HAWKS -at- LAKERS - 2/22 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Roll Call... Those words were written on the board before the game. In other words, who is here and who is ready to get after it?

The Lakers came out of the gates with one thing on their minds.

"We're always letting other teams hit us first," Andrew Bynum said. "That needs to stop and it should. It's going to change."

They pounced on the Hawks from the start, holding Atlanta to 15 points in the first quarter and 18 in the second. Bynum anchored the defense and the team moved and played as a unit on their way to a 104-80 blowout.

If you like numbers, the Lakers have a lot of them for you in this game. They won the boards 54-32 and blocked 10 shots. They kept the Hawks to 36 percent shooting and 1-15 from three. The Lakers got to the line 40 times. And every player on the active roster scored.

"It's been about us all season long," BShaw said. In answer to his Roll Call note on the board, the team came to play.

At 39-19, the Lakers can get to Phil's 40 before 20 mark with another win tomorrow in Portland. No doubt that is a team goal. They've also challenged themselves to meet or beat last year's win/loss mark.

Instead of the .500 ball they've been playing in the last 16 games before the break, they'll have to finish 18-6 to close the season to tie that mark.


Kobe -- -- Fresh off his All Star MVP, which included several dunks and some generally spry looking legs, Kobe came out aggressive at the start. Not so much in shooting, but just making things happen on either end. He was the only Laker to get into double digits in shot attempts and he just barely did that in limited time. (This, of course, will go down as one of those games were stat guys like to point out how when Kobe shoots under X amount the Lakers win.) Good to see Kobe getting back to the line. In two of the three losses before the break, he didn't get a single trip to the charity stripe. That, of course, will also mess with your field goal numbers and efficiency. "We're plugging away," Kobe said afterward, stressing that they needed to continue to improve. He said the sense of urgency should now be there for the team with less than a third of the season left. The Stats: He had 20 points on 5-11 shooting (2-4 from three, 8-8 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +28. The Action: He missed a step-back wing jumper on the first possession. He jumped a passing lane to knock a post entry away. He hit Fish with a quick pass for the open jumper. He drained a pull up 16-footer in transition. He was swatted on a drive, layup the other way. He was hit on a pull-up jumper next time down for FTs, he made both. Super quick first step to blow past Smith and reverse. He missed a three next time down. He missed a flat-footed wing jumper, trying to shoot over a man. He drew FTs on a pull-up fade in the lane, he made both. Great D on Johnson to force an airball on a drive. He threaded a pass to Drew off the screen-roll for the slam. He had 8 points and 5 assists. Second Half: He was called for a flagrant trying to block a shot (such a bad call, that should be reversed). He drained a quick step-back three from the wing. He missed a wing three. He missed a pull-up wing jumper. He drew FTs on a perimeter foul and made both. He was hit in the lane on a spin for more FTs, he made both again. He hit a pull-up jumper on iso from the elbow. He lulled the D to sleep then quickly pounced for a sideline three.

Gasol -- -- Pau and Drew dominated the defensive glass tonight. The two combined for 21 boards on that end (the Hawks had 24 defensive boards as a team). One and out possessions -- a lot of things go into that. The team was able to get some good challenges on shooters and control the glass at the same time tonight. That's where they dominated with their size. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 4-9 shooting (6-9 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers in 34 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He swished a long baseline jumper. He pushed out the break and hit Ron for the layup. He drained a face-up jumper off the repost. He swatted Zaza's drive. He missed an elbow jumper. He missed a running hook across the lane. He got out on the break, worked the post, went up and under for the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He shed his man on a drive left and was hammered at the rim, he made both FTs. He had 8 points, 7 boards and 4 assists. Second Half: He missed a short jumper, hesitating before shooting. He was fouled on a screen-roll with Kobe and made both FTs. He missed an open 15-footer. He slid his pivot foot for a travel. He was fouled on a mismatch against Teague in the post, he made one FT. He drew FTs on Powell in the post, he made one. He swished a 16-footer off the drive and kick from Blake. He blocked a Williams drive.

Bynum -- -- He may not have put up a lot of points, but the Bynum that was on the floor tonight was dominating. Very spry defensively all night. He was controlling the defensive glass and anchoring the D. He kept the easy shots to a minimum and by getting out on shooters when the rotation needed to be made, he became the glue that kept everything together. In mismatches against the smaller guys, he never let them get by him to the hoop and challenged well when they shot. "We were out there playing just a bit more aggressive defensively and it paid off," Drew said. "Higher on the screen and roll and we were coming from the weakside." Phil was pleased with the effort and hoped that Bynum would embrace the ability to dominate a game defensively. "I hope so. The key to winning is about defense," Phil said. Don't fool yourself. That doesn't mean Drew shouldn't get the ball offensively. It just means exactly as he said. Keep it up, Drew. Bynum has more rebounds per minute than any Laker. He was especially productive tonight in short time. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-3 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 15 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +26. The Action: Excellent close out to cover a shooter and force a brick. He muscled Horford out of the way and was hacked as he tried to power up, he made both. He grabbed an offensive board, was blocked on the way up, then just choked away a point-blank layup or dunk. Nice jumpout at the rim to challenge a drive and get a miss. Great reaction to swat a baseline jumper with that long reach, he then drew FTs after gathering the block, he made one. He slammed off the screen-roll with Kobe. He had 11 boards at the half. Second Half: He swatted Johnson's drive. He grabbed a Pau miss and kicked it to Ron for three. Nice challenge on a smaller man's step-back jumper. He made Williams change a layup and we got a stop. He rejected Smith's shot. He was called for a charge backing his man down (horrible call...travel, sure). He didn't play in the fourth.

Artest -- -- Some good and bad in the offensive execution tonight. His parking in the corner versus cutting was killing the Lakers screen-roll game at times. The D could sag to help on cutting bigmen, then recover back to Ron. Barnes on the floor would have slipped in there for some cuts and layups to keep the defense honest. On the good side, when the Lakers worked the ball to Ron in the post off the weakside on ball reversals, he could score with Drew and Pau on the floor. That quick ball movement and attack on the opposite side of the floor is how he needs to work in that lineup. Not the rumbles into the lane while Pau and Drew's defenders are waiting to help. Defensively, he was active and created some nice defense to offense moments. "It inspires us...those things really help us out to get easy baskets," Phil said of Ron's enthusiasm on that end of the floor. Nice two-way game from Ron. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting (1-3 from there, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He dropped a pass out of bounds. He missed an open corner three, way long. He was called for a charge on a drive and dish. He filled the lane with Pau on the break and scored the layup. He drained a fading wing jumper off the Pau handoff in semi-transition. He stripped Williams for a shotclock violation. He stepped in front of his man to knock away a pass, pushed it up and hit Blake for the open layup. He had to sit late in the half with foul toruble. Second Half: He picked up a quick fourth foul on the first possession of the half. He drained a wing three on a Bynum kickout. He muscled Johnson in the paint, missed, got it back and drew the foul, he made both FTs. He bullied his way past Williams for a layup on the weakside ball reverse (that's how you get it to him in the post). He missed an open corner three.

Fisher -- -- He came out aggressive, scoring the Lakers first three hoops. He played with an edge and more of a scoring guard mentality than we typically see. He completely outplayed Bibby. Wasn't even close and sure didn't look anything like the usual way that match up has gone over the years (Bibby with the points, Fish with the wins). The Lakers wanted to get the first punches in and Kobe and Fish seemed to lead that charge today. Not sure if it's a trend you will see, but might have been more of a statement from the vets. Bibby didn't score. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-7 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and no fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +23. The Action: He swished a pull-up wing jumper for the Lakers first score. He swished an open 15-footer from the other wing off some quick Laker passing. He popped out behind a screen and hit the Lakers third straight hoop from the top of the arc. He deflected a pss to get a stop. He missed a sideline jumper with the clock running low. He iso'd on Bibby and drew FTs, he made both. He missed a sideline jumper. He drew FTs at the rim on an inside-out move in the paint in transition, he made both. He led the team with 10 points on 3-5 shooting. Second Half: He missed an open sideline jumper. He missed a floater, but followed it to recover.

Lamar -- -- It's usually this time of the year when Lamar's game throttles up, but he's in a different mode this season. Of course, no one will complain if he somehow takes it to another level. His perimeter stroke looked great from the start. He did most of his damage in the first half and had his run cut short in the second half for garbage time. When he and Pau can spread the floor with the jumpers and pull the bigs away from the hoop, that makes life a lot easier for others. The offense was fairly fluid throughout the night. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-4 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He drained a baseline jumper off the kickout from Blake. He swished a step-back jumper when the offense stalled. His offensive board led to a Shannon three. He swished an open corner three on the catch and shoot. He drew FTs off the high pinch post handoff (Kobe to LO, more please), he made both. He was called for a charge on a drive and kick. He had 9 points on 3-3 shooting. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Blake -- -- Hopefully, Blake will bottle this "type" of game and repeat for the remainder of the season. He was aggressive within the triangle making some reads we haven't seen more than once or twice all season. That doesn't mean he needs to shoot a lot to be aggressive. It can mean getting into the paint off the dribble or with off-ball cuts. He didn't shy away from the paint and good things happened as a result. Love seeing him run the break when he's got Ebanks on the floor. Tonight, those two teamed up for another monster oop in transition. They seem to do that a lot despite the little action they see together. Solid D on Crawford in the first half. Normally, Crawford kills us. In the second half, he had to match up with Teague and kept him from making any impact. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three, 4-6 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He had had a +/- of 0. The Action: He scored a layup off the steal and feed from Ron on the break. He attacked the paint and kicked to Lamar for the open jumper. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He drew FTs getting hit on a heave at the buzzer, he drained one. Second Half: Aggressive attack down the middle of the lane and he drew FTs (more please), he made both. A rare weak-to-strong flash across the paint and he drew a foul. He attacked the lane aggressively and hit Pau for a jumper. He iso'd on Teague and drew FTs with the shotclock low, he made one. He blocked Teague's drive. He hit a cutting Ebanks for FTs. He lobbed to Ebanks on the break while looking off the defender for the massive throwdown. Careless pass on the break and it was swiped for a dunk the other way late in garbage time.

Brown -- -- We've said it so many times, but the key to his game is to let the triangle cycle through its options. Don't force up tough shots early in the shotclock. Shannon got his game going early with some speed cuts off the pinch post plays that led to dunks. When he took long shots or tried to create, it was generally the right thing to do, but more importantly...the right time to do it. The shot selection was smarter and the second units clicked. Defensively, he's been very active with his hands on the perimeter, almost like Ron gets. Love seeing this new addition to Shannon's game. Keep it up. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting (2-4 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: Poor pass to Pau, too far behind him, turnover. He dunked when he lost his man on the ball reverse flowing into the pinch-post handoff. He missed a long three off one foot at the quarter buzzer. He couldn't hang onto a lob pass from Blake on the break. He hammered down another dunk off the post handoff from Pau. He sank a sideline three. Nice D on iso on Joe Johnson, for a moment he looked like Artest with that jab and recover. He had 7 points on 3-4 shooting. Second Half: Nice pass to Drew at midcourt, he then took the give-and-go return feed for an And-1 layup. He swished a three with the shotclock low after cycling through other players first. He missed a three with the clock low. He drained a wing jumper. He airballed a step-back jumper trying to create on iso with the shotclock low.

Walton -- -- Probably the least effective player on the floor tonight. His team low -5 seemed to properly reflect that. Barnes has targeted Tuesday for his return, but hopes to play a game before that. The Lakers have missed their Killer B's. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He missed an open three. He missed an awkward face-up jumper. Second Half: Poor pass right to an opponent instead of taking the step-back in the paint. His pass to Lamar cutting went right through his hands an out of bounds. He sank a sideline jumper off the Blake kickout.

Smith -- -- Oldom was swatting some shots tonight! During his half a quarter worth of minutes, he blocked three shots. He mixes it up well and surprises some players with his length. This was probably his best stretch of minutes because of his activity. Although, DC got Powell's spot before the season, Joe Smith probably has the Josh Powell role when it comes down to it. Phil might lean on Artest to move to the PF in a pinch, but more minutes like this from Smith could actually earn Smith some action in the heat of the battle one of these days. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting to go with 2 boards, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 6 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the half. Second Half: He was called for an over-the-line inbounds pass violation. He swatted Zaza's layup attempt. He drained a turnaround on the break. Only man back on the break and he prevented a layup with a challenge, then blocked another attempt to get the stop. He missed a 20-footer. He swatted Evans at the rim.

Caracter -- -- Josh Powell, one of the locker room favorites of the last couple years, got his ring tonight prior to the game. Powell received a standing O and a video tribute. Great job by the Lakers and fans. Caracter was essentially the guy who took Josh's spot on the roster on the deep bench. While Powell had a good jumper, he was an instant one and out when the Lakers gave the ball to him in the post. The team also suffered on the defensive boards and general anchoring. DC will likely be the better player, but he needs to get past the rookie seasoning (and for now, Phil). Good minutes from DC. He hit the board well and battled in the paint. He had a presence on both ends. Both he and Smith managed to hold down the paint against Zaza and Powell. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 7 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the half. Second Half: He swatted Powell's reverse. Great no-look feed to a cutting Ebanks who fumbled away the hoop. He came up short on the jumphook. He bullied his way to the rim from the post, missed, battled and eventually powered up for the score.

Ebanks -- -- Phil freed Ebanks in the fourth. He again managed to get to the line at a decent clip, showing continued ability on that front. Once again, he and Blake looked great on the break. Ebanks speed and athleticism gives the team a more potent counter attack from the SF. He had one ugly looking three, but the activity and effort made an impact. I'd be curious to see what his numbers would be like on a team where he'd get consistent and quality minutes. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 2 offensive boards, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 8 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He did not play in the half. Second Half: He hit the side of the backboard on a corner three attempt, yikes. Nice hustle to save a ball on the D end. He attacked, was blocked, but got it back and scored the layup. He drew FTs when Blake spotted him cutting, he made both. He threw down the lob from Blake on the breakaway. He crashed the glass, got a miss, missed himself, then drew a foul on the putback follow, he made both FTs.

Phil -- -- Phil brought in Lamar for Pau with 3:17 left up 20-10... Same score, he sat Fish, Kobe and Bynum for Brown, Blake and Pau about a minute later... The Lakers won the first quarter 28-15 with some good energy from the gates... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake unit in the second... Their lead was trimmed to 9 and Phil called a timeout... Midway through the quarter with the same lead, Phil went to a Bynum, Lamar, Artest, Kobe, Fisher unit... He sat Lamar for Bynum with 2:46 up big again... A 14-0 run and the Lakers were now up by 22... The Lakers led 54-33 at the half. The Lakers shot 55 percent with a 14-4 advantage on the break and a 27-14 advantage on the glass. The Hawks shot 34 percent (1-12 from three)... The Lakers led by as many as 26, but had that trimmed to 20 when Lamar came in for Pau... Phil brought in Blake and Brown for Artest and Fish... The Lakers led by 25 when Bynum sat for Pau... The Lakers led 80-54 heading into the fourth. This game was all but over... "We told guys to bring it from this point on to the rest of the season," Shaw said between quarters... Phil started Pau, Lamar, Luke, Shannon and Blake... Phil brought in Ebanks to run at PF/SF spot with a small Lamar/Luke lineup... He brought in DC for LO with 7 minute left... Long garbage time run... Phil said he looks for how comfortable the deep bench is on both ends during these minutes... The Hawks shot 36.6 percent and just 1-15 from three...

[Paillard]

First.

[lounger]

back to winning ways!

Thanks DB!

[Nobody]

One of the best defensive games Drew has played in his career, imo. He was all over the place, just a fantastic sight to watch!

Hopefully our boys can get something going in this last quarter of the season.

[preston0o1]

Not impressed, hawks just really struggled shooting the ball...translated to an easy win. I'll be impressed if they blowout the blazer @ portland

[babyskyhook]

[limchrc]

thanks

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB
_________________
"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."

[ChefLinda]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks again DB! Great to see this team emerge from the break with some focus and effort. Perhaps this is a preview of the Lakers we'll see in June? Hope so.

Now, on to the Rose Garden. I'm really hoping to see that same level of intensity, teamwork and defense unleashed on the Blazers.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB.

[Arbitrary]

Thanks DB.

Great to see Ebanks have some burn.

[AJLakerFan]

[RVCdesigns]

great game by Bynum, thanks DB.

[8x3=]

the lakers playing defense, who wouldve thought?

[Rick12322]

[Klone_dd]

I'm taking the "one game doesn't put you into a slump, one game doesn't get you out of a slump" mentality for the rest of the season. It was, however, nice to see the guys focused.

[Rick12322]

Thanks, DB.

Kobe's defense was much better. Bynum played great smothering defense, his defense was effective regardless of how the Hawks were shooting. That said, the team still gave up open looks all over the perimeter and the Hawks simply missed.

This game doesn't mean they've gotten past the bad perimeter defense. It was improved but it still needs work.

[Shaber]

Lakers looked fresh.

I hope they stay like that. And I can give a good recipe how to achieve this - more blowout wins!
_________________
.

Lakers depth chart

PG Johnson / Goodrich
SG Bryant / West / Scott
SF Baylor / Worthy / Cooper
PF Mikkelsen / Hairston / McAdoo / Gasol
C Chamberlain / Abdul-Jabbar / O'Neal / Mikan

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[AJLakerFan]