JAZZ -at- LAKERS - 5/4 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

White Hot Death... They gather outside the city again, intent on taking Little Larry.

You watch as a rider in a white hood lights a mixture of Epson Salts and isopropyl alcohol. A trail of white flames races from the city gates and ignites the battlefield. The marauders scatter, and the Horsemen quickly charge into the gaps of their defenses.

From all appearances, the Horsemen have things under control once again. Yet nothing is quite as it seems. They lose their focus. Their opponent tries to take advantage, but they've dug themselves too big a hole. The Horsemen finally put an end to it.

Six bells chime throughout the city. The Horsemen have won again.

They return to the city. The rider in the white hood rips it from his head and tosses it at you. "Should have stuck with the black one," Death says. You agree. As you examine the white fabric in your hands, you notice someone has written on it. DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. All Four Horsemen imposed their will on the opponent. They will ride into hostile territory and try to do the same.

I will continue to track them..."

The Jazz have serious issues. They can't handle the Lakers size nor one Kobe Bryant. Despite their deficiencies on defense, they make up for it with aggressive double teams and hustle. None of that mattered again at Staples, however, as they fell 111-103 to L.A.

Kobe sliced up the Jazz with 30 points and 8 assists. He drew double teams and drew fouls. Pau, Bynum and Lamar all worked for double-doubles and helped lead the team to 13 blocks.

Despite that, they couldn't quite pull away from the Jazz. Like last game, Utah trimmed a double-digit lead in the fourth. And like last game, the Lakers flexed their collective muscle on both ends to buckle down and take the win.

The Lakers are in control, but the Jazz are much tougher at home. Will the home court make a difference? Will Andrei Kirilenko's return provide that missing element to their interior defense?

It's a long layoff until they play again Saturday. Despite holding the Jazz to 39.6 percent shooting, the Lakers still allowed 103 points. They out-rebounded the Jazz 58-40, yet gave up 19 offensive rebounds. They will use the time off to work on those areas. "We're hoping it's going to do something positive for a number guys who have minor injuries," Phil added.


Kobe -- -- ""It's my responsibility when things get tight to make plays," Kobe said afterward. Pick your poison. Leave Kobe one on one for too long and it's trouble. Send the help and Kobe's teammates got to the rim with ease. Kobe had 7 assists in the first half. When the doubles came while he worked the post, he simply picked them apart with the pass. In the third, he attacked more and got to the line. (Good to see him with double-digit freethrows.) The Jazz have no defensive anchor and Kobe knows it. Very few of his attempts were from long range. Defensively, Kobe got in on the swat action with 3 blocks, himself. The best was probably a send-back rejection of one of Deron's drive, although the iso D perimeter block that led to a breakaway was also nice. The Stats: He scored 30 points on 10-22 shooting (0-1 from three, 10-11 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 8 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 7 turnovers and 3 fouls in 41 minutes. He was a +5. The Action: He drained a baseline pull-up to get the Lakers first score. He missed an 18-footer off a cross-over. He backed his man down, spun baseline and scored a layup. He blew past his man and was blocked after taking contact with no call. He was called for an early tech. He attacked off a kickout and hit Bynum for a dunk. He pulled up then hit LO under the hoop for a layup. He missed a long turnaround from the wing. He went to the floor for a loose ball on D. He had 4 points on 2-5 shooting and 3 assists. He posted up and hit Farmar for three. He hit Shannon cutting baseline for a layup. In the post again and he hit Lamar for a layup, Jazz timeout. He missed a turnaround in the post. He pushed out a board, gave it up, got it back and scored a layup getting undercut with no call. Trailing the play off of that, we got a stop and Kobe was still down court for a dunk on a Lamar outlet. He missed a wing three. His bounce pass was picked off. He missed a runner, but Lamar cleaned it up. He was stripped for a layup the other way. He missed a tough jumper. He had 8 points on 4-11 shooting, 7 assists and 3 turnovers. Second Half: He fumbled a ball, picked it up with both hands and dribbled again, double dribble to start the half. He posted up, powered up past his man and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. Horrible cross-court pass against the zone, layup the other way. He waltzed in for an easy layup next time down. He missed a pull-up jumper with the shotclock low. He missed a short turnaround. He overpowered his man and drew FTs, he made both. He spun away from a double and hit a tough stretching jumper. Early low post position and he drew more FTs, he made both. He missed a fallaway (keep attacking). He swatted Matthews on iso D, controlled it and hit Shannon for a dunk. He reverse pivoted on Matthews and hit the leaner at the shotclock buzzer. He had 13 points on 4-7 shooting in the third. He was stripped and must have touched it as it went out of bounds. He settled against Korver and missed a jumper (attack that). He was tied up out of a timeout trying to drive, he won the jumpball against a bigger man. He posted up and drew FTs, he made both. More FTs working the post next time down, he made one. He rattled in a jumper with his toe on the three line and the shotclock going off. He swatted Deron's drive. He hammered down a reverse dunk on the break with Fish. Pau kicked out an offensive board, Kobe lost it not resetting the offense to burn clock. He was fouled on a leak out and made both FTs.

Gasol -- -- The size is destroying the Jazz, but they are putting up a scrappy fight. While Pau was very efficient in scoring and getting to the line, he also had 6 turnovers (he and Kobe, the one-two punch, a combined 13). The Jazz are doubling off others. When the team is cutting, they ar and occupying defenders, Pau and Kobe are slicing up the D with the pass. When they stand around, the Jazz can leave the Lakers worst shooters and get after the post with aggressive doubles. Pau tried to counter that by sometimes going early before the doubles could get there. "We want to continue and attack and not settle for jumpers," Pau said. The Stats: He scored 22 points on on 7-11 shooting (8-10 from the line) to go with 15 boards (5 offensive), 2 assists, 2 blocks, 6 turnovers and 3 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He was way off on a jumphook. He lost the post entry pass for a score the other way. Artest cut by him in the post, Pau attacked after he cleared out and hit the jumphook. After Lamar swatted Boozer, Pau sent the next Boozer attempt out of bounds. It looked like a blocking foul with a man in the restricted area, but the refs changed the call and gave Pau a charge. He faked a kickout and hit a long fallaway instead. Quick spin around Boozer and he scored a layup. Nice job running the floor and he cleaned up a biffed layup by Ron. He drew FTs off great Laker ball movement, he made both. He drew FTs off the ball, he made one. He was hacked while working the post, he made both FTs. He led the Lakers with 13 points on 4-5 shooting, but had 4 turnovers. Second Half: He flashed to the post and hit a fallaway before the double could come. He fumbled away a Kobe pass under the hoop, then picked up his third foul on the other end. He scored an easy jumphook cutting baseline against the zone. He drew Boozer's fourth foul midway through the third on a post attack to the middle, he made both FTs. He missed a quick hook off the post entry. He posted up, spun and drew FTs, he made one. He had 7 points on 1-3 shooting in the third. He hit a jumphook in the post. Too early with the pass to Shannon cutting, turnover. He missed a jumphook. He swatted and controlled a shot under the hoop.

Bynum -- -- He's starting to get the edge back in his game. The confidence is growing. Dominating on the glass in the first half with 13 boards to go with 11 points. "I'm not thinking about the pain. I'm just running up and down the court trying to do the best I can," Bynum said at halftime. Phil said he thought Bynum took more time and got his base under him before the shots, but getting deeper position was the key. He had 4 shotblocks, leading the Lakers block party. Excellent job and glad to see that emerging, as well. He and Pau turned in the double-doubles, but this time Lamar finally made it a trio. The three combined for 44 boards. Phil kept Bynum's minutes fairly low, but had to run him a little extra with Lamar's foul issues. "I try to limit him from excessive minutes," Phil said, mentioning he didn't want to go longer than 8-minute stints. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-9 shooting (3-5 from the line) to go with 14 boards (4 offensive), 1 steal, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 29 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: He missed a putback attempt. He slammed off the screen-roll taking contact with no call (obvious And-1). He dunked off the Kobe drive and dish. He hit a jumphook in the post to start the second quarter. He posted up with good position and overpowered Boozer for the easy And-1 layup, he made the FT. He powered back in a Kobe miss from the post. He was blocked on a putback (Jack yelled at the refs on this sequence for not calling a foul for one of Kobe or Drew). He was fouled on a defensive board with a second left, he missed both FTs. He had 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 13 boards (4 offensive). Second Half: He attacked around Fesenko in the lane and drew FTs, he made both. He hit a jumphook in the middle of the lane. He had 4 points and a board in the quarter. He traveled off the bounce pass from Farmar. He was nearly surprised by an early post pass, but he gathered it and scored the easy layup around Boozer. He swatted Deron's drive to ignite a break.

Artest -- -- "We don't want to leave him open, we've got to make an effort to get back to him," Sloan said after Ron had 10 points in the first quarter. So, yes, they will leave him open, but wanted better recovery. As we've been saying for a while now, the key for Ron is to cut. He needs to occupy his defender or make them pay with easy shots at the rim. When he did that, the Jazz had issues. It also allowed for our post players to go to work. Ron had 10 points in the first quarter. He had 5 offensive boards. Yes, some were off his own misses, but he also cleaned up for others, too. Defensively, he had 3 steals and didn't spend any time on Deron like the last game. Watch out for the Jazz putting AK on Ron in the next game and roaming off him. That has potential to take Ron out of the game unless he somehow gets hot from three. Lakers should slide Kobe to the 3 if that happens. "I don't expect him to play a lot," Boozer said of AK's return. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-17 (1-7 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 6 boards (5 offensive), 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He missed an open three to start the game when the Jazz doubled the post. He posted up, attacked and drew FTs, he made one. He deflected a pass but couldn't control it. He crammed down a dunk on the break. Not close on another three off a kickout from the post double team (cut Ron). He sank a corner three on a kickout from Lamar. He missed an early offense three when left open. He swiped the pass on the other end to get it back and scored an uncontested layup. He grabbed an airball by Fish and put it back in. He had 10 points in the first quarter on 4-7 shooting. Bad D on Milsap to let him step-through and score an And-1 (he gave a "my bad" gesture). He missed a corner three, cut when we got it back and choked a layup, he then drew a foul. He biffed another layup in transition, but Pau thanked him for the easy putback. Nice interior feed to Pau for FTs. He stripped his man on the perimeter and drew a foul. He cut off Pau, instant layup (more of that, please). He scored 12 points on 5-11 shooting (1-5 from three) to go with 3 steals. Second Half: He missed a sideline three, layup the other way. Looked like he was fouled after grabbing an offensive board, he lost it. He grabbed a Kobe miss, but his putback rolled out. He missed a three. He cut under the hoop, missed a layup, but tipped it back in. He leaked and slammed with both hands.

Fisher -- -- Deron Williams had 6 points on 2-7 shooting in the first half. He tried to get more aggressive in the second half, but the Lakers met the challenge. "Every time I turn to get into the lane, there are two or three guys in there," Williams said. "Their length bothers me a lot more than Denver did." He griped about not getting foul calls afterward. See if that changes in Utah. He finished with 15 points on 4-16 shooting with Derek as the main defender (some Shannon as DFish had some foul issues). Offensively, some nice passing from Fisher, he was making the post entries and reposts, the extra feed to get the ball inside. He also teamed up with Kobe for a nice breakaway. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-4 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 5 assists, 1 turnover and 4 fouls. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a sideline three. He hit Artest on the break for a dunk. He drew FTs when Artest tapped a loose ball ahead to him, he made both. He airballed a drive trying to draw contact (Ron cleaned it up). Fish looked in disbelief when he knocked Fesenko on his but while fighting for a board, foul Fisher. Second Half: He drained the wing three on the kickout from Pau. He was called for a charge on a drive. He drew FTs when he and Matthews collided on the perimeter, he missed both in crunch time (we got the rebound back). He pushed up the break and hit Kobe for the dunk. He missed a wing three.

Lamar -- -- This is the Lamar that causes the Jazz so many problems. He was efficient offensively. He got to the offensive glass for key boards to reset the offense. He got the counterstrikes going off the off the Jazz misses or by blocking shots. The Lakers are having a bit of trouble with Milsap off the bench. Lamar said Milsap was getting behind him and the defense. If there is an area of improvement, it's got to be on Milsap's game right now. He had 16 points off of 17 shots and 8 offensive boards. Phil ran three impact players with the second-quarter bench unit. In the fourth, he went back to two impact ballers and the Jazz seemed to pick up some momentum from that. "I think we can still get better," Lamar said of the second unit's play. Not quite the harsh words as last game. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-4 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 15 boards (4 offensive), 4 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +10. The Action: He took a jump pass from Kobe and scored the layup. He kicked out to Artest for a three. He swatted Boozer. He challenged a shot, grabbed the board, pushed out and drew FTs in a crowd, he made one and his miss was tipped back. He scored a layup off the Kobe double in the post. He pulled down a miss and quickly outlet to Kobe down court for a dunk. He put back in a Kobe miss crashing the glass. He picked up his third foul with 3:22 left in the half and sat. He scored 7 points on 3-3 shooting to go with 8 boards and 3 assists. Second Half: With the shotclock low, he attacked Milsap baseline and drew FTs, he made both. He dunked off the Luke feed. He tipped a missed three by Ron to himself and reset the offense. He swatted a shot flat footed under the hoop on a switch. Another reset of the offense off an offensive board. He drew a charge on Deron's drive. nicely done.

Brown -- -- He came in for DFish who had foul issues late in the third. Shannon had a few mental mistakes on the offensive end in that stretch (not hitting the post and a double dribble). Deron didn't score on him in that stretch, however, so the D was still important. Shannon has got to be decisive on his cuts. Don't settle for the threes, just go when the D is sleeping and the post players (Kobe included) have the ball. He scored a layup on one cut when Kobe worked the post. Phil gave him some longer run in the fourth quarter while Ron sat. He needs to get some rhythm with that unit as it may be key when AK returns. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 20 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He missed a three. He cut baseline, took the pass from Kobe from the post and scored a reverse. Second Half: Bad chuck from the corner in early offense when Kobe was posting right in front of him. He dunked on the next possession when Kobe outlet to him. He decided not to throw a pass midway through motion, dropped it, then tapped it to Lamar, double dribble.

Farmar -- -- The second unit struggled a bit in that key fourth quarter stretch and the Jazz started to gain some momentum. What feeds into that is when Farmar has one of those sequences where he makes an error, then compounds that with another one on the next trip down. He's been good about that lately, but he found himself in that situation in the fourth tonight. On the road, the team may not survive that. Farmar hit a couple of threes in the game, but settled too much. If he cuts off that three line the midrange or drawing the D for a big will be available. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (2-4 from three) to go with 1 turnover and 1 foul in 12 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He drained a three straight away off the Kobe post kickout. He switched on Milsap, but didn't put a body on him to try to keep him off the glass and gave up an And-1 putback. He missed a three on a bad offensive set. He missed a three calling for it off the Kobe kickout (never got his balance right). Second Half: He sank a corner three off the kickout. He choked a reverse layup. He was called for a charge on a drive and dish. He attacked next time down and was swatted.

Luke -- -- He was the only Laker to have a negative in the +/-. Phil didn't run Luke in the first half and the second unit did well with three impact players (Kobe taking Luke's spot). Phil brought Luke in late in the third and for several sketchy minutes to start the fourth. They have got to get some stronger play on the road from the bench. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 assists and 1 steal in 7 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed badly off the glass, no rim. He worked the post and hit Lamar for a dunk.

Powell -- -- Quick stint to close the half with Lamar in foul trouble and Phil trying to needing to protect Pau from foul issues. The refs whistled him for a couple fouls, one bogus. Looked like a good charge drawn by Powell in the replay. The Stats: He had 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 1 minute. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He was called for a moving screen right after entering the game. Looked like he drew a sure charge, poor call and it was another foul on Josh. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- The Lakers trailed 11-4 after giving up three threes and turning the ball over... A 9-4 run for the Lakers and the teams were back neck and neck when Phil subbed out Bynum for Lamar... With 2 minutes left, Phil sat Kobe for Shannon... The Lakers led 27-23 after the first. The Jazz made 4-6 from three in that quarter, but shot 34.6 percent (9-26) overall. The Jazz had 8 offensive boards in the quarter ("You got a fight on your hands," Phil yelled at them in a huddle). The Lakers made 53 percent (11-21)... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Kobe, Shannon, Farmar lineup. Three impact players this time (Kobe for Luke). Kobe drew doubles for teammates and hit them for open threes and layups to force a timeout. The Lakers had a 36-27 lead... The Lakers pulled out to a 45-34 lead, but settled for threes on several possessions and missed... Lamar picked up his third foul and Phil went to Bynum... Phil sat Pau for Powell and Fish for Shannon with 1 minute left and a 14-point lead... The Lakers won the quarter 31-23... They led 58-46 at the half. The Lakers shot 52 percent (23-44, 2-11 from three, 10-15 from the line). The Jazz shot 34.7 percent (17-49, 5-12 from three, 7-15 from the line). The Jazz had a 12-11 advantage on the offensive glass. Lakers had 34 of the 38 points in the paint off layups or dunks... The Lakers led by 14 when the Jazz went to a zone. They cut it to 9... Both Boozer and Fesenko had 4 fouls each midway through the third... Phil sat Bynum for Lamar at the 6 minute mark... He went to Shannon for Fish who picked up his fourth... Then he sat Ron for Luke with 3 minutes left up by 14... Even though the Jazz were in the bonus early, the Lakers had the Jazz in the freethrow grinder, attacking and getting to the line again and again... The Lakers led 87-77 heading into the fourth... "Our defense really concerns me," Phil said. He wanted the Lakers to stop the penetration... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Shannon, Farmar unit. Same unit that choked last game. They gave up a 6-0 run at one point and seemed to lose the crowd... The Lakers led 96-85 when Phil brought back in Kobe for Luke after 4 minutes (Luke was limping, Phil said and that's why he made the sub). Lamar picked up his fourth, so Phil also brought in Pau... Miscues by Farmar and the Lakers were up only by 4 with 6:22 when Phil sat Farmar for Fisher... The Lakers seemed to impose their size and will on the Jazz down the stretch. When threatened, it was like they flex their collective muscle and simply shut the door... The Jazz shot 39.6 percent (38-96, 8-19 from three, 19-28 from the line). The Lakers shot 50.6 percent (49-79, 4-17 from three, 27-36 from the line). The Jazz won the offensive glass 19-18, despite the Lakers winning the rebounding 58-40. The Lakers had 13 blocks and 20 turnovers. The Jazz 4 blocks, 10 turnovers...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Utah has a better start to the game, but the Lakers reeled them in and put them in a hole again. Kobe had 7 assists in the first half, 22 points in the second half.

[sonofabuss]

1st!?!

[1hu2ren3dui4]

outstanding game. 1 in utah and it's over.
_________________
-Most people learn by saying mother, numb, horse, angry... I learned mine by saying Lakers, add gas. - HRD.

[pask]

Most of the turnovers and bad shots the lakers had had these 2 games are from the excessive relax and fall of attention. Usually in away games these team has a krisper execution, so some of the easy comebacks Utah's had will dissapear.

Also, some if Utah' s offensive rebounds come from Lakers' blocks, so I don't consider that an issue too.

Finally, Kirilenko's comeback won't be as important, he's had too much time off to have a great impact in this series.

We're too much for Utah to handle, in fact i think they are the easiest match-up the lakers could have in the west. This would be a short series that would serve great for regrouping as a team, getting together,resting some injuries, regaining self-confidence and putting fear in our next opponents

[najim]

block party

[A Mad Chinaman]

Thanks DB

Re: TOs
Phil said that generally the Lakers were not sloppy, it was just that the Jazz were really attacking the dribble. This was seen by Kobe/Pau's TOs, though some seemed to be because the offense stalled resulting in double/triple teams on Pau or Kobe was caught in a bad ISO where he had nowhere to go. What are the Triangle counters when the opposing defense is attacking the dribble, recognizing that the Triangle is based on the pass. Still, 20 TOs, with 13 TOs from Kobe/Pau, will not get it done against upcoming playoff teams.

Re: Farmar
Unfortunately, he can't guard DWill, is being torched by Jazz's second string PG and making mental errors (i.e. driving towards the hole via the sideline not realizing that the Jazz are known to take charges at the location of the court.). I guess the Lakers are relegated to hoping that when Farmar is in the game that they don't lose too much of the lead. Farmar will be a starting PG for lower-tier NBA teams or a backup PG for a more uptempo team that doesn't face the pressure to excel like what is expected from a Laker. When Sasha is healthy, will he be taking minutes from Farmar since he will be more effective against the Spurs' Hill, Suns' 2nd team PG (can't spell his name), Cavs' Mo Williams/Delonte West or the Celtics' Rondo. Does anybody have any idea on which PG (starting or backup) where Farmar would have the advantage since I can't think of any. (Isn't it ironic that with all the hate Sasha had received, he probably would/will be more effective than Farmar during the playoffs and a needed player - LOL).

Re: Drew
It is great what he is doing. Hopefully in the future he will "sense when one of his teammates is open behind him (it occurred several times). It is good news that Drew is wearing a brace that prevents his knees from being hyper extended, could this be something that he will always wear to limit the unnecessary injuries caused by his inability to keep his knees bent? Hey, if it works - why stop using it.

Re: LO
Glad that I can say that he had a good game. Hopefully he (along with RonRon) will not just stay at the 3pt line (doing nothing and taking "Early Clock" threes) and will keep moving/cutting to keep their defenders honest.

Re: Word of Caution
Will the Lakers be able to eliminate the Jazz quickly to get the needed rest before they play against either the Suns or the Spurs. Hopefully they will be able to elevate their play even more beccause their winning level of play against the Jazz will not get it done with either opponents that they will face in the next round. Drew and Kobe will need to have some rest (along with the rest of the team) to defeat the Cavs (w/LBJ and Shaq), Majic (w/Superman or Godot) or Celtics (w/KG, Pierce/Rondo).

[20,000]

[prisma8slg]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB.

This series should feature our bigs kicking their bigs arses leading to them being confident in later playoff rounds. I was happy with both Drew and Pau tonight. Even if Okur was there they still would have dominated. Feed the bigs!

[Sister Golden Hair]

If PJ doesn't want to use Bynum for extended stretches, why not give Mbenga some run for a minute here or there?

Mbenga always produces when given a chance, but PJ treats him like he's radioactive.

[Rick12322]

Thanks, DB.

We toyed with them and played down to their level. We definitely have another gear.

The 1st quarter, Kobe always seems to get Drew those easy dunks. i can't help but think he could do that all game.

Kobe had some really nice reverse pivot(spin) J's. It's a treat to watch is footwork.

[JTS1]

[ssiknick833]

Thanks DB. Excellent recap as usual.
_________________

[limchrc]

Thanks, glad we won.

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB

[RCS926]

[squidward]

I thought the Lakers played a good game. Although, we need more than Lamar stepping up from the bench. The series is gonna get a helluva lot tougher in Utah.

[RCS926]

Overall, I'm not too disappointed that the Lakers weren't able to drop the hammer on the Jazz. The Jazz are a resilient bunch, and it's difficult to overwhelm them completely because they just keep coming at you. The pattern over the past 3 seasons has been to build up commanding leads, withstand a strong push from the Jazz, and then put them away for good. I'm OK with that.

As far as this game goes, I'm really proud of Drew's effort. He looked like a man among boys in the 1st half and definitely picked up the slack for Pau, who was fumbling a lot early in the game. Kobe and Pau have proven that they can basically score any time they want against the Jazz, but they definitely have to be more careful with the ball in Utah. We're not going to win with our 2 best player coughing up the ball 13 times.

LO played the kind of game that we've been waiting to see in these playoffs. He was active and imposed his will on the boards. However, we're going to need him to do a better job on Milsap. Generally speaking, the Lakers are biting too much on Milsap's fakes. There were several instances where the Lakers ran at Milsap while he was shooting a jumper, and as a result, Milsap was able to take to the hole for a score or foul. The Lakers have to be more disciplined in the way they defend Milsap.

Finally, I hate to admit it, but the Jazz are one of the teams along with Phoenix where Ariza would be much more effective than Artest. Ron doesn't really have a key wing player that he can focus on, so his defense isn't as valuable. With the Lakers' size advantage, there are numerous opportunities to get easy baskets off of cuts or run outs, which is where Ariza excels. I'm glad that Ron scored 16 points, but he still missed point blank lay-ups and wide open 3s. We need him to be more efficient especially if gets those same looks in Utah.

[Arizona]

when booze and milsap are both on the floor, Drew should guard milsap and LO should guard Booze. Milsap is too physical for LO. He does a better job on Booze plus he's in Booze's head so bad. That should be allowed to continue.
_________________
“I’m just a basketball player, you know? Just put me where you need me.” -Lamar Odom

“You’ve got to play with pride and guts.” -LO

[MIMLaker]

DB -- You are invaluable. Bravo, as always.

As for Bynum -- if he can somehow avoid having his knee get any worse, AND we can get even 2/3 of what AB gave us last night on a consistent basis for the next month and a half -- say, even just 12 and 10 and 2.5 blks a game -- there's no stopping this team.

Props to AB and all our bigs for manning up.

MIM

[Klone_dd]

I still don't know how the Utes were even close in this game. TOs, perhaps; offensive boards, maybe; 2nd unit deficiency, possibly.

Whatever it is, that is the Lakers room for improvement. Really, the game was never in question.

This is a one-sided mismatch. If the Utes even pull out one game, they should be happy. You know they don't want to come back to LA to be closed out. We have to drop the hammer early and often in game 3.

[Alpha]

[composite]

Thanks DB! That was a fantastic recap.

[AJLakerFan]

[RCS926]