LAKERS -at- JAZZ - 11/24 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:24 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- JAZZ - 11/24 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings

Second Chances Down the Stretch... The Lakers gave up too many offensive boards throughout the game, but especially in the crunch. The Jazz won the fourth 32-20 and won the game 114-108. The Lakers were tied with the Jazz with a little more than a minute left. On the road against a good team like the Jazz, that's not a bad position to be in...just need to clean some things up -- like getting killed on the glass in the fourth quarter (16-4 as Pop points out in his Game Flow. Ouch.) The Jazz improve their record to 12-1 while the Lakers drop to 8-4.

I've always said the Jazz have a bit of a jump on most teams to start seasons. They don't have any coaching changes and they run the same simple read and react type of offense, which is not as complicated as the triangle. We got burned on some of their basics early in the game and gave up a lot of points in the paint. Later, we did better on those defensive reads, but still couldn't secure the glass. Our more experienced players were able to deal with the Jazz offense much better. (This is why Farmar didn't suit up and Bynum got limited minutes. Still, it would have been nice to get them in there to learn.)

The Lakers gave up 12 offensive boards to the duo of Boozer and Okur (15 offensive boards in total). Boozer finished with 31 and 15, with 10 points and 8 boards in the fourth. Deron Williams scored eight key points down the stretch. One of which, however, was not a throwdown on Kobe in transition. Nice try.


Kobe -- -- Without his extra gear fully back, Kobe won't be able to attack AK with quite the relentlessness he usually does whenever those two have matched up. So, in the fourth, the Lakers essentially used Kobe to keep AK on the perimeter while the worked the post for scores. The Jazz were content with that tradeoff. A couple times prior to that Kobe allowed AK to get close to the post player with cuts and that resulted in blocks on our bigs. Kobe could have worked to manufacture points I'm sure, but how he's beaten AK in the past is with his speed and explosiveness, which is not quite there yet. "He got tired," Phil said of Kobe, "even his freethrows were a little short." Kobe went 7-10 from the line and 9-18 from the floor for 27 points in 41 minutes. He also had 2 assists without a turnover. He swished a jumper from the top of the key on his first shot. He attacked off the dribble, lost the ball for a moment, got it back and hit a short floater. With the Lakers trailing by 11 early, Kobe went for several straight baskets: a spin move finishing with an And-1 bank, a wing jumper and a top-of-the-key jumper. He knocked down a tech FT and then a step-through floater over the front of the rim. Nice job just getting a shot off on an inbounds with 1 on the clock, it hit rim and we got it back. He swished a three from the deep left corner. Good job restraining Bynum who was as pissed as I have seen him after another weak call from the officials on him. Just another good example of Kobe's smart leadership of late. Kobe had 17 points at the half. He got Brewer in the air with a pumpfake and drew FTs on a jumper, he made one. He attacked down the lane for a layup. Brewer set up to shade Kobe to the help defender, so Kobe just squared up and drilled a three over him. He drew FTs off the dribble and swished both. He made one of two FTs to start the fourth quarter. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a tech FT. He made a tech FT. Huge block, Deron tried to throwdown on Kobe on the break and Kobe rejected him at the rim, badly. Wow. It was a bit too quiet offensively of a fourth quarter for Kobe even against AK, but that is something that won't happen when Kobe is at full throttle in a couple months. The rule against AK used to be attack him off the dribble with Kobe or in the post with LO and we had success.

Odom -- -- Some loose D at times by Lamar, which seemed to be a general lack of decisiveness as to what we wanted to do against the Jazz offense at times. LO was involved in several key plays, good and bad down the stretch on both ends. It might have been nice to make him a go-to guy a little more in the post in the stretch. LO had just 6 rebounds in the game, and unfortunately for the Lakers, that led the team. That won't fly. He did a much improved job at the line tonight, scoring 11-14 to go with his 7-14 shooting from the floor and 26 total points. He attacked quickly and drew FTs, making one. He backed down AK easily, but then AK recovered to block his shot. He posted up again and missed. He attacked in transition and hit a bank going to his left. He attacked on the next time down off the pinch post and hit a floater going to his left. He posted up Milsap, beat him badly and scored easily at the front of the rim. He picked up his third foul setting a screen on AK, it looked like AK grabbed him as he went to the ground, making it appear as if LO shoved him. He sealed AK under the hoop and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He found Smush for an open three when he collapsed the D in the post. He drew a foul attacking off the dribble from the post. While Smush and Kobe worked the pinch post, LO cut from the other side to take a pass under the hoop and hit an easy jumphook. As the offense stalled on one set with Kwame out of position, LO worked his way to the middle of the court then drained a three as the buzzer went off. Good switch on D-Fish to smother him and help force a shotclock violation. He made four of five FTs at the end of the third quarter. He hit a turnaround at the midpost in the middle of the fourth. He was whistled for an offensive foul, moving on the pinch post handoff and turned it over. He got tapped on a three with 1:47 left to play. With 1:18 and out of a timeout, Odom attacked with speed into the offensive zone off a pinch post play, hit an And-1 runner off the glass and made the FT to tie the game up. He missed a key layup, point blank off a drive and dish by Smush. He drew a foul off an attack and made only one of two FTs. Those crunch time misses would have kept the game close at the end. Wish we would have keyed on LO a little sooner in the fourth.

Smush -- -- Smush was a little off defensively early in the game and we gave up several easy points to the Jazz because of it. He tightened his reads up and managed a couple of steals anticipating the Jazz offense. He have to be very precise with our guard/bigman defense on switches. We weren't and that cost us with some open jumpers late in the game. Smush scored 7 points on 2-5 shooting (1-4 from three) and had 4 assists with 2 turnovers. He also tallied 2 steals and 1 block. Nice backdoor lob to Luke for a layup. Three bad defensive plays in a row: on the first he didn't switch when his man back picked Bynum and it gave up a layup; on the second, he watched the Jazz recover an offensive board, then he stood there for several seconds as they kicked out to Smush's man for an open three while Smush standing around; on the third, it was the same backscreen play, this time Odom's man got the layup. Finally a good defensive read, he switched off and swiped the pass. Nice cut down the lane and he drew FTs, making both. He hit a rare jumper off of the dribble from the left wing. Good help reach on AK in the post to cause a turnover. He drained a three on a kickout from LO. Weak D on the other end, not making an effort to contest a jumper. Another good defensive read, staying with the switch to steal the entry pass. He missed a wide open three straightaway late in the fourth. Great block on Deron on a jumper, but Smush stopped on the play (maybe thinking LO was going to pick him up) and Deron hit an open look on his next attempt. Deron hit a three as Smush tried to contest behind the screener and LO hung back.

Bynum -- -- Bynum got screwed on a few calls by the officials and was angry. Kobe had to talk him down before an official took note. He played just 14 minutes and scored 4 points on 1-4 shooting (should have been 6 points on 2-5 shooting, but the called him for a travel...total blown call). The call was on a nice ball reversal play to set up to feature Bynum ala Shaq, he sealed his man, took the pass and they called him for a travel that didn't exist, erasing a layup. It was nice to see that sequence as it will likely become some bread and butter for us down the line. Drew had 2 boards in his time. He started on Boozer and played him decently in his first stint, scores by Boozer were coming off back picks where teammates have to help or plays where the guard drew Bynum. He did give up a couple of offensive boards on Boozer in the first half. Bynum didn't get a shot in his first stint. He drew FTs after pulling down a tough pass, he made both. With the clock low, he took the post entry, faced up and went to work hitting a baseline jumphook. He was called for a weak foul and nearly drew a tech, but Kobe restrained him. I liked the fire shown by Bynum, he just needs to direct that type of intensity against opponents and look out. He gave up another offensive board to Boozer and a putback score, jumping too early for a board while Boozer had a hand on his back. He got swatted on a jumphook by AK and Phil replaced him with Kwame 3 minutes into the first half.

Walton -- -- Luke missed a few easy ones around the hoop in this game and he suffered from a little bit of foul trouble. He scored 13 points on 4-12 shooting (1-3 from beyond the arc) and had 3 assists. He hit a baseline jumper off a kickout from Bynum. He missed a layup, overshooting off the glass. He got blocked by AK trying to score a layup. He scored a layup when he spun on Boozer for a backdoor lob from Smush. He hit a three from the corner when Kobe lost the ball and it went right to Luke. He missed another easy one at the rim. He attacked from the elbow, drew FTs and made both. He attacked, drew a triple team and kicked it to an open Sasha for a three. He missed a baseline jumper fading to his left instead of squaring up. He had to sit midway through the third with his fourth foul. He contested a jumper by Giricek on help D and forced an airball. He attacked from the elbow and scored a layup. Nice cut, but the mustard came off the hotdog as he tried to whip a no-looker to Kwame that was off the mark (not a wise decision in crunch time on the road). He missed a three, followed his shot, got his board and drew FTs, making both with 3:09.

Kwame -- -- Offensively, he was strong...too strong at times for the Jazz and Lakers milked it for a stretch in the fourth. Defensively, however, just 2 defensive boards in 33 minutes. The Jazz are a great rebounding team, but 2 defensive boards? Ugggh! That's death for us. Kwame scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting. The boards were a problem, but he did do a very good job reading the Jazz offense at times and that showed in his 3 steals and 3 blocks, both team highs. He posted up and hit a jumphook in the lane on his first touch. He rejected a shot, sending it out of bounds. He stripped another man to cause a loose ball, which we tied up. He posted up, drew another blindside double attempt and found Evans under the hoop for a dunk. Another nice defensive read, deflecting a pass on help D to cause a turnover. He posted up and scored a jumphook at the front of the rim. He cleaned up an Evans miss off dribble penetration for an And-1, he made the FT. He hustled to block a shot by Boozer at point blank. Nice bouncepass from the post to a cutting Vlad for the And-1. Good feed to LO after he cut past him to draw FTs. He posted up Okur and scored an And-1 jumphook, he missed the FT. Next time down, he had a loose ball bounce to him, he went to work, missed a short one, got it back and banked a layup. Again, the Lakers worked Kwame in the post, he dropstepped his man, got hit on the head and drew FTs (and a tech on Okur which Kobe hit), Kwame made both FTs. Next time down, back in the post to Kwame, he bumped Okur to the ground (flop), then banked it in and was pumped going back down to the defensive end. He didn't use his body well and shot right into Okur for a block, then he fouled trying to get it back (a key possession that Phil later highlighted). Boozer iced the game getting an offensive board behind Kwame and putting it back in. "They killed us on the boards," Kwame said afterward.

Radmanovic -- -- Horrible telegraphed swing pass and it was easily picked off for a dunk the other way (Phil yelled at him for that one, he has some real careless moments on the offensive end at times). He missed a corner three at the half buzzer. Strong cut to get away from Boozer, he then scored an And-1 taking contact and flipping it in (he made the FT). He fouled at midcourt trying to pressure Giricek and he gave up late third quarter FTs. He played 18 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting (0-2 from beyond the arc), continuing to struggle. He did manage 3 defensive boards in that time.

Turiaf -- -- He came in with a couple of minutes left in the first half. Nice work on the pick and roll to contest a pass and force a turnover. That was it for him. He had 1 board and 1 foul. Phil has been going light on Turiaf because of the hip injury (unlike how he's going light on Cook because of the D skills).

Evans -- -- He played 11 minutes and was the only player not to get a defensive board, so that deserves some mention when we got killed on the glass. Other than that, okay minutes from Mo. I wish he was able to attack more off the dribble so the Jazz couldn't hide a shooter/non-defender like Giricek on him. Evans scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting. He dunked when Kwame spotted him under the hoop from the post. Good hustle on the offensive glass to keep a possession alive. He drained a three on a kickout from Kobe at the end of the third.

Vujacic -- -- Better minutes from Sasha than he has given in some time. He scored 8 points on 3-4 shooting (2-2 from three) in 9 minutes. However, he still had 3 fouls and 2 turnovers in that short time. Bad angle defensively at midcourt, resulting in a two-on-one score when his man got past him. He took another bad angle, but hustled from behind to knock the ball loose. He swished a wing jumper from 21 feet on his first attempt. He created a pretty good look at a jumper at the end of the quarter, but missed. Bad angled, long bounce pass and it was picked off for a turnover (you can't throw slow arriving swing passes in the Tri). Great foul as the only man back on a two-on-one (after Kobe gambled) and he replaced a breakaway dunk with two missed FTs. Weak call when he doubled Fisher, stood straight up and got knocked down for a block call. He swished a wide open screen off a skip pass from Luke. Off the bench out of a late third quarter timeout, Sasha sank a wing three before going to the floor.

Phil -- -- The Jazz out rebounded the Lakers 45-27 and shot 53.8 percent for the game. Hard to believe we were in the game looking at that, but the Jazz have their own defensive problems. Had we been able to get a few more one-and-out possessions, we would have taken this game... At halftime, the Lakers were pleased with their FT shooting, but wanted a better job on the defensive glass. They got weaker FT shooting and no one responded on the boards... The Lakers only had 5 turnovers in the first half to 8 for the Jazz. The Jazz had 30 points in the paint to 20 for the Lakers (the Jazz finished with 54 to the Lakers 36). The Lakers were 10-11 from the FT line in the first half (20-26 in the second half)... Rambis got a bench tech late in the third, irked about a call against Kobe and probably a few others... Phil called a timeout after Luke and Sasha couldn't decide who to cover in transition D and Fisher scored a layup... Phil had the team go to a 3-2 zone at the 4:25 mark for a possession and they drew a travel violation. He went to a zone a minute later and we got misses, but gave up two offensive boards before the Jazz finally hit a corner jumper on a long possession... With 1:18 left down by three, they run a high pinch post play for LO to get some speed on the attack and he scores an And-1 to tie the game...
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George W Buss
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:42 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB

I blame Haley for this loss
If it wasn't because of him, we'll be playing with Boozer and the Jazz will be playing with Butler

J/K
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:46 pm    Post subject:

We tried working a three-way with the Warriors last year at the trade deadline that would have sent Mihm, Cook and George out and brought Boozer back. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the Warriors to send Pietrus to the Jazz. Arggh!
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George W Buss
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:50 pm    Post subject:

Btw, do you have any opinion on Odom's rebounding numbers lately?
He has dropped his rebounding significantly these last 4 games.
Any idea why?
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jsi106
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:54 pm    Post subject:

This lost is so hard to swallow...

I was listening to the post game show on AM 570, and he said AK had disrupted our offense when he was assigned to either LO or Kobe, I guess DB already explained why AK defense was effective on Kobe, but was AK defense effetive on LO as well?

I can vaguely recall last season when AK was guarding LO, and LO pretty much had his way moving pass AK, since then, I always thought AK plays good team D, but not man D. was I off in my memory? or perhaps AK was still recovering from his constant injury in that game
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:00 am    Post subject:

George W Buss wrote:
Btw, do you have any opinion on Odom's rebounding numbers lately?
He has dropped his rebounding significantly these last 4 games.
Any idea why?


Well, for this one... Okur is a perimeter big, so that pulled Odom away from the hoop a bit for sure.

Against the Clips he matched up against Kaman and Thomas, I think. Kaman had 4 offensive boards, so maybe he took a couple away from LO who he has a size advantage on. And Thomas, perhaps, pulled LO away from the hoop.

I still think he just needed to get back in the mix on the boards even if he's getting pulled away by shooters because the guys need him down there. Just needs to make a more concerted effort.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:05 am    Post subject:

jsi106 wrote:

I can vaguely recall last season when AK was guarding LO, and LO pretty much had his way moving pass AK, since then, I always thought AK plays good team D, but not man D. was I off in my memory? or perhaps AK was still recovering from his constant injury in that game


Lamar did pretty much have his way with AK last year. When he posts him up and uses his size, AK couldn't D him up last year and got into foul trouble. It also had the added advantage of taking away AK's weakside shotblocking when LO attacked him in that manner. Kobe also has caused problems for AK in the past, too.
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:09 am    Post subject:

P&G went into a zone because they couldn't stop penetration in the paint. With Smush being so hesitant on offense (i.e. not taking clean and open shots when available - along with, during the 4h quarter, going underneath the screens while allowing Green clean shots - something that he excels with instead of having him drive the paint and into help) and missing defensive assignments (again - various examples stated above) while thinking that making one good play (i.e. steal) allows him the opportunity to relax (that resulted in an open shot) - why is Phil playing Smush at the end of games?

Uh, was Kobe really tired at the end of the game - as stated by Phil?

btw: What is the word on McKie's health? Is he able to play or coach's DNP decision?

Hopfully when Turiaff is healthy and playing, the number of rebounds that Utah is getting will be reduced
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:20 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
P&G went into a zone because they couldn't stop penetration in the paint. With Smush being so hesitant on offense (i.e. not taking clean and open shots when available - along with, during the 4h quarter, going underneath the screens while allowing Green clean shots - something that he excels with instead of having him drive the paint and into help) and missing defensive assignments (again - various examples stated above) while thinking that making one good play (i.e. steal) allows him the opportunity to relax (that resulted in an open shot) - why is Phil playing Smush at the end of games?

Uh, was Kobe really tired at the end of the game - as stated by Phil?

btw: What is the word on McKie's health? Is he able to play or coach's DNP decision?

Hopfully when Turiaff is healthy and playing, the number of rebounds that Utah is getting will be reduced


- It would have been nice to also go big, if they were going to the zone for a stretch...but I think they were trying to surprise the Jazz. The problem is you give up offensive boards in a zone...especially to a good rebounding team. That's pretty much what happened. Of course, they were giving up offensive boards anyway...

- Was Kobe tired? I don't know. He did come up short on some a jumper and badly short on one FT. So, that is sometimes a sign of being tired. So, then Kobe may not trust his perimeter game at that point and want to attack...which is real tricky if you don't have your usual explosion against AK. Plus, the floor definitely seemed to open up quite a bit for our post guys with Kobe pulling AK away. They should have given LO a few more looks in that low post space, though.

- I think McKie is able to play if they really needed him too.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 12:47 am    Post subject:

Farmar should be the starter by the 3/4 mark of the season.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:15 am    Post subject:

Vlad seems to be good for at least one awful telegraph per game. These are the kind of telegraphs that make you want to take a baseball bat to the TV screen.

I liked the emotion out of Andrew...I'd rather see him angry than ambivalent.

Kobe continues to look better than I anticipated this early in the season. That block was sick.

LO is not naturally aggressive, and he seems out of sorts when he starts games w/ his foot on the pedal...but he is doing a good job of working his game into a lather at some point in the contest...I appreciate him making the effort to become that #2 man. Whether it ever works out for him, I don't know...but he's trying to get there....and is making strides, which is respectable.

Walton appears to be coming back down to earth.

It seems like Kwame has taken Kareems advice as far as finding himself a pet move...that little jumphook has become money.

Props to Sasha for hitting a couple 3's. He needs to do that at a decent clip or he doesn't help the team at all.

Parker is a 3rd string talent starting for this team. He is going to be a weak link to be exposed by the opposition as long as he is a Laker IMO. When LA finds someone on the level to start at PG, they'll become contenders for the championship.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:25 am    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:


Uh, was Kobe really tired at the end of the game - as stated by Phil?


You know, I did forget something. There was a play in the fourth where Kobe was bringing the ball over to one side of the court where he would normally go to work off a screen and he pulled up so that he could let someone else go to work. And I remember thinking to myself at the time that he seemed tired. This was, of course, before Phil made those comments. So, I guess that I did see what looked to be some fatigue out there that didn't seem normal. Combine that with the short FTs and jumpers and Phil is probably spot on.

He was not in attack-mode by any stretch of the imagination. Some of it was probably game plan, some was probably Kobe being tired and not having that extra gear in his game to take AK like he has in the past.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:30 am    Post subject:

I think the Lakers can hold their heads up high tonight. They played a darn good game, leading for most of the night after recovering from being 11 points down in the first. It came down to that one sequence of zone defense and giving up two offensive rebounds in a row, followed by a quick missed 3 point shot by Odom. Hard fought game on both ends by both squads that went to the home team at the end. Nothing to be ashamed of there. Just frustrating to have such a good effort go down as an L.

If people keep expecting the Lakers to take a step back, they need to watch this game. They are going to be battling for the Pacific Division lead all season long.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:30 am    Post subject:

sean2023 wrote:

I liked the emotion out of Andrew...I'd rather see him angry than ambivalent.


I actually had something like a flash forwards to a future game where Bynum gets some cheap shot by a player who wants to pick a fight...or when one of his own teammates gets knocked down...and they have to hold Bynum back in the scrum.



I liked what I saw.

Quote:

Kobe continues to look better than I anticipated this early in the season. That block was sick.


Tivo replay of the night. Even though they had the funky angle on that play you could see it happening. Uhoh, Deron's eyes are getting big, he is going to try to throwdown on Kobe.

Then OMG! Flashbacks to Ray Allen and Scotty Pippen getting eaten up at the rim by old No. 8.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:22 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

Good note on Jerry Sloan team's being ahead of the curve in terms of preparation early in the season. They're on a roll right now, and playing at home before a revived fan base. But they're hardly unstoppable. I expect the Laker rate of improvement to take them past Utah by late season. Utah will pick you apart and exploit poor switching. Too many defensive lapses by Smush.

I loved the fact that Kwame responded to the demands being made of him on offense. The Laker perimeter players weren't getting off high-percentage shots, and having Kwame impose his will down low was something that I think the team can build off of in the future. But... a total of 7 rebounds (4 defensive) in 48 minutes from the Center position for both Kwame and Bynum isn't going to get the job done. I just hope Kwame's concentration improves.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:32 am    Post subject:

These grades are meaningless if you have an "L" in your record. What Kobe needs to figure out is WHEN to take over. What offensive scheme is going to work... or what defensive plan are they employing???

Kobe needs to know when to take over. In most nights, it means 35+ ppgs... other than that, it should be clockwork... GO LAKERS!!!!
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:33 am    Post subject:

I can't wait for us to get back at Utah when they visit Staples center a few games from now.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:08 am    Post subject:

I don't understand them not fouling when down by 4-5 with udner 30 seconds left. I also don't understand the barrage of 3 pt. shots in the 4th - none of which hit. Empty possessions because of very bad shots will kill you every time - and has been the reason for probably 2 other losses so far. Not to mention not being able to rebound 2 missed 3-pt. shots for Utah. Didn't that happen twice in the 4th? Take away those 5-6 pts. they got on back to back possessions late in the 4th because the Lakers couldn't rebound, and L.A. probably wins that game.
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:26 am    Post subject:

the refs let boozer get away with murder last night
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:46 am    Post subject:

Man this sucked. I really wanted the Lakers to beat The Jazz @ their house. I hope we whoop their ass when they come to Staples.
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golakersgo121
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:59 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
George W Buss wrote:
Btw, do you have any opinion on Odom's rebounding numbers lately?
He has dropped his rebounding significantly these last 4 games.
Any idea why?


Well, for this one... Okur is a perimeter big, so that pulled Odom away from the hoop a bit for sure.

Against the Clips he matched up against Kaman and Thomas, I think. Kaman had 4 offensive boards, so maybe he took a couple away from LO who he has a size advantage on. And Thomas, perhaps, pulled LO away from the hoop.

I still think he just needed to get back in the mix on the boards even if he's getting pulled away by shooters because the guys need him down there. Just needs to make a more concerted effort.


DB, great analyzes as usual.

I have slightly different take on Lamar The Rebounder. He is an excellent rebounding SF. Playing him at PF against the West, whether I like it or not, is playing him out of position (not counting the Suns or Seattle).
Media marvels at Sloan for switching AK "to shut Kobe down". I can't say enough on how moving Kobe back really messed up this plan. It leaves Lamar against Boozer and makes them use Harpring as SG. Lamar should have had a field day in the 4th with this setup. And Kwame being guarded by Okur? Wow!

Bad game for Drew; I agree with you that refs messed him up. But that's what rookie (he is a rookie for refs) should expect in Salt Lake. The biggest weakness he has to work on: he is not a rebounder as of yet. This game he should have dominated rebounding wise... May be, we would be better off starting Kwame to establish an order in our paint: no position for Boozer at all; with Kwame staying back on offensive board as well.

Smush. He let DW to go off. What really disappoints me though is how. The same mental mistakes: stopping to play, going under the screen and being undecisive on offensive end.

Good game offensively for Sasha, yet he played defensively well only on three or four possessions...
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LakerLanny
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Joined: 24 Oct 2001
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:02 am    Post subject:

DB, what do you think of mind messing with Sloan by putting say Mo Evans on Okur?

Okur doesn't want to go inside, he wants to go outside. So you put Evans on him, almost forcing the Jazz to change what they want to do and go inside to Okur to work on the "smaller" Evans.

My guess is Evans could probably handle him pretty well in the post and he wouldn't be getting wide open looks on him all game long from the perimeter either.

Thoughts?
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Klone_dd
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Joined: 11 Mar 2002
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:28 am    Post subject:

Tough game to lose, but something the Lakers will need in the long run. The D totally fell apart, allowing the Utes too many offensive boards AND 53% shooting. With those kinds of numbers, it's a wonder that we were so close in the 4th.

Kobe did look fatigued out there in the 4th. 41 minutes, matching his season high, but he was able to suck it up with that get-up-off-your-seat block. That alone should've inspired the team to victory. But here's where you gotta give credit to Deron Williams. The kid got stuffed twice in the 4th, but still managed to put together a strong, strong quarter.

Lamar, honestly, got tapped on his 3 and baby hook late in the 4th. If those only had dropped...

Kwame was huge on one end, absent on the other. His power game is developing nicely. Now we just need for him to develop a nose for the ball defensively.

Fish did some major damage. Take back his answered prayer at the end of the 3rd. Ah, well, too many ifs... Still, a great showing by the Lakers even if they weren't able to close the game out.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:08 pm    Post subject:

aka_USAPA wrote:
These grades are meaningless if you have an "L" in your record.


Good point. I will skip doing all losses for the rest of the season.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:12 pm    Post subject:

golakersgo121 wrote:

I have slightly different take on Lamar The Rebounder. He is an excellent rebounding SF. Playing him at PF against the West, whether I like it or not, is playing him out of position (not counting the Suns or Seattle).


He's a better rebounder against SFs, of course. But he has still put up large board numbers against PFs whenever he's played that spot.
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