, short stints or what... Phil also said he thinks Kobe is going to have to do more playmaking... As for tonight's game, Phil said: "It's just a game to play with rhythm and build our defense...and then to get guys shots in rhythm."... The Lakers trailed 16-12 after 5 turnovers. Just off-target, off-rhythm passing. Right ideas, poor execution... First subs: Sasha for Ron, Farmar for Fish... The Lakers shot 61 percent in the first, but were tied 28-28... Phil started a Mbenga, Artest, Luke, Sasha, Farmar unit... Phil swapped out Farmar for Shannon when Farmar hurt himself, and they pulled out to a 45-38 lead... He then went with a Pau, Lamar, Luke, Morrison, Shannon lineup. They quickly gave up the lead... The Lakers led 60-54 at the half, shooting 52 percent (23-44, 5-12 from there, 9-12 from the line). The Kings shot 50 percent (23-46, 2-8 from three, 6-8 from the line). Laker bench won the bench battle 24-18 in the half... Coaches wanted the intensity to pick up... Tyreke Evans took a double tech and was sent packing, making things easier on our guards... Phil sat Ron for Sasha. Then Lamar for Powell and brought back Ron after sliding Sasha and Shannon over for Fish... The Lakers led 86-73 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Mbenga, Powell, Luke, Sasha, Shannon unit... Phil ran a Mbenga, Powell, Luke, Sasha, Lamar lineup. LO in the two-guard front... Phil sat Powell for Shannon after that didn't go well... He brought Pau back with 3:40 left up by 7... The bench scored 41 points with some extended run. Not bad considering both Shannon and Lamar have slid up to the starters... Phil said the key to the bench is not the individual effort, but the group effort. They struggle with the latter...

[Fleur-de-Lis]

Thanks DB!

[Paillard]

Second.

Thanks DB.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!

Nice to see a win again!

[night89]

Like Ron, the key for Sasha will be to "laugh off the pressure inside," whenever he feels it. If he can keep that in mind, then the injury to Farmar may even be a small blessing in disguise...

[City_Dawg]

Thanks DB.

Pau is ready to go.
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*sighs*

!...

[DancingBarry]

Hearing there is a possibility that the game might be on Saturday.

If so, I am out of town and away from TV.

Hope that's not true. I'd hate to be a day late on a recap

[City_Dawg]

Saturday? You dont make the Lakers play on a Saturday, Saturday is for chump franchises.
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*sighs*

!...

[10_24]

go sasha
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Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

[prisma8slg]

Thanks DB, glad to see the return of the dancing tomato for Sasha. hope he's able to carry this momentum into the playoffs.

a Saturday game? we never open a series on a saturday
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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."

[thurloly]

Ok, at least, now we know who has turned the switch on: Pau so far.

We need more to come.

Thanks again DB!

[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

[limchrc]

Thanks, good win.

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB, Pau has been playing great offensive basketball lately.

[Lakersneuron]

thanks DB! This was the biggest run for Luke after coming back from the injury. He played a great game, and really got things going for them. I know it is Luke Walton, but he simply knows how to run the offense and adds much needed depth to our second unit.

[ssiknick833]

Thanks DB.




Nice win. Good to see the bench play well.
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[THE_MACHINE]

Sasha Brown mbenga all played well...We desperately need our bench to s\ step up like they did yesterday.
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Where were the Sasha haters in 07?..........

"I was playing. I was playing," Vujacic said. "When you're sitting on the bench, you can't do those things."