LAKERS -at- JAZZ - 4/1 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Knock, Knock... The Lakers are knocking on the door. If the Spurs don’t open it, they might just kick it down.

Tonight, it was the Lakers catching and passing the Jazz in the second half after being down by 17 points early on. In the second half of the season, however, it's been the Lakers catching up on the Spurs.

With yet another Spur loss, the Lakers can now control their destiny. They have a game remaining against the Spurs and are one loss behind them.

There are a lot obstacles in front of the Lakers that can prevent that from happening. Tonight, it was an undermanned Jazz team -- the perfect situation for the Lakers to let up and give up a silly loss.

L.A. opened the game flat -- no energy, no effort. The Jazz played with that sense of urgency which has killed the Lakers earlier in the season when they didn't match it. Down 17 after the first 17 minutes, the Lakers got busy.

They trimmed the lead to single digits before the half. Then, brought the lockdown in the third, holding the Jazz to just 16 points.

Their margin for error is very slim if they want to catch the Spurs.

"It's simply this: We've played very well and you can go out and have a stinker like we had in the first half [tonight] and lose a ballgame," Phil said in the Times. "And not have that energy in the second half to come back and win. It's asking a lot of a team to continue at that pace and expect them to play at that pace.

"We want to do it and we have every urgency to do it. But the odds are against us. It's still a real tough thing to do."

Six straight losses for the Spurs. Nine straight wins for the Lakers.

As Satchel Paige once said, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."


Kobe -- -- During the third quarter as the Lakers were putting the squeeze on the Jazz, Kobe continually picked himself up off the floor. He had a number of collisions with the Jazz bigman, Fesenko. Some hard fouls and knee-to-knee contact had him hobbling. He pushed through the bumps and bruises, taking exception to Fesenko tossing a ball off him on one of those fouls. That was the kind of lunch pail work the Lakers had to do to win the game. Kobe, like most of the team, slept walk on both ends early on. You could see him flip on the switch when they trailed big. The team seemed to follow his lead shortly later. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 6-14 shooting (2-4 from three, 7-10 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 31 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He made a three from the top of the arc to start the Lakers scoring. He swung through on Miles from behind the three line and drew FTs, he made two of them. He bricked a long chuck from the wing after a spin move, poor shot selection. He attacked and kicked to Pau for the open jumper. He gave up a layup to Miles. He cut from the weakside, took the pass, contact and scored a layup. He missed a three, then tried to cut before we gained possession and gave up a layup when the Jazz recovered (he was the only man back when he vacated that spot). More poor D and Bynum had to recover to his man, creating an easy score for Drew's man. Back in and he was called for a carry on his first touch. He attacked the lane and hit a floater in a crowd. He attacked and had a layup blocked. He split a double, attacked, drew contact but still scored the layup without the call. He created on iso, drew a double after a cross-over and was fouled with 1 second left in the half, he made both FTs. He had 13 points on 4-7 shooting and 1 assist. Second Half: He attacked the rim with aggression and was mugged by Fes, he took a long walk to recover, he then made one FT. He missed a wing jumper. He attacked and kicked to Fish for a three. He was tripped while splitting a double team, went down hard and limped to the bench during a timeout (took knee to knee contact). He sank a face-up wing jumper. He attacked off the three line, was hit hard by Fes, then had the ball tossed on him while he was on the ground (he rattled in the tech FT), then made one of the other FTs. He missed a top-of-the-key jumper. He had 5 points on 1-3 shooting in the third and several hard fouls. He drained a wide open wing three on a Pau kickout. He missed a wing three and was undercut with no call. He missed a three running clock down. He ran clock, attacked and missed off the glass.

Gasol -- -- He and Drew were pretty flat-footed early on. Pau has had a tendency to go through the motions when things are rolling for the team. That's part of the Three-peat-itis. It's hard to bring it every night when you've been there, done that. Meanwhile, your opponents are looking to play big against the defending champs. It's even harder to get up when you get in at 3 a.m. after an emotional win the night before. He slugged his way through it, giving the Lakers some of their one-two punch when they needed to dump the ball to him and let him go to work. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-10 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He blocked Jefferson's post up. He swished a 19-footer from the wing. He missed a wing jumper. He swished an open baseline jumper off the Kobe drive and dish. He was hit on a wing jumper, he made both FTs. He drop-stepped and scored a layup from the left block. He missed a face-up wing jumper. He had 8 points on 3-5 shooting and 4 boards. Second Half: He attacked the paint and was hacked, he made both FTs. Horrible hook pass off the rim trying to get it to Bynum. He beat his man down court and slammed on the long lob pass from Blake on the break. He was called for a travel getting sandwiched in the post. He couldn't finish a lob out of a timeout. He kicked out to Kobe for an open three. He worked the post and hit his lefty jumphook from the left block. He missed a lob, got it back and scored the layup.

Bynum -- -- Drew didn't bring his A game to start, just one board in the first half as the Lakers were dominated 11-2 on the offensive glass and 30-10 in points in the paint (The Jazz would finish with a 15-6 advantage on the offensive glass). When he's active, you see him challenging shots and immediately getting back in the mix to get the rebound. When he's not, there's some of that flat-footed standing around. In the second half, he had more bounce in his step and got engaged offensively (9 points in the second half). Give Fesenko a little credit for being hard to move in the paint, but the Jazz really clogged the lane and collapsed. As a result, he should have had at least 3 or 4 more points with all the hacks, but he was horrible from the freethrow line, just could not get on track. He eventually took and made a high arching rainbow FT and making it. Rainbow freethrow...what does it mean? Well, a little more arch will make his shot softer on the rim...but that was pretty funny to see. Again, some nice power moves by Drew tonight. Love seeing him go to that power game. Much better second half on the boards. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting (3-9 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He missed a two-footer at the front of the rim. He was stripped in the paint. He drew FTs on the corner sequence, he missed both. He saved a hoop with a block at the rim. He missed a jumphook in traffic with the clock low. He was blocked on a post up and wanted the foul. He drew FTs on the drive and dish from Brown, he missed both again, uggh. He was hit on a jumphook in the post for more FTs, he finally made both. He had 2 points on 0-3 shooting (2-6 from the line), 1 board, 2 blocks and 2 assists. Second Half: He got the ball down low, banged his man a couple times with the elbow and hammered down a reverse slam. Low position and he went glass off the right block. He grabbed an offensive board, took a power dribble and drew FTs trying to power up, he missed both again, arrgh. He had 4 points and 3 boards in the third. He swatted dribble penetration. Great hands to snag a tricky screen-roll pass from Blake and he threw down, he made the FT (a crazy rainbow FT). Quick first step and he banked in a running shot across the lane.

Artest -- -- The Jazz slid Millsap over at SF to go against Ron for a good stretch of the game. Like everyone else, Ron seemed to start the game a little slow on both ends. His first half D was sub par, but he picked it up as the night went along. It's rare when you see him not bringing it on D, but he had a stretch there with some uncommon miscues. Eventually, he got his second wind and dialed it in instead of phoning it in. Offensively, he clanked a few threes, but hit some of those off-balance jumpers around the paint. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-9 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He missed a fading elbow jumper. He missed a corner three. He grabbed a loose ball in the paint and hit a fade. He missed an open three. Miles blew past him to get FTs on Pau. Second Half: He missed a corner three. He swished a sideline three out of a timeout. He doubled off a cutter and gave up a layup. He choked a layup on a baseline drive. He missed a corner three. He poked the ball from his man, got it on the outlet and hit Shannon for the score. He drew an offensive foul on Millsap under the hoop. He posted up and hit a fade in the paint.

Fisher -- -- Steady game from both our PGs tonight. Fish was an efficient scoring machine. His shot looked automatic from the perimeter. The Lakers needed it. All of the impact ballers looked a bit fatigued. So the role players had to step up. Defensively, the Lakers had some poor double teams, especially when doubling off cutters. Fish was in on a couple of those. It seemed like they really wanted to help Pau instead of letting him try to handle his man on iso. The Stats: The Action: He banked a jumper from the wing. He was fouled on a wing three, he made all three FTs. He missed an open wing three. He faked, attacked a gap and drew FTs in the paint, he made both. He probed in early offense and banked in a short one. He had 9 points on 2-4 shooting. Second Half: He doubled off a cutter and gave up a layup. He drained a sideline three on a Kobe kickout. He kicked to Artest for a three. He swished a sideline three in transition. He had 6 points on 2-2 shooting in the third. Poor bounce pass to Pau out of a timeout and it was picked off.

Lamar -- -- Once again, he helped the second unit squeeze the life from a team in the second half. Pushing through mental fatigue and an illness, Lamar brought more impact ball from the bench. He was sick, had a late night with the travel and just wanted to get the win and get back home. "I just went out there and tried to let my instincts take over and not think to much," Lamar said. When told after the win that his wife was waiting up for him at home, he lit up. Hopefully, he can get some well-deserved rest and be ready for the next one. Lamar had a couple of key threes, one to end the third and one early in the fourth, that helped throttle the Jazz. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-13 shooting (2-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: He was blocked on a reverse. He posted up his man and hit the jumphook. He drained a wing jumper off the two-man game with Blake. He missed a floater short trying to create in early offense. He sank a step-back jumper at the FT line. He was hacked in a post play set up out of a timeout, he made both FTs. He booted a defensive rebound out of bounds with no one around but Pau. He blocked a shot to get it back. He had 8 points on 3-5 shooting and 3 boards. Second Half: He was blocked in the paint when Pau found him cutting. He blew a layup on the next possession off a quick first step. He drained a 30-foot three at the end of the third off the Blake pass. He threw a pass away to start the fourth. He drained a wing three (yelling at the ref for the And-1). He missed a layup, got it tapped back to him and missed the fade in the lane. He missed a wing three. He fumbled a look brick out of bounds, should have had that. He attacked left and scored a layup on the final possession.

Blake -- -- He set up his bigmen with some pretty looks tonight that led straight to dunks. One was a lob to Pau from 30 feet out, hitting him in perfect stride for the dunk. He had a couple other screen-roll plays that manufactured easy scores. Blake was also one of the few guys to bring the effort from start to finish. That's what you want from your bench players. He hounded his man in the first half to force some turnovers. He brought some energy and spark in the second half to contribute to the bench pulling away from another team for victory. Nice to see the back-to-back aggressive games. If he can string them together like this, that will show some growth in the triangle and go a long way for the team. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He worked the two-man game to set Lamar up for a jumper. He forced his man into a turnover bringing the ball up court. He got Weaver to clear him out for a foul with some pressure D in the backcourt. He missed a corner three. Second Half: He chased down a bad pass in the backcourt and scored an uncontested layup. Sweet lob pass to Pau, hitting him in stride for the dunk, not an easy pass to make. He pitched the ball out to Lamar for a 30-foot three with a second left in the quarter. Great attack off the high screen, he drew the D and whipped a pass to drew for the And-1 dunk. He threw a rebound behind his back to dodge a defender, pushed it up and hit the pull-up from the elbow.

Brown -- -- All three of Shannon's scores were at the rim. When you're struggling from the perimeter, you've got to find another way to be effective in other spots on the floor. Nice to see him and Luke team up for a lob dunk. The two of them have been a life-sucking combo in the past couple of games when they've been on the floor. It was ugly in the first half, but they got some things done in the second half. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He bricked a floater in the lane (should have gone glass). He missed a wing jumper coming off the screens. He missed a wing three. He attacked and dished it to Bynum for FTs. Second Half: He scored a layup on the break with Artest. He crossed over, attacked and scored a layup with his left. He slammed off the lob pass from Luke. He was blocked from behind in traffic.

Walton -- -- With Barnes serving a one-game suspension for his part in the Maverick smackdown and shove-fest last night, Luke got the thumbs up from Phil to take over that backup SF role. Earlier in the season when Shannon was more effective, Phil could easily slide Kobe over the SF and bring Shannon in early while Ron got rest. Now, that's not so simple. Since the middle of February, Luke has made just 4-21 shots. Obviously, inconsistent game time doesn't help, but Luke's shot selection has been poor (too many threes). The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed a sideline three. He was called for an offensive foul 17 feet from the hoop trying to post up. Second Half: He lobbed to Shannon for the throwdown in the halfcourt set. He airballed a turnaround in the post.

Phil -- -- Poor energy to start. The Lakers trailed 12-7 after a 7-0 Jazz run... Soft D by the Lakers and they trailed 26-13 after 9 minutes... Phil sat Kobe for Shannon with 2 minutes left (weak defensive start by Kobe)... He brought in LO for Bynum and Blake for Fisher... The Lakers ended the quarter on a 9-2 run... The Lakers trailed 28-22 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Shannon, Blake unit... They gave up an 11-2 run to start the quarter before a timeout came. No hustle, no energy, no skills on display... Phil sat Shannon for Kobe with 6 minutes left, down 41-28... The Lakers had just 6 points after more than 6 minutes... They turned things around with a strong close, a 14-7 stretch where they cut the lead back into something more manageable and ended up playing even in the quarter, 20-20... The Lakers trailed 48-42. The Lakers shot 39 percent (13-33, 1-8 from three, 15-20 from the line). The Jazz shot 42.6 percent (20-47, 2-5 from three, 6-7 from the line). The Jazz had an 11-2 advantage on the offensive glass (Bynum had just 1 board). Just 6 Laker assists. A 30-10 advantage on points in the paint for the Jazz... The Lakers tied things up with 4 minutes left in the third... Tied 62-62, Phil sat Pau for Lamar with 3:20 left... He then sat Bynum for Pau, Kobe for Shannon, Blake for Fisher a few seconds later after a timeout... The Lakers won the last few minutes 9-2... The Lakers led 71-64 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake unit... They pushed out to a quick 8-0 run and a 15-point lead... After the lead was extended to 83-65 after just 3:16 of action, the Jazz called a timeout... They trimmed the lead to 12, and Phil came back with his starters and Lamar for Bynum. They closed things out... The Lakers shot 21-30 from the line and 7-18 from three. They were out-rebounded 44-39... In the second half, they won the points in the paint 28-20 and made 21-38 shots... "We're playing with purpose," Phil said. "Our defense is pretty good. We're still weak in areas, but we're covering up."...

[DrumR]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB!

[AceFresh]

D.B.= Da Best

Thanks Chief!

[AceFresh]

D.B.= Da Best

Thanks Chief!

[mhan00]

lakers with the april fools on the jazz tonight: "You guys have got a shot to win this game! April Fools!"

Great win.

[Shaber]

Team tired from game with Dallas?
_________________
.

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

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks again DB

[All Net]

11 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks was Bynum's worse game for two months

says it all for me

great stuff DB

[Arbitrary]

[20,000]

[20,000]

Interesting note:

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB

[busym]

Thanks DB for another outstanding writeup. This team is for real. They dug a big hole at the start of the game. Then dug themselves almost out by halftime. Then climbed out of the hole and covered the Jazz up in the second half. Over powering the Jazz like the Lakers did in the second half was remarkable. Bring on the playoffs. I'm ready and I believe the Lakers are too.

[Lurtz]