SONICS -at- LAKERS - 11/27 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Losing Streak Snapped... "A win's a win, but we can play better," Lamar Odom said afterward. That about sums it up. The Lakers struggled a little, but played a strong third quarter to take control of the game and eventually get the 106-99 win against the 2-13 Sonics.

"We played with the kind of energy we're supposed to play with in the third quarter," Phil said. That second-half energy had been lacking in some of the previous losses. The 31-19 third quarter was the kind of ball you were hoping to see in the first half. Phil had two goals in this game: A strong third quarter and better ball movement away from Kobe's side of the floor. The team answered the call.

Lamar looked more aggressive from the start and gave the Lakers the one-two punch they've been lacking. kobe played a smooth, well-rounded game to lead all scorers with 35. The Lakers bench struggled in the first half, scoring just 7 points (they finished with 23 points).

Not too much to dig into with any meaning in this game.


Kobe -- -- Kobe played a smooth, well-rounded game. He took shots with more purpose instead of second-guessing, like Phil wanted. He set up teammates again and again. The Stats: He scored 35 points on 12-22 shooting (1-3 from three, 10-12 from the line), he pulled down 8 boards and dished 6 assists. He was a +16. The Action: He attacked from the corner, slid the left and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He pulled up and hit a 17-footer. He scored on his third straight trip, hitting a wing jumper. He airballed a baseline fade. He dunked coming off the backscreen for the long alley-oop from Luke. He attacked in transition and drew FTs, he made both. He faced up to make an entry pass to Lamar, who fell down, so Kobe drained the wing jumper. He posted up, lost his man on a spin to the middle and finger-rolled it in. Strong first quarter with 14 points, a couple weak challenges defensively on the perimeter, but efficient and aggressive offensively. Back in, he hit Bynum in a scramble play with a lob pass for a dunk. He then hit LO with a long outlet for a layup. He missed badly off the glass, got it back and bricked. He hit Ronny on the break for the And-1. He hit a wing three. He created on the sideline, pulled up and drained the jumper (this is what Phil was talking about, Kobe didn't even think about pumpfaking, just shot it). Next time down he saw a rookie on him, so he gave Durant the pumpfake and easily drew FTs, he made both. He had 21 points on 7-10 shooting and 4 assists (good shot selection and easy looks for the most part). He got tapped on a bank. He kicked out to Fish for an open jumper. He worked the two-man game with Drew to set him up for a dunk, just threw it up high where no one but Bynum could get it. He missed a half-dunk, half-layup. He challenged a dunk in transition and got his man to miss. He missed a wing jumper. He was called for a travel in traffic. He pulled up from 20 and sank the jumper. He missed a three, got it back on a tip out, attacked and drew FTs in a crowd, he missed both of them. He missed a pull-up from the wing in transition. He pushed up the break, crossed over his man with ease, sliced down the lane and scored the layup. He pulled up in transition and drained the wing jumper without hesitation. He iso'd on Green, pulled up and drew a whistle, he made both FTs. He lobbed to Drew, but Bynum pulled it down instead of dunking it and the shotclock expired. He hit Drew with an interior feed next time down and it led to FTs. Kobe hit a fade from the wing, standing on the three line...incredibly high difficulty on that jumper with the shotclock about to expire. He swished a baseline fade next time down. He missed a three, forcing one over Durant on iso next time down. He got stripped on what sounded like an all-arm slap. He was fouled intentionally, he made both FTs.

Lamar -- -- Better focus. He started at PF tonight and went to work early in the post. He wanted to be aggressive and get back to the line and did that. He faded a bit in the second half, but he was certainly engaged and active in the first half. Defensively, anytime he was matched up with Durant, Odom gave him a lot of problems. Durant made his living off others. "I could replay that game and think about wide open shots I could have knocked down," he said afterward. The Stats: Lamar scored 20 points on 6-13 shooting (1-3 from three, 7-8 from the line), he pulled down 8 boards, didn't have an assist and had 3 turnovers in 39 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He took a post entry on the first play of the game, dribbled right around Wilcox and scored a layup (that's what I want to see, some set sequences to get him going and engaged). He threw a post feed away trying to thread the needle. He beat his man baseline, then I don't know what he was trying to do, but he missed an uncontested reverse badly. He missed an 18-footer. He ran the offense away from the ball, coming off the weakside screen, curling down the lane and taking the feed from the post for a dunk (that's textbook working off the ball in the Tri). He missed an attack off the pinch post. He posted up, got the entry and powered in a layup. He fell down trying to post up and called timeout, then out of the timeout, he fell in the post again, busting the play so Kobe sank a jumper. He missed a three. He drew FTs on the defensive glass, he made one. Slow cut down the lane and Luke still threaded it to him, he drew FTs, he made both. He bricked a stepback jumper. He took the pass, attacked baseline aggressively and drew FTs, he made both. Good first stint with 11 points. He took the long outlet from Kobe, didn't even need to dribble and scored. Phil moved him back to SF late in the half when Vlad was in foul trouble. He finished the half with 13 points and 5 boards in the first half. He swished an open three off a Fish kickout. He got a piece of Durant's turnaround or got away with a foul. He drew a travel on Green's attack with some more good D. He missed a three over the zone. He stripped Durant as he was going up past Mihm for a dunk. Good help D challenge on Mihm's man and it forced a miss. He shed Green to the ground when Kobe had secured a board and gave up FTs. He overpassed in the lane and it led to a three-second call. He banged his finger again on his right hand going for a loose ball. He missed a wing three. He attacked off the two-man game with Drew and earned FTs, he made both. He made an uncontested layup under the hoop as the final clock went off.

DFish -- -- Strong game from Fish and he led the team with a +19. He was efficient and effective. Defensively, he wasn't as challenged as much as other teams might. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 3-4 shooting (8-8 from the line) and had 8 assists and 4 boards in 31 minutes. The Action: He banked a one-hander in semi-transition. He drew FTs in transition and sank both. Nice reach in to help Bynum, he swiped the ball, and ignited the break for a Laker score. He drew FTs attacking in semi-transition, he made both FTs. He charged in transition, although his man was in the arc. He had 6 points and 5 assists at the half. He attacked and kicked back to Lamar for a three. He drained a corner jumper off a Kobe kickout. His man skidded to the ground off the double screen, Fish took the pass, attacked, then hit Vlad under the hoop for the layup. He missed a reverse, got it back and missed again in traffic (only charged with one attempt, though on that). He sank a tech FT. He swished a wing pull-up jumper in transition. He was fouled on his three attempt on the next trip down, he made all three. He threw a pass out of bounds on penetration.

Radmanovic -- -- Vlad needs to pick it up. We can handle poor games against the Sonics, but we need him to hit a few shots with a bit more consistency. He couldn't do much righ tin this one. Durant much preferred dealing with Vlad than LO. The Stats: He scored just 2 points on 1-3 shooting and had 4 fouls in just 14:29 of action. He was a +6. The Action: He missed a corner three. He picked up his second foul 5 minutes in the game, contesting a breakaway and he had to sit. He picked up his third foul just after getting back in the game, he had to sit. He scored a layup in traffic when Fish found him under the hoop. He bricked an ugly one-hander in the lane. He picked up his fourth foul going over the back and had to sit.

Bynum -- -- The Sonics were showing Bynum a lot of respect tonight by trying to attack him and draw fouls to get him out of the game. They got a couple of cheap ones on him in the process and he had to deal with foul issues throughout the game. He still managed to deliver a double-double in limited minutes. He and Kobe continue to show moments of chemistry. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting (2-3 from the line), grabbed 10 boards and dished 2 assists in 25:46. He was a -3. The Action: He fouled Wilcox on the first defensive sequence. He gathered himself after taking a pass under the hoop and reversed an And-1 in, he made the FT. Excellent feed from the post running the standard sideline Tri sequence and he found Lamar coming off the screen weakside for a dunk. Back in to run with the second unit, he took the post entry, drew the double and hit a cutting Luke for the dunk. His second foul was cheap, maybe a phantom contesting guard penetration. He kicked it to Luke, got it back and scored easily. He dropstepped and missed the bank. He took the long oop pass from Kobe and slammed. Superb jumpout on Wilkins to challenge and he forced an airball. He picked up his third foul trying to defend Watson on the pick and roll and had to sit with 3 minutes left. He had 7 points and 5 boards at the half. He bumped his man out of position going up high for the lob, gathered it then dunked. He beat the guard to the spot on the sideline and forced a turnover defending the two-man game. Wow, too big, he tipped an offensive rebound away from Wilcox, gathered it, power dribbled once on the attack and finger-rolled the layup in. He picked up his fourth foul on the other end and had to sit midway through the third. He hit one FT after drawing a foul when Kobe found him in the interior. He got blocked under the hoop.

Turiaf -- -- Ronny had good activity on both ends, looking more like himself since the injury. He was a factor again defensively and scrapping on occasion on the offensive end. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-7 shooting, 1-3 from the line, had 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He was a -10 playing with the second unit. The Action: He missed a point-blank layup off an offensive board. He was called for a delay-of-game warning for not having his jersey tucked in. He took the pass from Kobe, got hit on the arm on the break, but finished the And-1, he made the FT. He missed a drive down the lane. He scored a layup on the break, caught his make after it went through and tossed it to the ref and was given a delay of game, this one a tech FT (there was no advantage gained on that play, you could call that 20 times a game). He lost the ball against the underside of the rim going up for a sure dunk. He sank a baseline jumper off a drive and kick from Luke against the zone. Good challenge on Wilcox on iso D in the post and he forced a miss. He swatted Wally with authority, then got called for a goaltend on his next rejection. Aggressive job getting position, he took the entry and got hammered, he missed both FTs. He beat Wilkins to the spot and drew a charge in the lane. He roofed Wilkins on help D.

Luke -- -- Mixed game from Luke. He had some awful moments in his first stint, but played stronger in his second stint. Still, you need better ball from him The Stats: The Action: He hit Kobe for the alley-oop. He swiped the ball and ignited a breakaway. He forced a shot in the lane and bricked badly. Lamar made a half-ass cut off the ball, but Luke still threaded a pass to him and it drew FTs. He cut off Bynum who drew the double, took the pass and dunked. He missed a short jumper. Green took him off the dribble for a layup. Green overpowered him, knocking Luke down and scoring another layup. Very sluggish effort going after a couple looseballs and he dropped one out of bounds. He attacked the middle of the zone and kicked to Ronny for the baseline jumper. He missed a one-hander on the drive to his right. Awkward bank on the break over Thomas who was trying to draw the charge. He drew a charge on Green, beating him to the spot. Better second stint from Luke.

Farmar -- -- Farmar is the engine of that second unit without Bynum out there. They've suffered whenever he struggles and they miss Mo's energy. Something Ariza will be able to replace once he gets the green light. Up and down minutes from Farmar tonight, meant shorter run with DFish playing steady ball. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (2-3 from three), had 1 assist and 1 steal in 17 minutes. He was a -12. The Action: He missed a three. He had the ball swiped from him when he prepared to attack. He swiped a return feed defending the pick and roll, then pushed out the break to Luke for a score. He missed a teardrop in the lane. He sank an open wing three. He sank another wing three on a kickout.

Mihm -- -- Just a real clunky game. His timing seemed off and he looked a bit awkward on some sequences. He got some audible groans from Staples on a few plays. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-10 shooting (2-2 from the line), had 8 boards (3 offensive), 1 block and 4 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He mis-timed a sure defensive rebound and gave up a dunk. Then, he missed a two-foot gimmie at the front of the rim on the other end. He ballfaked, got space and missed the open 12-footer. He bumped a rebound away from Lamar and then got dunked on. Soft finish attempt and he was blocked by Durant (what was that?). He tapped a board out to Kobe who attacked and drew FTs. He took a pass on the break, shuffled his feet and missed the throwdown attempt. He missed a reverse and then Kwame-armed the rebound back in with a little help from a defender. He drew FTs on the defensive glass, he made both. Good job staying on his feet and keeping the dribble alive when Thomas tried to pull the chair on him, the result was a layup. He kept a poor pass from Farmar alive with a good save before going out of bounds. He tipped at a couple of offensive boards and couldn't get them to drop. He missed a baseline jumper.

Vujacic -- -- Nothing much to mention in his game tonight. The Stats: He didn't score in 12:37 of action, missing all three shots he took. He was a -9. The Action: He missed a three, short. He got lost on iso against Wally, gave an obvious foul and complained about it (Stu let him have it). He missed a wing jumper off a scramble.

Phil -- -- Ariza was placed on the inactive list. Not sure when Phil will trust him with the offensive and defensive schemes. Hopefully, soon... Speaking of inactive. Javaris Crittenton's going to be a good player -- a great player. Phil had some positive words for him recently. Of course, you never know half the time with Phil because he always seems to have agendas. But Tex Winter is about as straight a shooter as they come. "I'd like to see Crittenton get a little time," Tex said in the L.A. Times. "I think he's special." Can't wait until we get to see him some more. He's definitely going to be a player... Phil pulled Bynum midway through the first for Mihm even though Bynum was playing solid and had just 1 foul. Might be trying to have Bynum run with the second unit by pulling him early. Bynum started the second quarter with the second unit... The second unit, again, was getting killed and Phil sat on the bench as the Sonics ballooned the lead. Finally, he called a timeout, subbed them out for the starters to end the bleeding... It was tied up 54-54 at the half. The Sonic bench out-scored the Laker bench 19-7. But the starters held steady.. Fish got fouled on a three pointer and Phil took a timeout after he made the first FT, Fish came back and made two more. Phil commented in the previous game how difficult it was to make three in a row. He might have been trying to break them up for Fish... Collison couldn't return to the game and shoot FTs, so Phil picked Sene off the bench to shoot them and we got one miss... The Lakers had an 85-73 lead after three with a 31-19 third quarter. A little sloppy in the fourth and never pulled away like you'd like to see... On Kwame: "I kind of ignore him like he's a leper on the table, but as I was walking through the training room, the trainer said, 'Kwame's ankle looks great today,' so that was really good news," Phil said. They aren't sure if Kwame would travel with the team next week, but it sounds like he's not that far away...

[AndrewBynum17]

thanks DB
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www.andrewbynum.com

[KOBE 2.0]

Boring/Ugly thats how the game was played.

[Vadorojo]

Thank you, DancingBarry!

On a side note, may I ask where your name comes from? Any reference to Jon Barry of former Lakerdom? =P

[DancingBarry]

It's an obscure reference these days, but... Dancing Barry used to wear a white suit and dance around the Forum during the Lakers Showtime era. Probably the closest thing the team ever had to a mascot. I'm nuts about the Lakers, too...loved those Showtime Lakers... so I chose that name.

[GunShot]

DB, you see Phil giving Sasha's minutes to Critt anytime soon? He has praised him. He eventually gave the nod to Farmar over Smush last season but that was extremely late.

[Shaber]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[KOBE 2.0]

DB, if the Lakers knew that player was gonna take time to get the offense and + playing time why did they get him? granted Cook and Evans weren't doing anything at least Mo bought energy.

thats why they should have traded for a veteran and not a young player.

[limchrc]

Nice to get a W after a few tough losses.

[Tanlentueux]

[Sage_10]

Thanks DB.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[A Mad Chinaman]

Great Recap

With the current injury & trade situations, what options are avialable to PJ to make the 2nd team strong again? Could Ariza/Critt/Farmar/Turiaff/? at "5" be a reality?

[8750]

thanks, DB...
let's take the win and go ahead, but what i definitely don't like is the lack of passion of this team... i can't see any fire, any mental strenght, something that only kobe, turiaf and farmar show consistently... and from very long time i can't see the legendary motivational touch of our coach... i would like to see more defensive pressure and more transition in the first offensive seconds...

[BigE32]

Thanks, DB. I can't wait to see Crit and Ariza get some PT in the future. We needed to stop the losing streak.

[Al-Mbarak8]

Boring game , but still glad we got the win..
Btw does anyone has a clip of kobe's block on delonte ?
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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

[LongtimeLakerLover]

Thanks DB -

I missed some of this game, and for once I didn't mind. I picked it up in the third where they did play with more energy but OMG it was so ugly. If they'd have been playing any other team they'd have lost IMHO. I am hoping they start recovering from losing their team mates and get Critt and Ariza going. They need some chemistry so we can see some of those pretty plays we saw at the beginning of the season. I must admit, I'm a little worried about this team....
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I love LA........WE LOVE IT!

[Al-Mbarak8]

[KingKobe20]

Every year someone from LG always breaks out this Ice Cube line when defeat the Sonics . I thought I might be the first to break the ice.

"I had the brew she had the chronic,
The Lakers beat the Supersonics"

-Ice Cube,It was a good day

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[Dr. Laker]

Good job, as usual.
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

Ariza better not be inactive against Denver. We need him to guard Melo. Melo is hard for Kobe to guard due to his size and strength. Seems like Seattle would have been a good game for Ariza to get some experience.


thanks DB, a win is a win
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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[postandpivot]

[20,000]