HORNETS -at- LAKERS - 3/27 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Squashing Bugs... Given their choice, Laker fans probably would prefer facing the Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. With the easy 102-84 win tonight, the Lakers swept the season series against New Orleans.

There's no telling where the standings will end up, however, nor does it seem to matter to the players whom they face.

"We're not afraid to play anyone anywhere," Kobe said.

"You can go 40-0 to finish the season and that has no bearing on the playoffs," DFish said.

Spoken like a couple vets with five rings each and their eyes on a sixth.

On a nightly basis the Lakers have two advantage over most opponents -- their size and their Kobe.

The Lakers size advantage was limited tonight as both Bynum and Odom dealt with foul troubles. (The Hornets, of course, had been dealt a severe blow recently by losing West for the season.)

The Lakers Kobe advantage has been warming up for the playoffs. He's averaged 36.3 points in his last three games and attacked aggressively on his way to 30 points in this one.

The Lakers didn't look past the Hornets with the Mavs game on the horizon. Hard to do that anyway. The Lakers must wait ... and wait ... and wait... until Thursday for that match up with the Mavs that may ultimately decide the playoff seedings between the two teams.


Kobe -- -- He has been aggressively attacking the paint lately. People forget that Ariza's defensive strength was playing the passing lanes and not man D. So blowing past him off the dribble is how Kobe needed to attack the match up anyway. After an efficient first half, Kobe misfired at a higher clip in the second half. His three shooting was off, but in the 1-6 numbers was a halfcourt attempt, a 30-foot heat check and a tough off-balance sideline three against a double team. Very difficult attempts, a couple of which shouldn't have been taken. What you like, though, is how much he's collapsing the D off the dribble and getting to the line. He's throttling up his aggression at the right time. "I'm just getting into playoff mode," Kobe said afterward. "He's using his time out there on the floor to really get himself ready to go down the stretch," Phil said. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 11-25 shooting (1-6 from three, 7-8 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +21. The Action: He swished a face-up wing jumper for the Lakers first points. He missed a three. He attacked and couldn't finish a layup under duress. He missed a step-back jumper after losing Ariza with a pumpfake (should have attacked). He attacked, ball-faked to turn Okafor around, rose up and hit the short jumper. He blew past Ariza and powered in a layup. He attacked down the middle of the lane and flipped in a backhand layup. He drilled a wing three out of a timeout. He missed a 30-foot heat check from the other side. He pushed out the break and hit a trailing Shannon for a dunk. He airballed a baseline fade. He crossed over and hit the pull-up jumper from the FT line. He backed down Jack, drop-stepped away from a double team and banked. He deflected a lob pass on the break to stop an Ariza throwdown. He drew FTs on a drive on the counterstrike, he made both. He drew FTs posting up Paul with 6 seconds left, he made both. He had 19 points on 7-12 shooting. He was a +20. Second Half: He missed a wing three. He attacked baseline, got hammered but powered in the And-1 as he fell back, he made the FT. He attacked and missed a drive in traffic. He missed a runner in the paint. He swished a turnaround baseline jumper working the post. He missed a wing three. He missed a tough baseline jumper taking contact with no call. He missed a sideline three. He posted up, spun and missed a finger roll. He hit the back of the rim on a halfcourt heave. He missed a long wing jumper. He blew past Ariza, hung in the paint and banked in the And-1, he missed the FT. He was undercut on a step-back jumper and went down (scary), he made both FTs. He banked in a fade off the give and go with Lamar.

Gasol -- -- Great job anchoring the D when Bynum had to sit with foul trouble in the first half. He was blocking shots, challenging others and controlling the paint. This allowed the Lakers to go on a run. Really, that was one of his better stints of anchoring the defense that we've seen lately. There was a bit of a let down in the second half, the effort and energy not consistently there with the lead built. But at the end of the night, strong two-way game from Pau. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 9-14 shooting (5-6 from the line) to go with 16 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 37 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He missed a long baseline jumper. He grabbed an offensive board, worked his way from the post to the middle of the lane and hit with his left. He beat his man down court and Fish threaded a bounce pass to him for the dunk. Great challenge on Belinelli's drive to force a brick. He gathered a tough pass after deflecting it against the backboard and scored the layup. He took contact across the lane, stayed with it and hit the tough And-1 jumper, he made the FT. He powered in an And-1 off the corner entry from Fish, he made the FT. He swatted his man at the rim to save a dunk. He swished an open elbow jumper off the Fish kickout. Another nice challenge to prevent an Ariza drive. He missed a one-hander a couple feet away. Another strong challenge and he was fouled going after the board, he made one FT. He had 15 points on 6-9 shooting, 9 boards and 3 blocks. Second Half: He missed a face-up jumper. He missed a running lefty hook across the lane. He outlet to Ron, trailed the break, got it back and slammed. He scored easily when Lamar attracted the D and fed him. He got boxed out and gave up a putback. He was fouled on a double team, he made both. He reversed off the drive and dish from Lamar..

Bynum -- -- Phil praised Bynum for his offensive work in the second unit. He was beasting in the post and for a stretch in the fourth quarter, he helped right the second unit. Love seeing him just back someone down and throwdown. He just abused Okafor on a couple of those post possessions. Drew was limited severely by foul trouble. He picked up his fifth just before he went on that little flury in the fourth. "I think that was one of the only fouls he deserved," Phil said of Bynum's calls. Those were definitely some cheap whistles. Thankfully, he hasn't had to deal with a lot of that lately. That's the only way teams can deal with Drew lately -- suspensions and foul trouble. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting (3-5 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He changed a drive to stop a missed layup. Paul flopped on him to draw an offensive foul on a lob on the other end (keep your arms, up Drew). He blocked Paul's jumper on a switch. He scored a putback off Fish's drive and miss. He backed Okafor under the basket and slammed with both hands (just too big). He missed a jumphook but bounced back up to regain possession, he then drew FTs off the Blake post entry, he made both. He was called for a charge on a strong drive from the wing, looked a like a poor call. He swatted Landry once, twice and was called for the cheap foul (his third) and he went straight to the bench. Second Half: Bad foul going after an offensive board behind the backs of others and he had to sit after 30 seconds (Phil thought this was a dubious call, but Drew really couldn't afford to gamble with a foul there when he already had three). Back in, another cheap foul, called for a charge on a spin move (flop by Gray after he realized he took some contact). He was fouled on a drop-step one-handed slam attempt, he made one FT. He sank a face-up jumper from the post. He was fouled after a baseline fake to his right and power up to his left for a slam, he missed the FT. He overpowered Okafor in the post and banked.

Artest -- -- He's averaged 13.5 points in his last four games. When he's got that going, the Lakers are tough to beat. On the other end, Marco Belinelli shot 4-16 trying to shake Mr. Artest. Ron made things miserable for him at the SF. Ron also had a few moments at the PF spot, as well, with the foul trouble to Drew and Lamar. For the inevitable comparisons, Ariza scored 4 points on 2-7 shooting, but had some nice drives and dishes in the second half before foul trouble. Ron scored an efficient 11 points, showing a strong perimeter game again. Ariza is shooting .304 from three this year and .390 from the floor. Ron is shooting .366 from three and .405 from the floor. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He swiped a pass, pushed it up but couldn't finish the layup against a couple defenders. He swished a step-back wing jumper. He drew FTs overpowering Belinelli on a drive, he made both. He posted up and lost control of the dribble, turnover. He sank a wing three on the pitch out from Pau. He stripped Ariza from behind with a reach. Second Half: He flashed to the ball and hit the baseline fade. He took an outlet from Pau, pushed it up, drew the D and gave it back to Pau for the slam. He poked a ball loose from Belinelli to Lamar on a trap, ran the floor and was fed for the layup. He missed a wing jumper off one dribble.

Fisher -- -- Another stat stuffing boxscore from everyone the starting unit but Fish. DFish is shooting .356 in March. He's also averaging 29.2 minutes, the most in any month this year. Perhaps, they are related. Perhaps, it's just the normal ups and downs of a season. He shot blanks all night until he swished his toughest attempt of the game, a high arching, rainbow jumper against the shotclock. Despite the poor shooting, he passed the ball very well, including a stretch of three straight set-ups for teammates in the fist half. Fish was fined $5K and given a flagrant for the last game's action with Kaman. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-8 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +26. The Action: He missed a baseline jumper. He attacked and missed a layup, but Bynum cleaned it up. Great bounce pass on the break to Pau for the dunk. Quick corner entry to Pau who had a smaller man (Fish had a big one dwarfing him on the pass) and Pau scored the And-1. He grabbed a defensive board and quickly outlet to Lamar for the dunk. He missed a wing three. He attacked and fed Pau for the elbow jumper (third straight assist from Fish). He was blocked easily on a drive. He gave up FTs while crowding Paul at midcourt with 3.9 left (got to be aware that Paul will flail). Fish was 0-4 and didn't score, but had 4 assists. Second Half: He pounced on a loose ball to help get a turnover. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a baseline jumper, got it back and missed a sideline three. With the shotclock about to expire, he brought rain on a high-arching jumper against Landry (it left the camera and dropped back in).

Lamar -- -- The Lakers saw two of their bigmen in foul trouble. Lamar was one of them. That leaves those sketchy minutes where the team has to scramble with a mixed lineup. Phil seems to opt for Ron at the PF more often than not. When we do this, the Lakers need to rebound as a team. We're small, everyone needs to get on the glass. They usually struggle with that. Offensively, Phil said he may move Lamar into the guard position more in the triangle with the second unit like he plays with the starters. This would bump Shannon to the wing spot more. Hopefully, that opens up the floor more (especially for whoever is in the post and for Lamar to attack off the dribble) and the second-unit halfcourt offense clicks a little better. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-6 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: Great crash on the offensive glass to grab a Kobe airball and he scored the layup. He struggled to keep Landry in check and got into foul trouble. He leaked out after rushing to challenge a shot and dunked when Fish grabbed the miss and found him. Second Half: He tipped in a Pau miss. He overpassed in the paint and drew a 3-second call. He missed a layup and wanted the call. Ron poked a ball loose to him, LO pushed it up and fed Ron for the layup. He attacked left, drew the D and dished to Pau for the layup. He sank a baseline jumper off the drive and kick from Kobe. He attacked and fed Pau for the reverse.

Blake -- -- Some very good D from Blake. He forced both Paul and Jack into some tough misses. Paul had just 10 points on 4-10 shooting, Jack 8 points on 3-9 shooting. When they were open, they hit. When challenged, they missed. Blake did a good job staying with them. Phil gave him some extended run as a result. The second unit may have had some offensive issues and also had to deal with some small PFs out there, but they at least dug in on D. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 offensive boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and no fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He grabbed a loose ball and quickly outlet to Kobe to ignite the break. Nice challenge on Paul who tried to create on iso against him at the end of the quarter and he forced him into a miss on a tough fade. His man left him on the pinch post handoff play, so Blake turned and drained the elbow jumper. With the offense sputtering, he fed Bynum twice on one possession to draw FTs (first post feeds for that unit). He missed a wing jumper off the two-man game. Second Half: He missed a frozen rope three (more arch, please). He forced Jack into a brick, right on him. He sank a sideline three off the Kobe kickout.

Barnes -- -- His only points were of the garbage variety, created on a hustle at the FT line off a missed Bynum FT. Other than that, very quiet game. He missed a breakaway layup that was challenged by a few Hornets. The upsetting thing about that play is Barnes was the only Laker to get down court. Had anyone else in the second unit followed him, they would have been rewarded with an easy bucket. Shannon and Blake at the very least should have been right behind him. Where's the hustle? The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 4 boards and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He missed a three on the break, not squared up well. He missed a wing three. Second Half: He missed a layup on a bust out against several defenders. He got to the front of the rim on a missed Bynum FT and scored the putback.

Brown -- -- When they were at their best, they were getting stops and Shannon was out on the break finishing strong (including a hand-changing throwdown). At their worst, he was front and center. He had 7 shot attempts in 7 minutes as the second unit squandered the lead in the first half. He was chucking in his second stint and the lead dropped again. Finally, they started to settle in and feed the post as a unit (Shannon, especially) and they regained the lead they had lost. Good on the counterstrike tonight, for sure. "We got to graduate from that to getting back into our offense when nothing is there," Shannon said. Only three Lakers had double-digit shot attempts. Shannon was one of them. "We have to get some guys shooting well," Phil said. Yet, Shannon is taking double digit shots? Just throttle it back, run a balanced offense and good things will happen. That's exactly what took place in the third when they started running things through Drew, and Shannon was finally on the same page with that. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-10 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He missed a long wing catch-and-shoot jumper (could have moved in closer). He busted out with Kobe, took the pass and soared in for the Worthy-esque dunk. He missed a wing jumper on a good look. He missed a wing three with the shotclock low. He scooped up a loose ball, pushed it out, held it up with one hand, brought it down and back up with the other hand for the slam. He missed another wing jumper, way short and in early offense (that would get him benched). He was blocked on a drive off the pinch post a few seconds later. He threw a pass out of bounds, not close trying to hit Fish at the end of the half. Second Half: He attacked off the dribble with the clock low, elevated and one handed in a bank. He swished a long wing jumper in early offense next time down (not a good look). He missed a chuck from three, didn't even explore the post.

Walton -- -- Phil went to a variety of backup PFs tonight with both Drew and Lamar in foul trouble: Artest, Smith and Luke. Luke managed to hoist a three while out there. He did it early in the shotclock, too. When Shannon is already doing that, this only compounds the Lakers problems. Slow it down, feed the post, play to our strengths. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting from three to go with 1 board, 2 assists and no fouls in 7 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed an early offense corner three (why, Luke? Why?).

Smith -- -- Phil did the Odom for Oldom swap in the final minute of the first half to prevent Lamar's third foul. He went with Smith on D, then subbed him out for Shannon on O. Not enough time for Joe to do anything. The Stats: No stats. He was a -1. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- The Lakers continue to roll... The Lakers pulled out to a 14-9 lead midway through the quarter and forced a timeout... Phil sat Bynum (after he beasted Okafor on a couple post possessions) for Lamar, Ron for Shannon and Fisher for Blake with 2:39 left up by 5... They extended the lead with a strong stint (having both Kobe and Pau out there helped the first subs for the second unit)... The Lakers led 30-19 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... With Shannon chucking in early offense, Phil sat him for Kobe up by 8... He sat Barnes for Artest midway through the quarter. The lead slipping... He sat Blake for Fish up by 4... Back to the starters with the lead still at 4... Drew had to sit with 3 fouls (two very cheap ones) with 4 minutes left, the lead at 6... They extended the lead to 13 points (Pau anchoring the D well) and forced a Hornet timeout with 2:49 left... He sat Lamar for Smith with 48 seconds left to save LO's third foul. He then sat him for Shannon for a couple offensive possessions, before bringing him back and sitting him... The Lakers won the second quarter 27-22 off a strong close (17-5 run)... The Lakers led 57-41 at the half. They shot 49 percent (22-45, 2-9 from three, 11-12 from the line). The Hornets shot 37 percent (16-43, 2-9 from three, 7-8 from the line)... Flat effort on the glass by the Lakers to start the half (Drew also had to sit a few seconds into the half with his fourth foul)... Up 72-55, Phil sat Lamar for Shannon when LO picked up his fourth foul. Artest now at the PF. They would need to rebound as a team (and didn't)... Up 17 with 2 minutes left when Phil sat Fish for Blake... The lead was trimmed with some poor rebounding by that unit... The Lakers led 74-63 heading into the fourth... "We get brain dead and refuse to move the ball," Cleamons said... Phil started a Bynum, Luke, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Horrible offensive execution (Shannon and Luke in particular with early offense chucks again) and the lead was trimmed to 6... They fed the post and extended back to 11... No one hustled down court off a Barnes breakaway, and when he missed the ball dropped to the floor and the Hornets recovered... Phil called a timeout with the score 87-76, the second unit still out there with 4:38 left. They succeeded by feeding the post. Failed when they didn't... Phil subbed out Shannon for Kobe, Bynum for Pau, Barnes for Artest. They struggled to warm up... Phil sat Blake for Fisher with 2:20 left. Once they warmed up, they kept things in hand... "We played a real good defensive game," Phil said... The Hornets shot 40 percent from the floor (3-17 from three)...

[E=MC²]

Thanks DB!!! Good win, now lets wrap up #2 seed.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!

Nice streak we've been on - let's catch Chicago while we're at it.

Nice game by Kobe and for Drew - way to keep that second unit in the game!

[lounger]

Thanks DB! It'd be great if we don't keep losing leads. But a great win nonetheless!

[mhan00]

Few things piss me off more these days than seeing shannon dancing around the perimeter with the ball looking for his own shot.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[DancingBarry]

[MedRomLaker]

[limchrc]

thanks

[Arbitrary]

Thanks DB!

[Tanlentueux]

[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."

[Dr. Laker]

[Rick12322]

thanks, DB.

[LakerEric]

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB.