LAKERS -at- NETS - 12/12 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Net Gain... Nothing quite as exciting as playing the New Jersey Nets in December. The Lakers did their best, however, to put a little thrill in what should have otherwise been an easy W.

It took Kobe consistently collapsing the D and driving the offense, but the Lakers trotted their way to a 99-92 win over Jordan Farmar and his Nets.

"I told Phil in the second half to let me in there a little bit more to build a rhythm," Kobe said, "because I felt like this was the type of game I kind of needed to put my stamp on it."

With 25 points and 4 assists in the second half, he was the only thing that was consistently right with the Lakers offense. The Nets had to send instant doubles all day. Kobe would either attack before the doubles would come or wait to set up teammates.

Down the stretch he chewed them up. He help set up an 8-0 run in 2 minutes during closing time.

Farmar, who was gracious in a pregame interview and said he missed being with his teammates, wasn't able to put in a strong showing against his former team. He went 2-7 in the fourth quarter, including 0-5 from beyond the arc.

It wasn't pretty -- an all-too-familiar theme from the Lakers lately -- but the net result was the W.


Kobe -- -- He was a one-man wrecking crew against the New Jersey defense. They couldn't single cover him and when they sent help, he picked them apart. Down the stretch he drew defenders or collapsed the D and set up his bigmen for a series of scores. He was the only thing that seemed to consistently work for the Lakers offense and they feasted on it in the second half. Afterward, Kobe mentioned the off-ball movement of his bigmen made things tough on the Nets when he drew doubles. Kobe also did a good job working off the ball so that he could attack before the D could send help. The off-ball movement is vital for success. The Stats: He scored 32 points on 9-19 shooting (3-6 from three, 11-13 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 6 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers and 3 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He was blocked from behind in the paint. He swung through from three and drew FTs, he made all three. He missed an early offense three, dunk the other way (Lakers get burned in counterattacks too much on early offense three misses). He sank a sideline three off the two-man game with Pau. He missed a wing jumper. He drew a clear-path foul while pushing out the break, he made just one FT. He was stripped on a drive. He poked a ball loose in the post. Magic-like ball fake on the break one direction and then he hit Pau trailing the break for a dunk. Second Half: He was blocked on a fade across the lane. He attacked off the three line, sliced through the D and scored with his left. Poor jump pass, going right out of bounds between a couple players. He worked off the Pau screen and hit Lamar for a layup. He posted up and swished the turnaround from the midpost before the doubles could come. He popped out from a screen, took the pass and hit an elbow jumper from the weakside. Too much dribbling when trapped and he was eventually called for a travel trying to slice through more defenders (get rid of it sooner and let teammates work it for the easy look). He sank a step-back baseline jumper. He airballed a wing turnaround. He drew the double and hit Lamar in the lane for a layup. Lamar returned the favor to Kobe on the break for a three. He was shoved on a fallaway but still made it from the elbow. He drew FTs on a pumpfake from the wing, he made both. He missed a tough, pumping jumper. He flashed weak to strong in the post, faked right, went left and scored a layup. He missed a fallaway out of a timeout. Great help D and he swiped a pass while a big was recovering. Aggressive attack from the low post and he drew FTs, he made both. He drained a wing three off a Pau screen. He was called for a charge while trying to slide away from the defender in transition. He bricked a hanging, challenged jumper badly (hesitated a little). He posted up Farmar, instant FTs, he made just one. He drew a double and hit Pau under the hoop for FTs. He drew a double and hit a cutting Pau for a layup. He blew past Harris with a quick first step, collapsed the D and hit Lamar for the dunk. He sank a couple of late FTs.

Gasol -- -- He couldn't create anything in the post for himself. Obviously, he would have feasted on the smaller Humphries instead of Lopez had Bynum been the C. Pau tried to rely on his perimter game, but that wasn't there with consistency. What the Lakers missed from their bigmen was the ability to get easy scores from the post. Late in the game, they got the easy scores for their bigs off Kobe drawing attention and double teams. "Pau struggled the whole night but we were able to pull out a win," Phil said. Good job challenging shots as he swatted 5, but Lopez still got 25 points. Pau wasn't getting back fast enough in transition D and giving up some low position early on. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-19 shooting (3-5 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 3 fouls in 42 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a baseline jumper with the shotclock low. He got it back and missed a short one while taking contact. He missed an elbow jumper. He was fouled with no call and lost the ball. He was blocked in the post after a move too many. He was swatted at the rim. He drew FTs with low position, he made one. He cleaned up a missed Shannon jumper in transition with a putback. He drained a baseline jumper after getting a miss by Luke. He missed a jumphook after faking one way and going the other. He missed another easy look at a jumphook in early offense. He swatted Lopez in the paint. He dunked trailing the break when Kobe hit him with a sweet pass. Second Half: He missed an elbow jumper. Off-balance, challenged turnaround in the paint, not close. He sank a face-up 10-footer from the right side. He missed an elbow jumper. He blocked a shot at the rim on help D. He blocked Lopez but no one recovered it. He dunked while taking a foul when Lamar found him off the quick interior feed, he made the FT. He missed a long sideline jumper. He was fouled when Kobe drew a double and found him, he made just one FT. He scored a layup when Kobe drew the double and hit him diving.

Lamar -- -- The Lakers are walking thin ice anytime Lamar gets into foul trouble. Not only does it curb his aggressiveness and ability to defend, but the minutes behind him from the bench have been a never-ending problem. Lamar played 7 minutes in the fourth with 5 fouls and was one of the keys to Laker success when the Nets doubled Kobe. It's just such a difference in length and passing ability with Lamar versus Artest or Barnes at PF. You get that nice interior passing with him and Pau, and a guy who won't be challenged as easily when he's finishing. Defensively, of course, the Lakers miss length on the boards. Lamar was able to maintain a presence on the floor in the fourt despite those foul issues. He ended up hitting the dagger three off a good inside-out sequence initiated by Blake. Excellent production from Lamar in his minutes. The Stats: He scored 22 points on 9-13 shooting (2-3 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a jumphook short. He scooped up an offensive board that Ron knocked to him and scored the layup. He swished an open wing three. He scored a layup cutting off the Artest post. He swatted dribble penetration. Sweet hesitation dribble that nailed Farmar to the floor and he scored and And-1 layup, he made an And-1 layup in transition and the FT. He missed a three in early offense. He attacked with speed, spun and hit a jumphook on a two-for one situation. He was called for a charge on a spin move. Second Half: He missed a layup trying to create off the dribble. He banked easily when Kobe found him working off the Pau/Kobe two-man game. He gave up a layup on soft D, no challenge, slow footed. He scored a layup when Kobe found him open in the lane. He went between his legs to Kobe for a three on the break. He picked up his fourth foul with 2:34 left in the third on a loose ball. He missed an open 15-footer from the baseline. After just a few seconds after returning, he quickly picked up his fifth foul. He pushed up a break, got hammered as he attacked in transition on a layup, he made one FT. He dunked off the drive, draw and dish from Kobe. He drained an open three with 42 second left.

Artest -- -- He's continuing to struggle badly with his shots. He had some better looks in this one. After making his first shot (set up out of a timeout on a two-man game with Pau), he didn't hit the rest of the game. Some better moments in the first half setting up teammates, especially in the post. Defensively, this is one of those games where the Lakers don't really need him at the SF. Obviously, we need some bulk at the backup PF right now. Last season, he ranked in the top 7 percent defensively by limiting his opponents to 0.77 points per possession. Through last week, he was allowing 0.79 points per possession and opponents were shooting 39.4 percent, a notch up from last season’s 36 percent, according to Synergy Sports Technology. He's had to be more versatile this season, covering more for Kobe's men and then taking on PFs. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-7 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal and no foul in 27 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He swiped a kickout and hit Fish on the break for a layup. He hit a wing jumper working the two-man game with Pau out of a timeout. He tipped an offensive board to Lamar for a score. He kicked out to Lamar for a three. He spotted up and hit a cutting Lamar for a layup. He airballed a wide open baseline jumper after re-entering the game. He missed a wing jumper on the next possession. He clanked a wing jumper after hesitating. He stripped his man from behind. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper off the pinch post with Pau. Nice double to save a sure layup form the post that Pau was about to give up. He missed a layup out of the post. He missed an open corner three, his best look.

Fisher -- -- DFish led the team with a +10. That seemed to have more to do with Phil's sub patterns. Pretty good first half, scoring wise. In the second half, he didn't do much and had his hand in a couple of the poorer defensive breakdowns of the game. We saw a rare DFish/Blake backcourt combo to close the game with Kobe at the SF. It would be interesting to see if that perimeter threat from the two of them can open up the floor more. Plus, Fish and Blake move the ball well within the offense. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-6 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He missed a long wing jumper on a kickout. He missed another long wing jumper on the Lakers second attempt. He scored a layup on the break with Ron. He swished a wing jumper over Lopez. He drilled a pull-up wing jumper in transition. He threw an outlet away. He drew FTs pushing out the break, he made both. Second Half: Horrible angle and no recovery on D and the straight line layup led to another foul for Lamar. He was hacked intentionally and made both FTs.

Blake -- -- Phil let him close the game with the starters in place of Artest. This, of course, will open up the floor and defenders can't sag off an make Artest beat them. Blake also did another thing well. He finished with third most boards in the game. A couple of good battles in there to come up with the ball. The team needed that down the stretch. I thought Shannon appeared to be watching too much in that regard instead of getting into the mix on the defensive glass. Defensively, Harris tried to attack Blake down the stretch. On three straight attempts, he made just one floater. Blake keyed the dagger three in the final minute by getting dribble penetration. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 5 boards and no fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He got bulldozed by Favors on a loose ball to earn FTs, he made both. He swished a corner jumper over Farmar with the shotclock low. Second Half: He used his body well against Farmar to grab a jumpball tipped to them, he then pushed it out and it looked like his layup was goaltended with no call. He missed a wing three. Bad angle defensively and he gave up an And-1 reverse to Farmar. Great bullet feed to Lamar, who quickly fired to Pau for the And-1 dunk. He attacked and kicked to Fish, who swung it to Lamar for the dagger three.

Barnes -- -- "A win is a win, but it's disappointing," Barnes said. "We know were a lot better than this. We're just not playing good basketball right now." Quiet game from Barnes sinking just one three, but he moved the ball well and didn't force anything that wasn't there. The hitch in his shot seemed a little more pronounced for some reason. Defensively, some good challenges and effort as he usually brings. Both he and Artest watched Kobe close at the SF with Blake out there instead. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls. He was a +1. The Action: His man sagged off him to deny the post and Barnes hit the three. Second Half: He missed a long wing jumper, then a three on a kickout on a possession. He missed a corner three.

Brown -- -- Not as poor a game as the last one, but not much to write about. Defensively, he wasn't quite getting after it as well as Blake was. The Laker bigs need all the effort they can get from their guards right now. Offensively, Shannon had some troubles finishing around the rim. He sank his only three and hit another long one with his heels on the line. Shannon is scoring about 2.5 points per game less on the road than at home. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive), 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 20 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He traveled 40 feet from the hoop trying to make a pass. He missed an off-balance wing jumper. He bit on a head fake and gave up FTs on a jumper. He attacked and was stripped. He missed a toe-on-the-three-line jumper on the break (worst shot you can take in that situation). He swished a wing jumper, heels on the three line. He swished a wing three from the other side. Second Half: He swiped a pass and missed a layup in transition. He didn't hit rim on a drive at the end of the quarter. He pushed up court, hesitated, floored it and rose above a crowd for the layup. He airballed a layup on a drive and then missed a putback attempt shortly later. No help D for his bigs as got Lamar his fifth foul while he watched.

Vujacic -- -- Another brief appearance for an offensive possession and there's not much to say here about his 8.5 seconds. Someone might take pity on him and set him up in one of those appearances if these are the only moments he's going to get. The Stats: No stats. The Action: With 8.5 seconds left in the first, Sasha got in for an offensive possession. Second Half: He did not play in the half.

Walton -- -- Phil slipped a few more minutes in for Luke. Nothing much to report. Bynum will probably play in the next game or two. That will likely be the end of Luke's minutes for a while. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 board and no fouls in 4 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He gave up an oop, no where near his man. He missed a three from the corner. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Caracter -- -- The team was able to stay afloat in DC's 6 minutes as the backup center. He had a +/- of 0. Some good work on the offensive boards and he was solid in his rotations. His only shot came up short in the post. That seems to be a consistent thing. He may need to adjust to getting pushed off balance or not being able to always overpower people at the C spot. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-1 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 offensive boards and 2 fouls in 6 minutes. The Action: He drew FTs getting held on the offense glass, then he banked in the first FT and swished the second. Second Half: He grabbed an offensive board, gathered himself, but missed the jumphook short. Another offensive board next time down and he was fouled.

Ebanks -- -- Good to see some more minutes for Ebanks. He brings some nice energy to the floor and didn't put a wrench in anything the team was trying to do. With Bynum's return shortly, he will likely be the guy to slide over to the inactive roster. He sank a jumper working with Pau on his only attempt. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 1 board in 4 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He swished a sideline jumper while working the pinch post with Pau. Strong battle in the paint to grab a defensive board and ignite the break. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- The Lakers trailed 7-0 after three minutes of bricking... Phil called a timeout a minute later. Out of the timeout, they ran a two-man game with Pau/Ron. They tied things up 14-14 shortly later... Phil went to Caracter for Pau. He didn't seemed pleased with how Pau was running the floor and giving up low position early... Phil brought in the Killer B's to go with DC and LO with more than 2 minutes left... He brought in Sasha for DC for an offensive possession... The Lakers led 30-24 after the first... Phil started a Pau, Luke, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... The Lakers were in the bonus with 9 minutes left in the quarter... Phil sat the bench and Lamar to go with a Pau, Artest, Ebanks, Kobe, Fisher unit up 9 with under 5 minutes left. The wholesale substitutions saw the lead cut to 3 and the momentum briefly lost. After the stumble, they closed out the half with a 7-0 run... The Lakers led 52-42 at the break... They gave up an early 9-0 run and the lead to start the second half... Late in the quarter, Kobe helped ignite some life in the offense and the Lakers led by 10 again... Phil brought in Blake for Fisher and Barnes for Artest with 3 minutes left... A few seconds later, Brown for Kobe who had carried the team. Might have let Kobe go longer there... Phil had to sit Lamar with 2:34 left for Artest when LO got his fourth foul... The lead was trimmed back to 2 after just 2 minutes when the Nets went on an 8-0 run. Probably shouldn't have subbed out Kobe who had lifted the team, but Lamar's fouls hurt, too... The Lakers led 69-67 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Pau, Barnes, Kobe, Brown, Blake unit... A minute in, Phil subbed Pau for Caracter up 6. Not a bad time to steal minutes as there was at least some flow... The lead was back to 1 when Phil brought back in Pau and Lamar for Blake and Caracter... Lamar picked up his fifth foul a few seconds later and Phil left him in down 78-77... Phil sat Blake and Brown for Artest and Fish with 5 minutes left down 1... He sat Ron a minute later for Blake and the two discussed something about the offensive end... The Lakers were just making one of two FTs on several possessions... Too much Kobe creating for himself and others for the Nets to handle in the final minutes...

[axs]

Missed the game. Thanks, much appreciated.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[Klone_dd]

Winning ugly is still better than losing.

Before today's game, I re-watched the play in the Bulls game where the refs overturned their clear path call, denying the Lakers 2 FTs plus the ball. Strangely enough, almost the same exact play happened in this game, only this time there was no retraction. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB

[mhan00]

glad to see the lakers pull out a closely contested contest down the stretch today. that's been in very short supply this season. hope we can build on this.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Vicky T]

Thanks DB

This was an interesting game. Multiple times the Lakers would lead by 10 and then the Nets would make it a 2 point game and then the Lakers would go up by 10 again and the Nets would catch up. Ridiculous.
_________________
Macho Men:
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[prisma8slg]

thanks DB.

I was glad to see they didn't let another one slip away.
_________________
"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."

[limchrc]

thanks

[NYLakerFan]

Sorry for the late addition. My wife and I took our two youngest boys to the game ... our annual trek to see the Lakers on their East Coast swing. Both boys begged me to make Boston our target next year and I might just agree.

This game was just awful. AT least in Boston I know we'll see effort all game.

Our Lakers would build a lead of 10-12 and then go to sleep. Build another lead of 10-12 and then ... nap time again. If it wasn't for Kobe's 4th quarter effort ... and Odom's ... this game would have been a boring disaster.

A few long-time fan notes.

Gasol looks tired.

Fisher is done ... I don't care how many decent streaks he had in this game. He's done.

Did anyone else notice that Phil ran FOUR guards at the end???? Kobe - Blake - Brown - Fisher and Pau. I love PJ but what the hell was he thinking?????? NJ had both Lopez and Humphries at the end and we couldn't get a rebound to save our souls. It seemed like the Nets were getting 3-4 shots on every one of their last 4-5 possessions. Maybe he figured it WAS the Nets but ... what the hell!!!!!

[NYLakerFan]

BTW .. thanks DB ... always love your write ups!!