LAKERS -at- PACERS - 12-15-14 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Win Streak Snapped… “Sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back for such an atrocious job,” Kobe said of the 110-91 loss to the Pacers.

This game was over fast.

The Lakers clanked long jumpers early and often. The Pacers pushed those out for easy scores and quickly got into a good rhythm. Just like that, the Lakers were down 20 in the first quarter. They shot 3-20 in the quarter.

The second unit, which has often dug the team out of these holes, just picked up where the starters left off. Pick a problem tonight and you are probably right. But the team as a whole came out flat and the system is unforgiving when you can’t hit long jumpers. Just 27 points for the Lakers in the first half. They missed 84% of their shots in the half and trailed by as many as 39 points. Their worst half since moving to L.A.

“We didn’t give ourselves and opportunity to win the ball game, but at the same time in the second half I think we did learn a lot,” Kobe said, “because I think we learned what it feels like to play that hard defensively. We really got after it. I think we learned what that feels like.”

In the third quarter, Kobe ignited a sense of urgency in the Lakers. He was ticked, the team was ticked and they started to play aggressively on D. The Lakers scored 20 points off turnovers in the third. Unfortunately, Scott pushed the starters too long and they faded at the end of the third, losing the ground they made up. The second unit also played with better energy and made the game closer than it actually was in the fourth. Just an awful night altogether because you knew the game was over just a few minutes into it.

“I didn’t think we came ready mentally or physically,” Scott said. He said they came out the second half the way they should have started the game.


Kobe -- -- “Everything was short. Our shots were short. Late on rotations. We just couldn’t get ourselves activated,” Kobe said. He was clanking up jumpers right and left. Again, our system isn’t setting him up for easy looks. When he gets frustrated, he starts to crank them up trying to spark something. More often than not, this seems to just make the problem worse. We didn’t see him try to mix things up in the low post when things were going bad. He did try to get in the paint more but the whistles weren’t coming his way. That only ticked him off further. In the third quarter, their aggressive D started to force turnovers and points off them. He was leading the charge with his effort. Had they come out with that energy to start maybe this would have had a different outcome. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 8-26 shooting (2-8 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a -26. The Action: He missed a long wing jumper in his first attempt. He threw a pass away next time down despite having a better look at a jumper. He faced up in the post and swished a sideline jumper. He barely hit rim on a 19-foot pull-up jumper. He missed an elbow turnaround. He missed a three off the split play. Wild drive and airball, layup the other way. He attacked, took contact at the front of the rim and got hit with no call and missed. He missed a long step-back three. He missed a long wing jumper. He was swatted out of bounds trying to attack in transition. He sank a turnaround jumper off the baseline inbounds. He doubled the post and gave up a three. He missed a baseline jumper. He swished a sideline three. He drew a double team at the end of the half and hit Wes cross court for the three. Second Half: He missed a long jumper. He sank an open wing three. He bricked a pull-up three next time down. He spun, attacked and was blocked out of bounds from behind. He faced up, attacked baseline around his man and scored a layup over the help D. Then he picked up a tech. He kicked to Wes for the three. He attacked and drew FTs on the pull-up jumper, he made both. Not close on a pull-up three. He attacked down the lane and missed a hook. Aggressive D and he deflected the ball away, he pushed it out and scored an And-1 layup on the other end, he made the FT. He swiped another pass next time down, pushed it up, ball faked and scored a layup, forcing a timeout. He missed a pull-up three. He pushed out a turnover and hit Price for the three a few seconds later. Quick attack around a defender in early offense and he slammed with both hands (definitely pissed). He was stripped and stared at the official for the no call, seemed pretty obvious foul. He missed a three next time down. Not close on a pull-up wing jumper. He deflected a pass and dove on the sideline trying to recover it.

Hill -- -- I’m pretty sure there were plenty of offensive rebounds available for Hill to feast on if he got after it. He just didn’t bring his A-game effort tonight. He’s not skilled enough to have let downs or coast with the kind of money he’s making right now. His value comes from dominating on the glass, not from taking jumpers at the top of the key. Let’s see what kind of effort he has in the next game. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-7 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 foul in 25 minutes. He was a -19. The Action: He missed an open baseline jumper. He missed a jumphook. He couldn’t power in a point-blank layup, and a layup the other way for the Pacers in transition. He missed a putback attempt. Second Half: He cut, took a pass, drew the foul at the rim, he made both. He tipped in a missed Davis jumper. He scored a layup on the up-and-under. He poked a ball loose on a post-entry pass to ignite a breakaway score. He missed an 18-footer.

Davis -- -- Offensively, he couldn’t hit anything. He was the only Laker not to score tonight. The Lakers seemed to struggle with chippies along with those long jumpers as the lid was firmly on the basket. I wouldn’t mind seeing a pressure D unit where he was the C and we went a little smaller with Wes at PF if we need to try to drastically change things up to spark the team. As the last line of D, he can alter shots if we are aggressively pressuring. I’d rather us change things up like that vs. going to a zone and giving up open threes, which seems to be our default when things go south. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-5 shooting to go with 4 boards (3 offensive), 2 steals, 1 block and 4 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a -11. The Action: He swatted a drive out of bounds. He bricked a layup off the two-man game. He was blocked on a dunk attempt or just lost it out of bounds. Second Half: He lost the handle on a pass. He poked a ball loose on two-man D. Nice challenge to get a stop. He missed a short jumper in the lane. He smothered his man and blocked his jumper to force a shotclock violation. He missed a tough shot in the paint trying to beat the shotclock.

Johnson -- -- He was knocking down the three ball, but like the rest of the starters was pretty much worthless in that first quarter. When they started to pick up the pressure in the second half, you could see Wes play a little more animated. I think that’s the type of situation he needs to be in for a stretch or two every game -- one that extends the pressure on the court and is forcing him to play athletic. I don’t know if the first unit took anything away from that third quarter tonight. Kobe thought they might have when they felt what it was like to play with some serious defensive intensity. Let’s see if they try to do that a little more in upcoming games. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-7 shooting (3-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -17. The Action: He airballed a three straight away to start the game, ouch. He was picked trying to hit a roller, points the other way. He dribbled a ball out of bounds against pressure D. He attacked and drew FTs, he made both. He drained a three at the end of the half. Second Half: He made a wing three. Bad long jumper in early offense, clank. He swished a sideline three off the Kobe kickout. He missed a three from the other side on another kickout. He slapped a ball loose and pushed it up court for a layup.

Price -- -- The Lakers just got steamrolled out of the gates. I think there’s only been one game so far where the starters have not struggled to open a game with Price in the lineup. They could not score at all to open this game. Better second half as this more defensive unit started to apply the pressure. The pressure turned into points off turnovers. They have to do that because in the halfcourt, they’ve got serious flaws. Problem with Price offensively, you can’t rely on him for playmaking or for spreading the floor with his jumper. That’s a tough combo to overcome. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 1 assist and 4 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -15. The Action: He lost the ball on a drive, layup the other way. He attacked from the corner and scored a layup in a crowd. Second Half: He stripped the ball off his man to force a turnover. He passed up an open three to brick a long two instead. He missed an open three.

Young -- -- “We got to learn how to finish road trips,” Nick said, mentioning the Lakers focus and energy to push through on that last game before coming home hasn’t been good. His stats look better than his game looked out there. He had some moments in transition for bust out scores, and showed fight until the end. Wish we’d crack open that second unit earlier in the first quarters when the starters predictably go stagnant. Scott leaves too many bullets in the chamber at times when our offense predictably goes cold. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting (2-6 from three, 4-4 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 23 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He missed a wide open wing three. He attacked the paint and drew FTs, he made both. He swished a three off a swing pass. Short on a three (looked like he was leaning back on that one). He attacked and was called for the clear-out foul. He beat everyone down court, took the long pass from Ellington and scored the layup. He missed a pull-up three, short. He attacked the paint and missed a layup. Second Half: He scored a layup off a Pacer turnover and outlet. He pushed out the rebound and changed directions on a Euro-step to score a layup. He swished a three in transition after snagging a deflected pass and pushing it up. He missed a wild layup in transition. He drew FTs off a herky-jerky perimeter jumper, he made both FTs. He swished a wing jumper. He missed a long three.

Lin -- -- “It’s just a game that I wish I could have back,” Lin said. He played uninspired ball out there. The game was practically out of reach before he entered the game, but he brought nothing to the table when he entered the game. When asked about two-man game with Boozer and getting that going, he talked about the usage rate of the pick and roll in this season and said it’s the lowest of his career. Basically, Scott isn’t letting him play to his strengths with much consistency. It’s true and pretty annoying. But if you’re going to be benched for Clarkson in the first half, screw it. Run what you want and just get it done. Go down with a fight. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 0-6 shooting (0-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed a lefty layup on an up-and-under move. He missed an open wing three. He pushed it up with a couple seconds left and drew a tripping foul with 0.6 left in the quarter, he made both FTs. He attacked to his left and missed the layup. He missed a 19-footer (looked like he had Boozer open under the hoop). He fumbled a dribble away, dunk for the Pacers. He barely hit rim on a step-back jumper. Second Half: He gave up a straight line layup. He went under the screen and gave up a wide open three as he and the big weren’t on the same page. He pressured his man into a bad pass and turnover. He attacked the paint and missed layup over a big (might have gotten away with a clear-out foul).

Boozer -- -- His perimeter shot wasn’t dropping, so he started to attack trying to make something happen and had more success at that. Unfortunately, his first half was completely ineffective and we were dead and buried. No chemistry with Lin in this game. Boozer still managed a double-double. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 3-8 shooting (7-10 from the line) to go with 10 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 25 minutes. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a 20-footer. He gave up an offensive putback. He missed an open 16-footer. He was stripped in the post. He missed a tip-in attempt. He attacked off the catch and drew FTs, he made one. He drew FTs on a reach, he made one again. He drew more FTs on the defensive glass a few seconds later, he made both. Not close on a 17-footer. Second Half: He missed a long baseline jumper. He faced up and swished a 17-footer. He attacked instead of settling for the jumper and scored an easy layup. He attacked again down the lane and drew FTs, he made one FT. We got his FT miss back and he drew more FTs attacking, he made both this time. He scooped up a loose ball and tossed it in.

Clarkson -- -- Our PGs looked horrible. It was the second night of the back to back. So, he got some run at PG in this game early on. He looked rusty out there. Only in the last few minutes he was starting to see a little more comfortable. “Today I was a little off rhythm but that’s what happens. I’m just going to continue to play hard,” he said. Wish Scott could find more minutes for him, but I’m glad he was able to get 13 in a huge blowout instead of 2 or 3 like we’ve seen. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-5 shooting (1-2 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists and 1 turnovers in 13 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He missed a pull-up at the FT line. He attacked and missed a layup. Second Half: He fumbled a pass away. He drew FTs on iso, he made one. He probed the lane and drew more FTs, he made just one again. He swished a wing three on a kickout. He airballed a step-back jumper. He pulled out an offensive board and missed a three.

Ellington -- -- Better game from Ellington. Nice to see him hit some shots again. It’s been awhile. When the rest of our bench stinks, he seems to play better. When they play strong, he’s been playing worse. Go figure. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists and 1 foul in 20 minutes. He was a+2. The Action: He hit Young hustling down court for the layup. He missed a 17-footer coming off the pindowns. Second Half: He sank a pull-up wing jumper to start the fourth. He attacked and swished a floater. He missed a three next time down. He forced his man into an airball off a good perimeter closeout. He swished a wing three.

Sacre -- -- He had a couple of moments defensively and on the glass, but pretty much nothing game from him. When we’re down that big, we can’t have guys who play just “serviceable,” steady minutes. You’ve got to shake things up. Sacre doesn’t typically bring that kind of energy. The Stats: He scored 1 points on 0-2 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He missed a jumphook. Second Half: He missed a post turnaround. He erased a drive with a shotblock. He got a FT miss and it led to more FTs for Boozer. Nice challenge going straight up, then blocking a shot off the guard. He drew FTs on an offensive board, he made one.

Scott -- -- And the starting lineup digs the Lakers into another hole to start the game. Things typically turnaround for the Lakers the moment Price sits for Lin. (Wes usually sits earlier, but it takes until Price sits before they turn things around. That wasn’t the case in the first half tonight.)… Offensively, all the Lakers shots were long two’s to start the game and pretty well covered. Meanwhile, we were giving up layups. Long shots, long rebounds and runouts… Timeout. He sat Davis for Boozer after 4 minutes down 12-2… Scott finally brought in Lin and Swaggy with the Lakers down 21-4 after 7 minutes. Sheesh. Sacre also in for Hill… Lakers down 24-4 with 2:51 left when the next timeout came… Lakers got to a zone and gave up two wide open threes… Kobe sat in the final minute for Ellington… The Lakers trailed 34-15 after the first quarter… He started the Sacre, Boozer, Young, Ellington, Lin lineup… Lakers down 41-17 when the timeout came again… He sat Boozer for Davis out of that timeout… Down 43-17, he brought in Kobe and Clarkson midway through the quarter to mix things up… Hill for Sacre… Down 32, Kobe getting extremely pissed… The Lakers trailed 60-27 at the half. Lakers just avoid a franchise record for lowest points with a couple of threes at the end of the half. Pacers with a season high half… Some aggressive pressure D by the Lakers and they start forcing turnovers to trim down the lead and force a timeout… Scott staying with the starters with the pressure D as they cut the lead to 19… They are starting to look a little fatigued… With just over a minute left, Boozer in for Davis… Just too long with that unit and the Lakers trailed 89-58 heading into the fourth… He started the Sacre, Boozer, Young, Ellington, Lin unit for the fourth… Good effort by this group… Clarkson in for Lin who was sleep walking most of the game… Despite scoring 64 points in the second half, the Lakers still shot 33% for the game…

[hopandskip]

After last night's emotional high and Kobe achievement win, tonight's effort (or lack of it) couldn't have been completely unexpected.

Indiana's fast start (layup procession!) just killed any will the Laker's might have had left in the tank (no pun intended).

[Honeybadger81]

nice job as always, DB.
I think there are some personal issues between Byron Scott and JLin... Jlin himself is not helping his case... This probably is the second or third time JLin voiced his struggles in Byron's system... As egoistic and stubborn as Byron, I don't think that would sit well with him... I am pretty sure Lin has talked with Byron personally about his struggles and how he should play to be effective... the situation is pretty tricky now, I guess he is in Byron's doghouse now..

How do you think?

By the way, if I were Lin, I would just shut up and play... no all the self analysis etc... no matter what system you are in, just play the best you can... don't expect Byron will help or listen... if he wants to voice something, voice to Mitch, not to the media, it only makes things worse...

[mhan00]

Everything Lin was doing well earlier in the season, Scott has killed. Lin hasn't helped himself at all by adapting, but it's clear Scott isn't a fan of Lin's pick and roll game. So, Scott was either lying when he said he was a huge Lin fan, or he had zero clue as to what Lin actually does on the floor. I would buy either scenario.

[Honeybadger81]

i don't think the lakers can play the third quarter pressure d to start a game, basically that's a desperation move, Pacers with almost 40 points cushion did not bother counter back too much because the game has already in their bag. So saying we should start the game like a third quarter is a cop-out, not a solution at all...

[Honeybadger81]

[OregonLakerGuy]

Thanks DB

[Lorenzomax]

[fiendishoc]

Spot on, on every point, DB.

[Lorenzomax]

[Honeybadger81]

[fiendishoc]

[Treble Clef]

[Honeybadger81]

[Lakerfan 4 Life]

Kobe thinks the Princeton Offense isn't setting him up for easy looks? I guess Mike Brown's version of the Princeton was better for him since he shot the ball well with him teaching the Princeton.

[fiendishoc]

[bws94]

DB, thanks for the thorough review.

I wish there was a game before Friday but maybe it's good and they'll be mad and come out and play competitively but Friday with a Thunder at full strength and a starting PG of Price and Durant back with Ibaka protecting the rim, that's a tough assignment.

Byron's lack of focusing on offense and adjusting to his personnel make for a pretty sad looking team against some matchups. But who knows, maybe the game will be competitive. But you need more out of some key players tonight than what you got.

[SweetP]

[trunkz08]

[sullenberger]

Thanks DB,

You are the man who calls a spade spade.

[sullenberger]

Thanks DB,

Dup. Deleted

[Charisma]

[H0B0]

THX DB. GO LAKERS

[Vin]

Thanks for the write up. Looks like I'am not downloading this one.

[A Mad Chinaman]