Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 11:10 pm Post subject: WARRIORS -at- LAKERS - 5-12-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
Under Pressure... If the Warriors take this game, forget about it. Winning a game 7 on their home floor? No one wanted that. So this was our game 7.
Ham switched up the starters, sitting Vando for Schröder to give the team better spacing and more point of attack defense. Out of the gates, the Lakers had a singular goal offensively -- get in the paint. They went right to the post multiple times, Bron, AD, D’lo.
All playoffs long they showed that if they can get in the paint, they will get to the line. Once there, they can set their halfcourt defense and lock in.
They pulled out to a 27-10 start. Not only were they focused on the paint, Bron and AD resisted hoisting midrange or perimeter shots that could result in boards and fastbreaks. That pace and aggression the Warriors had in the last game was gone. LeBron was methodical and relentless orchestrating the offense. The guards and AD helped hold the Warriors to 46 points in the first half.
But this was about good offensive process leading to easier defensive stands by staying out of transition.
Things got interesting with 6:20 in the third quarter. AD finished a lob dunk from Bron, then stole the inbounds and was fouled. Dennis Schröder picked up his second tech immediately after that, getting into it with Draymond Green for the second time this game (and multiple times in the series). He was ejected and we were down a man.
No matter. With Bron clicking at a high level, AD putting in a strong outing on both ends, D’lo scoring with consistency, Austin Reaves killing it once again, there was just too much for the Warriors.
The guards swapped assignments defensively. Under pressure in this game, the entire team responded and worked on sending the defending champs packing.
Up 19 with about 9 minutes to go in the fourth, the crowd sensed it. The Lakers would be heading to the Western Conference finals. Both teams emptied their benches with 3:40 left and the Lakers cruised to the series win, 122-101.
Four wins from the Finals. Let’s get after it.
LeBron -- -- Loved this one from Bron. As mentioned, we needed to get into the paint. The Lakers started this game by spamming Bron in the post. They had their minds made up. Get in the paint and this game is ours. It helped that Vando wasn’t in the starting lineup as the Warriors couldn’t so easily help. Bron went after it. Relentless. Wiggins has some hurt ribs? Enjoy getting bodied. I would be surprised if we saw more post touches from Bron in another game this season. Maybe one or two. There was even a play when the Warriors went to the zone. Bron was up top and just backed Curry down to the FT line and then kicked it out to a three shooter. With the floor spacing he also got downhill and went to the rim strong. He should have had more freethrows as he was just muscling through contact. Just brilliant ball. No small thing, but Bron only shot three threes in this game (made two). There was no settling. Neither he nor AD settled for perimeter shots that could result in long boards. Lots of activity on D. Near triple-double and his first 30 of the playoffs. What a beast. MVP-like performance. Show me that more! The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-14 shooting (2-3 from three, 8-11 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 43 minutes. He was a +21.
Davis -- -- A beast on the boards tonight. I feel like I’m reading the stat sheet wrong when I see the Warriors had 20 offensive boards. He was battling and the Warriors were, too. He had 20 board himself. Love how locked in we were tonight on a single purpose. Really good job on the shot selection. We did a better job getting him downhill in the middle of the paint. Some tweaks on plays by the Lakers in this one, including AD’s wide pin. On one of those, instead of setting it up for AD coming from the corner, we faked the screen and turned that into a screen at the top of the arc that resulted in us getting down the middle of the paint. Love that change. That opens up a bit more in that sequence. My notes have him muscling in the post for a layup, getting downhill for another layup, freethrows on a roll, donhill on a two-man with Dennis for a layup, more contact on a drive, missed a floater, a tip in, a lob dunk from Bron (which he then stole the inbounds and was fouled on). Note what we’re not seeing there. No midrange or three. The team was very, very methodical in what we wanted to do. Get in the paint, get downhill, get to the line. As a result, AD was 7-10 from the line. All that work is super important for the next one. We need to go after Jokic. If either AD or Jokic gets into foul trouble, it’s tough on their teams. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 5-9 shooting (7-10 from the line) to go with 20 boards (3 offensive), 2 steals, 2 blocks and 3 fouls in 40 minutes. He was a +31.
Russell -- -- D’lo got into that post tonight a ton. I loved that look from him. We saw it here and there in this series, but today it was consistent. He drew FTs on Payton on the first one, hit a midrange over Curry on the next, more FTs from Payton next post. He faced up and hit a wing jumper. He’d hit a baseline jumper. Once the midrange was going, he was able to hit a couple from three. Very methodical, on balance, relentless and he fit in smoothly. Not a playmaker tonight. We ran the ball through Bron and Reaves quite a bit. Defensively, he really needs to get his flowers in this series. Quietly, he was not just doing a decent job chasing, but some of his help D rotations were excellent. He had a great tag on a roller on help on one play, then recovered to his man to force an airball from three. Next series could see some interesting post battles by the guards. Huge minutes tonight and rock solid on both ends. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 7-15 shooting (2-7 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 41 minutes. He was a +26.
Reaves -- -- Just huge. Huge. So many people out there just didn’t understand what a baller Reaves is. We see it in those QFTOS where fans continually mention him. They tried to make a narrative about him being a manufactured player for getting whistles. We even read the disbelief on this site for a good chunk of the season. But Laker fans who’ve paid attention knew he was a three level scorer, excellent floor reader, willing defender and a hell of a competitor. Despite all you think you know, the playoffs are a test. There’s no question. Will you rise to the challenge or is it too big for you? We saw Reaves take the playoffs head on with some huge games. Come the Warriors series, people started to doubt again. He had to go toe to toe with some of the best in the game. Tonight, was a huge challenge. This was our game 7, a must win. Dude came out and balled on both ends. Mark Jackson during the game: “He is a big time player. This is not fluke. No accident. He’s here to stay.” I think that’s what this game was for a lot of people. Laker fans know what a competitor he is, but dropping 23 and 6 in this pressure situation? He just ate that up tonight. Defensively, he had a lot of that Klay Thompson matchup, had to battle against Curry, fought with Wiggins on the glass and in the post (including one battle where he came away with the ball and sent down court to Russell for a layup). Klay had 8 points on 3-19 shooting. We were in his body and ball denying all game. When Dennis was tossed, Reaves had to deal with more Curry. Some excellent moments there, too. Offensively, he was aggressive. A few games in the playoffs he wasn’t quite aggressive enough to collapse the D or cause problems. You could see help defenders not quite commit to him because he’d move the ball too soon. Tonight, he was after it. He was attacking the paint relentlessly. The three ball followed, including a half court bomb to close the first half that had the crowd fired up. He worked Curry on some iso action, got Warriors frustrated even though they knew they fouled him. And, he sliced up the D with the pass. Learning from Bron, he’s always making the right passes consistently. You knew he was going to compete, but he flat out balled tonight. The Stats: He scored 23 points on 7-12 shooting (4-5 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 6 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +24.
Schröder -- -- The adjustment I was hoping for. We slid Dennis into the starting lineup and good things followed as we played to our strengths. Dennis’s minutes were cut a little short, though, tonight. Dennis has been relentless in pointing out Draymond Green’s errors and giving him crap about it. All series. Multiple times in previous games, including that big turnover by Green early in the series in the final seconds. So after we stole an inbounds, Dennis went right up to Green and Green put the ball in his face. Since Schröder already had a tech from getting in Green’s face earlier, he was tossed in the third quarter. You know, for all the leeway they gave Green in this series without giving him techs, kind of lame. But Dennis needed to be more careful than that in such a big game. He made one three for his only score. He had multiple assists, including some nice two-man action with AD getting middle. Defensively, non-stop effort on Curry. Well done. In Ham’s postgame speech he spotlighted our new starter. “Great job, Dennis, setting the tone,” he said. “You set a hell of a tone tonight.” The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-6 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 block and 4 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +16.
Hachimura -- -- He had a dunk in the fourth quarter that reminded me of a Showtime fastbreak. Bron pushed out the board with speed, Rui filled the lane at high speed, and Bron no looked to him like Magic and Rui dunked. Flashbacks right there, man. This next series is going to be better for Rui. The Lakers had too many smaller guards to deal with in thi sone. Denver has some size. He wasn’t really in play in this one. Our only real hope was starting him when the Warriors went bigger. Once they went smaller, trying to do that would be tougher. Good job getting to the line. In addition to that dunk, he attacked Curry baseilne for another layup. Best play of the night was a help D rejection coming across the lane to eat up a shot. The crowd loved that one. More, please. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 2-5 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 blocks and no fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -2.
Walker IV -- -- Production, man. He gave the team 13 points in 14 minutes. Felt like he was out there longer than that. He drew FTs on a floater. He hit a corner three on a kickout in transition. He attacked and drew more FTs. He worked the high screen around Curry and banked in a runner. He sank a big wing three when Bron do a double and hit him. He’d knock down another corner three on a drive and kick from Bron. This is what we wanted Beasley to do and he just couldn’t find his shot. Other guys basically played their way out of the rotation and Lonnie took that opportunity and is delivering. A little foul prone tonight (a lot foul prone), but covering the Warrior guards in the playoffs isn’t easy. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting (3-5 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 5 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a -10.
Vanderbilt -- -- To the bench. Finally. I think they go back to starting him in the next series and see how well the Nuggets play off him. But tonight, just 4 minutes. He had a steal in the backcourt for a dunk. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 1 steal in 4 minutes. He was a +2.
Beasley -- -- He came in for 4 minutes of garbage time and hit his only three. Stay ready. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting in 4 minutes. He was a -1.
Brown -- -- He fell out of the rotation this series. We saw some struggles chasing Klay early on. Denver doesn’t have quite that level of chasing, so he may be back in play. Just garbage time minutes in this one. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards and no fouls in 4 minutes. He was a -1.
Harrison -- -- He attacked for some freethrows in garbage time. The Stats: He scored 1 point on 0-1 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist in 4 minutes. He was a -1.
Christie -- -- He missed a corner three in a couple minutes of garbage time. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting from three in 2 minutes. He was a +1.
Thompson -- -- The Lakers have Joker in the next series. What happens if AD gets in foul trouble? Bamba is light. Wenyen a bit small. Could we see some spot duty from Thompson? I suspect we go with Wenyen and send doubles, then get picked apart with the pass. A couple boards in garbage time tonight for TT. The Stats: He didn’t shoot or score and had 2 boards in 4 minutes. He was a -1.
Ham -- -- Key Moment: We had to open up the paint and we had to attack it. Right out of the gates we went to the post. Bron and Russell were relentless early on. The tone was set and they kept the focus on paint touches. Paint touches meant scores at the rim, freethrows and the pace in our favor. The Warriors never led in this one. That’s how you close out.
Key Substitution: Schröder for Vando in the starting lineup. We got away with it game one, but the Warriors adjusted and squeezed us for keeping Vando out there. Ham pulled the trigger on the switch. Dennis did a great job defending and gave the team more space. When Dennis got tossed, we brought in Lonnie and didn’t skip a beat. Credit Reaves for taking on more of that Curry assignment.
Key Stats: This game was at our pace. We got into the paint, got back to the line and it was over. We could setup our D after scores or fouls. The Lakers went 31-42 from the line compared to 10-14 for the Warriors. The story of this series when we played to our strengths. We dictated when we would run. Just 7 turnovers meant fewer easy transition buckets for the Warriors. We won the break 22-8. Want a blowout? Win the three line, too. The Lakers made 13 in 26 shots. The Warriors made 13 in 48 (27%).
Joined: 19 Apr 2003 Posts: 22870 Location: La Jolla, San Diego
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 11:15 pm Post subject:
The two AR threes... one to end the 2nd quarter, and one to start the third quarter were HUGE. Instead of being down just 7, Warriors quickly down 13 again, so the pressure was constant.
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 11:47 pm Post subject: Re: WARRIORS -at- LAKERS - 5-12-23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
By far this was my favorite LeBron game of the season. The efficient 30 points generated by being a bulldozer in getting to the hoop and FT line was the LeBron of old, and was exactly what we needed from him. We shouldn't hear too much talk about his inability to be offensively aggressive for the rest of the post season (though of course he has to conserve energy and pick his spots).
As a fantastic bonus, LeBron only took three 3PAs tonight, which shows he can play the right way for an entire game when he sets his mind to it. The man literally imposed his will on the opposition playing muscle ball to close out the series, and it was incredibly enjoyable to watch.
DancingBarry wrote:
Davis -- -- A beast on the boards tonight. I feel like I’m reading the stat sheet wrong when I see the Warriors had 20 offensive boards. He was battling and the Warriors were, too. He had 20 board himself.
I had a guess as to why that was, so I went and checked the game info sheet. The Warriors grabbed seven of those offensive boards during the only eight minutes of action where AD sat on the bench.
One thing that came to mind watching AD on offense was the amazing way the Laker big brains decided to use him in this game. Some may be annoyed by him having only nine FGAs, but it was a 'go with the flow' approach that was absolutely masterful.
Because he has such a tremendous advantage down around the paint all the way to the FT line extended against a relatively small Warrior team (outside of the slow footed Looney), the only way Golden State could possibly contain him is by double (or triple) teaming him out of fear. They devoted resources to him even when he didn't have the ball in his hands near the top of the key.
That allowed the other Lakers to be able to really attack the paint or receive open outside Js with ball movement because the Warriors kept their eye on AD so much in his 40 minutes.
The biggest beneficiary of that was LeBron, who could then pick on the smaller players guarding him without a hard double team coming his way. Our offense from all the non-AD scorers was made so much easier since AD allowed himself to be a decoy of sorts.
Mega-props to coach Ham and his staff for coming up with this, and of course to AD for being team-oriented enough to not feel he has to play for a stat-line to be effective. Along with his tremendous big-boy defense and insane activity on the boards, his +31 plus/minus for the game makes all the sense in the world to anyone watching him go to work, despite only taking nine shots. A lot of his invaluable contribution on offense doesn't even show up in the box score.
Reaves is just a revelation. It still baffles me that we got this kid undrafted. Game 6 and this kid just makes big play after play and big shot after shot.
Lebron obviously had a master class performance in orchestratrating the offense and managing the pace of the game. And his ability to post up has developed with age. His game really does have some strong traits from Magic. Loved how he seemed to conserve himself more for the defensive end this series and pick his spots to assert himself on offense.
I've mentioned this in the AD thread. I wish the media would just give AD his due respect. His defense completely controlled this series. Again. Another masterful defensive clinic after the one he put on vs Memphis. I wonder if the lack of emphasis on getting him involved on offense at times is more related to conserving him for the defensive end. Or does the coaching staff/ Bron/ Dlo just see certain openings the defense is offering and choose to take advantage of that.
DB. Your recaps are always a reward for me post game win or lose.
Very proud of this team. After jumping out by 17, and watching lead drop to 4, they collectively responded and just watched their lead extend rest of game.
The defense was really impressive. They choked out Steph's 3 pointer by attacking him on offense and relentlessly sticking on him when defending.
Guards played excellent...this team becomes really tough to beat when the guards start lighting it up.
Now onto the WCF. Denver is no joke, very talented. Will be a challenge. _________________ "One thing I admire about Kuzma is his unwavering confidence. He truly has no idea that he’s not as good as he thinks." - Killer_Z
Draymond looked so subdued after baiting Schro into the ejection. I think he already knew at the point it was over. Left it all out there in Game 5.
So happy we have a half-court offense again that doesn't over-rely on Lebron. It doesn't need to be spectacular, just enough to supplement our dominance on D when things slow down in the playoffs. _________________ Luxury Tax/FA Spreadsheet (Save to your Google Drive to edit)
Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 8383 Location: Santa Monica
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 12:34 am Post subject:
Thanks DB. This game went about as well as it could've. We didn't just eliminate the Warriors, we kicked their asses and maybe ended their dynasty.
I think the Lakers, in winning the way they did tonight, have proven they're a championship-caliber team. I don't know if we'll beat the Nuggets (honestly right now I'm picking the Nuggets in 7 because they have HCA), but it can go either way. Right now this team has this modest confidence about it that it can beat anyone.
Even if we lose to the Nuggets, the foundation has been set for a world championship next season (if we keep DLO, Reaves, Rui and Dennis). _________________ Lakers 49ers Chargers Dodgers
Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 21084 Location: In a white room, with black curtains near the station
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 12:35 am Post subject:
Thanks DB! Yes! Western Conference Championship series coming up!
Excellent write-up on an excellent game from the Lakers.
What an intelligently played series. Coach Ham you're starting to impress. LeBron was an excellent floor general tonight, and they played with purpose. Limit transition opportunities, play to your strengths. Gotta love it when a plan comes together.
Denver up next. Get some rest Lakers! Enjoy the win, then get ready to beat the Nuggets next!
It was really nice seeing superstar LeBron make an appearance. He wasn't just getting his points in transition or off of cuts. He was actually making things happen for his teammates. 9 assists is the most he's had all playoffs. 30 points is the most he's had all playoffs. Responsible for >50 points more or less -- that's superstar impact, especially given the efficiency.
Thanks, DB!!! Great showing from the Lakers, to advance to the Conference Finals! They've come a long way...as players, coaches, and organization...to get to this point. Lots of trail and tribulation. After an atrocious start to the season, this team has played the most playoff level games of all the teams left in the postseason (playoff march started since the trade deadline).
Jobs not done. We've still got more mountain to climb. Loving the journey! Lakers! _________________ ZOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
And this is why I much prefer the added players version to gunning for a 3rd star; especially an over the hill one. Role layers and a bench can get it done. Will they? Don't know but we have a few pieces we can move that are not in the rotation to strengthen the team. Hopefully Lakers don't totally go into rebuild ala 2020... _________________ Lakers need to build a freaking team !
So much respect to Ham, who made the right adjustments and ensured we were ruthless from the outset. I was concerned his inexperience would cost us in the playoffs but he's learning quickly from his mistakes and he's keeping the ship afloat and steady.
I have seen a lot of Darvin Ham critics floating around this season.
To me, the biggest job of a NBA Coach in the playoffs is getting your team to get in the right mindset for the crucial games.
Last night was a crucial game for sure and team was in the absolute right mindset, it would have taken a huge effort from the opponent to break their will when they are in that mindset.
Props to Darvin Ham and the entire team, what a series that was. _________________ Love, Laker Lanny
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
-- The adjustment I was hoping for. We slid Dennis into the starting lineup and good things followed as we played to our strengths. Dennis’s minutes were cut a little short, though, tonight. Dennis has been relentless in pointing out Draymond Green’s errors and giving him crap about it. All series. Multiple times in previous games, including that big turnover by Green early in the series in the final seconds. So after we stole an inbounds, Dennis went right up to Green and Green put the ball in his face. Since Schröder already had a tech from getting in Green’s face earlier, he was tossed in the third quarter. You know, for all the leeway they gave Green in this series without giving him techs, kind of lame. But Dennis needed to be more careful than that in such a big game. He made one three for his only score. He had multiple assists, including some nice two-man action with AD getting middle. Defensively, non-stop effort on Curry. Well done. In Ham’s postgame speech he spotlighted our new starter. “Great job, Dennis, setting the tone,” he said. “You set a hell of a tone tonight.” 
-- He had a dunk in the fourth quarter that reminded me of a Showtime fastbreak. Bron pushed out the board with speed, Rui filled the lane at high speed, and Bron no looked to him like Magic and Rui dunked. Flashbacks right there, man. This next series is going to be better for Rui. The Lakers had too many smaller guards to deal with in thi sone. Denver has some size. He wasn’t really in play in this one. Our only real hope was starting him when the Warriors went bigger. Once they went smaller, trying to do that would be tougher. Good job getting to the line. In addition to that dunk, he attacked Curry baseilne for another layup. Best play of the night was a help D rejection coming across the lane to eat up a shot. The crowd loved that one. More, please. 
-- Production, man. He gave the team 13 points in 14 minutes. Felt like he was out there longer than that. He drew FTs on a floater. He hit a corner three on a kickout in transition. He attacked and drew more FTs. He worked the high screen around Curry and banked in a runner. He sank a big wing three when Bron do a double and hit him. He’d knock down another corner three on a drive and kick from Bron. This is what we wanted Beasley to do and he just couldn’t find his shot. Other guys basically played their way out of the rotation and Lonnie took that opportunity and is delivering. A little foul prone tonight (a lot foul prone), but covering the Warrior guards in the playoffs isn’t easy. 
-- To the bench. Finally. I think they go back to starting him in the next series and see how well the Nuggets play off him. But tonight, just 4 minutes. He had a steal in the backcourt for a dunk. 
-- He came in for 4 minutes of garbage time and hit his only three. Stay ready. 
-- He fell out of the rotation this series. We saw some struggles chasing Klay early on. Denver doesn’t have quite that level of chasing, so he may be back in play. Just garbage time minutes in this one. 
-- He attacked for some freethrows in garbage time. 
-- He missed a corner three in a couple minutes of garbage time. 
-- The Lakers have Joker in the next series. What happens if AD gets in foul trouble? Bamba is light. Wenyen a bit small. Could we see some spot duty from Thompson? I suspect we go with Wenyen and send doubles, then get picked apart with the pass. A couple boards in garbage time tonight for TT. 
