SPURS -at- LAKERS - 4/12 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

"If Healthy"... That's the one big caveat on any championship run. So when Bynum joined Blake and Barnes on the inactive roster for the next game with a hyperextended knee in the 102-93 win over the Spurs, Laker fans took a collective gulp.

The basketball gods require a sacrifice if you don't treat the game with respect. They appreciate the fundamentals: boxing out until the final buzzer, for instance. They appreciate the effort. Fail to bring the right effort, you lose games.

So we have the Spurs resting their trio of stars while the Lakers play theirs, and down goes Bynum. He stepped on a foot in transition while turning to look for the ball. His leg slipped and down he went. He stayed there for a while, holding his surgically repaired knee looking disgusted or scared or both.

Laker fans went through the same set of emotions. News trickled out: Not returning. Hyperextended. MRI.

The flavor of the game went from bland to bitter.

The Lakers pushed through and started to play to their strengths. That often meant get the ball to Lamar in the post and let him go to work. When they did, good things happened. When they didn't, the Spurs kept it tight. At the end of the night, Lamar's 23 points made enough of a difference.

At the end of the night, however, the story was Drew. Word came trickling out from various sources.

"He said, I'm going to be all right," Phil said. He wasn't sure if a bone bruise was involved or not. He had some swelling.

Reports were that Bynum walked without a limp and said it wasn't serious.

"It's not really that bad," he said to reporters as he walked out of the locker room. "It was painful right when it happened but it's not that bad right now."

Great news for Laker fans. Hopefully, Drew will still have his "A" game whenever he returns.

To control their seeding the Lakers will need to take another win in Sacramento -- possibly the team's last game ever in that arena. It may not be easy with all the players out.

"It's just an opportunity for us to rally as a team," DFish said.


Kobe -- -- After picking up a very cheap fourth foul in the third quarter trying to set up in the post, he got slapped with a tech. He punched a chair on the sideline in frustration. The league rescinded the tech in Portland, thankfully. Otherwise, the Kings game would have been even more interesting. "Now he's against the edge," Phil said. Kobe was frustrated, ticked with some of the Lakers lack of fight, and at times steaming from the ears. He played with more defensive intensity himself -- a sign the playoffs are about here. When he's digging in on that end, it makes a big impact. Offensively, he had a mixed assortment of threes, midrange, post ups and drives. He still had turnover issues. He's averaging 4.7 assists with 2.96 turnovers this season. He had 19 assists and 19 turnovers during the Lakers losing streak. That same ratio was in play tonight. The Stats: He scored 27 points on 8-21 shooting (2-6 from three, 9-9 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 4 turnovers and 5 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He swished an open wing three for the game's first points. Way short on a three, but then he tried to follow his shot leaving his man open for an uncontested layup in transition. He missed a 20-footer on the next trip down. He attacked and drew FTs on the drive, he made both. He drained a pull-up 17-footer in transition. He drew a double team and hit Pau for an open jumper. He missed another three. He got a kind bounce on the elbow fallaway and it dropped. He missed a wing three. He up-faked, attacked and missed a highlight reel-type of reverse. He was fouled on a turnaround, he made both FTs. Short on a pull-up jumper at the top of the key. He swished a baseline jumper off the pinch post. Quick first step on iso and he scored a layup. Bad reach on the other end to give up FTs. He attacked and kicked to Pau for the open jumper. He missed a wing three on a two-for-one. He attacked a crowd and picked up a charge with 3 seconds left (his third foul) of the game. He had 16 points on 5-12 shooting (1-5 from three). Second Half: He missed a tough baseline turnaround. He sank a turnaround from the midpost. He hit a baseline pull up off the Pau hand off. He missed a tip in. He picked up a cheap fourth foul trying to step around a man in the post, then picked up a tech. He missed a bank off a drive. He was wrapped up after drop-stepping to lose his man in the post, he made both FTs. He missed a jumper straight away. He attacked and was hacked for FTs on the dunk attempt (glaring at the ref under the hoop for not making the call), he made both. He missed a short jumper, got it back, rose up and dumped it to Pau for the layup. He picked up his fifth foul with 3:21 left. He swished a wing three on a split play. He missed a wing jumper.

Gasol -- -- With Bynum out in the second half, Pau had to elevate his presence. He couldn't play passive and small. He grabbed 13 of his 17 boards in that half, starting to come alive a little more in that regard. He's going to finish the season with 10.1 or so rebounds per game. That's about a rebound less than last season in the same amount of playing time. Having Bynum out there dominating the glass probably affected those numbers more than anything else. With the playoffs on the horizon, this is one of the key parts of Pau's game -- and the Lakers game -- you hope he elevates. No Drew for the next one and playoffs about here, it's time to get after it. No rebounds, no rings. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-12 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 17 boards, 5 assists, 1 block and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He sank a wing jumper on the skip pass from Kobe. He didn't settle for the jumper, attacked across the lane instead and scored the running hook. Quick attack from the elbow off the pinch post handoff and he drew FTs, he made one. He iso'd and hit a jumphook off a quick first step. He missed from the post, Smith fought for it and no-looked to Pau who then scored the easier jumphook. He drained a baseline set shot off the Kobe drive and dish. He had 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 4 boards. Second Half: He blocked Blair under the hoop. He kept a Lamar miss alive, got it back in the post and handed off to Kobe for a score. Blair went around him for a layup. He picked up his second and third fouls trying to challenge shots. He swung through and missed a jumper. Quick baseline attack from the right block and he was hacked, he made both. He back-rimmed a jumphook. Poor seal and his man picked off the post entry. He missed a wing jumper on the next possession. Easy jumphook on the next possession. He bobbled a Kobe pass but still scored the layup.

Bynum -- -- He slipped while running in transition and hurt his surgically repaired knee. He sat on the floor for a long time and looked upset. He was either scared or knew this was more severe than some previous close calls. After walking to the locker room under his own power, Bynum was done for the night and the next game. Early word was a hyperextended right knee. He will have an MRI tomorrow at 11 a.m. Bynum was the main reason the Lakers went on their post All Star run. He was one of the few still balling during the Lakers recent losses. Without him, the interior D and the defensive schemes just don't seem to get it done. "He's a strong kid and has got a big heart. I trust his will to fight through this," Pau said. The Stats: He had 4 points on 2-3 shooting to go with 4 boards, 2 blocks and no fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He airballed a lefty jumphook on his first touch. He swatted Splitter in the paint. He erased Jefferson's drive with a nice block. He hedged out on the screen on one side of the floor to take away penetration, he immediately ran to the strong side of the zone as the ball moved around and then challenged a shot to get a miss. He stretched out and scored a layup off the high lob from Fish. Low position, he turned and hit the short one right off the catch.

Artest -- -- Rare when he doesn't get his hands in the mix on some steals. He leads the team with 1.5 steals per game. You just kept waiting for him to come up with a couple stops like that and help get the Lakers rolling but it didn't happen. He ended up with foul trouble and that forced more Luke on the floor. Jefferson only scored 10 points on 2-9 shooting and wasn't much of a factor, but neither was Ron. He did have some aggressive attacks into the paint which usually resulted into something positive. The Lakers got 20 points on 5-12 shooting and 7 assists from the Fisher/Artest combo. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists and 5 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He missed a wing three. He attacked off the pinch post, spun to change directions and drew FTs, he made both. He muscled his way along the baseline and drew FTs on a reverse, he made both. Second Half: He sat early with his fourth foul. His man attacked past him for a layup when Ron got on him too tight on the perimeter. He swished a FT jumper off a little rub screen. He drew FTs on the other end battling with Blair for a defensive board, he made one. He picked up his fifth foul trying to block Neal's runner.

Fisher -- -- DFish had an aggressive start to the game. He took three shots in the first four trips down the floor and the Lakers trailed. He would end up with double-digit shot attempts, but would scratch out some points along the way. He's been really working on his bank shot and hit a long one in this game. That has looked pretty strong lately. Defensively, he had some ups and downs. He was in the mix in drawing a few offensive fouls on the Spurs, but also gave up some cheap FTs, too. He said the team was expecting to face the starters and game planned for that. "It changed our mindset a little bit," Fish said after finding out a few minutes before the start of the game. The team eventually did a better job of finding the soft spots in the Spurs D and exploiting those. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-10 shooting (1-2 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He attacked the paint and missed a layup a couple feet out. He missed a 22-footer short. He missed a layup in transition. He sank a baseline jumper off the Pau pitch out. He attacked off the pinch post and drew FTs, he made both. He lobbed to Drew who gathered it and scored the layup. He forced his man to step out of bounds on the sideline. He erased a 3-on-1 break drawing a charge. He drew a clear-out foul on Hill with tight D. He held on the perimeter, two FTs for the Spurs. Horrible pass to no one against the zone, layup for his man in transition. He sank a long wing bank on the next possession. More FTs for the Spurs as he tried to get around a screen (should have been a no call). He got a hooking call on Hill to get a stop. He had 6 points on 2-5 shooting. Second Half: He was hit on a jumper with no call and missed. He swished a three off a kickout. He missed a sideline three in transition. He attacked and wanted a call on the miss. He attacked and was bumped on a layup miss but got the call, he made both FTs. He sank a wing jumper working off the Pau screen.

Lamar -- -- It started out with an uninspired first half by Lamar. He settled for long jumpers, his only make coming on one of his two attacks. His perimeter hoisting sucked life from the team. In the second half the Lakers started to exercise their brains a little more. He moved to they and they got him the ball against guys like Bonner and Novak. They would go away from it, Phil would call a timeout and make them go right back to it. When they played to their strengths, they thrived. When they didn't, they suffered. Sometimes basketball is very simple. You have an advantage, you go to it. When you do the fundamentals (boxing out until the final buzzer, for example), then good things happen. The game swung back and forth upon the Lakers collective hoop IQ. Down the stretch, he had a series of And-1s working in the paint. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 9-18 shooting (1-6 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: Completely tapped on a wing three (all the way down and back out). He missed a long pull-up jumper. As Stu talked about not settling, Lamar hoisted up a 21-footer and missed (Phil called a quick timeout and barked at Lamar). He attacked out of a timeout and bricked a drive. He hoisted up and bricked another three. He attacked, spun and scored a layup. He bricked another three in early offense. He was 1-7, scoring 2 points and grabbing 3 boards in 10 minutes. Second Half: He attacked Bonner and hit off the glass with his left on the first possession of the half. He grabbed a board, pushed it out and took it all the way for a layup. He didn't settle for a three on a kickout, blew past the D and drew FTs at the rim, he made one, missed the second, got it back and was tapped on a short bank off the drive. He posted up Bonner and hit an easy turnaround. He posted up Novak out of a timeout and hit the jumphook. He handed off to Shannon for a layup off the post entry and cut. He missed a three trying to get one on our last possession of the third. He hit Shannon on a post kickout for an open jumper. Finally, another post up after we lost the lead and he scored the easy And-1 on a drop step, he made the FT. Back to Lamar in the post and he quickly blew past Bonner for an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He got the ball in the high post, backed his man down and powered in an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He drained a three on his next touch and the shotclock low. He missed another three.

Brown -- -- Shannon is making the game too hard sometimes. Just run the offense and move the ball. Play to our strengths, make sure you work off of them. Good things will happen. When he forced the issue, his game was miserable. "I thought there were some good parts of his game out there tonight," Phil said. Those typically came when the ball worked to our strengths first, like Lamar in the post. Shannon and Lamar teamed up for three hoops in the second half out of the offense. When he forced it, the Spurs D was all over him. Maybe the Blake absence will somehow right Shannon's game. He's running as the backup PG and SG now. The Lakers are bringing Trey Johnson on board in the final game to help. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-11 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls in 26 minutes. He was a -5. The Action: He airballed a pull-up fade (slightly blocked) with 5 on the shotclock. He charged on the break, Staples groaned. He settled for a 22-footer on one end (nicely challenged and promptly bricked) and then fouled with some lazy D in transition. He missed a long heave at the buzzer. Second Half: He dropped a Lamar pass right into Jefferson's lap, unforced error. He sank an open corner three next time down on some good ball movement. He missed a long jumper in early offense. Dumb early offense chuck from the perimeter, when Lamar had Novak on him and was posting up in front of him, Shannon missed it. He gave the ball to Lamar in the post, cut off him, got it back and scored a layup (that's what you do). Nice try to get a Lamar missed three, but he couldn't finish the putback. He swished a 16-footer off the post kickout from Lamar. He missed a three. He swished a wing jumper off the pinch post.

Ratliff -- -- Some short run in the second half. I think our defensive schemes cater to his game better. If he can play like he did in the first month of ball, then we'll probably see more of him. The Stats: No stats in 2 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Walton -- -- Nothing like some extended run for the Luke/Shannon combo. With Barnes and Blake out, the cringe factor goes up. Better game from Luke, though. He's been working on his shot with a personal shooting coach. He made one perimeter jumper in this one. He got a nice defensive stop in the second half. Getting some (any) positive contributions from him have been pretty rare the last couple months. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: His inbound pass was picked off. He missed a three trying to take a two-for-one three (clock had been run too far down). He swished a wing jumper on a pick and pop with Kobe. Second Half: He drew a charge on Anderson's drive with some good foot movement. He was called for a clear-out trying to get into the post.

Smith -- -- One of the bright spots in this game were the feisty 5 minutes from Joe. He battled on the boards and had a hustle play and pass that sparked Staples. "They know how to play the game," Phil said of his deep bench vets. Good minutes doing the little things, playing fundamental ball. The Lakers didn't lose any ground when he was on the floor, actually gained a little. The Stats: He didn't shoot, grabbed 4 boards, had 1 assist, 1 turnover and no fouls in 5 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He got the crowd going with some energy in the paint to grab an offensive board, he then no-looked over his shoulder to Pau for a score. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Phil -- -- "We have to return to those activities that brought us there," Phil said prior to the game about their post All Star winning streaks. That means energy, focus, intensity and right effort. Unfortunately, it also means having a healthy Bynum anchoring it all... The Lakers lost Drew for this one and the next; Blake is out for a while with the chickenpox; and Barnes wasn't playing because of a sore knee. All three will miss the next one... Kobe had the Lakers first 7 points. After an 8-0 run to give the Lakers an 11-6 lead, the Spurs called timeout... Phil sat Pau for Lamar after 7 minutes with a 6-point lead... Up 8, Phil sat Kobe for Shannon with 3 minutes left... When Artest picked up his second foul, Phil went with a Pau, Lamar, Luke, Brown, Fisher unit up 10... The Lakers led 24-15 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Kobe, Shannon unit... Phil called a quick timeout after getting outscored 4-0 as Lamar settled for a 21-footer in early offense. He got on him about that... Lakers continued to chuck from the perimeter and the run went to 11-0... Up 29-26, Phil had to bring in Joe Smith for Lamar with Bynum going into the locker room... They extended to a 10-point lead, but a series of bad plays by DFish gave half that back... With 8 seconds left, they were out-scored 5-0 to end the half... The score was tied 45-45 at the half. The Lakers shot 40 percent (16-40, 1-11 from three, 12-13 from the line). The Spurs shot 33 percent (14-42, 4-11 from three, 13-14 from the line). The Lakers had just 1 offensive board and were outscored 11-2 on the break... Person said the shot selection was terrible. When the Rifleman is calling you out about selection, things are that bad... The Lakers pulled out to a 54-47 lead attacking the paint aggressively... Artest picked up a foul and Phil sat him for Brown after 4 minutes up by 3... Lakers were out of fouls again with 7:36 left in the third... Up by 4, Kobe had to sit with a weak fourth foul call. Phil brought in Luke... Out of a timeout, they got the ball to Lamar in the post against Novak. This is a no brainer, but sadly we go into Scarecrow, no-brain mode... Phil brought in Ratliff for Pau with 33 seconds left in the third... The Lakers led 70-64 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Ratliff, Lamar, Artest, Kobe, Shannon lineup... Once again, Phil called a quick timeout after a minute in when the Spurs went on a 5-0 run... Out of that timeout, we went right to Lamar in the post again... They led by 8 with 2:55 left when Kobe hit a three and the Spurs called timeout... He sat Kobe and Artest with an 11-point lead... The Lakers were out-rebounded 11-7 on the offensive glass. They kept the Spurs to just 2 points on the break in the second half. The lakers didn't score a point off any of the Spurs turnovers... They held the Spurs to 35 percent shooting...

[mhan00]

ugly ugly win

[Cutheon]

Thanks DB

[mhan00]

i was glad to hear shannon got the riot act from phil today in the fourth. looked like it made a difference too, since he started using our strengths instead of trying to exploit one of our most glaring weaknesses (namely his entire game when he looks for his own first).

good job by pau to step it up on the boards with 'drew out. he and lamar both have been too passive in that area recently, leaving all the work to 'drew.

lamar finally figured out that bonner and novak can't guard him and stopped bailing them out with long jumpers. please remember this fact, lamar, when we eventually face san antonio in the playoffs.

pretty good game from kobe, but i would really like to see efficient kobe again. it seems like it's been a long, long time.

[PURP&GOLD4eva]

Good win we needed it. Pray for DREW laker nation!

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB.

For such an experienced squad, we sure seem like we don't understand fundamental basketball sometimes.

[heatseeker08]

Phyrric Victory.
_________________
Ron Artest: "SAY QUEENSBRIDGE"

[Bynum4MVP]

Kobe wouldn't let the team lose
Lamar was beastin'
Pau was quietly having an uber-efficient stat-stuffing game.
_________________
Before Lamar trade: Lakers-57 wins (2011)
After Lamar Trade: Lakers 41 wins (2012)
Lol, people actually thought trading LO would be a GOOD thing

[Shaber]

[prisma8slg]

ugly win, but it's one we needed. glad we were able to push through although the game was too close considering how many players the spurs were resting. Hope Bynum recovers quickly.

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."

[limchrc]

thanks

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[Tanlentueux]