SUNS -at- LAKERS - 5/17 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Odomination... After biding time and resting bodies, the Horsemen sharpened their weaponry. Then waited some more.

Victory was a week ago. The Horsemen can't go a week without the taste of blood. And a week's time is far too long when you have vengeance on your mind, and Death and Famine have plenty of that. They know this foe all too well.

A blood red Sun lights up the horizon. Their opponent is here. The color just makes the Horsemen hungry for the kill, and they charge right into it.

Whatever that light was, it is quickly extinguished as the Death Riders slice right through it. It is quick and decisive, and nine bells ring throughout the city. The Horsemen have won.

With the bright light gone, nighttime descends and street lamps flicker to life around you. They illuminate a message scribbled in purple and gold chalk on the sidewalk in front of you. DancingBarry:

"The Horsemen were here. They were unstoppable, putting a chill on their opponent's strengths and destroying them at will with weapons of choice. Complete domination.

I will continue to track them..."

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom still have bitter memories of getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Suns a few years ago. With a week to think about this series, the two came out of the gates tonight and pounced. The result was a 128-107 blowout.

These aren't your Smush Parker/Kwame Brown Lakers anymore.

Kobe dropped 40 points on 13-23 shooting (21 of those came in a dominating third quarter). Lamar dropped a 19 and 19 double-double off the bench -- Odomination. In previous years that might have been the Lakers main offense against these Suns. Now, throw in 21 from Pau on 10-13 shooting, and the Suns are suddenly giving up 60+ points a half.

"We're not that high-powered an offensive of team," Phil said afterward. Perhaps not, but they looked it tonight while shooting 58 percent. His counterpart, Alvin Gentry: "They got into the teeth of our defense much, much too often and too easy."

The Suns lost the points in the paint 36-56. That's not a situation you want to be in. Neither is this: Tonight, the Lakers held the Suns to 23 percent from behind the arc (5-22). The Lakers meanwhile made 47 percent (8-17) of their threes. The top three shooting team versus the top three defending team. The Lakers dominated the paint and the perimeter.

That open space in the lane and in the paint plays to Lamar's strengths. He also appreciated the time off. "The layoff was exactly what we needed," Lamar said. He got treatment for his injuries, worked on his shot and came out aggressive.

There were questions about both Bynum and Kobe's health. Bynum was ineffective on both ends. Kobe was Kobe.

"He's one of those guys when he's playing and he's in a zone like he is tonight, you can't do a whole lot about it," Gentry said.


Kobe -- -- The Suns tried to throw their newly crowned defensive stopper, Grant Hill, on Kobe. Hill was well-versed from the Battier school of Kobe defensive tactics. Hill would tag team with Jared Dudley. Some 40 points and a blowout later and the Suns found themselves with the same problem the Jazz had. A spry, rested Black Mamba is trouble. Kobe attacked the paint, hit jumpers, cut off the ball and showed his general versatility that gives defenders fits. "So much for this improved defense," Reggie Miller said right afterward. The Suns will try to make adjustments, but that will likely mean committing more numbers to Kobe. Phil suspects quick doubles will come to get the ball out of his hands. Phil said he wasn't sure what Kobe's reactive time or shooting would be like without running in practice. Kobe was optimistic all week, however, and looked in A-game form. Asked if he was trying to make a statement as the best player on the planet now that LeBron was out, Kobe didn't bite. "I'd like to get one more cookie, though," he said, as in "Hey, LeBron. Have you seen my championship rings?" The Stats: He scored 40 points on 13-23 shooting (3-6 from three, 11-12 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a +20. The Action: He missed a wing jumper over Hill on the first possession. He missed a fading baseline pull-up. He kicked to Ron for a three. He attacked Hill and drew FTs on Amare, he made both. He hit Lamar under the hoop off an attack and it led to a layup. Dudley in to cover Kobe, he went right after him and drew two quick fouls, he made both FTs. He attacked, took contact with no call and hit the floater. He swished a two-for-one three attempt. He set up the screen, attacked right and swished the long kickstand baseline jumper at the first quarter buzzer. He had 11 points on 3-5 shooting in the first. He was tripped on a step-through and didn't get the call. He missed a three he had to take against the shtoclock. He sank a pull-up at the elbow working off the high screen. He missed an early offense jumper next time down and was looking for the foul. He attacked and hit Pau for the layup. Superb footwork off the pull-up to draw FTs on a step-through, he made one. Working off the high screen his pass to DJ was picked off. He crossed over Hill badly (sending him to the floor), but Kobe missed the floater (Powell dunked it in). He had 14 points on 4-10 shooting (5-6 from the line) and 3 assists. Second Half: He sank a tough turnaround at the elbow with the shotclock going off. He split a double team and flipped in a layup over a third defender. He swished a long three off the swing pass. He attacked and missed at the rim, then picked up a tech when he didn't get the call. He swished a face-up jumper over Hill. Hill was whistled for a foul and picked up a tech, Kobe sank it, then made both of the foul FTs. He missed a wing three. He stripped Amare on one end, then hit a face-up jumper on the other. He tried to iso, didn't get anything, wisely gave it up to Fish, who hit Pau, Kobe cut off it for an And-1 layup, he made the FT (great sequence). He busted out off a Laker steal and streaked in for a dunk. He was stripped on a drive. He settled for a three when his man flew by, it led to a early offense three the other way. He attacked before a double team came at the end of the quarter and drew FTs with 3.6 seconds left, he made both. He had 21 points on 7-10 shooting (6-6 from the line) in the third. He sank an open three on a kickout. He missed a pull-up three next time down. He swished an elbow jumper on a quick pivot away from his man. He got to sit on the bench for the rest of the fourth.

Gasol -- -- The one-two punch was clicking tonight. They threw in a an overhand left from LO to drop the Suns. After this game, everyone seems to be talking about Kobe or Lamar. Pau killed them quietly and efficiently. He did it in a variety of ways. Speed, size, shooting, passing. His versatility will be hard for the Suns to combat. This is a much different beast than the Suns faced in Tim Duncan. The Lakers are going to have to start going to their counters a little more as the Suns fronted the post at times to deny the ball to our bigs. Pau needs to crash the glass like he has done in previous series. Defensively, you'd much rather see the Suns attacking Pau/Lamar on the screen-rolls instead of Bynum. They did a good job of keeping Amare to a perimeter threat. There were very few breakdowns for dunks. The Suns also have no post game against the Lakers size. If the Lakers can keep the points in the paint down as well as challenge those threes, the Suns have no chance. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 10-13 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +23. The Action: He blocked Lopez under the hoop. He faced up and sank a wing jumper on his first attempt. He worked the post, spun and hit the jumphook with his left. He missed an open baseline jumper. He swished a turnaround on an inbounds as the shotclock went off. He picked up his second foul in transition at the end of the first and sat for Mbenga. He had 6 points on 3-4 shooting. Quick attack but he was tied up by Lopez. He scored a layup a few seconds later when Kobe attacked and set him up. He had 8 points on 4-6 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: He faced up, turned around, spun and flipped in a layup. He missed a 16-footer. He challenged a jumper, then took the outlet for a dunk. He sank a tough fadeaway over a double team on the baseline (he wanted the foul on the contact). He hit Kobe on the baseline for an And-1 layup. He sank a face-up wing jumper. He had 8 points on 4-5 shooting in the third. Quick spin around Amare in the post and he scored an And-1 against the help defender, he made the FT. He sealed Amare, took the entry and dunked. He grabbed a missed three then hit Ron cutting for a layup.

Bynum -- -- A big question coming into this game was how Drew would look. Unfortunately, he appears about as effective as last year in the playoffs. His lack of mobility was being taken advantage of on the defensive end. His lack up explosion led to a very flat-footed offensive attack. He could not easily power up from a standstill under the hoop. This Bynum is not an impact player. He has dominated the Suns in the past, just too big, too strong. He was a little more than a warm body. It wasn't the Laker size and power that killed the Suns. Pau/Bynum combined for just 3 offensive boards. Size and mobility had more impact. Lamar had 7 offensive boards. The Suns are going to focus in on attacking Bynum even more as the series goes along. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting to go with 4 boards, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He fumbled away a tough pass from Kobe in the paint. He attacked on a drive and dish from Ron and dunked with both hands. He grabbed a Lamar miss and scored it easily. He had 4 points on 2-2 shooting and 3 boards in 11 minutes. Second Half: He missed a point-blank layup, couldn't have had better position. He threw a pass away doubled down low.

Artest -- -- He played a fairly disciplined offensive game until things got a little loose and the lead was big. He only made one of his five attempts from three, but he was also standing on that three line on a couple of makes. So, his shooting from distance was a little more accurate than the stats may seem to indicate. He and JRich matched up and Ron looked to occupy him a bit offensively, but no where near what Kobe has done in the past. If the Lakers can just get a lot of leaning on him, JRich might get tired legs. JRich was the Suns leading scorer and how he goes, the Suns seem to go. He was held to 15 points on 6-12 shooting. That's not enough for them. The Suns started to get the ball to JRich on the move a little more. Look for that to continue. With the Lakers needing to rotate and switch more, Ron's team D skills might show up more in this series. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 6-14 shooting (1-5 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and no fouls in 39 minutes. The Action: He bricked a turnaround in the lane. He blocked a corner jumper on a close out on JRich. He muscled past Richardson for a layup on a drive. He drained a wing three on a kickout from Kobe. He set up Drew for a dunk on a drive and dish. He backed down JRich who fell to the floor, he missed the layup, however. Way off on a corner three. He stole the ball on the other end jumping a passing lane (he didn't push the issue on the break and the crowd appreciated it). He sank a long sideline jumper off the dribble. He found Lamar with a lob for a layup. He deflected a pass to halt a break. He sank a jumper standing on the three line. He had 9 points on 4-7 shooting and 4 boards. Second Half: He stepped behind a screen and rattled in a jumper standing on the three line. Way short on a three. He missed an open 17-footer. He missed a tough fading chuck at the FT line trying to beat the shotclock. He missed an early offense three badly. He missed a three, cut when Pau got the board and scored a layup. He posted up Dudley and drew FTs, he made one.

Fisher -- -- He didn't put up big stats, but certainly did a lot of little things out there. When Nash isn't going off for huge numbers, Fish has done his job well. His strength allows the team to switch a bit more and do battle with bigger players. Fish was constantly battling through screens and our D was rotating like mad to help. The key is to limit open looks. No matter whether you have a mistmatch, just make sure those threes are challenged and men aren't left open for layups. This results in a lot of switching. If we end up with a mismatch, then let the Suns try to beat it on iso. The Suns will get better at trying to exploit this, but it took them out of their game a bit in the first game. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 1-3 shooting (3-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals and 3 fouls in 25 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He missed an 18-footer on his first attempt. He sank an early offense jumper over Nash for the Lakers first score. He attacked Nash with aggression in transition and drew FTs, he made both. Nice pass deflection, then recovery on Nash's drive to force a shotclock violation. He crossed over Nash and drew FTs on the attack, he made one. He had 5 points on 1-2 shooting. Nash had 6 points on 2-5 shooting and 6 assists. Second Half: He missed a jumper, but got back the possession while hustling for a loose ball. Great D, turning Nash on a drive right into a waiting Lamar and it led to a Kobe breakaway dunk.

Lamar -- -- "It jumpstarted us," Phil said of Lamar's game. He came in active and aggressive to start the game. Getting more open floor space to attack to go along with the Suns lack of size also helped make that happen. He destroyed the Suns on the boards with career-high playoff numbers. Get greedy, LO, get greedy. Go for 20 boards next game. "If you offensive rebound, you can slow them down just a little bit," he said. Those offensive boards resulted in some easy shots. His speed also resulted in a couple of others. This is the LO that is deadly. It wasn't like he got hot. He just worked it. He took a couple shots to the dome in the second half and no doubt will be marked man in the next game. With Bynum struggling, they need Lamar to find his game. "I had a pretty rough first two series offensive. I just spent some time in the gym. I knew my opportunity would come," Lamar said. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 9-15 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 19 boards (7 offensive), 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +24. The Action: He pulled up on the drive, worked the pivot and went glass. He drained a wing three working off the weakside screens. He missed a layup off a nice cut away from the ball, but tipped it back in. He scored a layup off the high lob from Ron. He grabbed a missed jumper by Brown and scored the putback. He missed a baseline jumper. He ball-faked and attacked down the middle of the lane for a layup. He blew past Amare and scored a layup. He had 15 points on 7-9 shooting and 8 boards in the half. Second Half: DFish turned Nash on the drive, Lamar jumped him, stole the ball and outlet to Kobe for the dunk. He missed a three with the offense stalled. He missed a long jumphook on another confused offensive sequence. He attacked and was stripped. He got smacked in the face after recovering an offensive board. Under the hoop, he was blocked once, twice, and the third one was a goaltend off the backboard (LO versus two bigs there, just quick off the floor to recover). He took the pass over a fronting defender and scored a layup.

Brown -- -- He got the Barbosa assignment. That speed is going to be tough to hold down. In the past, only Kobe has been able to handle it. Barbosa was a -7 tonight. The Suns bench was clearly favored over the Lakers and they had their moments. Barbosa got his points efficiently and without too many miscues. Shannon has got to go to school defensively and make things much more difficult for Barbosa. The straight-line attacks are what you want to cut down on. Give the bigmen time to zone or help and we can cause problems. Don't do that and its quick layups. Of course, the Suns have to defend the other end, too. Shannon got back most of what Barbosa took. He nearly jumped over JRich on one dunk attempt. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-6 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 18 minutes. He was a +6. The Action: He picked up a foul trying to cover Barbosa on the first stand of the quarter. He missed a wing jumper. Barbosa blew past him for an And-1. He stalled the offense, eventually attacked at the wrong time, then threw a high-low pass away. He missed a pull-up jumper in transition. Second Half: He gave up a layup to Barbosa, but attacked him on the other end for an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He nearly jumped over JRich trying to throw down a Nashty dunk (like Kobe did to Nash a few years ago), he drew the blocking foul as even the officials were impressed, he made one FT. He sank a corner three in transition. He missed an iso pull-up jumper. He dunked on the breakaway.

Farmar -- -- He matched up with Goran Dragic, who has been coming into his own lately. This is a tough assignment. Farmar likes to use his hops to recover and challenge jumpers. Dragic likes to get players into the air. I'm not sure the Suns have any defenders to handle Farmar's speed, either. He got into the paint to cause problems. He sank threes to make things worse for them. If the Suns start throwing zones at the Lakers, Farmar's penetration might become even more important. Very efficient, helped set up others and didn't dominate the ball. More games like this, please. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-6 shooting (2-3 from three) to go with 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 18 minutes. He as a +8. The Action: Nice hustle after a loose ball to draw a foul. Dragic blew past him for a layup. He drained a sideline three. He sank a short jumper in the paint. Second Half: He attacked and kicked to Kobe for an open three. He drained a sideline three off a tap out from Pau. He cut baseline off the Pau handoff and scored a layup. He missed a fading baseline jumper. He tried to save a ball under the hoop, it led to FTs for the Suns. He airballed a three, then fouled in transition. He hit Shannon on the leak out for a dunk. Mbenga got him an assist by knocking down a long baseline jumper off a kickout.

Luke -- -- Luke is one of the vets on this team who got booted from the playoffs by the Suns. Remember when he started against the Suns in those playoff series? Now it's just garbage time in a Laker blowout. More, please. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting and had 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He sank his turnaround on the baseline in the Lakers final possession.

Powell -- -- Not much run for Powell, but he managed to come up with a nice highlight slam off a Kobe miss. Phil used him again to help save fouls for his bigs. When Mbenga was in there, the Lakers used him to set screens and defenders just stayed with Kobe. They may want to go more with Powell setting the screens for open pick and pops. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting, 1 board and had 1 foul in 2 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He follow dunked a Kobe missed drive. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Mbenga -- -- He came in for Pau who picked up two fouls at the end of the first and later to end the half. He set screens for Kobe and the D ignored Mbenga. In garbage time, he scratched with a baseline jumper. Defensively, his speed may help more instead of Bynum. In fact, they highlighted a DFish/Mbenga defending the screen roll on a sequence where the Lakers got a 24-second violation. DJ sent Nash wide and recovered to his man when Fish caught back up to Nash...twice on that sequence. They just need to be more finely tuned on how they integrate him offensively. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting to go with 1 board and 1 assist in 3 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: Nothing to report. Second Half: He missed a turnaround in the post. He sank a baseline 17-footer on the kickout.

Vujacic -- -- Not much of a debut. He came in for Shannon midway through the second quarter and covered Hill for a moment. It was a very brief stint before he sat again. Then he returned to foul Hill on a three at the end of the half. The Stats: He had 1 foul in 1 minute. He was a +2. The Action: Two brief stints in the second quarter. He fouled Hill pulling up for a three with 0.6 left in the half, uggh. Second Half: In again to close the final few seconds of the third.

Phil -- -- The Lakers trailed 20-15 midway through the first quarter. Lamar came in for Bynum and matched up against Frye. He gave the Lakers an immediate spark... The Lakers closed the quarter on a 16-1 run... The Lakers led 35-26 after the first, shooting 62 percent (13-21 and 3-4 from three)... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Ron, Shannon, Farmar unit. Shannon on Barbosa... Second unit was doing a poor job feeding the post, but they still took advantage of their size by grabbing offensive boards for scores... Up 43-36, Phil brought in Kobe for Ron... Up by 8, they brought in Sasha for Shannon who had picked up a couple fouls. Brief stint... Phil went to the starters with Lamar for Bynum and the lead was trimmed to 5 a couple minutes later... up by 9 again, Phil brought in Powell for Lamar and Mbenga for Pau with 1:35 left... Sasha for Mbenga to space the floor and foul three-point shooters... The Lakers led 62-55 at the half. They shot 61 percent (25-41, 4-5 from three, 8-10 from the line). The Suns shot 50 percent (19-38, 3-10 from three, 14-19 from the line). The Suns had just 2 turnovers, the Lakers 4... The Lakers got into the bonus early in the third quarter... The Lakers led 80-70 midway through the third when Bynum sat for Lamar in the usual rotation... Less than 3 minutes later, the Lakers had a 17-point lead... The Lakers won the third 31-24... They had a 93-79 lead to start the fourth quarter. The Suns bench would look to spark them to life. The Lakers bench needed to hold the line... Phil wanted to eliminate the foul trouble that the team had in the second quarter... He started a Pau, Lamar, Kobe, Shannon, Farmar unit. More mobility and three impact players. Phil wanted to match offensive firepower... They got off to an 13-8 start in the first 3 minutes of the quarter. Phil brought in Ron for Kobe up 20... They extended the lead to take the life from the Suns... Phil went to garbage-time units with 3 minutes left... The Lakers had just 9 turnovers, the Suns 10. The Lakers had 8 more boards than the Suns, but just a 12-10 advantage on the offensive glass... The Suns shot 24-32 from the line, the Lakers 18-22...

Game Flow -- LINK -- When it rained it poured. Three big runs by the Lakers. They had leads as big as 28 points.

[mhan00]

great win.

[City_Dawg]

Thanks DB
_________________
*sighs*

!...

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Complete domination!

Thanks DB!
_________________
"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[srm90]

It's been a while since we've seen one of these
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[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Entirely worth the wait. Now keep it up Lakers!

Thanks DB!!

[Fleur-de-Lis]

Thanks DB!!

Go Lakers

[thurloly]

I think if Lakers win by 200pts margin, the Suns fans will think it is fine.

We MUST WIN by 2000pts next game.

[SoCaLjAy]

Thanks DB, great write up as usual. 7 more to go for another .

[Cutheon]

Danke, DB

[OregonLakerGuy]

thanks DB

[LAkers 4 Life]

Good to see the primary bench players step it up. Odom with a monster night. Shannon and Jordan both almost were in double digit scoring. They are gonna have to continue to contribute against the Suns' deeper bench. Sasha already back to form, needlessly fouling a guy far from the basket. Not a very good debut for Sasha for 2010.

[jsi106]

very interesting insight on artest. announcers focused a lot on defensive stops, but another way to slow down sun's scoring is tiring out their legs by leaning in our offense.
since we literally have size advantage on every position, i propose we start with post up play on all offense sequences. (that's right, start the post up even at 3 pt line)

[Fleur-de-Lis]

[Tanlentueux]

[LakerEric]

GREAT AND AWESOME WIN!!!!!! GO TAKE GAME 2 THE SAME WAY!!!!! GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
_________________
Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[prisma8slg]

[limchrc]

Good win. Thanks.

[markjay]

DB, I'm one of those people who can't wait to get up early every morning to read your reviews. You never disappoint, and it's especially great to come here after a thorough beat-down like yesterday.

I rarely take the time to thank you for your great write-ups, as I can't even find an adjective to describe how terrific they are. I'm sure you have huge numbers of appreciative admirers like me who read you faithfully and are in so much awe of your writing and analysis that we seldom speak up. Thank you again!!!

[JTS1]

9 bells.

i really like the sound of that.
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'How many kids can say growing up that they'll turn pro and play for their favorite team in the world and spend your entire career there? IT'S BEEN A DREAM!'-Kobe Bryant 11.29.15

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks DB as always, ODOMINATION!

[h2omike]

Thanks for all the hard work DB, good job.

Great play by most everyone. AB could be a concern later on though.

[PopcornMachine]

[Alpha]

[Klone_dd]

No matter how much they try to convince themselves, the Suns play no defense. Nash and Amare, their 2 best players, are their 2 worst defenders. Then they try to hide JRich so that he's not too worn down to play offense. That's 3 of their starters. No wonder the Lakers shot such a high FG%.

Yep, Kobe's downright focused and therefore, very, very scary. He and LO are out to prove something to any Sun wishing this were 2006/7 again.

The bench, outside of LO, was adequate. I don't really like to see JoFar going mano-a-mano with Dragic. Just play smart.

I'm for calling any stupid foul given at the end of quarters or one more than 40 feet from the basket a "Sasha."