LAKERS -at- PACERS - 12/15 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Waking Up... "We have a steady pulse," you hear someone say. You try to open your eyes and look around. Blurred faces hover above you. You blink but nothing comes to focus. "I think he's back with us," the voice says.

You close your eyes again and listen to the sharp beeps of the heart rate monitor. You've been unconscious, but for how long? You try to speak, swallowing first to wet a gravelly throat that sounds as if it hasn't spoken in months.

"I think I'm coming to," you say. Someone mentions that you've been saying that a lot.

"This is the first time I remember saying it," you argue with your eyes closed.

"He says that a lot, too," the voice continues.

"His pulse is stronger," someone else interrupts. You recognize that voice. It's familiar. It reminds you of epic battles, of Little Larry O'Brien and the city you love. It's DancingBarry. You try to open your eyes again, but you can only make out vague shapes. You shut them again, too tired to make another attempt.

DancingBarry whispers into your ear. And, yeah, it is as creepy as it sounds. He says:

"The Horsemen were here. The return of their biggest of warriors has brought one thing to their opponents -- Destruction -- and they're just getting started.

I will continue to track them."

Boisterous Laker fans filled the silence of the night. The Lakers dominated from tipoff to final buzzer in their 109-94 road win over the Pacers.

By the time Phil Jackson made his first sub of the game 7 minutes into the first quarter, the Lakers had a 19-point lead and Pacer fans were in for a long, sleepy night. The Lakers appear to be just waking up.

"Our defense was terrific," Phil said. "We got the ball back. Made difficult shots for them. They turned the ball over." Ron Artest set the tone with multiple steals and stops on one end and scores on the other in the first 3 minutes.

Pau Gasol had 21 of his points in the first half. Kobe had 25 of his in the second half. The Lakers one-two punch working the body before going for the knock out. Phil said the team remembered how the Pacers celebrated after their win in L.A.

It was a team win, but it was orchestrated by Kobe and Pau. Kobe helped get the offense flowing in the first half. Players weren't standing and watching. They were cutting, setting screens, working the ball through the post and picking apart the Pacers. In the second half, Kobe pressed his advantage in dominant fashion.

"That's really the way we like to see Kobe play a lot of games," Phil said of the two halves.

With the return of Andrew Bynum, the Lakers look energized and focused again. Away from the distractions of L.A., they have found themselves on the road and seem to be just waking up as a team.


Kobe -- -- Even though he had just 6 points in the first half, he still worked his way to 30-plus. This was more of the type of game where they want Kobe to help get others going first before taking over later. He did a good job finding teammates early. The offense cruised all game. In the third and his brief minutes in the fourth, he torched the Pacers. He was sinking threes from around the perimeter and even manufacturing another three FTs with the swing-through move, which has been a more frequent weapon this season. Kobe is playing nearly 6 minutes less per game this season than last, but he is only 0.4 off his scoring mark from last season and currently the NBA's No. 2 scorer behind Durant, who scores 0.7 more points in 6.7 more minutes. There stats are very close across the board. The difference is a minor one from the line where Durant shoots slightly better and gets slightly more attempts because of those extra minutes. Kobe averages 1.7 more assists. Not too shabby recovery from that surgery. Wonder how Kobe will be written off as MVP for yet another season. The Stats: He scored 31 points on 11-18 shooting (4-8 from three, 5-5 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 6 assists and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He worked the screen-roll to set up Pau for an easy score. He hit Pau popping free off a screen for a dunk. He created off the dribble, up-faked and drew FTs on Rush in the paint, he made both. Low position on Jones and he hit the short turnaround in the middle of the paint. He missed a pull-up three in early offense. He set up Pau for an elbow jumper off the two-man game. He attacked right, stepped through to his left and scooped in a layup after losing Rush with the shotclock low. He missed an elbow jumper taking contact with no call. He had 6 points in the half. Second Half: He swung through from the three line to earn FTs, he made all three. He missed an open 17-footer in semi-transition. He stepped back from the midpost and swished the jumper. He swished a three after a scramble on the sideline. He missed a wing three. He set a pick for Pau, moved around a pick by Lamar and hit the FT jumper when the pass came. He sank a three straight away. He hit a fallaway from 10 feet next time down. He missed a flat, pull-up jumper. He drained a step-back 21-footer with the shotclock low. Back in after a long rest and he drained a three as the shotclock buzzer went off. Next time down, he drained a 35-footer straight away. He missed his third attempt on the next possession, but Ron got it back. He sank a fade in the lane on the next possession. He airballed a 40-footer after running clock, trying to create and losing the ball.

Gasol -- -- Back to back games with that "MVP" sort of game we saw to start the season. Pau dominated in the first half and Kobe the second half -- the Lakers one-two punch looking as sharp as ever. Pau sank a number of perimeter shots and also picked apart the D with the pass. Hehad 21 points on just 11 shots in the first half. "If he can shoot from the outside it really makes his post game much more difficult to cover," Phil said. Pau said Bynum helps him "100 percent." Coincidence that Pau's game looks energized since Bynum's return? Pau said although Bynum isn't scoring big, he's "already having an impact on the game." The only spot Pau had some issues with was from the line today, but getting there 12 times shows the aggressiveness he was playing with. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 10-17 shooting (8-12 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 foul in 36 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: He sank a 17-footer from the left side to start the Laker scoring. He lost the ball in the paint. He was blocked from behind when Artest set him up. He sank the 12 footer off the drive and dish from Ron. He banked off the two-man game from Kobe. He faced up Hibbert, blew past him on the baseline and threw down a nasty reverse jam. He drew FTs on a baseline jumper, he made both. He cut off the Ron screen as the ball reversed to the other side and Kobe found him for a dunk. He attacked off the kickout and hit the running lefty hook over defenders. He drained an elbow jumper off the two-man game with Kobe. He sank a quick FT jumper when his man sagged to help. He blocked a layup with a second on the shotclock, he then blocked the jumper on the inbounds pass. He sank a turnaround while sandwiched by a couple defenders in the midpost. He hit Artest cutting off a screen for a layup. He was fouled on an attack across the lane, he made one FT. He was hit on a turnaround with no call and missed. He had 21 points on 9-11 shooting and 6 boards in the half. Second Half: Finally some post work after 5 minutes, he went Kevin McHale on a series of moves which eventually drew FTs as he tried to slip a layup in past his man, he made one FT. He drained a 17-footer with the shotclock going off. He missed an open 18-footer. He drew FTs and made one. He couldn't finish the drive and dish from Barnes. He drew FTs attacking off the dribble from the wing, he made both. He missed a running hook. He missed a baseline turnaround and wanted the foul. He faced up and drew FTs trying to power in a layup, he made one.

Lamar -- -- "We were able to move the ball," Lamar said. "Ball's popping, everyone's touching it. It's not sitting in anyone's hands." The key to that is players setting picks, cutting off them, and rarely over-pounding the dribble. When they are clicking like that, they make things very tough on their opponent. Bynum's return will have an impact on Lamar's game in a variety of ways. Right now, he's still starting and probably will for a while. With Bynum back, Lamar can now play more aggressively on both ends. Phil called a timeout to in the first after Lamar gave a soft challenge on a layup trying to avoid a foul. Phil is trying to remind him that we can deal with the fouls right now and he no longer has to go into wet noodle mode. Prior to Bynum's return, Lamar also had five straight games of single digit rebounding. He's returned to double-double form in the last two. It could be a coincidence, but the extra effort out there from Bynum and Pau in keeping their bigs off the boards can certainly open up more rebounding for Lamar. Ditto the better challenges from the bigmen. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-9 shooting (0-1 from three, 3-5 from the line) to go with 17 boards, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +18. The Action: He attacked off the three line and scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He pushed out the rebound, crossed over to his right and was fouled trying to finish a scoop with his right, he made one FT. His post entry pass was picked off. He drained a sideline jumper off the Bynum screen. He blew an assist for Kobe missing a point-blank layup, he made the follow, though. He missed an open wing three. He drained a wing jumper on the face up. He swished a baseline fade on the next possession. He had 12 points on 5-7 shooting and 7 boards at the half. Second Half: After a good battle on the boards, he pushed it up and threw it away. He broke Hansbrough's ankles but missed the jumper. He was yanked down in the paint on a bounce pass from Blake, he made one FT. He didn't hit rim in the paint, but got it back and reset the offense.

Artest -- -- "I don't care about scoring too much. It's not my thing. My thing is defense, locking down." Ron dominated the first few minutes of the game on both ends. It seemed to set the tone. He was all over the Pacers with two steals and forcing another turnover that didn't go down as a steal. Granger faded under the pressure and was never a factor. Barnes and Artest have talked about cutting off the head of the snake defensively. Tonight that was Danny Granger. After Artest pounced on him early, Granger later had a travel against Barnes where Stu remarked, "It might have been Matt in front of him, but it was Artest in his head." Granger scored just 13 on 13 attempts. Ron was aggressively early on on the offensive end. He hit a couple of jumpers and moved off the ball well. "He gives us another weapon," Phil said when Ron is scoring. "It makes a difference." The Stats: Ron scored 13 points on 6-8 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 27 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He slapped a ball off Granger to force a turnover on the first defensive stand. He poked a ball from behind on the next defensive stand for another steal. He attacked and kicked to Pau for a jumper. He sank a long jumper behind the screen by Lamar. On the D end, again another steal, this time swiping it from behind a man on a double team and taking it the distance for a layup. He sank a 20-footer off the screen again. All of the above action forced a Pacer timeout after just 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the game. He fought for a DFish miss, got it back and it led to a Pau score. He worked the post and kicked to Pau, who had defenders rushing past him as he attacked and scored. He was called for a travel on a step-back jumper (that was cleaner than Manu's four-step, step-back for the game winner against the Bucks tonight). He missed a bank in the post. He cut off the Kobe screen and Pau found him for a layup. Second Half: He sank a wing three off the Bynum kickout. He pulled down a missed three by Kobe, fed the post, took the handoff off of it and scored a layup.

Fisher -- -- Perhaps now Phil will start to get more rest for DFish. He played him in just two stints to start each half and then let Blake get the bulk of the minutes. Fish made his first attempt of the game, then missed his next four. Maybe he picked up that shooting bug that Artest caught for a few games where he did the same thing. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 2 assists and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: He drained a corner three. He missed a fade at the FT line. Second Half: He airballed an elbow jumper off an ugly sequence. He missed a wing three. He clanked badly expecting a foul call on a jumper.

Bynum -- -- You can look at the stat box and hate on the game if you want, but the impact for the team is there. The Lakers get to keep a low post hub out there at all times. They have their height back to get one-and-out stops on the D end and second chances on the other (Drew hit the offensive boards, which led to multiple second chance hoops). The stats, the double-doubles, will follow. Drew had to come out late in the game because he was fatigued. "Drew was tired," Phil said. "He was exhausted." Pau, on the other hand, hasn't looked this spry since the first few weeks. The rest of the team benefits, too. The second unit is playing mostly with impact PFs and Cs at both spots. The bigs also have energy to battle and defend. Phil is slipping some minutes with both Pau and Bynum on the floor together. This may end up the eventual starting lineup again, but it's also how you give Lamar a rest, in case people have forgotten. The Lakers lost some ground in the standings not having Drew on the floor. Now they need to string the wins together and play catch up. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-4 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 18 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: Nothing to report in the first half. Second Half: He pulled down a missed three by Fish, and it led to a Kobe three. Another offensive board, and it led to an Artest three this time. Lamar drew the D and fed Drew in the middle of the paint where he was mugged, he made one FT. He airballed a jumphook. He hit the lefty jumphook with low position after working the two-man game with Brown. He missed a jumphook on the right block.

Blake -- -- After DFish's first stint, Blake took over for the rest of each of the halves. He orchestrated the offense intelligently and played hard-nosed D. Got to love it. Just steady, steady ball. I liked his level of aggression offensively in this one. He found a couple more spots for himself. He needs to find a balance between being unselfish and being unselfish to a fault. When he can pick a few more opportunities to score or create, the team is better for it. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-6 shooting (1-1 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He drained a corner three off the quick kickout from Barnes in the post. He drained a pull-up at the FT line. He missed a drive with the clock about to expire. He sank a 22-footer straight away in early offense next time down. Excellent iso D to force Collison into a brick at the end of the half. Second Half: He missed an 18-footer. He spotted Lamar in the paint with a bounce pass for FTs. He missed a baseline jumper.

Barnes -- -- Prior to this game, Barnes had only made one three in December (shooting just .067 and 1-15 from beyond the arc). A lot of attention has been focused on Artest's poor shooting, but Barnes has struggled badly from distance this month. Tonight he sank his second three of the month. Why Barnes gets more of a pass is because he gets those garbage man points by slashing, cutting and battling in the paint. He plays within the system a bit more fluidly. Defensively, he played a little soft to start, but seemed to tighten things up better as they went along. But you could see the let up when Artest sat (and in Barnes team-low +/-). That's probably as much a sign of just how good Artest defends because Barnes puts in a solid effort. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-5 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 4 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He kicked out to Blake for a three. He blocked Blake's man from behind to help stop a drive. He missed a long three trying to beat the first quarter buzzer. He choked a layup at the front of the rim. Second Half: He drained a corner three with the shotclock low.

Brown -- -- Shannon hit a couple of driving floater/teardrops in the second half. He's had a few of those this season, but it hasn't been a consistent weapon. You might think doesn't have the PG type handles to put himself consistently in that position. And with his high-flying game, he can finish at the rim better than a lot of PGs who have mastered that shot. Still, it can dig him out of a tricky situation like at the end of the third when he went end to end at the buzzer. BShaw used to be able to get in the lane and go glass with a similar shot by working the Shaq screens off the dribble. Neither of them have break-you-down handles, but if you are smart enough to pick spots within the offense and stay in control on the drive, it's a shot that can be there for a savvy guard in key moments of the game. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-7 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 4 assists, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed an open wing three. He was called for a charge trying to attack off the pinch post. He bricked a pull-up 16-footer in transition, didn't hit rim. He missed a long sideline jumper. Second Half: He went the length of the court in 5 seconds to swish a floater at the end of the third. Another one in the lane for the Lakers first score of the fourth. He helped set up Bynum for an easy jumphook off the two-man game. He drained a sideline three. He missed an early offense three (it led to an And-1 the other way on lazy Laker D).

Walton -- -- Phil used him as the back up PF to start the second quarter and later in the fourth. Once Bynum can go longer stretches at the C spot and Pau gets more time at the PF, these minutes will be only there when blowouts happen. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 block and no fouls in 8 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: Good help D rotation to stand in for a charge and force a missed layup. He spotted Barnes curling but Matt blew the layup. He sank a corner jumper. Second Half: He missed an 18-footer.

Ebanks -- -- He came in for a couple of minutes of garbage time. Although, with Kobe and Pau were still out there, it was better quality that your usual blowout minutes. The team wasn't able to extend their lead in the second half and that cut into his chance at getting some longer run. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting to go with 3 boards in 2 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a FT jumper as the shotclock buzzer went off.

Phil -- -- Ron was stealing the ball on one end, scoring on the other to start the game. This forced a Pacer timeout with the Lakers leading 15-4... The Lakers had 27 points after 7 minutes... Phil sat Ron for Barnes with 4:41 left up 29-10... Phil called a timeout when the Pacers went on a 7-2 run... Phil went with the Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit out of that timeout... The Lakers led 36-22 on 78 percent shooting after the first... Phil started a Bynum, Luke, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... They led 40-26 when Phil sat Bynum for Pau, Shannon for Kobe and Barnes for Artest... A 10-2 run stretched the lead to 20 points... The Lakers led 59-37 at the half. The Lakers shot 61 percent (25-41). The Pacers shot 36 percent (14-39). A 27-10 advantage on the glass for the Lakers... The coaches didn't have anything to gripe about at the half... Phil brought in Bynum late in the third to run with the starters across Pau. This is the usual starting lineup... Phil brought in the Killer B's with 2 minutes left up by 22... The Lakers led 87-69 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit... They traded hoops with Pacers. They started to look a little tired and Phil called a timeout midway through the quarter to bring back Pau, Kobe and Ron... Kobe hit several shots to ice it... Phil brought in Luke and Ebanks to Run with Pau and Kobe still out there up by only 16 now with a couple minutes left... The Lakers had a 51-29 advantage on the glass, including 12-4 on the offensive glass...

[Dr. Laker]

First, Snitches!
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On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[Dr. Laker]

Good job, DB!
_________________
On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".

[babyskyhook]

Thanks DB. I was traveling and missed the game but got a food feel from between your write up and watching some highlights.

I think (and hope) you're right that the guys are starting to wake up from their early season slumber. Pau and LO especially seem to have a new spring in their step.

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. I was wondering how we would come out in this game. 2nd night of a back to back against a team that just beat us in Staples. What happens? We go into their gym and thrash them. Did Big Drew's return coincide with us playing with swagger? It looks like it. Pau is looking spry again, Kobe's shooting efficiency is better, and LO is still balling. The funny thing is now that we have all of our guns back I could see us start to steam roll teams when Big Drew rounds back into shape.

[thurloly]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

A new story begins?

I liked what I saw of the Wizards game, but the Wiz had several players out so that game didn't prove much. Now, on a b2b we just stomped Hibbert and company like a bug on the doorstep. I'm starting to feel real good about this team again.

Keep it up Lakers!

[limchrc]

thanks

[Laker's Fan]

Very limit min but liked what I saw from Ebanks. Played Less erratic with Kobe and pau on the floor. Has a rebounder's nose and takes the shot the defense gives him.
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Austin Reaves keeps his game tight, like Kobe Bryant on game night.

[IPK]

[IPK]

DancingBarry. Must. Listen.
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Our tribute to Phil, the man behind LG

[Shaber]

[prisma8slg]

[Vadorojo]

Nice comparison of Brown's teardrops to Shaw's ... brings make memories. Thanks for the write-up!
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"I like looking at a guy's face when he realizes that even his best moves aren't going to work on me all night. They look depressed." - Ron Artest

[taim]

Happy to see Fish phased out a bit the last couple of games. Not sure if this is becoming a trend or not, but I like what I'm seeing from the first unit with Blake out there

[DaleCooper]

Loooong time lurker, first time poster.

Thanks DB.

[BigE32]

I missed the first half b/c of work but I was getting updates. My wife and kids tell me we're up 20 and there were still 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. We jumped on them right away. Nice to see us get a little revenge after losing at home to them a couple weeks ago. It's on to Philly. Thanks, DB.

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[Laker's Fan]

[ssiknick833]

Thanks DB.
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