CLIPPERS -vs- LAKERS - 7/30 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:09 pm    Post subject: CLIPPERS -vs- LAKERS - 7/30 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

The 2020 Restart... “We are in the land of the unknown,” LeBron would say of everything happening this year.

With the scrimmages over, the real games resume. Both teams locked arms and kneeled as the national anthem played.

Lawrence Tanter introduced the starters, the fake crowd noise roared and we were off -- a weird journey with an awkward lack of intensity that would normally accompany a Laker-Clipper game this season.

The Lakers pushed out to an early double digit lead. They got reeled in as their offense flatlined between the second and third quarters.

“We’re just trying to get our chemistry and rhythm back,” AD said.

It came down to the final minute. Caruso came up with a big steal for a stop, but Paul George would still tie the game with a three. LeBron came up with a big bucket with 12 seconds left, missing his first attempt but grabbing the rebound between a sea of Clipper jerseys and putting it back in.

George would have a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but LeBron pressured him into a brick, and the Lakers walked away with the W and all but sealed their position in the top of the West with the 103-101 win.

Their magic number is now 1. Not that it means anything as teams lose their home court advantage in the Bubble. Top seeding is certainly important, but that home court advantage is … was … huge in the playoffs.

But we are in the land of the unknown, and we will see how this plays out as the Lakers chase this ring.


LeBron -- -- He picked up his dribble about 17 feet out and put up a runner that hit from of the rim, but he followed it up to grab the rebound between all five Clippers and score the putback with 12.8 left to give the Lakers a 2-point lead. He thought he was fouled on the first attempt, but no whistle came and he played through it. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. Prior to that, he also had a key drive for a layup with 1:26 left. One of his easier makes of the game. Not a great game with 16 points on 19 shots. I think he really missed not having Lou Williams out there. The second unit he ran struggled a bit at times. Last time out, he got the switches of Lou, collapsed the D, made the right passes and the offense flowed. Defensively, he had some moments against Kawhi. They generally tried to switch him off that match up. He and Green had a miscue to give up a George three late in the game when they wanted to protect the three line. LeBron didn’t hesitate to switch on that for the final stop and he forced George into a brick. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-19 shooting (2-2 from the line, 2-7 from three) to go with 11 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 1 block and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a -4.

Davis -- -- A 14-point first quarter going 8-8 from the line. He’d end up making 16-17 from the line. Anytime he gets those big freethrow numbers it usually spells trouble for the opponent. The Clippers struggled to handle him for sure. The refs were blowing the whistle a lot in this one, which made for a slow pace at times, but AD feasted off that. In the second half, AD knocked down a back-to-back threes. Clearly, no issues with the eye injury as he looked like himself. Defensively, some nice challenges and rotations, no blocks, though. A key play early on in this one, he stepped in front of Kawhi to draw a charge. The Clippers reviewed it as it would have been the second foul on AD or the second foul on Leonard. Thankfully, the review fell AD’s way. The Stats: He scored 34 points on 8-19 shooting (16-17 from the line, 2-5 from three) to go with 8 boards, 4 assists, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls in 35 minutes. He was a -3.

Green -- -- Really not a good game on either end. Defensively, he had some big shots made on him down the stretch, including a three by George in his face to tie it with under 30 seconds left. He and LeBron seemed to have their wires crossed there. Which you don’t want from your vets in that situation. But he didn’t give a lot of resistance in this one. Offensively, he missed some wide open looks at three, including one with under a minute left, as well. Both his makes were in transition situations. Throw in the turnover-prone activity. It just wasn’t good whenever he was out there. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting from three to go with 1 board, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a -17.

McGee -- -- He had the first score of the game that came after cycling through our double drag screen sequence where he ducked back to to take a pass and hit the little hook. He’d also score after stealing an inbounds at midcourt, pushing it up and hitting the floater. He’s pretty good with those shot in about that 8-foot range. His last score was a dunk off a LeBron drive and dish. The Clippers did a decent job taking away our vertical threats in this one. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-4 shooting to go with 7 boards (4 offensive), 2 steals and 3 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -7.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Not a great game from KCP. He missed all three of his three attempts. The bigger Clipper players hunted him defensively late in the game. He got his scores on some baseline drives. Also had a nice curl and lob to AD (we’ve been seeing more of that lately). The Stats: The Action: Power in And-1 layup off handoff, made FT. Great firs step after jab fake and he scored an easy layup. Miss drive bu AD dunk on follow. Miss open wing three. Miss layup in trans. Foul in trans for Fts. Curl and lob to AD for score. Swing pass to AD for three. Miss jumper at buzzer. Miss corner three.

Kuzma -- -- I can’t say enough about his D in this game. This was legit two-way ball by Kuzma. Kawhi’s a handful, but Kuz made him work whenever they matched up. He got some great challenges in and forced misses. That’s a big development. If we can throw him on a great scorer like that to save LeBron or so our smaller guys don’t get burned, just changes a lot for us. He also had some excellent moments against the smaller players, stuffing Jackson on a drive or forcing him into a turnover on the sideline. Great rotations, as well. A good one one on Zu early on to help get a stop. That steal by AC late, was Kuzma first covering for Alex and forcing that pass off. Throw in him knocking down four threes on the other end with a quick trigger. Love it. Love it. Love it. Space that floor for LeBron and AD, don’t require high usage to be effective. Just a perfect, perfect game tonight. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 4-8 shooting (4-5 from the line, 4-7 from three) to go with 7 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 block and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +12.

Caruso -- -- Loved seeing him and Kuzma out there late in the game. They came up big when Alex swiped a pass and saved it to Kuz with a minute left. Caruso was excellent on the switches all game. He’d body up and box out under the hoop. He’d handle the Clippers big wings as needed. Little stuff, but it bogged down the Clippers offense at times. Some issues with the shot tonight, missing his threes, a midrange pull-up and three of his FTs. I did like the aggressiveness which he attacked the paint. I think that caught the Clippers off guard when it happened since it was decisive. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting (0-2 from three, 3-6 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 27 minutes. He was a +9.

Howard -- -- Quiet game from him. He had some moments of physical play where he overpowered guys in the offensive glass. This got him some FTs, but he only made one attempt. Off one of his offensive boards, he hit a cutting LeBron with a bounce pass for a layup.The Stats: He scored 1 point on 1-4 FT shooting to go with 3 boards (2 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 5 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a +5.

Waiters -- -- He’s not shy about letting it fly. The three ball wasn’t dropping as he made just one of six attempts. His one make, though, was a big one late in the second half to answer a Clippers make. He led the team with a +17. Some good moments attacking seams to power in layups. He’ll reject screens and take a lane. Once he has the defender on his hip, it’s pretty much over. He added to a highlight reel in this one with a sweet layup snaking the high screen, then spinning around the helping big for the score. Just a couple of assists, he did have a nice push out of a board to find Green for a three in transition in the second half. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-10 shooting (1-6 from three) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. He was a +17.

Smith -- -- He had a 7-minute stretch where he missed just one pull-up from midrange. No other stats out there. They Lakers struggled a bit to find their rhythm offensively with the second unit at times. If these two teams face again, chances are we have Lou Williams out there whom we try to attack and the offense will flow better for guys like J.R. who can catch and shoot off that. With no Bradley and Rondo, he’s quickly worked his way into the rotation. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting to go with 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a -7.
Morris -- -- Came in with 3 minutes left in the half for Kuzma. That was his only stretch. I’m not really sure what their plan is with him yet. The Stats: He didn’t have any stats in 3 minutes. He was a -1.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: A couple of them on the defensive end down the stretch. First, let’s go with the great D by Kuzma and Caruso to get a stop. With a minute left, Kuzma rotated to save AC who had been beat on a drive and AC immediately recognized it and switched to flag down the kickout pass and save it back in bounds to Kuzma with a minute left up three. The second was LeBron pressuring George on the buzzer beater. The defensive stand earlier, LeBron and Green got a little confused on a possible switch and George hit a three to tie it up. This time, LeBron didn’t hesitate on a switch, pressured George who then clanked the potential game winner at the buzzer.

Key Substitution: Getting big minutes for Kuzma in this one was important. Defensively, he matched up with Kawhi better than some of the others. We sat him late in the game and the Clippers began to pick on KCP. Vogel then went back to Kuzma for KCP. Since this is a bit of a reboot, let’s also look at the sub patterns tonight. Here’s how Vogel played his rotation earlier on: Kuzma and Caruso came in for McGee and LeBron in our first sub with 5:29… Waiters in for KCP with 4:12 left… With 1:58 left, Dwight in for AD and LeBron back in for KCP… To start the second, he went with Howard, LeBron, Kuzma, Smith, Waiters… Up 10 when Caruso/Green came in for Kuzma/Waiters… Midway through second, AD back in for Howard. Kuzma back in for LeBron.

Key Stat: Let’s go with the 20 Clipper turnovers. Ball handling and playmaking can be an issue for them.

Coach’s challenge: Rivers used his early trying to save Kawhi’s second foul early on. He lost. Vogel used his with 3:50 left on a pass off by KCP that they thought went off the Clippers. This was not overturned, either.
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Lucky_Shot
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:23 pm    Post subject:

LBJ Highlights https://youtu.be/QOTJWNElaCw

AD Highlights https://youtu.be/LKxbG3SRamU

Kuz Highlights https://youtu.be/IwXAN0Qfkac

Waiters Highlight https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z9yxOEPUE3I

Lakers vs Clippers Highlights https://youtu.be/X-emefKGzFc
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jonnybravo
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:34 am    Post subject:

This game was therapy.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 1:37 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. So good to have you back.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:16 am    Post subject:

jonnybravo wrote:
This game was therapy.


Curious how everyone felt about it.

With Billy Mac and Stu, it definitely had a different vibe. It felt more real. Still a bit surreal for me.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:26 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
jonnybravo wrote:
This game was therapy.


Curious how everyone felt about it.

With Billy Mac and Stu, it definitely had a different vibe. It felt more real. Still a bit surreal for me.


Had to watch TNT here in Colorado. Kevin Harlin and Reggie Miller called the game. Harlin gets too hyped up and Reggie keeps repeating himself. Would have loved to hear Billy Mac and Stu.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:30 am    Post subject:

Really liked the grit the Lakers showed last night. Kuzma and Waiters were definitely keys to the win. If we can get consistent bench scoring from them, we have an excellent chance to win it all.

That being said we have to remember the clippers were far from full strength. Williams and Harrell were both missing last night and on most nights they make up about 30 points from the bench. While it’s good to have the win the Lakers should not think this is wrapped up.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:28 am    Post subject:

Man, what a great game AD had.

And LeBron with the defense all over Kawhi
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:30 am    Post subject:

Laker7 wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
jonnybravo wrote:
This game was therapy.


Curious how everyone felt about it.

With Billy Mac and Stu, it definitely had a different vibe. It felt more real. Still a bit surreal for me.


Had to watch TNT here in Colorado. Kevin Harlin and Reggie Miller called the game. Harlin gets too hyped up and Reggie keeps repeating himself. Would have loved to hear Billy Mac and Stu.


A--H--H . . . life is good again . . . well for a few hours anyway.

TNT here as well. Faux NBA translates much better than the faux MLB.

And DB, as always, though I don't always say it, your summaries are PDB (pretty darn (bleep)) (< hey filter, that should not be bleeped)
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:36 am    Post subject:

50 wins for the first time since 2010-2011.

What a wild ride this last decade have been
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:55 am    Post subject:

yes Clippers were missing players but we still beat them with poor shooting while while they were shooting lights out from 3.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:02 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Good to see a Laker win. Great when it's a win over the Clips. Let's hope everyone can stay healthy and the Lakers continue to rule the roost.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:03 am    Post subject:

Yay Winning!

Thanks DB
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:04 am    Post subject:

danzag wrote:
Man, what a great game AD had.

And LeBron with the defense all over Kawhi


Bingo - offense will come, but the defense was there. I was VERY impressed with LBJ, AD and . . . KUZ(!) . . . each of whom had key stops vs. Kawhi.

We need Danny Green to show up on at least one side of the ball. If he's not going to be a 40% three point shooter, then he needs to be a lock down defender. He has to give us something.

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:59 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! The Lakers will have a good opportunity during the rest of this seeding process to develop their chemistry and cohesiveness before the playoffs. Nice win!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:06 am    Post subject:

Lakers#1Team wrote:
Thanks DB! The Lakers will have a good opportunity during the rest of this seeding process to develop their chemistry and cohesiveness before the playoffs. Nice win!


I really think this is the reason why we are such a good team. We are better than our collective sum because of the above. I was worried about the new players and possible disruption, but there have been no signs of that.


THANKS DB!!!!!!!!!!!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:13 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:24 am    Post subject:

Clippers ran the playbook on the Lakers, pack the paint and pressure the ball handler. The Lakers shot poorly, looked gassed for large stretches....and still won.

On one hand this (like the regular season opener) isn't really a barometer for what these teams would be in a seven game series. But based on all the inputs we have it does look like the Lakers are the better team. If they play to their potential, they beat the Clips IMO.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:13 pm    Post subject:

Couldn’t wait to read your recap DB (as always). Glad you’re back!

I think AD was awesome in this game, but I think he’s going to have to go for 40+ every time we play the Clippers if we’re going to beat them in the playoffs. LeBron will be LeBron, but AD will determine whether we win it all. He has to dominate like he never has before.

I thought the NBA did a nice job overall at making this work. However, I’m disappointed the broadcasts are not adjusting the audio so we can hear the players and the coaches clearly with everything else in the background. This is a rare opportunity to hear the games as they hear it and would be incredibly interesting. But instead they’ve made the players and coaches volume lower so that it’s more background noise. I also think they should have real fans who are logged into an NBA website be able to cheer for their team/s remotely so that we all can hear it on the broadcast.

One more thing. I tried to watch the game on NBA League Pass at first because the TNT announcers annoy the heck out of me. Also, Spectrum was blacked out in Florida (where I am now). But for some reason NBA League Pass only had one camera that was only focused on LeBron the whole game. You didn’t even see most of the shots or other action because it was just on LeBron. There were no announcers either. Very weird. I ended up going back and watching it on TNT (which I recorded).
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:28 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Look at our role players +/-

Dion +17
Kuz +12
Caruso +9
KCP +6
Dwight +5

The eye test says they made impact on the game. All better than Bron and AD. But let Ballmer's media tell it, LBJ and AD don't have any help. I disagree
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:45 pm    Post subject:

Startrout wrote:
Couldn’t wait to read your recap DB (as always). Glad you’re back!

I think AD was awesome in this game, but I think he’s going to have to go for 40+ every time we play the Clippers if we’re going to beat them in the playoffs. LeBron will be LeBron, but AD will determine whether we win it all. He has to dominate like he never has before.

I thought the NBA did a nice job overall at making this work. However, I’m disappointed the broadcasts are not adjusting the audio so we can hear the players and the coaches clearly with everything else in the background. This is a rare opportunity to hear the games as they hear it and would be incredibly interesting. But instead they’ve made the players and coaches volume lower so that it’s more background noise. I also think they should have real fans who are logged into an NBA website be able to cheer for their team/s remotely so that we all can hear it on the broadcast.

One more thing. I tried to watch the game on NBA League Pass at first because the TNT announcers annoy the heck out of me. Also, Spectrum was blacked out in Florida (where I am now). But for some reason NBA League Pass only had one camera that was only focused on LeBron the whole game. You didn’t even see most of the shots or other action because it was just on LeBron. There were no announcers either. Very weird. I ended up going back and watching it on TNT (which I recorded).


There would be ginormous fines and a potential loss of license for TNT unless they bleeped out the profanity, and if they did bleep out the profanity, all you'd hear is "bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" all game.
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