LAKERS -at- BULLS - 12/19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 8:35 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- BULLS - 12/19 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

What A Mess... Where these teams are heading into this one: The Bulls were down 5 players having not played for a week. The Lakers were down 7 players and lost AD for 4-6 weeks. They started IT in his second game off his 10-day contract with coach Vogel out with the health protocols. Such is the state of the NBA.

In the fourth quarter, the Lakers were settling for long jumpers and missing their freethrows. For this Bulls, this was basically DeRozan shooting over Laker defenders from midrange. When the Lakers forced misses, they didn’t get the key defensive boards and it cost them.

Trailing by 1 with 15 seconds left and about 4-5 seconds differential on the shotclock, the Lakers intentionally fouled. Down 3 after the FTs, they took a timeout. Melo missed a deep three. They got it back and Ellington had a chance to tie it straight away and missed that one, too. The Lakers fell 115-110.

“It didn’t work out,” Fizdale said of the fouling versus not fouling in that situation.


LeBron -- -- I imagine he was tired with how much center he was playing. And maybe that had him settling a bit to start the fourth. Some long chucks from three and missed freethrows hurt. He got his second wind, however. Had the team fighting, including finding Melo for back-to-back threes. He was getting into the paint again and causing problems. Late in the game, he was backing his man down in the paint and instead of taking a jumphook, threw it away. Key turnover. Some good moments denying the Bulls as the anchor of the D in those centerless lineups. Not sure the small ball was the reason for the lack of defensive boards. Maybe on one of them, but the guards should have cracked back on that one. The Stats: He scored 31 points on 11-21 shooting (1-7 from three, 8-11 from the line) to go with 14 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 5 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a -1.

Westbrook -- -- Nearly a double-double in the first half. He scored 12 points on 6-10 shooting and 8 assists in the first half. He’d get no assists in the second half and his turnovers would pile up. Some painful splits from the line in the fourth quarter. He was doing a good job getting there on drives, but you’ve got to make them pay. He hit a key elbow pull-up with over a minute to go. But in the final minute, he’d iso and miss a layup over a big. The perimeter shot wasn’t really there. I think he missed three of those lefty pull-up banks. He also took and missed one of those early offense threes. He had done a great job avoiding those for the past several weeks. A little more efficiency from him in this game and we probably win. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 9-19 shooting (0-2 from three, 2-6 from the line) to go with 9 boards, 8 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 6 turnovers and 4 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a -2.

Thomas -- -- From out of the league to starting guard on the Lakers playing 32 minutes. What a strange week it’s been. He sank three threes in the first half, one from the corner on an Ellington kickout. Another from the wing on an ATO. Then the third, a pull up three in transition. He didn’t hit any in the second half. He did sink a floater and also tipped in a missed Westbrook drive on the break between a couple defenders. So IT with a tip in tonight and a verticality stop in the previous one. The team played reasonable with him on the floor. We could hide him at times decently against the Bulls. The league needs to open up a couple more roster spots for teams if they want to help create a little more continuity for teams amidst all this chaos. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-11 shooting (3-7 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a -1.

Ellington -- -- He sank a couple threes, one in each half. But he missed that big one straight away with the game on the line. We just need to not be in that situation to begin with, but wished he could have come up clutch again. Had we kept AC, he’s probably starting in Wayne’s spot in this one and not scoring 17 for the Bulls against us. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-5 shooting from three to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a -3.

Jordan -- -- We’ve tried to avoid playing. He had fallen out of the rotation, but here he was starting again. I mean, it was awful. Horrendous. His lack of mobility on rotations, closeouts, etc, just killed the Lakers in that first half. They didn’t let him start in the second half. Offensively, he was set up by Russ for Dunk, Rondo on a drive and dish and then another And-1 layup over his head on a Rondo pass. Defensively, he’s just not that guy anymore. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-5 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 7 boards, 1 block, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a -7.

Anthony -- -- He had a chance to tie this on an ATO at the end of the game, just couldn’t get that one to fall. In at center for a stretch in this one and then starting the second half in place of DJ. He had 12 points in the first half, hitting a couple threes and midrange jumpers. He had a great sequence where he missed a layup, hustled back in transition to block a layup and it led to a LeBron dunk on the other end. Then next time down he iso’d, spun and hit a corner three. He had a huge pair of threes on LeBron kickouts midway through the fourth that forced a timeout for the Bulls. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-17 shooting (5-12 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +1.

Rondo -- -- Like DJ, this is one of the guys we’d rather not be playing right now, but 24 for minutes for Rondo tonight. He and Russ make some passes that drive you nuts. Rondo had 4 turnovers on the night. If he’s being aggressive, attacking the paint and can’t quite connect (like a lob to DJ), I don’t mind. But cross court outlet to Ellington for a turnover? That stuff is just unnecessary. Best play of the night might have been a hustle after a loose ball to throw it off a Bulls player to regain a possession. We don’t have near enough of that on this team and it’s especially rare we get that from him. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -7.

Ariza -- -- We were getting close to running a small ball unit with AD and Ariza in the mix when AD went down. Not yet, Lakers. He said he hadn’t had a chance to really practice with the team but this was the time frame they were looking at. Ariza made his debut with 3 minutes left in the first quarter. He sank a corner three off a pin-in screen for his first bucket in his second stint as a Laker. Hopefully he can help the Lakers fill in with that length and footspeed that we’ve lacked a bit of. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting from three to go with 1 board, 2 assists and no fold in 15 minutes. He was a -4.

Brown -- -- He had a bit of action in the first half. His one score was a nice curl around the D to the left on a drive for a layup. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and no foul in 5 minutes. He was a -1.

Vogel, Err, Fizdale -- -- Key Moment: Not getting a defensive board, then taking a foul shortly after. We could have gotten a stop and had 4-5 seconds left. That opens up the offensive end to not just a three, but a drive, etc. Maybe you have more faith in your D to get that stop and board with AD out there, as well. In any event, we missed a long three for Melo out of the timeout. Then luckily had another attempt from Ellington to tie it from three, but he missed. Ball game when we didn’t get another offensive board.

Key Substitution: The starting lineup went through a couple fluctuations. First, sliding IT into the starting lineup. A week ago, no one would have predicted that. Hard to get mad at losses these days when we’re leading the league in different starting units. In the second half, we sat DJ for Melo. That was the right move…but just not having to play him at all might have been enough of a difference. We’re just a mess for a bit.

Key Stats: The Lakers had 10 turnovers, the Bulls just 2in the first half. The Bulls had a 16-0 advantage on points off turnovers in the half (and only led by 2). The Lakers made 14-22 from the line (63.6%). DeRozan made 16-17, more than the Lakers entire team. (The Bulls went 25-31 from the line, 80.6%.)

Coach’s Challenge: In the fourth, IT rotated over to the middle of the paint to step in front of a man. Seemed like an obvious charge at first, but was called a block. Fizdale challenged but didn’t get it overturned.
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DrDent
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 8:43 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB

Maybe Santa will help the team? No coal?
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 11:31 pm    Post subject:

It was encouraging to see the effort the Lakers brought tonight. They could've easily mailed it in and been shell-shocked, but they fought hard.

But I don't believe in moral victories. Just like we were before the 3-game winning streak, we're in trouble.
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 11:34 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Tough to see this team so depleted, the only silver lining is seeing Ariza in uniform. Here's hoping.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:47 am    Post subject:

The four missed free throws by Russell and Lebron early in the fourth quarter, when Demar was on the bench, came back to haunt them later in the game. It must be nice to have a star make 90% free throws.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 3:05 am    Post subject:

Until Dwight is back, should consider using Lebron/Melo at the 5. A little micro small ball. Because will allow the Lakers to get some better close outs and rotations defensively. On offense the Lebron at the 5 offense is working quite well. The issues are on the defensive glass. Which is why you need active rebounders at the 4-1. We really miss guys like Reaves in this regard.

Did not find anything particularly appealing about Fizdale's work as HC, obviously it was just 1 game without a full roster, but it seems he is less focused on the defensive issues. We need to have more sound defensive lineups.

In fact our 5 rotation should be with Ariza back: Dwight/Bron/Melo.

After the covid fiasco but pre-AD return:

Dwight/Bron/Melo
Bron/Melo/Ariza
Ariza/THT/Ellington
Bradley/Reaves/Monk
Westbrook/Thomas/Bradley

I may be crazy for saying this, but I found Thomas' play appealing. Not only is he a guy that plays with a lot of heart, he is a constant penetration threat. The issue with his is defense. Teams pick on him, defensively. But he's been better than Rondo or other backup PGs we have run, so far.
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PenG_
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 5:55 am    Post subject:

Put Dwight in for DJ and we win this game.

Even when Russ has a somewhat efficient game it's still very inefficient by modern standards.

46.2% TS on 19 shots
League average is 56% TS
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:21 am    Post subject:

20 turnovers that lead to 29 points for the Bulls. All you need to know about this game. Just plain sloppy.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:29 am    Post subject:

Whenever IT was out I kept thinking we need to get him back in ASAP. He is such a threat on the Offensive end he opens things up for everyone else. Especially, when he’s on the floor with Bron, Melo, Westbrook, and Ellington as the other team cannot leave any of them alone. I know good teams/players will abuse his defense because of his size, but his offense will more than compensate against many team's.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:39 am    Post subject:

Startrout wrote:
Whenever IT was out I kept thinking we need to get him back in ASAP. He is such a threat on the Offensive end he opens things up for everyone else. Especially, when he’s on the floor with Bron, Melo, Westbrook, and Ellington as the other team cannot leave any of them alone. I know good teams/players will abuse his defense because of his size, but his offense will more than compensate against many team's.


His 0.5/1 assist to turnover ratio was a problem when the team gave up almost 30 off of TOs. If you want him to be a gunner who doesn’t offer anything else offensively then he’s your guy.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:18 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
Startrout wrote:
Whenever IT was out I kept thinking we need to get him back in ASAP. He is such a threat on the Offensive end he opens things up for everyone else. Especially, when he’s on the floor with Bron, Melo, Westbrook, and Ellington as the other team cannot leave any of them alone. I know good teams/players will abuse his defense because of his size, but his offense will more than compensate against many team's.
His 0.5/1 assist to turnover ratio was a problem when the team gave up almost 30 off of TOs. If you want him to be a gunner who doesn’t offer anything else offensively then he’s your guy.
If Monk, Ellington, Bazemore and Melo are not making their shot - having a Microwave is always welcomed

IT knows that he is in to score, hence the stat
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:57 am    Post subject:

Laker7 wrote:
20 turnovers that lead to 29 points for the Bulls. All you need to know about this game. Just plain sloppy.



& giving up a boatload of offensive rebounds - fix either one and we win.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 10:28 am    Post subject:

JerryWest_44 wrote:
Laker7 wrote:
20 turnovers that lead to 29 points for the Bulls. All you need to know about this game. Just plain sloppy.



& giving up a boatload of offensive rebounds - fix either one and we win.


The issue is it’s what this team is…they talk about cleaning up turnovers and locking in on the fundamentals like defensive rebounding.

They do it for one game, then revert back to their habits.
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A Mad Chinaman
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:09 am    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
JerryWest_44 wrote:
Laker7 wrote:
20 turnovers that lead to 29 points for the Bulls. All you need to know about this game. Just plain sloppy.
& giving up a boatload of offensive rebounds - fix either one and we win.
The issue is it’s what this team is…they talk about cleaning up turnovers and locking in on the fundamentals like defensive rebounding.

They do it for one game, then revert back to their habits.
Characteristics of a young team with leadership learning what it takes to win consistently - lol!!

Hopefully
*LBJ will stay healthy to provide the needed leadership and production
* Teammates (hopefully they will be husling down the court) will know where to be when Westbrook is leading a one man fast break (on the wings)
* AD will acceopt (for this season) that Lebron is still The Man and everything runs through him that will allow him to concentrate to make a consistent impact on every game that he plays. Fascinating that players like KAT, the Greek Freak, Embiid, Luka and other elite players know that they can consisently beat AD when they play the Lakers.

If LBJ/Westbrook/AD are effectively driving the bus, they will create more open shots and more freedom/less pressure when they are on the court
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ContagiousInspiration
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:18 am    Post subject:

They do not want to COMPETE at the level it requires to win games..
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 3:41 pm    Post subject:

A Mad Chinaman wrote:
LakerSD wrote:
JerryWest_44 wrote:
Laker7 wrote:
20 turnovers that lead to 29 points for the Bulls. All you need to know about this game. Just plain sloppy.
& giving up a boatload of offensive rebounds - fix either one and we win.
The issue is it’s what this team is…they talk about cleaning up turnovers and locking in on the fundamentals like defensive rebounding.

They do it for one game, then revert back to their habits.
Characteristics of a young team with leadership learning what it takes to win consistently - lol!!


Ironic isn’t it? At least the baby Lakers had the excuse of being young and learning.

These dudes are just old players who like above poster mentioned…don’t want to do what it takes. Just lazy, done competing players who are just hanging on to paychecks, fame, etc.

The circle of athlete!
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