LAKERS -at- MAVS – 2-26-23 - DIY Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

SORRY LG!! I can’t cover this one. I thought I might but I’m running on 2 hours sleep and can’t focus.

I will say… 1. That the AD/Vando combo was outstanding. 2. AD offensively was like playoff AD. Great activity and results. 3. The intensity the team played with in the third quarter was next level. Bottle that. 4. Austen Reaves about as angry as I’ve ever seen him. Loved that fire so much.

[CervantesRises]

[ocho]

Vanderbilt
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14-5-3-12

[Laker7]

Gonna go old school.

The Vandalorian is Michael Cooper.

Beasley is Byron Scott. Inconsistent as hell but when he is on……look out.
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Keep winning!

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[joeblow]

A fantastic win that shows a blueprint to how we can string together enough wins to rise in the standings, close out the season and beyond. Outside of the second quarter, the Laker defense really stepped up today and it was fueled by my boy, Jarred Vanderbilt.

Ham was smart enough to not only assign him to Luka, but for the most part he rested Vandy whenever Luka rested, just as I hoped the coach would do. That paid off because Doncic was uncomfortable with the harassing D, especially in the third quarter.

Seriously, I hope more Laker fans see how over-rated it is at being an elite 3P shooting team if you want to compete for a championship. It's nice, and somewhat important, but DEFENSE is infinitely more important.

The Lakers shot 17% from behind the arc, but still scored a respectable 111 points because they dominated with points in the paint (62 to 32). Also, by extension the added reward for pounding the rock down low was that we had more FT attempts than the Mavs (28 to 14), and finally, we won the rebound game (56 to 48).

Combined with the aforementioned great defense (other than allowing a bajillion treys in the first half), this is how we did so well in 2020. We were bottom third in 3P shooting out of all 16 playoff teams back then, but dominated with athletic size on defense while rebounding well and scoring a ton of points both in the paint and at the FT line.

Ham, you still need to be called into the woodshed for the four guard lineup you briefly tried (and failed) with in the second quarter, but at least it wasn't for extended minutes. If there was one other major improvement the team could've focused on is giving it to AD down low. He was rolling when they did and could've easily had 40+ points tonight since the Mavs had no one to slow him down one on one.

Let's keep it going, Lakers!
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"A ring on the hand is worth more than two in the bush" -me

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Vanderbilt . There's a reason I was pissed we lost Caruso. Vanderbilt is filling that gap quite nicely. Hustling, changing possessions, coming up big off the ball and on defense, changing the tenor of the game without demanding the ball to do so. Welcoming the challenge of guarding the other team's best player, 1 through 5, night after night. He's the kind of player a title contender needs backing up the superstar scorers.

Love what Reaves and Schroeder brought to this game as well.

What a comeback. Unbelievable.

Nice games from LeBron and AD both. Stay healthy big guys.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[tox]

I enjoyed watching Vanderbilt play so much that it made me want to log on LG and bask in this win for the first time since... honestly IDK. Was hoping for a DB writeup but hoping he gets his rest. Anyway, Vanderbilt has easily become my favorite Laker, genuinely can't sing his praises enough.

[slavavov]

Biggest win of the season, other than maybe the Milwaukee win. It's starting to feel like this Lakers team is a gathering storm. They just need to get and stay healthy and maybe championship No. 18 will be on its way by June 2024.

[JUST-MING]

Game changed when Vandy switched on Luka. I think Vandy also hit their first 3, after they were like 0-10 from deep.

Jodeke said it best, “20 points is not a safe lead in the NBA!”

[defense]

[RI Laker]

The rotations on the D were INCREDIBLE in the 2nd half.

[Texas_Pete]

Lakers were dominant inside again like in 2020. Mavs 60 points from 3ptrs were offset by the Lakers 62 points in the paint.

I think this team as currently constructed could be better than 2020. D'Lo, Vando, Beasley, Rui and Bamba raises the floor of what this team can do.

Gotta shore up perimeter defense. Portland went crazy from 3 and now Dallas his 20 of em. Clean that up and I don't fear any team.

Great team win yesterday without our 3rd best player, on the road no less

[PenG_]

Insane performances from AD and especially Vando. It's really cool to the see the power of defense at a time when it's value seems to be dropping.

LeBron hasn't looked right since the two game break before AS week.

[joeblow]

[pio2u]

"DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS!"

[sonic the laker]

That was a great comeback win by the Lakers! I'll readily admit, I quit watching the game after the Mavs went up by 27. I remember seeing the timeout being called, and just turning the game off, lol. Usually, I watch games, even when we're losing. If I feel there's something to be learned. At the time, I felt that this game was going to be one of those "nothing-to-learn-from" games, where the Lakers are missing everything from free throws, to layups, to jump shots. While the other team is making Harlem Globetrotter-esque circus shots every time down the court. But, I'm glad that the team had more fortitude than me. Big win, both actual and morally.

I was able to rewatch the game, so I have some thoughts beyond the obvious praise for the team. The Lakers have only played around 5(?) games with this new lineup, since the trade deadline. They're 4-1 in that stretch, with the one loss to a hot Blazers team w/o LeBron. That said, this team has been winning on sheer talent, depth, and hustle. Our execution is still a bit of a mess. And, our rotations still leave something to be desired. Granted, the rotations may have been a bit off, due to us missing DLo.

What did really bother me was the X's and O's. I absolutely understand that we just handed a rookie head coach a completely revamped roster with 20'ish games left in the season. And, it's unfair to expect Ham to be able to have everything figured out in such a short amount of time. But, I think there are some small things that he can do, that I don't see happening. I know I'm beating a dead horse here. But, I just cannot get over how blatantly Rui is being mis/underused on offense. I'm not sure how much is on the coaches not putting him in positions to maximize his talents. Or, how much of this is Rui being a naturally passive player...

Also, if I were the coaches, I would look to encourage Reaves to be a bit more aggressive getting his own shot. I've seen him get into the midrange, have an open shot/floater, and pass up the opportunity. Reaves is a very cerebral player, and one of those rare "connective" types of players. But, when you play a little too passively on offense, it can hurt your team just as much as being overly aggressive. l

These might all be issues that will have to be worked on in the offseason.
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ZOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gng930]

[Theseus]

Vanderbilt is the reason why birds sing

[Valdarno]

[A Mad Chinaman]

[venturalakersfan]

AD outweighs Bamba by 20 pounds, Mo will get banged all over the court.
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If you’ve got a dream, chase it, cause a dream won’t chase you back.

[governator]

[danzag]

YOU AIN'T SH*T

I'LL F*CK YOU UP