JAZZ -at- LAKERS - 4/5 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Lightswitch: OFF... "This was our worst game of the year. Worst game for a couple of years," Lamar said after the 86-85 home loss to the Utah Jazz.

In the middle of the game, Frank Hamblen said it looked like the Lakers didn't want to be there. We can put a few thousand words together analyzing this game, but that's the game story right there.

"They outplayed us. Simple as that," Phil said.

If you've only watched two basketball games the last two days, you might not be too thrilled with the sport. Like the UConn vs. Butler game yesterday, the Lakers vs. Jazz was about as aesthetically pleasing.

The only one seemingly playing from start to finish was Andrew Bynum who pulled down a career-high 23 boards. Had he actually finished the game, the Lakers interior might have held up and held onto this win.

Silly games like this can make a difference in home court advantage in the playoffs. The Lakers made a strong effort to gain an edge on teams like the Celtics and Heat. They must work to keep it. Simple as that.


Kobe -- -- It seemed like he only showed up for the last 6 minutes of the game. In Utah last time, you saw him try to turn it on in the second quarter. He took too long coasting in this one and saw the game literally slip through his fingers. At the buzzer, he stared at his hands as he walked to the locker room after losing the ball as he went up for a shot to win the game. He didn't get a field goal in the first half, not bringing the intensity. This was one of the few occasions where he looked like he was going through the motions for most of the game. The pulse of the Lakers reflected it. Hayward had a field day against him on the defensive end and chewed apart the Laker D. Hayward carried his team in crunch time. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 6-18 shooting (2-6 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 7 turnovers and 5 fouls in 34 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He was stripped on a drive. He attacked and kicked to Pau, who scored on the subsequent drive. He forced a man into an airball on one end, then missed the pull-up three on the other. Poor D not closing out on a shooter to give up a three. He posted up Miles and drew FTs, he made both (his only points of the first quarter). He attacked left and drew FTs on the pull-up jumper, he made both. He up-faked, attacked and drew FTs in the paint, he made both. He fouled Hayward on one end, then split a double team and charged on the other to pick up his second and third fouls in the final minute. He had 6 points on 0-1 shooting and 2 assists. Second Half: He missed a baseline fade. He tried to scoop a shot around a man and missed. He spun and lost the handle out of bounds. He dunked off the Artest steal at midcourt. He stepped through on Hayward and banked an easy one on the next possession (should have been an And-1). He missed a wing three on the next possession and it led to a transition dunk. He had the ball poked away, then was shoved away and give up a layup on the other end. He came up short on a fade across the lane. He tried to thread the needle on a pass and it was picked off. He missed a three out of a timeout. He had 10 points on 2-8 shooting after three quarters. Back in and he immediately clanked a fade. He attacked a crowd and was blocked. He missed a 20-footer. Out of a timeout, he curled, took a pass and scored a layup. He attacked across the lane and swished a runner on the next possession. He missed an off-balance wing jumper trying to draw a foul. He threw a kickout away, Ron was standing right there, not sure what he was looking at. He missed a three, not close. He tracked down a loose ball in the corner and swished a three, huge make, to cut the lead to 2. He then got an offensive foul on Hayward on the other end getting an elbow. Not close on a chuck from three. He gave up dribble penetration and then didn't help the helpers to give up a couple FTs with 32 seconds left. He drained a three with 16 seconds left to tie it up. More penetration to Hayward for FTs with 6 seconds left. He lost the handle on the final possession and stared at his hands walking to the locker room.

Gasol -- -- He had no interior presence on the defensive end. One of his worst games in that regard in a while. His man had multiple offensive putback. When Phil wanted the Pau/Lamar unit to close out the game, they pretty much rolled the red carpet out and let the Jazz have their way. No anchoring. No boards. Of course, Pau probably had to play through some pain, but he did seem to move really well out there on the court when he wanted to. He looked like he was at full speed in transition, for sure. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 5-10 shooting (9-11 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He sank a wide open baseline jumper off the Artest drive and kick for the first score. He swatted Millsap's jumper. He lobbed to Bynum for a dunk. He took an outlet, gathered himself and scored an And-1, he missed the FT. He swished a 20-footer. He attacked across the lane on a kickout and scored the easy running hook (more please). He drew FTs on the defensive glass, he made both. He drew FTs on the corner pass as he cut, he made both. He had 12 points on 4-5 shooting in the first quarter. He gave up a putback tip in. He missed a short one off the offensive board. With 2.8 left, he took an inbounds pass, quickly tried to attack and drew FTs, he made both. He led the team with 14 points, but had 2 points in the second quarter and 1 board in the half. Second Half: He gave up a putback to Favors again. He posted up and was hacked across the lane for FTs, he made both. He was swatted on a breakaway dunk. He was owned on the glass again by Favors for another putback score. He missed a lefty bank on the other end. He watched another offensive board go to the Jazz, no effort going after it. He gave up an And-1 with a half-hearted challenge. He grabbed a Kobe miss, let defenders clear out, then worked across the middle to hit with his left. No help on the screen-roll D and Hayward dunked off it. He was stripped on a spin. He drew FTs in transition, he made one with 3 minutes left down 2.

Bynum -- -- He set a career high for rebounds -- the only Laker showing up to play the whole game tonight. Stay greedy, Drew. To go along with those 23 boards, he also had 4 blocks. Honestly, it seemed like more than that. He was swatting and controlling shots. Superb job anchoring the D. When Phil sat him to close the game, that was that for our anchoring. Offensively, Drew was probably blocked as many times as he blocked the Jazz. He needed to either go real quick or give a few up-fakes before powering up. The D would swarm him and he'd be toast. A few of those misses and boards were on tip attempts from Bynum...he was also given credit for a score by Jefferson who tipped one in. Drew kind of seemed like he and Kobe were going to be the one-two punch down the stretch, but Phil pulled him for the last couple minutes. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-13 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 23 boards (7 offensive), 1 assists, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He dunked on a lob from Pau. He back-rimmed a two-footer expecting a foul call that didn't come. He grabbed a couple offensive boards on one set, but threw an interior pass away. He was blocked in the post and wanted the foul. He had 6 boards (3 offensive) in the first quarter. He swatted a layup. He was blocked on a drop-step, needed to pumpfake. He missed a FT jumper, flashing to the ball. He drew a clear-out foul on an aggressive Miles attack that sent the Jazz player to the floor. He was blocked again, trying to gather a pass, spin and go up. He had 2 points on 1-6 shooting but 11 boards in 20 minutes. Second Half: He missed a couple tip attempts. He missed an easy hook across the lane. He swatted Miles, controlled it and it led to a breakaway. He was given credit for a shot Jefferson tipped in. He hit Lamar on a high-low for a layup. He swatted a post up on help D and controlled it. He faced up, drop-stepped and powered in an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He was blocked for a layup the other way. He blocked Hayward's drive. He posted up and muscled in an And-1, he made the FT. Low position and he quickly swished the jumphook.

Artest -- -- I was hoping Ron's D in the second half was going to spark the team. He had a couple of plays that seemed to ignite the crowd, but they fell flat on the Lakers. Ron had a stat stuffing game with the little things: boards, blocks, steals. He seemed to do a little of everything. He wasn't without his difficulties again going up against Millsap. To start the second half, Millsap quickly erased a Laker lead. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-8 shooting (1-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go wtih 7 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He set up Pau on a drive and kick on the first possession. He missed a rushed, challenged three against the shotclock (had DFish wide open). He missed a corner three. He swiped a ball from behind with some good hustle in transition D. He grabbed a board, made like Lamar by pushing it up with speed and scored a layup in a crowd. He missed a wing three. He swatted a drive on the other end. He tripped while attacking into a crowd and lost the ball. Quick attack from the post and he drew FTs, making both. Second Half: He overplayed Millsap on the perimeter and got backdoored (why do that?). Millsap had the first several makes for the Jazz to start the second half and pull even with the Lakers. Total brick from three by Ron on the other end. He poked a ball from Millsap, tapped it into the backcourt, hounded him, then eventually poked it loose from behind and it led to a Kobe dunk. He was called for an offensive foul trying to get post position. He blocked Millsap twice on one sequence. He sank a foot-on-the-three-line jumper on the break (if you're going to take a three in that situation, make sure it's a three). He swiped a post entry pass. He inbounded to Pau with the clock low, jumped to the corner, got it back and hit the three.

Fisher -- -- Sure wish DFish could have hit any of his freethrows in this game. He shot blank from the line and from three. Defensively, like our other perimeter defenders, he was horrible. Some ball watching and getting caught out of position cost the Lakers in crunch time. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting (0-2 from three, 0-3 from the line) to go with 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He missed a tough elbow turnaround, but swiped it back on a switch on the other end and drew a foul on the break. He banked a long jumper on a kickout to the right wing. He took contact on a baseline jumper on the next possession and swished the And-1, he missed the FT. He telegraphed a pass trying to wind up. He missed a corner three. Second Half: He scored a layup on the break with Kobe. He was hit on a pull-up jumper from the FT line, he missed both. He missed a long corner jumper on the break. He bricked a layup in transition with 4 minutes left, didn't hit rim. He ball-watched and gave up a three.

Lamar -- -- "Every aspect of the game was just bad," Lamar said. He added that the team had to stay motivated and keep playing hard. The second units looked completely out of sync at times, and pretty much whatever they did was the wrong thing to do, it seemed. Nothing went right. Well, not quite true. Lamar missed a three so bad that it banked in. That was the Lakers first three after 14 attempts. About the only thing that looked good was the rare post touch for Lamar. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-12 shooting (1-4 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He was called for three seconds off the Bynum/Kobe screen-roll. He missed a wing three. He fumbled the ball away trying to create, unforced error and layup the other way. He posted up and hit the short jumphook. Way short on a 17-footer. He posted up, spun baseline and scored an And-1 layup, he missed the FT. Second Half: He grabbed a high-low with one and had scored the layup without bringing it down. He missed a layup and a follow tip on the break. He missed a heave for three at the buzzer. He banked in a wing three (the Lakers first three). He was short on a 17-footer. He knocked an offensive board down and took it for a reverse. He missed a wing three.

Blake -- -- After a decent first half, he was quiet the rest of the game. He's probably the best lob passer the Lakers have had since the days of the Shaw/Shaq Redemption. He hit Barnes and Brown on the break with long lob for throwdowns. Right on the money with the passes and perfectly timed. Lakers would have done better with Blake closing than Fish in this game. The Stats: He didn't score or shoot, but had 5 assists, 1 board, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 14 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He spotted Barnes cutting from the corner in transition and hit him for a lob throwdown. He stripped a ball off a man to get a stop in transition. He threw a pass away trying to thread it to Bynum on a baseline drive. He attacked, collapsed the D and fed Barnes for a layup. He knocked a ball loose from behind on the other end, then hit Shannon with a halfcourt lob for a dunk. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Barnes -- -- I must have missed the reasoning why Barnes wasn't in the game in the second half and we had to suffer through Luke. Not sure what that was about. Hope he is okay. Need to reel in my thoughts here before going on a Luke rant in Matt's write up. Some good hustle by Barnes on the defensive end to help get some stops. Offensively, he scored off some Blake set ups. His three shooting was mostly at the top of the arc where he has looked very unstable lately. As mentioned, these shots seem like they have no shot in going. He's now 0-8 from three in his last six games. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He threw down an oop from Blake in transition. He threw a pass away on a drive. He missed a three with the shotclock low. He blocked Weaver from behind to get a shotclock violation. He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Blake. He dropped to the level of the ball and swiped a pass. He was short on a three at the top of the arc. Second Half: He did not play.

Brown -- -- Shannon is probably the worst post entry passer on the team. It's upsetting when guys get position in the strong side and we don't get the ball to them. It's not like the pass isn't there. It seems as if there is a hint of some kind of defense on that pass, he bails out and swings it away. This doesn't help the offense get in gear as it has to cycle again to set something up. The Lakers perimeter defenders had some really poor sequences of ball watching on the perimeter and losing sight of their men. Shannon was in on that non-action, too. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He wasn't close on a reverse layup attempt. He was blocked on a jumper at the buzzer, looked like a foul. He bricked another reverse. He slammed on the halfcourt lob from Blake in transition. Second Half: He attacked across the lane and hit a poor fallaway on the baseline, horrible shot selection, but he made it. He ball-watched and gave up the lead to Hayward who hit a three, just completely lost.

Walton -- -- Wow. Luke has gone full (bleep) on us. It was like watching Simple Jack out there, a comedic portrayal of an actor getting too deep into a role, and Hollywood was not into it. It was over-the-top awful to the point of amusement. I'd rather we go 4-on-5. Is that legal? The Stats: He was didn't score on 0-4 shooting (0-1 from three) in 5 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a wing three with the shotclock low (so what else is new?). He missed another wing three badly, lots of time to create something else. He attacked and didn't draw iron trying to draw a whistle. He attacked from the wing and was blocked out of bounds easily.

Phil -- -- The Lakers pulled out to a 14-8 lead, forcing a Jazz timeout... The Lakers were up by 10 when Phil sat Bynum for Lamar... They were up by 7 when Phil sat Ron for Barnes and Fisher for Blake... They were up 6 when Shannon came in... The lead was just 24-20 after the first quarter, squandering that lead... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake lineup... More ugly second-unit minutes, nothing going right for them. Poor offensive execution no matter what they tried... They had a 30-24 lead when Phil went to the starters with Lamar instead of Bynum. Four subs at once...He sat Lamar for Bynum... The Lakers led 40-34 at the half. They shot 39 percent (13-33, 0-7 from the floor, 14-17 from the line). The Jazz shot 33 percent (14-42, 2-8 from three, 4-8 from the line). The Lakers had 10 turnovers. No intensity out there... The Lakers were quickly tied up after 2 minutes to start the second half... Phil called a timeout with 5 minutes left to insert Lamar for Drew, Lakers up by 4. Kobe missed a three out of that timeout. The score was tied up a couple possessions later... With 2 minutes left in the quarter up by 2, Phil ran a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake lineup... The Lakers were tied 57-57 heading into the fourth... "I don't think our guys want to be here, the way they are playing tonight," Hamblen said... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Blake lineup. Luke still? I don't think Phil wants to be here... The Lakers made their first three after 14 attempts when Lamar banked one in during the fourth... Phil sat Luke for Kobe up 62-61 after 3 minutes... Down 1, Phil sat Lamar for Pau... Down 2, Phil sat Bynum for Lamar. There goes the interior... Down by 1, Phil called a timeout with 6 seconds left. Kobe turned it over on iso... The Lakers shot 38 percent and had 19 turnovers... "We didn't execute what we practiced today," Phil said afterward. I certainly hope not...

[Shaber]

Two positives come to mind.

Drews rebounding.

And DBs writeup.


Honestly, I just can't understand how can anyone vote KObe for MVP if this is the example he leads his team with (and I am NOT talking about the last play).
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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

[Klone_dd]

I thought the NCAA game was bad, this one was simply horrible.

Kobe's lack of energy and focus really rubbed off on the team. Hard to think he was outplayed by a rookie, but he was, on both ends of the court. His isos were a mess, mishandling the ball, dribbling into traffic and lazy D. I can't remember such a poor game from him.

Only Bynum came to play, which makes his absence at the close really puzzling.

I don't know who makes me cringe more - Luke or Shannon.

Wipe the memory of this one quickly.

[DancingBarry]

[Vicky T]

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB. Guess I picked a good one to skip.

[Shaber]

[angrypuppy]

I turned this one off early and went to bed. While I didn't think the Lakers would lose I knew they were going through the motions. They were playing like a team jockeying for best lotto position.

[Arizona]

ok, that was a tank job, right? They couldn't have been trying to win that game. They looked like the Bad News Bears out there! How can such a great team look so awful? yikes!
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“I’m just a basketball player, you know? Just put me where you need me.” -Lamar Odom

“You’ve got to play with pride and guts.” -LO

[el2ik]

[E=MC²]

Jax wanted to lose this game to make things interesting. How do we know that? Walton played over Barnes and Bynum (despite a career game on boards) wasn't on the floor when it counted.

With that being said, Lakers are flirting with blowing HCA in Finals over all three teams that could reach them.

[wolfpaclaker]

Thanks DB, this would have been a tough one to cover. Easy to cover the big games or the wins, but duds like these are where you really earn your stripes as LG's play by play man.

Sucks LA went back to sleep a bit, but at the same time it's important to factor that they went on a huge run and that can take it's toll on you mentally and physically. Seems once they beat Dallas a few games after dropping SA, both blowouts, they got that green light that the West was theirs. Well, that probably played in to it.

I'd like to see them win the next 5 and get 60 wins. It's a nice plateau to hit and I think Phil Jackson teams that win 60 games or more have gone on to win the ring 6 out of 7 times.

[Arbitrary]

[oldschool32]

I have no clue why Luke was in the game, maybe I missed something. When Luke plays, the Lakers either lose a large lead or lose the game altogether. As for Shannon, I can't remember the last time I have seen him throw a post entry pass. He doesn't even think about it. He just swings the ball the other way instantly, or puts the ball on the floor resulting in a bad shot. These simple things are killing the Lakers' offense.
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"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up."-The Greatest

[limchrc]

thanks

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB. Missed the game, perhaps that's a good thing.

It's good to see Pau and Drew played 30+ minutes though. The knees must be ok.

Drew - 23 rebounds wow.

[ChefLinda]

Thanks goodness I fell asleep at half-time. Truth be told, I'd rather have the second seed in the West anyway. Thanks, DB.

[B_P]

[scottpot29]

but but but....Walton is a solid NBA player!

Classic Luke description. In fact, it is now my new sig.
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Wow. Luke has gone full (bleep) on us. - DB

[City_Dawg]

We won last night right? That was all a bad dream, right?
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*sighs*

!...

[keale18]

Love Luke but yeah id say hes no longer serviceable and has flat out stunk up the joint lately.

[babyskyhook]

[babyskyhook]

[maddprophet]

i really need an explanation why barnes didn't play in the second half. that luke ish was just awful
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Spark the ism, my expertism, is lyracism, my flow will take you over like I was hypnotism...so where's the lighter, to start the cypher....

[RVCdesigns]

missed the game, thanks DB.