LAKERS -at- HORNETS - 4/22 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Conquerors Bent on Conquest... Thundering hooves kick up dust as the Horsemen charge into the heart of bug country. They scorch a trail through a maze of above-ground tombs. In these concrete cities of the dead, they make themselves at home. Bugs drop from the sky, choking on the dust and trampled in their wake.

Before long, two bells echo through the air. The Horsemen have won again.

You follow the carnage. Dead bugs crunch beneath your feet as you examine the aftermath. The trail leads you to a triangle-shaped tomb adorned with purple and gold beads and flowers. On it, you read a message carved in stone from DancingBarry:

"The Four Horsemen were here. All of them. Experience, skill, strength, size -- they were too much to handle. Welcome to their world.

I will continue to track them."


One by one, the trio of Laker bigmen have jumped into the fight. Tonight, it was Pau's turn to hop out of the sidecar and drive the machine for a while.
With the game in the balance to start the fourth quarter, Pau sank a corner three, then followed that with a couple more hoops to put the Lakers in the driver's seat and hold on to a 100-86 win.

"When Kobe's off the floor, Pau becomes the primary scorer," Phil said. "So there's a focus for him out there on the floor and the players understand that."

Pau fulfilled his role as did others. Each of the Lakers four impact ballers made their presence felt in this game. Kobe returned to form, dropping 30 points while the offense worked inside-out. Bynum had a dominating 14 points in the first half. And Lamar slammed the door shut on the Hornets shortly after Pau's flurry in the fourth.

That Chris Paul/Jarrett Jack duo that chewed up the Lakers in game one? It was held to a combined 24 points tonight.

It seemed as id they ran CP3 into the ground. As the game went along, he looked more and more fatigued. Down the stretch, the Hornets had Jack trying to run the offense with little effect.

With that, home court advantage restored. Time to get on with the rest of the business.


Kobe -- -- Despite Kobe's 30 points, Phil wasn't satisfied. "He played well enough tonight, but he can play better than that," Phil said. The problem Phil had was the 4 turnovers, most of which came to open the game. Kobe looked more like himself, though, as the Lakers didn't need him to man up Paul as much in this game. The energy saved might have helped, but the general offensive flow, the inside-out mindset and Kobe proving his point were more at play. "I wanted to send a message to my team that you can have an impact on the game without shooting the ball," Kobe said of the last game. The message was sent and he went back into a more well-rounded, scorer role. Kobe sank several three's (mostly in the third quarter). He also mixed in some attacks in the paint. It wasn't a ball-dominant 30 points. He wasn't pounding the dribble down and slowing the offense on iso plays. The ball generally moved. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-20 shooting (4-7 from three, 6-7 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He lost the ball on a baseline drive (And-1 the other way). He was stripped on the next possession for a layup. He attacked on the counterstrike and hit a short fade in the lane. He missed a hanging bank on the next possession (looked like he could have thrown it up for Drew). He gave up a layup to Ariza on a drive. He hit an And-1 pull-up jumper after deflecting a pass to ignite the break, he made the FT. Horrible iso possession, turning it over while attacking a crowd off the dribble (Phil called a timeout off that one). He missed a three out of that timeout. He rejected Landry out of bounds on help D. Massive slam off the drop pass from Ron on the weakside high post. He blew past Ariza, got into the body of Gray and somehow flipped up and in an And-1 layup over his shoulder, he made the FT. He had 10 points on 4-6 shooting in the first quarter. He missed a floater on a drive right. He hit a three from the top of the arc after we got it back. He tried to get contact on Jack on a lean and missed (Jack probably would have gotten the whistle). He probed off the Pau kickout and banked. He missed a long jumper from the top of the arc. He had 15 points on 6-11 shooting and 3 turnovers at the half. Second Half: He drained a wide open three off a Pau screen to start the half. He sank another three when a loose ball bounced out to him on the next possession. His pass to Pau was picked off and Kobe fouled in transition. He missed a three from the top of the arc. He missed a wing pull-up on iso. Up high for a defensive board on the other end. He missed a runner trying to beat the shotclock buzzer out of a timeout. He drained a three on the next possession with the clock winding down. He had 9 points on 3-6 shooting in the third. Quick first step to get baseline and he drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He settled for a long three when he had Smith on him and missed, weak possession. He swiped a pass on the other end. He smiled after taking a bump from Paul on the perimeter to earn FTs, he made both. He missed a high-arching fallaway from a tough angle (should have given it up). He attacked left and hit an And-1 fading layup on a drive, he missed the FT.

Gasol -- -- The coaches wanted him to attack and shoot quicker heading into the fourth quarter. Pau went on a brief run, sinking a three, a layup on a second effort and a baseline jumper to force a New Orleans timeout. This was a critical stretch. "Just a little more decisive, really," Pau said of his game. "Maybe a little more confident than I was in the first couple games." He ended up with a double-double and his usual offensive production. What you liked, though, was Pau mixing it up a lot more. Just a better mindset than we've seen. He wasn't backing down, he kept his motor going, tried to be an aggressor more and things worked out. Much smoother game for him. The Lakers did a good job working it into the post and cutting off him, as well. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-13 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 10 boards (4 offensive), 4 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He was blocked by Ariza on iso. He slipped the screen, took the pass and set up Drew for a dunk. He was called for a travel on the break (Phil didn't like the call). He stole a Paul pass thrown right to him. Not close on a wide open wing jumper. He got a nice roll on a turnaround fallaway on the baseline. He was called for a charge trying to back down Okafor. He grabbed an offensive board and it led to a Kobe score. He scored a layup off the drive and dish form Fish. He handed off to Shannon for a slam. He had 4 points on 2-4 shooting, 4 boards and 3 assists at the half. Second Half: He airballed a jumphook and Artest got it for a layup. He swished a quick-fire catch and shoot from the elbow. He grabbed a loose ball deflected to him and scored a layup. He swatted a shot flat-footed under the hoop. He was called for a travel off the screen-roll (they'll give that to guards but not bigs). He grabbed an offensive board, missed the putback, grabbed it again and slammed down an And-1 (they erased the hoop, wow), he made both FTs. He had 10 points and 6 boards heading into the fourth. He missed a turnaround to start the fourth. He drained a corner three to beat the shotclock. He attacked Okafor aggressively, missed, got it back and powered it in. He hit a baseline jumper off a Lamar pass. He tipped out a defensive board in a crowd to help get a stop. He missed a long wing jumper.

Bynum -- -- He went down after stepping on a foot in the lane early in the second half. He grabbed his knee again. The Lakers called a timeout, but Drew stayed in the game. You got to think the bone bruise is still going to be a little sensitive and anything awkward like that will probably cause more pain. That seemed to slow him down because he was dominating the Hornets in the first half. Some of the post scores were extremely high IQ post moves in that half. You saw him duck in from the weakside for low position off a ball reverse and then just manhandle Okafor for an easy score. That play requires timing by the team and a man's game in the post. He also had an excellent repost, seal and score. You don't just kick the ball out and stand there. You body up your main for better position and take it to him. Drew did that. I love seeing the power and mental side of the game being mixed so well inside that massive frame. "Bynum was huge for them in the first half," Paul said. He wouldn't score in the second half and had only 2 boards. He sucked the life out of the Hornets during one stretch in this game on the offensive glass giving the team second chances. Just too big. Hopefully, the knee stays strong and he can bring another "Mandrew" game on Sunday. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 6-13 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards (5 offensive), 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He muscled in a jumphook on the first possession. He slammed off the Kobe/Pau screen-roll play. He missed a face-up jumper on iso. He hit Lamar cutting, rolled to the hoop himself, got it back and threw down. He missed a layup, but Barnes cleaned it up. He backed his man down, kicked out, sealed on a repost, took the pass and powered up for a layup (very nice). He grabbed an offensive board and hit Barnes cutting for FTs (he'd get the board off Barnes's missed FTs, too). He grabbed a Barnes missed three again and this time spun and scored off the lefty jumphook. He was blocked from behind on a jumper. Beastly move on low position off a ball reverse, he spun one way, then the other to back his man under the hoop as he scored an easy layup. He drew FTs off the screen-roll with Fish who no-looked to him, he made both. He had 14 points on 6-10 shooting and 9 boards at the half. Second Half: He was called for a travel in the post. He was called for another travel after he put down a dribble. He lost the ball at the front of the rim, blowing a sure layup. He missed a jumphook, short in the middle of the lane. He missed another short one in the lane. He didn't score in the third. He picked up his third and fourth fouls on the first couple possessions of the fourth.

Artest -- -- The Hornets want to get Belinelli going. But with Ron leaning on him and muscling him to start the games that may be a tough task. We didn't see Ron much on Paul like in the last game, which is probably for the best. Offensively, it seems like he has had a couple very good triangle reads in each of these games to get points (baseline cut for an And-1 slam, weakside post up and score tonight). That's a couple more good plays out of the triangle per game than last year this time. Gradually, he got better as the playoffs went along. So far, he's picked up where he left off in those final couple of games against Boston. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-8 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 offensive boards, 2 assists and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He drew an off-ball foul on Belinelli. He hit a jumper off one dribble. Low position, he spun and scored a layup at the front of the rim. He cut off the Pau post, took the baseline handoff and threw down an And-1 dunk, he made the FT. He hit Kobe in stride on a drop pass from the high post for a huge throwdown. He missed a baseline jumper. He had 7 points on 3-4 shooting at the half. Second Half: He was blocked on a layup. He scored a layup off the Pau airball. He missed an open wing three. He missed a baseline jumper.

Fisher -- -- This sure seemed more like a traditional point guard type of game from Fish than we've seen in a while. He spent a lot more time on Paul defensively and we held down the fort. Offensively, he was making some clever passes, including a no-looker over the shoulder to Drew. Not sure I've seen that from DFish. Later in the game, he was called on to floor general the team. The Lakers didn't settle for long jumpers during that stretch, but looked to take advantage of their strengths. Just a very good, quality PG-like game from DFish. This game also shows you a brief example of how nice it would be to have a well-balanced PG within the Triangle to ease some burden from Kobe at some of those tasks. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-4 shooting (1-1 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He deflected a pass to ignite a break. He crossed over Paul and hit the baseline runner over help D. He attacked the paint and threw it up to Pau for a score. He stripped the ball off Paul to get a stop. He attacked off the Bynum screen and no-looked over his shoulder to Drew for FTs. He had 5 assists at the half. Second Half: He was called for a tech after getting contact in the head of an opponent as he got fouled. Irked, he drained a wing three on the inbounds. He then drew a moving pick call on Landry on the other end. He missed a quick-fire corner jumper. He traveled trying to drive on a mismatch. He scored a finger roll layup after busting out off the Barnes steal. He drew FTs on the perimeter when he and Ariza collided, he made one. He drew more FTs on Ariza on a close out, he made both.

Lamar -- -- This seemed like one of those games where Lamar could get a little irked with the officiating and struggle with his game. There was a stretch where Landry got some very quick whistles and Lamar wasn't getting the same love on the other end. Lamar handled it well and kept his head in the game. Jason Smith came in during the fourth and after making a couple of hoops, Lamar had enough. He went to the post for some ownage and also iso'd on him for an And-1 drive. Love seeing the Lakers not let a defensive weakness like that get a free pass. Love that LO is the guy aggressively giving it to them. That hasn't been quite the case in previous years. Note, however, it's not guys just giving the ball to him. It's Lamar going into attack mode and aggressively asking for the ball. That's a big difference between this and the first game. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting (0-1 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 2 assists, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: Nice two-man sequence with Bynum as Lamar took the pass, attacked, then returned it to Drew for the dunk. He missed a pull-up jumper in iso. He threw a pass away attacking baseline. He iso'd at the top of the key, attacked, took contact and hit a pumping And-1 runner in the lane, he made the FT. He missed a long jumper in early offense. He attacked from the three line across the lane and scored a layup off two long strides. He threw a pass away, trying to pull up and change his mind. He missed a wing jumper with the shotclock low. He missed a layup taking contact with no call (that would have been FTs for Landry). He had 5 points and 6 boards at the half. Second Half: Very weak call on an out-of-control Landry who drove right into him for an And-1, Lamar's third foul. He posted up and drew FTs when the D collapsed and hacked him, he made both. He picked up his fourth foul going for a steal in the post and had to sit. He drew FTs attacking Smith in the post, he made both. He attacked Smith again on the next possession and sank a baseline And-1 floater on him, he missed the FT. He brought the ball up court going between his legs on every dribble, he gave it up, posted up the smaller man and got it back to score easily in the paint (back breaker...you could tell he was in kill mode on that sequence).

Blake -- -- Paul started looking for his own shot the moment Blake came in the game in the first half. It was a brief couple of hoops in the halfcourt (he would add another one in transition against another Laker). Paul would finish the game with 22 points and 8 assists. After that, there weren't too many issues. Jack didn't get on track, either, with only 2 points on 1-6 shooting. The Lakers have put the clamps on that PG spot in the past two games. Good job by the second unit on D. "They've made things happen on the defensive end," Phil said. "Steve made a big shot in the second half. We made some plays. Lamar looks much more comfortable out there now playing along side of them." The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 2 assists and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He hit Pau in the corner for a three with the shotclock low. He sank a three from the wing on a kickout from Pau.

Barnes -- -- Bynum seemed to have Matt's back on just about all of his misses in this game, grabbing them for second chances. And Matt had Drew's on his only score, a packback jam on a Bynum miss. (If Chick were still here, he'd be able to put Barnes's "packback" into the basketball lexicon in some such manner.) The Laker bench outscored the Hornet bench 20-9. When you've got the Sixth Man in LO, you don't need a lot of scoring from the Killer B's to do that. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He slammed back down a missed Bynum layup. He missed a three, cut off the Bynum rebound, got it back and drew FTs, he missed both (and Drew got it back again). He swiped the ball on a post double team. He missed a corner three, but Drew was there again to get it back. Second Half: He missed a layup, off-balance after stealing it. He swiped it back on the D end and it led to a Fisher breakaway. He wanted a foul on a putback attempt that wasn't close (should have gotten it, too).

Brown -- -- He got his only score off a Tri cut and handoff for a slam. Good things usually happen when he runs the offense. Better minutes from him on both ends. Just playing his role and not stepping outside of it makes a difference. It allows us to run the ball through our strengths first. Defensively, he and Blake did a good job off the bench containing Jack and getting stops. Shannon had one poor defensive sequence to start the game, but was much better after that. Nice to see no one fouling jumpshooters like we have been doing. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 block and no fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: Bad D on Jack to give up an easy floater with no one near him. He slammed off the baseline handoff from Pau. He missed a corner three. He missed a heave for three at the halftime buzzer. Second Half: He missed a quick-fire wing jumper.

Smith -- -- He came in for Lamar briefly with a few seconds left in the first half (both Lamar and Pau had two fouls). He came in for the final minute of the game and garbage time and airballed. The Stats: HE didn't score on 0-1 shooting in 1 minute. He was a -3. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He faced up and airballed a jumper.

Phil -- -- The Lakers led 16-10 midway through the quarter. Phil called a timeout after Kobe's third turnover trying to create off the dribble... The lead was 7 when Phil brought in Lamar for Pau... The lead was 9 when Phil brought in the Killer B's for Kobe, Fish and Artest with 1:50 left... The Lakers led 30-23 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Bynum's size on the offensive glass forced a Hornet timeout when they led 38-27 after 4 minutes... Lamar had to sit a minute later after picking up a couple cheap fouls. Phil went with his starters... Up 9, he sat Drew for LO. Then he brought Drew back in for Lamar shortly later. He also brought in Shannon for Artest... Pau got his second so Phil sat him for Lamar... The Lakers led 51-42 at the half. They shot 52 percent (22-42, 1-7 from three, 6-8 from the line). The Hornets shot 47.5 percent (19-40, 1-8 from three, 3-6 from the line). The Lakers had a 9-6 advantage on the offensive glass, 11-5 on second-chance points... Phil sat Fisher for Blake after 5 minutes and would later bring Fish back in. Different rotation, possibly because of how aggressive Paul got at the end of the first quarter... Phil called a timeout when the lead was 66-58 and brought in Lamar for Pau... He brought in Barnes for Artest with a couple minutes left... Phil had to sit Lamar for Bynum with 1:24 left in the third when Lamar picked up his fourth foul. He subbed in Shannon for Kobe, too... The Lakers led 75-68 heading into the fourth... Key stretch to open the fourth with the game in the balance. Phil started a Bynum, Pau, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... Drew got two quick fouls and Phil brought back Lamar for him after a minute and a half... Strong stint by Pau and the Lakers pushed out to an 85-71 lead with 8:34 left, forcing a Hornet timeout... Phil brought in Kobe for Shannon with 7:31 left, same lead... He sat Barnes for Artest a minute later... Up 14, he sat Pau for Bynum... They held ground. He slid Artest to PF and brought in Shannon with 2:50 left up 15. The game in cruise control... The Lakers won the fourth 25-18... The Lakers made 7-16 from three, the Hornets just 2-13...

[E=MC²]

Lets Klose this thing out and rest up for Dallas/Portland cause that series will go 6-7.

[heatseeker08]

Yeah! Nice win today! Thanks DB!
_________________
Ron Artest: "SAY QUEENSBRIDGE"

[limchrc]

thanks

[Klone_dd]

Excellent team effort with everyone getting moments to shine.

CP3 had to shoot a lot of shots in the 1st half because his teammates could not do without him. He did that in the 4thQ of game 1 to close that NO victory, but having to score the ball that early just to keep his team in the game did tire him out. He did have more assists in the 2nd half, but his team couldn't keep up the scoring pace.

I think the Lakers now have a better feel for NO and hopefully will close out the series in 5. The coaching experience the Lakers have to make all the necessary adjustments will be very evident the next couple of games. In that respect, NO's rookie coach is definitely overmatched.

[chickensandwich]

we were one rebound from each of our bigs having a double-double night. combine that with a solid and efficient night from kobe and we're tough to beat.

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[mhan00]

good, decisive win exploiting our size advantage. that has to be discouraging to the hornets.

[Al13]

some love for shannon, he needs it and i´m still one of his biggest supporters here at LG i would think

[wolfpaclaker]

Thanks DB.

Our offense was a thing of beauty yesterday. Consistent post play, Kobe attacking really well, a lot of cutting off the ball.

We played a very good game on both ends, our best game since the Dallas game at Staples.

I really like how our 3 bigs wind up with big stats so often these days. No other team can finish nights with 3 bigs having nights like this

Gasol 17 points, 10 boards, 4 assists
Bynum 14 points, 11 boards
Odom 13 points, 9 boards, 25 minutes

Ridiculous production last night from Gasol/Bynum, Gasol/Odom and Bynum/Odom. All 3 combo's worked really well.

I also really liked the Bynum/Gasol/Kobe Front Court lineup with Shannon at 2. It allows us some more speed and puts our best players in attacking spots.

[revgen]

[golakersgo121]

[bertrome]

Would love to see a repeat performance on Sunday night and put the Hornets on the brink. The sooner we can no longer see Paul flopping and Landry jumping into defenders for cheap fouls the better.

[Arbitrary]

Best thing that happened?

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[mhan00]

[DancingBarry]

Yes, he does, but I'm not going to hold my breath for that skill to develop.

[RVCdesigns]

Great win, thanks DB.