Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:55 pm Post subject: PISTONS -at- LAKERS - 11/16 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
Farmar in the Fourth... With the Pistons flatlining us with their zone, Farmar and the second unit ignited the energy in the fourth. Jordan had three steals in the quarter, imposing his will and intensity on both ends to shock the team back to life. The Lakers won the fourth quarter 41-23 and won the night 103-91.
With both Billups and McDyess joining Ronny Turiaf on the sidelines, neither team was at full strength. We also got Rip Hamilton into foul trouble to limit his minutes. To compensate for Turiaf out, Phil started Brian Cook. The defense takes a big hit, and you hope Cook's perimeter game is on. We got a good first quarter from him, a lousy third, and Phil moved LO to the PF in the fourth.
It was Lamar in this game that was the steady force. Both Kobe and Fish struggled tremendously in the first three quarters. During that time, LO was balling...doing a lot of garbage work. He was a menace on the offensive glass and finished with 25 points and 15 boards (9 were on the offensive end).
The Lakers shot just 38.5 percent on the night, but managed to hold their turnovers to just 9. If you play D and protect the ball, you can win ugly. They were looking a bit soft for three quarters, but pushed through it. "For us being a young ball club in the past, we haven't been able to match their physicality," Kobe said. "Today was a big step for us in that right direction in terms of being able to play physical and win these types of games."
Kobe -- -- He was out of rhythm for the first three quarters. He seemed to be second guessing and not decisive and his shooting suffered. Once the game opened up behind the defensive energy and pressure, he got into a groove and closed out the Pistons. Again, a lot of intensity defensively from Kobe throughout the game. Kobe's game seemed to be the game in a microcosm itself -- battle hard on D, the offense will come and go, but stay consistent on D and good things will happen. The Stats: Kobe finished with 19 points on 6-18 shooting (2-4 from three, 5-5 from the line). He pulled down 4 boards, dished 7 assists with just 2 turnovers and had 1 steal in 37 minutes. The Action: He missed a 20-footer on his first attempt. He got Hamilton into the air and drew FTs, he made both. He lost the handle, then forced a jumper. He flipped a pass to Cook in semi-transition for a three. He missed a wing jumper short. After a four-minute rest, he returned to the game. He scored his first hoop of the game six minutes into the second quarter, losing Murray in the post and finger rolling it over a help defender (Lakers were up by 10, despite his struggles at this point). He missed a tough turnaround. He forced up another jumper, was challenged well and missed (everything seemed out of synch). He split a double, then looked like he got cute on the dribble and lost the handle for a turnover. He missed on a drive. He missed a three. He shot 1-8 in the first half for 4 points to go with 4 assists. (His lowest scoring half since April '04.) He missed a long jumper off the screen. He missed another jumper next time down, he wasn't squaring up on anything well, either. He got to take a defensive tech FT and made it, then with a better square up and he drained a 20-footer. He got the offensive foul on Hamilton who shoved him and Kobe was fired up (he had been asking for it all game long. Rip got a tech after that, Kobe made it.) He missed another fade next time down, looked smoother, though. Kobe missed a three over the zone. Kobe was 2-14 after three quarters. He jab stepped then hit a three from the top of the key. Bynum hit Kobe cutting behind his man with a bounce pass for an And-1, Kobe made the FT. He looked off a defender and then fed Farmar who was then wide open for a corner three. He swished a three after some quick ball movement. Mad D on Rip at midcourt stripping him, then diving for a jumpball, he won the tip. He fed Lamar on the other end for a three to ice it. He scored a layup in transition.
Lamar -- -- Flat out balling as I mentioned. When no one else could get anything done, Lamar was battling on the offensive glass and keeping us afloat. It's funny he can get so lost when things are moving smoothly for us in previous games, then when it all goes to hell in this one, he was shining. A lot of good garbage work by LO. He killed the Pistons. The Stats: Lamar finished with 25 points on 9-15 shooting (1-3 from three, 6-10 from the line), 15 boards (9 offensive), 1 steal and just 1 foul in 39 minutes. The Action: Good challenge on Tayshaun's first attempt to force a brick. He overpowered Prince on the right side for a layup. He took an offensive board away from Prince, attacked and got fouled on the throwdown attempt, he made both FTs. He switched on Cook's man, then stripped him to ignite the break where he was fouled after Kwame fumbled the ball back to him, he made one FT. Good pressure D on Prince and he forced a turnover. He skipped around his man in the post and finger rolled a layup in. He missed a three. He grabbed a Farmar shot that was blocked and quickly put in a layup before defenders could get up. His layup got goaltended with no call (easy call to make), he then took a long outlet, and on your NBA TV No. 5 play of the night he ballfaked to Bynum on the break then dunked (Video). He drew a foul on Amir trying to post up, he made one FT. He took a Kobe missed shot in traffic, attacked, missed, got it back and scored. He missed a three. He drew a foul on a drive and dish, he made both FTs. Excellent first half by LO, scoring 16 points on 5-9 shooting (6-8 from the line) to go with 7 boards (5 offensive). He got blocked trying to putback in a miss. He crashed the offensive glass, tipped it once, then tipped it again behind a defender for the score. He took a hard foul on his left shoulder, yanking his arm back and he went down hard (the Lakers staff keeping him out a little longer to heal might have saved him right there, that looked bad), he missed both FTs. He dunked, posing like Malone after taking a touch pass on the break from Vlad. He lost the ball on an attack down the lane. Finally someone (LO) secures an airball and LO pushed it up, coast-to-coast, through traffic and scored the layup with his right hand. LO threw a bad pass right off an official, Vlad scooped it up and hit a runner. Nice rebound in traffic and he quickly pushed it out to Kobe for the transition attack. He threw the final hammer down with a three with 1:18 left off a Kobe kickout.
DFish -- -- Horrible game from Fish on both ends...just ugly. Had he hit a few more jumpers, it would have made our miserable play against the zone a little more tolerable. Fish shot a Smush-like 3-12 (0-2 from three) for 7 points to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 24 minutes. He worked the two-man game with Kwame and hit him in the lane for a dunk. Poor handles pushing the break and he turned it over. He missed a long jumper from the sideline. Murray scored back-to-back layups against him. He missed another jumper, way short. He attacked the baseline and drew Hamilton's second foul on an And-1 layup, he made the FT. Kobe helped on Fish's man, Fish recovered to Kobe's and stole a pass back (very nice and not Smush-like). He missed a turnaround badly. He missed a layup on the break. He airballed a three with the clock low. He swished a baseline pull-up jumper. Against the zone, he missed a three, short. He missed a baseline jumper. Phil finally sat him with 4:27 left in the third, horrible shooting (backcourt was a combined 4-22 between Kobe and Fish at this point). Fish did not return.
Kwame -- -- He bobbles everything he touches. Everything. Simple passes look like he's trying to hold a hot coal or greased frog. It's so bad, it's absurd. Kwame scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting, grabbed 6 boards, blocked 1 shot and had 1 steal in 26 minutes. He dunked in the middle of the lane working the two-man with Fisher. He knocked a ball loose to force a turnover. He gambled for a steal and gave up a layup. Good challenge in transition and he forced a miss. He traveled when Lamar kicked it to him.
Cook -- -- What you like about Cook is his versatility ... and by versatility, I mean, the many things you can use him for: a doorstop, a paperweight, someone who can tell you the time or fetch your mail... If he's not hitting from the perimeter, he's not giving you anything. Thankfully, he had a good first stint, knocking down a couple threes and getting to the line for 8 points in the first quarter. His second stint, he went 0-6 and needed to go away. Cook finished with 10 points on 2-10 shooting, 1 rebound and 1 steal in 19 minutes. He drained a three from the top of the key on his first attempt. He missed his next three. He flashed to the FT line, attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He sank a three on a kickout in semi-transition on the next trip down. He clanked an open wing jumper. He scored 8 points on 2-4 shooting in just 7 minutes in the first half. Smart play, pumpfaking a three attempt, stepping in and taking contact on Maxiell for FTs, he made both. He missed a hook in the lane. He missed a three. He missed a spin and fade in the post. He gave up an And-1 with a soft challenge. He was blocked twice on the other end under the hoop. Boo's and groans now... and Phil finally took him out.
Farmar -- -- This isn't the first time he has elevated his game in the fourth quarter. And he's done it on the defensive end first, which is superb. Again, tonight, he gave us impact minutes and changed the game when it mattered the most. When he and Kobe get after it defensively, our backcourt puts teams on their heels. It's impressive to see when they get into that kind of defensive frenzy. Farmar had a game-high 4 steals, 3 of which came in the fourth quarter. He scored 10 points on a mediocre 3-10 shooting (2-4 from three, 2-4 from the line), grabbed 4 boards and dished 3 assist without a turnover. He played the last 16 minutes of the ball game and you can see in the game flow below how the game turned because of him in the fourth quarter. Early on in the game, he missed a layup on a drive. He sank a wing three with the shotclock low. He got blocked on a drive, but Lamar cleaned it up. He missed a jumper, but then used a burst of speed to track down Hamilton and steal it back from him. He missed a wide open three over the zone. He pushed out the break and took contact for FTs, he made one FT. He scored a layup off a bustout from pressure D. He swiped the ball at midcourt on the next defensive stand, missed the layup, but Mo cleaned it up and jammed it back in. Farmar again with the D, jumping the passing lane weakside on help D to steal a feed back to Rasheed, he then saved it back in bounds to Mo, who lobbed to Bynum for the dunk. He scooped up another loose ball the Lakers knocked loose and drew a foul on Rasheed in transition, he made one FT, then missed a three after Bynum got it back. He missed a wing jumper with the shotclock low. Good angle to contest a post up by Murray and it forced a miss. He then knocked down an open corner three off a kickout from Kobe, huge shot probably icing the game. After a dribbling show, he attacked the lane and fed Bynum for the layup.
Bynum -- -- More action for Bynum in the post in this game than he's been used to seeing. He had 12 points on 5-11 shooting and 7 boards (5 offensive) in 22 minutes. The shot attempt numbers may be just slightly deceptive if you are thinking about number of touches, because three of those attempts were second-effort varieties on the same possession after he missed. Bynum was one of the key players in the fourth quarter run, getting in on a number of plays. Early in the game, he missed a jumphook on his first attempt. He fouled challenging Maxiell on help D. He took an entry from Luke, split a double with a power dribble, then dunked on Maxiell on the other end (Video). He missed a turnaround, bounced up and got his own board behind the defenders and was fouled, he made both FTs. He got blocked twice on one sequence in the interior. Nice corner entry feed to Bynum, but he got rejected. He missed on a step-through in the post, then got his second attempt goaltended. He scored 6 points on 2-8 shooting and had 5 boards in the first half. He swatted Prince to ignite the break. He somehow came up with a Vlad missed jumper and hit a nice looking jumphook in the middle of the lane. Great running of the floor after Farmar stole the ball at midcourt and got it to Mo, Bynum called for the lob pass and threw it down. His length took away a missed FT from behind, but Farmar couldn't hit the three. Sweet, prefectly timed and threaded backdoor drop pass to Kobe who was cutting behind the play on the entry to Bynum and it resulted in an And-1. He scored a layup off a Farmar drive and dish.
Luke -- -- He may not have the stats, but better minutes from Luke tonight. He scored just 2 points on 1-1 shooting, but had 2 assists and 3 steals in his 17 minutes. He hit Bynum from the corner against the zone and it resulted in a dunk. He stopped a Piston breakaway slapping a ball away and it resulted in a Laker score on the other end. He hit a runner in the lane. He overpassed in the lane for a turnover, then got lost in transition D match ups.
Radmanovic -- 8) -- Decent game from Vlad. He actually looked a little disruptive in the pressure D and traps we were running. Offensively, I'm sure he loves the zone because all we do is swing the ball around and hoist threes. He took 6 and made 2. He finished with 11 points on 4-10 shooting, grabbed 3 boards, dished 2 assists and had 3 fouls in 20 minutes. He attacked to his left from the wing and drew FTs, he made one. He swished a rainbow wing three next trip down. He missed a sideline three. He missed a stepback jumper. He missed a three. He missed another three over the zone. Excellent touch pass in transition to LO for a dunk. He sank a corner three to start the fourth. He missed a corner jumper. He bounced an interior pass deftly off of Bynum's hands right back to himself and scored the layup. He got blocked on a layup under the hoop. He let Prince have his strong hand and a clear lane, then fouled him on the drive. Vlad picked up the pass off of the ref, attacked the lane and hit a runner, wow, lucky break and quick reaction by him (Video).
Evans -- -- Considering his back problems, we'll give him the Hot Mo title tonight. He only had 5 points on 1-2 shooting, but he also had 3 assists, 1 steal and got to the line a couple of times. He had a +12 on the floor. Good energy by him and he enjoyed a couple moments against his former team. (Both he and Cheick Samb, who the Lakers drafted for the Pistons on a prearranged draft-day trade were on the court together). He gave up a layup to his man, getting lost on the screens. He missed a jumper. Good read on the defensive doubles, he snagged a pass, pushed it up and just missed the And-1 throwdown, he made both FTs. He drew FTs attacking on the baseline, he made one. Good hustle to follow Farmar, who stole the ball and pushed it up, Farmar missed the layup, but Mo jammed it back down, he then took a wide route back in front of the Detroit bench to yell something. Excellent pass in transition next time down, pushing up the break and lobbing to Bynum for the dunk.
Phil -- -- The pressure D adjustment gave the Lakers life. Excellent decision by Phil and it led to some up and down ball and pulled us away from the bogged down offense against the zone. "That changed it up," Phil said. "Then the shooting started coming. Then Kobe hit a couple shots. Then things started looking like we played ball again. It's just a momentum thing. Baskeball is such a momentum game." I don't think this team last year pulls out of the zone-induced funk. In fact, they didn't... I expect our team to be a little ragged early in the season against the zone. It requires us to "group think" which is not our strong suit right now (or for many triangle teams in November). They need to work on it a bit, obviously... Good D to start, but the Lakers were a little loose offensively, but they still led 29-20 after the first quarter. Phil took out Kobe, Fish and Cook for Farmar, Vlad and Mo with a couple minutes left in that quarter. Different sub pattern, leaving Bynum and Luke on the bench in the first quarter. Detroit shot 47% to the Lakers 38% in that quarter... The Lakers still managed to lead 48-46 at the half despite Kobe and Fish shooting 2-14. The Lakers shot a poor 31% in the first half to the Pistons 50%. We had just 4 turnovers to their 11 and went to the line 19 times to their 8, thus the reason we still had the lead... The Lakers allowed a number of airballs to be turned into scores in this game. Must have happened three times, before LO finally secured one of them. So, good D to a point, but getting surprised by bad shots... The Pistons were out of fouls with 7:40 left in the third. We didn't take advantage... The Lakers scored just 6 points in the first 6 minutes of the second half and trailed by 55-54... At this point, the Lakers were resorting to bricking threes over the zone. They went 5-25 in the third and trailed 68-62... The Pistons went back to man D against the second unit to start the fourth. We went to pressure D and our second-unit energy took over the game... Nice to see this team win ugly...
Game Flow -- LINK -- Check out the +/- on the second unit.
Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 931 Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:20 am Post subject:
DancingBarry wrote:
laker_guerilla wrote:
First! was at the game so I'm gonna savor this one. Thanks DB
Ha, ha. I was saying...no way did anyone read that fast.
Good stuff ... I was telling myself that Cook was in the starting lineup in a showcase opp for him to be dealt ... pretty much everyone around me was groaning as he's glued to the floor underneath. His getting swatted is a mortal lock.
I brought binoculars to this game and glad I did. Kobe was really bouncy during timeouts. Extremely energized I thought. FIBA defense from 24 plus an emerging Farmar could be the answer to our problems.
Kwame, when viewed magnified 5x, is actually sporting wooden salad tongs for hands. Remarkable.
I completely forgot that Lamar had been injured. He played fantastic - that ball fake was special because he totally got hosed on the play before (goaltend).
Good times. Interested to see the Chicago game - they're going to be hyped but - again - Farmar + Kobe backcourt is getting serious.
That's emotional leadership, the best leadership Kobe can provide. Diving on the floor, showing that much passion is the best leadership imo. _________________
What you like about Cook is his versatility ... and by versatility, I mean, the many things you can use him for: a doorstop, a paperweight, someone who can tell you the time or fetch your mail... If he's not hitting from the perimeter, he's not giving you anything.
classic DB. _________________ Music is my medicine
I didn't think we'd win. Pistons have a hex on us ever since that finals series. Luckily, without Billups and McD, they really had no offense, especially with Kobe absolutely torturing Hamilton.
I watched that up close. Hamilton was PISSED at Kobe. Really pissed. He couldn't stand the defense Kobe was playing and the two were really going at it (some of Kobe's worst shots were ones trying to just nail things in Hamilton's face).
Also, when Hamilton got that tech, he threw his face mask on the ground and it hit one of Flip's assistant coaches and Flip came over and chewed him out. I don't think that team likes Flip, and I don't think he likes them. Just an ugly look to the whole relationship.
Oh, I forgot to mention. A lot of Pistons fans in the house. It really sucked. They kept cheering on every big Pistons play and then the home crowd would boo back at them, but it mostly meant we were practically booing while our guys were taking the ball up the court.
Really short circuited the crowd for the first three quarters.
Oh, I forgot to mention. A lot of Pistons fans in the house. It really sucked. They kept cheering on every big Pistons play and then the home crowd would boo back at them, but it mostly meant we were practically booing while our guys were taking the ball up the court.
Really short circuited the crowd for the first three quarters.
That may have been the case when Cook got blocked twice and then the Pistons hit a shot. I put it on the crowd getting irked at Cook, but it could be them responding to the obnoxious Detroit fans.
Great stuff DB! _________________ LG.net Lurker for 3 years , finally got my account approved..
It's just life. Everybody goes through it. It doesn't matter whether you're a banker, politician or an athlete. God has a different movie script for all of us.
-Lamar Odom
Sooo tired, can barely stay awake, caught the game after a late night out - it's almost 5 am now - but I am happy that stayed up and watched the game tape.
Brilliant effort.
Execution was not there, just effort. It is the one consistent so far in this team. I always had hope that we'd fight back in the 4th with the 2nd unit. I just have so much confidence in them.
And these are exactly the games that keep me saying "Do not trade Odom AND Bynum" just for the sake of change. They are the two biggest mismatches we have, noone can stop them when we get them the ball consistently and they are aggressive.
Farmar is a stud. What a great draft pick he is looking like right now. What a 2nd unit leader this kid is. Kobe is Mr. Clutch when it counts. No matter how he starts, he's on a whole other level in the 4th.
Good night to be a Laker fan. You could even feel that Kobe was excited in the way the team played. That physicality he knows it takes to become a contender, well the Lakers showed it tonight.
Question now is - Fluke? Or is this going to happen on a consistent basis. That is the question for the season.
Man, what a difference the switch was from Smush Parker to Derek Fisher... Thats crazy ish.
Hats off to Mitch for signing Fisher. Seriously, hats off. No Smush, and at the same time, a real team chemistry player who knows the triangle inside out. Incredible work ethic. The exact opposite of what Smush is.
It's just nice to not have to go through Smush's 'tude.
Man, what a difference the switch was from Smush Parker to Derek Fisher... Thats crazy ish.
Hats off to Mitch for signing Fisher. Seriously, hats off. No Smush, and at the same time, a real team chemistry player who knows the triangle inside out. Incredible work ethic. The exact opposite of what Smush is.
It's just nice to not have to go through Smush's 'tude.
Uh. This is the weirdest day to talk about Fish and Smush. Smush outplayed Fish today (i watched both games, Smush was surprisingly decent while fish was worthless. _________________
Joined: 03 Nov 2004 Posts: 8272 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 5:36 am Post subject:
i was yelling at PJ through my TV screen to get Kwame and Cook out of there in the 3rd. They are such liabilities. Kwame would either turn the ball over or catch the ball in a good scoring position, only to turn around and pass the ball back out, due to lack of confidence. Phil look as if he said "god da(rn) it" when Kwame got called for traveling in the 3rd. that was one of a series of horrible plays from him. How this guy was the #1 pick, Ill never know. Phil has got to get Bynum off the leash. Bynum, Farmar saved the day in the 4th and Kobe closed the show. Thats as pumped as ive seen Kobe all year, it was great to see the support he gave his teammates in the 4th. LO was a monster tonight too, i wish he played like that against SA last tuesday night.
p.s. Rip pushes off alot
*Ron Garretson with the assisst
now we just have to win the Kobe Bowl on Sunday. Hopefully Paxson wont leave any players behind after the game
thanks DB _________________ "When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu
Thanks for the excellent write-up DB. Love how you added The Stats and The Action break-outs and the video links. The extra work is really appreciated!
I'd love to see Lamar get at 25/15 when Kobe's playing well too. We'd be awesome.
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-- He was out of rhythm for the first three quarters. He seemed to be second guessing and not decisive and his shooting suffered. Once the game opened up behind the defensive energy and pressure, he got into a groove and closed out the Pistons. Again, a lot of intensity defensively from Kobe throughout the game. Kobe's game seemed to be the game in a microcosm itself -- battle hard on D, the offense will come and go, but stay consistent on D and good things will happen. 
-- Horrible game from Fish on both ends...just ugly. Had he hit a few more jumpers, it would have made our miserable play against the zone a little more tolerable. Fish shot a Smush-like 3-12 (0-2 from three) for 7 points to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 24 minutes. He worked the two-man game with Kwame and hit him in the lane for a dunk. Poor handles pushing the break and he turned it over. He missed a long jumper from the sideline. Murray scored back-to-back layups against him. He missed another jumper, way short. He attacked the baseline and drew Hamilton's second foul on an And-1 layup, he made the FT. Kobe helped on Fish's man, Fish recovered to Kobe's and stole a pass back (very nice and not Smush-like). He missed a turnaround badly. He missed a layup on the break. He airballed a three with the clock low. He swished a baseline pull-up jumper. Against the zone, he missed a three, short. He missed a baseline jumper. Phil finally sat him with 4:27 left in the third, horrible shooting (backcourt was a combined 4-22 between Kobe and Fish at this point). Fish did not return.
-- He bobbles everything he touches. Everything. Simple passes look like he's trying to hold a hot coal or greased frog. It's so bad, it's absurd. Kwame scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting, grabbed 6 boards, blocked 1 shot and had 1 steal in 26 minutes. He dunked in the middle of the lane working the two-man with Fisher. He knocked a ball loose to force a turnover. He gambled for a steal and gave up a layup. Good challenge in transition and he forced a miss. He traveled when Lamar kicked it to him.
-- What you like about Cook is his versatility ... and by versatility, I mean, the many things you can use him for: a doorstop, a paperweight, someone who can tell you the time or fetch your mail... If he's not hitting from the perimeter, he's not giving you anything. Thankfully, he had a good first stint, knocking down a couple threes and getting to the line for 8 points in the first quarter. His second stint, he went 0-6 and needed to go away. Cook finished with 10 points on 2-10 shooting, 1 rebound and 1 steal in 19 minutes. He drained a three from the top of the key on his first attempt. He missed his next three. He flashed to the FT line, attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He sank a three on a kickout in semi-transition on the next trip down. He clanked an open wing jumper. He scored 8 points on 2-4 shooting in just 7 minutes in the first half. Smart play, pumpfaking a three attempt, stepping in and taking contact on Maxiell for FTs, he made both. He missed a hook in the lane. He missed a three. He missed a spin and fade in the post. He gave up an And-1 with a soft challenge. He was blocked twice on the other end under the hoop. Boo's and groans now... and Phil finally took him out.
-- More action for Bynum in the post in this game than he's been used to seeing. He had 12 points on 5-11 shooting and 7 boards (5 offensive) in 22 minutes. The shot attempt numbers may be just slightly deceptive if you are thinking about number of touches, because three of those attempts were second-effort varieties on the same possession after he missed. Bynum was one of the key players in the fourth quarter run, getting in on a number of plays. Early in the game, he missed a jumphook on his first attempt. He fouled challenging Maxiell on help D. He took an entry from Luke, split a double with a power dribble, then dunked on Maxiell on the other end (
-- He may not have the stats, but better minutes from Luke tonight. He scored just 2 points on 1-1 shooting, but had 2 assists and 3 steals in his 17 minutes. He hit Bynum from the corner against the zone and it resulted in a dunk. He stopped a Piston breakaway slapping a ball away and it resulted in a Laker score on the other end. He hit a runner in the lane. He overpassed in the lane for a turnover, then got lost in transition D match ups.
-- Considering his back problems, we'll give him the Hot Mo title tonight. He only had 5 points on 1-2 shooting, but he also had 3 assists, 1 steal and got to the line a couple of times. He had a +12 on the floor. Good energy by him and he enjoyed a couple moments against his former team. (Both he and Cheick Samb, who the Lakers drafted for the Pistons on a prearranged draft-day trade were on the court together). He gave up a layup to his man, getting lost on the screens. He missed a jumper. Good read on the defensive doubles, he snagged a pass, pushed it up and just missed the And-1 throwdown, he made both FTs. He drew FTs attacking on the baseline, he made one. Good hustle to follow Farmar, who stole the ball and pushed it up, Farmar missed the layup, but Mo jammed it back down, he then took a wide route back in front of the Detroit bench to yell something. Excellent pass in transition next time down, pushing up the break and lobbing to Bynum for the dunk.
-- The pressure D adjustment gave the Lakers life. Excellent decision by Phil and it led to some up and down ball and pulled us away from the bogged down offense against the zone. "That changed it up," Phil said. "Then the shooting started coming. Then Kobe hit a couple shots. Then things started looking like we played ball again. It's just a momentum thing. Baskeball is such a momentum game." I don't think this team last year pulls out of the zone-induced funk. In fact, they didn't... I expect our team to be a little ragged early in the season against the zone. It requires us to "group think" which is not our strong suit right now (or for many triangle teams in November). They need to work on it a bit, obviously... Good D to start, but the Lakers were a little loose offensively, but they still led 29-20 after the first quarter. Phil took out Kobe, Fish and Cook for Farmar, Vlad and Mo with a couple minutes left in that quarter. Different sub pattern, leaving Bynum and Luke on the bench in the first quarter. Detroit shot 47% to the Lakers 38% in that quarter... The Lakers still managed to lead 48-46 at the half despite Kobe and Fish shooting 2-14. The Lakers shot a poor 31% in the first half to the Pistons 50%. We had just 4 turnovers to their 11 and went to the line 19 times to their 8, thus the reason we still had the lead... The Lakers allowed a number of airballs to be turned into scores in this game. Must have happened three times, before LO finally secured one of them. So, good D to a point, but getting surprised by bad shots... The Pistons were out of fouls with 7:40 left in the third. We didn't take advantage... The Lakers scored just 6 points in the first 6 minutes of the second half and trailed by 55-54... At this point, the Lakers were resorting to bricking threes over the zone. They went 5-25 in the third and trailed 68-62... The Pistons went back to man D against the second unit to start the fourth. We went to pressure D and our second-unit energy took over the game... Nice to see this team win ugly...
