LAKERS -at- GRIZZLIES - 1/31 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Down Goes Bynum... Stunned. Shell-shocked. Devastated. Kobe, Phil and several of the Lakers stood above Andrew Bynum as he held his right knee in pain. Kobe had fallen into it, buckling the knee and sending Drew to the floor. The team struggled to gain their composure after that.

Bynum was carried off the floor with an early diagnosis of a sprained knee. He will get an MRI in New York. Last season, Kwame Brown had a sprained medial collateral ligament on a similar incident when Ben Wallace fell into his knee. Kwame was out for 6 weeks. Knee injuries vary, of course, from incident to incident but this looked very similar.

"I was able to pick my leg up which kind of saved me from doing any real, real major damage to the knee," Bynum said afterward. He said the injury was not as bad as last season. He seemed optimistic, but Laker fans will be holding their collective breaths until that MRI comes through.

"Great disappointment," Phil said of the injury. He seemed to be a bit more somber. "I thought it took the wind out of our whole team in the first half."

In the second half, the Lakers regained their focus and dismantled the Grizzlies, outscoring them 60-37. Lamar Odom slid back into the starting lineup and the team clicked without issues on their way to the 115-98 victory.

The Lakers are back to the team they ended with last year. Swap Turiaf with Powell and throw in a healthy Ariza. They have proven they can win at a high rate with this team and will have to do so. "We're still going to expect success," DFish said.

"We have to stay optimistic about it. That's all we can do," Phil said.


Kobe -- -- Kobe looked disgusted and then dejected the moment he crashed into Bynum in the paint. He seemed to lose the edge and focus to his game at that point. It was bothering him for a while. When the team came back out in the second half, he had the focus back and led the team past their troubles. He led them in points, assists and steals. We were able to keep Kobe's minutes down in these two road games. With Bynum out, however, that may be a rare luxury. Kobe has been averaging his lowest minutes per game in 11 years with the 36.4. Last year, he went for 38.9 while playing with Pau or Bynum. The Stats: He scored 25 points on 10-20 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He missed a turnaround from the midpost on the first shot of the game. Sweet touch pass to Bynum on a high entry to Kobe and it led to an And-1. He bricked a runner. He drew FTs on a quick attack off the in-bounds, he made both. He attacked from the left side, was off balance and fell into Bynum's knee, buckling it. He stayed at that end of the floor with him until the Lakers called a timeout. He drew FTs on a rebound, he made one. He grabbed a loose ball, attacked and dunked. He posted up and hit a turnaround after shedding his man. He was shoved on a lob with no call and missed. He posted up and fed Luke for the layup. He fumbled away a sure layup, attacking before he had the ball. He ballwatched and gave up a three to Mayo. He lost another sure layup, the ball slipping out of his hands as he went up (could be the bandages). He attacked from the top of the key and scored a runner. Second Half: He posted up and powered in a layup. He filled the lane on the break with Lamar and scored the And-1 layup. He posted up and missed the short turnaround in the paint. He just missed an And-1 layup off a curl from a Luke screen, he made one FT. He missed a turnaround. He weaved through the traffic and elevated for the FT jumper. He attacked across the lane, looked to kick it out, had no one to go to, so he twisted back toward the basket and hit a fading one-hander (crazy shot, yet somehow he hits those). He missed a long three. He posted up, stepped through a soft double and hit a jumper over a third defender. He cut weak to strong on the baseline, took the Pau feed and scored off the glass. He worked off the high screen and hit the 10-foot floater.

Gasol -- -- Hey, did you hear? Pau is facing his brother in a game. (Can't wait until the novelty of this wears off and announcers don't feel the need to talk about it every minute.) Having said that, I will try to mention it as much as possible below. Good overall game from Pau. He continued to work the post and hit the jumpers at a high rate. Defensively, we're back with him anchoring the D. It actually wouldn't surprise me to see our D tighten up a little. Although that may have more to do with extra minutes from Lamar. The Stats: He scored 24 points on 9-14 shooting (6-6 from the line) to go with 8 boards (3 offensive), 4 assists, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 38 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He scored the first hoop of the game, working the post for a jumphook. He missed a jumper from the top of the key. He faced up and attacked his bro and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He traveled in the post. He scored easily over Miles in the post. He drew FTs and made them. He dunked off the long outlet from Lamar. He threw a pass away and the it led to an And-1 the other way. He scored easily on a turnaround over Miles. He collapsed the D and fed Vlad for three. He dunked off the interior feed from Luke. Second Half: He slapped a ball off a guard to force a turnover. He threw down a putback jam on the Luke miss. He posted up his brother and sent him to the bench with his fourth foul, 3 minutes into the half, he made both FTs. Nice recognition of the fronting D on Lamar, Pau flashed to the high post, went high-low with the pass and it drew FTs for LO. He drained an open elbow jumper off the Kobe pass. He backed down his man and hit the short jumphook. He faced up and hit the wing jumper. Quick attack, but he airballed the fade. No challenge on Marc's elbow jumper, swish. He went behind his back to Kobe cutting baseline for the layup. He missed a jumphook after taking a bump from his bro.

Bynum -- -- "It's kind of like deja vu," Bynum said. "I was playing pretty well and got hurt. This time it's not as serious as the last." If the Cavs are Kobe's injury bug team, it appears the Grizzlies are Bynum's. Last year it was the left knee against these Grizzlies, this season, the right knee. Kobe attacked the paint from the left side of the floor and fell into Bynum, buckling his right knee. Bynum grabbed his knee, screaming in pain on the floor. The entire Laker team looked pale. He had to be carried off the floor, putting no weight on the knee. He can put pressure on it and walk without crutch. He said he's feeling optimistic and said it's supposedly not going to be as bad as last year. Hope for the best. Bynum was rolling through teams and opponents at a much higher level than last season. He was playing hungry, greedy for buckets and running the floor with speed. Keep your head up, Drew. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-3 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 1 block in 4 minutes. The Action: He grabbed a lob from Kobe and jammed it in while looking for the foul. He swatted penetration. He took a touch pass by Kobe and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a long turnaround (need to repost those). He posted up Gasol and powered up for FTs, he made both. He was imposing himself early and oftend before the injury.

Luke -- -- With the athleticism of the Grizzlies, this match up was much more cut out for Ariza at the SF. Luke gave serviceable minutes, nothing special on either end. With Bynum out, Luke will need to make sure he keeps his men in front of him as much as possible. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-5 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive), 2 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He got backdoored for a dunk. He scored a layup on the break. He missed a three. Nice dive cut when Kobe posted and Luke wound up with a layup. He attacked from the wing and drew FTs at the rim, he made one. He grabbed a Fish airball and fed Pau for the dunk. Second Half: He grabbed an offensive board then missed the baseline jumper. He gave a guard too much space with the shotclock about to go off and he gave up a three. On the other end, he cut under the hoop, took the pass from Pau and drew FTs, he made one. He set up Lamar on the drive and dish for FTs. He missed a corner three, way long.

Fisher -- -- With his dad in attendance, DFish was drilling shots just about anytime he took them. Again, he's playing to his strengths and spreading the floor. Defensively, the Lakers didn't have many issues once they dialed it in. Conley and Lowry didn't give the Lakers much trouble. Fisher said the Lakers will be able to replace Bynum's offense, but his defensive presence will be an issue. The PG spot will feel it. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 6-7 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 2 boards and 1 foul in 32 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He hit a runner in the lane working the two-man with Bynum. Silly double on Bynum's man for no reason and the Grizzlies scored a three. He airballed a three on the break. Second Half: He drained a wing three on the Kobe kickout. He drilled an open wing three. He swished a long jumper with his feet on the three line. He iso'd on his man, backed up and swished the corner jumper. He worked off the high screen and stuck the 20-footer from the left side.

Lamar -- -- "That's why we felt so good about coming into the year," Lamar said of Bynum. Now, they will have to fall back to something they are very familiar with, the Lamar/Pau starting combo. "They showed that kind of game they played last year during the playoff run," Phil said of the team's play with Lamar the second half. Lamar looked aggressive and picked his spots well. He's going to have to find that rhythm again like he did this time last year. Lamar tweaked his left foot late in the game and sat, but it seemed minor. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He missed a wing jumper. Poor lob pass to Ariza who was wide open, turnover. He attacked strong to his left and threw down a jam at the end of the first quarter. Good position to take a pass under the hoop after coming weak to strong and he made the layup. He grabbed a board in transition and quickly outlet to Pau for the dunk. Good D on Lowry forcing a miss on iso. He telegraphed a pass, turnover, points the other way. Second Half: He iso'd against his man and blew past him for a layup to start the second half. He posted up a guard and was fouled on the high-low from Pau, he made one FT. He was fouled on the throwdown attempt when Luke set him up, he made both FTs. He scooped up a loose ball and went glass for the score. He powered up a layup off the give and go out of a timeout. He iso'd off the dribble, went behind his back to Ariza cutting baseline for a layup (sweet pass).

Ariza -- -- Scrappy effort from Ariza. He and that second unit had an excellent start to the fourth quarter to hold the Grizzlies scoreless for the first 6 minutes. However long Bynum is out for, the second unit is going to have to work it with one less impact player. Ariza and Farmar will need to step up to help maintain leads. Tonight, they stretched the lead. Well done. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-10 shooting (0-3 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 5 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He somehow gathered a rebound under the hoop and scored it. He missed a long three a couple feet behind the line. He swished a pull-up elbow jumper. He whipped a pass to LO for a layup. He attacked from the wing and scored off the glass. He bricked a wide open three. Second Half: Horrible execution of the Triangle when Kobe was being fronted in the post, Ariza turned it over when he threw the pass away (go to Pau in the high post or set up in the corner for the entry when Kobe seals). He missed a reverse on the break next time down. He missed a layup after pushing the ball up court in 4 seconds at the end of the third quarter, he wanted the foul. He missed a three. He flashed weak to strong on the baseline, took the LO pass and scored the layup. He grabbed an offensive board and scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT.

Farmar -- -- Farmar drew another charge on the defensive end. I'm betting he's already got more of those this season than last year. So far, I've liked his defensive work since he's come back from the injury. It hasn't been great, but it's been much better than the trainwreck he was putting together before he went down. We may have to call on him to create offense a little more now that we will likely see some second unit with Mihm out there. Mihm can work the two-man game, but he's not going to collapse the D or create shots for others like Pau and Drew do for the second unit. That means someone will likely have to put some pressure on the D from time to time. Hopefully, Farmar can do that without creating opportunities for opponents going the other way. He has struggled with that. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, no assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 16 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed a three, good challenge on the other end to force a miss. Weak pass to LO on the perimeter, right into his shins, turnover. Good job taking a charge on the other end. Second Half: He disrupted a drive on one end, took the long outlet after busting out, elevated around and over a defender for the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He hit the side of the backboard on an awkward fade (transition score the other way). He lost the ball on a drive (transition score the other way).

Vujacic -- -- Sasha looked like probably most Laker fans when Drew went down. He was horrified. He does seem to reflect the emotions of Laker fans (including not wearing green). Sasha managed to avoid fouling in this game, it wasn't easy. That's the second time this month he's had a game without a foul (fifth of the season). The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-5 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 1 board and no fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He missed a corner three. He didn't close on Mayo and gave up a three on the other end. He missed a three, Pau got it back and kicked it out and Sasha sank the next one. He got swatted easily on a drive. Second Half: He curled off a screen and was fouled on a layup attempt, he made both FTs. He sank a step-back wing jumper. Nice close out and he avoided contact when his man tried to jump into him, it helped get a shotclock violation.

Mihm -- -- He came in for Pau in the second quarter. With Bynum down, Mihm and Powell will need to be ready to man the C spot for extended minutes. Chris looked rusty tonight. I do think his play will improve if he gets some steady minutes. . The Stats: The Action: He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Trevor. Second Half: He was called for a three-second violation with a couple feet in the lane when he didn't need to. He grabbed an offensive board, missed, got it back and traveled. He missed a turnaround jumper. He blocked a man under the hoop to save a layup. He was called for moving while handing off. He held Gasol on a slip screen for another foul on the other end. Good challenge to force a miss. He missed a jumphook. He missed a turnaround at the end of the game.

Radmanovic -- -- Mihm, Powell and...Vlad will all get more minutes with Lamar moving into the starting lineup and sliding Pau over. I'm not a big fan of Vlad at the PF spot, but Phil seems to go to that quite a bit. Expect to see it. Vlad played a quality game tonight on both ends. Nothing spectacular, but he managed a couple of steals and hit a three in his limited minutes. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting, all attempts from three, to go with 4 boards, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He sank an open three off the kickout from Pau. He swiped a pass in the lane. Second Half: He missed a corner three, but got it back. He knocked another pass loose.

Phil -- -- Phil, Kobe and the rest of the team looked shellshocked when Bynum went down. The life seemed sucked out of them. The Lakers trailed 29-26 after the first quarter... The Lakers trailed big in the second quarter. Just going through the motions... After a short 9-2 run, they went into the locker room down 61-55... They quickly started the second half with a 8-0 run in a short span to erase the lead. They continued to lockdown defensively, holding the Grizzlies to 21, while scoring 36 and they led 91-82... Phil went with a Mihm, Lamar, Ariza, Sasha, Farmar lineup to open the fourth. The Grizzlies did not score for 6 minutes to start the fourth quarter against them... Despite being held to under 100 points, the Grizzlies still shot 51 percent. The 23 turnovers that led to 34 Laker points did them in...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Second half was all Lakers. You can see the dip in the line chart the moment Bynum went down.

[ChefLinda]

Sadly, first.

[mike_dee23]

Mihm looked decent for playing his first extended minutes in a long, long time...

first?
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MTFBWYA

[kobe_4_mvp]

third

[SladeRider]

Looking at the positives of the Bynum injury, if there are any, Lamar is going to get more time on the court and this has to be a good thing. Lamar can get his rythem back and get back to last years level, when Bynum comes back, the Lakers will have a fully confident Lamar on the team and Bynum coming back with a point to prove.
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"This is a comptitive city. We're used to winning titles, not just winning games and being in the first round. We want to win championships. Now's the time.", "do something, and do it now."
- Kobe Bryant

[dna.]

What I'm most worried about with Bynum's injury, since it seems it won't be as serious as last year, is the fact that it took him so long coming back from injury this year to get back into his "groove"... and just as it seemed he was getting it back (and even doing better) another teammate takes out another knee...

I really hope that he's back to this level of play by playoff time.

[AceFresh]

Thanks DB,
Great as usual.


Praying for that kid.

[zephyr]

[Dr. Laker]

Thx DB
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[MedRomLaker]

thanks db, dejected is the word of the day..., although we won it doesn't feel like it. Just hope the injury isn't serious. Pyrrhic victory.
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11/9/12 the day the brown was flushed down!!!!!!

4/30/14 the day the ant left the building!!!!!!

[thesource]

I wish we had gotten blownout and Bynum was healthy.

The most horrible game of the year, by far.

[City_Dawg]

Get well Drew.
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*sighs*

!...

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Oh, and also; thanks DB for the recap!

[StuLantz#1]

I missed the game and just came home to be pleasantly welcomed by the final score, but when I immediately started looking for Bynum's numbers and saw he only played 3 minutes I immediately figured what that meant.

What horrible news. He was exactly at where he was last season in his development by January and it's the same old story (I was going to actually post early today about how he was replicating his production peak last year but how I was really hoping he could stay healthy this time around--how ironic). There was a lot of discussion about this way back when, but the predisposition to this kind of occurrence is clearly there--this isn't just a coincidence. The guy definitely has a physical makeup that constantly puts his knees at risk. The only coincidence is it happened in the exact same month. Negative tests or not, after the diagnosis last year and how that whole thing played out I'm just going to go ahead and assume the worst with an extremely long absence. Still, always happens when the guy's game is exploding--I noticed he was starting to dominate early like he did in the game against Memphis last year right before he went down too.

[A Mad Chinaman]

Great Job - DB

Get Well - Andrew!!!

DB Question:
With the sad assumption that Drew might be out a few weeks, what options will PJ possibly consider to display the toughness needed against teams such as Magic, Celtics, Cavs, Spurs and Suns?

How much PT do you think that Mihm will get, if Drew is out 2 to 3 weeks

[MedRomLaker]

[eagles nut]

If Drew is only out 2 to 3 weeks, then celebrate.

[Sage_10]

I'm very happy the team was able to clamp down and play hard post drew's injury.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[Rick12322]

De ja vu, couldn't have said it better myself. Hoping for the best.

[limchrc]

Thanks. Hope Bynum can come back before playoff starts.

[Laker7]

I too am worried about how long it took Bynum to get back to that high level once he came back from injury. Almost 3 months into this season before he got his groove back as far as scoring and rebounding. I hope it does not take that long once he comes back from this injury.

L7
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Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB.
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"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."