LAKERS -at- CELTICS - 1-28-23 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 9:51 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- CELTICS - 1-28-23 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Screwed... The Lakers have been jobbed a number of times at the end of games, but this one against the Celtics was over the top.

Let’s fast forward to the end of the fourth.

Patrick Beverley hit a huge three off a LeBron double with 49 seconds left to go up by a point. A possession later, he shocked everyone with a putback jam off a missed Davis three with 18.6 seconds left. Bev would be back at the line after an intentional foul and would make one FT, the Lakers would be up three.

After a timeout, the Celtics missed a three, got the offensive board and scored a putback and the refs gave them an And-1 on Beverley’s challenge.

Tied up with 4.1 seconds left, the Lakers called timeout. To close the game, they’d go to LeBron. He’d get to the rim with what looked like a sure layup, was smacked on the arm with and missed. The no call was atrocious. About as bad as you can get.

“We got cheated tonight,” AD said afterward.

Bron was in disbelief. The Lakers have been screwed by so many bad calls at the end of games lately, and this one might be the worst. It floored him. It couldn’t have been more obvious.

“As much as you try not to put it on officiating, it’s becoming increasingly difficult,” Ham said afterward.

The refs also gave the Lakers a tech to start the OT as Bev brought a camera over to a ref to show him the obvious blown call. Talk about sucking the life out of the team. The Lakers quickly went down 6 points a minute into the OT and called a timeout to regroup.

They’d fight back to a possession, but were unable to pull even. They fell 125-121.

“I don’t want to see another last two minute report,” Ham said after.


LeBron -- -- “It’s challenging,” LeBron said. “I don’t get it. I’m attacking the paint just as much as guys getting double digit freethrows.” He said the frustration has been building. I just don’t understand how you miss that call. I’m not sure I’ve seen Bron more outraged at a no call. He was in disbelief looking for anyone to fix the situation. Eventually, he just dropped to the floor from the gut punch of it all. Ham said Bron gets penalized for playing the game the right way and not flopping to draw fouls. Hard to add my other notes to this game or finish this writeup after all that. Really good mix of three ball shooting and driving to the rim from LeBron. He buried 6 of them. I liked the early offense ones where he’d set up at the top of the arc and get a pass from someone instead of trying for a pull-up three. Like most players, the catch and shoot is just more comfortable. A near 41-point triple-double and just 6 FT attempts. Celtics stars each had double that. The Stats: He scored 41 points on 15-30 shooting (6-12 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 44 minutes. He was a +1.

Schröder -- -- What’s amazing is Dennis picked up Jaylen Brown’s fifth foul on a drive early on in that fourth quarter and Brown used an off-arm to shove him. The Lakers didn’t really go after getting that sixth on Brown (not that they would have got it in this game, lol, but Brown killed them in OT and that play late in regulation). Schröder helped the team to a 7-point lead in the fourth after driving, spinning and scoring on Tatum, then hitting a baseline jumper over him on back-to-back plays with 8 minutes left in the fourth. He had a chance to extend that to 10 on the next possession, but couldn’t connect. He’d get a layup late in OT, as well. Scrappy effort against some bigger players out there. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-12 shooting (0-5 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +1.

Bryant -- -- We went with AD to start the second half. A couple of challenges tonight that altered shots around the rim. I only point that out because it’s been ridiculously rare when guys aren’t scoring on him with ease. So he’s looked a little better in the past two games where we’ve had AD back and, maybe, Bryant can be a little more aggressive in his shifts as a result. He’d get his only bucket off a drive and dish from Bron. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards and no fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +12.

Beverley -- -- Really, we should be celebrating Bev’s finish to this one. That big three, then the putback dunk. The old man got up there and put that sucker down. I was a bit in disbelief at what I just saw. Bron was, as well, with his hands on his head. Bev gave them a couple extra points, though, at the end on that putback by Brown that he fouled on. Just let it go (or do a better job boxing out to begin with), but don’t put yourself in the position to give up an And-1 whether you agree with that call or not. Second, hit your FTs. Had he made both of his clutch ones, we might not be talking about anything else. He picked up a tech to start the OT by showing the refs a camera of the foul on Bron. Refs aren’t going to do anything with that, lol. Defensively, I thought he had some issues with Brogden that hurt us. He was giving him some easy drives at key points. The Stats: He scored 15 points on 5-10 shooting (4-7 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals and 4 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +0.

Brown -- -- Oof. Got to hit your threes. He and Schröder combined for 0-10 from three. He’d score his only hoop cutting off AD for a layup. Defensively, it was hit and miss. He had some bad D in our zone to give up a corner three. He let Brown go around him too easily for a dunk. He did have a nice charge on Tatum, stepping in to get a stop in transition. We really need to elevate his position. More games like this and when Reaves comes back he will likely eat into Brown’s minutes. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-7 shooting (0-5 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist and 2 fouls in 27 minutes. He was a -14.

Davis -- -- Down the stretch of this game, the Celtics put Brogden on AD with Horford on Beverly in the corners. Horford would basically sag off to help when he could or he would come from the weakside to help, but the Lakers didn’t really scheme to take advantage of this. When AD was able to take advantage with an offensive board on a box out, he was whistled for an offensive foul instead of getting FTs. The Lakers really did a poor job integrating him in the offense in crunch time and overtime. He was kind of a non-factor. We just aren’t there yet with the chemistry in multiple ways. Health-wise he looked decent. He may not have his wind yet. At the end of the first quarter, he had his hands on his knees and was tugging on that right shoe a bit and seemed a little concerned, but looked fine the rest of the way. He was ticked off after this game at the no call. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-15 shooting (1-3 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 10 boards (5 offensive), 4 assists, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a -16.

Hachimura -- -- They have him really just standing around offensively right now. It’ll take some time to integrate him into the schemes. For now, though, it is a lot of stand over there while a couple of other guys go to work. He missed some good looks at threes while doing that. He’d score a layup sealing Brown deep and getting a post entry from Russ. He’d have a reverse in transition off a feed from Lonnie. He’d dunk on a long outlet from AD at the end of the quarter, finishing with just 0.3 left. Defensively, he’s a bit of a deer in the headlights out there. He got lost a couple of times. He also got crossed over by Brown pretty badly. He’s got a lot of integrating with the team still and that’s going to take reps in practice and in games. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-8 shooting (0-4 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a +6.

Walker IV -- -- Good to see him back in the mix. He came in off the bench with 5:40 in the first for Beverley. With Lonnie back in the rotation, Christie was now out. “I felt good, like a kid at the candy store,” he said getting back in the mix. He stole a pass in the backcourt and took it for a layup. He’d hit a short one in the lane when his man left him to double as he cut off Bron. He’d get another layup on the break off a Bev steal. And he’d hit a three on an offensive board and kickout from AD. That was all in the firs half. In the second half, he’d score off a lob and dunk in transition off a Russ pass. We missed that extra bit of athleticism to finish over guys. When he left, we had some set plays just for him to take advantage of that. We’ll need to dust those off to help improve our halfcourt sets which are a bit stagnant right now with all the new bodies. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-8 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 18 minutes. He was a +0.

Westbrook -- -- He really came out of the gates in this one like a couple 20-pound ankle weights on the team. He was missing everything and turning the ball over. In the second half, some more turnovers and misses. But he did finally get his first field goal of the game and had a couple scores around the rim. Still, he was throwing passes into guys’ feet or even a post entry pass to AD that hit the backboard. Late in the game, when you’ve got nearly as many assists as you do turnovers, not good. When you have half the team’s turnovers, not good. So Ham sat him for the fourth quarter. He brought him back in OT to give Schröder some rest, provide a little more size and add to the usual chaos Russ brings to OT. In overtime, he crashed the glass for an And-1 putback on a Bron missed drive. He had a steal on Tatum, attacked in transition and was fouled hard (flagrant-1), he’d make both FTs. He’d then miss and open three and a reverse. And he didn’t get back on D quite fast enough and Brown took advantage for a layup. Despite some good plays late, he was a net negative in this one in multiple ways. Teams just dare him to shoot and that impacts everyone else. So if he’s off-ball on the wings, it’s death for us. If he’s in the dunker spot, it’s better. But it gets more complicated with AD out there because we don’t want to push him out of that spot and into more three shooting. So we’ve got issues to overcome that are of no surprise to anyone. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-14 shooting (0-3 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive), 7 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -10.

Ham -- -- Key Moment: Well, we didn’t have our challenge. Ham used it to save a foul and some FTs on another bad call. So that last one was a killer since we already burned our challenge on bad officiating.

Key Substitution: Hmmm. Maybe going back to Westbrook in OT. He didn’t play all fourth quarter. I think Ham was hoping for a burst of energy to help the team after taking that gut punch. It was hit and miss. Other subs to look at was the change to start AD in the second half. I assume he will be starting from this moment forward and we’ll get back into our regular rotation. Another sub: We saw Walker off the bench. I’m not sure if he stays there or not. Bev has been playing stronger lately and as nice as Lonnie’s athleticism has been, his defensive impact is limited. Lastly, we went with Hachimura late in this game to close. I don’t think he’s comfortable yet on either end. That was a bit of a gamble. I think when he gets more comfortable, he’s going to get more aggressive offensively and we’ll have some better balance out there. Right now, Hachimura just doesn’t want to mess up.

Key Stats: Celtics 39 freethrows, Lakers 20.

Coach’s Challenge: With 3:45 left AD challenged a Tatum drive that looked pretty clean but they whistled AD’s fourth. The Lakers challenged. Successful and the ball was given to the Lakers as we had the rebound off that. That saved a couple FTs and AD’s fourth foul. With 1:29 left, AD had an offensive board, but was stripped and given a foul call. The Celitcs challenged. Successful, but a jumpball center court instead of Celtics possession. AD lost the jumpball.
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sonic the laker
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 10:05 pm    Post subject:

Thanks, DB! Yeah, this loss...like all our losses...sucks.

Personally, I put this loss on both Hamm and the referee's. The referee's for obvious reasons. As for Hamm...

As I'm sure others have posted, Hamm has shown absolutely ZERO improvement when it comes to properly orchestrating a half court offense. Nor has he shown a knack for putting taking advantage of his players strength's, on a consistent basis.

If Bryant has shown you that he's a proficient faceup shooter, and roll threat, why is he not involved in more pick-in roll's/pop's?

If Rui has shown to be a excellent mid range offensive player in the high/low post, why is he mostly being used as a spot up 3pt shooter?

If the pick in roll game between LeBron/AD is working so well, why not abuse that until the Celtics adjust. And, when they do adjust, why don't you have a counter ready?

That's just to name a few, because the list is long, unfortunately. Wenyen's DNP's, continues use of the 3-guard lineup... I know Hamm is a rookie head coach, which is why I give him the benefit of the doubt. But, what frustrates, and disturbs, me the most is that it seems he doesn't seem to be learning anything, so far. The things that lead to Lakers losses earlier in the season, are the same things that are still hurting us.

And, I understand the awkward roster, the injuries... But, the things I'm referring to are fixable, and doable, regardless of those things that are outside his control. Hamm's apparent inability to coach those things that ARE inside his control...

My opinion, anyways. If someone has any further/differing insight, I'm all ears. I'm just confused on how the team's halfcourt offense is still as trash as it was since the beginning of the season, execution wise. Just, minus the historically bad 3pt shooting. The team may not be the best fit, but they should be better than this, imo.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 10:33 pm    Post subject:

https://twitter.com/nbadaves/status/1619557879899357185?s=20&t=_RsY5iHo_brFldht1m8DhQ
I will just leave this here
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:00 pm    Post subject:

mad55557777 wrote:
https://twitter.com/nbadaves/status/1619557879899357185?s=20&t=_RsY5iHo_brFldht1m8DhQ
I will just leave this here


That's ridiculous. Granted, it was a foul. But, it looked like he was going to let it go, until he saw the ball go in... Can't really do anything about, but laugh.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:04 pm    Post subject:

sonic the laker wrote:
mad55557777 wrote:
https://twitter.com/nbadaves/status/1619557879899357185?s=20&t=_RsY5iHo_brFldht1m8DhQ
I will just leave this here


That's ridiculous. Granted, it was a foul. But, it looked like he was going to let it go, until he saw the ball go in... Can't really do anything about, but laugh.

At least he had no vision problems, haha
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:34 pm    Post subject:

The second half Laker defense was atrocious:

*** Ham going with DS and Beverly for the last defensive possession was a terrible call. Jaylen was KILLING you in the 4th by shooting over the tiny midgets in our line up and on the last defensive plays of regulation you stuck with these two guys. What little length you DO have, you should've put in JTA and/or Christie to at least give him more of a challenge.

*** I watched Rui a bit in Washington when I heard he might be a forward available in a trade and was not impressed with his defense, which is what we need from that backup slot akin to what Kuz and M. Morris gave us as forwards with size in 2020.

These two games solidify my concerns: he cannot move his feet well to keep his quicker opponents in front of him on the perimeter. Jeff van Gundy said as much in the second half, so it's not just me. A decent ball handler can blow right past him with ease. To me that means we STILL need athletic defense at 6'8" or more if we want a shot at doing well in the playoffs (should we make it that far).

*** DS and PatBev put out a LOT of defensive effort, and every now and then it pays off. But in the end, they give up too many points and rebounds (besides the putback dunk) because they are simply too small, which is compounded when they play together. Bigger opponents simply shoot over them with ease ALL the time! The only reason I blame Ham more is because he is the one to decide who plays or not.

*** One thing I strongly dislike about Lebron's game is how often he puts in almost zero effort on defense when directly challenged. He'll be the only person defending the paint sometimes and just simply allows the attacker to score without lifting a finger. I know he is conserving energy and he's older, but I'd prefer he ride the bench for more minutes instead.

An encouraging sign in the late fourth was after Rui allowed Jaylen to blow past him on the perimeter for a score in the paint, Lebron guarded him soon afterwards and made JB miss a contested mid range shot. He has it in him, but he doesn't use that skill nearly enough for this bad defensive team to be successful consistently.

~~~~

Outside of pure defensive concerns, AD was pitiful, but he's still getting back into game mode after the long break, so I don't hold it against him (plus the Celtics played him extra tight defensively).

Westbrook continues to be (IMO) pound for pound the worst player to ever wear a Laker uniform. Those TOs tonight were killing us, a problem he has done more frequently in recent games.

Yes, he is more skilled than plenty of other players in Laker history, but the bad ones didn't play as much as he does, handle the ball as much as he does, miss as many jumpers as he does, and take up as much of the salary cap as he does.... all at once! With everything factored in, no one has ever come close to WB at consistently destroying our ability to win a lot of games, considering the talent we have.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 12:01 am    Post subject:

It felt like every time Russ was in the game the Celtic’s would take the lead. When Russ was out, we’d start out playing Boston again. I was yelling at Darvin to get Russ out most of the game. How could Ham not see how bad Westbrook was. A couple good things doesn’t makeup for all the bad he does. Westbrook should never be in at the end of close games or at all against really good teams. And if he is in, he shouldn’t touch the ball on offense at all.

Ok, I’m done with my Westbrook rant.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 12:40 am    Post subject:

Besides the blatant no-call at the end of regulation, the Lakers only have themselves to blame. Instead of up-tempoing the game, they played slow and methodically, which is not their game. Their offense looked robotic and stiff for much of the game, and they couldn't take advantage of AD being guarded by smaller guys like Malcolm Brogdon.

This team really needs to figure out how to win close games consistently. If they don't, they simply won't deserve to make the playoffs.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:35 am    Post subject:

Quote:
James attempted six free throws against the Celtics and L.A. shot 20 as a team. The Celtics nearly doubled that amount, going 34-for-39. He said the disappointing string of officiating makes it seem like his team is targeted.


The Celtics shot 39 Free Throws on 23 fouls. We shot 20 on 22 fouls.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:39 am    Post subject:

joeblow wrote:


*** I watched Rui a bit in Washington when I heard he might be a forward available in a trade and was not impressed with his defense, which is what we need from that backup slot akin to what Kuz and M. Morris gave us as forwards with size in 2020.
<snip>


All solid critiques. This was my concern with Rui as well, it will be interesting to see what the coaching staff does to compensate.
Also, I hold Ham/coaching staff responsible for how ineffectual Boston made AD look on offense.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 6:30 am    Post subject:

Russell Westbrook is a major liability on the floor. The only move that he has at the end of the game is to drive to the basket because they dared him to shoot it because they know he won’t make it.

Can we please get somebody that will burn teams for leaving them open at the end of games please
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 6:35 am    Post subject:

slavavov wrote:
Besides the blatant no-call at the end of regulation, the Lakers only have themselves to blame. Instead of up-tempoing the game, they played slow and methodically, which is not their game. Their offense looked robotic and stiff for much of the game, and they couldn't take advantage of AD being guarded by smaller guys like Malcolm Brogdon.

This team really needs to figure out how to win close games consistently. If they don't, they simply won't deserve to make the playoffs.


If they try to hit an outside shot there blame for not being aggressive

If they go to the basket, they don’t call the foul

Just what do you expect them to do? I mean I think a shooter absolutely Hass to be brought in but it’s not the team’s fault as it’s currently composed.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 6:54 am    Post subject:

Dennis
Brick
Pat bev
Brown jr

Guarding

Tatum
Jaylen brown

While 6’8 guy sits on the bench

95% screwed by refs and rest by clueless coach
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 7:48 am    Post subject:

Painful
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 8:14 am    Post subject:

Brutal loss, but for some reason it doesn't feel near as bad as that previous loss to Boston.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:35 am    Post subject:

after re-watching pat bevs tech a hundred times and laughing at each one. Im not mad at it. It certainly didn't help the cause but conceptually it was a solid idea.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 9:49 am    Post subject:

PenG_ wrote:
Brutal loss, but for some reason it doesn't feel near as bad as that previous loss to Boston.


Really? I don't even remember the last loss to Boston. Losing a game I can live with. But an egregious error... it's going to take me a minute. As Flea posted on Twitter I'm still salty.

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:01 am    Post subject:

Hi DB,
There were things we could have done differently but the officiating directly impacted the outcome of this game. There were late calls in the Celtics’ favor in the second half but the officials had a clear view especially the ref on the baseline who didn’t blow the whistle when LBJ was clearly fouled by Tatum. They deprived LBJ of potentially winning the game for our team from the FT line. Officials really need to be held accountable moving forward because last night was an atrocity and a travesty IMO.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:20 am    Post subject:

joeblow wrote:
The second half Laker defense was atrocious:

*** Ham going with DS and Beverly for the last defensive possession was a terrible call. Jaylen was KILLING you in the 4th by shooting over the tiny midgets in our line up and on the last defensive plays of regulation you stuck with these two guys. What little length you DO have, you should've put in JTA and/or Christie to at least give him more of a challenge.

*** I watched Rui a bit in Washington when I heard he might be a forward available in a trade and was not impressed with his defense, which is what we need from that backup slot akin to what Kuz and M. Morris gave us as forwards with size in 2020.

These two games solidify my concerns: he cannot move his feet well to keep his quicker opponents in front of him on the perimeter. Jeff van Gundy said as much in the second half, so it's not just me. A decent ball handler can blow right past him with ease. To me that means we STILL need athletic defense at 6'8" or more if we want a shot at doing well in the playoffs (should we make it that far).

*** DS and PatBev put out a LOT of defensive effort, and every now and then it pays off. But in the end, they give up too many points and rebounds (besides the putback dunk) because they are simply too small, which is compounded when they play together. Bigger opponents simply shoot over them with ease ALL the time! The only reason I blame Ham more is because he is the one to decide who plays or not.

*** One thing I strongly dislike about Lebron's game is how often he puts in almost zero effort on defense when directly challenged. He'll be the only person defending the paint sometimes and just simply allows the attacker to score without lifting a finger. I know he is conserving energy and he's older, but I'd prefer he ride the bench for more minutes instead.

An encouraging sign in the late fourth was after Rui allowed Jaylen to blow past him on the perimeter for a score in the paint, Lebron guarded him soon afterwards and made JB miss a contested mid range shot. He has it in him, but he doesn't use that skill nearly enough for this bad defensive team to be successful consistently.

~~~~

Outside of pure defensive concerns, AD was pitiful, but he's still getting back into game mode after the long break, so I don't hold it against him (plus the Celtics played him extra tight defensively).

Westbrook continues to be (IMO) pound for pound the worst player to ever wear a Laker uniform. Those TOs tonight were killing us, a problem he has done more frequently in recent games.

Yes, he is more skilled than plenty of other players in Laker history, but the bad ones didn't play as much as he does, handle the ball as much as he does, miss as many jumpers as he does, and take up as much of the salary cap as he does.... all at once! With everything factored in, no one has ever come close to WB at consistently destroying our ability to win a lot of games, considering the talent we have.
Many good points

Rui’s defensive stats show that he has potential to be a good defender (posted the links in a past thread)

As NBATV guys pointed out, the previous play where they didn’t box out and allowed Brown a straight line path to get the ball that resulted in a 3pt play was disasterous

AD was not aggressive, probably didn’t have enough energy at the time

Lakers are still learning to value EVERY possession
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:27 am    Post subject:

joeblow wrote:
The second half Laker defense was atrocious:

*** Ham going with DS and Beverly for the last defensive possession was a terrible call. Jaylen was KILLING you in the 4th by shooting over the tiny midgets in our line up and on the last defensive plays of regulation you stuck with these two guys. What little length you DO have, you should've put in JTA and/or Christie to at least give him more of a challenge.

*** I watched Rui a bit in Washington when I heard he might be a forward available in a trade and was not impressed with his defense, which is what we need from that backup slot akin to what Kuz and M. Morris gave us as forwards with size in 2020.

These two games solidify my concerns: he cannot move his feet well to keep his quicker opponents in front of him on the perimeter. Jeff van Gundy said as much in the second half, so it's not just me. A decent ball handler can blow right past him with ease. To me that means we STILL need athletic defense at 6'8" or more if we want a shot at doing well in the playoffs (should we make it that far).

*** DS and PatBev put out a LOT of defensive effort, and every now and then it pays off. But in the end, they give up too many points and rebounds (besides the putback dunk) because they are simply too small, which is compounded when they play together. Bigger opponents simply shoot over them with ease ALL the time! The only reason I blame Ham more is because he is the one to decide who plays or not.

*** One thing I strongly dislike about Lebron's game is how often he puts in almost zero effort on defense when directly challenged. He'll be the only person defending the paint sometimes and just simply allows the attacker to score without lifting a finger. I know he is conserving energy and he's older, but I'd prefer he ride the bench for more minutes instead.

An encouraging sign in the late fourth was after Rui allowed Jaylen to blow past him on the perimeter for a score in the paint, Lebron guarded him soon afterwards and made JB miss a contested mid range shot. He has it in him, but he doesn't use that skill nearly enough for this bad defensive team to be successful consistently.

~~~~

Outside of pure defensive concerns, AD was pitiful, but he's still getting back into game mode after the long break, so I don't hold it against him (plus the Celtics played him extra tight defensively).

Westbrook continues to be (IMO) pound for pound the worst player to ever wear a Laker uniform. Those TOs tonight were killing us, a problem he has done more frequently in recent games.

Yes, he is more skilled than plenty of other players in Laker history, but the bad ones didn't play as much as he does, handle the ball as much as he does, miss as many jumpers as he does, and take up as much of the salary cap as he does.... all at once! With everything factored in, no one has ever come close to WB at consistently destroying our ability to win a lot of games, considering the talent we have.
Many good points

Rui’s defensive stats show that he has potential to be a good defender (posted the links in a past thread)

As NBATV guys pointed out, the previous play where they didn’t box out and allowed Brown a straight line path to get the ball that resulted in a 3pt play was disasterous

AD was not aggressive, probably didn’t have enough energy at the time

Lakers are still learning to value EVERY possession
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pio2u
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:35 am    Post subject:

Thx DB
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LakerLanny
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 5:33 pm    Post subject:

Refs

Dongahy-esque.
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