GameFlow - Feb. 26 - Sinking Lower

 
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PopcornMachine
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:30 am    Post subject: GameFlow - Feb. 26 - Sinking Lower


Boston 112 LA Lakers 111

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Defense and freethrows. That's what was missing, again, tonight for the Lakers. It's getting kind of old, but there you are. Same old problems.

After a fairly even first half, after which the Lakers had a 4 point lead, the Celtics opened the 2nd half with a 25-7 run. Down by 14, the Lakers, slowly, very slowly, too slowly, fought their way back. It wasnt' until 15 seconds left in regulation that they tied the game. But one free throw by Boston was the rest of the scoring, giving them the win

As bad as they played all around, the Lakers still win this game if they could hit free throws. They shot 30 of 42 (71.4%) from the line for the game, but only 10 of 17 in the 4th quarter (58.8%). That's when they needed them the most.

Of course, once again, Kobe Bryant did his thing; 40 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. And he did get some help on offense. Brian Cook scored 19, Lamar Odom 14 with 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and Smush Parker with 13 points. As a team they shot 47% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.

When you score 111 points and lose, offense isn't your problem. So allowing 112 on 52.6% shooting to the Boston Celtics must indicate bad defense. It's not rocket science.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 9:52 am    Post subject:

Here, here Popcorn Machine.

I'm not so angry about this game. I hate watching the team lose, but the game was entertaining. Phil showing why we drafted Turiaf and Sasha coming in to play inspired on both ends really were highlights. It also put a fire under Lamar and Smush and they responded well. They both missed free throws, but continued to be aggressive and active once they realized their jobs are really on the line.

Overall - A show of heart after a strong lack of effort. It goes to prove that slacking hurts you in the end. Remember this boys and girls. Keep your heads up Laker fans. The goal was for the team to make the Playoffs. We all see more potential, but who knows what happens once the goal is achieved.

Devean George played well. Pierce is just too much of a match up for him. I admire him for the effort and energy his displayed. He also played pretty damn smart.

Cook is good for 20-25 minutes a night and has really bought into the attitude of "I am a Laker. I live and die Purple and Gold."

Turiaf will soon displace Kwame, who will either realize that his replacement at PF just had open heart surgery less than 9 months ago and that there are no excuses or just wither away. Even Phil said in his post game interview he keeps Ronny on the floor if his conditioning is better. Ronny really sparked the New York Crew (Odom & Parker) and eliminated the dominance Boston was enjoying in the low blocks and offensive boards.

One-half year under Rudy T. and getting injured seems to have destroyed Luke Walton's confidence. He missed a wide open Lamar under the basket in the last play and his passing in general is not up to his level of par. He rebounded and played D well in the last 2 minutes, but the right decision on the last play gives us a W. His shooting has fallen off and I watched him play at Arizona for 4 years. His mid range game is nice, or should I say was.

Chris Mihm is hurt oppossed to injured. It is apparent. The guy has always had a fire similar to Turiaf, but the refs gave him no love. You can see him thinking about his shoulder. He needs to recouperate for a few more weeks and get right. I trust his abilities. He clearly came back to benefit the team and is not ready.

Kwame Brown is a bust. He does not love to play basketball. I fear he will never reach his potential and will be out of the league when this contract is up. He will go be a construction worker. Why not, he is already a brick layer? May be Ronny can wake him up. Still, it doesn't seem to be in his heart. I like the kid and wish him the best of luck, but until he realizes he has to get better and this is his best opportunity, all is lost. The one positive I saw was him speaking to Rambis during the last time out. His head was still on the game, even if it wasn't in it.

Kobe is great, but he is losing confidence in this squad. You can see fear of last year's collapse creeping into his play. The Clipper game really meant a lot to him. Not in terms of W's or L's, but in terms of knowing he has warriors to go to battle with. A sign of his desperation is the reach on Pierce in the last 5 seconds of the game. The foul should not have been called, but the reach should not have occcurred. It was nice to see the squad come back in the 4th with him only contributing 4 points. Maybe this will bring some of his confidence back in the guys on the floor with him.

Sasha is becoming a complete player. His offense is still limited, but that can approve. He really does a good job of applying pressure to opposing point guards. He is constantly getting in their faces and playing aggressive, clean D. In the next year or two if his mid range game improves and he learns how to drive to the hole he will be a nice player. He, along with Turiaf, really lit that fire on the New York Crew. He talks about how he works on every part of the game and we as fans have to realize certain areas will develop faster than others. I like the effort.

Smush Parker. Wow! He has the ability to be a true star in this league. Right now it takes him too long to wake up and smell the coffee. When his energy level is high, he dominates opposing point guards. His arms are long, his feet move well, he has quick hands, he can shoot the 3 and get to the hole with ease. Once he stops pouting and comes with it, this will be the steal of 2005-6 campaign for the Lakers (not including Turiaf and Bynum who were drafted). The first half through the first half of the 3rd his performance garners a C- due to a lack of effort and focus. The second half of the 3rd and 4th get a B. It would have been an A if he could make free throws and slightly better decisions on the fast break. I appreciate what he was trying to do getting the ball to Turiaf, but he should have just dunked on Delonte West. Speaking of dunks, that was a sic highlight in the last 2 minutes of the game.

Lamar Odom - this is the older, taller and higher paid version of Smush. Funny they come from the same background huh? It was nice to see him get his head in the game in the 2nd half after an almost non-existence 1st half. He really took over offensively down the stretch and was wide open on the last play. He even told Greg Anthony he was going to make a play before hitting the and 1 that tied the game. Alas, Devean had fouled out and Luke missed him wide open under the basket. You know you're open when Wally Z goes on national tv and says so in the post game interview. Once he and Smush wake up and come with it consistently (which in all reality probably won't happen), we can really do a lot of things as a squad.

Phil Jackson - I enjoyed his coaching. I like how he pulled certain players that were not playing with effort and inserted Turiaf and Sasha. The increase in the level of play was significant and really sent shockwaves to those guys who were slacking. The sad part is, he really doesn't have the experience on the bench besides George to go to.
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 12:42 pm    Post subject:

It's another 3rd quarter struggle, maybe our starting 5 needs improvement.
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