GRIZZLIES -at- LAKERS - 2/11 - Thoughts and :-(( ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Games You Have to Win... You can't drop a game to the Grizzlies on the second night of their back-to-back on your home floor. Even with Mihm out of the lineup, this is a game you win against an opponent you are neck and neck with. The Grizzlies were 3-12 in their last 15 games going into this one.

The Lakers played soft D early and in the last minute and saw a four-point lead disappear. The team's weak defense sent the Grizzlies to the line 42 times. We didn't penetrate with consistency and didn't get to the line quite as much, despite being at home. We knocked down 27-31 FTs, doing a solid job when we got to the line. Again, we settled for 27 threes.

The Lakers got 20 from Smush, 18 from Kwame and 14 from George. "That's as good a game as we can expect out of Kwame," Phil said in the Times. With those kinds of numbers you would think they would have taken this one. The Lakers couldn't get stops down the stretch and couldn't get scores in the last minute...and the Grizzlies edged them out. Better hope they don't edge the Lakers out of the playoffs, too.


Kobe -- -- He settled quite a bit, staying out on the perimeter and not attacking as aggressively as I would have liked to see in this game. He scored 26 points on a poor 10-28 shooting, including 1-8 from three. He hit just 5-7 FTs, grabbed 4 boards, blocked 2 shots, had 2 steals and 4 assists to 4 turnovers in 45:33 of action. Wished he would have throttled it up a bit more early and tried to get to the rim more, or posted up Eddie a bit more. He knocked down a baseline jumper for the Lakers first score. He posted up Eddie and overpowered him for a layup off the glass. He kicked out a pass to Smush for a three. He probed in early offense, got into the lane and flipped a pass through traffic to Kwame for a dunk. He found DG in transition for a wing three. He backed down Eddie in the post and drew a foul, made both FTs. He had 7 points on 2-5 shooting and 4 assists in the first half. He drilled a jumper standing on the three line to start the half. He drew Eddie's third trying to beat him off the dribble. He got the ball on the weakside wing, faced up and hit. He busted out when Lamar stole the ball and dunked on the break. He drew a foul in transition, made one FT. He was settling for jumpers for most of that third. He drained a wide open three in semi-transition. He swished a top of the key jumper coming off a Bynum screen. He missed a three, Bynum got the ball back, they swung back to Kobe, he attacked and drew FTs, making one. He attacked a few times with no call. He hit a little elbow jumper when he got into some space in the D and Devean found him. He somehow got away with a goaltend off the glass on BJax. He swished a jumper on the baseline. He had the ball poked away, tracked it down, wanted a foul and was yapping with the ref as he dribbled, he then pumped and drained a wing jumper as the shotclock went off with 1:07 left in the game. Kobe airballed trying to hit a long shot, the ball probably still in his hands as he tried to get it off with 2.1 seconds.

Odom -- -- Lamar got swatted on one of the key final possessions, driving to the hoop and not able to finish. He's still in a lot of pain, so I'm still goint to give him a pass. I would have liked to see him in the post more, but oh well. They did go to it for a key score in the fourth. Lamar scored 8 points on 2-9 shooting, grabbed 7 boards and dished 7 assists in 41:29 of play. After a quiet start, he finally posted up Battier and hit a jumphook over him. On the next play, Lamar pushed up a defensive board, attacked and missed, but Kwame dunked back the miss. Weak D, not closing out on Eddie and he gave up an open three with the shotclock low. He attacked Battier off the dribble and drew FTs. Nice swing pass to Sasha for the open three (instead of hoisting it himself). Drew a clear out foul using his length on D to contest a layup. He attacked, got tapped on an And-1 and made both FTs. He whipped a back door pass to Cook for a dunk. He stepped out and stole the ball from Chucky, then bounced a nice feed to Kobe for a breakaway dunk. Another good stepout on Chucky to force a bad pass. Nice D in transition on Chucky, using his length to roof him and swipe a pass attempt. With the Lakers struggling offensively, Lamar went to the post, got the nice post entry and scored a layup easily. He missed a jumpshot and a jumphook. He tried to attack the rim early in the offense with 42 seconds left and got swatted by Gasol.

Smush -- -- Excellent game offensively from Smush with 20 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting. He sank 3-5 threes in his 33:34 of game time. He had a few moments of some aggressive attacking in the lane, but we could have used a lot more, especially against Chucky. He played some fairly soft D and Chucky scored 18 points (on a crazy 9-12 from the line). Smush hit a three off a pinch post with Cook. He set Cook up for a three off the pick and pop. He stole a pass, pushed up the break and scored a layup. He bricked a floater off the side of the board. He threw an outlet pass away. He drew a couple FTs after getting hit under the hoop. He picked up a low pass from Kobe and swished the wing three. He was a little soft on Chucky, not contesting shots or reaching on drives instead of moving his feet. So, Phil sat him a little earlier that usual in the first quarter despite the offensive production. He swished a three from the corner. He led all Lakers with 13 points in the first half on 4-5 shooting. He attacked off a Kwame pick and hit a teardrop in the lane. He stole a pass in transition and pushed it up to Kobe who drew a foul. He curled into the lane and kicked it to George for the wide open three. He curled into the lane on the same play and drew FTs, making both. He drew fouls on a give and go and made one FT. He finished strong at the rim, busting out on the break when Luke stole the ball and hit Smsuh with a bounce pass. He reached on Chucky and got called for a foul late in the game for FTs.

Kwame -- -- Superb offensive game, but soft defensively. He couldn't stop Gasol in the first half, nor late in the game during crunch time. Gasol ended up with 31 points on 11-15 shooting, 12 boards and 7 assists. Kwame tied his Laker high with 18 points on an exceptional 6-6 from the floor and 6-6 from the line in 35:52. He also pulled down 8 boards before fouling out in the last minute. Kwame wasn't putting a body on Gasol and gave up second chance points early, he also wasn't contesting anything and Gasol was shooting over him in the first half. Offensively, Kwame started off with a fake of the low post handoff to Lamar, then attacked and scored an easy layup when his man was fooled by the handoff. He dunked Lamar's missed drive, cleaning it up easily as Lamar drew a crowd. He dunked off Kobe penetration and a dish. Good hustle off a missed Luke FT and we got the ball back. Gasol had 19 points on 8-10 shooting in the first half. In the second half, Kwame cleaned up a Kobe miss with a two-hand putback jam. He sealed Gasol, got the pass and scored the And-1 layup, and he made the FT. He drew the fourth foul on Eddie late in the third, getting players in the air in the lane and drawing FTs, making both. He swatted BJax on a drive to end the third. Late in crunch time, he and Gasol went back and forth. He sealed Gasol, got the entry feed, drew a foul and made both FTs. Gasol hit two FTs on the other end. Gasol hit a short shot over Kwame again. Kwame went back at him, up faked to draw contact and hit the And-1 over Gasol. He hit Eddie with a forearm and gave up FTs. He fouled out, giving up FTs to Gasol on an iso in the last minute. Wish he could have gotten a stop or two against Gasol down the stretch, nice to see him get it done at the other end, however.

Cook -- -- Cook got into some early foul trouble and stayed there for most of the game. Kwame fouled out and Cook came in for the final possession after a long time on the bench. With 12 seconds left, he took a quick open look off a pick and pop in the offense and missed. That hurt. Cook finished with 5 points on 2-5 shooting (1-2 from three), 3 boards, and 4 fouls in just 12:45 of action. He ran the pinch post with Smush and Smush hit a three. The two of them then ran a pick and pop and Cook drilled the three. He picked up two fouls and had to sit midway through the first quarter. He airballed a three a couple feet behind the line. He picked up another weak call, looked like he drew a charge on the baseline, so he had to sit early in the second quarter. Nice backdoor cut on Gasol, Lamar found him and Cook dunked. He then picked up his fourth and had to sit early in the third.

George -- -- Devean led the bench again, scoring 14 points on just 3-10 shooting (2-6 from three, 6-6 FTs). He also pulled down 7 boards and had 2 assists. Solid game again, one of the few not to get caught reaching or hacking throughout the game. He missed a baseline jumper. He got hit at the rim and hit both FTs. He crashed the boards, fought for it, and went back up strong to score. He drew FTs with the shotclock low on a feed from Luke. He swished a catch-and-shoot wing three in transition. He drained a three from the corner on a drive and kick from Smush. He posted up a smaller man, drew a foul and hit both FTs. He was wide open from the corner, so wide open he could have gotten into the paint before help came, instead of attacking he settled for the three and missed.

Walton -- -- He posted up and whipped a pass to George with the shotclock low and Devean drew FTs. He drew FTs pulling down a weakside board, he made one. Nice blindside steal on Gasol who was posting up George, Luke then fed a bounce pass to Smush in transition for a score. He played 9:42, a chunk at the PF spot and had 1 point, 3 boards and 3 fouls.

Vujacic -- -- Sasha scored 5 points on a poor 2-6 shooting (1-4 from three). He had 1 board, no assists and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. He missed a wide open three at the end of the first quarter off a Kobe drive and kick. He took the swing pass from Lamar and swished the wing three on his next attempt. He missed a pull-up jumper. He popped out behind a screen and hit a 20-footer. Sad transition D on Chucky, falling over and fouling him.

Bynum -- -- He got a solid 10-minute run in this game with Kwame and Cook collecting some fouls and Mihm injured. He is still not playing above the rim yet and that allowed him to get blocked on a number of shots in this game. It will come in time. Andrew picked up 5 boards in that limited time and scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting. After Cook picked up his third foul early in the second quarter, Phil brought Bynum in the game. He got the ball in the post with 3 on the shotclock, he surveyed the floor, teammates yelled for him to shoot, he turned and hit the 9-footer at the buzzer (looked like it might have still been in his hands when he shot). Nice job using his length on Gasol to contest a jumper and force a brick. He got blocked on the other end, taking too long to finish after getting a feed under the hoop. He missed a jumphook in the middle of the lane. He contested Warrick and fouled him to stop a dunk attempt, Warrick missed both. He tried to go up softly on the offensive end and got blocked. It looked like he swatted BJax who was trying to get by Kobe, but in the replay it might have been Kobe who got it (Kobe got credit for it in the stats). Nice offensive board, using his length and it led to a second-chance score. Again, he went up soft, showed the ball and was blocked. Always fun to see him out there.

Phil -- -- "Just couldn't keep people off the freethrow line in the last quarter," Phil said. They certainly didn't, nor throughout the game. Again, we managed to give up 100 points... Soft D, not contesting shots well or rotating at times... Kwame, George, Walton, Kobe, Smush lineup went on a run at the end of the half to dig us out of a hole... Phil really let them play midway through the third when the Grizzlies were making a run, not opting to call a timeout for a stretch... The Lakers shot 8-27 from three, again way too many threes and way too few attacks of the paint... That last play the Lakers drew up sure didn't net us anything. We ended up with Kobe taking too much time after getting the ball 28 feet from the hoop with 2.1 seconds left... Phil didn't want to dwell on some of the troubles we've had at home. "I'm not going to whine and moan about it," he said in the Times... Actually, that's "piss and moan", Phil...

[LakersSpirit]

I've said alot of other things, on other threads... My overall feeling is that we don't have a strong foundation, of consistent players, or players that will step it up, in crunch time.

Everyone still stands back, to watch Kobe take that last desperation shot. Kobe drew about 3 defenders, and there was a cleared out area... I thought there could have been a better last shot attempt.

Props to Kwame, for having stepped up his game.

Gasol and Atkins penetrated at will, and left Smush and Sasha flapping, like laundry on the clothesline.
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"Teamwork is a nebulous thing. It is as ephemeral as love, disappearing at the latest insult.".... Phil Jackson

[DancingBarry]

[DaggerInTheHeart]

[Klone_dd]

Well, the old saying goes, "Bad teams lose close games."

The Lakers are 12-12 in games decided by 6 pts or lessl. So, they do fit into that bad team category.

Pretty much lifeless in spurts, especially defensively. Hard to give a NKPOG when Kwame and Smush both had good offensive games, but gave it back on the defensive side. A lot has been made of Kwame's post defense. With the strength he has, he doesn't give up position, but then again he doesn't really challenge a lot of shots either. Post players who can face up, take the 15 ftr or take him off the dribble will expose Kwame more and more. Kwame may be effective against the Shaq's and Yao's, but guys like Pau, Elton and Timmy D will make life really difficult for Kwame.

Kobe also had spurts. When Eddie gets 25 and, more or less, neutralizes Kobe, Kobe didn't do his job either. Maybe he was too distracted by the whole shoe biz.

Lamar had his not great, not totally sucking usual game. I'm sure he'll get a lot of flak for his quick drive to the hoop in the closing moments, but I thought it was the right play to make. Gasol just made a better one blocking the shot. OTOH, Cookie took too quick of a shot. I'm glad he has confidence, but the Lakers could've worked for something better.

Bad way to start the homestand.

[Sage_10]

Great Job DB. I'm actually glad I missed this one. This team has to learn to defend better. Well, at least they didn't get blown out.

[Sister Golden Hair]

ISO basketball was boring and innefective when Charles Barkely did it, but at least he would get foul calls and take shots closer to the basket. It's also boring and ultimately ineffective when Kobe does it. His shots tend to be 23 footers, and if he's off, there will be no fouls called on fade away jumpers. Moreover, team continuity stagnates: everybody becomes a robot who "must-get-the-ball-into-Kobe's-hands-immediately-and-get-out-of-the-way." Then, when they actually should get a critical shots down the stretch, Lamar and Cook take them! WTF?

This team, and that includes Kobe tonight, IS BRAIN DEAD. I am so sick of Kobe going ISO for 5-6 minutes at a time. IT'S UGLY BASKETBALL. The ISO should be used sparingly and NOT be the focal point of the offense.

SGH

[tgf5]

With this win, Memphis will go on another win streak, book it.

[A Mad Chinaman]

DB - great job on a painful effort

Considering that the "Kwame, George, Walton, Kobe, Smush" combination of players were key in the 2nd half spurt - do you think that LO wasn't part of this (for this game) because his injuries prevents him from being as effective as he needs to be - whether it was for George and/or most likely Luke?

Everybody hopes that the team will start producing/closing effectively at the end of quarters/games with the practice that they are getting now. Letting other players such as Sasha get the final shots before the fourth quarter hopefully will locate the player (by playoff time) that will start to fulfill the role Robert Horry had (obviously not as effective at this time and/or juncture of their respective career of players such as Cook, Smush, Sasha, etc.) - though George and/or LO should be able to do that now. Is this something realistic for us Lakers fan to expect?!?!

[wolfpaclaker]

Kobe just had an ugly offensive game

George can't hit a shot to save his life when he's off ...

Odom needs to start attacking more - and why his shot selection at times is just moronic - Hello Dude - Post the (bleep) Up instead of driving into Gasol.

Phil - I just don't think he can continue coaching 4th Qtr's the way he is. Didn't call a timeout to set up any play (offense or defense) until the very last one.

Cookie got a good open look, but Kobe should have ran the clock down there. Again, they have to execute down the stretch and Phil seems to want them to figure it out themselves in the clutch too.

We are half game ahead of the Jazz. We face them Monday night. The Lakers need to realize that they have an oppurtunity to make the playoffs here. This is a very young team, but also a team that comes out flat on defense for long stretches. That is unexusable.

Atleast Kwame and Bynum had good games in terms of offensive rebounding and energy they were able to bring.

I'm fine with dealing Chris Mihm at this point. I'm not afraid off seeing Kwame play 34 minutes and Bynum 10.

Is anyone else worried that this team isn't any better under Phil - from where they were 2 months ago?

[Mr. EiGhTy-OnE]

[pokoy]

Phil was right in not taking solace in the fact that our schedule was "easier" with more games at home. From the get-go I had a bad feeling about this game. Grizz had no Mike Miller and on the 2nd of the back-to-back.

We've proven this year that if there is a game that we should win, we will go ahead and not win it.

I was holding out hope that we would make the playoffs as the 6th or 7th seed, but damn, I'm really starting to believe that we will miss the playoffs and give it away on the last day. Heck, I already gave up the thought of Kobe winning MVP this year.

[targetman]

[AirKobe8]

Cook is guilty on this one.
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www.lakersbrasil.com
Fan site made by me and others, dedicated to posting Laker news and articles in portuguese.

[iml84myd8s]

When Eddie Jones has a superb night against Kobe and Chucky takes the Lakers down in the 4th quarter, what else is there to say?

Eddie Jones, 7-15 fg 5-9 3-pt, 6-7 ft, 25 pts
Chucky Atkins scored 10 of the final Grizzle 20 pts to end the game!

[twoface723]

Good job.
Horrible loss. Kwame played well. Smush played well on the offensive end. Dumb play by Cook at the end, and it sucks the game was decided by a FT :roll: . Good teams win these games; If we're gonna make the playoffs, we have to start winning these kind of games NOW.

[CorkyTomjanovich]

Lakers won this game. The officials were disgusting. And thats it.
_________________
JVG FOR LAKERS HEAD COACH

[Money$hot!]

Kwame played well on one side of the ball. For all the props people give him on the defensive end, he got abused by Gasol (who is weaker and much less athletic). I think Phil's comment about this being the best game we can expect from Kwame (a lot of effort but incomplete) was actually a jibe that Kwame won't unfortunately get.

[angrypuppy]

Awful game for Kobe... his mind was definitely elsewhere last night. Not only did he lack his customary aggression, he couldn't even dribble a basketball at times without losing it. Maybe the shoe promo isn't a good thing right now.

[venicebeach]

Great job but bad loss for LA

[targetman]

Kobe did not look himself to me. He looked fine when he had the ball, but when he was walking up the court outside of the play he looked injured or tired. It was early enough in the game (and he hadn't been playing that hard) that he should have been tired.
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Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

[JBIIRockets]

anyone notice that the last time memphis won at Staples this year, it was the same final score of 100-99. you don't see that everyday.

[A Mad Chinaman]

The Lakers have to learn how to execute at the end of games. It has been stated that PJ can't continue to coach this way (note: he won't in the playoffs, like always), the players have to figure out how to win as a team. PJ has done this throughout his coaching career.

PJ looks at this as a classroom, at least up to the All-Star Break and a little beyond because he recognizes that the Lakers have more home games that allows him to practice the team on the fine adjustments that is always needed.

Cook taking that last shot is OK with me because he took it in rhythm on a "Pick & Pop."

Regarding KBrown's defense on Gasol, hopefully he was forcing him in one direction and the help defense was not happening (plausible since the Lakers' defense seemed always a step slow). Note: Gasol has good footwork that makes it easier for him to take Kwame on the perimeter - which is where he was most of the time.

Eddie Jones got hot because they realized that Kobe was playing "free safety" and knew that he would get open shots. If Smush can play better defense, Kobe wouldn't have to roam as much.

IMO - Trading Mihm wouldn't be beneficial because he wouldn't bring a bonafide scorer and why would you trade a "big" for a "big" that has to learn the "Triangle" (this doesn't make sense). Seeing the troubles at the TPups (going downhill fast), Golden State (JRich and BDavis are the Bay Area's Bomb Squad and losing), Earl Watson (not getting any PT) - chances are good for the Lakers to make the playoffs - so the question is how to shape the team so that it can go deep into the playoffs (at least one round deep)?

[LakersSpirit]

The more I think of it, the more I think we could make it to the playoffs, with the team we have... Most of our losses were pretty close games... It has, usually, come to one, or two turning points... What we do, at those critical moments, is what seems to determine the ultimate outcome... The team has to learn how to recognize those critical moments, and the correct way to react to them.

After the game with Houston, I remember thinking that "..we should realize what we did, and, effectively 'package' it..." We are not learning from our past, or we're misinterpreting our strengths and weaknesses. We have beaten some good teams, and we've fallen to some really bad teams... We're not recognizing what works, and what doesn't... Our players just seem to be reacting in the same negative ways, and hoping that things will come together, by accident... What other explanation can there be?

There have been some recent surprises, that go counter to what I say... Kwame has, surprisingly, improved most of his game. Kwame will probably never be another Shaq, but the way he handled Yao, that was really surprising. Bynum continues to show some sparks of potential, but I worry that he's not getting enough playing time, to help him improve... Oh, well, I guess there's plenty of time, with Bynum.

In a nutshell, we have what we need... We have shown that we can do alot better... We just have to recognize what we do right, and practice, practice. Our players have to get to the point where we do things almost automatically, or instinctively. Everyone has to know where everyone is, and learn to survey the floor. Get to the point where we know how to react, as ONE, in any given situation.
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"Teamwork is a nebulous thing. It is as ephemeral as love, disappearing at the latest insult.".... Phil Jackson

[A Mad Chinaman]

The Lakers should take to heart the advice that Phil Jackson gave to Kwame Brown, which is listed below:

"In basketball, there's only a couple players that have the latitude to be everything, to be able to handle the ball, to be able to take the shots they want to take," he said. "The ones that don't have great performance history, they have to shorten their game down until they find an ability somewhere to expand it. Until he has some success in the shortened version, then he'll find a way to expand the other area of his game, which will give him more latitude."
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep12feb12,1,878711.story

If so, maybe the the players could focus on the following:

** LO - Set-up the team's offense (translation: being in position to make it easier for the other players to score which includes driving the paint that forces the opposing team's defense to collapse while NOT SETTLING for 3 point shots) and solid "d"
** Mihm - Good "d" in the paint while making open "j's"
** Smush - Making open "j's" and making it hard for PGs to penetrate the paint so that the Lakers' defense doesn't have to always collapse while collecting needless fouls
** Cookie - Making open "j's" and providing defense in the paint
** Brown - Defense in the paint and making layups
** George - Solid "d" and hitting open "j's"
** Sasha - Tenacious "D" while making open "d"
** Luke - Getting teamates involved with good team "d"
** Green - Provide "d" and energy
** Bynum - Providing "d" in the Paint and energy
** Von Wafer - Solid/Energic "d" & making open "j's"
** McKie - Team "d" and making open "j's"
** Turiaff - Energy and "D"
** Slava - Waking up (gone for the season)

** Team - concentrate on shortening its "game" (i.e. LESS 3 point shots) until they find the ability to expand (starting with DEFENSE) their respective team ability to play together to WIN. Until the team takes to heart PJ's above-listed advice - which is maybe the reason why PJ has been allowing the team to make mistakes so that it will recognize by itself what it cannot do without the coaches constantly harping on them - ala Larry Brown, which is not the best situation