LAKERS -vs- BLAZERS - 8/24 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:04 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -vs- BLAZERS - 8/24 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Mamba Day... The Lakers would open this game with a 15-0 run and eventually lead 24-8 in the first quarter -- a number not lost on anyone on Mamba Day.

Clad in their Mamba-inspired city edition Laker jerseys, they’d deliver a crushing blow to the Blazers with an 80-point first half.

The Laker superstars would lead the way -- AD with a sensational two-way first quarter to set the tone early on, and LeBron with 30 points on just 12 shots.

But it was the three shooting that broke the Blazers. The Lakers sank a team-record 17-39 from three -- the Law of Averages making up for that first game in the series.

The Lakers cruised to a dominating 135-115 win, resting their stars and getting support from just about all their key role players. That was the most points by a Laker team in the playoffs since 1987.

“I was wrong,” said Charles Barkely of his earlier prediction that the Blazers would win the series.

The Lakers need one more win to close out the Blazers.


LeBron -- -- He had an efficient 22 points on 8-9 shooting along with 7 assists in the first half. He hit threes and got down the lane for layups with much more space to work. That will happen when your team knocks down 11 threes in a half. He’d finish with 30 points on 12 shots. Look back at the spacing in game one when people were saying LeBron couldn’t get past his defender. He can get past his defender, it’s the help he’s looking at that is dropping into the driving lanes. The spacing tonight was much better and allowed for some nice drives to collapse the D or score with ease. The three ball was money tonight. He had one of those long ones from just outside the jump circle. I love when Green and McGee go over and inspect the floor to find the spot where the shot happened. The last player to put up a 30-10 in the playoffs was Kobe 10 years ago. This could be a mentally exhausting night. A big night on the floor leading his team. Then you’ve got questions about Kobe’s tragedy on Mamba Day. You’ve got questions about the latest shooting. “Hopefully, we can have some change. I believe it starts with November,” he said, talking about his cause to help stop voter suppression and drive change with the upcoming election. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-12 shooting (4-5 from three, 6-8 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +17.

Davis -- -- First things first. He left the game early with back spasms. “I was still keeping it loose just in case I had to go back in,” AD said. He said no question he’d be going in the next game. So most likely no worries there. As for the action, he killed it out of the gates. “We came out very dominant,” he said. Three blocks and multiple shot alterations in the first quarter alone of tonight’s game as well as drawing two offensive fouls. On one of those, he took an elbow from Whiteside on a spin move that was ruled a flagrant. It got him pretty good. Meanwhile, he dropped 16 points on the offensive end, draining jumpers and drawing FTs. His balance was well on the jumper. These look like practice shots for him. The +/- in this game is crazy, a +37 in just 18 minutes. He had a great play in the first half stripping his man then going to the ground to recover the loose ball. From his back, he threw it ahead to LeBron on the break. He really set the tone early on in this one for the team. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 5-8 shooting (0-1 from three, 8-10 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 2 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +37.

Green -- -- Our starting guards combined for 26 points. The Lillard/CJ duo had 29. We win every game where they only outscore our duo by 3. We probably also win every game where we get double digit scoring from four players outside of LeBron/AD. Good job by the role players. Green was stroking his three ball (3-4 from downtown). He also attacked pressure to score an And-1 layup from the corner and finished with an efficient 14 points on 5-8 shooting. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-8 shooting (3-4 from three, 1-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards (all offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +29.

McGee -- -- The Lakers had 9 blocks and McGee had 4 of those. Our bigs were not getting the challenges in early on the Bubble like they are now. It’s improved a lot. They are anticipating and timing things much, much better. This is leading to stops and fastbreak opportunities. It’s a key part of our identity and it felt like it was back tonight. Scoring-wise he called for a lob after Nurk left to double. He scored a layup on a leakout after a made basket and long outlet to him. Strong minutes, getting in on putbacks and defensive boards. He was a +14 in 14 minutes. The starters have worked it out in the last couple of games. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 4-6 shooting to go with 8 boards, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a +14.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- While LeBron and AD were getting the attention for their first half play, KCP quietly had 10 points on 4-5 shooting, including knocking down a couple of threes. One of those was a quick-fire chuck from the corner that exuded confidence. He threw in a couple of baseline drives for his other scores. He mentioned the pace they played at from the jump was key. He thrives in that type of scenario and that helps build his confidence. He got in a layup later in the second half off a McGee blocked shot where he changed ends quickly. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting (2-4 from three, 0-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and 1 foul in 23 minutes. He was a +22.

Kuzma -- -- I mentioned in the last one that I hoped we’d get some looks set up just for him. The Lakers did that with his first attempt of the game on an ATO hammer screen play where he drained a wing three. We’d later set him up for another three out of a timeout, but he’d miss that. Still, the purpose here is to integrate him a little more with some intent versus having him find his way. Loved seeing that and he responded in this game with a stronger scoring night. He knocked down 5-9 from three. The shot was looking smooth and consistent. String some more games together like this, please. Defensively, he had some moments including a stop on Lillard on iso. He had another nice challenge on C. J. to force a miss. The Stats: He scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting (5-9 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 22 minutes. He was a +2.

Caruso -- -- He led the bench with the +15 (we didn’t let him sit out in that garbage time run for much of this one). Checking in on the Lillard stats, Dame had 11 points on 3-9 shooting with only 4 assists and 3 turnovers in his 27 minutes. The Lakers just kept him under clamps -- 11 points...that’s crazy. AC’s got to dodge those crafty fouls that Dame tries to get on him. Seems like he’ll get one of those game, but AC is making him work. Even on iso. There was a sequence where he sat Lillard’s left shoulder, didn’t allow a step back and then knocked the ball off Lillard on the sideline to get a stop. Combine the bigs swarming on Dame in help situations, that’s got to frustrate him. For his part, AC knocked down a three off a LeBron post kickout. He’d score another bucket on a drive off the three line. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-7 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +15.

Howard -- -- Kind of fun just watching him battle off ball. He seems to be in the middle of a lot of whistles and frustration. He’s just playing physically and opponents are trying to match that. Dwight also does a lot of grabbing, pushing and bodying up. Sometimes it gets called, sometimes others trying to go back at him get called. It’s like a heavyweight fighter leaning on you and wearing you down as the minutes go along. Dwight scored on a few putbacks. LeBron found him for a lob dunk. Kuzma hit him with a jump pass for FTs. He again got frustrated with not getting the ball while battling Melo on a rim run. Some good ball movement by Dwight, as well. He never forced anything (he did take a garbage time three, which he bricked). Again, we’re missing that. Defensively, he was zeroed in on the Blazer guards to take them out of their perimeter game. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting (0-1 from three, 3-6 from the line) to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 2 assists, 1 turnover and 5 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -4.

Waiters -- -- He came in with 1:46 left in the third quarter, the Lakers up 23. He sank a pull-up, step-back near the end of the quarter. He’d also swish another midrage pull-up. A couple plays that led to Dwight scores. One was a drive where his dribble penetration allowed Dwight to get in a putback jam. The other was off our strong handoff series where he attacked, drew the D and fed Dwight for a dunk. Defensively, he got lost on D to give up an open three, but it was mostly garbage time action, so we weren’t clamping down as a team during that stretch. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 14 minutes. He was a -3.

Smith -- -- He tied Kobe in the all-time made threes in the playoffs, hitting his 292nd on a corner three late in the game. That was his only make in five attempts. He had a couple moments defensively. One pressuring Melo and then going to the ground to get the steal and quickly outlet to ignite the break. He also had a nice switch to force a drive to step on the baseline. On the negative side, a miscommunication with LeBron on a switch that allowed a score. Good effort, though. Minor thing: We had him and Kuzma bringing the ball up for LeBron who was pressured. Both had turnovers trying to do that. We’ll need to clean that up. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting from three to go with 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a -8.

Morris -- -- He sank an open corner three, but missed a few more. LeBron was just serving them up for him. His other bucket was a turnaround in the post against CJ that looked easy. Defensively, he had some foul issues. He picked off a post entry pass for a steal, but not as strong defensively as that game two. He was in on the challenge on Dame where he tweaked his knee trying to drive. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-4 from three) to go with 1 board, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 5 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a -6.

Cook -- -- He scratched out some garbage time points. Both his hoops came on drives. One was a nice rock back dribble that froze the defender in the middle of a drive and he scored a layup. The other he spun away from the D at the high screen, attacked the paint and finished over the help. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 9 minutes. He was a -9.

Dudley -- -- Hezonja was stopped in his tracks by Dwight in the paint, pivoting back and forth. On one of those pivots he came up without the ball. Dudley just swiped it right from him. Kind of funny to see. That was one of three steals Dudley had in his 7 minutes. It was garbage time, but he was playing. The Stats: He didn’t score or shoot and had 3 assists and 1 turnover in 7 minutes. He was a -6.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: It happened early. The Lakers got off to a 15-0 start in this game. AD was a beast early on both ends and the Lakers were knocking down their threes. The Blazers called a timeout down 10-0, but still struggled out of that. They scored 43 points in that first quarter and crushed souls.

Key Substitution: Let’s go with Morris coming in for AD early in the third. We kept AD to just 18 minutes during which he was a +37. He deserved an early night off.

Key Stat: Clearly, the record 17-39 from three (43.6%) is the stat of the night. The offense has been generating good looks, they knocked them down tonight. LeBron was picking the D apart off the dribble or from the post, but others were moving the ball well, too. The team had 29 assists.
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andyliao
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:08 pm    Post subject:

First!

Great win on a special night!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 2:27 am    Post subject:

Great recap DB. Great game. The team did KB proud.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 2:51 am    Post subject:

Kobe Bryant day.
How fitting they wore black mamba like jerseys and had the same dedication fierce competitiveness that Kobe had.

Somehow despite a crap start to the Bubble season, the Lakers have woken up and began to resemble the team that was number one in the league beating Milwaukee, Clips in March.

I really feel when we get penetration from Bron, combined with what AD can do, we are the best team in the league. LeBron has to keep thinking dribble penetration and post ups. Very little settling. When Bron plays with the mindset that he wants to get his shots in the paint, with his elite passing skill, we go from a good O team to one of the best O teams in the league.

Our D has been elite all year. Lebron posting up or dribble penetration consistently in a game makes all the difference in the O.
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angrypuppy
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:02 am    Post subject:

Portland never stood a chance. That win was for the Bean.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:32 am    Post subject:

Excellent game to watch and excellent write up. Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:55 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 4:57 am    Post subject:

We are playing like we are the best team in the league. We made Kobe proud last night.

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:28 am    Post subject:

Thanks again DB!! Excellent write up, on an excellent game! As Wolfpaclaker pointed out, it does feel like this Laker team has woken up and is starting to resemble the dominant team we had in March. Stotts is a coach who can make adjustments quite well from one game to the next, and yet it's the Lakers just getting more and more dominant as this series progresses. Too much talent on the Lakers and Vogel knows what he's doing. It feels to me like the Blazers are out of answers.

Blazer fans will be quick to point out that Dame is not 100%, but I don't buy it. AC is just flat-out defending him, taking him out of his game. And if Dame doesn't go shrieking hysterical, the Lakers win.

I can understand D12 wanting the ball with Carmelo on him. Talk about a kid in a candy store. The Lakers don't even need to pull that card to win decisively, but it's clear the Lakers have options if Stotts somehow does pull another rabbit out of his hat to counter our scoring. I suspect he's out of rabbits. Blazer bubble days are almost over.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:33 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 6:56 am    Post subject:

danzag wrote:
We are playing like we are the best team in the league. We made Kobe proud last night.

Thanks, DB!


When the Lakers are making 3s, they are very, very tough to beat. Lakers top defense + 3 point shooting = lights out.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 7:20 am    Post subject:

I’ve been waiting for a beat down style game. Yay winning!

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 7:38 am    Post subject:

TDRock wrote:
I’ve been waiting for a beat down style game. Yay winning!

Thanks DB


I know it won’t always be the case specifically in the later rounds (if Lakers advance), but it’s really encouraging that Lebron and AD haven’t had to play 43+ minutes often through these 4 games. Don’t know their average, but it doesn’t seem like it’s anything more than low 30s which is incredible.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:10 am    Post subject:

I know Frank is careful to keep Dwight's ego in check... But D12 should have been rewarded with Melo guarding him. Let Superman rise again and drop 30!
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:17 am    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
TDRock wrote:
I’ve been waiting for a beat down style game. Yay winning!

Thanks DB


I know it won’t always be the case specifically in the later rounds (if Lakers advance), but it’s really encouraging that Lebron and AD haven’t had to play 43+ minutes often through these 4 games. Don’t know their average, but it doesn’t seem like it’s anything more than low 30s which is incredible.


So far against the Blazers: 32mpg for LeBron (averages 41mpg for the playoffs) and 31mpg for AD (averages 38mpg for the playoffs)
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:46 am    Post subject:

Thanks for the analysis, DB!

QFTOS here: http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=189959
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:10 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:


Somehow despite a crap start to the Bubble season, the Lakers have woken up and began to resemble the team that was number one in the league beating Milwaukee, Clips in March.


This game certainly had most of the signs of life of those teams. LeBron at the rim. AD's midrange. Team perimeter shooting. Shotblocking back in the mix. Pace. High assist numbers. Long, extended runs.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:37 am    Post subject:

I hope they can get Dwight involved more so his spirit stays up.
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lordtrapula
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 12:59 pm    Post subject:

This was a 2015-2017 Eastern Conference Style Beatdown by LeBron & Co.

If there were crowds he'd be playing pranks like stealing french fries, fake-drinking beers, or spinning the ball lol
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:10 pm    Post subject:

cathy78 wrote:
I hope they can get Dwight involved more so his spirit stays up.

Dwight's his own worst enemy. He's a foul magnet. He's been in the league 16 years and still hasn't learned to set a screen.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:15 pm    Post subject:

If Lebron is on fire from outside, every other team may as well pack it up and forfeit. It's game over pretty much.
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 10:43 pm    Post subject:

Dwight gets great position under the basket all the time, he’s been doing it all season. But, I believe why no one throws him the ball often is because they know the defender will try to wrap him up (foul him) and Dwight can’t shoot free throws. So throwing him the ball does nothing to get us points much of the time.
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:41 am    Post subject:

^good point Startrout
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2020 12:25 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB, great to have a dominating win!!
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