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deal
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Joined: 17 Aug 2008
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 Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 11:00 am Post subject: |
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Thanks DB. So that's what a bench is for?
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Lakers need to build a freaking team ! |
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forzaCOREA
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Joined: 08 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 11:10 am Post subject: |
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| joeblow wrote: | | forzaCOREA wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | Overall, props to the Laker team as a whole for the tremendous defensive effort, especially in the 1st and 4th quarters. Doing that so well against the defending champion Warriors is a tremendous feat that says a lot about our chances to eventually close out this series and do even more damage moving forward.
In fact, that's one area in particular that props should go to Lonnie Walker. He showed much greater attention to defensive detail than he did in various games this season. My wife even pointed out how well he stayed on his man with or without the ball. He was the one distracting Klay with an athletic lunge on that off-balanced three Thomson whiffed with two minutes left. That's what we need from him consistently.
While LeBron continues to be an invaluable second-best player on the team after AD (and props for his FANTASTIC defense in Game 4), he also is the main reason why our offense at times flies off the rails. I continue to *HATE* his outside shot selection as he once again took way more 3PAs than any other Laker while missing almost all of them.
LeBron's insane desire to be our Steph Curry bothers me so much because his terrible outside shooting attempts is our single most predictable and preventable mistake. It seems that every time he clanks one of these bricks, the opponent goes on a fast break run for an easy score. LBJ compounds it by being the one that almost always takes the last shot at the buzzer of a quarter... which is literally the worst shot in the Lakers' entire arsenal.
LEBRON, STOP TAKING SO MANY THREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  |
Let's bash a guy who is carrying our team and playing 40+ min in year 20 lol? By the way Curry shot 12/30 and 3/14 from 3pt, Klay shot 2/9.
You probably logged on here after Kobe's last 60 point game and said poor shot selection on that game too huh. Gtfo here lol. |
What an ignorant post, and by that I am using the word "ignorant" to mean "not knowing".
Perhaps you're the kind of fan that hugs his family and friends with tears of joy after the team wins a game in the second round. Good for you. But if that is all it takes for you to be satisfied with the season, then don't go any further in this post because you and I have almost nothing in common when it comes to enjoying the Lakers. If you're interested in a perspective that believes we can enjoy so much more, keep reading as I explain this to you as if you were five.
I, for one, am only satisfied with championships.
Jerry Buss was amazing, Kareem was unbelievable, Magic was magic, Kobe was incredible, LeBron is awesome, etc. Yet I don't love any of them, to tell the truth. I do, however, love the Lakers. And what I love about this team more than anything else are the victory banners in the rafters.
So with that in mind, I am tremendously supportive of everything that goes into winning a 'chip, and recognize the extreme complexity of it all. Most times we don't even know if the plan will even come together to win yet another O'Brien trophy until it does. There are things that work, and things that don't. The same is true for having the personnel to pull it off - not everyone fits. No one can honestly describe the perfect formula for winning it all.
Still, there's definitely some obvious factors that we can point to. For example, in this era of Laker basketball it is is clear to everyone that LeBron and AD are key for us winning championships.
It should also be just as clear what are primary detriments to this team to be successful. At the top of the list, poor health is our greatest enemy once we have our superstars signed onto the roster. I've always made that point here at the site in various posts. After that, each major component of the team's structure has an important role to play.
Moving on from the ultimate victory celebrations in 2020, I've ragged on Pelinka (along with other knowledgeable fans) regarding his small ball fetish of signing a bajillion Hobbits as a way to win more rings, and for the horrible signing of Westbrook. Predictably, both experiments failed, and after a year an a half of that nonsense, I've stopped complaining about the GM. Why? Because he finally brought in more defensive players of size at the last trade deadline to support the stars, and also got rid of the worst player to ever wear a Laker uniform, IMO.
I've grumbled loudly about Ham's small ball lineups (along with other knowledgeable fans), especially once he had bigger defensive options available after the trade deadline improved the roster. I haven't done so since the end of the Grizzly series. Why? Because he finally reduced his use of three-guard line ups with LeBron as the center when AD rests, and even when AD plays we more often see two forwards on the floor with him.
Now let's look at the players. For the most part, I have no major complaints about our team as individuals (though we are still a bit weak at the back up SF and C slots). They all, more or less, do the best they can with what they have in any given game.
In general, that mostly applies to LeBron as well, and in my post that offended you about him, I even started off complimenting LBJ by pointing out his important role on the team and positive contribution. But in the end, a championship is infinitely more important to me than pretending that he is not screwing up.
This does not come down to some missed shots, which is how your post completely misrepresents my complaint. It is 100% about his awful DECISION MAKING. That's what I was referring to when I said "his terrible outside shooting attempts is our single most predictable and preventable mistake".
I've said variations of that after a number of games this season (along with other knowledgeable fans). We sometimes see how we may have won a closely contested game like last night DESPITE this garbage approach to the game he sometimes has, and the most offensive part about it is that it simply does not have to happen! This is an area of the Lakers' game that is almost completely in our control to fix if he would just stop jacking up so many threes.
LeBron...
...takes more threes than anyone else on the roster at seven a game, despite being horrible at it
...takes them despite being the absolute worst at it in the entire playoffs of those who try six+ 3PAs
...takes them to end quarters despite being the worst Laker to do so on the court a lot of times
...takes them as the game winds to the final minute or two in a close contest despite missing them almost every single time
...does all of this over and over and over and over again!!!!
The morale of the story is this: if I'm enjoying a family Thanksgiving dinner and Uncle Lou starts farting at the dinner table after cursing out Nana and then starts telling dirty jokes during the blessing, I'm gonna say something!
As for you, keep sitting at the dinner table in ignorance if you want. I dunno, maybe you like the foul aroma, maybe you never cared about Nana, and maybe you think jokes at a bad time are funny. OK, that's you. Just don't lash out at someone else who (correctly) points out that Uncle LeBron needs to cut that preventable(!) crap out so we can focus on accomplishing the real goal that's within our grasp. |
Bro get a life, ain't no one reading that essay.
All I am saying is, you really picked a feel good post about a great Laker win to try to knock Lebron LOL? Awful decision making? If he didn't tell AD to cover the corner Klay wouldve got a free 3. LBJ has goat IQ and will 9 out of 10 times make the right play. You TRIPPIN |
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joeblow
Star Player
Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 3090
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 11:39 am Post subject: |
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| forzaCOREA wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | | forzaCOREA wrote: | | joeblow wrote: | Overall, props to the Laker team as a whole for the tremendous defensive effort, especially in the 1st and 4th quarters. Doing that so well against the defending champion Warriors is a tremendous feat that says a lot about our chances to eventually close out this series and do even more damage moving forward.
In fact, that's one area in particular that props should go to Lonnie Walker. He showed much greater attention to defensive detail than he did in various games this season. My wife even pointed out how well he stayed on his man with or without the ball. He was the one distracting Klay with an athletic lunge on that off-balanced three Thomson whiffed with two minutes left. That's what we need from him consistently.
While LeBron continues to be an invaluable second-best player on the team after AD (and props for his FANTASTIC defense in Game 4), he also is the main reason why our offense at times flies off the rails. I continue to *HATE* his outside shot selection as he once again took way more 3PAs than any other Laker while missing almost all of them.
LeBron's insane desire to be our Steph Curry bothers me so much because his terrible outside shooting attempts is our single most predictable and preventable mistake. It seems that every time he clanks one of these bricks, the opponent goes on a fast break run for an easy score. LBJ compounds it by being the one that almost always takes the last shot at the buzzer of a quarter... which is literally the worst shot in the Lakers' entire arsenal.
LEBRON, STOP TAKING SO MANY THREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Let's bash a guy who is carrying our team and playing 40+ min in year 20 lol? By the way Curry shot 12/30 and 3/14 from 3pt, Klay shot 2/9.
You probably logged on here after Kobe's last 60 point game and said poor shot selection on that game too huh. Gtfo here lol. |
What an ignorant post, and by that I am using the word "ignorant" to mean "not knowing".
Perhaps you're the kind of fan that hugs his family and friends with tears of joy after the team wins a game in the second round. Good for you. But if that is all it takes for you to be satisfied with the season, then don't go any further in this post because you and I have almost nothing in common when it comes to enjoying the Lakers. If you're interested in a perspective that believes we can enjoy so much more, keep reading as I explain this to you as if you were five.
I, for one, am only satisfied with championships.
Jerry Buss was amazing, Kareem was unbelievable, Magic was magic, Kobe was incredible, LeBron is awesome, etc. Yet I don't love any of them, to tell the truth. I do, however, love the Lakers. And what I love about this team more than anything else are the victory banners in the rafters.
So with that in mind, I am tremendously supportive of everything that goes into winning a 'chip, and recognize the extreme complexity of it all. Most times we don't even know if the plan will even come together to win yet another O'Brien trophy until it does. There are things that work, and things that don't. The same is true for having the personnel to pull it off - not everyone fits. No one can honestly describe the perfect formula for winning it all.
Still, there's definitely some obvious factors that we can point to. For example, in this era of Laker basketball it is is clear to everyone that LeBron and AD are key for us winning championships.
It should also be just as clear what are primary detriments to this team to be successful. At the top of the list, poor health is our greatest enemy once we have our superstars signed onto the roster. I've always made that point here at the site in various posts. After that, each major component of the team's structure has an important role to play.
Moving on from the ultimate victory celebrations in 2020, I've ragged on Pelinka (along with other knowledgeable fans) regarding his small ball fetish of signing a bajillion Hobbits as a way to win more rings, and for the horrible signing of Westbrook. Predictably, both experiments failed, and after a year an a half of that nonsense, I've stopped complaining about the GM. Why? Because he finally brought in more defensive players of size at the last trade deadline to support the stars, and also got rid of the worst player to ever wear a Laker uniform, IMO.
I've grumbled loudly about Ham's small ball lineups (along with other knowledgeable fans), especially once he had bigger defensive options available after the trade deadline improved the roster. I haven't done so since the end of the Grizzly series. Why? Because he finally reduced his use of three-guard line ups with LeBron as the center when AD rests, and even when AD plays we more often see two forwards on the floor with him.
Now let's look at the players. For the most part, I have no major complaints about our team as individuals (though we are still a bit weak at the back up SF and C slots). They all, more or less, do the best they can with what they have in any given game.
In general, that mostly applies to LeBron as well, and in my post that offended you about him, I even started off complimenting LBJ by pointing out his important role on the team and positive contribution. But in the end, a championship is infinitely more important to me than pretending that he is not screwing up.
This does not come down to some missed shots, which is how your post completely misrepresents my complaint. It is 100% about his awful DECISION MAKING. That's what I was referring to when I said "his terrible outside shooting attempts is our single most predictable and preventable mistake".
I've said variations of that after a number of games this season (along with other knowledgeable fans). We sometimes see how we may have won a closely contested game like last night DESPITE this garbage approach to the game he sometimes has, and the most offensive part about it is that it simply does not have to happen! This is an area of the Lakers' game that is almost completely in our control to fix if he would just stop jacking up so many threes.
LeBron...
...takes more threes than anyone else on the roster at seven a game, despite being horrible at it
...takes them despite being the absolute worst at it in the entire playoffs of those who try six+ 3PAs
...takes them to end quarters despite being the worst Laker to do so on the court a lot of times
...takes them as the game winds to the final minute or two in a close contest despite missing them almost every single time
...does all of this over and over and over and over again!!!!
The morale of the story is this: if I'm enjoying a family Thanksgiving dinner and Uncle Lou starts farting at the dinner table after cursing out Nana and then starts telling dirty jokes during the blessing, I'm gonna say something!
As for you, keep sitting at the dinner table in ignorance if you want. I dunno, maybe you like the foul aroma, maybe you never cared about Nana, and maybe you think jokes at a bad time are funny. OK, that's you. Just don't lash out at someone else who (correctly) points out that Uncle LeBron needs to cut that preventable(!) crap out so we can focus on accomplishing the real goal that's within our grasp. |
Bro get a life, ain't no one reading that essay.
All I am saying is, you really picked a feel good post about a great Laker win to try to knock Lebron LOL? Awful decision making? If he didn't tell AD to cover the corner Klay wouldve got a free 3. LBJ has goat IQ and will 9 out of 10 times make the right play. You TRIPPIN |
Your answers are in my response. If you can't comprehend them, pay someone to explain it for you. |
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Nobody
Star Player
Joined: 13 Sep 2008
Posts: 5737
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, DB!
Another nerve wrecker, my, oh my. Is it just me or does LeBron seem to lose his handle quite a bit? Loved the team effort, and of course loved Lonnie Walker single-handedly saving our ass on offense and AD saving our ass on defense at the end.
Go Lakers, give us one more W. |
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DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40205
Location: O.C.
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| DrDent wrote: | Thanks DB.
Wow...incredible win.
Question DB, is there a reason the Lakers cannot find away to keep AD near the lane versus allowing the warriors to dictate where he goes? Would it mean the Lakers would have to zone it up and that just plays into the warriors getting open 3's?
Pleased with how the young fellas came through. AR finally had a solid scoring game, and of course Lonnie sorta came outa nowhere with what he did. But kudos to Ham for knowing his guys and picking the right spot to place them. I remember earlier in the year many of us were raving about Lonnie, but of course that faded when he started slumping. Good to see him back at it again.
Of course, LBJ helped alot early in the 4th getting team back in it...he really, really needs to(imo) stop it with the volume 3's at this juncture. He is trying to shoot himself out of a slump, and would prefer he limit the dribble, dribble, dribble, 3's he takes. 2-9 of tonight. He is under 23% for the playoffs.
Was a little befuddled at the lack of using AD in second half...was it so he could exert more energy on D?
In any event, minor critiques aside, great win. Lakers have a shot to finish this in 5, but really have to stay disciplined and poised (Warriors under Kerr have not lost an actual western conference playoff series [not including play-in])...and shoot better, that's looking at you d'lo! |
You have to look at the counters to drop coverage. What kills it are shooters, particularly those who can hit pull-ups or burn you if you go under screens. Our perimeter defenders get screened off or have to chase around screens and we blame them if a guy hits a shot, but it's two offensive players working against one defender up high there's going to be an advantage. So to keep AD in the paint, ideally you want him to be able to sag off someone who isn't even involved in the play. Now he can just roam as needed and challenge anything that comes into the paint. In game 1, we had both Looney and Green out there who aren't going to kill you from the perimeter. AD could stay in the paint or challenge the screens in high drop without worry much about getting beat. So game 2, Looney out. The Warriors now had more room offensively as AD was pulled up and we lost that other zoning help defender. The Warriors put the ball more in Steph's hands as a playmaker to take advantage of those two-on-one scenarios (find a guy in the short roll behind the initial D and you have space and an extra man advantage).
Game 3, one of the ways to deal with good shooters and playmakers is to switch. Let's see if you can now beat us one on one. Lakers put Vando on Green. AR on Curry. When they switch, it's Vando on Curry again...and Green isn't going to abuse AR (I'd worry about Green getting fouls offensively against AR, but Green doesn't attack anyway). Lakers shut that down. JaMychal Green coming up top to try to bring AD out there isn't someone who is going to necessarily kill you relentlessly on threes from the top of the arc. If he hits a few, you live it with for all that AD does take away. So AD is again in the paint and passing lanes quite often. Blowout when we solve problems on the offensive end.
Game 4, I haven't done the rewatch, but you slide J. Green out and GP2 in. AD hops over to GP2. Now they run the two-man action with GP2 setting screens (that we have to go over since it's Curry). This once again pulls AD up, but GP2 is mobile and quickly heading downhill and the short roll/passing schemes around Curry turn into an extra man advantage. So end of game, we see AD just switching to go iso with Curry. This ends the passing schemes, but this is also AD's brilliance. We can do this. Curry goes 0-2 to close the game with AD getting good challenges in. Really, though, with both GP/Draymond on the floor, we really need to do a better job off ball zoning and defending passing lanes with that lack of shooting. But GP2 is a much better playmaker in these situations making himself a bigger threat to open things up. So we slide AD to Wiggins. Again, AD's brilliance...any position you want him to defend.
Yes, you could keep AD in the paint with a typical zone, but every team has tried this against the Warriors. It's gimmicky and will be exploited easily. They have some quick trigger shooters. It's just not a good idea to do a full zone. You've got to make sure you've always got someone on Curry and usually Klay. Teams don't have AD who can be a great perimeter defender, so maybe we see more switching, maybe our perimeter guys fight those screens better. Our issue is some of our better defenders aren't great perimeter shooters (Vando, Dennis, AD). You can only keep so much non-shooting on the floor without hurting yourself badly on the other end.
As far as the lack of AD offensively, we were spamming that Lonnie/Bron PG thing a ton. I think they will work on a little more nuance here to get him in the mix. |
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Chick-N-Stew
Star Player
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 1825
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Nobody wrote: | Thanks, DB!
Go Lakers, give us one more IN THIS SERIES |
FIXED... š
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Mama, There Goes That Mamba. |
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LA1969
Starting Rotation
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 831
Location: LA in my mind, LV in reality
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Texas_Pete wrote: | Thanks DB. I think I cussed at my TV all night and bit all my fingernails. We got the 'dub' so it was worth it. Even my Celtic loving Laker hating cousin had to be impressed with the Lakers. 
Anthony Davis is a defensive monster. When Jimmy was giving buckets to the Bucks to close them out, a former DPOY named Giannis wouldn't guard Jimmy. The Bucks are now fishing.
Last night the Dubs were putting AD in all kinds of actions. At the end of the game he had the guard the greatest shooter in NBA history and didn't blink.
Lockdown performance by the Lakers, anchored by AD (the real 2023 DPOY). |
Yes! His defense is so damn good and I donāt think media or some fans understand how gifted he is on that end.
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DrDent
Franchise Player
Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975
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| Posted: Tue May 09, 2023 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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| DancingBarry wrote: | | DrDent wrote: | Thanks DB.
Wow...incredible win.
Question DB, is there a reason the Lakers cannot find away to keep AD near the lane versus allowing the warriors to dictate where he goes? Would it mean the Lakers would have to zone it up and that just plays into the warriors getting open 3's?
Pleased with how the young fellas came through. AR finally had a solid scoring game, and of course Lonnie sorta came outa nowhere with what he did. But kudos to Ham for knowing his guys and picking the right spot to place them. I remember earlier in the year many of us were raving about Lonnie, but of course that faded when he started slumping. Good to see him back at it again.
Of course, LBJ helped alot early in the 4th getting team back in it...he really, really needs to(imo) stop it with the volume 3's at this juncture. He is trying to shoot himself out of a slump, and would prefer he limit the dribble, dribble, dribble, 3's he takes. 2-9 of tonight. He is under 23% for the playoffs.
Was a little befuddled at the lack of using AD in second half...was it so he could exert more energy on D?
In any event, minor critiques aside, great win. Lakers have a shot to finish this in 5, but really have to stay disciplined and poised (Warriors under Kerr have not lost an actual western conference playoff series [not including play-in])...and shoot better, that's looking at you d'lo! |
You have to look at the counters to drop coverage. What kills it are shooters, particularly those who can hit pull-ups or burn you if you go under screens. Our perimeter defenders get screened off or have to chase around screens and we blame them if a guy hits a shot, but it's two offensive players working against one defender up high there's going to be an advantage. So to keep AD in the paint, ideally you want him to be able to sag off someone who isn't even involved in the play. Now he can just roam as needed and challenge anything that comes into the paint. In game 1, we had both Looney and Green out there who aren't going to kill you from the perimeter. AD could stay in the paint or challenge the screens in high drop without worry much about getting beat. So game 2, Looney out. The Warriors now had more room offensively as AD was pulled up and we lost that other zoning help defender. The Warriors put the ball more in Steph's hands as a playmaker to take advantage of those two-on-one scenarios (find a guy in the short roll behind the initial D and you have space and an extra man advantage).
Game 3, one of the ways to deal with good shooters and playmakers is to switch. Let's see if you can now beat us one on one. Lakers put Vando on Green. AR on Curry. When they switch, it's Vando on Curry again...and Green isn't going to abuse AR (I'd worry about Green getting fouls offensively against AR, but Green doesn't attack anyway). Lakers shut that down. JaMychal Green coming up top to try to bring AD out there isn't someone who is going to necessarily kill you relentlessly on threes from the top of the arc. If he hits a few, you live it with for all that AD does take away. So AD is again in the paint and passing lanes quite often. Blowout when we solve problems on the offensive end.
Game 4, I haven't done the rewatch, but you slide J. Green out and GP2 in. AD hops over to GP2. Now they run the two-man action with GP2 setting screens (that we have to go over since it's Curry). This once again pulls AD up, but GP2 is mobile and quickly heading downhill and the short roll/passing schemes around Curry turn into an extra man advantage. So end of game, we see AD just switching to go iso with Curry. This ends the passing schemes, but this is also AD's brilliance. We can do this. Curry goes 0-2 to close the game with AD getting good challenges in. Really, though, with both GP/Draymond on the floor, we really need to do a better job off ball zoning and defending passing lanes with that lack of shooting. But GP2 is a much better playmaker in these situations making himself a bigger threat to open things up. So we slide AD to Wiggins. Again, AD's brilliance...any position you want him to defend.
Yes, you could keep AD in the paint with a typical zone, but every team has tried this against the Warriors. It's gimmicky and will be exploited easily. They have some quick trigger shooters. It's just not a good idea to do a full zone. You've got to make sure you've always got someone on Curry and usually Klay. Teams don't have AD who can be a great perimeter defender, so maybe we see more switching, maybe our perimeter guys fight those screens better. Our issue is some of our better defenders aren't great perimeter shooters (Vando, Dennis, AD). You can only keep so much non-shooting on the floor without hurting yourself badly on the other end.
As far as the lack of AD offensively, we were spamming that Lonnie/Bron PG thing a ton. I think they will work on a little more nuance here to get him in the mix. |
Thanks DB, much appreciated. I suppose I am a bit concerned about all those easy looking layups they got in 2nd and 3rd and wonder how often an AD on curry solution works. I actually considered the āwhat if you just stick as on curry AD his prime defenderā ideaā¦so a screen comes ad likely near the hoop on a switch. No idea if that would actually work.
I can see now on a playoff series how the warriors can be difficult with all the changes they makeā¦i mean i knew of it but now its personal so i know itš
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"One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that heās not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z |
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A Mad Chinaman
Star Player
Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 6155
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| Posted: Wed May 10, 2023 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| DancingBarry wrote: | | DrDent wrote: | Thanks DB.
Wow...incredible win.
Question DB, is there a reason the Lakers cannot find away to keep AD near the lane versus allowing the warriors to dictate where he goes? Would it mean the Lakers would have to zone it up and that just plays into the warriors getting open 3's?
Pleased with how the young fellas came through. AR finally had a solid scoring game, and of course Lonnie sorta came outa nowhere with what he did. But kudos to Ham for knowing his guys and picking the right spot to place them. I remember earlier in the year many of us were raving about Lonnie, but of course that faded when he started slumping. Good to see him back at it again.
Of course, LBJ helped alot early in the 4th getting team back in it...he really, really needs to(imo) stop it with the volume 3's at this juncture. He is trying to shoot himself out of a slump, and would prefer he limit the dribble, dribble, dribble, 3's he takes. 2-9 of tonight. He is under 23% for the playoffs.
Was a little befuddled at the lack of using AD in second half...was it so he could exert more energy on D?
In any event, minor critiques aside, great win. Lakers have a shot to finish this in 5, but really have to stay disciplined and poised (Warriors under Kerr have not lost an actual western conference playoff series [not including play-in])...and shoot better, that's looking at you d'lo! |
You have to look at the counters to drop coverage. What kills it are shooters, particularly those who can hit pull-ups or burn you if you go under screens. Our perimeter defenders get screened off or have to chase around screens and we blame them if a guy hits a shot, but it's two offensive players working against one defender up high there's going to be an advantage. So to keep AD in the paint, ideally you want him to be able to sag off someone who isn't even involved in the play. Now he can just roam as needed and challenge anything that comes into the paint. In game 1, we had both Looney and Green out there who aren't going to kill you from the perimeter. AD could stay in the paint or challenge the screens in high drop without worry much about getting beat. So game 2, Looney out. The Warriors now had more room offensively as AD was pulled up and we lost that other zoning help defender. The Warriors put the ball more in Steph's hands as a playmaker to take advantage of those two-on-one scenarios (find a guy in the short roll behind the initial D and you have space and an extra man advantage).
Game 3, one of the ways to deal with good shooters and playmakers is to switch. Let's see if you can now beat us one on one. Lakers put Vando on Green. AR on Curry. When they switch, it's Vando on Curry again...and Green isn't going to abuse AR (I'd worry about Green getting fouls offensively against AR, but Green doesn't attack anyway). Lakers shut that down. JaMychal Green coming up top to try to bring AD out there isn't someone who is going to necessarily kill you relentlessly on threes from the top of the arc. If he hits a few, you live it with for all that AD does take away. So AD is again in the paint and passing lanes quite often. Blowout when we solve problems on the offensive end.
Game 4, I haven't done the rewatch, but you slide J. Green out and GP2 in. AD hops over to GP2. Now they run the two-man action with GP2 setting screens (that we have to go over since it's Curry). This once again pulls AD up, but GP2 is mobile and quickly heading downhill and the short roll/passing schemes around Curry turn into an extra man advantage. So end of game, we see AD just switching to go iso with Curry. This ends the passing schemes, but this is also AD's brilliance. We can do this. Curry goes 0-2 to close the game with AD getting good challenges in. Really, though, with both GP/Draymond on the floor, we really need to do a better job off ball zoning and defending passing lanes with that lack of shooting. But GP2 is a much better playmaker in these situations making himself a bigger threat to open things up. So we slide AD to Wiggins. Again, AD's brilliance...any position you want him to defend.
Yes, you could keep AD in the paint with a typical zone, but every team has tried this against the Warriors. It's gimmicky and will be exploited easily. They have some quick trigger shooters. It's just not a good idea to do a full zone. You've got to make sure you've always got someone on Curry and usually Klay. Teams don't have AD who can be a great perimeter defender, so maybe we see more switching, maybe our perimeter guys fight those screens better. Our issue is some of our better defenders aren't great perimeter shooters (Vando, Dennis, AD). You can only keep so much non-shooting on the floor without hurting yourself badly on the other end.
As far as the lack of AD offensively, we were spamming that Lonnie/Bron PG thing a ton. I think they will work on a little more nuance here to get him in the mix. |
On Point
Interesting that GP2 wasn't playing at the end of the last game
ESPN pundits were sharing that keeping Klay from going nuclear will be important as that will force the Lakers to focus more on him that might (hopefully not) open up airspace for Curry
With LBJ forcing switches to Curry to punish him on defense is a benefit when LBJ is the PG.
Who will be providing outside shooting - AR, DS, LW4, DLo, Vando (????) and/or who? These guys are expending so much energy on defense staying with Curry and Klay.
With Ham searching for needed greater energy at certain times, will Gabriel will be seen - since he is trusted in fulfilling his role while providing young/rested legs that could provide extra opportunities on offense |
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cheesehead88
Starting Rotation
Joined: 08 Jun 2008
Posts: 151
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| Posted: Wed May 10, 2023 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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Hakeem the Dream. Same size. Both play like 7 footers even though they around 6ā10. Cat like quickness and hops. Hakeem would get a lot of steals too.
| lordtrapula wrote: | I donāt care if Davis only got 10pts in a game, if he cooking on defense heās arguably the best player on planet earth.
Itās insane, never seen a defensive big like him live. This what the old heads prolly talk about when they mention duncan and russell |
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