PACERS -at- LAKERS - 1/6 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Taking Care of Business... The Lakers got a mix of interior and perimeter play in this one -- just not at the same time. It was Bynum with 21 first half points while Kobe and DFish were cold. Then, the two guards heated up in the second half to take out the Pacers 112-93.

Bynum didn't get the ball much in the second half, but hit the boards hard and finished with 23 points, 13 boards and 4 blocks. Kobe led with 26 points and Fish added 22.

The Lakers started most of the quarters cold for whatever reason. The ball movement came and went at times. "Stagnant motion leads to one shot...done...and then you're back on defense having to play defensive ball instead of aggressive flow ball, which is much easier to do," Phil said afterwards.

The +/- numbers for the starters are ridiculous. They averaged +28 per player. This was a game of runs on both sides, which played into those stats.


Kobe -- -- A poor shooting first half, but Kobe did a good job finding Bynum on a number of possessions early on. In the second half, he found his stroke again and was the difference maker. Kobe is averaging 36.5 minutes per game this year, that's the lowest total in his career since he cracked the starting lineup. And, it's 4.3 minutes less per season than last year. After playing this summer, it's good to see those numbers down early this season. The Stats: Kobe scored 26 points on 8-21 shooting, grabbed just 2 boards, dished 6 assists, had 3 steals, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 36 minutes. The Action: He missed a 13-footer. He posted up and missed a short turnaround. He attacked, hung and missed a bank. He traveled on iso. He sank a jumper from the top of the key creating a little space. Pass deflection on the D end to start the break. He lobbed to Bynum, who missed, but got it back and scored. Next time down the Pacers were lost on D and Kobe spotted Bynum with the no-look lob for a dunk. He charged trying to create from the top of the key. He lost the ball to a double team. He drew FTs when he got wrapped up on a drive, he made both. He sank a fade flashing to the elbow. He missed a three in transition. He missed a corner jumper. Nice recovery under the hoop to steal a pass to his man. He drew FTs on an inbounds pass, he made both. He missed a pull-up jumper from a few feet away. He was stripped on the perimeter for points the other way. He drew FTs pulling up for an elbow jumper, he made both. He hit Bynum with an interior feed for FTs. He missed a pull-up jumper short. He spotted Bynum with a high entry against a shorter man for an And-1. Other then a very good job working with Bynum, a poor first half from Kobe creating for himself, shooting just 2-11 for 10 points to go with 4 turnovers. He attacked and missed with his left around JO, should have dumped it off to Bynum. He sank a flat 17-footer from the elbow. He sank an open three from the top of the key. He faced up from the wing, got Dunleavy on his heels with a fake and buried the three. He swished a wing jumper working off the two-man game. He missed a pull-up out of a timeout. He made the extra pass to Ariza in the corner for the three. He drew FTs on a baseline jumper, he made both. He had 12 points in the third on 4-6 shooting. Back in midway through the fourth with the Lakers struggling and he hit back-to-back jumpers. He missed his next one short. He pushed out the break and hit Fish spotting up for three in the corner. Working off the high screen roll, he flipped a pass behind him to Fish that had the crowd buzzing and Fish hit the three. He kicked out to him again on the next possession and Fisher nailed a corner three.

Lamar -- -- Effecient double-double from LO. He only took one shot in the first half and was 5-5 at one point. It looked like they tried to run a play for him in the first possession of the second half to get him going. He got to match up with Murphy defensively. In the past the Pacers would sometimes run a lineup with JO and Foster and Lamar would match up with Foster. Lamar needs to start building some chemistry with Bynum on the floor. He seems like the only starter who hasn't. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 13 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 39 minutes. The Action: He rejected Granger on help D at the front of the rim. He scored a layup in transition for the Lakers first score (he wouldn't score again for the rest of the half, nor take another shot). He pulled down the offensive board, then threaded a bounce pass to Bynum for an And-1. Good first quarter on the defensive glass, pulling down 6 boards in his first stint. They went to LO to start the second half and he scored a layup off a low-post attack. He scored a layup cutting off Bynum next time down. He gave up the ball to Luke in transition, Luke no-looked back to him for the layup. He rattled in an open three from the weakside wing. Great trap in the corner and he tied up Dunleavy, then stole the jumpball and was called for it. He missed a fallaway on the baseline trying to create when the offense stalled. He pushed out the break, drew a foul and made both FTs. He missed a three.

Bynum -- -- Bynum had a big game against JO last time they met, getting the best of him on a few defensive sequences. The Pacers went at Bynum early. Then Bynum went at them. He scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half. He didn't get the ball much in the second half, but pulled down 10 of his boards in that half. Very efficient game from Drew, a lot of And-1s. In case you haven't noticed, it's not the first time where Bynum had a big first half and a much more quiet second half. The team goes away from him. Bynum said a couple weeks ago that he hopes he can earn the trust to get the ball more in the second half. JO scored 13 on 6-14 shooting, he was much more effective shooting jumpers over Bynum by facing up. He did step around him early in the game and get a dunk in. The Stats: Bynum scored 23 points on 8-11 shooting (7-9 from the line) to go with 13 boards, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. The Action: Bynum powered in an And-1 over JO and made the FT. Drew took the quick touch pass from Luke, dropped JO to the floor on a power spin, then scored the And-1 (I love seeing him bang like that), he made the FT. He got hit without a call and missed. He took the lob from Kobe, missed, popped back up to get it and put it back in (his second efforts are superb). Kobe hit him next time down with a no-looker for the oop Dunk. Good effort for an offensive board and it led to a three. He blocked Harrison. He drew FTs on a corner sequence and made both. He charged on the pick and roll return feed. Good first stint with 12 points in the first quarter. Back in, he took a pass from Luke and scored the And-1 in one motion, he made the FT. He drew FTs when Kobe found him with an interior feed, he made one. He dunked when DFish hit him in the chest with a pass. He took the high entry pass against a mismatch in the post and scored the And-1, he made the FT. He kicked out to Luke for the corner three. Huge first half for Bynum with 21 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting (7-8 from the line) to go with 3 boards and 2 blocks in 16 minutes. A lot of defensive board work and few touches offensively in the second half. He faked the pass out, then hit LO cutting down the lane for the layup. Good challenge on JO in the post to force a miss. Drew caught the corner entry pass, took a shove, looked at the ref, then threw down an And-1 reverse jam over JO, he missed the FT. He swatted Dunleavy from behind.

DFish -- -- He had a poor start, but finished strong...real strong. He and Kobe connected late in the fourth on a number of kickouts for threes that buried the Pacers for good. The Stats: The Action: He missed a three. He got tapped on a pull-up jumper from the elbow. He sank an open wing jumper in transition. He attacked, drew contact and got to the line, he made both. He attacked off a crossover, drew the blocking foul (should have been a charge) and then he drew two techs (Dunleavy and the Pacer coach)...he sank the two techs, then went back to the line went for the foul FTs and made one. Good D getting back after pressuring full court to swipe a pass. More pressure on the passer and he got him to throw it out of bounds. Wild drive down the lane and he bricked badly trying to draw the foul. He drew the D and hit Bynum for a dunk. He scored 7 points on a poor 1-5 shooting (5-6 from the line) in the first half. He swished the pull-up jumper from the wing. He missed his next pull up from the same spot. He plowed down the middle of the lane, got all kinds of contact and drew the FTs, he made both. Soft touch off the pull-up and it bounced in after a second or two. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a layup. He spotted up in the corner and took the kickout from Kobe for a three. Quick outlet to Luke and it drew FTs. Kobe found DFish again open on the wing and Derek knocked down the three. He swished a catch-and-shoot three again from Kobe, this time from the corner.

Luke -- -- Good game mixing up the perimeter shooting and the passing. There were a couple awkward sequences, but he seemed to play in the flow well. He did a good job keeping the ball moving in a game that seemed to occasionally suffer in that area. He started on Granger defensively, then covered Daniels and played respectable minutes. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-7 shooting (2-2 from three, 2-4 from the line), led the Lakers with 7 assists and had 4 boards in 30 minutes. The Action: He missed an open jumper. He got blocked on an elbow jumper. Quick touch pass to Bynum in the post while he had low position and it resulted in an And-1. He missed a two-footer. He tried to stepback, then pass and he threw it away. He sank a three from the corner when Fish fed him. He hit Bynum with a return feed for an And-1. He jumped the passing lane and stole the ball. Horrible pass and it resulted in a score the other way. He sank a corner three on a kickout from Bynum. He had 6 points on 2-5 shooting, 4 boards and 5 assists in the first half. He missed the baseline jumper short. Nice no-look return feed back to LO at the front of the rim for a layup. He sank the open baseline jumper when Fish kicked out to him. He leaked out, took a pass from Fish and drew a foul, he made one FT. He got a couple late FTs and made one.

Ariza -- -- Ariza looked very comfortable working the corners of the offense tonight. He showed Tri savvy on a couple corner-entry passing sequences to Bynum, he knocked down some must-shoot threes from there and he attacked baseline off the dribble. Nice well-rounded game. Defensively, he was his usual self, hustling, trying to get to passes and hitting the boards. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists and 1 foul in 18 minutes. The Action: Nice corner entry over the defender to draw FTs for Bynum. He drained the inside-out three attempt. On his next touch in the corner, he attacked baseline and then dished to Kwame under the hoop for the dunk. Good challenge on Rush at the end of the quarter on help D. He missed a reverse. He drained the corner catch-and-shoot three. He tapped out a missed FT to give us an extra possession. Another excellent corner entry sequence on the Tri and it led to a Bynum And-1. He bricked on a drive after slashing into a crowd.

Turiaf -- -- Back on the bench with LO's return and Ronny faded. He played limited minutes and didn't take a shot. He was looking to swat aggressively on D again but came up empty The Stats: He played 9 minutes, didn't shoot, had 1 board and 2 fouls. The Action: He picked up a tech after being called for a blocking foul. That's about the only thing worth mentioning.

Farmar -- -- Poor game from Farmar. He looked very sub par out there on both ends. The first half of the fourth quarter -- critical minutes -- and the bench just stunk it up, scoring just 2 points for the first 6 minutes. That's the time Farmar has to make his mark and floor general the team. Thankfully, the starters restored order. The Stats: He scored 4 points, shot a miserable 1-8 (0-3 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 2 points, 1 assist, 3 steals and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. The Action: He deflected a pass at midcourt to cause a Pacer turnover. He missed a layup high off the glass. He missed a fade on the baseline after creating off the dribble. He missed an open three. He missed the short floater off dribble penetration, but Bynum got it back. He drew FTs on a reach, he made one. He missed a layup on a drive. He missed a wing three. He threw a bounce pass away trying to hit a cutter. He let his man get an offensive board and it led to a three. He missed a three. He finally scored on his last attempt, attacking the paint and getting the And-1 layup, he made the FT.

Kwame -- -- Kwame was more aggressive offensively than we've seen for a long time. It wasn't always pretty, but it was reasonably effective. He helped draw fouls on JO, putting him on the bench and getting us into the bonus. His aggressiveness did cause a few miscues as Kwame tends to go into hyper-speed instead of simplifying. "Some of our bench guys thought they have to score to play well individually. That's not the way to look at it," Phil said. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting (2-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 block, 1 assist, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 13 minutes. The Action: He dunked when Ariza found him on a drive and dish at the front of the rim. He missed an elbow jumper. He traveled after making a quick post move, he might have gotten pushed from behind. He up-faked and attacked JO off the dribble and drew FTs, he made both FTs. JO picked up another foul when Kwame nudged him and JO pushed back. He faced up, attacked and banked on the other end. He drew another foul with a quick move off the dribble from the elbow. He iso'd again, went to the dribble and spin to draw more FTs, he missed both FTs. He lost the ball on a post move next time down. He had 6 points on 2-3 shooting (2-4 from the line) in the first half. Wow, excellent looking up and under and he finished smoothly with his left. He missed a jumphook. He traveled in the post. Next possession, he charged in the post.

Crittenton -- -- In at the SG early in the second quarter and late in the third. Not a good night for Crit. He had a number of turnovers and seemed very out of sync on the offensive end. He did have a couple of steals and again showed some aggressiveness on the D end. The Stats: He didn't score and went 0-1 with 3 turnovers and 2 steals in 10 minutes. The Action: Nice pass deflection to save an open jumper. Back in with under a minute left in the third. He stole a pass in the post, then coughed it back up in transition. He spun around his man in the post, drew help, then had his pass to Kwame picked off. He missed a weakside step-back jumper, but swiped the outlet. He telegraphed a kickout and it was picked off.

Karl -- -- He replaced Kobe with 2 minutes left. The Stats: He didn't score in 2 minutes, going 0-1 with 1 steal and 1 assist. The Action: He missed a wing three on his only attempt. He dropped a pass to Farmar who attacked for a score.

Phil -- -- The Lakers started out 0-7 and trailed 9-0 after 4 minutes. The Lakers finally got on board, then tightened up the D with some aggressive trapping and pressure. They went on a 17-2 run... With a minute left in the first quarter, Phil went with a Kwame, LO, Ariza, Kobe, Farmar lineup, probably one of our best at getting into passing lanes at every position... The Lakers led 33-23 (scoring 33 points in about 8 minutes of that first quarter)... The Lakers started the second quarter slow. Midway through the quarter the Pacers went on a 17-5 run to tie the game 44-44... Only thing the Lakers had working in the first half was Bynum. He had 21 points. Kobe was 2-11. The Lakers shot just 40 percent in the first half and led 55-53... Coaches didn't like how we stopped moving the ball at times... The Lakers (well, Kobe...) cranked it up to start the second half, and we pulled out to a 16-point lead midway through the quarter... So much for that good start to a half. The Lakers scored just 2 points in the first 6 minutes of the fourth before Phil went to the starters. Thankfully, they quickly restored order with a 13-0 run... Phil said they still have a ways to go but have been practicing the press defensively. "We just wanted to bring a little different look to our defense and bring some intensity," he said... The Lakers shot 46 percent for the game in this one, but went 10-18 from three...

[10scott10]

first

bynum deserves an

[minorbravo]

thanks!

I was at the game

it was great.

thanks again DB
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[AndrewBynum17]

thanks DB

[puertorock33]

[LakerSanity]

This team feels different than last year... we're not just winning, but we're making it look easy. I don't even think the Lakers gave out nearly full effort tonight, yet they blew out Indiana. I think our game against New Orleans on a back to back on the road is the latest barometer.
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[AndrewBynum17]

DB do you think Farmar shoots too much at times when he is on the floor? Some games I notice he forces a lot of shots. He seems like a streaky shooter though so you can't blame him for taking chances, he either will have a very good game or very bad game.

[winstonemby]

great analysis as always DancingBarry

[DancingBarry]

[Sister Golden Hair]

DB,

Agreed about Farmar. He was very disappointing tonight. He simply dribbles too much at times, which kills ball movement. I don't know if he was looking to get to the rack and simply couldn't exploit any openings, or if he was indecisive from the git. Oddly enough, that same indecision seemed to afflict Critt. Mark me down as one of those who doesn't want to see Critt and Farmar on the floor at the same time. With both of them out there you will (usually) have an undersized backcourt, neither of whom is (as yet) stellar from distance. Moreover, I want to see Critt develop a bit more as a PG because that's where his future lies. I'd rather see him get more minutes as sole PG when the opportunity presents itself.

Disagree about Walton. Yes, he hit a few threes, but he was also very indecisive, and I although he made some nice passes, also had a few sloppy TOs, iirc. He just seems to be out of sync, and I am baffled that if he is playing on a gimpy foot, why not just let him rest and continue Ariza's development. Moreover, the argument that Luke plays better as a starter seems disingenuous. It's on the player to develop his game with the second unit, rather than underperform as a second-line player thus "forcing" the coach to start him. Yes, I think Ariza is a far superior player. When the second unit was struggling, I thought he was one of the few playing within his limits intelligently. It was great to see him hit those thress. As has been mentioned, he has a nice stroke. He should be shooting jumpers every day, and his accuracy will improve. I expect a HUGE improvement in his jumper over the summer.

Bynum continues to impress, and he has (IMO) developed a nasty streak to go along with his physical development. he has a swagger now, and you can see from his body language that he feels he can compete (if not dominate) everyone he faces. Maybe that's a bit premature but no great (or even good player) got that way by being humble with respect to the way he views his own ability.

As for Fisher: he has opened my eyes. He clearly brings something (besides an improved jumper) to a team because I don't think it's coincidental that his arrival has gone along with improved team camaraderie. Good to see.

Phil continues to exasperrate with his substitutions. That second unit was clealry not up to the task tonight. He probably stayed with them 3-4 minutes more than necessary. I would have liked to see Lamar out there with them a bit more, especially given his efficiency. At some point in the play-offs (for any number of reasons -- mathcups, foul-trouble, etc.) Lamar will have to be a scorer for this team. He needs to play as the alpha dog at times in the regular season, simply to keep his sense memory intact.

As I've noted in the past, Kobe has always shot a jumper with a flattish arc. When he tires, his shot tends to flatten. Sometimes, he'll start a game cold (like tonight) and it's also usually due to a flat shot. Once he corrected the arc, his shot started dropping. Unlike some people, I think his mechanics are pretty solid. Getting enough air under the ball has always been a problem, but it's also one that he can seemingly tweak even within a game. I do think the Olympic play this summer took some pep out of his legs, so I'm glad his minutes are being monitored. I also think he has to make it a habit to not open every game with jumpers. I find that it's easier to get a rhythm by hitting a lay-up or even some foul shots. In other words, if I were him (so take this for what it's worth), I would always try to get my scoring started by going to the rack. Seems he has so much confidence in his shot that he thinks nothing of opening with several jumpers. But on a night like tonight, early misses can cause one to tighten up (which also leads to flatter shots). It's wierd, but psychology is a big part of a jumpshot.

Anyway, that is all. As always DB, keep up the good work.

SGH

[Downunder]

Thanks again DB

[Thugnomoe]

you rock DB

[Omar Little]

Thanks db!

Lots of good thoughts by sgh as well, but I do have to quibble about Luke starting. Some players, primarily rhythm players, do better with the starting unit. Not that they are not trying hard enough off the bench.
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[Andre2K]

Farmer is starting to force the issue out there, he needs to let the game come to him. Plus we need to get Bynum more involved in the 2nd half, just to balance things out, he was the reason we were even in the game in the first half, the pg have to reward him with some touches in the post.
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My Dream Starting 5 next Season

Pg Lonzo
Sg Kawhi
Sf Ingram
Pf Lebron
C Dedmon

Bench: Caruso, Hart, Bullock, Kuzma, McGee etc

[Dr. Laker]

[rwongega]

Farmar had a pretty decent shot at UCLA. I'm sure once he gets more confidence in that midrange shot, he'll take more of them. Great game and great analysis as always.
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RIP Jonathan Tang
RIP Alex Gruenberg

Free KBCB

[DancingBarry]

[AllorNothing]

That second unit couldn't do anything because we had no outside threat. That's why guys like Sasha and Vlade who can be knuckleheads can at least spread the offense.
I think that's why Fisher has been so valuable in the first unit.

[venicebeach]

A great job as usually DB

[infidel]

Good take by SGH.

Walton simply subtracts whatever positives he contributes. VERY bad passes during this game. Got packed on a drive or two. Barely held his own defensively. And the opposing team regularly sags off him, not respecting his ability to impact a game even when left wide open. Sadly, I think what you see is what you get with Walton. I simply don't see an upside to this guy.

Agreed on Vlad and Sasha, with all their faults and negatives, being able to put points up on the scoreboard.

The 2nd unit I'd like to see is Farmar, Sasha, Vlad/Walton, Turiaf, and Kwame.
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[prisma8slg]

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

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[A Mad Chinaman]

Perceptive and Accurate Breakdown!

DB Questions
Since PJ is starting to add some defensive wrinkles (full-court press), could you share what he's doing?

Good to hear that "By-nomite" is hoping to get the players' trust to pass him the ball in the second half! Do you agree with "The Cap" that he has most of the needed physical skills (though he still has a ways to go to polish them to be consistent) but needs to be mentally tougher to match up with the TDs, Howards, Yaos, Stoudamaires, Rasheeds, etc. of the world?

Since most of the elite teams (outside of the Celtics) are trying to limit the minutes of their starters so that they can win in the playoffs (hence placing a higher priority on being healthy without excess PT on the starters that might sacrifice some wins - see a recent Pistons game) and considering the great competitive balance in the Western Conference, would it matter much from 5 to 8 - recogizing that it would be great to be in the 4th position to get homecourt advantage in the first round.

Isn't it great (as you stated) that the Lakers' PG is one of the team's stronger points, as oppose to last year when it one of the weaker (if not the weakest) part of the Lakers

[20,000]

So was this a measure to see how good JO still is? Do you think the JO-to-LA rumors will ever die?
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[Vandal08]

[limchrc]

Thanks for the recap.