CAVS -at- LAKERS - 2/15 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings

[DancingBarry]

Rebound the Damn Ball... The Lakers have been dead men walking through the closing minutes of games lately. Trailing by two, they gave up a key offensive board at the freethrow line in the last seconds. That was the fatal blow as they dropped their fifth straight game, 114-108.

The softness on the defensive end was once again too much -- whether it was defending Eric Snow on the pick and roll or pulling down a rebound off a freethrow miss -- the Lakers found a way to lose. Why we don't play Snow for the jumper is beyond me. He was able to get into the paint to draw fouls and hit some key FTs down the line. Sigh.

The Lakers won the battle of the break 12-1 in the first half, then lost it 13-0 in the second half. Wow. The teams shot a combined 97 freethrows, with the Cavs shooting 55 of them. (Thank goodness for Tivo.)

The theme since they have staggered out of the gates with injuries has been survival. They have been able to overcome injuries to Mihm, Kobe and LO, but losing Luke and Kwame has caught up with them. They've won just 4 of their past 15 games. "I think that I saw players that had quit in their eyes tonight," Phil said, "and that bothered me. I thought I saw guys that felt defeated when I kind of got after them about their defense or about playing with urgency. They just had a vacant look, and really that bothers me about this team. I think they've got to come back with a renewed spirit."


Kobe -- -- Kobe seemed pretty frustrated all night long. Losing does that. His outbursts were mostly saved for the refs, aside from one incredulous stare at Smush. He had a nice mix in this game and we scored plenty of points on the offensive end. Defensively, a much better effort, and he even took on the challenge of covering LeBron in the final quarter. He scored 34 points on 9-22 shooting (2-7 from three and 14-15 from the line). He pulled down 6 boards, dished 5 assists with 6 turnovers and had 2 steals in 40:37 of action. On to the action: He misfired trying to hit Vlad under the hoop who thought Kobe was shooting. He missed a runner from a tough angle. He attacked the lane and drew FTs, making both. He missed a turnaround on the baseline. He attacked off a handoff, took contact and missed an easy And-1, he made both FTs. He and Smush teamed up for a backcourt steal and Kobe dunked. He swished a wing three. He missed a three on his next attempt. He sat out more than half of the second quarter as Phil gave him extended rest. He was stripped or blocked under the hoop, but Ronny cleaned it up. He made one tech FT, his only points of the second quarter. He had 12 points on 3-8 shooting at the half. He took a Bynum miss and got fouled under the hoop, he made both FTs. He attacked down the middle of the lane and was fouled, he missed his first FT and made the second...the miss broke his streak of 43 consecutive FT makes. On the next possession, he blew past his man with a quick first step, then flushed a reverse dunk over his head. He missed a baseline jumper and wanted the foul. He missed a wing three. He flashed to the strongside, sealed his man and hit a turnaround from 10 feet. He lost the ball on an attack in the lane and screamed at the ref and drew a T. He missed a baseline turnaround. He attacked on a couple straight possessions, getting to the FT line where he made all four. He attacked off the high screen and reversed. He flashed to the ball and hit a fading elbow jumper. He hit a baseline jumper, pulling up over LeBron. On the other end, he drew a push-off foul on LeBron. He airballed a three. He missed an elbow jumper. He tried to go behind his back to score, lost the ball and was called for a double dribble. He drew a foul on a double team and made both FTs. Out of a timeout, Kobe sank a three with 37 seconds left to cut the lead to 1. It looked like LeBron had charged into LO, but the refs called Kobe for a foul. "It's rough right now," Kobe said. "We have to come back with new energy."

Lamar -- 8) -- Better overall game from LO. For him to score 20 but only go 1-4 from three shows he was working more around the hoop. He finished 7-14 from the floor and 5-8 from the line, grabbed just 4 defensive boards on the night to go with 4 offensive ones. He had 3 assists with 4 turnovers and picked up some ticky-tack foul calls. I'm just glad he got out of the game without some kind of injury or setback. Hopefully, he can get some more confidence in his leg and come back stronger after the All Star break. On to the action: He filled the lane in semi-transition and scored a layup around Sideshow Bob. He cleaned up a miss by Kobe with an easy putback. He missed a three. He attacked Varejao off the dribble, drew a foul and made one FT. He went up soft and missed a point-blank layup after an offensive board. He tried to bust out instead of helping secure the glass and we gave up an offensive board and points to his man. He missed a three at the first quarter buzzer. He trailed the break, Sasha found him and LO scored with his right while being fouled by Pollard, he made the FT. He tried to dunk his next offensive putback and missed. He got fouled shortly later for FTs, he made one. He picked up a cheap call on the defensive end, then a charge call on the other end and had to sit with 3 fouls midway through the second quarter. He had 11 points on 4-8 shooting and 5 boards at the half. They went to LO on the iso wing to start the second half, he attacked the baseline with speed, got into Varejao's chest and scored a layup. He swished a wing three on a kickout with the shotclock low. He threw a pass that LeBron stole and took for an uncontested dunk. He attacked the baseline and drew FTs, making one. He attacked Marshall off the dribble and scored an And-1. Great pass from the top of the key to Bynum for an And-1 (we could use more easy scores like that). He tipped the missed FT to himself and it led to another score by Bynum. He posted up, but couldn't finish a jumphook. He sealed LeBron, shed him and dunked. He missed a three when our offense stalled with just over a minute and a half left.

Bynum -- -- Reasonable game from Drew, he had a team-high +8 when on the floor. He still leaves you wishing he was a bit stronger right now, but hopefully that comes down the line. He is suffering from knee tendonitis, which is not surprising considering how much more ball he's playing right now than he has in the past. Without Z in the game, he went up against Varejao and Pollard. Drew scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting (he's shooting .543 on the year), grabbed 9 boards and fouled out after 27:33 of action. He's 12th in the NBA in defensive boards per 48 minutes. We could have used him on that last FT miss. He drew FTs on a turnaround in the lane and knocked down both. He stole an interior feed by LeBron. He mis-timed a lob from Smush (he does that a lot, could be nerves or could be general awkwardness with his body right now). Pretty left-handed hook on the baseline for a score. He drew a foul on his next post touch. He went up high to clean up a miss by Evans out in transition. He had 6 points and 4 boards at the half. He missed a short jumphook. He flashed to the middle of the zone, took an entry and made an easy one-hander. He didn't chuck up a three-quarter court heave at the end of the third (there's your chance to hit a three, Drew). LO hit him with a strong pass from the top of the arc, Drew took contact and banked in an And-1. After missing the FT, LO got the ball back, we circled it back around to Bynum and he overpowered Varejao in the post for a layup (very nice). He picked up his fifth foul and had to sit with more than 7 minutes left. He fouled out trying to contest a drive by Snow. Speaking of which...

Smush -- -- What the heck? Play Snow for the damn jumper. Make him try to beat you from the perimeter. Go under the dang screens. How hard is that? Instead, the guy gets to manufacture points at the line and foul out our bigman down the stretch off the two-man game. Mental mistakes kill me. Just like that momentum-shifting technical Smush picked up in the middle of the third quarter when we were in a groove. (The Cavs went on something like a 15-2 run off that.) It's tiring sometimes. Smush scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting, had 4 assists with 1 turnover, grabbed his 2 boards and had 2 steals. He hit Vlad with a high lob pass for a layup. Snow dribbled the ball off his foot, Smush scooped it up and went in for the reverse dunk. Quality shot in early offense, left alone from about 18-feet on the wing and he hit it. Nice double with Kobe in the backcourt and Smush knocked it loose and Kobe dunked. He missed a baseline floater. He scooped up a bad pass and took it in for the uncontested dunk. He got beat when his man backdoored him, Smush didn't give out, cocked back and swung, and swatted Hughes badly out of bounds. He badly bricked a wide open wing jumper. He had 6 points on 3-6 shooting at the half. He stared down a wing three, then hit it. Stupid tech, he slammed the ball to the floor after his man drew a foul and it bounced over the backboard...we had a 7-point lead and built momentum...Kobe was looking at him like, what's wrong with you? After he missed a layup out of a timeout, the game was tied about a minute later. The Cavs then pulled ahead. He missed a wing jumper. He sank a corner three out of a timeout. He got tapped on a jumphook posting up his man. He gave up easy dribble penetration to Snow and he fouled out Bynum and made both FTs late in the game. Same damn play, not playing Snow for a jumper and he gives up penetration and a foul. Know your opponent.

Radmanovic -- -- He would have had a decent game if he would have stuck a couple of threes and not committed that soft And-1 foul. But that three ball just seems so flakey at times from him. He ended up scoring 9 points on 4-11 shooting (0-4 from three, and 1-3 from the line), he pulled down 4 boards and had 4 assists without a turnover. As it is, he still looks like a bench player starting at the SF spot. He scored a layup off of Smush's high lob pass. He faced up on the low post, swung through and scored an And-1 on LeBron (first time we've seen him do that move close to the hoop), he missed the FT. He missed a three. He missed a one-hander from the FT line (not sure why he just didn't take a jumper). He got blocked, got it back and scored easily on the other side of the hoop. He attacked off a head fake, drew contact and made one FT. He missed a wing three. He had 7 points on 3-9 shooting at the half. He cleaned up a Kobe miss with a lay-in. Weak And-1 slap foul on LeBron busting out on the break, just giving up extra points.

Turiaf -- -- Man, not a pretty game for Ronny. He killed us on the FT line tonight. He missed all four he took and he couldn't secure that defensive board. Arrgh. He also had 5 fouls in his 14:35. He missed a baseline jumper. He was fouled on the perimeter and missed both FTs. He picked up a loose ball under the hoop and tried to rip down the rim with a nice throwdown for his 2 points. Nice D, showing twice on the picks, then iso'ing against Varejao and he drew a travel call. Ronny had a team-low -16.

Evans -- -- The Streaker. He made an appearance again. Dude is either hot or cold. Tonight, 0-6 with 1 point and 2 fouls. He did put in a nice effort hitting the offensive glass, pulling down 3 on that end. He missed a baseline jumper. He missed a floater in transition trying to avoid a charge. He pulled down a FT miss by LO and drew a foul, but could only make one FT.

Farmar -- -- Not much of a game from Farmar. He played 11 minutes and didn't score, only taking one shot. He had 1 board, 1 assist, 2 fouls and 2 turnovers. He missed a wing jumper. Wow, total rookie call when Hughes walked and Jordan brushed him. He attacked off a screen, passed off and did a good job of moving to his right, but Varejao drew a charge call (weak as he was still moving into Farmar). A couple of rookie calls there, if you ask me.

Cook -- -- Cook played 11 minutes and was a situational sub offense vs. defense in the last minute. Phil pulled him for Turiaf on that last board. He was doing a reasonable job on the boards tonight, pulling down 4 in that short time. He dished 2 assists to go with his 4 points on a poor 1-5 shooting. He and Kobe worked the pick and pop and Cook drained a long jumper standing on the three line quickly after entering the game. That was his lone field goal. He bricked a jumper trying to create off the dribble. He drew a foul on an offensive board and made both FTs with 4:31 left. He got swatted from behind out on the break. Nice job drawing a charge with just over a minute left, trailing by four.

Vujacic -- -- Very good game by Sasha. He hustled, he hit shots and made plays and was rewarded with minutes. He scored 14 points on 4-7 shooting, grabbed 4 boards and had a team-high 3 steals. Great, great first stint by Sasha. Nice push out after tracking a loose ball, he got it into the heart of the D, then kicked it back to a trailing LO for the And-1. He drew three FTs when Hughes hit him on a three, he made all of them. He swiped the ball from his man on the other end and quickly outlet to ignite the break. He picked his man again and went coast-to-coast for the layup. He sank a long catch-and-shoot baseline jumper. He took an outlet at the end of the half, pulled up at the three line and swished the three as the halftime buzzer went off. He had 10 points at the half on 3-5 shooting. He beat his man to a bad pass by Kobe and drew a foul, he made one FT. He sank a corner three on a kickout. He missed a three in our last possession.

Phil -- -- Phil lost his fifth straight game, tying his longest losing streak of his career. Hell of a way to enter the All Star break and the trading deadline... He rested Kobe for a long time in the second quarter, obviously concerned about the fatigue factor that seems to be affecting Kobe right now. The offense sputtered and stalled badly during that time... The Lakers had a 12-1 advantage on the break with all those steals and bustouts after the first half. Both teams were even on points in the paint at 28-26 in favor of the Cavs. (It ended up with the Cavs going 13-0 on the break and both teams close with the Cavs again 22-20 on points in the paint in the second half)... With 37 seconds left, trailing by 4, he called a timeout. Kobe sank a quick-hit three from the wing to cut the lead to 1... He subbed in Turiaf for Cook to secure a FT miss. LeBron missed and Turiaf, Lamar and Kobe couldn't secure the board. We go from trailing by two, to needing to foul and trailing by 4 with 11 seconds left. Ball game. you could have slid LO to SF and left Cook in with Turiaf for that board, but Turiaf and Lamar should have been able to handle it regardless... The team staggers into the All Star break. They will get back together on Monday. "This is fortunate for us," Phil said. "It's a little bit short, but it's better than nothing."...

[Laker_Holic]

Can we expect a different attitude from this team in the 2nd half DB? the last 3 weeks have been a killer.

nothing is being improved upon our weaknesses.

you can only expect things to get better from here.

[DancingBarry]

I don't see anything changing much until Luke comes back, deuce. (Unless they make a trade, of course.) I think our collective Hoop IQ dropped in half when we lost him.

[Laker_Holic]

Do we need someone like Kidd? a change is needed. thats for sure. but most importantly a different attitude is needed aswell.

[SQUAD UP]

Were lookin like the '04-05 Lakers team that ended the season right now, the way we've been losing, the frustration on Kobe's face lately, he had that same "i dont give a care" look when we ended the season 2-19. Hopefully the ASB can help everybody relax and renergized so we can finish the second half of the season strong heading into the playoffs.

[DancingBarry]

[Laker_Holic]

[A Mad Chinaman]

[Laker_Holic]

DB, whats your thoughts on Farmar? it seems like hes slowly getting taken out of the rotation. hes lost alot of confidence.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[lakermann44]

waiting for Brown and walton to get healthy is not the answer as this team
sinks lower and lower.It is now time for mitch to get us a player to make this team a playoff winning team now.

[elroy65]

DB,
My body is sore from digging out the 28" of snow we got Wednesday!!!
Still, I stayed up late and watched the whole game last night.
The thing that sticks in my mind AGAIN (aside from the poor rebounding)is the officiating being so clearly bad. I'm a pretty objective guy. If the Lakers are getting the calls I'll admit it. We ain't gettin' tha calls!! Lots of hacking by the Cavs and the refs turned their heads. I really wish I could attend a home game. I'd surely get thrown out for being obnoxious towards the officials.
OK, sorry about that. Feel better.
The team definatly looked tired out there.
Smush, Smush, Smush. What more can I say. He is soooo bad!!
I liked Sasha's aggressiveness. He actually took the ball to the rim a few times. He needs to be of that mindset all the time! I wish he'd get more playing time.
Why is Cookie in the doghouse w/ Phil? Even though he shot poorly last night I think he brings more offensive upside than defensive downside? Play him more! We need scorers, don't we?
Lamar should have been taking Anderson(where's he keeping the -Hamburgler?) Verejao to the hole EVERY TIME he touched the ball...that guy was killing us on the boards... why not try to get him in foul trouble!!! Lamar is not a good jump shooter.
BTW - I HATE Anderson Verejao and Sasha Pavlovic...HATE EM!! Hackers.
I guess I see the value of a big body like Kwame... even though he is of poor character. Wish Mihm was around.
I was high on Maurice for awhile...now he just bums me out.
I don't blame Kobe for peeing Pixxed off. He was getting clobbered and those a HOL refs were letting it go? Seems a trend lately.
How do I reach David Stern?? That smug, little John Lovitz impersonator needs to find better help. Takes away from the game.
OK I'm done being bitter.
Here's hoping the time off works wonders.
Get well Luke we miss your hustle and smarts
Rest up Andrew we need a strong second half from you.
Get well Kwame, and may the Wizard bring you a heart.
Rest your knee Lamar...and practice your jumper.
Is it me, or does Kobe's nose resemble Mr Burns of Simpsons fame??
Excellent....

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

Losing is getting OLD.

-why did Phil send Lamar to double Lebron, leaving Sasha open for 3 that put them up for good? Kobe was playing Lebron well enough.

-How in the hell does Eric Snow beat Smush off the dribble, over and over again?

-Welcome back L.O! other than a couple of forced 3's, we saw signs of the old Lamar.

-We couldnt overcome the refs or poor freethrow shooting

-Props to Sasha, he's growing on me more and more. can we start him at PG?

-I like the new Cookie, the one who plays with a chip on his shoulder. much better than that stupid grin.

-Mo is slumping big time, I hate to say it but I was glad he turned his ankle, prompting Kobe to come back in much sooner.

-hurry back luke? whats funny is before luke got hurt, we were all calling for his head because of the slump he was in (some went back to calling him puke) now somehow he is supposed to be our savior?

-to quote the immortal words of great DB..."REBOUND THE DAMN BALL!"
_________________
"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[Klone_dd]

To quote Charlie Brown: "Aaauuuggghhh!!!!" not to mention: "Winning isn't everything, but losing is nothing."

The middle of the Lakers defense is sooo Stay Puft sofit. Seriously, anytime anyone gathers enough steam to drive to the basket, it results in a basket or FT's. The Cavs only make 3 FGs in the 4th, and still have a 23 point quarter?

It sure wouldn't hurt if someone could get a damn rebound either. I'm tired of saying "one rebound away."

Good game from Kobe, better intensity from LO, and Sasha played extremely well.

Defensively? Yuck. Smush couldn't figure out what to do with Snow. I understand Kobe not wanting to leave LBJ, so Smush should've gone under the screens and played Snow for the jumper. I mean, he does that with practically every other PG, but not to Snow?

[tw-lakbfan]

Klone_dd, it's wierd indeed. Smush used to go under the screens. But not this game with Snow?

That lack of defense is all mental. So disappointed. Some of our players have to be packed.

[anth2000]

So what is the return status of Luke and Kwame?

[And 1]

Much better game from Lamar last night. Though he was still floating around the perimeter too much, he seemed "into" the game.

Ronny's FT shooting really hurt us and is unacceptable.

Finally, I think that Phil Jackson needs to address his team on all the whining and crying that's occurring whenever a whistle is blown against us. From Kobe Bryant, to Lamar, to Bynum...whenever the whistle blows we are flying into hysterics - and I think that it's affecting our mental focus late in games. If Phil can fine Bynum for having a little fun at the end of a game that's been decided, then he can definitely do so in these types of situations.

[RYZ]

[Addicus]

What's up DB. Nice read. This team reminds me of a mid-80's team. You know that team that really needed to go and get an enforcer down low to make that push for the playoffs and the championships. I know Mitch thinks our guys just need to get healthy, but we need a guy who can get boards and get dirty and get respect. Not having that on the low block makes a difference in how the refs treat you - whether it should or not it does.

This team has hit the wall and I'm not sure if Luke and Kwame returning help that much. It is a confidence thing. We have a lot of guys who have really struggled to get to where they are in the game and in life and that fire inside seems to have dulled. Not because they are satisfied, but because they are emotionally drained. It's the flip side of playing/living through revenge and retalitiation or as a get away. It's like the jedi saying "once one has chosen the path of the dark side there is no turning back".

Phil needs to really start playing Shammond. If Smush, Sasha and Jordan can out there and fail then Shammond needs that opportunity also. We need that veteran prescence and ability to hit a shot.

Now we know why guys like PJ Brown are still in the league right? I'm amazed how Ronny and Kobe missed that rebound when LeBron missed that freethrow. Game Killer. We really need a rebounder. This is why Ben Wallace got that contract when he can't average 10 points a game. He owns the defensive boards.

Lamar came to play a lot more, but he still needs to be more aggressive. He is a 30/10 guy if he keeps his foot on the pedal but we all know that won't ever happen. Too bad. Can you see the difference in the confidence level of he and LeBron. LB believes. Lamar kinda.
_________________
Stop crying and start doing.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addicusbrown

[LakerLanny]

It would be nice if Kobe would self-assess his own play with a more critical eye.

It is ugly all around, the Lakers are playing like pansies on the defensive end, including Kobe.
_________________
Love, Laker Lanny

[And 1]

[Addicus]

[TheBigRuski]

The worst was seeing Kobe with that "vacant look" that Phil talked about in terms of the players in general.

Please Kobe....grow up faster! You've grown...but you have a ways to go.
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[b:7c818fb74e]Lebron who?[/b:7c818fb74e]

[Addicus]

[ProjectAB]