BULLS -at- LAKERS - 11/23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Bench... Before he joined the Lakers, Shannon Brown showed the occasional flash of spark off the bench. He'd have a flurry every now and then that would stagger an opponent. Then, he'd fade to the background once again.

He never found a home or a true role with a team.

Matt Barnes has been the epitome of a player without a home. He has floated from team to team. He's never earned the long-term, lucrative contract and has seemingly always had his bags packed. Why?

He never found a home. Perhaps, he has now.

Steve Blake has gone from Washington to Portland, Denver, Milwaukee, Portland again, and to the Clippers before finally truly arriving in L.A. with the Lakers.

Together, these three journeymen have become one of the league's most formidable benches early in the season -- The Killer B's.

Their games mesh. They thrive in the system. They give this team an entirely new dimension.

"This bench has been the constant for this team this year," Chris Webber said afterward. They were constant last year. Unfortunately, it wasn't the good kind.

Last year, they took the life from the team. This year, they're taking it from their opponents.

They outscored the Bulls bench 39-10, and Phil left all three of them out there to close the game for a 98-91 win against the feisty Chicago team. Shannon led the charge with 21 points, including 18 in the first half. The bench made nine threes, including three straight during a critical juncture midway through the fourth. The bench simply comes to play.

"This year we just click," Shannon said.


Kobe -- -- He's got to love having some damn good three shooting around him. Phil let the Killer B's close with Kobe and Pau. As good as they have been, they thrive off the attention drawn by others. Kobe and Pau get a lot of that. Kobe led the team with 5 assists and collapsed the D on a number of occasions to help the offense flow. He and Lamar teamed up a number of times for some of LO's scores. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 8-18 shooting (1-2 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 1 foul in 37 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He sank an elbow jumper to start the game. He drew FTs on a 15-footer, he made both. He sank a pull-up three in transition. He got backdoored for a dunk. He missed a 16-footer. He posted up Brewer and scored with his left around the help. He missed a lefty jumphook. He airballed a turnaround jumper from the wing. He sank an And-1 on a step through in the paint, he made the FT. He missed a baseline turnaround. Second Half: He popped out of a crowd under the hoop and swished the fallaway. He set up Lamar off the screen-roll for a layup. He posted up, then set up Lamar for a layup. He swished a tough sideline fallaway to just beat the shotclock. He slammed on the breaks, spun and hit the baseline fallaway. He airballed a pumping 18-footer with the shotclock about to expire. He missed a long three. He drained a turnaround elbow jumper over Deng. He missed a baseline fallaway. He got tapped on an elbow fallaway. Tough wing jumper with Deng on him and he missed. He wound the clock down, attacked and missed a layup, Pau cleaned up the dribble penetration to ice it.

Gasol -- -- The law of averages tried to catch up with Pau in this one after his perfect outing. To be fair, Noah played some fine defense on Pau. He was actively knocking away post entries for steals and challenging Pau extremely well on others. Pau still led the team with a +11. There's simply no way we can leave him off the floor very much in some games. Tonight, Rose was getting into the paint with ease and Pau had his hands full trying to anchor. He did swat 5 shots and had a few other very good challenges, but Rose is tough in the paint. The team had to have Pau's size in there to shore up the boards. Offensively, the Lakers struggled to get the ball to Pau cleanly to start the game (some fronting, some problems with Pau sealing). He saw few post up early and struggled with the ones he had later. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 3-10 shooting (6-8 from the line) to go with 11 boards (4 offensive), 4 assists, 2 steals, 5 blocks, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 42 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: Two post entries were stolen from him. He threw a pass away, layup on the other end. He couldn't hit on a short one-hander. He drew FTs on the post entry and scored for the first time with 2 minutes left in the first quarter, he made both FTs. He slammed off the bounce pass from Blake. He set up Artest for a layup with an interior bounce pass. He drew FTs getting hit in the paint, he made one. Second Half: He didn't roll strong to the hoop and Kobe's pass that was leading him went out of bounds. He drew FTs off the interior feed from Kobe, he made both. He cleaned up a missed layup from Ron. He was blocked on a turnaround jumper. He fumbled away a post up. He missed a wide open FT jumper. He missed a layup cutting weak to strong, Lamar cleaned it up. He drew FTs out of a timeout, getting sandwiched, he made one. He missed a bank from the left block. Out of a timeout, we had Pau making a post entry pass to Kobe, it was picked off. He missed a putback off Kobe penetration, but tapped it in to ice the game in the final minute.

Lamar -- -- He put up big numbers, but was stuck on the bench as Phil went with the hot lineup. It was the right call, but just credits the second unit's special play even more. And to think, Lamar will be going back on that bench to fortify when Bynum returns. Last year, the bench depth lived and died with whether Lamar was on it. Some nice sequences between LO and Kobe in this game that earned Lamar some easy hoops. While a lot of credit goes to Kobe for drawing the D and finding his men, Lamar's off-ball activity is also a key. He's not standing around, he's aggressive and moving. It makes all the difference and is why he's getting more of these big number games this season even without hitting threes. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-13 shooting (0-1 from three, 7-7 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 34 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He missed a 17-footer. He missed a layup in the post. He scored an And-1 layup off the Fish steal, he made the FT. He attacked baseline and drew FTs. He bricked a step-back jumper. He drained a face-up wing jumper. He missed an off-balance 5-footer. He was blocked on the next possession. He missed a corner three. Second Half: He drew FTs trying to jam back an Artest miss, he made both. He scored a layup off the two-man sequence with Kobe. He scored a layup off the cut and pass from Kobe. He cut to take a Kobe pass, pivoted in traffic and flipped a layup in over his head. He attacked right, spun left and scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He nearly ripped down the rim on an And-1 throwdown off a Pau miss, he made the FT.

Artest -- -- Ron spent time on Rose to start the halves to cover for DFish. He did a pretty decent job. At least the bleeding seemed to come more at the hands of others. Offensively, he and fish combined for 1-14 shooting (0-5 from three). Because of the weak bench last year, the Lakers had to suffer through that and win games ugly. Phil had options tonight and used them. Again in this game, Ron makes a play on D that only he makes in this league. He was being posted up, seemed to give up the angle for an easy layup, but his quick hands from behind ripped the ball away on the block to save a hoop. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 1-8 shooting (0-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He missed a three. He couldn't power up a putback attempt. He picked up a couple fouls and had to sit after 4 minutes. He blocked a post up from behind. He scored a layup off the interior bounce pass from Pau. Second Half: He missed a layup on a post seal, but Lamar cleaned it up. He passed up a clean three for an off-balance wing jumper. He attacked baseline and was hit with no call on a layup attempt, Pau cleaned it up. He missed a corner three. He missed a corner three from the other side shortly later.

Fisher -- -- Phil put Ron on Rose to start the halves, saving Fish from some of the Rose Parade down the paint. Late in the game, he kept Fish on the bench again as the second unit guards closed. He's done that a few times this season and seems to be getting more and more comfortable with that. In some of the Lakers tougher, close games, too. DFish couldn't connect on anything offensively. Defensively, he actually had some very nice moments in transition. Again, he's one of the best in the league at stopping numbers on the break by himself. The Stats: He had 4 points on 0-6 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 24 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed a baseline jumper. He was blocked once on an attack, got it back and drew FTs, he made both. He deflected a pass to ignite a transition score for Lamar. He missed a three. He missed a baseline jumper. He stopped another break with a steal. He missed a chuck from 21 feet in early offense. Second Half: He drew FTs on a bustout, he made both. He was blocked on a reverse attempt.

Blake -- -- Quietly, he just goes about his game, then, bam...he buries a couple of big threes midway through the fourth. His only two attempts from beyond the arc and his only points, but staggering blows for the Bulls. When they wanted to collapse and help on the Laker one-two punch, Blake did his part to make them pay. "That's the old danged if you do, danged if you don't," said Kevin McHale after this game. That's what the triangle thrives on. If you take something away, you need players to make them pay. Defensively, Phil had thrown a variety of defenders on Rose. What eventually had to happen was some very solid team D. The second unit hustled, rotated and just dug in despite being under siege. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-3 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He worked the two-man game to set up Pau for a dunk. He missed a wing jumper. He deflected a pass on the other end. Second Half: He drained a long wing three with the shotclock low and under 6 minutes remaining. Great effort diving with Noah to keep a loose ball from him on one end, trailing the break on the other he sank a wing three.

Barnes -- -- We've given him praise for his three shooting, rebounding and constant effort. Tonight, another part of his game deserves mention -- his defensive flexibility. Phil used him on Rose for some stretches, trying to get some length to help counter the speed a little. Then he slid Barnes over to defend the PF in a small-ball Laker lineup. That's how they closed the game. Hard to take minutes away from Lamar who had 21 points, but Phil went with the hot lineup to close. One of the biggest factors to winning a championship is having that defensive flexibility. You never know when foul trouble or an ankle twist or ejection might strike, but being able to switch gears defensively and survive is a vital aspect of winning in the post season. The other nice thing that having Barnes at PF can give you is some floor spreading on the offensive end. Normally, Kobe and Pau could go to work with that, but credit some good Bull D that made life a little tough for them. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-8 shooting (2-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block and 2 fouls in 31 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He missed a corner jumper. He swatted a shot out of bounds. He drained a wing three. He missed a corner three. He scored a layup crashing the glass off the Kobe airball. Second Half: He missed a reverse, looking for a foul call. He missed a wing three. He hit Shannon on a kickout for three. He attacked strong down the lane and drew FTs on the next possession, he made both. He drained a corner three with the shotclock winding down.

Brown -- -- The Upgrade at backup SG earned himself some more big minutes tonight with some sensational shooting once again. While the Lakers struggled offensively in the first half, Shannon was again killing it from beyond the arc. Just straight up on fire in the first half. He had to take a heatcheck or two just to see how hot he was. Shannon has said he's just trying to make the game simple. He's said he's not try to do too much, just taking the open shot and making the right plays. This offense allows him to do that. He knows where the shots are going to come from. He's put the work in with that in mind and now he's playing like a complete ball player. He also wanted to credit his bench mates this year as well. "The chemistry and camaraderie has been amazing," Shannon said. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-14 shooting (5-10 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a +7. The Action: He drained a long, high-arching, challenged three at the end of the first. He sank a wing three to start the second quarter. He missed a bank from the right side (I'd love to see this become a money shot for him off the pinch post with his hops). He attacked down the lane and scored the And-1 layup, he made the FT. He sank a wing three on a skip pass from Kobe. He sank a three off the two-man game with Kobe (a good challenge on the shot, too). He attacked in transition and was fouled on a throwdown attempt, he made one FT. He missed a heatcheck three. He blocked a shot from behind. He switched, jumped the passing lane and scored a bustout layup. He had 18 points in the first half. Second Half: He missed a two-for-one attempt from three. He just missed a tough, leaning pull-up three at the buzzer in transition. He attacked and lost or passed the ball to Caracter for the layup. He bricked a layup in transition, he had Barnes wide open if he would have dumped it off to him under the hoop. He drained a three straight away off a kickout. Sensational help D block on Rose point blank, but the refs gave Rose two FTs (critical juncture with 2 minutes left). He missed a corner three.

Caracter -- -- Phil stole a couple of minutes in for DC early in the fourth quarter. Not an easy time for a rook to play, but he managed to get a score and a sweet help D rejection (as well as a couple of fouls). That gave Pau some much needed rest and bought the Lakers a little time. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting to go with 1 block and 2 fouls in 2 minutes. He was a -2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He got lost on an up fake to give up a layup to Gibson. He scored a layup off a pass or airball in the paint from Shannon. Great rejection on the other end to save a sure layup, he popped off his man and swatted Deng badly.

Phil -- -- Phil seemed to tighten up the rotation tonight facing a top tier team... He went to Barnes early with Artest in foul trouble... Tied 18-18, the rest of the Killer B's came in... They were tied 26-26 after the first... Same Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake lineup that finished the first, started the second... Phil went to Barnes at PF and brought in Kobe... Halfway through the quarter up by 5, Phil went to a Lamar, Artest, Kobe, Shannon, Fisher unit... Shannon was on fire... The Lakers led 51-49 at the half, despite shooting 39 percent... The Lakers ran off an 8-0 run that forced a Bull timeout to start the third... They got into the bonus just 3 minutes into the quarter... The 10-point lead was trimmed to 4 and Phil called a timeout to insert Barnes for Ron... Phil finally brought Shannon in with 2 minutes left in the third, the Lakers up just 2 (a 16-9 Bulls run)... The Lakers led 74-73 heading into the fourth... Phil started a Pau, Lamar, Barnes, Brown, Blake unit. Same lineup that closed the third. Same rotations as in the second quarter... He changed that a minute into the quarter, bringing in Caracter to run at the C for Pau... After 2 minutes, he sat Caracter for Pau and brought in Kobe at SF, sliding Barnes to PF... A 7-0 run for the Lakers to take a 5-point lead midway through the quarter with this small lineup... A Blake three forced a Bulls timeout. Out of that, the Lakers hit more threes by Barnes and another by Blake to force another timeout. The Killer B's helped the Lakers stretch the lead to 95-83... The Lakers shot 40 percent from the floor (and from three). They also sank 89 percent from the line (24-27)... The Killer B's went 9-17 from three...

[mhan00]

great win.

[Mel Rose]

Thanks, DB, quality win & an entertaining game. Oh, and congrats to Pau for his 6,000 rebound.
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Insert something smart here.

[LakerLanny]

DB, you hit it on the head....Blake, Brown and Barnes have been unbelievable so far this season.

If they keep playing at this level, it is very hard to picture any team beating the Lakers 4 times in a 7 game series.
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Love, Laker Lanny

[thurloly]

[mhan00]

gotta love how our defense is shoring up now. whenever someone not named derek fisher covered rose in the second half, he couldn't just get a straight line running start at our bigs and had trouble. ugly game for both fish and pau (more than ugly, really) on the offensive end, but at least pau brought it defensively tonight. some great challenges in the paint tonight.

[Dr. Laker]

[Fleur-de-Lis]

And to think that Barnes literally fall into our lap by chance. Basketball Gods are firmly on Lakers' side.
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Winning recipe: Effort, Intensity, Focus, Composure, Patience, Execution, Attention to detail, Discipline & Persistence

[Tanlentueux]

Thanks, DB. Your work is priceless. Merci beaucoup mon ami. Longue vie a toi et a ta famille.

[Nobody]

Solid win, great play by Lamar, Kobe and especially the bench! After they blew the game wide open with that 12-2 run I was certain it was over... but damn, Rose is unbelievable, wow, I'll have to watch more Chicago games.

Anyway, on to Utah, hope Pau bounces back strong, which I'm sure he will.

[All Net]

Thanks DB great work

39 bench points...amazing stuff.

[caesar]

Opinion...Barnes fits in this system perfectly, don't think he would look this good in Miami, Orlando, even Boston, SA...opinion?

[Crazy Like Ron Artest]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. I missed the game again . I see that Rose went for 30 (on 25 shots). I read that Blake was on him in the 4th. Looking at the play by play, Rose only had 3 points in the 4th: via FTs. Maybe Blake is that "doberman" we've been craving for?

[prisma8slg]

Thanks DB.

we have a very deep team and the bench definitely came through tonight.
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"I define success by championships, by winning..." Kobe Bryant

"I've seen it all. Sasha dunked on somebody," Kobe Bryant said. "I'm ready to retire now."

[hoopschick29]

Orlando was dumb to let a tough guy like Matt go. They brought him there to be a reserve, he ends up starting 50+ games for them, and then they don't want to pay him anything.
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So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.

[revgen]

^They didn't want Trevor either. Matt and him are both similar, so go figure.
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I Recommend VLC Player: http://www.videolan.org/

[hoopschick29]

And Joakim Noah....I would trade Drew for him in a heartbeat straight up.
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So glad we gave you your flowers while you were here, Kobe.

[limchrc]

thanks

[RCS926]

[RCS926]

Great job DB, and great game from both teams last night. As good as Chicago looked last night, I still think they wouldn't pose much of a challenge if both teams were at full strength. Boozer would help the Bulls against just about any other team, but against the Lakers, I think he would get exploited by our big frontline. With Drew in the lineup, Pau would be able to feast on Chicago's 4s.

As for our bench, you have to love the grit that the Killer Bs have shown this year. Blake and Barnes are proven warriors, and you can see that it has rubbed off on Shannon who is much more tenacios defensively this year than he was last year.

[DancingBarry]

[Boybees]

[BigEvil]

Awesome as always DB.

A few observations:

Pau really looked tired last night. I wonder if the heavy minutes are catching up to him? Maybe he's sick. But he definitely looked tired and low energy. Still you gotta' give some credit to Noah, he ain't no scrub and he's made of hustle.

Shannon this year is a completely new player. Yes his shooting has been amazing, but his handles have come a long way as has his decision making. But another thing that should be acknowledged is his poise. He has been playing better and during meaningful minutes, making the right plays and keeping his cool.

While this still still occasionally falls into the complacency trap, Barnes' energy has really kept them from prolonged spells.

Why is the bench so good? Farmar has taken his "talents" to Jersey and Brown and Blake have kept Sasha on the pine. The Killa' B's play unselfishly and with energy and don't pout when they don't get their stats. That is harmony. That is an effective team. I can't wait for LO to join them. We'll have a "Showtime" bench!

[mhan00]