LAKERS -at- HAWKS - 3/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Staples South?... That's what it sounded like as the Lakers hit Atlanta. They moved into town, moved into the paint, made themselves at home and controlled the game the entire way in the 101-87 victory.

The Lakers opened the season with an 8-game win streak and have now tied that mark since the All Star break.

"We're just better," Kobe said. "We're doing a much better job defensively. We're a better team right now. We're locked in. Everybody's a little moody right now. Everybody's on edge. It's a good thing."

While Kobe naturally secures the road game buzz, Andrew Bynum has been the buzz among Laker fans. He put together a 16 and 16 game, dominated the interior on both ends and in the process, the Lakers won the points in the paint battle 44-20.

"He's pursuing the ball," Phil said of Bynum. "It makes such a difference when a big guy goes to where the ball is coming off."

"He's doing a phenomenal job blocking shots, changing shots, then getting those rebounds offensively and defensively," Kobe said.

The Lakers will turn their attention now to the Heat. A lot has changed since they last met on Christmas Day. Bynum had only been back a few games then, the Laker defensive system has since been overhauled, and Kobe has rounded more into Kobe form.

Meanwhile, the Heat have fallen on hard times. They will play desperate ball.

"It's a great opportunity for us to right the ship or let the ship continue to sink," LeBron said of the Lakers coming to town.

When Phil was asked "What do you do to beat the Heat?"

"Well, you stay cool," Phil deadpanned.

Let's hope they stay hot...


Kobe -- -- This season he's passed Havlicek, Wilkins, Robertson, Olajuwan, Hayes and now he's moved into 6th place, ahead of Moses Malone, in the All-Time NBA scorer's list. He did it on three freethrows in the first half. Kobe got the bigmen going first, not taking a shot for the first 8 minutes of the quarter. The Lakers were scoring efficiently and using their size well. The Atlanta crowd was heavy in the purple and gold, which usually brings out the M-V-P chants and the buzz when Kobe does something. The Atlanta faithful didn't want to hear it, but the buzz was fairly loud. When the Hawks made a final run, Kobe ended up burying them for good with a a three. He then posed to let everyone know he just finished them off. Kobe tweaked an ankle slightly on a defensive rebound in this game, but it didn't look like much of a twist. Might see a little swelling overnight. Something to keep an eye on in the next one. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 8-18 shooting (1-4 from three, 9-11 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls. He was a +22. The Action: He orchestrated the offense and worked a screen-roll with Drew to set him up for the oop. He sank a baseline jumper, his first attempt after 8 minutes. He banked after flashing to the post on the next possession. He missed a layup on a drive left. Pau got it back and kicked to him and he missed a three (didn't square up well). He hit a short turnaround in the middle of the paint. He sank a leaning pull-up jumper off the high screen. He swished a long wing jumper out of a timeout. He was undercut on a wing three to get FTs, he made all three to catch Moses Malone on the scoring list. He missed a pull-up wing jumper. A determined attack across the lane and he scored a layup. He missed a corner jumper over a double team (Ron cleaned it up). He had 15 points on 6-10 shooting. Second Half: He saved Bynum who got up-faked out of position and rejected Josh Smith at the hoop. He airballed a three, again not squaring up well. He missed a turnaround. He was called for a carry. He up-faked, attacked baseline and drew FTs at the rim, he made one. He sank a 17-footer working off ball behind the Bynum screen. He missed a corner three. He was hacked on the breakaway (Laker fans wanted to see a dunk), he made both FTs. He missed a wing three. He missed a long, pumping jumper. He missed a 5-footer after grabbing an offensive board. He drained the sideline three and posed with 3 minutes left (that was the dagger). He drew FTs working off the high Bynum screen, he made both. He was hacked on a drive with 44 seconds left, he made one FT.

Gasol -- -- Pau wasn't too pleased with the officiating. He took a lot of contact on shots without much love from the refs. That made his low percentage shooting look a little more deceptive than it should have been. The Lakers looked to dominate the paint and with Josh Smith trying to defend Pau that meant he was better off working the interior than his perimeter game. The Lakers need to press their size advantage in the next game. The Heat will want to run at every opportunity, so the Laker bigs need the ball to try to keep that from happening. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 6-16 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards (5 offensive), 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He swiped a pass and outlet to Ron for the breakaway dunk. He missed a short turnaround in the paint. He dunked after Drew kept an offensive board alive. He spun baseline to lose Smith easily and reversed. He sealed, took the entry and scored the layup over Smith. He missed a jumphook, taking some contact with no call. He traveled on a drive, expecting a whistle that didn't come. He attacked from the right block, missed, but tipped it in behind the defender. He missed a lefty jumphook in the middle of the lane. He had 8 points on 4-9 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: He hit Bynum on the high-low for a slam. He was knocked down on a jumper with no call. He worked the right block and hit a jumper across the middle of the lane. He couldn't hit a runner down the lane with the shotclock low. He short-armed an easy lefty jumphook. He swung through on a face-up to draw FTs when the Lakers needed to manufacture some points, he made both. He attacked across the lane, faked left, scored right while asking for the And-1. He missed a wing jumper. He was body checked with no call on a shot and just walked back down court on the final possession staring at the ref.

Bynum -- -- "Phil subbed out Drew with a minute to go and got out of his chair to give Bynum a slap on the back. Well deserved. Drew seemed to like the late-game sub for the props. "I just go out there and give second and third effort defensively," Bynum said. Some signs that Drew's knee is rounding into shape are those second and third efforts. He also was bouncing up off the floor for second or third swipes at shots or boards in this one. He's been able to string several active games in a row. In the past, the knee would give him troubles after a highly active game and he'd show the wear in the following game. Not the case lately. He matched up against Horford, and the Lakers made sure they didn't leave it a one-sided affair. They went to their post players from the start to set the tone. When you have a mismatch, exploit it. Bynum got credit for just 3 shotblocks, but he got pieces of other shots and forced bricks on a number of challenges. Another great game from big Drew. "If he continues at this kind of pace, look out," Stu said. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 8-10 shooting to go with 16 boards (4 offensive), 3 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He powered in a reverse off the corner sequence to start the game. He missed a 3-footer on the next possession. He was stripped in the post. He scored a layup after getting low position in early offense against a smaller man. He kept a miss alive and Pau dunked it back in. He swatted Horford on iso. He slammed off the lob from Kobe on the screen-roll. He swatted Horford again on a jumper. He blocked Smith from behind. Second Half: He missed a turnaround, got it back and scored the layup. He slammed when Pau went high-low to him on the next possession. He erased a Williams reverse. Nice challenge on a jumper to force a brick. He slammed off the screen-roll with Ron. He powered in a jumphook in a crowd. He posted up, drew the D and kicked to Shannon for three. He sank an elbow jumper off the Blake feed. He challenged four shots on one possession before finally getting a travel violation on Johnson.

Artest -- -- If Drew is the warden of the Lakers lockdown prison D, Artest is baddest prison guard on the cellblock. Ron is in charge of solitary confinement. Tonight is was Joe Johnson's turn in the cooler. Johnson looked frustrated as the game went along. Artest held him to 11 points on 4-14 shooting and 3 turnovers. He muscled around the screens and stayed in his jersey. Only rarely in transition or when Ron helped elsewhere was Johnson free for a good look. He played a balanced offensive game and the Hawks didn't bog down the Laker offense by making Ron beat them from the perimeter. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-8 shooting (0-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 offensive boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He slammed on the breakaway when Pau stole the ball and outlet to him. He swished a top-of-the-key jumper. He missed a corner three. Looked like a pretty nice block on Smith on help D, but he was called for the foul. Josh Smith badly timed his jump for a board while Ron stayed nailed to the ground, so Ron got the board and scored the flat-footed layup (never even moved on the entire play). Second Half: He knocked the ball away from Smith on a timely double team. He missed a wing three on a kickout. He missed a fallaway from the wing. He hit Bynum slipping a screen for a dunk. Poor foul on Smith going in for an uncontested dunk to give up an extra point. He missed a wing jumper. He posted up Johnson and drew FTs, he made one. Pau kicked out to Ron with a second on the shotclock and Ron just chucked it at the rim like a soccer throw-in, percentage buster.

Fisher -- -- Aside from gambling on a bad double team or two, DFish played a pretty strong defensive game. He drew charges, swiped the ball and mostly kept his man from doing any damage. Meanwhile, his jumper has looked rock steady. And how about the post-up, turnaround bank? I'll take this type of two-way game any day from him. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-8 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 32 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He erased a breakaway taking a charge and a knee to the midsection. He missed a layup on an ill-advised break without numbers (layup the other way). He swished a wing jumper on a kickout on the next possession. He got Johnson on a charge in the middle of the lane, taking contact off ball. He missed an open wing three. He missed a runner at the buzzer. Second Half: He was hit on the jumper, he made both FTs. He sank a catch-and-shoot three straight away. He swiped a post entry pass. He swished a jumper off the split play with Drew. He left his man to double the post and gave up a three. He faked left, went right and banked in the post turnaround before falling to the floor.

Lamar -- -- He spent a little more time in the post against the smaller Hawks. Always good to see us take advantage of that mismatch when we have it. It wasn't a terribly active game from Lamar. He only had a couple of boards, but he helped scratch some points for the second units. Not settling for long jumpers and long rebounds is how you want to play against a smaller team, looking to bust out on you. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and no fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He missed a wing jumper. He ball-faked to lose his man, attacked and scored a layup. He cut, took a pass in the post, spun away from a double team and scored the tricky layup. He attacked and threw a pass away. He flashed to the elbow, took the pass and hit the turnaround. He took contact on a layup but still powered it in. He missed a face-up sideline jumper. He drew FTs working the post, he made both. Second Half: He hit a jumphook off the inbounds when Barnes spotted him. He missed an elbow turnaround jumper.

Blake -- -- He seemed to have the ball in his hands a bit more with the shotclock low and needing to create. That usually put him into a more aggressive, attack mode, which is how you'd like to see him a little more often. Defensively, he was feisty throughout. The second units were a little slow to get going tonight and their fourth quarter play left something to be desired again. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: His pass to Lamar, who slowed down on a cut, was picked off for a layup the other way. He drained a pull-up three at the end of the first quarter. He worked off the screen and kicked to Barnes for a three. Second Half: He missed a running bank, but battled to get it back. He found Drew for the 12-footer. He attacked and missed a fade in the lane with the shotclock low. Nice hustle to swipe a pass with 30 seconds left, no quit on D.

Barnes -- -- "I feel good. I just have to get the rust off," Barnes said. His three ball has looked good since his return. Now, we need those garbage points and off-ball cuts to show up. Glad we have him back for the next game where his athleticism could be useful. He may not be in top shape, but can elevate our bench. The Lakers flopped badly on Christmas Day. "It'll be a different outcome," Barnes said. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-1 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He swished a wing three off a Blake kickout. Second Half: He found Lamar in the paint on an inbounds for a score. He posted up Crawford and was hacked, he made both FTs.

Brown -- -- A fairly patient game from Shannon. A few of his looks were with the shotclock about to go off (instead of those early clock chucks). Patience shouldn't be that hard of a thing for him to integrate into his game. The more he can let the offense cycle through it's options, the better. He's indulging a little less on the road than at home. The stats say he takes one less shot per game on the road (and scores 2 less points). So, some conscious (or subconscious) effort to be more careful with possessions. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-7 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist and 3 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a wing jumper with the shotclock low. He sank a pull-up elbow jumper as the shotclock went off. He attacked, took some contact and bricked under the hoop. After taking a pass while working off a screen, he hit Lamar for a layup. He drained a sideline jumper. Second Half: He was blocked on a baseline floater. He missed a half-court heave. He drained the wing three on the post kickout.

Phil -- -- The Lakers worked the ball to their bigs for a number of layups and dunks to start. One of the more bigman-oriented attacks than we've seen to start a game. They led 18-17 midway through the quarter when Phil sat Pau for Lamar... Phil went to the Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit with 2 minutes left up by 7... They floundered a bit and lost some lead to close the quarter... The Lakers led 29-25 after the first quarter. Phil kept the same unit in to start. They extended the lead to 10, forcing a timeout... Up 42-33, Phil brought in Kobe and Ron for Brown and Barnes... He sat Blake for Fish on the next dead ball... Phil then sat Pau for Bynum with 5 minutes left up by 11. Good staggering... The lead was trimmed to 6 and Phil called a timeout. He sat Lamar for Pau... He sat Drew for Lamar to save a third foul with a minute left, the lead at 9... The Lakers led 57-49 at the half. The Lakers shot 58 percent (25-43, 2-3 from three). The Hawks shot 46 percent (19-41, 4-10 from three). The Lakers had a 28-10 advantage on points in the paint... The coaches didn't like the over-switching on D, which contributed to some offensive boards... The Lakers worked to a 70-54 lead and forced a timeout midway through the quarter... He sat Pau for Lamar up by 18 with under 4 minutes left... He sat Ron for Barnes with 3 minutes left... Phil went with the Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit with 2 minutes left... They lost a little of the lead again similar to how they closed the first quarter... The Lakers led 81-65 heading into the fourth... Phil ran Bynum instead of Pau with Lamar, Barnes, Brown and Blake... The lead was trimmed to 13 after 5 minutes and Phil called a timeout... He went back with his starters. Sorry bench, not quite getting it done again... The starters closed the deal in the last couple minutes with an 11-2 run...

[Lakersneuron]

thanks DB!

[GoldenThroat]

I love this line, DB.

[Lakersneuron]

[GoldenThroat]

Artest's flat footed rebound and putback was one of my favorite plays of the year. I was laughing for a good minute. He reminds of the old guy at the Y with no athleticism at all but is full of old man strength and craftiness.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[Klone_dd]

[Vicky T]

Thanks DB
_________________
Macho Men:
http://tinyurl.com/2ajhhov

[Tanlentueux]

Thanks DB

[Bynum4MVP]

Alot of the Lakers' turnaround has to be attributed to the renewed defensive prowess of Bynum and Ron.

They're scoring some point but their defense is taking care of the blue collar work.
_________________
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

[limchrc]

thanks

[prisma8slg]

great write-up.

[Rick12322]

Thanks, DB. This is the best:

[MIMLaker]

[AJLakerFan]

[Arbitrary]

[RVCdesigns]

Thank you DB. Bynum has now convinced me enough to feel good about the rest of the Laker season.

[DancingBarry]

[GoldenThroat]

[Wino]

[babyskyhook]

[sec 110]

Thanks DB!