MAVS -at- LAKERS - 1/7 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings

[DancingBarry]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Statement Game... Sasha Vujacic, at times probably the loneliest Laker on this team, was surrounded by reporters after the game. The center of attention for one night. He had just finished scoring a career-high 16 points in 19 minutes, hitting a couple clutch threes down the stretch and helping lead the Lakers to a 101-98 win over the Mavericks, winners of their last 13 games.

Someone on this site once said you almost want to punch Sasha and hug him at the same time. That's really how polarizing he seems to be with Laker fans. Kobe even addressed the love-hate relationship fans have afterward, "The fans have been pretty hard on him," Kobe said. "But what people don't understand about him, he's a tough kid. He's not going to back down. He's not going to stop being aggressive. He's not going to stop working hard. When you have that combination of things, then fans will turn around because they'll see it." If this was a statement game for the NBA from the Lakers, hopefully, it's also a statement game from Sasha.

"Kobe basically took over the game, had some great shots," Dirk Nowitzki said. "But really, I think it was the Vujacic guy. Those were points you don't expect. He was hot -- he made big three's for them." You hope this is a game Sasha can build confidence and you can rely on those shots...and Sasha is no longer known as by colleagues as "the Vujacic guy."

I think most people probably expected the Mavs to come in and thump the Lakers. What team loses an entire frontline to injury and stands toe to toe with a team coming in on a 13-game win streak? Last season, we would have had no business winning this game. Phil said in the last game that the Mavs were on a different level than the Lakers (similar to what he said about the Spurs, before the Lakers stood up to that test).

Look at the stats and you see we got killed on the offensive glass, 14-2. We gave up a ton of offensive boards and second-chance opportunities, truly missing Lamar's presence once again against this team. Kobe had an average to slightly below average performance (for him). From Sasha's punch off the bench to Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf and big plays from others like Smush in the last minute, the team fought back from a 11-point third quarter hole to push through in the last minute and take the win. Certainly, a team effort again. The chemistry on this team seems to be growing tighter and closer by the day. "They've done a great job of putting a bunch of team players together," Luke said of this Lakers team.


Kobe -- -- Kobe had 12 points heading into the fourth quarter. Some credit to the Maverick's D for crowding him and not letting him drive with ease or get into a rhythm. We also did a poor job of getting him into the post with regularity against Harris. Still, this is Kobe. He opened up the fourth with a series of perimeter shots and dropped 14 points on 5-8 shooting in the final quarter. He would have had 17, but he had a three that somehow managed to rattle out after going down about as far as one can. Defensively, Kobe asked to take Dirk for a few sequences late in the game which threw a curve at the Mavs. He drew an offensive foul and gave up a drive and a jumper. When the Mavs went without a center, we switched up and brought in Turiaf to close out the game. Kobe finished with 26 points on 9-20 shooting, pulling down a much-needed 8 boards, dishing 6 assists with 3 turnovers. He missed his first pull-up jumper. In semi transition he dribbled through the lane and scored a layup for his first score. After charging against Harris and missing a jumper, he finally went to the post, collapsed the D and it resulted in an inside-out sequence and Laker score. He threw a skip pass over the D to Smush who drained a three. He flashed weak to strong in the post, drew the double and wrapped a pass around Dampier to Ronny for a dunk. He picked off a Dirk pass, pushed it up on the break, went up to hammer a reverse dunk, lost the grip and still scored it. He took the ball in the low post, drew defenders and hit Ronny with a short bounce pass for a layup. He got past his man, sealed him and knocked down an elbow jumper. After Howard knocked an entry pass away, Kobe got a T yelling at the ref. He swung to the elbow and hit a jumper. He lost Harris with a fake, then took on the help defender and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He got FTs after cutting off Bynum in the post and getting a return feed, he made both. He attacked past Stackhouse to his left and then was rejected on the layup by Diop. After a rest, Kobe finally started the fourth in a bit of a rhythm. He drained an elbow jumper over Harris from the left. He swished a wing jumper from 18 feet on the right side. On his third attempt, he knocked down a 21-footer from the right wing. He then got completely tapped on his fourth attempt, that three mentioned above. He swung to the baseline, rose up and drained a 15-footer. He was assigned to Dirk defensively and drew an offensive foul as Dirk tried to shed Kobe from his hip before receiving a pass. He somehow let Dirk get dribble penetration on him for FTs. Dirk drained a jumper over him on the next possession. Kobe faced up offensively, the Mavs zoned up on him, he threw a skip pass to Luke across court for a three. He missed a good look on a baseline jumper. He attacked off the dribble, drew a foul and made one FT with 1:50 left to trail by two. On the next possession, he blew past Howard and took a shove in the hip as he scored an And-1 layup over Dirk, he made the FT and cut the lead to one with 1:21 left. On the next possession, he kicked it to Luke, Luke faked the three, attacked, gave it back to Kobe and Kobe drew a foul missing an And-1 opportunity he wanted, he made both FTs to give the Lakers a one-point lead with 55 seconds left. He set it up and Sasha knocked the Mavs down to close the game out.

Walton -- -- I don't even know that the stat line in this one really reflects Luke's impact on the game. Offensively, he was just a dynamic triple threat, attacking, passing, hitting from the perimeter...he did it all. In the fourth quarter, he scored 8 points and dished 2 assists, seemingly in the thick of most plays and definitely a driving force during one stretch where he had several scores in consecutive possessions. He finished the night with 21 points on 8-14 shooting (1-3 from three, 4-7 from the line, missing a late one), 6 assists with just 1 turnover, 3 boards, 1 steal and just 1 foul in 39 minutes. He hit Smush with 35-foot backdoor lob for a score. Cook found him under the hoop and Luke dunked. He missed a floater in the lane. On his next possession, he found himself alone for a 15-foot baseline jumper which he sank. He took a pass from Ronny, attacked, elevated while taking contact and spun to flip an And-1 layup in over his head and off the glass, he missed the FT (the Lakers first FT of the half with 40 seconds left). He posted up, spun quickly on the baseline to lose Howard and scored. He took an outlet pass and scored with his left on the breakaway before going to the ground. He attacked got into the air and in trouble, tried to find Bynum, then threw it away for a turnover and score the other way. He dropped to the level of the ball to cover for Bynum who contested dribble penetration, Luke stole the pass and pushed out the dribble to draw FTs on the other end, he made one. He missed a baseline jumper. Great hustle to track down a missed rebound and throw it off Diop before taking a seat on the Mavs bench. He attacked from the wing, peaked over his shoulder to where Dirk was coming from, took the angle to cut him off and scored a layup. On the next possession, he swished a corner three off a skip pass from Kobe. On the next possession, Luke faked the three, attacked the paint and drew Dampier's fifth foul and made both FTs to cut the lead to two points. After a stop, Luke got the ball swung to him and couldn't hit the three to take the lead. He faked a three, fed Kobe in the interior and it led to two FTs to take the lead with 55 seconds left. He attacked the paint, collapsed the D, kicked to Sasha and Sasha drained a huge three to give the Lakers a two-point lead with 28 seconds left. He was intentionally fouled with 10 seconds left, the first FT crawled out, the second he made to give the Lakers a three-point lead. He rushed out on George who had a chance to tie the game and forced a brick.

Smush -- -- Smush dropped from the rafters to pack Terry who looked like he was going straight to the hoop for an open score with under 20 seconds left...both players fell to the floor, Smush with the ball. He flexed and chest bumped with Ronny on the other end after getting the statement defensive play of the night. Smush was wearing a white AI sleeve on his arm, I kind of like it. He played a steady game, scoring 11 points on an efficient 5-7 shooting, grabbed 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and the 1 block. He suffered from a little foul trouble in this one. The Lakers held Terry to just 12 points on 13 shots, that was a key. Smush made a layup off a long backdoor alley-oop from Luke. He missed a wide open corner three. He attacked down the lane off a kickout and his shot was goaltended. He took a cross-court pass from Kobe, popped up quickly and swished a three. He picked up his second foul late in the first and had to sit. He lost the dribble in transition for a score the other way. He attacked in the paint and hit a little floater going to his right. He attacked to his right, got into the body of Dampier hit an And-1 after taking considerable contact, he missed the FT. He picked up his fourth foul in the backcourt and had to sit late in the third. He came back in with under 3 minutes left to run with Sasha in the back court. Then, he came up with the huge defensive stop, helping Sasha who gave up the penetration to Terry.

Cook -- -- Not Cook's night. He gave us nothing. He played 20 minutes had 1 defensive board. To say we missed LO's presence in that area is an understatement. We got killed. Certainly, Dirk is a tough match up and will pull you out on the perimeter at times, but you know LO is still going to get 5-6 rebounds in that 20 minutes of action even against Dirk. So, Phil sent Cook to the bench with an early sub in the second half and left him there. They didn't set up Cook as much as you would like to see when he was out there to try to get something on the offensive end. He finished with 0 points on 0-2 shooting, 2 assists with 3 turnovers, and 2 fouls. He got blocked on a jumper. He one-handed a loose ball to Luke for a score under the hoop. He picked up two early fouls, the second a push-off offensively and had to sit midway through the first. He got sent to the bench for Vlad down by 10 midway through the third. A couple great games, a stinker in this one. Hopefully, we can get a bounce back from him in the next one because we need his scoring punch.

Bynum -- -- Bynum got into early foul trouble and that threw off any kind of offensive rhythm the Lakers tried to establish with him. Even though we got killed on the offensive glass, Drew pulled down 8 boards in 20 minutes. He couldn't control the glass, but always seemed to be battling multiple Mavs for the rebounds, too many times without being able to come down with it. He scored 6 points on just 2-3 shooting and made both of his FT attempts. He picked up an early foul battling on the defensive glass. With the shotclock low, he dribbled into the lane and hit a jumphook. He contested guard penetration and secured the board. He took the post entry feed, drop-stepped and powered up a layup over Dampier. He tried to help and recover on Dampier and picked up his second foul and had to sit midway through the first quarter. He picked up his third foul shortly after returning when Dirk got dribble penetration and drew contact. In the third, he fed Kobe on the baseline cut it earned FTs. His presence intimidated Terry into a turnover as he came down the lane and lost the ball. He took a high-speed feed in the lane and quickly went up strong to dunk, just missing the And-1 (but I liked the intention playing above the rim, last year he probably tries laying it up gets it swatted with ease), he made both FTs. He came over to contest dribble penetration, forcing a pass, Luke covered for Bynum and stole the feed. He was coming down with a huge rebound with 3 minutes left and the ball popped loose it looked like off Howard's head, drew fought and tipped another board out of bounds, but couldn't control it. Seemed to be par for the course. The Laker centers pretty much shut down the Mav centers, who scored just 2 points in 45 minutes.

Turiaf -- -- With Bynum suffering from early foul trouble, Ronny had his work cut out for him. He had to control the paint (with little help from others) and not get into foul trouble. He played 28 minutes on the night and finished with just 2 fouls, job well done. He was a key offensive factor, scoring 13 points on 5-9 shooting and dishing 4 assists. Ronny had just 3 boards, giving up some size, but he also blocked 2 shots. He, like Bynum, was battling but getting out numbered on the boards. He drew a push foul on Dampier running the floor. He dunked when Kobe drew the D and found him under the hoop. He scored a layup off an interior bounce pass from Kobe. He got blocked and stripped on a couple of shots in the paint. He scored a layup cutting down the lane off a drive and dish by Farmar. He took a high feed from Kobe, gathered it and scored under the hoop. He swatted Harris on a drive. He hit Luke with a quick kickout and Luke was able to attack and score an And-1. He poked a post-entry loose to ignite the break. He drew a loose-ball foul on Dampier and made both FTs. Good job holding down the fort in the first half for 17 minutes without getting into foul trouble. Back in late in the third, he drew a loose ball foul fighting for an offensive board (he's killing teams drawing those fouls in the past couple of games), he made one FT. He swished a 16-footer on a kickout from Farmar. He attacked off the dribble, took contact with no call and missed. He got swatted easily on an awkward attack to his left. He had to D-up against Dirk in the final possessions. He can probably match up well with him with a little help. Dirk took him off the dribble for a score, but no one tightened up the lane which could have forced a turnover, miss or pass. Great job from Ronny, getting Andrew's back when he had to sit.

Vujacic -- -- "He's worked his butt off," Kobe said after this game. He was all praise for his teammate. "I'm really happy for Sasha, how well he played tonight, how he stepped up and made some huge shots. I'm really proud of him." I hate to overstate things or jump to conclusions but I really hope this is Sasha's breakthrough game. I mean if you are talking about a guy who hits shots in practice, but can't carry it over to the court (like we've heard about), then this is a huge confidence booster for him. Sasha had always prided himself on hitting big shots before coming to the NBA...he had a good playoffs, but tonight he had that big shot game. Stu went off about this after the game, saying at practice he just does not miss and he hoped this was the game. Pleeeease let it be the game. Surrounded by reporters after the game, Sasha kept his focus, "A hero when we win the championship," he said in the Times. "Not yet." Sasha scored a career-high 16 points on a deadly 6-7 shooting, 4-5 from beyond the arc in 19 minutes. Off the bench to start the second, he drained a wing 18-footer off a high-post scissors cut. He attacked the lane, spun and scored a layup (never seen him do that, very nice, show me again). He headfaked and knocked down a sideline three. Good first stint by Sasha, but it would get better. Stackhouse worked him in the post for an easy score (not sure why we didn't have Evans matching up there, but we later changed that up, putting Sasha on Terry. He did a solid job battling the screens and recovering). Sasha took a wing pass, rose up and swished the three over the zone midway through the fourth. He faked a three, attacked the baseline and drew a non-shooting foul. He took a heatcheck three from a step further out and came up short, but Luke regained the possession. Sasha drained a huge three to cut the lead to one with 3:16 left when Luke swung him the ball. Then came the big-time clutch shot with 28 seconds left, Sasha took a kickout from Luke and drained a three to give the Lakers a two-point lead. "What we had to do," Sasha said in the Daily News, "and what I could see at that time was just be open on the side and they will find me."

Radmanovic -- -- Vlad played 19 minutes, scoring 4 points on 2-4 shooting and grabbing just 2 boards. Again, our PF spot failing to control the glass. Out of a timeout, the took the post feed, made an inside pivot and attacked baseline to score a layup over Dirk. Great switch, then rotate back to Dirk on a double and Kobe picked off the pass. Ncie block on Terry in transition to get a stop. He threw a kickout out of bounds. Quickly after entering the game, he took the feed at the elbow, lost Dirk on a pivot and swished a short jumper.

Evans -- -- Very quiet game from Mo. He scored just 2 points on 1-3 shooting and didn't grab a board in 15 minutes. He did have 3 assists with 1 turnover. Mo was the only Laker besides Kobe, Sasha and Luke to score in the fourth. He pulled up off the dribble and knocked down an elbow jumper early in the quarter for his points. He attacked the paint, took a lot of contact with no call and lost the ball. He jumped to double Terry with Sasha on an inbounds and forced a travel in the backcourt, a key play as we were starting roll.

Farmar -- -- How is it that Jordan pulls down 5 boards, third on the team in only 11 minutes? The smallest guy out rebounding our PFs and Turiaf. Farmar scored just 2 points on 1-2 shooting in 11 minutes. He dished 2 assists with 1 turnover. He pulled up at the elbow and stroked an easy jumper for his only points. He attacked off the pinch post, drew the D and hit Ronny cutting for a layup. He attacked baseline and stepped out of bounds. He attacked on the baseline and kicked to Ronny for a wing jumper. He attacked in transition and threw a layup too hard off the backboard.

Phil -- -- Phil won his 900th game of his career and had his work cut out for him. "It was awesome," Kobe said. "I know Phil's not going to beat his chest about it or anything like it. But it was important for everybody here to take notice of what we just saw tonight. It's special, man."... The Lakers had a 6-point lead after the first quarter, but had Bynum, Cook and Smush all with two fouls. The Lakers had a 22-8 advantage on points in the paint after the first quarter, and had 9 assists on 13 makes... At the half the Lakers gave up 10 offensive boards while only getting one themselves. They were beat on second chance points 15-4. They only trailed by 3 as they shot 58 percent in the first half to the Mavs 41 percent... They would finish the game, shooting an impressive 55 percent to 42 percent from the Mavs. We won the points in the paint battle just 44-40, despite that good first quarter... Phil went with a Bynum, Luke, Evans, Kobe, Sasha lineup midway through the fourth, with Kobe on Dirk defensively. "Just looking at the matchups out there, I felt like I wanted to take my crack at guarding him," Bryant said. "I've never guarded him before. Never. I was a little bit curious to see about his offensive game, what makes him special."... Key sequence with just over two minutes left we gave the Mavs four attempts and they finally scored. We missed LO badly on that stand... Phil went to the Turiaf, Luke, Kobe, Smush, Sasha lineup to close out the game. Smush came up huge with the block and Sasha was money. The Mavs went to Dirk at center and Phil matched up with Turiaf...

[squidy37]

was waiting for this! thank you! GO LAKERS

[angel]

Thanks DB!

It's always nice to beat the top team while they are streaking. Phil again made history by being the quickest to 900. I can't wait until this team is healthy and other teams have their problems. It's not that I wish anyone to be injured, but injuries do happen in the course of the season. The Lakers have taken their hits in record from injuries. The Lakers record is pretty good, despite all the injuries. It's hard to believe this team has had significant players out for several games, but it still is 15-5 against the West.
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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." ~~Martin Luther King Jr.~~

[A Mad Chinaman]

Mental Toughness and Focus are starting to be the consistent factors that can attributed to their continued growth to being a good to elite team.

Even wtih Cookie not providing any offense, along with his minimal defense - the Lakers still got it done (at least Vlad has more parts of his game that he can depend on - even more when he learns the Tri!)

Dare we say this, Mitch has done a good job of transforming the Lakers into a deep (they can play small, big, defensive and/or with a great deal of energy) and fast-approaching elite team to be reckoned with by everybody?!?!

[jrod88]

Great recap DB.

Was also waiting up for this. Thanks!

[- Sean -]

It was great to see Sasha have so much success out there. If Vujacic is going to last in this league, that shot of his is going to be what carries him. Besides the fine shooting, I thought his defense was impressive. He always plays defense in that frenetic pace of his...but on most nights, he'll pick up quick fouls doing it. Tonight, Sasha was playing aggresive...yet was able to pull back just enough to stay in the ballgame. That was huge. The effort is always there, but w/ out filtering that energy through any process of discipline & direction, it generally does him (and the team) no good. He was locked in tonight.

[DancingBarry]

Yeah, I think I got caught up a bit in the offensive end and forgot to prop him for his defensive effort tonight. Solid job. And teammates had his back.

[NestT]

If Kobe is familiar with how hard Lakers fans are on Sasha then he must surf the net and read bb sites.

Probably knows about our little corner of it too.

Somehow I don't see him talking about Sasha to random Lakers fans at the restaurant,dry cleaners, Costco etc .

As always thanks for the recap DB.
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Let the PAB hold out 2 years and walk without his Bird rights if he chooses.

OJ Mayo
Derrick Rose
Nicolas Batum
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[jeremysnow]

remember the critics?

[jeremysnow]

db: great work!

btw an updated stat for dallas:

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB

was a little worried about foul trouble after the first quarter.

but Sasha, Sasha, Sasha he was playing with so much confidence, I really hope this carries over into the rest of the season.

and that block by smush
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[Sage_10]

Thanks for the post DB.
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"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[targetman]

Gotta give props to Smush for the block. We were about to be toast and he swooped in from nowhere. Could've been called for a foul by other refs and I'm glad they let us play through. High, huge defensive play.
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Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

[golakersgo121]

[Wolverine]

[markjay]

Great recap, as usual! Thanks!!

By the way, are you the Dancing Barry featured in today's L.A. Times?:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe8jan08,1,7797584.story

Mark

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

GREAT WIN, THANKS DB

-I am very proud of Sasha, I will be honest, I usually root against him. Ive always hoped that if he missed enough shots we would just cut him. Im glad I was wrong. Tough pressure D, timely shots. Nice going Sasha. I swear he was fouled by Terry on one of those 3s though.

-Kobe took over in the 4th when we needed him to. Happy to see him drive to the hole late in the game instead of settling for jumpers. I still cant believe his 3 pointer rimmed out.

-Props to Phil for going against his norm and letting Kobe play the 4th from beginning to end. I was pissed that he rested Kobe for 6 minutes in the 2nd, but it all worked out. I also liked the all-energy lineup to start the 4th Qtr.

-I thought Mo Evans should have been in a little bit more to match up with Howard, but Luke had it going offensively. That’s why I liked both Luke and Mo on the floor in the 4th.

-Cook played uninspired Bball, im glad he didn’t play in the 4th, he was dreadful in the 3rd. Vlad or Mo should have been in more. At least Vlad took Dirk to the hole a couple of times. If Cooks jumper isn’t fallin, he’s useless.

-Nice Block by Smush! PLAY OF THE GAME

-im glad that clown Devean doesnt play here anymore. he looked mentally challenged when he tried to show off that left hand
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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[Texas_Pete]

Great recap DB! I think we found our PF. He dons the #21. That 16 foot jumper was . He hustles, rebounds, blocks shots, etc. When LO get's back, here is my dream lineup:

C - Bynum
PF - Turiaf
SF - LO
SG- Kobe
PG - Smush

Bynum got some cheap fouls, but from the onset he dominated and we promptly built a double digit lead. When Kwame gets back, we should have the most formidable front line in the game.

For us to break that streak short-handed as we are speaks volumes about this team. Is there any doubt that we could win 55 games? I can't see us not improving by 10 games IMO.

Smush + Sasha = 27 points WITH good defense? Somebody pinch me!

[lakers4peat]

[karlmalonefan]

Great job, DB as usual! Great win! I'm so proud of these guys!

BTW, I thought Vlad did a pretty good job on Dirk, especially when he first came in the game. Seemed like he bothered him a bit. He did a better job on him than Cook, anyway, I thought.
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[ryuvienco]

Great recap DB. Great statement game. I hope this put us over for the rest of the season. Can't wait for LO and Kwame to come back. We can't have any let down games now...

[wolfpaclaker]

Proud of this team.

I said during the time this team was struggling mightily that they can do well and learn how to play without LO. Now I didn't expect this drastic improvement but it does show how good the playmaking and Triangle is. We can lose virtually anyone this season (Kobe, Odom, Kwame, Mihm) and still come out and win games. A great testament to Phil, Mitch and the roster.

Gotta give props to Sasha. What a game. He finally shows why Mitch has kept him this long. Hopefully this is no fluke as the guy apparently shoots like this in practice all the time.

Kobe played average the first 3 qtrs and I was dissapointed. Then he played his best 4th qtr of the season, spearheading the comeback. What a great, great player this guy is. He just never quits and in all my years of watching basketball, I have never seen a player rival his ability to "never say die".

DB - On Bynum. I thought last night showed how he can get stronger in the arms. He had atleast 4 boards that were in his hand but he didn't hold on to them. So he's got to grab that ball better. The good thing I saw was that of the three really big players - Bynum, Dampier and Diop - IMO Drew had the best vertical by far. He was getting up there higher and had a hand on everything. He just couldn't bring it down. Bynum is more athletic than the Dampiers and Diops of the NBA which is good news considering he's similar to Diop in length/size.

Even with the trouble in holding onto rebounds - the kid finished with 8 boards in less than 20 minutes. It's a testament to how good he can be in the rebounding department if he continues to focus in on that department of the game.

Finally, I thought these 3 games have shown what I've been saying about shotblocking inside. If you look at the FG% against and defensive numbers - we have improved alot since Bynum+Turiaf are carrying the position. IMO the biggest reason is that we have two guys that are very active inside. I could have sworn that Ronny swatted/altered atleast 5 shots and Bynum altered or made guards change directions atleast 7 times. I really hope Phil is noticing how much better we are with an active shotblocker than a guy that just allows layup drills on most nights.

Also, Cook. My god. When will Phil and the coaching staff tell him to start putting a body on the Center's man when the Center goes over to help against penetration? If he did it even once, it'll be an achievement. Noone helps our Center's when they go to combat the penetration. It is something that has become the norm and I'm getting tired of seeing it happen each game without any adjustments.

[RCS926]

I'm proud of Sasha. Is is just me, or did anyone else hear Jack Haley (or was it James Worthy in the Sunday Sports Central report) say that next to Kobe, Sasha's the most unstoppable Laker in practice?

[B_Rabbit1212]

terrific game from everyone, minus cook (but he gets a free pass based on his play last couple games).

Kobe was very human until the fourth quarter, when he turned back into Kobe hitting clutch shots and set it up for....

Sasha! absolutely unreal, never though he had it in him. hopefully this is the start of something good.

Turiaf was amazing.

DB, I know that because of current injury problems with our bigs, Ronny has been playing the C spot exclusively. Currently I'm hoping to see a F/C duo of Ronny and Bynum. Do you believe this is the foreseeable future? I don't recall them playing together on the floor very much this year. Also what has become of the "hip problems" that Ronny had. It's been 3 games logging heavy minutes, and he seems fine. Do you think that it was perhaps an excuse created for the lack playing time he was getting? Or is it something we should still be worried about?
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[BigEvil]

Awesome as always DB. It was a great win for this young team. And it inspired me to add a few things to the conversation.

The differences between this year and last for this team are astounding. I'm not even referring so much to personel so much.

You have to look at the chemistry and cohesiveness. The comradery. You can see that these guys really care about eachother. They're buddies not just co-workers. And it all starts with Kobe. Every interview he's had he's deferred the credit to his team, and not just generally, he's singled out players and efforts, recognizing them. He's shown on the court that he trusts his boys, and they in turn have bought into his "never give up philosophy".

The most telling symbol of last nights game, to me, was right as the final buzzer sounded, Kobe immediately ran off to track down the game-ball and you could briefly see him handing it to Phil as they were walking out as they both smiled and embraced. That there showed me how much the two have grown.

There couldn't be a more perfect place for Kwame. He has all the support in the world, but stern authority figures in Kobe and Phil to guide him and challenge him.

And maybe it's just me, but I've seen an improvement in Smush's attitude as well. He seems more into the game, more supportive with his mates. Theres another player that needs encouragement and support as well.

Lets face it, Farmar is the golden boy of our PG corp. The others often get the scapegoat yoke hoisted upon them. But Smush and now Sasha have been contributing and I think it's only fair that people take notice. And thankfully, they have.

And finally, all I would like, is for the Lakers to maintain their core and chemistry. At this point, I don't see a need for a trade that will change the dynamics of the team. Depth is essential in this league now. Dallas, Phoenix, Miami, these are all (when not injury riddled) teams that are successful because they have great depth to go with great players. If it's working so well for LA now, do they really need to start messing with things?

That said, a deal that involves unused pieces, like Mihm or McKie, I'd be okay with. The point is, I'd be more comfortable adding to the team as opposed to subtracting from it. But I'd be just as happy to stand pat.

This ain't NBA Live, you need time and consistency to build a contender.