SUNS -at- LAKERS - 4/26 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings

[DancingBarry]

Pride Kicks In... Against the ropes early and with the series on the line, the Lakers came out in the second quarter swinging behind a roaring Staples crowd. After giving up a 31-point first quarter, they rallied with rare defensive intensity and a sense of urgency. They held the Suns to 58 points the rest of the way and closed out in crunch time to hold on to a 95-89 win.

Big props to a lot of Lakers. Perhaps the balance of the Lakers fate was lying on the ground with Kwame when he rolled his other ankle in the third quarter. After the timeout, Kobe set him up for a dunk. Then Lamar. Then Luke. The crowd was chanting "Kwame... Kwame..." After the game Kwame said, "Adrenaline got me through."

Defensively, a key adjustment was bringing Shammond off the bench as the second guard and using him to contain Barbosa's speed. We jumped pick and rolls to trap Nash. The rotations were swift and with purpose. We haw strong defensive minutes from a Shammond, Smush, Kobe, Lamar, Kwame lineup.

The Lakers pounded the offensive glass to a 19-6 advantage. They also attacked the interior with purpose. The Suns couldn't get out on the break and ended up with just 10 fastbreak points. Shammond, Smush and Farmar only scored 2 points...but they played some quality D.

Last but not least, Kobe and Lamar did what they did best, combining for 63 points, 22 boards and 8 assists. "This is the first time in a long time that we took a team's best punch and came back out swinging," Lamar said.


Kobe -- -- Steady and efficient scoring by Kobe throughout the game with quarters of 9, 11, 10 and 15 to close. He rarely settled for jumpers and looked to penetrate relentlessly. He finished with 45 points on an efficient 15-26 from the floor (2-3 from three) and a perfect 13-13 from the line. For good measure, he added a team-high 6 assists and 6 boards. In the final minute, when we needed a closer...he closed the deal with a key fallaway and a couple of freethrows. First Quarter: After several Lakers missed shots and we fell behind 11-0, Kobe sank a 10 footer on his first attempt. He attacked the lane and hit a short jumper on his next attempt. He missed a fade to beat the shotclock. He attacked the baseline, hung for the reverse and banked on his way down. He missed a jumper. He sank a corner three. He was 4-6 for the quarter (the rest of the team was 1-14). Second Quarter: He traveled after hesitating to make an entry pass on the fly. He put Marion on his butt with a couple between the leg dribbles, then made like he was going to pick up the ball, instead exploded to the hoop for the two hand dunk leaving Marion on the floor. Marion reached, Kobe attacked and he scored an And-1 layup when Diaw fouled him, he made the FT. He attacked in transition off a Smush steal, stepped around Raja and flipped in the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He had an And-1 erased when they gave Nash a charge call, sliding under Kobe at the last second, looked like he had a heel on the restricted circle. He hit a pull-up elbow jumper in transition. He attacked and kicked out to LO for the three. He had 20 points on 8-10 shooting at the half. Third Quarter: He attacked and kicked to Luke for a three. He pumpfaked Bell into the air on a three attempt and drew FTs, making all three. He missed a jumper in the lane and wanted the foul. He took a pass down the lane, tried to dunk with both hands and was blocked from behind, he was lucky not to pick up a tech complaining. He attacked off the dribble and powered in an And-1 layup next time down, he made the FT. Out of a timeout after Kwame rolled his ankle, Kobe hit Kwame off the high pick and roll for a dunk. He iso'd on Marion, spun to lose him, then reached back and flipped in a layup. He attacked, slithered through defenders and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He got tapped on a bank at the end of the quarter. Fourth Quarter: He missed a runner off the glass, but Drew got the board and was fouled. He hit an open jumper from the top of the key. He swished a wing three next time down. He missed a three next time down (Drew again cleaned it up). He attacked the lane, was tripped and drew a late whistle, he made both. He missed a wing jumper. He traveled before shooting coming off a screen. He swiped a pass, busted out and scored a layup (big play). Great block from behind on Diaw to save a hoop. He missed a turnaround. He missed another attack in the lane, a lot of contact on that play, should have been a foul on Marion and FTs. He swished a fallaway on an iso play with just under a minute left. He attacked off the dribble, drew a foul on Bell and made both FTs to ice it.

Lamar -- -- Lamar had as many offensive boards as the entire Suns team, with 6 of his game-high 16 on that end of the floor. He was in the mix, in the trenches and battling throughout his game-high 46 minutes. His rotations were key as was his controlling of the glass. He scored 18 points on 8-17 shooting and blocked 2 shots. He missed some easy ones but stayed aggressive. He missed a jumper and layup. He attacked and drew a foul on Bell, he made one FT. He missed an awkward one-hander from the post. He attacked off the dribble and scored a layup. He missed a couple more layups. He missed another jumper. He finally hit a pull-up jumper from the wing. Bogus charge call as Marion flopped in the post when Lamar turned to shoot, Marion came in late then fell (Suns players go down on the mere thought of contact). He posted up and banked with ease after head-faking Marion into the air. He got a makeup call later, taking contact on Marion with no call. He grabbed an offensive board and put it back in with ease. He swished a three from the wing. He got a piece of Marion's layup attempt to get a stop at the end of the half. He had 12 points and 8 boards at the half. He missed a three. Nice defensive board on one end, then he pulled down an offensive board on the other and scored. He attacked down the lane and hit Kwame for a dunk. He attacked the lane, used his reach well and scored at the rim over defenders. Great challenge on Barbosa's shot, he hit the backboard hard with his hand and jolt of pain went through his body and his arm dropped to his side. He got hit from behind by Amare with no call. We finally went back to the post with 1:45 left, got the ball to LO and he scored a layup. That's what we want to see in crunch time.

Kwame -- -- Behind Kobe, the key offensively to this win was the ability to get Kwame the ball in the post or dunks off of dribble penetration. When we get inside scoring, the long rebounds and bustouts are reeled in. When Kwame's throwing his muscle around inside and finishing around the rim, the Lakers stand a chance against the Suns. You combine that with defensive effort and that's why we got the W. Kwame had a sequence of key dunks as I described above. He also had more of those clutch defensive plays down the stretch. Kwame scored 19 points on 8-14 shooting, grabbed 6 boards (4 offensive) and blocked 2 shots. He drew Amare's second foul early, headfaking him in the air, he made one FT and got the rebound back on his miss. He drew a foul on Marion under the hoop, he made one FT. He slipped the screen, took the pass, jump-stepped around a man and scored a layup. With the crowd begging him to attack Amare, he pounded a couple of dribbles and hit a jumphook. He got screwed on what looked like sure charge on Amare on the other end, but the refs hesitated, counted Amare's fouls and gave it to Kwame. He backed Amare under the hoop, took the feed and hit a short fade bank. Out of a timeout, he traveled in the post. Great D on a switch on Nash, forcing an airball jumper. He switched on Nash again, but left him after Nash passed, Nash got it back and hit an open three. He left Amare standing alone on the post with a quick spin move and a layup. He had 10 points on 4-8 shooting at the half. He missed at the front of the rim, but Lamar cleaned it up. Key moment of the game: he rolled his other ankle on a jumphook, stepping on a foot when he landed and he went down in pain. After a timeout, the Lakers ran a high pick and roll, Kobe fed him the ball and Kwame dunked. Next time down, Lamar attacked down the lane, drew the D and fed Kwame for the dunk. After a Kobe score, Luke posted up Barbosa, drew Amare and hit Kwame for another dunk. Next time down, he took the post feed and hit an And-1 jumphook over Amare (the crowd was chanting "Kwame...Kwame..."), he made the FT. Great challenge on help D on the other end and we got the stop. Looked like he got a piece of a layup attempt by Marion. A couple clutch D plays late, including a block on Barbosa's dribble penetration. Amare led the Suns with 24 points, but most of that came on the perimeter as he was feeling it with his jumper. Kwame had a +9 on the game.

Luke -- -- Luke played the first and third quarters and got a little late run in the last minute for offensive execution purposes. He's not at the same level he was last playoffs when he was hitting his bread and butter turnaround in the post and scoring at a higher click in a few games. He finished with 5 points on 2-6 shooting, 3 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal in 22:31 of actions. He got blocked a couple of times under the hoop and wanted the goaltend on the second one (all the Lakers did and stood as the Suns tracked the ball down and dunked on the other end). He missed under the hoop again. He sat out the second quarter. He attacked Jones and hit in the lane over him. He stepped out of bounds on the sideline. He drained a three from the top of the key. He missed his next attempt. He posted up Barbosa, lost him, drew the D and hit Kwame for a dunk.

Farmar -- -- Great activity, good hustle and excellent poise again. Among the trio of Smush, Shammond and Jordan, he led with 2 points on 0-2 shooting. They combined for a poor 0-11 shooting, but they dug in on the defensive end and sparked the team. He played 23 minutes, had 3 boards, 1 steal and 1 block. He stole an inbounds pass in the backcourt. He posted up Nash and drew a foul on a turnaround, he made both FTs. He got a shot blocked on a jumper in the lane. He missed a long jumper. He knocked the ball off of Nash's leg. He set up Kwame on dribble penetration, Kwame missed but LO cleaned it up. He blocked Nash on his way up for a shot and it resulted in a shotclock violation.

Smush -- -- He didn't score on four attempts, but he played D. That's what mattered. He made an impact and Phil gave him crunch-time closer minutes. He had a couple offensive boards, a steal and a blocked shot. He saw Barbosa in trouble when Shammond cut him off, Smush swiped the ball from him and hit Kobe for the breakaway And-1. He missed a three. He stripped Amare when he was left on the block alone, even though the Suns got the ball out of bounds it saved a hoop. He missed a floater after having to attack with the shotclock low. He missed a corner three, short.

Shammond -- -- Like Smush, Shammond didn't give the Lakers a single point on five attempts, but he played D. He made the team better. In off the bench as the second guard, he led the Lakers with a +12. He hit Kwame on the slip screen for a score. Good D on Barbosa on one stint, hounding him on the perimeter, through a screen and jumping a passing lane to get the Suns to throw it away. He missed a jumper. He got called for what looked a bogus travel after faking a three and trying to attack. Great D by Shammond, cutting off Barbosa's attack, Smush then saw the distressed player and swiped the ball. He missed huge, back-to-back shots from the perimeter with 3 minutes and 2:25 left to play. He drew a block foul on Nash with 6 on the shotclock and just over a minute left, getting a reset to 14, which then allowed us to set up a play for Kobe. Shammond needs to hit in the next game because the Suns are going to dare our guards (not named Kobe) to show we can produce.

Bynum -- -- Bynum played a couple of short stints, but he came up with two key offensive boards in the fourth that led to scores. He struggled a bit from the line, making just 3-6. He missed both shots he attempted and finished with 3 points, 3 boards in 8:39 of run. He missed a turnaround jumper. His man backpicked Kobe and Drew didn't call out the pick or rotate and we gave up an open three. He drew a foul on a post entry, he made one FT. He missed a jumphook. He was fouled on a lob from Kobe and bricked both FTs. Nice challenge on help D to force a miss, on the other end, he pulled down a Kobe miss, drew a foul and made both FTs. Perfect positioning on the opposite side of the rim as Kobe's missed three, Bynum pulled it down, reset the offense and it led to a score.

Evans -- -- He missed a couple of shots, but only played 6 minutes as Phil opted for smaller lineups. Quite possibly some early recognition of Cold Mo by Phil...but I think it had more to do with the small lineups.

Cook -- -- We got the win, but man, some of those Cook minutes were a bit sketchy. I thought the lineup with him on the court in the fourth took a bit of the bounce out of our step. We survived it, but we might have been able to sustain our intensity better with Ronny in there at that point. Cook played 12 minutes, went 1-3 for 3 points and had 3 fouls. He sank a three at the top of the arch on his first attempt. He missed a corner three. He got called for a bogus three-second D call, flashing to one side fo the lane to D-up a man, then as he tried to return, they blew the whistle...poor, poor call. The Suns were targeting him in the fourth defensively. He missed a pick and pop (as soon as he took a dribble that was that). Phil subbed him out shortly later.

Phil -- -- First quarter: No D, no ability to make FTs and no shooting ability as the Lakers went 5-20 in the first quarter and trailed 31-17. Kobe went 4-6, the rest of the team 1-14. What can you do?... Phil brought in Shammond on Barbosa when the Suns went to Barbosa at PG. Later, he went to a Shammond, Smush, Kobe, Cook, Kwame lineup... They brought in LO for Cook. In the second quarter with this group, the Lakers defensive intensity picked up tremendously. While holding the Suns to 20 points, the Lakers turned around the shooting, too, going 12-24 and scoring 31 points... The Suns had just 6 points on the break in the first two quarters. The Lakers also had a 15-1 advantage on the offensive glass... The Suns scored a layup on the break in the third and Phil quickly called a timeout. A rare breakaway score and he wanted to control the tempo. (The Suns had only one other breakaway score the rest of the game)... He went with a Cook, Lamar, Kobe, Smush, Shammond lineup in the middle of the fourth. The Lakers looked like they had lead weights on their ankles with Cook out there as our C. The energy and bounce in their step was gone. After several minutes, Phil finally brought Kwame back in... With over a minute left, a 2-point lead and 14 on the shotclock, Phil called a timeout. We ran something to free up Kobe inside, it wasn't there, so we pulled it out for an iso on the wing and Kobe swished a fallaway... Look for the Suns to try to make Smush, Shammond and Farmar try to beat them a little more in the next game and gang up more on Kobe defensively... The Lakers defended the first home court game. They need to bring an all-out effort in the next one...

[Omar Little]

Thanks db,

Games like this show why some of that puzzling front office patience exists.

Not sure if we can get enough of these games from enough guys simultaneously, but nonetheless fun to watch.

That was a team tonight.
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“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

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"When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu

[ProjectAB]

I think the first 3 games of this series have given Bynum a taste of the range of pressure that he will most likely feel in any playoffs series. The first quarter of today's game was the most intense type of pressure that he will experience, in any game. Hopefully, he keeps that in mind and relaxes, the next time he's in the same situation.

[Sister Golden Hair]

Seeing Cook in the fourth was driving me crazy. My mantra during that time was, "Please, Phil, sit cook down; Please, Phil, sit Cook down."

EIther Kwame needed the break or Phil was trying to puff-up Cook's confidence by giving him run during crunch time. Maybe PJ figures that vote of confidence will get Cook out of the funk he's been in most of the season. When Cook isn't hitting his jumper, as many have often opined, he literally is worthless out there.

But I give him props for trying. Sometimes, you don't even get that from him.

SGH

[lakersflambe]

couldn't watch the game. why no sign of turiaf -- is he hurt or something?

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[- Sean -]

Thanks DB.

I didn’t think the Lakers had it in them to play a game like this tonight…they had the look of a team beyond repair.

Kobe making four of the teams five field goals while giving up 72% shooting in the first only reinforced what I had previously thought about what had become of this group. Getting embarrassed on their home-court to kick off what was supposed to be their “response” to the thrashing they received two nights ago was further indication that they just wouldn’t be bringing it this postseason…or so I thought.

I echo what you wrote about them defending the pick and roll w/ a purpose. The traps were hard…and the rotations usually moved like clockwork. Though they have issues getting to corner three shooters…it was night and day compared to the last game. That was a quick turnaround. Hopefully there is more of this to come.

Offensively…Kobe set the tone. Until the fourth quarter, everything was near the rim. Whereas he usually steps back to create room for a jumper…tonight, he’d step back only to jet by his defender…and either take the high percentage attempt or draw the D and dish to a teammate for a wide open look. This was more than probing…he completely disorganized the Suns defense as he made the move to score or assist. That’s the kind of basketball that made a healthy Dwyane Wade so effective last season…only Kobe has a much deeper scoring arsenal…so he has the potential to elevate it to a different level.

It takes a lot of energy to constantly be driving to the basket…but the Lakers need Kobe to be efficient if they are going to make a series out of this. They need the high percentage scoring…they need to limit long rebounds that spark the Phoenix break…and this style of play draws his teammates into the paint where they can get easier looks and better opportunities to mix it up on the offensive glass…not to mention, it leads to more free throws…Kobe had more FT’s in this game than he had in the first two games combined.

Think of all the opponents we see that expose the Laker D by dribble penetration. It kills us. Yeah, Steve Nash is capable of draining some buckets…so is Tony Parker…so are many others…but it’s when those guys penetrate multiple lines of Laker defense that they really do their damage…layups, dunks, open shots…all come easy when Laker defenders are running around like headless chicken because one man broke through the lines. Well hey, Kobe can do that to other teams too…and the more we take advantage of it…the better…settling for the outside jumper against a set defense usually just makes an opponents life easier.

On another note…Lamar was a warrior out there…using those inspector gadget arms of his to grab key boards…his three to end the half was real momentum shifter…the lay-in w/ under two minutes left was huge…when Kwame was rolling, you could get a sense of how effective this team could be w/ a big three of Kobe/??/LO.....props to Kwame also…he played well on both ends…and didn’t let the injury hold him back....considering the stage, I think this was the best game of his career…Farmar’s competitiveness is apparent…he’s going to be an NBA rotation player for years to come.

They still had a long cold spell in the final quarter…but at least they defended and won the period.

Lastly, while we know Kobe has to play well for this team to beat Phoenix…getting 45 on 58% shooting isn’t something they can count on…other guys will have to step up.

[A Mad Chinaman]

When watching the game, I thought that Phil had the team singing "You
Got to Have Heart!" (from "Damm Yankees") during their "AA Meeting" on Wednesday. It was great seeing them play with passion for once.

It was an interesting and effective move when Phil had Smush, Shammond, Kobe, LO and Kwame as the 2nd team. They were pressing, switching on everything, played with energy and communicated with each other to get the Suns/Steve Nash out of sync while tiring them by the end of the fourth quarter.

Which team will show up on Sunday?

[Sage_10]

Thanks DB it was a HUGE win!
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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

[20,000]

DB, you've got to help me out. I saw the Lakers doing some really odd things whenever the Suns had the ball.

They rolled out on the pick and roll and completely covered Nash and Barbosa, and blocking their field of vision so they couldn't pass the ball.

They rotated fabulously and didn't leave too many Suns open for wide open shots.

They rebounded.

They didn't allow too many second chance points.

They were good about keeping Nash and Barbosa in front of them.

They didn't allow too many fastbreak points.

I heard the TV commentators refer to a word I am completely unfamiliar with.

But it is nothing I have seen from this team in a long time.

It started with a "D."

Oh, but I cannot think of the word.
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Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

[he_is_the_one]

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That was Noiceeeee

[angrypuppy]

Great game, and great write-up DB.

Great defensive intensity. But is it sustainable?

[Texas_Pete]

I gotta be honest, I almost stop watching the game by midway through the 1st quarter. But something told me to keep watching. It was weird. Next thing you know SMUSH and SHAM started playing good defense on their guards. Kwame started bouncing Amare around and finishing plays with Dunks. LO started balling (and rebounding like a mad man). Kobe scored probably the most efficient 45 points I have ever seen. I mean, this was a collective effort from a team playing for pride.

THIS is what it will take to make some noise in these playoffs.
THIS is what we have been waiting to see all season long.
THIS is the type of effort we need every night.

Great win Lakers!

[BigEvil]

At last we have a "Kwame's Sack" sighting.

I got to give it to him, he got up despite a second bad wheel and came through. Even when he wasnt' scoring he was altering shots.

As much as I loved the defensive intensity of our guards, they are going to have to start keeping their Phoenix counterparts honest by making some shots... well... all guards not named Kobe.

And yeah, I was hoping that Phil would go with Ronny instead of Cook. He may not have Cook's range, but he's proven to have a reliable outside shot. Ronny's energy couldn't only have helped the Lakers.

I think Phil is finally starting to see what's working and what isn't. The Suns can't just wave their hands at this one and say they beat themselves. They had a Laker in their grill every time they even thought about shooting, and not all of Nash's 5 turnovers were of the "oops" variety.

I am pleased. Win or Lose, they Lakers en masse at least showed that they can be men, even if it's just for one night.

[Klone_dd]

We have a pulse!

Finally, some intensity and determination on the floor. Excellent defense after the 1st Q and Kobe, not settling, but constantly attacking. Car 54 showed up in many ways, especially on defending the high p&r.

How funny is it that our 3 PGs go 0-11 with only 4 assists and yet they actually played well?

Cannot overlook the offensive rebounding, a big key to slowing Phx down. Lamar's 6 equalled Phx's total team's output. Plus he gets a huge late game bucket on a post-up.

Maybe the Game 2 blistering will act like the Showtime team's Memorial Day Massacre and will awaken this group.

[cr8zy0]

cook should never be in the game. he hurts us too much defensively. we have to continue attacking like we did this game so that we can get them in foul trouble. hopefully next game amare fouls out early like he should have this game. this game it was okay for our pgs not be hitting. their defense was as good as its gonna get. next game i agree they will have to make shots.

and finally, please kobe just run the offense in the 4th quarter. it worked beautifully for so long why try to take over when it is unnecessary?
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SMUSH FOR MVP

[prisma8slg]

they played great last night! where has this team been all season? it was great to hear the crowd chanting Kwame's name. I hope they're able to carry this momentum into game 4.
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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."

[postandpivot]

[LakerLanny]

[Scherm]

All I could say when that game was over was, "Wow."

The Lakers came together as a team and showed tremendous heart, poise and efficiency. I was so glad they didn't turn on each other and start pointing fingers. Instead they came together. It took a lot of the bitter taste away from this post-season.

[And 1]

The team played very well last night>

Kobe: Just a great game. Got into the paint on a repeated basis and caused havoc. Still don't know how he got that 2nd or 3rd shot over Thomas in the first quarter.

Kwame: Injurred or healthy, this is the first time in over a year that I've seen Kwame utilize his size advantage to repeatedly punish the opposition in the paint. Went strong with most of his shot attempts. Very aggressive attitude and demeanor.

Lamar: Again. Strong and consistent work in the post. Didn't allow Marion to push him off the blocks. Despite missing a few layups, he converted a nice low-post move (with Amare on him, I think) in crunch time.

As a side note...

I hope that last night's game puts to rest all the incessant excuses concerning injuries. That Laker team that played last night was in no better (or worse) physical condition than the roster that played in Games 1 and 2.

The only difference is that a couple of key players remembered to bring their collective "sacks."

Let's see if the team can duplicate the same effort in Game 4.

[CorkyTomjanovich]

Smush and Shammond are getting credit they should not receive. Phil is extremely lucky that the Suns didn't close the gap in the 4th against that weak lineup. If they are just in there for defense, I will take Farmar and Sasha over those two any day of the week.

Do not be confused. The lakers offense last night is what was slowing down the suns offense. With the ball constantly being attacked, or Kwame scoring inside, that put the suns into a half court game, and then the Lakers played solid defense from there. The Suns are a much different team when they are getting fastbreak points.


The Lakers are going to have a tough time winning another game if Phil doesn't wake up and start making better substitutions. He is playing lesser players for absolutely no reason. The energy guys, Ronny and Sasha, have been greatly missed.

[ryuvienco]

I was fortunate enough to score some last minute tickets for the game last night and I'm glad that I went. I had a feeling they would pull it out last night, but that feeling was almost scratched when they were down 11-0 in the first quarter. Oh yeah, another note, I was surprised when people were chanting Kwame's name... he must have thought they were saying Kobe.. Kobe... I couldn't stay up for the FSN replay, but I wanted to hear how loud the crowd was on TV. Laker fans helped out a lot last night.

Great recap DB. Hope they even up the series this Sunday.