Do you think that the Lakers (esp. Bynum, Farmar, Vlad, etc.) will have the consistency to win 30 games at home and 20 games on the road - figures that Stu, Sir Charles, Doug Collins, Hubie and others state that a good team has to do?
Nice game... good to see them stand up to the challenge of the speedy warriors... let's see if it can translate over to playing PHX.
Nice that Luke got to rest... hopefully LO is alright.
Now they have extra days to prepare for SA ... hopefully Ariza can get even more comfortable with the system... he really adds so much to the team!
The rematch on Friday should be interesting as it will be in SF and a back to back for LA... plus the added fact that they got their butts handed to them tonight... Nelly will probably come back with a few surprises.
melo - Maybe a little more than last year. I think a couple years back when he first started with the Tim Duncan moves, he was using it a ton.
I remember when he started to use it. My friend commented that Kobe had lost confidence in his normal Jumper and started trying to bank his shots in.
But now, it's nice that he is putting all of his moves together. When i see that Bank, it's just so smooth and looks very nice. Especially since Kobe can fadeaway and bank it while Duncan generally faces up and banks. _________________
1) Kobe really doesn't seem comfortable with his jumper lately. It's just so on and off. Granted, he did get fouled a LOT without calls (I counted at least 4 or 5 missed calls in the first half), but he still missed shots that I have grown accustomed to him making. Also, I notice that when he posts up, he makes his move a bit too late and allows the double team to come over. I understand him wanting to split them, and having the option of dishing it to an open teammate, but he'd put the most strain on the defense if he made his attacking move quicker. The interior defender would have to rotate over, and Kobe could just dish it off to Drew for an easy 2.
2) Ariza still doesn't know the system that well. His defense is great, and his activity has been very good rebound-wise, but his cuts have been awful at times. On one occasion, I saw him cut towards Kobe while Kobe was posting up. It killed the floor spacing and helped the Warriors rotate into a double team. I also saw him miss a cut that he should have made at one point. This stuff will come with time, I'm sure, but these little things may be why he doesn't get as many minutes as some people want him to. For the record, I am in favor of him getting minutes, even if he messes up occasionally on the offensive end, because his defense is huge for this club.
3) Lamar is just INFINITELY more consistent (yes, that word) with his jump shot when he shoots it in rhythm. It seems that he is a very good shooter when he catches and shoots in on swift motion. On the other hand, when he hesitates, he's down right awful. I wish he would realize this and stick strictly to the former.
4) Sasha really is awful. I don't care what one or two games a month indicate. He's just awful. Out of control, spastic, and just painful to watch at times.
Great win by the Lakers. Was even better since I was surrounded by Warriors fans and got to gloat quite a bit. Let's hope that the Lakers prepare for the Spurs, because that will be a huge test, Duncan or not. _________________ Jeffs
I feel like I just watched someone TRULY give 100%. Not the BS I'm-gonna-give-a-110%-just-like-everyone-else-says platitudes, but someone that went until he just....broke. - GT
Man , great recap..This Bynum kid is growing into a monster infront of our eyes , plus those jerseys..i just love them.. _________________ 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
I can't wait until Bynum getting 20 and 10 is just another regular night for him. love the throwbacks! especially those jackets! _________________ "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."
Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 29999 Location: Likely nowhere near you
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:27 am Post subject:
What I really enjoyed, especially with Bynum being the only big on the floor at times, was that Bynum did not pick up and stupid offensive fouls. I thought going against smalls like Harrington would net Bynum some overpowering offensive fouls.
By the way, if we had lost, I would hate this, but I like that the refs allow players to play through. I have been watching some games and highlights of 1980s games, and it is not seeing so much play stoppage as there is now. It is not Detroit Pistons' basketball, but the ticky tack fouls that are called now are not even thought of back then.
Now when it happens and no call is made, too much energy and time is spent yelling at the refs. I wish Kobe would stop bringing the refs so much into the game and staring them down. You are the best player in the NBA, play like it. _________________ Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'
I'm really impressed with Ariza ... I like the way he's fitting into the team so far, and as he gets used to the Tri, he should only get better!
My favorite Bynum stat: 0 fouls. With all those small guys on the floor, he didn't pick up a single foul. He just stuck to swatting and intimidating them.
Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 29999 Location: Likely nowhere near you
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:52 am Post subject:
By the way, for being a small team, GS got way too many offensive rebounds and second- and third-chance points. _________________ Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'
Thanks as always DB! Like Kobe, sometimes we get so accustomed to greatness that we forget to take a step back and say "that guy is a really, really good re-capper; one for the ages!"
I was checking out the insights from the other bench, and liked this bit on how well the Lakers closed out each quarter. From Golden State of Mind
Quote:
One HUGE thing that playing disciplined within a system helps with is closing out quarters. Tonight, that is exactly where the game was won. Just look at the play by play at the end of each quarter. The Lakers just took over.
1st quarter
Warriors are up 31-28. Trevor Ariza of the Lakers gets fouled and goes to the line for 2. He makes the first (31-29 Warriors), but misses the second. Sweet! Oh but Lamar Odom grabs the offensive rebound, passes to Ariza who gets fouled again. Nooo! This time, Ariza makes both free throws to tie the game and nobody else scores in the final 20 seconds. So what could have been at least a 2 point lead, possibly a 4 or 5 point lead turned into just a tie.
2nd quarter
With 3:18 to go, Kelenna Azubuike makes a shot and pushes the Warriors lead to 7, 56-49. The Warriors were playing well, but the Lakers knew how to close out a quarter. A Fisher 3 point play followed by a Bynum 3 point play, a couple Ariza free throws, a Kobe free throw, and "poof", it was a 58-56 Lakers lead. The halftime score was 60-59 Lakers.
3rd quarter
Like a broken record, the end of this quarter was no different than the other two. 5:50 to play and the game was tied at 73. Fisher hits a quick 3, Bynum made a layup, and the Lakers never relinquished the lead. The lead eventually grew to 11, but the Warriors were able to make a quick run and enter the fourth with a 6 point deficit. Again, the Lakers closed out the quarter strong and kept the Warriors scrambling.
4th quarter
I guess this wasn't so much that the Lakers closed out the quarter strong, but at one point just simply took over. At 8:45, the Warriors had cut the lead to 4 points, 95-99, but that was the last time the Warriors even sniffed the lead. In just under 2 minutes, bam, the deficit was 11 points, 97-108. Fast forward another minute to 4:41 and bam, the deficit is 17 points, 99-116. Game over. Good night. Go home.
From the same site: HERESY!
Quote:
The Lakers are so precise. Everyone knows where to go, where they should be, and what their role is. They may not be the most talented players, but they are extremely well coached and disciplined. That discipline is the key to their success because even when Kobe has an off shooting night like tonight, the other guys can step in and pick up the slack.
_________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 12825 Location: Somewhere watching a Laker game
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:25 am Post subject:
Thanks DB!
Ariza v. Walton: Has Walton ever had 10 FTAs in one game? I don't even want to talk about the difference between the two defensively. I'm liking what I am seeing from the 22 year old kid. For someone so new to the triangle, that's what I call aggression. Might we be watching the future SF in LA LA land? His biggest test will be v. the Spurs. If we can throw him out there on TP (the same way PJ threw him out there on AI) with good results, man!
You know you're getting old when the jerseys you used to wear are now considered throwbacks.
The game itself was kinda throwback with all the up and down action. Nellie with his small ball, just like the old Run TMC days and the Lakers got a Kareem-like, dominant big man game from Bynum.
Now I gotta ask Santa for one of the warmup shirts that list all the championship teams.
Thanks, glad to see Crittenton get some burn tonight.
Yeah, would have liked to see him get a lot more with Farmar playing uninspired and Sasha playing period. Oh well.
Great game overall. AB put in work. I liked some of the skill he showed off in a couple of moves...like that spin vs Harrington.
Good win for LA. Can ya'll believe we're only a 1/2 game behind Dallas and Utah?
I think this is unfair to Farmar. He's a good leader of the bench and good with the first unit in the fourth quarter. His shot is more consistent, he makes things happen, disturbs in the passing lanes, shows bursts of speed the Lakers usually dont have. So what if he's a little 'off.' Even in this (characterized) down game he was fine. He's a major component of the tone of the current roster.
You know you're getting old when the jerseys you used to wear are now considered throwbacks.
The game itself was kinda throwback with all the up and down action. Nellie with his small ball, just like the old Run TMC days and the Lakers got a Kareem-like, dominant big man game from Bynum.
Now I gotta ask Santa for one of the warmup shirts that list all the championship teams.
Life/time accellerates. "Nostalgia is a week-from-Tuesday."
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 12898 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:31 am Post subject:
If Trevor is really ready to step in this role (so far so very good), guys like Luke and Sasha are gonna be sitting....a lot. He seems to have actual defensive skills....not just effort. And that's something we've desperately needed from our role players. _________________ So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.
Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 14660 Location: unfortunately not Los Angeles anymore
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:43 am Post subject:
When Bynum goes for 20 and 10...we're really hard to stop. Kobe will get his...LO will quietly fill up the stat sheet every 3rd game..but Bynum establishing himself as the 2nd option already... wow..
I still wanna see a solid go-to move. Hook shot, baby hook. cuz he's not going to be able to bully around bigger teams..
I also think he needs better man to man defense. I think it'll come with him getting bigger and stronger. But his FT shooting will go with that...but who cares...
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 12898 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:45 am Post subject:
Thugnomoe wrote:
DazedAndConfused wrote:
Ariza is going to be our Bruce Bowen. Lock this kid up.
he's just gotta become a better shooter. Ariza should shoot 100,000 3's this summer...
That's fine and all, but it's not a requirement. Why?? Because he's not a jumpshooter, and he doesn't THINK he's a jumpshooter. So what does he do? He dives and cuts to the rack. He places himself in positions where he CAN prosper. That to me, is more important than a jumpshot. Even at his young age, he seems to know himself, his strengths and his limitations. _________________ So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.
Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 14660 Location: unfortunately not Los Angeles anymore
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:57 am Post subject:
hoopschick29 wrote:
Thugnomoe wrote:
DazedAndConfused wrote:
Ariza is going to be our Bruce Bowen. Lock this kid up.
he's just gotta become a better shooter. Ariza should shoot 100,000 3's this summer...
That's fine and all, but it's not a requirement. Why?? Because he's not a jumpshooter, and he doesn't THINK he's a jumpshooter. So what does he do? He dives and cuts to the rack. He places himself in positions where he CAN prosper. That to me, is more important than a jumpshot. Even at his young age, he seems to know himself, his strengths and his limitations.
sure...but tell me it's not important to be a good shooter in the triangle...
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 12898 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:04 am Post subject:
^^^It's more important to understand your strengths and limitations in the triangle than it is to be a good shooter. Case in point, Lamar Odom. The guy continues to shoot jumpshots when he is not a good jumpshooter. All that height, all that size, and without the good sense God gave him to use it. _________________ So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.
All times are GMT - 8 Hours Goto page Previous1, 2, 3Next
Page 2 of 3
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
Let's hope that the Lakers prepare for the Spurs, because that will be a huge test, Duncan or not.
love the throwbacks! especially those jackets! 
Good game!
