Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:32 pm Post subject: LAKERS -at- MAGIC - 3/14 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
Battle: Los Angeles... Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum. The Beast from the East vs. the Best from the West.
Normally, this might be a fairly one-sided affair, but Bynum has been dominating the game with his presence lately. Nothing changed tonight in the Lakers 97-84 win.
Bynum set the tone in the first quarter swatting shots and grabbing double-digit boards to roars from Staples.
"He's doing some unbelievable things," said DFish in the Register. "Everybody asks why we've been so much better since the All-Star break. It starts with him."
Bynum finished with 18 boards (9 offensive) and 4 blocks. Those offensive boards led to second chances. The Lakers had 21 more shot attempts and 13 less turnovers than the Magic.
"That's the ball game," Stan Van Gundy said. "The game was on the boards and taking care of the ball."
That's playoff ball -- rebounding, taking care of the basketball, coveting possessions.
While Kobe suited up, the ankle injury took that bounce from his step. Kobe scored just 16 points, but several others, including his veteran backcourt mate, DFish, stepped up to fill the void.
Kobe -- -- A tale of two halves for Kobe. He misfired throughout the first half as the perimeter shooting struggles over the past couple games has continued. In the second half, he dropped 12 points on an efficient 5-8 shooting in the third. Once they started to get Kobe's production, they started to roll. He wasn't too aggressive on the drive, but more aggressive working the post and perimeter more. He probably should gone a little less iso early on and let the offense help get him easier looks. Kobe is as tough as they come. He usually has a pretty good read on how much he can push himself and the various injuries he has. He didn't look spry out there with the ankle injury, but he didn't look like a liability either. Phil sat him with 3 minutes left and Kobe immediately went to the locker room. Way to play through the injury. Nice to see him get two freethrows against the Magic this season. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-19 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 30 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He missed a wing three on his first touch. He was short on a wing face-up jumper. He missed a bank in the post. He sank a face-up 15-footer from the right wing. He was short on another wing jumper. He cleaned up a miss by Bynum in the paint. He had 4 points on 2-6 shooting. Poor, off-balance fade from the left side off the pinch post. He airballed a short baseline jumper. He was called for a turnover in early offense. He missed a turnaround in the paint. He missed a fallaway from the left side. He had 4 points on 2-10 shooting at the half. Second Half: He saved a dunk knocking a ball from Howard out of bounds. He got tapped on a short floater in the lane. He drew a charge on Nelson on the other end. He lost a defender on a fly by, moved in and swished the top-of-the-key jumper. He attacked to his right, pumped Howard and hit the teardrop over him. He missed a face-up jumper on iso. He swished a hanging baseline fallaway flashing weak to strong. He sank a face-up wing jumper next time down. He banked easily right over JRich in the post. He deflected a pass off JRich on the other end to get the stop. He missed a 19-footer off the high screen. He scooped up a loose ball and was fouled on a jumper, he made both FTs. He missed a tough jumper trying to draw a foul. He missed a fade out of a timeout.
Gasol -- -- White Swan morphed into Black Swan as the game went along. He started the game 1-6 before he got some nice set-ups from Lamar that seemed to help establish a heartbeat in him. He made his next 9-11 as the game went on. He got burned a little on the help and recover situations with Anderson shooting threes. But when Drew went out with fouls and Pau had to take Howard on, he held the line and got some nice help from teammates. Asked what the difference has been since the All Star game, Pau said, "We're excited about getting close to the end." He has really epitomized that sort of approach with some disappearing acts before the break. Three-peat-itis. It's tough to shake, but the Lakers and Pau seem to have done that. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 10-17 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists and 2 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a jumphook on the first possession. His jumphook was goaltended by Howard. He missed a turnaround, long. Good challenge on JRich's drive to get a miss. He airballed a turnaround yelling for the foul. He was blocked in the paint. He missed another turnaround fade in the lane. He scored a layup off the feed from Lamar. Finally low position and he hit the lefty jumphook. He And-1 slammed when Lamar found him again under the hoop, he made the FT. He missed a face-up bank. He faked the pass and attacked across the lane for a hook. He had 11 points on 5-11 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: Low position coming weak to strong and he hit a jumphook to start the half. He faced up and swished a wing jumper over Howard. He drew a charge on Howard in the post. He had 4 points on 2-2 shooting. He kept a missed Bynum FT alive. He then hit a 20-footer off the Bynum kickout. He was fouled on a face-up jumper, he made both FTs. Nice touch on a 14-foot turnaround straight away. He faced up at the elbow and hit the And-1 jumper over Howard, he missed the FT. He missed a runner across the lane.
Bynum -- -- Setting the tone early. Bynum opened the game with 6 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks in the first quarter. Just a monster start to this battle of bigmen. He had Staples buzzing a number of times with his effort. Drew said that "just being and energy guy" keeps him get in tune with the game. When you have an energy guy with that size, that is a heck of a weapon. Van Gundy mentioned at halftime that Bynum was killing them on the offensive glass and again repeated afterward how the Lakers had too many second chances. When Phil finally sat Bynum and Kobe late in the game, Staples let Drew know they loved the effort. Even though he had some foul issues, it was good to see him able to stay on the floor for a healthy chunk of minutes against Howard. "It's always fun to go up against him," Bynum said. "He's a great challenge. I think I did pretty well defensively outside of picking up some fouls." His 9 offensive boards were a career high and he again hit that 17-18 board range (the 18 tonight was a career high and he did it in just 28 minutes, too). "He's been very active, pursuing the ball," Pau said afterward. Defensively, Phil allowed Bynum to go single coverage against Howard. Drew gave Howard the perimeter shot (and he was surprisingly capable throughout the game). Bynum swatted a couple of Howard's attempts as well as a couple more who tried to attack the paint off the dribble. "The way that Bynum is playing on the inside," Brent Barry said afterward, "this is why the rest of the league still stands up and takes notice that the Los Angeles Lakers are starting to get things together and it's scary." The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-10 shooting (4-5 from the line) to go with 18 boards, 1 assist, 4 blocks and 4 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He got caught in the air and fouled Howard in the post on Howard's first touch. He reset the offense with a board and it led to Pau's hoop. He cleaned up a Kobe miss from behind Howard. He grabbed a loose ball and slammed. On the other end, he swatted Howard's reverse (staples roared). He missed a layup and a putback attempt. He rejected Howard to the sideline, then got back in the mix to pull away a board from a Magic player (another huge ovation from the home crowd). He missed a turnaround from 10 feet out. He grabbed an offensive board behind Howard and was fouled on the putback attempt, he made both FTs. He rejected Duhon's drive out of bounds. He forced Nelson into an airball on a fade. His jumphook was blocked, looked like a goaltend on its way down. He hustled after an offensive board in the corner and saved it back to a teammate while in the air. He blocked Hedo out of bounds. He picked up his 3rd foul with 3 minutes left and had to sit. He had 6 points, 12 boards and 4 blocks at the half. Second Half: He tipped a board behind Howard on one end, bounced to the other side and scored a putback, And-1 layup, he made the FT (just a superb play and a great second bounce up by Drew). He missed a banked jumphook with the shotclock about to expire. He fouled Anderson trying to block a dunk on help D, he had to sit after 4 minutes (saved a point, but they needed his presence on the floor). He had 3 points and 2 boards in that short stint. He took contact on an interior feed and nearly hit the tough jumper, he made one FT. He grabbed a Kobe miss and kicked to Pau for a jumper.
Artest -- -- So-so game from Ron. He had a couple lapses against Hedo defensively that aren't typical, but he still kept him from helping the Magic get into any flow via Turkoglu. It seems like whenever Kobe needs a lift, Ron has been one of the guys to step up and fill that gap offensively. He didn't do that tonight. He still had some nice mix-it-up moments on both ends. When Phil was asked why the Lakers kept the turnovers down, he said, "Ron didn't over dribble the ball, Kobe didn't take it into traffic." The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-7 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He missed a corner three. He missed an elbow fade. He out-muscled his man to grab an offensive board with one hand and was fouled trying to put it in all in one motion, he made both FTs. He ball-watched and gave up a layup, rare he does that. He missed a sideline three. He missed a long wing three. Second Half: He blocked Hedo's three (no credit for it). He took the pass on the break, changed directions around a defender and scored a layup. He doubled Howard and stripped him on the other end. He posted up and hit a fade in the lane. He attacked and kicked to Fish for three. He had position and drew a foul on Hedo on the offensive glass to regain possession. He probed in the lane and was whacked for FTs, he missed both.
Fisher -- -- Sure was a good time for DFish to step it up. He forced the Magic into a number of turnovers (drawing charges and offensive fouls as well as stealing the ball), and he was a consistent scoring threat on the offensive end from all parts of the floor. I'm sure the Magic are plenty sick of his timely performances against them. He put together a very strong two-way game. It seemed like he knew he had to give No. 24 a little lift tonight and he stepped up. Well done. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting (2-2 from three, 1-3 from the line) to go with 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He drained a catch-and-shoot 20-footer coming off the screens. He missed a runner down the lane. He swiped a pass from Nelson on the break. He drew a clear-out foul on Nelson on the perimeter. He drained a wing three over his man out of a timeout. Aggressive attack into the paint and he drew FTs, he missed both, uggh. He drew another clear-out foul on Nelson in the backcourt. He attacked with speed off a kickout and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a corner three. He drew a charge on Howard stepping in front of him in transition. He attacked off the three line and hit a pull up in the lane. He had 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Second Half: He stripped Howard on the double team to ignite a breakaway score. He hustled after the long board, scooped it up, attacked at bulldog speed and flipped a tough layup in over his shoulder going to his right. Good hustle to wrap up Howard when Pau gambled for a steal and lost. He drained a wing three on a kickout from Ron. He had 5 points on 2-2 shooting. He missed an open 18-footer.
Lamar -- -- He was the lifeblood of the second unit and had a couple dagger threes in the fourth quater. Some very aggressive minutes. When he's engaged like he has been this year, that's a good thing for the team (he led the team with a +10 tonight). He just has a very different mindset. You may have noticed he's been hoisting up threes lately the moment after he enters the game. That's just part of him coming in with the right attitude. "I try to get myself going," Lamar said. "Sometimes you got to look for your shot, to do that no matter where I'm at on the court. I'm looking to make the right play, and sometimes the right play is for me to just take a shot." That's really a different attitude for him this year, and it's the right attitude. That's the Lamar opponents hate to see. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-12 shooting (2-4 from three) to go with 7 boards, 3 assists and 5 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He missed a wing three the moment after entering the game. He missed a 20-footer with the shotclock low. He flashed to the ball and hit a fade in the lane. He hit Pau under the hoop for a layup and an And-1 dunk. He stepped on the gas while probing and scored a finger roll over a defender. He sank a baseline jumper. He was blocked on a drive across the lane. He grabbed an offensive board and hooked over Howard. He had 8 points on 4-7 shooting and 3 boards. Second Half: He changed speeds and hit the layup high off the glass. He gave up an And-1 dunk to Bass, then got blocked by Bass on the ther other end. He drained a pull-up three, going for a kill with 7 minutes left. He drained another sideline three with a couple minutes left. He missed a three on the final possession.
Blake -- -- The second unit dominated the first 5 minutes of the fourth. They didn't do it so much offensively as they did by holding the Magic scoreless in the first 4 minutes. They just got after it as a unit. Bynum, Odom, Barnes, Brown, Blake can be a very active defensive unit. Phil let them loose, extending the D with Bynum back under the hoop. During that stretch, the tempo started to speed up and Blake found a couple of teammates open for threes that helped extend the Laker lead. Great stretch of ball. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting to go with 2 assists and no fouls. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a three from the top of the arc. Second Half: He attacked in transition and hit Shannon for a three. He spotted Barnes wide open for a corner three.
Barnes -- -- Phil said Matt helped the team defensively with some of his familiarity of the Magic offense. When they put the pressure on in the fourth, Barnes was all over the place disrupting Orlando -- some steals and blocks to help change the tempo. "He's still a ways away from getting back in sync with all the guys in the offense," Phil said. It looked like he barked at Barnes for something during that run. Barnes really needs to have his timing right within the Tri to succeed (beyond the kickout three attempts). Injury wise, he was wincing a couple times in the game, but he still seemed to play actively. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He fouled JRich at the arc on a jumper. He charged on a drive across the lane. Second Half: He sank a sideline three. Nice trap to force a turnover. He swatted Arenas on help D and it led to a breakaway score. He attacked baseline and scored a layup. He airballed a corner three.
Brown -- -- Mr. Percentage Buster tonight offensively. He was given the ball so much with the shotclock low, it was kind of surprising when he actually had the shotclock expire once with the ball in his hands trying to create. He should have known to fire it up immediately. Give him a pass on the poor shooting percentage. Defensively, he had some great moments. That extra turbo-boost he has allowed him to recover or flat out swat shots. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-10 shooting (1-6 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He took contact and missed a tough shot afterward, should have been FTs. He swiped a bounce pass off the two-man D. He rejected Duhon out of bounds on a drive (great recovery). Second Half: He airballed a three at the buzzer. He missed a 21-footer with the offense stalling on the first possession of the fourth. He drained a sideline three on a kickout from Blake on the break. He missed a three next time down. He missed another three, no choice with the shotclock low on the next possession. Great challenge on Arenas in the post. He pushed out the break and wanted the foul on the missed alyup. No clock recognition and he was caught with the ball attacking as the shtoclock went off. He scored an And-1 layup jumping over Duhon for the layup in transition, he made the FT. He airballed another three trying to beat the shotclock. He missed a wing three with the clock low again.
Phil -- -- Fox put up some stats before the Game. Since the All Star Break, Lakers are leading the NBA in allowing just 41 percent shooting and 34 points in the paint per game; second in allowing 88.1 points per game; and third in allowing only 31 percent shooting from three... Down 19-12, Phil sat Pau for Lamar... Down 7, he brought in Brown for Artest... Down 6, he brought in Barnes for Kobe... The Lakers trailed 25-19 after the first, giving up too many wide open looks from three and shooting just 27 percent themselves... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Down 36-32, Phil sat Shannon for Kobe, Blake for Fish and Pau for Drew... Kobe continued to misfire and the Lakers fell back by 8. Phil had to sit Drew for Pau when Bynum picked up his third foul with 3 minutes left... The Lakers trailed 46-41 at the half. The Lakers shot 35 percent (17-48, 1-7 from three, 6-8 from the line). The Magic shot 47 percent (17-36, 6-11 from three, 6-9 from the line). The Lakers had an 11-3 advantage on the offensive glass (17-4 in second-chance points) and a 10-3 advantage in the turnover stat... They wanted better ball movement offensively... With a 2-point lead, Phil had to sit Bynum after 4 minutes when he picked up his fourth foul... They forced a timeout with a 58-55 lead midway through the quarter... The Lakers led 69-64 when Phil went to Blake and Brown for Fish and Artest. Good job by the second unit not losing the momentum... He sat Kobe for Barnes with under a minute left... The Lakers led 71-65 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit. The extended the D and extended to a 77-66 lead by getting stops and making two of several attempts from threes in the first 3 minutes... Magic got their first hoop 4 minutes into the quarter... The Lakers led 85-69, forcing another timeout... Wholesale change midway through the quarter to bring back in the entire starting unit... Phil sat Kobe with 3 minutes left for Shannon and Kobe went straight to the locker room. He also sat Drew for Lamar, huge ovation for Bynum... The Lakers had 20 points on the break in the second half to win the break 20-5... Drew on Phil: "The one thing that has surprised me is that Coach is really open with everybody," Bynum said in the Register. "He coaches, but at the same time he lets the players give their input, ad it's a veteran team that's been through the wars. That's probably one reason he's been so successful."
Last edited by DancingBarry on Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:12 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 18492 Location: The Garden Island
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:54 am Post subject:
Thanks DB. Great stuff as always.
I consider the first game back from any extended roadtrip to be more like an extra game on the trip, as teams so often exhale and let their focus slip during that first game back.
Props to the Lakers for ratcheting it up in the second half to beat a quality team (and a quality road team).
Drew was fantastic. If Drew stays healthy and plays with this kind of focus and intensity, no one is beating this team 4 out of 7.
DFish was great- perpetually unfairly maligned on LG- you can see he's getting warmed up for the playoffs- came through when the LAkers needed him to tonight, as he has so often in the past.
Big props to LO, who, along with Drew, kept them in the game in the first half and then helped seal the deal in the second. This is the LO we've come to expect now, who attacks aggressively when he fels the team needs it.
And way to go Pau. After a disappointing start, his aggressiveness vs Anderson inside in the second half really got their offense going. And on D, as you said, Pau did a great job to hold the line vs Howard when Drew was out w/ foul trouble- much like another famous Spaniard in the heat of battle (6:15 below).
Great game all around- great to see them stay focused in a very tough game to have as the first back from the trip.
Joined: 02 Nov 2008 Posts: 191 Location: Philippines
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:30 am Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- MAGIC - 3/14 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
Quote:
... Defensively, Bynum allowed Phil to go single coverage against Howard. Drew gave Howard the perimeter shot (and he was surprisingly capable throughout the game). Bynum swatted a couple of Howard's attempts as well as a couple more who tried to attack the paint off the dribble...
Lakers are crushing everything in their path. Reminiscent of 2001 squad's finish to the regular season and strangely enough that team was #2 behind Spurs and swept them on the road. History repeating?
Drew was fantastic. If Drew stays healthy and plays with this kind of focus and intensity, no one is beating this team 4 out of 7.
.
ditto - he is moving laterally really well and has great second hops right now. Amazingly, he seems both 'young' (as in active) as well as 'mature' (playing under control.) Even without much of his (sometimes) sophisticated offensive game on display, he is a dominant force. And he is HUGE. Look at him standing next to Dwight and Drew appears 7'2". Drew comments that he wants to lose weight (to gain more mobility,) and I think right now that might be a good key to his avoiding injuries.
The injury thing, of course it doesn't need re-stating, is really the thing with Andrew Bynum. He is singularly unique in the league as a talent since the All-Star break. Who else can really display the skills he is showing us?
Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 18492 Location: The Garden Island
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:53 am Post subject:
E=MC² wrote:
Lakers are crushing everything in their path. Reminiscent of 2001 squad's finish to the regular season and strangely enough that team was #2 behind Spurs and swept them on the road. History repeating?
I've been thinking that as well, E.
Most of the season I though the 94-95 Rockets were the model for this team, but since the AS break I've been thinking '01 Lakers.
I love the focus they are showing on this finishing kick.
I expect that they will keep it up and roll into the playoffs with a huge amount of momentum.
Powerhouse game by Bynum. Standing tall vs Dwight seemed to energize the team and the crowd. Similar buzz like a Magic (ours not Orl) pass or like Rodman chasing down a rebound. Drew's tip on one side, board and basket on the other side was the most athletic and impressive move he's made in a while.
After the 1st half, I was expecting another Magic (ours not Orl) tweet about Kobe's shot being off, but once he got comfortable in the 2nd, he became efficient and the Lakers became deadly. My mantra is if Kobe's efficient, the Lakers are unstoppable.
The pressure D from the the killer B's (killer BO's?) in the 4th was a new wrinkle. Usually doesn't work in the NBA because most teams have multiple quality ballhandlers. When it does work, it's like a snowball effect.
Great games by LO and DFish. If Fish is making layups and LO is making 3s, look out!
Great writeup of a great game DB;
I am more impressed by Drew each game. He gave Howard all he could handle, and kept the Lakers in the game the first half. I don't see any team beating the Lakers 4 of 7. Lamar gave his (as of late) typical game. Gasol woke up in the second half. Fish found the fountain of youth. And Kolbe was Kolbe. Another great game.
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-- A tale of two halves for Kobe. He misfired throughout the first half as the perimeter shooting struggles over the past couple games has continued. In the second half, he dropped 12 points on an efficient 5-8 shooting in the third. Once they started to get Kobe's production, they started to roll. He wasn't too aggressive on the drive, but more aggressive working the post and perimeter more. He probably should gone a little less iso early on and let the offense help get him easier looks. Kobe is as tough as they come. He usually has a pretty good read on how much he can push himself and the various injuries he has. He didn't look spry out there with the ankle injury, but he didn't look like a liability either. Phil sat him with 3 minutes left and Kobe immediately went to the locker room. Way to play through the injury. Nice to see him get two freethrows against the Magic this season. 
-- White Swan morphed into Black Swan as the game went along. He started the game 1-6 before he got some nice set-ups from Lamar that seemed to help establish a heartbeat in him. He made his next 9-11 as the game went on. He got burned a little on the help and recover situations with Anderson shooting threes. But when Drew went out with fouls and Pau had to take Howard on, he held the line and got some nice help from teammates. Asked what the difference has been since the All Star game, Pau said, "We're excited about getting close to the end." He has really epitomized that sort of approach with some disappearing acts before the break. Three-peat-itis. It's tough to shake, but the Lakers and Pau seem to have done that. 
-- So-so game from Ron. He had a couple lapses against Hedo defensively that aren't typical, but he still kept him from helping the Magic get into any flow via Turkoglu. It seems like whenever Kobe needs a lift, Ron has been one of the guys to step up and fill that gap offensively. He didn't do that tonight. He still had some nice mix-it-up moments on both ends. When Phil was asked why the Lakers kept the turnovers down, he said, "Ron didn't over dribble the ball, Kobe didn't take it into traffic." 
-- Sure was a good time for DFish to step it up. He forced the Magic into a number of turnovers (drawing charges and offensive fouls as well as stealing the ball), and he was a consistent scoring threat on the offensive end from all parts of the floor. I'm sure the Magic are plenty sick of his timely performances against them. He put together a very strong two-way game. It seemed like he knew he had to give No. 24 a little lift tonight and he stepped up. Well done. 
-- The second unit dominated the first 5 minutes of the fourth. They didn't do it so much offensively as they did by holding the Magic scoreless in the first 4 minutes. They just got after it as a unit. Bynum, Odom, Barnes, Brown, Blake can be a very active defensive unit. Phil let them loose, extending the D with Bynum back under the hoop. During that stretch, the tempo started to speed up and Blake found a couple of teammates open for threes that helped extend the Laker lead. Great stretch of ball. 
-- Phil said Matt helped the team defensively with some of his familiarity of the Magic offense. When they put the pressure on in the fourth, Barnes was all over the place disrupting Orlando -- some steals and blocks to help change the tempo. "He's still a ways away from getting back in sync with all the guys in the offense," Phil said. It looked like he barked at Barnes for something during that run. Barnes really needs to have his timing right within the Tri to succeed (beyond the kickout three attempts). Injury wise, he was wincing a couple times in the game, but he still seemed to play actively. 
-- Mr. Percentage Buster tonight offensively. He was given the ball so much with the shotclock low, it was kind of surprising when he actually had the shotclock expire once with the ball in his hands trying to create. He should have known to fire it up immediately. Give him a pass on the poor shooting percentage. Defensively, he had some great moments. That extra turbo-boost he has allowed him to recover or flat out swat shots. 
-- Fox put up some stats before the Game. Since the All Star Break, Lakers are leading the NBA in allowing just 41 percent shooting and 34 points in the paint per game; second in allowing 88.1 points per game; and third in allowing only 31 percent shooting from three... Down 19-12, Phil sat Pau for Lamar... Down 7, he brought in Brown for Artest... Down 6, he brought in Barnes for Kobe... The Lakers trailed 25-19 after the first, giving up too many wide open looks from three and shooting just 27 percent themselves... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Down 36-32, Phil sat Shannon for Kobe, Blake for Fish and Pau for Drew... Kobe continued to misfire and the Lakers fell back by 8. Phil had to sit Drew for Pau when Bynum picked up his third foul with 3 minutes left... The Lakers trailed 46-41 at the half. The Lakers shot 35 percent (17-48, 1-7 from three, 6-8 from the line). The Magic shot 47 percent (17-36, 6-11 from three, 6-9 from the line). The Lakers had an 11-3 advantage on the offensive glass (17-4 in second-chance points) and a 10-3 advantage in the turnover stat... They wanted better ball movement offensively... With a 2-point lead, Phil had to sit Bynum after 4 minutes when he picked up his fourth foul... They forced a timeout with a 58-55 lead midway through the quarter... The Lakers led 69-64 when Phil went to Blake and Brown for Fish and Artest. Good job by the second unit not losing the momentum... He sat Kobe for Barnes with under a minute left... The Lakers led 71-65 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit. The extended the D and extended to a 77-66 lead by getting stops and making two of several attempts from threes in the first 3 minutes... Magic got their first hoop 4 minutes into the quarter... The Lakers led 85-69, forcing another timeout... Wholesale change midway through the quarter to bring back in the entire starting unit... Phil sat Kobe with 3 minutes left for Shannon and Kobe went straight to the locker room. He also sat Drew for Lamar, huge ovation for Bynum... The Lakers had 20 points on the break in the second half to win the break 20-5... Drew on Phil: "The one thing that has surprised me is that Coach is really open with everybody," Bynum said in the Register. "He coaches, but at the same time he lets the players give their input, ad it's a veteran team that's been through the wars. That's probably one reason he's been so successful."
for Bynum?
