THUNDER -at- LAKERS - 4/20 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Return of the Mamba... Written in chipped paint, the number "666" clings to the curb. This is the address, the location where Death himself resides and runs his vaunted 666 workout routine.

You knock twice as you step in through an open door. No answer. Down a dimly lit hallway in the back you find him bandaging his battle wounds. You are shocked to see the trauma his body has endured. He finishes wrapping a finger, slips on his golden armor and nods in your direction.

"You ready?" you ask. He is moody, short of words, but replies with a question, "What do you think?" and with that, Death rides. You barely step out the door when you hear the bells ring twice. On the sidewalk in chalk, DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. There have been signs of life, flashes of familiarity. Tonight, it was Return of the Mamba. Now, they need to put it all together.

I will continue to track them..."

"After 13 years, you'd think they know better," Kobe said to finish his press conference after dropping 39 points in a 95-92 nail-biter win over the Thunder.

You'd think.

With four sub par games in a row while nursing the broken finger, a hurt knee and ankle, Kobe let his doubters know he can still carry his team. This is the most complete player in the game. Injuries simply reduce his options and margin for error.

Take way one broken shooting finger and this team will roll. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. They will likely have to slug their way through it. More games like this from Kobe will go a long way in doing just that.

Offensively, this was just a one-two punch from the Lakers -- Kobe and Pau. No one else got into double digits. All but two Lakers got their shots swatted as the Thunder rejected 17 Laker shots. They're a superb shotblocking team, but they were given some free whistles to go after it.

The Thunder continued to smartly front the post and take away the initial pass. The Lakers rarely went to their counters and all too often hoisted up long jumpers. Those are more understandable when the shotclock is low, but the early offense chucks from distance? That's not intelligent ball.

The Trio of Laker bigmen pulled down 14 offensive boards (the team won that stat 19-7). Against a fronting D and a team going for shotblocks, they have to crash the glass and take advantage.

As mentioned last game, however, the team needs to get deeper into their offense. They struggled once again with the defensive overplays. High-lows, more ball reverses and quick corner entries, make a lob pass on target, get the ball to the bigs quickly off screens or coming weak to strong, work the two-man game more. The execution just isn't there yet.

"The big key is we got offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities," Phil said. He thought they "forced it" in the first half with their interior play. He wanted the team to hit open shots. "I just thought our shooting was horrendous," Phil said, mentioning Ron, Fish and LO. Right now, that just isn't happening and the Thunder aren't going to roll over. On the road? It may only get tougher.

"It just tells us how much and how hard we are going to have to work in Oklahoma to get a win," Pau said.


Kobe -- -- "What did Mark Twain say? Rumors of my demise are overrated or whatever?" Phil said of Kobe after the game. Kobe orchestrated a strong finish to a close game. He came up big on a number of shots in the final minutes. And after hitting all but one FT, he couldn't come up clean from the line with 15 seconds left to make Laker fans sweat a little. Still, he looked more like himself from the freethrow stripe. Even though he got to the line 15 times this game, Kobe was clearly frustrated with the officials. He was blocked 5 times and took contact or shoves on several occasions with no call. Phil pulled him briefly in the fourth just to cool him down. After Kobe collected himself, he came back and took his opponents to school. Although, Kobe is dealing with the finger, knee and ankle, Phil said prior to the game that Kobe was close to what they want to see athletically. He said Kobe's rhythm and timing was off. Kobe on his aggressiveness and overall game: "I just wanted to get on balance. That's one thing about injuries, when you try to shoot off the move or off the catch you're off balance." He wanted to make sure he was doing things "fundamentally correct." The Stats: He scored 39 points on 12-28 shooting (2-5 from three, 13-15 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He swished a wing jumper standing on the three line to start the game. He got tapped on a long pull-up jumper. He put back in a missed drive from Fish. Bad lob pass and he couldn't connect with an open Pau. He missed a flat early offense pull-up jumper, nearly a layup the other way. He hit a floater coming off the screen and curling in the lane. He attacked and kicked to Ron for three. He missed an open baseline jumper. He sank a baseline jumper working off the midpost. He attacked and missed a layup, but Drew cleaned it up. He was blocked on a slow developing break with Farmar. He had 8 points on 4-9 shooting. He banked a leaner from the left side. He missed a shot jumphook. He missed a turnaround on the baseline. He was blocked on a drive. He attacked off the three line and drew FTs, he made both. He was swatted on a drive. Hand checked by Durant and he lost the ball, no call, dunk the other way. He then set up for a charge and was given the block call, looked like he was there for sure. He sank a pull-up elbow jumper on a two-for-one. He was tapped on a three at the buzzer. He had 14 points on 6-16 shooting, 2-2 from the line. He was a -8. Second Half: He sank a 30-footer against the shotclock. He drained another long three from the same spot. He spun away from his man in the corner, attacked, hung and drew FTs just missing the layup, he made both. He was blocked and irate with the no call. He was then called for an offensive foul spinning away from his man away from the ball, pretty weak call. He attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He missed a baseline fade. He attacked was body checked with no call and frustrated, he then took his fourth foul. Phil subbed him out briefly at this point in the fourth. Back in, he attacked and hit a 17-footer. He posted up Maynor and swished an And-1 turnaround from 10 feet out, he made the FT. Next possession, he up-faked Green and drew FTs on the jumper, he made one. He stumbled on the break and threw the ball away. He drained a long jumper over Durant (hit on the arm). He missed a long pull-up jumper from the wing. He missed a three. We got it back, he attacked, up-faked and drew FTs, he made both. He sank an elbow jumper off the Pau screen with 2 minutes left. He attacked past Green, took contact in the paint and drew FTs, he made both with 1:31 left. He was fouled with 15 seconds left up by 1, he missed the first, tapped, made the second.

Gasol -- -- There is no room for the timid around the rim. With shotblockers and bodies flying, Pau came out with 7 offensive boards, equalling the entire Thunder team's offensive rebounding. Great effort by Pau to impose himself and erase Laker mistakes. When a team can't go one-and-out in the playoffs on defensive stands, it very hard to survive. If we're not giving the ball to Pau, he's simply going after it for himself on the misses of others. The team is struggling to find ways to get the ball around fronting defenders. I'd really like to see Pau flashing to the ball at the FT line more to set up jumpers, high-lows or instant two-man situations. The Thunder try to deny that by sagging (it's especially easy when Artest is up top), so the team will have to be mindful of how they initiate the Tri. Put Kobe up top on the weakside more and start chewing them apart. Pau missed an FT with 7.7 seconds left that would have iced the game. Laker FT shooting in the home stretch has left a lot to be desired lately. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 8-14 shooting (9-13 from the line) to go with 12 boards (7 offensive), 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36:25. He was a +5. The Action: He missed a wing jumper, his first touch in 4 minutes. He threw a kickout away. He hit a jumphook over Durant in the post. He kicked out to Farmar. Quick post up, quick attack across the lane and he drew FTs, he made both. He sank a 15-foot jumper with a second left in the quarter. He had 6 points on 2-3 shooting and 2 assists. His finger roll was swatted out of bounds. He missed a lefty bank. Corner entry off the seal and Pau drew FTs, he made one. He trailed the break, took the feed from Fish and dunked. He was shoved from behind on a defensive board for FTs, he made one. He was blocked from behind. He had 10 points on 3-7 shooting and 5 boards. Second Half: Great effort to tip in a missed jumper by Fish. Excellent rotation on Durant to close out and challenge. He dunked off the high-low from Bynum (more please). He sank a 20-footer on the kickout from Ron. He missed a jumper. He attacked around Green from the corner and scored a layup with the clock low. He was fouled on a throwdown attempt, he made both FTs. He was stripped from behind, dunk the other way (teammates need to communicate). He was swatted in the paint. He threw a pass into the backcourt. He attacked off the interior feed from Ron and drew FTs, he made one. He scored an And-1 layup off the two-man game with Fish, he made the FT. Great rotation to help on a screen and drew an offensive foul on Durant. Big rebound on a Durant miss and he was fouled up by 2 with 7.7 seconds, he missed the first, made the second.

Bynum -- -- His achilles was a little sore, but the lack of numbers were due to the fronting/swarming D. They were all over Bynum. He said they will have to kick it out more. The perimeter players have got to make the Thunder pay. Despite not getting too many easy hoops and missing a couple of FTs in crunch time, Bynum still did a good job on the boards. It's a battle in the paint and he needs to continue to impose his size. "We got to go in their Thursday prepared for war," Bynum said. We're missing out on the guards breaking down the D and setting up easy hoops for Bynum. On the rare occasion we do get dribble penetration, he's at the front of the rim. We just need to avoid getting swatted, dump it off or get the shot up and he'll cleam up more. A good amount of minutes for Drew, but Phil is being pretty mindful of his stints. "We're still watchful over him," Phil said in regards to his playing time. Defensively, he's been very solid on the screen D and challenging in the paint...a big reason why he's on the good side of the +/-. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-9 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 10 boards (5 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He got a piece of Durant's drive. He missed a jumphook, didn't get low position. He followed a Kobe drive and tipped it in. He was called for a travel in a crowd. He cleaned up the dribble penetration from Brown. He was called for a travel trying to dribble from the elbow. He hit a 10-foot jumper from the left side. Looked like a goaltend on his shot, but no love from the refs for Drew. He had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: Finally a mini-high low to Gasol for a dunk. He was blocked from behind on a dunk. His reverse was rejected out of bounds. He missed a jumphook in a crowd. He went to the floor to recover a loose ball and call timeout. He drew FTs on a defensive board, he missed both with 4:38 left.

Artest -- -- Ron may be chucking bowling balls at the rim, but he's making Durant work. While KD scored 32 on 12-26, he also had 8 turnovers. In the final minute, this is the point of attack for the Thunder. Ron held the line and even came up with a huge steal. Great hands all game, he was deflecting passes, denying the ball, and not giving up many easy shots. One of Ron or DFish have got to have a decent shooting game. They combined for 4-20 shooting, 20 percent, and the Lakers barely survived. I much prefer Ron in the post kicking to an open Pau than Pau kicking to an open Ron right now. How is that possible? The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-10 shooting (1-6 from three) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 40:31. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He missed a three on his first attempt. He sank an open wing three on the Kobe kickout. He swiped a ball from Durant, but missed the layup on the drive. He deflected a pass off Durant. He missed a three against the shotclock. He stripped the ball from Durant and saved it between his legs before falling out of bounds and it ignited a break. He missed a three left open. He lost the handle trying to post up. Bad repost to Pau, who wasn't set, turnover. He deflected a pass to Durant, switched on Thabo, then blocked him twice. Durant had 19 points on 8-14 shooting, solid D by Ron, however. Second Half: He missed an early offense three, not a good shot. He nearly stripped his man, dove for it, came up empty, but got up and took an outlet pass for a layup (left early on his jump to make it interesting). He posted up and kicked to Pau for a jumper. He defelected a Durant pass. Early offense sideline three missed. He attacked, was swarmed but found Pau for FTs. He missed a chuck from three in early offense with 3 minutes left and Phil barked at him at a timeout. He knocked the ball from Durant from behind to ignite a break.

Fisher -- -- He had to expect Westbrook would be going at him from the start instead of waiting a quarter. Instead, it almost seemed like Fish was the one going after it to start. He was aggressive to start both halves. Again, some shot selection wasn't the greatest. Fish had a team worst -12 (Farmar a +10, Shannon a +11). His fouling out late in the game probably helped the Lakers get over. Shannon brought some much needed defensive presence at the right time. The Lakers have got to get some perimeter shooting or it's just going to get more crowded in the paint for the bigmen. They barely survived the Ron/Fish perimeter duo. They barely survived Fisher running the break. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-10 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 3 turnovers and 6 fouls in 32:25. The Action: He missed a layup in transition. He was blocked on a lob, got it back and hit the quick turnaround. He drew a charge on Westbrook in transition. Bad post entry, lucky Durant missed a dunk the other way. Bad lob on the break to Kobe, no score on the two-on-one. He drew a trip on Westbrook with 1 second left on an inbounds pass (Westbrook back to the bench). He missed a three. He set up at the three line, then fed a trailing Pau for a dunk. He had 2 points on 1-4 shooting. Second Half: He missed a jumper off the screens to start the half. He missed a wing jumper on the next trip. He dove to the floor, clearly yelling for a timeout, but was given the jumpball against Durant (the shotclock was even reset saying he had possession...Phil was ticked). He was called for an offensive foul away from the ball. He missed a corner three. He missed an early offense three next time down, uggh. He swished a three on a kickout from Ron with the shotclock low. Great bounce pass to Pau off the two-man game for an And-1 layup. He missed a huge open sideline three with under 4 minutes left. He gave up an offensive board (and foul) to Westbrook on the other end. He fouled out shortly later with 2:49 left.

Lamar -- -- At least Lamar got to the boards a little better. We haven't seen him in the post at all. He can't push tempo because that plays into the Thunder's game. His perimeter shot is best left as a last resort like too many others. What we want is Lamar as the set-up guy -- the one making the extra pass that leads to the dunk, the guy flashing to the FT line to set up the high-lows or the extra pass off the two-man sequences. When the offense is clicking, he's in the middle of those plays. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-9 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: His post entry was swiped. He was blocked trying to power up under the hoop. He tipped in a Kobe miss, looked like Bynum. Not close on an early offense corner three. He sagged way too far off Durant and gave up a three. He had 2 points on 1-3 shooting. Second Half: He missed a baseline jumper. He drew a charge on Westbrook, heel above the restricted circle for LO. He missed a flat three. He attacked, took contact but still scored the layup (should have been an And-1). He was called for an illegal D on the other end, just lost focus and track of his man. He missed a layup on a dive cut. He fought for an offensive board, but was blocked on the putback. He missed a floater with just under a minute left. Pretty good challenge to recover on Green's final three.

Brown -- -- Shannon led the team with a +11 in just 12 minutes. Playing that few minutes and getting the call with down by 2 with 2:49 left to play is a tough assignment. After Fish fouled out, Shannon seemed to give the team some extra spark against Westbrook. This may have been divine intervention. No easy hoops for Westbrook in crunch time made a huge difference. In a close game, that Westbrook vs. Fish matchup is asking for trouble. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 12:08. The Action: He sank a 12-footer, pulling up in transition. He swished a wing three after attacking and kicking out. He attacked the rim, missed, but Drew cleaned it up. He was a +8. Second Half: He grabbed a loose ball from Artest's steal, pushed it up and drew FTs with 1:18, he made one. Westbrook attacked and drew FTs on the other end. He was blocked on a three on a Kobe kickout with 30 seconds left, shotclock was at 7.

Farmar -- -- Well, the +22 differential between DFish and Farmar is pretty insane in a game as close as this was. Farmar is playing against the Thunder bench. He is also on lineups that have multiple impact players, which helps. The second units are did their job. Now they have to do it on the road. Can he D-up Westbrook? Phil doesn't want to find out. "It's got to be a collective effort," Farmar said of the D against Westbrook and the Thunder team. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 12:46. He was a +10. The Action: He swished a three on a kickout from Pau. He threw a pass away. He was blocked on a two-for-one three attempt, probably not enough time for that. He got it back, though, with a pass deflection. He was a +9. Second Half: Nice split of a double team and his finger roll was goaltended, but he went too early at the end of the quarter. On the other end, he fouled his man with a handcheck with 0.7 left (just erased Farmar's layup). He missed a three on a kickout.

Luke -- -- Glad to see him get the ball in the limited time he was out there. The offense seemed confused and Luke helped try to organize it and give it some focus. The Thunder are not fronting out SF spot. We can get the ball to either Ron or Luke. The next step would be to get our bigs on the move off screens to take passes from the post player and finish. The Stats: He didn't shoot, had 2 assists, 1 board and 3 fouls in 5:15. He was a +2. The Action: He got the ball in the post a few times, but nothing to report. Second Half: He was called for a cheap foul on a baseline jumper, he looked confused on the call.

Powell -- -- He came in with a minute and a half left in the first half. Not a good stretch of ball for the team. These are brief minutes Phil is stealing because Drew's minutes are being watched closely. The Stats: He was a -5 in 1:32. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- Kobe and Fisher were aggressive to start the game. The post didn't see the ball... Westbrook picked up two fouls and a timeout came midway through the quarter, the Lakers trailing 13-11... A 7-0 run by the Lakers and they forced a Thunder timeout... The Lakers missed layups and coughed up the ball a couple of times and couldn't extend the lead... The Lakers led 26-18. The Thunder shot 6-21 in the quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Shannon, Farmar unit. Just two impact players... They extended the lead to 33-22 after 3 minutes... Phil brought back in a Bynum, Lamar, Ron, Kobe, Fisher lineup at that timeout... Phil called a timeout after a series of no calls and barked at the refs... After a few more calls going the Thunder's way, Phil told his team to be the aggressors... Up by 6 Phil sat Bynum for Drew... Phil brought in Powell for the final 1:32... A 21-8 run for the Thunder to close the half. Some very kind officiating for the road team during that stretch... The Lakers trailed 47-45. The Lakers shot 40 percent (18-45, 3-9 from three, 6-8 from the line). The Thunder shot 40 percent (17-42, 4-12 from three, 9-12 from the line). The Lakers had 10 turnovers, the Thunder 8. The Thunder had 9 blocks... Cleamons said they were a bit confused about how close they could play without fouls... The Lakers led by 6 when Phil sat Bynum for Lamar with 3:36. They led by 1 just 30 seconds later... Up by 3 when Farmar came in for Fisher... They led 73-69 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Kobe, Shannon, Farmar unit... The score was tied after a minute... Kobe picked up two quick fouls in a minute and half and Phil sat him for Luke. Almost seemed like he wanted Kobe to cool down. "I just had to relax," Kobe said afterward... Down 1, Phil sat Luke for Kobe again... Phil sat LO for Pau with 6:03 left up by 1... Phil sat Bynum for LO with 4:15 left, up by 2... Phil brought in Shannon for Fisher with 2:49 left, down by 2... Up by 3, Phil called a timeout with 51 seconds left and a fresh 24. Shannon was blocked on a Kobe kickout... Missed FTs down the stretch gave the Thunder daylight to take a win or go to OT. The Lakers D held the line... The Thunder shot 39 percent (29-74, 5-19 from three, 29-33 from the line). The Lakers shot 37 percent and missed 9 FTs and still won... "That was about as well as we can play," Scott Brooks said afterward..

Chick -- -- Chick's statue outside of Staples was unveiled today. The Lakers got him a W. It was a good day.

Game Flow -- LINK -- Back and forth battle in the second half. Big 7-0 run late in the fourth.

[mhan00]

artest's defense rocks.

[LakerEric]

DB...Why doesn't the media to talk about Fisher's horrific play? I mean it's like he is mafia protected and he is really hurting the team with his shot selection and his defense has been atrocious! He did help in getting Westbrook in foul trouble but this is getting really bad!
_________________
Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[heatseeker08]

3rd

Thanks DB!

A win is a win.
_________________
Ron Artest: "SAY QUEENSBRIDGE"

[DancingBarry]

[Texas_Pete]

[The Predator]

_________________
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

John Wooden

[night89]

Well, it appears the entire team took my previous advice to heart today(which led to doing things out of character. I mean, sometimes, you can be "too confident and/or aggressive." Really, my advice should be saved only for "tough situations." I mean, why try to "overcome the physical defense," if you can get a wide open shot, by running the offense?) This doesn't surprise me as I believe certain Lakers personnel frequent this board. What surprised me is that it appears that the Bulls also figured it out, the day after I posted it. When I saw how much Rose "stepped into his shot"(much like what Kobe did today) or "welcoming the challenge(as in contest. Notice now how he doesn't even notice Sefolosha's hand, and quite frankly, Sefolosha was the guy I was imagining, when I made that post), so to speak, and how aggressive their role players were, I knew that they figured something out, basically, exactly what I posted in the summary and rating thread for game 1.

IMO, this was the reason they were able to score over 100 against the Cavs(for the season, in the games against the Cavs "with Lebron," they averaged 86, and 83 for game 1. And "probably" the reason they were able to make it close(I predicted a blowout, but that was with generous officiating for the Cavs(the officiating for that game appeared even), and it was tough to tell whether the Cavs copied them or not, because Lebron is so physically dominant that I don't know if he's ever "well-defended." Jamison did play a little scared, and considering the margin of victory, probably not.)

So how did the Bulls figure that out, the day after I posted it? Well, I know that this site is known on RealGM, and I have reasons to believe why so many players suddenly got more muscular(not due to roids, basically, just told them that one of the key why guys like Kwame, Shannon, and even Gasol look better here is that we tell them to constantly hit the gym and practice. Basically, every player has the potential to be a little better, with a little more muscles), and why so many teams suddenly loaded up on core players(no more being able to gang up on one player and look smart Phil. And really, no more Kobe > Lebron, when in fact, it's our supporting cast that's been superior) is because of what I've posted there. In addition, it would not surprise me if JVG and Mike Breen occasionally visit this forum.

Anyway, if certain key strategies that I post here get around, should I stop posting? At this point, not really. I don't see any more mental tricks, at the moment(I'll have to think about it.) The good news is that for us, if Kobe can do this to Sefolosha, then he should have no problems resuming being our goto guy against the Cavs, bad fingers or not. The bad news is that if the Cavs manage to copy it, then Lebron will be that much more dominant. So now, it's REALLY up to Drew to neutralize him, AND Shaq(unfortunately, Shaq is also the type of player that will do noticeably better, the more mental blocks you remove from him).

Remember, the more mental blocks one can remove, then the more difficult task the defender has(scoring average is up over last year, the reason I believe it's not higher is because teams play a lot harder. But eventually, you cannot increase your effort any longer. I mean, you can already see that the Pau, Odom, Artest, Kobe and Fisher lineup doesn't have the same defensive effect as last year. If this keeps up, then eventually, I believe that Drew and Dwight will be the only bigs that can affect things defensively, in a noticeable, impactful manner, and that's assuming that Drew continues to improve physically, i.e add more muscles. He actually looked a little more spry today, but the numbers didn't show it, because of BS calls, and because Durant didn't run as many P&Rs against him(an unfortunate decision, as Drew didn't get to pad his stats)).

As far as strategies for game 3, well, as a test, I'm not going to say anything, and see if Phil notices all the things I have or not. However, I will say that Kobe should considered playing without the splint(if only as a test to see if it'll work when we'll really need him to play without it), and/or Drew without the brace, because after these two games, I would say that it is entirely possible for this team to beat us, so do not "give them anything."

[A Mad Chinaman]

Could Doug Collins' stat that the Thunder didn't have the extreme disadvantage in the 3pt points. Maybe DFish and RonRon's lack of outside shooting is allowing Thunder defenders able to zone-up the area around the basket.

What would it take for the Lakers to go deeper into the available options that showcases the ball going from side to side. Might this mean that the bigs (Pau and Bynum) going from weakside to strong or vice versa. Might this mean to have either Kobe or RonRon/Pau set-up at the pinch post for some "Hi-Lo" counters?

btw: What in the f..k was Jordan thinking fouling with .07 seconds left?!?!?!

Re: RonRon
As it has been stated elsewhere, with him we get much more defense while losing on offense. For the Lakers want to win another ring, having a strong and stout defense that is able to shut down key scorers such Durant is always the preference

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB

I hope Phil gives more of Fish's minutes to Shannon...

glad to see Pau being more aggressive.
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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."

[Dr. Laker]

If the Lakers can't start hitting open looks on the perimeter, they're going to continue to see this kind of defense.

Along with a PG, we'll need a long distance sniper next year.
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[Rodman28]

Thanx a lot, good stuff!
_________________
*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, nice win.

[Wolverine]

[Rick12322]

Thanks, DB. Great recap as usual.

[RVCdesigns]

Great win, thanks DB.

[ssiknick833]

[City_Dawg]

[mhan00]

Night89: Jesus, are you done patting yourself on the back there? Get over yourself. If you really believe that NBA teams are trolling lakersground to get your hallowed basketball expertise, well, then you're an idiot. If they were, they'd contact you and offer you a job. Christ, you're as self deluded and egotistical as Derek fisher.

[Klone_dd]

Never ever bet against Kobe. People should know by now.

If the Lakers do win a ring this year, everyone needs to step back and appreciate what #24 did with everything (finger, knee, age, non-stop games for 3 years) working against him. Forget about MJ's stomach flu game. Kobe's been fighting thru obstacle after obstacle the entire year.

As for this game, Kobe came out ultra-aggressive to the detriment of the bigs. I think he wanted to re-gain his rhythm and shot from the get go and dominated the ball. Not that that is a bad thing, but it did go away from the Lakers advantage in the post. When Kobe has that attitude, the players around him were more than willing to accommodate - again, to the detriment of the Lakers advantage.

OKC packed the middle. The Lakers couldn't (or wouldn't) make an entry pass and suddenly Fish and RonRon got perimeter shot happy. That sequence in the 3rd when both of them shot needless 3's early in the shot clock made me

Luckily, the Lakers D was pretty strong all night. It's rare that you shoot 37% FGs and still win. Sure, KD got his, but also committed 8 TOs.

The Lakers perimeter game is so ugly right now I'm thinking of cutting off an ankle and donating it to Sasha .

[LakerSanity]

[Rick12322]

Has any journalist ever asked Phil what Fish does that neither Shannon or Jordan do to merit so many minutes? His answer would be interesting, no?

[Addicus]

I hope people realize once the outside shots start falling 35% of the time instead of 20% teams will be getting blown out by 20+. I mean 2 for 10, 3 for 10, 2 for 9, 3 for 9 = 10-38 or 23% and is a serious donation to keep the opposition in the game. Truth is 30% gives the Lakers a comfortable lead down the stretch. This is why I have little worry about this team succeeding.
-
I would also like to state I have an immense amount of respect for the effort the Thunder play with. It's like watching 10 Joakim Noah's on one team.
_________________
Stop crying and start doing.

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

[Rick12322]

Yes, if I was OKC, I'd be worried. They lost twice when we shot at about our worst. Things can only get better....


I hope!

[A Mad Chinaman]