GRIZZLIES -at- LAKERS - 11/2 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Noble Eightfold Path... Phil introduced Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path to the Lakers just before Portland Game 7. This pivotal game, of course, was one of the key moments to the first of Phil's Laker championships. He wrote on the board of that game:

1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration

"I presented these to my players as a guide to help explain from a different perspective what we were trying to accomplish on and off the court," Phil wrote in More Than a Game. "Each of us has to understand our own personal role and the role of the entire team."

He would then explain how these relate to the game of basketball. Right thought: playing in the moment. Right action: playing every minute, every quarter to its fullest. Right effort: playing unselfishly. Right mindfulness: practicing correctly and playing with precision.

After tonight's win, you could hear Phil's teachings echoing through Kobe, who was asked what the team's goal and focus was for this regular season. "Intellect and patience...To be smart in how we play and how we practice," Kobe said.

These are words of wisdom for any team -- experienced or otherwise -- but it is this approach that has Phil going for his fourth three-peat as a coach and Kobe's second as a player.

In the first half of tonight's game, the Lakers showed these characteristics. From starter to bench player, they played their roles well and with the right effort and mindfulness, pouring in 73 points in the half and slaying the Grizzlies inside and out on their way to the 124-105 rout.

Kobe, Pau and Lamar were efficient and lethal. The Killer B's -- Blake, Brown and Barnes -- each had double figures in scoring. Barnes had a career high 9 offensive boards to go with 16 points. Those are back-breaker stats for a starter, let alone a guy who is anywhere from 7th to 9th on the depth chart when this team is healthy.

Despite all that and the team shooting 60 percent from three, like a good coach, Phil quickly jumped on them for their sloppy final two quarters. "I think they were watching the election results in the second half," Phil remarked.

The chemistry on this team is superb, and the more they walk the noble path, the more complete they will become. It's scary that even at a 4-0 start, they're still just scratching the surface. Good things happen when you do things the right way.

"If they shoot the ball the way they shot it tonight," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the Lakers, "nobody is going to beat them."


Kobe -- -- School is in session. Professor Bryant is teaching "Complete Game" to O.J. Mayo. Some feisty off-ball action between the two of them, exchanging bumps, shoves and slaps at times. On-ball? Forget about it. Kobe dominates this match-up. Too big, too strong, too versatile. Mayo had just 5 points on 10 shots when Kobe sat and was thoroughly schooled as has been the case in previous games. Kobe was an efficient scoring machine, scoring 23 points on 10 shots in the first half. After the game, Kevin McHale called Kobe a great leader for not just his on-court play, but keeping the team focused and steady throughout the season. (Wonder if some Celtic fans think McHale is a traitor for praising a Laker like that. Perhaps, he's too far removed from the team to get that criticism like Magic does for L.A. by some fans). The Stats: He scored 23 points on 7-13 shooting (3-5 from three, 6-8 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He lost Mayo on a post spin move and drew FTs at the rim, he made one. He swished a baseline fade on iso. His kickout led to an open three. He worked back and forth behind the Pau screen for a jumper. Quick first step to blow by Mayo again for a layup. Too tight on Tony Allen, giving up penetration and a foul for a teammate. He grabbed an offensive board, brought it out and sank the elbow jumper. He kicked out to Ron for an open three. He missed a 15-footer expecting a foul. He had 9 points on 4-5 shooting in the first quarter. He doubled off the cutter and gave up a layup. He drained a wing three (after a series of passes from every teammate). He drained a wing three right over his man in the zone. He went to the same spot, took the pass from Fish and quickly sank another three next time down. He missed a long three from the other side on the next trip. Out on the break, he changed directions going between his legs and drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He was fouled on the dribble, he made one FT. He iso'd, snaked through the D, missed the layup but DC got it back to him. He was fouled on a reach, he made both FTs. He had 23 points on 7-10 shooting. Second Half: He missed a sideline three on an inbounds pass with the shotclock low. He missed a layup, but his dribble penetration allowed a big to tip it in. He missed a reverse trying to finish on contact with no whistle. He picked up a tech for complaining on a call next time down on a drive. He was doubled in the post and turned it over. He doubled Mayo and swiped the ball. He didn't score in the third.

Gasol -- -- The Western Conference Player of the Week, Pau was taking some ribbing from Phil for a couple of days. "Mark is going to beat the crap out of his brother tonight. Watch it," Phil said prior to the game. Just Phil playing his mindgames. "Most of the time I just try to ignore it, otherwise he will just continue," Pau said when asked about this. Both of them seemed amused as Phil does his thing. "Pau is my favorite player," Phil added in the pregame interview. He also complimented Pau afterward. Pau, of course, handled his brother fine. At one point he threw down a nasty reverse jam on him and you could see Marc calling for the ball on the other end (unfortunately, Memphis didn't give it to him). In that brief stretch, you could just see how these two have gone after each other away from the crowds, just one on one. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 9-16 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 13 boards (5 offensive), 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He finished a lob from Lamar to start the Laker scoring. He attacked and kicked to Lamar for a three. He missed a 9-footer. He missed a layup, got it back and reversed. He looked a little ticked, got the ball in the post, attacked to his right with speed and scored an And-1 across the lane, drawing his brother's second foul, he made the FT. He tried to no look a touch pass on the break to Kobe and it went out of bounds (Kobe seemed to take the blame for slowing up on what could have been a highlight play). He tipped in a Barnes miss. He missed a lefty jumphook. He airballed a step-back 15-footer at the end of the first. He had 9 points on 4-8 shooting and 6 boards in the first quarter. He missed a challenged layup, Barnes kept it alive, and Pau finished it. He hit a pull-up jumper in the lane. With the shotclock low, he spun and swished a fallaway right after catching the pass. Phil sat him to save his fouls with a few minutes left in the half. He had 15 points on 7-12 shooting. Second Half: He missed a tip, but LO finished it. He backed down Marc and went glass on the turnaround jumper. He faced up his bro, quickly stepped past him and then he threw down a reverse dunk in his grill. He took a shot to the groin on a missed putback. He was hit on a fallaway on iso, he made both FTs. He found Lamar with a bounce pass in the lane for a dunk. He had 6 points on 2-4 shooting in the third. Phil brought him back for a couple of curious minutes late in the fourth.

Lamar -- -- The Odomination continues. He led the team with a +28. The next highest on the team was a +13. He's playing smooth ball out there. Every part of his game is looking comfortable and confident. "At this stage of my career I want to be known for winning," Lamar said prior to the game. The Lakers will do a lot of winning with Lamar playing at this level. It took him just 7 shots to score 17 points. That's crazy efficiency. He only missed one shot, tapped on a three. Phil had him rotate in with the second unit across Ratliff in the first half, which makes that unit so much better. It's still crazy that Ratliff's spot will be one of Bynum or Pau at some point. Can't wait to see it. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-7 shooting (3-4 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +28. The Action: He spotted Pau free under the hoop for an oop to start the game. He was called for a push off on a post entry pass when his man was fronting (seal him, Lamar). He swished a sideline three on a Pau kickout. He swung a kickout to Fish for three. He drew FTs after getting hit on a defensive board, he made both. He walked up a sideline inbounds pass and buried a wing three. He iso'd and swished another three (his 11,000th points). He was 3-3 from three in the first half for 11 points. Second Half: He tipped in a miss crashing the glass. He just missed a pull-up three. He fumbled away a sure dunk. Pretty play, attacking left with two long strides and scoring the layup around his man at high speed. No box out on the other end and he gave up a putback score (rare lapse). He dunked off a cut on the offensive end seconds later when Pau spotted him. He pushed out the break and kicked to Blake for a three.

Artest -- -- Again, he never seemed to really be able to settle in offensively. He played both SF and PF again. Ron has taken 21 threes, making 6 so far this season (.278 shooting). He's only made 12-45 from the floor. Having 21 of his 45 shots coming from beyond the arc probably isn't a formula for a good shooting percentage. Defensively, Rudy Gay got off for 30 points. He was quiet early, but got going once the Lakers started to relax. With Barnes playing well behind him, Phil subbed out Ron a little earlier than usual in the third. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a wing three. He sank a three from the other wing on a Kobe kickout. He knocked an offensive board off Gay to regain possession. Second Half: He jab-stepped and scored a layup after creating a lane with the fake. He missed a 20-footer, not quite in rhythm. He missed a three on the break (rarely a pretty break when Fish and Artest are leading it).

Fisher -- -- Up and down game from Fish. He had his moments offensively, but also made some poor decisions. Defensively, he played Conley pretty well in the first half. Both he and Blake could go under screens and recover easily, making Conley a shooter instead of a playmaker at times. Fish did a good job at that. Phil kept DFish's minutes at a nice number, especially considering the schedule. With the blowouts and the Blake/Brown duo performing well, DFish has done a whole lot of watching from the bench during the fourth quarter so far this season. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-6 shooting (2-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: He missed an open wing three. He swished an open sideline three on a swing pass from Lamar. He attacked a bigman in early offense, spun and drew FTs, he made both. He swiped the ball to ignite a break. Second Half: His layup was blocked to start the half. He doubled the post to give a up a three. He missed a wing jumper on the other end. Poor decision pulling up in early offense for a long contested jumper with his heels on the three line (hard to get worse shot selection). He sank the wide open corner three next time down on a kickout (what a difference when you run the offense first).

Blake -- -- Anytime that starting unit starts to look sluggish or disinterested, Laker fans begin finding themselves looking forward to the bench coming in with the right energy and right effort. If Fish and Artest aren't quite cutting it as was the case with some regularity during the regular season last year, Phil can go to Blake, Barnes or Brown for the beatdown. The first half of this game almost looked unfair. The starters pounded Memphis. Then the second unit tagged in and continued the smack down. When Memphis wanted the second unit beating to stop, the starters came back in. That will take the life from a team. Blake does his part like he did tonight by floor generalling, getting the ball up quickly, creating with the clock low and hitting shots. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He hit Shannon in the corner for a three. With the shotclock low, he attacked, shifted the ball in air and banked in the one-handed runner. Second Half: He sank a baseline fallaway on the behind-the-back pass from Barnes. Great blow by, but he missed the teardrop in the lane. He drained the corner three next time down on the break. Nice box out on a switch to keep a bigman off the glass. He missed a 15-footer. He sank a wing three. Sweet lob pass to Ebanks from about 35 feet out for the high-flying breakaway dunk. He hit Barnes on the break and he drew FTs on the dunk attempt.

Barnes -- -- Barnes was THE definition of a "garbage man" tonight. His shot attempts in the box score are very deceptive. He was keeping misses alive with tip ins and that led to the career-high 9 offensive boards. He was also scooping up loose balls, running the break and playing tough D. If you knew anything about Barnes game prior his joining the Lakers, it was his general activity and motor. Offensive rebounds and creating second chances are a big part of his game. With the talent the Lakers have at collapsing the D, that leaves a lot of opportunity for him. This kind of production kills opponents. "Any time you can get extra possessions, it's always big for your team," Barnes said afterward. "It can lead to three-pointers, it can lead to And-1's, it can lead to a lot of different things." When you throw 20 offensive boards onto 51 percent team shooting, like they had tonight, you've got a blowout. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-16 shooting (0-3 from three, 4-7 from the line) to go with 14 boards (9 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He couldn't finish a hanging layup trying to draw a foul on Marc Gasol (Pau cleaned it up). He missed a three. He tipped in a missed jumphook from Pau. He faced up, attacked baseline and drew FTs, he made one. He couldn't tip in a Pau airball at the buzzer. He forced a Memphis timeout when he crashed the glass again, but couldn't finish the putback (easy tap in for Pau, though). Great play and in the stats he was just 1-7 at this point but with 5 offensive boards. He airballed an early offense baseline pull-up jumper. He trailed the break and slammed back in a Brown miss. Bad post entry pass as a defender stepped in front to swiped it easily. He finished the half with 5 points on 2-9 shooting and 8 boards (6 offensive). Second Half: He was tied up going to the hoop. He blocked his man's jumphook. He was hit on a layup attempt for FTs, he made one. He swiped a post entry pass. He went behind his back to Blake cutting baseline for a jumper. He swished a runner coming off the screen. He threw down an And-1 dunk off the Ebanks drive and dish (great cut by Barnes to help set that up). He missed a three straight away. He was fouled on a dunk attempt on the break, he made one FT. He followed the Ebanks break and tipped in his miss. He didn't stop after a Caracter post miss when the shotclock buzzer inadvertently went off and he scored the putback. He missed a sideline three.

Brown -- -- It's fun hearing Staples buzzing because of Shannon's perimeter game instead of demolishing the rim with a dunk. He continued to knock down shots at a high clip, including all three attempts from beyond the arc. Some against the clock or with a man on him. Looks like he's just shooting FTs out there some times. He struggled a bit initiating the offense when the Grizzlies overplayed the passing lanes. Just poor recognition from him and that kind of tarnished some otherwise excellent bench production. Phil will use this as a good teaching tool. The second unit can now focus on some of their counters to that kind of D. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting (3-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls. He was a +13. The Action: Sweet finish on the layup off the pinch post (he brought it down, back up and spun it in around a couple defenders). Another layup next time down, taking the handoff from Pau baseline. He sank a corner three on a swing pass. He took the outlet and missed a layup trying to elevate over a defender, but Barnes cleaned it up. Second Half: He worked behind the Ratliff screens and swished the sideline three, getting the crowd buzzing with his perimeter game again. With the shotclock ddwn, he swung through and swished a fading back three straight away. He then stole a pass and back-rimmed a half-court attempt just after the buzzer. He missed a wing jumper. He threw away a pass on the break for a score the other way. He dribbled a ball off his foot, turnover.

Ratliff -- -- Solid minutes when he was out there, but again the wheels started to fall off a little when Phil went to the Ratliff/Ebanks duo. Just no post hub, so Phil quickly went to Caracter. But they couldn't even make the initial wing pass before the post entry pass. The second unit didn't recognize the overplaying of the passing lanes on the perimeter. That will disrupt the flow for a unit without triangle experience like that. Ratliff was still a productive force, rebounding and challenging shots. The Stats: He didn't score or shoot, had 4 boards, 1 block, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 9 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He swatted a shot off a player and out of bounds. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Vujacic -- -- The odd man out, Sasha didn't get many minutes despite the big leads the Lakers had. A better second half by the starters and he probably would have been in much sooner. Blake, Brown and Barnes aren't giving away their PT with their play, for sure. The Stats: He had 1 points on 0-1 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 1 turnover in 3 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He threw away a perimeter pass after bringing the ball up. He missed a wing three. He made a FT.

Caracter -- -- It's blowout games like this where you are happy the Lakers have both Ebanks and Caracter on the active roster. First, they give you something new to watch grow and develop. Second, this PT is invaluable for them. DC came in for Pau at the end of the second and later got some long run in the fourth. He didn't score a field goal, but he was a load in the post with his body and drew several fouls and grabbed a few offensive boards. It looks like he's starting to get a little more comfortable out there. You can see Phil wants to lean on him a little more than Theo when the team needs an offensive hub when they've got a big lead. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 0-3 shooting (6-6 from the line) to go with 3 offensive boards, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: His man tried to pull the chair, but Caracter drew FTs before a travel, he made both. He battled for a Kobe missed layup and kicked it back out to reset the offense. Second Half: He was stripped after a good battle for the offensive board. Power move to create space going left, but he couldn't finish. He was fouled trying to cram on Thabeet, he made both FTs. Nice D, moving his feet to get around his man trying to seal, then he stripped the ball from a driving guard. He missed a wing jumper. He bodied Thabeet under the hoop to take an offensive board, then he drew the foul again, he made both FTs.

Ebanks -- -- A spectacular alley-oop throwdown off a 35-foot Steve Blake pass is how Devin Ebanks scored his first basket in the NBA. "I just wanted to throw it up there and let him do what he does," Blake said. He had a couple FTs in the last game, but nice to scratch like that for your first NBA field goal, eh? Ebanks also had a great dish to Barnes off a drive, as well, that points to the unselfishness in his game. "Just recognizing where my teammates are at," Ebanks said. Love seeing minutes for him, but the play got a little sloppy at one point spoiling some quality run. Ebanks came in late in the second quarter to go at SF while Ron slid to PF. Later he ran at PF for about 10 minutes of the fourth. If he's at that spot, he needs to try to help anchor the D a little more. He's got the reach and hops to block or challenge some shots, just needs more experience and the mindset when in that role. "I'm still kind of slow on defense," Ebanks said afterward about learning his rotations and role on that end of the floor. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 foul in 11 minutes. He was a -9. The Action: Nothing to report in the first half. Second Half: He attacked baseline and no-looked off the dribble to Barnes for the And-1 dunk. He busted out on the break, elevated and threw down the 35-foot alley-oop. He missed a baseline jumper. He got past one defender on the break, but couldn't finish a tricky layup (Barnes cleaned it up). He curled from the weakside and scored a layup working off the ball well within the offense.

Phil -- -- The Lakers got off to a 11-2 start, forcing a Memphis timeout... The Lakers led 29-18 when the first subs came with 2:27 left in the first. Phil brought in Blake for Fisher and Barnes for Lamar... With a minute left, he went to Brown for Kobe... The Lakers led 34-23 after the first. They made 12-23 shots, the Grizzlies just 8-26... A 6-0 run to start the second quarter and the second unit forced a Memphis timeout... Phil sat Pau for Ratliff, but had Lamar at PF unlike last game... They stretched the lead to as many as 25 midway through the second quarter... He subbed in Caracter for Pau with 3 minutes left (Pau had 2 fouls)... Phil went with a Caracter, Artest, Ebanks, Kobe, Fisher unit. Three triangle experienced guys with the two rookies... The Lakers dominated to lead 73-46 at the half. They shot 58 percent (25-43 and a scorching 9-13 from three). The Grizzlies shot 35.4 percent (17-48, 5-10 from three)... The Lakers came out sluggish, getting out-scored 12-6 to start the half... Phil sat Artest for Barnes midway through the quarter. The Lakers lead was trimmed to just 14... They led by 19 when Phil brought in Blake for Fisher and Brown for Kobe... The Lakers were out-scored 30-24 in the third and led 97-76 heading into the fourth... After stretching the lead, Phil went to Ebanks for Lamar at PF... He sat Ratliff for Caracter after that unit was looking sloppy. Three straight turnovers as the Grizzlies jumped the passing lanes against this inexperienced triangle lineup... Up brought back in Pau up by 19 with 5 minutes left. Triangle execution was poor and there was little defensive anchoring. "I just felt a little bit pressed," he said of the sub... The Lakers shot 61 percent from three (14-23) and had 20 offensive boards...

[mhan00]

another game, another win.

[thurloly]

Thanks DancingBaby!

[mhan00]

so far blake and barnes are providing everything that everyone hoped they would, high energy, willing defense, and staying within the system and the team. i can't wait to see what they (and the rest of the squad) do against some real competition. it's really, really nice to have these first few games be a cakewalk to help build confidence and camaraderie, though.

the biggest surprise so far this season is shannon brown. the man looks like a completely different player, showcasing his obvious hard work during the off season, and likely also showing how much better his game looks with a true point playing next to him rather than a shoot first one.

[heatseeker08]

Thanks DB!

[markjay]

Wasn't there a play in the first half when Barnes tipped in an offensive rebound, but Artest was credited with it? If so, that prevented Barnes from an even more impressive stat sheet.

[DancingBarry]

[circlefong]

Quick !! and thanks DB.

[DancingBarry]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!

FANTASTIC first half!!!


Second half? eeeehhh they were coasting.

b2b might have something to do with it.

All in all this was another fantastic game from the B's, Lamar, Pau, Kobe, Fish, and also good job rooks.

[markjay]

[Bynum4MVP]

Unlike Phil, I'm not paid to nitpick this game so I won't.

Very efficient game from the Big 3. Great job by the Killer B's and the Renegades were overall effective.

Great job boys.
_________________
Before Lamar trade: Lakers-57 wins (2011)
After Lamar Trade: Lakers 41 wins (2012)
Lol, people actually thought trading LO would be a GOOD thing

[ocho]

[mhan00]

[stare_at_GOATs]

Vets. Phil's got vets again. This is the kind of team he does best with -- like the 2000 Lakers squad.

And when he made the comment the other day about leaving the "hot hand" in (I think it was Shannon), I was wondering what happened to the Phil of the last few years who would yank hot hands and was in love with Fisher.

If Stern and injuries don't rob him, he rides off into the sunset with his fourth threepeat.

[lounger]

Thanks DB! Another good win.

Oh, and I like the dig.

[LakerEric]

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB

[Kareem's Court]

Thanks DB for the recap!
_________________
“You shake the tree, a leopard’s gonna fall out.” - Kobe Bryant on why he dropped 49 points on the Nuggets and taunting guard J.R. Smith

[limchrc]

thanks

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB. Gasol 2011 NBA MVP

[LakerSanity]

Every year, Pau has looked better. This year is no exception. I guess when you face and overcome the Celtics' defense, you know that the likes of the Suns and Grizzlies are child's play.
_________________
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[Klone_dd]

Although it is fun to see the starters surgically slice up a team, it's also fun to see the youngsters hustle and grow.

All cylinders go!

[GoldenThroat]

How the hell are other teams going to be able to get a rebound once Bynum comes back?

[City_Dawg]