LAKERS -at- JAZZ - 2/11 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

All-Star Breakdown... There is something about that 8th-straight win that is tough to come by for the Lakers this year. Once again after dropping seven consecutive opponents, the team struggled to get the eighth.

They looked tired on both ends, made mental mistakes in execution, yet somehow found themselves still in the hunt in the final seconds. The Lakers rarely go away easily this season.

Derek Fisher missed two heaves from three to try to send the game into overtime in the final seconds. It wasn't to be. They fell on the road 113-109 to the Utah Jazz.

After a hectic schedule, coming into Utah on the second night of the back-to-back was going to prove difficult to push through. Defensively, they left too many shooters open and had their hands full with Deron Williams. Offensively, they didn't seem to know what their go-to plays were in this game. As a result, you saw some poor execution in crunch time.

"We just didn't play well defensively," Kobe said. "We didn't play hard, we played lazy. They got a lot of points in the paint and we just didn't play hard enough."

The Lakers head into the All-Star break with a 42-10 record, best in the NBA. They can rest their tired legs, heal up some and make a strong push in the final 30 games for home-court advantage.


Kobe -- -- Kind of a clunky game from Kobe. The Jazz crowded him and sent extra defenders all game. This is the same sort of extra help that allows some team to push Kobe into taking difficult jumpers. Typically, Phil will try to get Kobe to work off the ball more, but that didn't happen as much as it should have in the second half. Our passing came and went at times, and there was no real rhythm or flow to things. The refs also seemed to let a lot of contact go, yet call some touch fouls at other times. Very choppy game and that was apparent in the play of our one-two punch with Kobe and Pau. Kobe and Fish shot a combined 2-11 from three. Both of them could use the rest to get their legs back. His second half had some very poor offensive sequences. Kobe was 6-20 shooting in the half. Might have been nice to see him in the post again and surrounded with shooters vs. the create off the dribble which played into the Jazz defensive schemes. The Stats: He scored 37 points on 14-33 shooting (1-7 from three, 8-8 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 37 minutes. The Action: He scored a layup off the pass from Luke. He took an interior feed from Pau next time down and scored the layup. He posted up and hit the turnaround fade in the lane. He shed Williams and missed the layup, got it back and hit the short jumper. He swished a 16-foot pull-up. He missed a three. He went glass over Williams in transition. He drew a charge on Williams on help D. He posted up, took contact and missed off the glass. He posted up, drew the double and hit Luke for the open elbow jumper. He made a tech FT. He stripped a man, chased the ball down along the sideline then scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He missed a 20-footer short. He attacked the lane, looked off a defender, then hit Pau for the layup. He pulled up off the Pau screen and hit the elbow jumper. He curled around a screen, zig-zagged and was fouled on a layup attempt, he made both FTs. He was blocked on a turnaround and the end of the half, he wanted the foul. He had 20 points on 8-13 shooting and 3 assists in 18 minutes. Second Half: He back-rimmed a wing jumper. He hesitated off the handoff, then charged. He missed a pull-up jumper in early offense. He hit a short jumper over a help defender after posting up. He airballed a turnaround and wondered where the foul was (he then picked up a tech). He missed a turnaround off the glass. He attacked the paint, hung and hit. He, Lamar and Ariza trapped in the backcourt, Kobe got it back and powered in a score over contact. His pass was picked off as he tried to hit Pau. He missed a long three badly. He hit a 17-footer off the high screen with Pau. After a several-minute rest, he returned down by 5. He missed a 22-footer. He posted up Brewer and drew FTs, he made both. He chucked up a tough, awkward jumper off the screen (not sure if he was fouled or trying to draw a foul). He missed a three next time down. He ballwatched and gave up a dunk. He attacked the paint, drew the D and hit Lamar for the And-1. He drew FTs after working the two-man sequence twice with Pau on one set, he made both and cut the lead to 2 with 2:58 left. He traveled when he didn't want to kickout to Ariza when Trevor's man sagged on him. He iso'd and hit the three with 1:36 to take a 1-point lead (uh oh, the big nuts dance...that didn't turn out well last time he did it). He forced up a tough turnaround and missed. We got it back, he missed a three, then stripped a man under the hoop and powered up the layup to tie it with a minute left. Next possession, he forced up a long three and missed. He missed a three at the buzzer.

Gasol -- -- Pau was in on a couple key three-point sequences in the final ticks of the clock. One was a huge three by Okur where Pau was trying to help on Lamar's man, then recover. The other was a phantom foul And-1 that the refs gave the Jazz. No idea what that call was. Offensively, Pau was getting doubled as soon as he went to the dribble. The Lakers did a poor job of spacing the floor for him or making the Jazz pay as well as they could have. Pau's effectiveness was neutralized. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-13 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 42 minutes. The Action: He scored a layup on the backdoor lob to start the game. He missed a turnaround in the lane. He hit Kobe under the hoop for the layup. He scored a layup off the bounce pass from LO who worked the post. He was stripped in the post. He was slapped on a jumphook with no call and yelled at the refs. He up-faked and attacked down the middle of the lane for a layup. He was hit hard on a turnaround with no call and missed. He took a bounce pass from Farmar and was fouled with a second on the shotclock, he made one. He swished an open FT jumper off the pick and pop with Farmar. He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Kobe. He had 11 points on 5-8 shooting and 1 board in 18 minutes. Second Half: He posted up Milsap and scored off the glass right over him. He missed an elbow jumper. He missed a chippie with his left. He drew an off-arm clear-out foul on Okur who attacked and then flopped. He was fouled in transition, he made one FT. He faced up and hit the 17-footer. He tried to attack off the dribble and lost it. He swiped a bounce pass. He missed a turnaround jumper with the shotclock low. Looked like he was called for a phantom And-1 foul with 1:27 left. He had to help out on Lamar's man cutting, then tried to recover on Okur, too late, a big three for Okur in the final minute.

Lamar -- -- Lamar was beasting it up again on the glass as well as pouring in some efficient points. Late in the game, we started working the Kobe/Lamar two-man game. On the other end, Lamar was in on several key defensive plays. I would have liked to see Lamar in the post more down the stretch. It happened a few times in the game, and generally the offense seemed to flow a little better when we went to it. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 8-13 shooting (0-1 from three, 3-5 from the line) to go with 19 boards (7 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 40 minutes. The Action: He missed a putback attempt in traffic. He posted up and hit Pau cutting for the layup. He scored a layup off the bounce pass from Sasha on the two-man game. He scored a layup off the pinch post. He hit a jumphook posting up Milsap. He scored a layup off a screen. He swiped the ball on the other end, got it back and took contact for FTs, he missed both badly. He missed a three. He shed a man, powered up off the offensive board and scored. He had 10 points on 5-8 shooting and 9 boards. Second Half: He bricked under the hoop, missing with his left when a shot with his right would have been much easier. He tapped a Pau miss once, twice, then scored. He scored a layup off the drive and dish from Farmar. He threw a pass away trying to thread it to Kobe. He scored an And-1 layup off the drive and dish from Kobe, he made the FT. Huge defensive play, swatting Brewer's dunk attempt. He drew FTs again off the two-man game with Kobe, he made both with 3:29 left. He fouled Brewer trying to contest another dunk (Brewer missed both). Another good challenge on Milsap to save a layup. Another challenge on Brewer on that stand and we got the miss.

Luke -- -- Got to hit your freethrows on the road. Luke couldn't hit anything anywhere. How big was that breakaway where he was ahead of the pack, missed an easy And-1, then the two FTs? Ouch. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. The Action: He missed a turnaround in the post. He missed a FT jumper, but got it back and hit Kobe for the layup. He missed a wide open baseline jumper. He pulled down the Kobe miss and hit Fish for the three. He threw a pass away getting caught in the air against a double team, points the other way. He swished an elbow jumper off the Kobe kickout. Second Half: Poor concentration on a breakaway And-1 layup attempt and he missed the layup, he then missed both FTs. A lob to Pau was stolen.

Fisher -- -- Fish had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds with a couple chucks from three, but he couldn't connect, airballing the second after a scramble. He is 4-20 from three in his last four games. Defensively, you knew he and Farmar were in for a long night with how aggressive Deron has been lately. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 3-7 shooting (1-4 from three, 6-6 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: Horrible entry pass to Kobe who wasn't ready, turnover for points the other way. He swished a three on a kickout from Luke. He was hit on a sideline three attempt (Deron's second foul of the first), he made all three FTs. He hit a rushed 20-footer coming off the screen, but sank it. He made a defensive three tech. Williams blew past him for a score. He curled around a screen into the lane and hit the runner. He had 11 points on 3-3 shooting and was a +8 in the half. Second Half: He missed a pull-up jumper. He missed a three in transition. He was tripped on a defensive board with 22 seconds left down by 4, he made both. He missed a long three when they doubled off Kobe. We got it back and he airballed a leaning three trying to tie it.

Ariza -- -- Trevor was a -14. He seemed to be a wrench in a lot of our offense. The Jazz sagged off him enough to slow Kobe and Pau. Kobe certainly didn't trust kicking out to Ariza when those were the open passes to make. Defensively, he had some mistakes that cost us, too. Giving up a dunk in crunch time because you lose your man hurts. Not a lot of good action from Trevor in the past couple weeks. Wouldn't mind seeing him defend Deron for a stint sometime. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. The Action: He grabbed a pass from Sasha, sliced through traffic and scored the layup. He charged on the dribble. He bricked a runner in the lane. Second Half: Good job going up high to pull down a defensive board and ignite the break. He drained the wing three off the Farmar kickout. He ballwatched and gave up a dunk to his man. He missed a sideline three in transition.

Farmar -- -- Good offensive game from Farmar, but he still had all kinds of issues with Deron Williams defensively. Deron has been lighting it up of late, but we got hurt as they keyed in on Farmar again on that end. Jordan sparked the team and helped the second unit in some key second-half minutes, but the Jazz played Deron all but 5 minutes. So, there wasn't a lot of time for Farmar to work against others. We may want to consider a zone for a few minutes so that we can avoid Deron going to the post against Farmar. Or, perhaps, you see Shannon Brown defending that at some point. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-8 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 4 assists and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He hit Pau with a bounce pass to create FTs with 2 seconds left in the quarter. He wheeled around a defender, changed pace and scored the layup. He hit Pau for the pick-and-pop jumper. He gambled for a steal against Deron in the post and gave up a layup. Dribble penetration, layup Jazz. He swished a three when Deron sagged off him after a screen. He sagged back too far on Williams after a crossover and gave up an easy jumper. He missed a wide open three. He gambled again for a steal in the post, luckily the Jazz fumbled the pass-off. He was a -4 in that stint. Second Half: Excellent attack off the dribble to get into the lane and set up LO for the layup. He over-dribbled next time down, stalled the offense and missed a pull-up jumper. On the next attack, he blew past defenders with a burst of speed and scored the transition layup. He attacked and kicked to Ariza for a three. He funneled his man to no one and gave up FTs with 5 seconds left. He got it back with a speedy attack, hitting a tough runner, twisting at the FT line at the end of the quarter. He attacked and flipped it over his shoulder to Powell for the dunk to start the fourth. He missed a three short with the shotclock low. He gave up two easy scores to Williams on the other end and Phil called timeout. He was blocked on a reverse in transition. We sent an early double to help him on Deron, And-1 dunk for a cutter. He fouled Williams 90-feet from the hoop and was immediately subbed out.

Vujacic -- -- Phil went to Ariza late in the game and that mucked up our offensive execution. Sasha can D-up Korver and help stretch the floor. It seemed like Phil wanted to get some offense/defense subs. Defensively, Sasha needs to watch the touch fouls. The refs seemed to key in on him in that regard (while letting a lot of other things go). In the end, Sasha led the team with a +6. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-3 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. The Action: He hit Lamar with a long bounce pass for a layup. His jumper was blocked as he tried to catch and shoot off the in-bounds. He gave up a touch foul on the perimeter for FTs with 4.7 seconds left in the half. Second Half: He made a tech FT. He got tapped on a corner three. He swiped a pass and pushed out the break. He drained a wing three when Pau was doubled.

Powell -- -- Phil ran Powell at the back-up C spot for about 6 minutes in the first half, but only briefly in the fourth when we were losing ground. This was another of those games where we missed Bynum's ability to anchor or impose his size offensively. The Jazz have no answer for Bynum. Powell didn't offer any of that. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a -6. The Action: He missed, got it back and was blocked. He shed Okur on an offensive board, then dunked it back in. He missed an 18-footer way short. Second Half: He dunked off the drive and dish from Farmar.

Phil -- -- Tough game on the second night of the back-to-back and the All Star Break coming next... The Lakers left Jazz three shooters open early and trailed by 5 points as the Jazz were hitting everything... The Lakers trailed 31-29 after the first quarter... The Lakers trailed by as many as 8, then went on a late run to lead 63-61. Another half of high scoring and little D. The Jazz shot 62.5 percent, the Lakers 56.5. The Lakers led the battle on the offensive glass 9-3... The coaches were obviously irked with the Laker D... The Lakers were in the penalty midway through the third quarter on some inconsistent foul calls... The Lakers trailed by 4 after a 6-0 Jazz run midway through the quarter. Two minutes later it was a 7-point Jazz lead and Phil called a timeout... After a good stint by Farmar, the Lakers cut the score to 87-85 heading into the fourth... Farmar gave up two straight scores to Williams and Phil called a timeout... He gave Pau a minute of rest in the fourth, but we quickly fell apart without him... Phil went back to the starters, but with Sasha or Ariza in over Luke. We tried to work the two-man game, but it looked like Kobe eventually waved that off, opting to iso... The Jazz shot 58.6 percent from the floor and made just 25-37 freethrows. The Lakers shot 20-26 from the line. Too many trips for the Jazz...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Kobe and DFish were 2-12 in the fourth quarter. Pau, just 1-2.

[Omar Little]

Why am I always first after losses?
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[City_Dawg]

Thanks DB, sucks we couldn't go into the break with a win.

We've come a long way, and yet, we still have a ways to go.
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*sighs*

!...

[Qsmiff]

Kind of ironic that Kobe was quoted as saying they played poorly defensively when he set the bad defense tone by totally ignoring Brewer at the start of the game......we got bit by no 3 point shooter defense again--the late Okur 3 pointer hurt us big time--Phil normally cross matches against Utah-with LO on Okur and Pau on Boozer or Milsap but he didnt tonight.....and he continually keeps getting Farmar scorched trying to cover DWill thats just a bad matchup for Farmar....seems that when we get beat-- its the same things that beat us...bad 3-point offense and defense and bad governor ship by our leaders

[najim]

Fish is a vet. why doesn't he stop after that mad scramble (and great hustle by LO to get the board) with 4 seconds left, call a timeout and let Phil draw up a play to get a solid shot. instead he chucks an off-balance 3 and airballs it. game over.
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This is what a B. Scott offense looks like: http://i.imgur.com/q2hlUZc.jpg
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[lakersfreak]

DB
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[Omar Little]

They got up for us, played really well. We finally came down off our adrenaline-fueled, post-Bynum-injury, east-coast killing spree. It was bound to happen. We had no legs, looked fuzzy out there. It wasn't like Sloan's style or how he gets away with it at home helped either. Sorry it happened, but you call it what it is, and move on...
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[Vishnu]

win or lose, I appreciate DB's thoughts and ratings

[Shaber]

[8750]

thanks, DB
after another back to back it's natural being tired at the end... what i still don't like is our defensive strategy... let three pointers wide open is a very stupid choice in the modern game, and we always have a very bad d on the weak side... and then, deron williams is a terrific player, but we always have problems against every point guard... ariza on deron would have been a good solution, but our coach is always so conservative...

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB!

I actually don't feel bad for this loss. I kind of think PJ prefers that we lost (as strange as that sounds) to have something to harp on them for after the break. This team, as talented as it is, just isn't mature. No way in hell do we drop 60+ points in the paint on the Cavs and not do the same against the Jazz who are much softer in the middle. This loss will really allow the coaching staff to crack the whip on the guys.

All in all, 42-10 isn't much to be too upset about. My only worry is that we have lost about 5-6 games that were winnable if not for brain farts and just not playing smart. I'll blame it on fatigue. All they need to do is get some rest and come out blazing again in the 2nd half of the season.

On a different note - Sp*rs lost (to a Bosh-less Raptor team) so no ground was loss between our only true competition in the WC.

Go Lakers

[Mation]

Thanks DB.

[ecksor]

Thanks. It's a little harder to read after a loss.. but great analysis
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We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire... Give us the tools and we will finish the job.
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Who is my avatar? Kharunisia

[limchrc]

Thanks. Let's win the next ones.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[SladeRider]

DB, can you explain why Fish didn't call a timeout and instead decided to chuck up that airball three? I haven't seen what had happened so am going on what I read but I've read he got the ball and took that shot even though he was off balanced and never understood why he didn't take a timeout, I believe there was 4 seconds left for him to call a timeout.
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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

[prisma8slg]

they outplayed us. it was really their game to lose with all their missed FTs and I'm surprised it got as close as it did.

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."

[A Mad Chinaman]

[angrypuppy]

Thanks DB.

Ariza has been pretty mediocre of late. Are teams now more wary of him, or is he just in need of a rest? His man defense last night was at time atrocious. It wasn't just wandering away, it was losing eye contact entirely. I think the scouting reports are now exploiting that tendency, which is why he got burned when his man simply cut to the basket.

[Rick12322]

[Addicus]

Thanks DB. That was a great, entertaining game. It sucks to see Pau get the phantom And 1 on Brewer with all the hacking that was done and not called last night. That coupled with not checking to see if Kobe's shot hit the rim so the clock could reset were typical calls for playing Utah. Clearly the hardest place in the league to play. It's just wild there all the time.
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As far as some comments I've read here:
1. This team is plenty mature. You don't do what they've done this year and not be. Playing in Utah really changes how the games are officated. That changes how teams play and when you are use to a clean game for 90 percent of your schedule it can be a shock.
2. Okur really bothers Pau on the block with his hacks and Sloan always sends the blind double on Pau. I was mad at Pau for not going to the mid post to get some space to get his shot off and allow Lamar and Luke to take their men down low. Bad execution.
3. Our defense is designed to give up long shots to bad shooters. This is why Kobe allowed Brewer to shoot 3's. He's a terrible long range shooter who was hyped up and hit the shots. Be mad at how Brewer beat him on back door cuts.
4. Lamar is straight balling. Getting 19 rebounds vs Utah is a fantastic accomplishment. It's wonderful to see him always moving and involved. I love this L.O. now make a damn free throw!
5. Our free throw shooting finally came back to bite us. It should have vs Boston. I'd rather lose this game than that Boston game.
6. We all better hope Shannon Brown can guard someone because Derron Williams (best pg in the league) destroyed our pg's. The man is awesome. He's Jason Kidd with a shot and I love watching him. He plays any style of offense well, plays defense and isn't ball dominant.
7. Utah is deadly when healthy. Luckily we are more deadly when healthy and when Bynum returns and gets his groove back, we shall destroy all in our path.
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[Vishnu]

One big positive that I saw last night was how the bench was enthusiastically cheering the players on the court after every play. They must have felt the heat from the Utah crowd and wanted to be more supportive than usual.

[Klone_dd]

8 is not enough, as the Lakers have proven. The bigger 8 in this case may be the 8th game in 13 days, each in a different city. Pretty brutal, but so is going 7-1 in that stretch.

LO is playing like he's looking for a contract. Huge numbers for LO and he kept Milsap quiet for most of the game. Hopefully he works on his jumper during the break.

Pau's minutes caught up to him, IMO. A split second away from blocking that Okur 3, a step slow all night.

Kobe went into his nutty nut dance a bit too early. Again. Seems to be settling for the home run 3 too much in the final minutes. I think it's from his supreme confidence more than tired legs, but I was hoping he'd drive to the hoop more.

The Lakers offense throughout a game (not counting the final minutes) is very fluid and fairly efficient. It's a blessing in that an opponent has to shoot an unusually high %-age to just keep close. Utes 59% to win by 4; SA 57% to win by 1. But it's also a curse because the Lakers defense will sometimes allow their opponents to shoot a high %-age.

[Addicus]

[mefor3]

down 3

3 timeouts remaining with 14 sec to go

none called