MAVS -vs- LAKERS - 7/23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

 
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:03 pm    Post subject: MAVS -vs- LAKERS - 7/23 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

The Bubble... Welcome to 2020 … situation normal all (bleep)ed up.

The Lakers attempted to resume their season today. It was just a scrimmage, but it’s a rather extraordinary thing given the state of America.

The pandemic rages with 140,000 souls lost in the U.S. alone. The country floats adrift, not without a rudder but without a capable captain at the helm. Consciousness rises by the day as people raise fists, take knees and challenge a seemingly endless appetite for brutality and ignorance.

So we cherish the little things -- a round ball on hard wood. Two teams playing a simple game in not so simple times.

In the post game press conferences, they talked not about the game but of justice for Breonna Taylor. If it bothers you that your NBA game is a platform for social justice, no one is sorry for your terrible inconvenience. Carry on. Enjoy your evening as usual. Situation normal...

LeBron was asked by a reporter about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I don’t like the word movement,” he said. “In America and society there ain’t been no damn movement.”

Anthony Davis spoke through his purple face mask.

“We can talk about it but at the same time we want to see action,” he said.

Coach Vogel stayed on point.

“We have to stay on message and strengthen the message,” he said. And they did.

It’s quite the balancing act that the NBA has to pull off -- extraordinary safety precautions, confronting social justice without being a distraction, and trying to resume the business of basketball.

All things considered, they did pretty damn well.


LeBron -- -- A little gray beard going on the fringes. Has it been that long?!! He kind of felt the game out early on then got more aggressive in the second quarter attacking the paint. He had one breakaway where he went end to end on two dribbles for the dunk. He may have the gray in the beard, but he’s looking as athletic as ever. His playmaking and timing picked up where he left off. His leadership will be more important than ever. The team lost home court advantage with the restart. They will lose the intensity of screaming fans. LeBron’s understanding of the right mindset and focus to win a ring will be much needed. You could see him barking out orders and staying on task. He and AD helped push the team to an 11-point lead in the first half before sitting the rest of the game. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-6 shooting (4-4 from the line, 0-1 from three) to go with 3 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a +12.

Davis -- -- The perimeter shot looked smooth. He sank a face-up on the wing, an elbow turnaround and hit a three. He finished around the rim a couple times. Once facing up, attacking baseline and scoring. Another time, taking a lob from and he challenged shots in the paint and out on the perimeter. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-7 shooting (1-2 from the line, 1-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +10.

Green -- -- Good minutes from Green, sinking a couple of threes, attacking and banking in a runner. Like AD and LeBron, he only played one half. Anytime you can get 8 points in a half from him, that’s plenty of production. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 3-5 shooting (2-4 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 assist and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a +6.

McGee -- -- JaVale had one stint in the first half and another in the second half with the bench starting. Teammates did a good job setting him up around the rim. LeBron, KCP and Kuzma all had lob passes to him. McGee’s game relies on that playmaking and dribble penetration. We lost two guards, but the playmaking certainly looked good enough for him to have a successful scoring night in his limited action. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-8 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards and 3 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a -8.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- Kenny gets into the starting lineup with Bradley not opting to play. KCP played there earlier in the season, and they went 17-3 with him rolling with the starters. He went to the locker room with a rolled ankle early on. It seemed very minor and he returned in the second quarter for Waiters. He only took one shot and missed, but had some moments with playmaking, finding AD and McGee with lobs for dunks. He seems to pick up momentum as the season goes along. Hopefully, that happens quickly with the restart. I want to see that three ball falling and falling at a high rate. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-1 shooting from three to go with 2 assists, 1 steal and no fouls in 17 minutes. He was a -2.

Kuzma -- -- Subbed in for McGee midway through the first quarter as the Lakers first substitution. The team had the 5-out look as a result and ran very little of the two bigman lineups. It wasn’t an efficient outing from him, but there are some things to like here. First, the passing felt comfortable and in the flow. I recall only one play I thought was a pass he should have made and didn’t (and had already made a couple of times). He was looking for his bigs on lobs and found McGee on one. Second, he played the SF this game and was able to put pressure on the rim. Let’s see how that holds up from the SF spot. I thought his jumper looked smooth (made one of two threes), but shot selection was only so-so. I’ll be curious to see how he and Waiters mesh. I think it will likely work better than Rondo/Kuzma, whom I felt struggled. Rondo allowed the D to cheat quite a bit which impacted the second units. Waiters aggressiveness may keep defenses scrambling, which Kuz can take advantage of. Just one scrimmage, but some things to watch for already. Defensively, we used hi length on Doncic for some stretches. Not an easy assignment for anyone. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-13 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 22 minutes. He was a -5.

Howard -- -- A pretty typical sort of Dwight game. He crashed the offensive glass, got set up by teammates, got sent to the line, hustled. All the things we saw and loved from him previously. I am really, really curious to see how he and Waiters mesh. Dwight really thrives when our guards pressure the rim. Waiters had a great setup on a drive and dish dump off to Dwight in one sequence. But just having Waiters as a threat to shoot off those Dwight screens can really cause some issues for the D that Rondo didn’t bring. Keep an eye on this. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-7 shooting (3-5 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), steals and 3 fouls in 14 minutes. He was a -8.

Waiters -- -- Dion missed the Staples crowd. They would have been cheering loudly for every one of his scores. That kind of welcome for new players doing well is easy to forget when all you get is some ambient fan noise in the background. He came in for Green with a couple minutes left in the first quarter. In those stretches where LeBron sits and we need playmaking or when LBJ comes back, but lets others bring the ball up...that’s a key role that needs to be filled. I’ve wanted a more aggressive scoring guard in the second unit as it can activate Dwight and doesn’t let the D sag and bog things up. Great to be able to integrate him in a preseason like setting. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-7 shooting (2-2 from the line, 1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a -4.

Dudley -- -- In for LeBron after 8 minutes and he went on a long stretch of run. This moved Kuzma to SF full time whenever Kuz was out there. It also gave us more 5-out minutes. I picture this being Morris’s minutes to provide more length defensively, so I wouldn’t read a whole lot into this yet. The Stats: He scored 1 point on 1-2 from the line to go with 4 boards, 2 assists and 2 fouls in 11 minutes. He was a +2.

Cook -- -- In as first quard off bench for KCP when he tweaked something on a pass off. With Caruso out, I imagine these rotation minutes will likely go to AC instead of Cook. Caruso and KCP will tag team the defensive assignments at the guard spots. Cook just won’t be getting 20 minutes unless we’re sitting someone like tonight. Good outing for Cook, for sure. He got to the rim for some layups that had the bench on their feet, including a coast-to-coast drive and another spinning scoop in traffic. I can see moments where maybe Waiters isn’t getting it done that we roll out Cook for some shooting, but I still think Vogel likely has him as the deep bench guard despite the sub pattern in this one. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists and 1 foul in 20 minutes, He was a -4.

Smith -- -- He came in during the second half. He hasn’t played in a game since November of 2018 and looked winded. Other than that and some missed defensive assignments, it was hard to tell he hasn’t been on the court for such a long time. He had a good read to Dwight spinning for a lob. He scored on an And-1 layup and hit a three. I’m not expecting much from this signing, but with both him and Cook, I think you can go to them in a pinch in the heat of the playoffs and both won’t shrink from the spotlight. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-5 shooting (1-4 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 1 board, 2 assists and 1 steal in 14 minutes. He was a -13.

Horton-Tucker -- -- Prior to this game, he had 5 minutes of action in the league. Barely enough time to break a sweat. He came in with 3 minutes left in the third. The young guys probably are at an advantage with no big crowds to make them more nervous. You can see how much his body has changed over the course of a year. Now, he’s a thin guard with a big wingspan and gigantic hands that allow for some clever finishing around the rim. I still think he’s too green to be a part of the rotation, but if we clinch the top seed quickly, he may get some run. I love the minutes he’s out there, though. He shows good confidence and aggression, which is nice to see from a young player. He’s going to be a tough cover as he gets more and more reps. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-6 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a -9.

Cacok -- -- Came in to start the fourth and showed the motor. The hustle got him 4 boards and 4 freethrow attempts. He didn’t make a field goal. Hard to read a lot into his minutes. The speed of the game seemed fine to him, but maybe the size had him rushing a little bit. He missed a three that he didn’t hesitate on letting fly. Like that confidence. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 0-4 shooting (3-4 from the line, 0-1 from three) to go with 4 boards (2 offensive) and 1 steal in 10 minutes. He was a -1.

Antetokounmpo -- -- In with over 5 minutes to go. He had a layup in transition and drew some freethrows. He still seems too thin for how they play him in the paint, but the length causes problems. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 1-5 shooting (3-6 from the line) to go with 1 board in 5 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: Fouled on putback attempt. FTs working the post. Trans layup.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: Obviously, Caruso not playing due to the back contusion. That’s Vogel’s secret weapon. I will be interested to see how he deploys AC in our regular rotation. I wasn’t too thrilled with some of the long stretches without him earlier in the season. But with Rondo and Bradley out, all the rest we got, AC will get in with more regularity.

Key Substitution: He sat a trio of starters for the second half and the Lakers slowly gave up the lead. It was deep bench the rest of the way.

Key Stat: The Lakers had 10 steals, but strangely no blocks tallied in this one. They’ve dominated the shot blocking numbers all season. The intensity wasn’t quite there as it had that preseason feel to it. Oh and in case you are wondering, the Lakers lost 108-104.
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Killakobe81
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:06 pm    Post subject:

Thanks, DB! Agree wholeheartedly and hope my boy AC fresh can handle a larger role.
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Dr. Laker
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:14 pm    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:05 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB. Laker ball again, whoo hoo, I'm re-watching the game again!

LeBron's bald patch on the back of his head and that grey showing up in his beard, looking like a grandpa, LOL. But a spry grandpa.
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HermosaJoe
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:41 pm    Post subject:

".........but without a capable captain at the helm."

???
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Batguano
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:21 am    Post subject:

HermosaJoe wrote:
".........but without a capable captain at the helm."

???


"Orange Man Bad"
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expertla
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 2:00 am    Post subject:

Batguano wrote:
HermosaJoe wrote:
".........but without a capable captain at the helm."

???


"Orange Man Bad"


Yeah...

CCP captain, Good
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pio2u
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:22 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB!
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defense
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:34 am    Post subject:

HermosaJoe wrote:
".........but without a capable captain at the helm."

???


He probably means someone a little less sociopathic and senile
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Texas_Pete
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 4:36 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. It feels so good to see your write ups again.

I like the construction of this team better now than opening night. Kief, Dion, and Kuz will be deadly off the bench - with Dion showing he can not only generate shots for others, he can stroke it as well. Then when we add Caruso to that mix, look out.

Only complaint: Bron needs to shave his head. His hair looks turrible.
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TooMuchMajicBuss
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:28 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB! Great to see your T&R's again!



Here's to hoping, on a lot of fronts, including Laker basketball.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:04 am    Post subject:

Haven't been in the lounge for a long time. Glad there's a reason again. Let's bring the Larry O'Brien back to Staples.

I was glued to the post game presser. It will probably be the topic on sports talk shows today. It'll most likely get positive reviews in that forum. I wonder who the flak will come from in main stream media?

LeBron is on 2 missions.

The team as a whole looked great. If Dion plays as he did with consistency we'll bring the Larry O'Brien home . The dubbed crowd noise made the lack of fans a little more bearable.
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Last edited by jodeke on Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:50 am; edited 1 time in total
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danzag
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:39 am    Post subject:

I've missed my Lakers.
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LFsnz67
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:56 am    Post subject:

Well said DB, thanks
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 8:30 am    Post subject:

HermosaJoe wrote:
".........but without a capable captain at the helm."

???


Perhaps, another boat analogy about our leadership dealing with covid.

We are all in a row boat right now and the man in charge isn't helping, because everyone is rowing in different directions.
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 8:35 am    Post subject:

jodeke wrote:
Haven't been in the lounge for a long time. Glad there's a reason again. Let's bring the Larry O'Brien back to Staples.

I was glued to the post game presser. It will probably be the topic on sports talk shows today. It'll most likely get positive reviews in that forum. I wonder who the flak will come from in main stream media?

LeBron is on 2 missions.



It was interesting the press didn't even bother asking a basketball question. The context this game was played under is certainly the whole story of this one.
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LakerSD
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:34 pm    Post subject:

It’s good to have this thread back
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jodeke
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 1:47 pm    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
jodeke wrote:
Haven't been in the lounge for a long time. Glad there's a reason again. Let's bring the Larry O'Brien back to Staples.

I was glued to the post game presser. It will probably be the topic on sports talk shows today. It'll most likely get positive reviews in that forum. I wonder who the flak will come from in main stream media?

LeBron is on 2 missions.



It was interesting the press didn't even bother asking a basketball question. The context this game was played under is certainly the whole story of this one.

Yep. No mention of COVID-19, no fans, face masks, possibility of not completing the season. This is the first post game presser I remember that dealt almost completely with social issues. I wish they'd aired more of Bron barking defenses and calling offensive plays. I'd take that over the dubbed fan and announcers. I guess it would be difficult because of the language used by players during games.
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 3:04 pm    Post subject:

LakerSD wrote:
It’s good to have this thread back


I was so rusty. Since I changed up how I was doing this post at the beginning of this year, it took me a bit to remember exactly how I went about "watching" a game and note taking. There were also so many replacement players, I didn't want to read too many things into what was going on on the floor. It was just weird all around, but good to get the engine started again.

Second and third game we can start feeling out the new stuff a little more, but possibly some cool tweaks to personnel and usage that should make for interesting discussion as they get reps.
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