LAKERS -at- PISTONS - 12/20 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Road Warriors... You arrived through the night to a world of Mad Max -- diesel, metal, noise and speed. Fuel is scarce here, along with everything else, and many of the vehicles have been converted to run on wood-burning gasifiers. Two of them drive menacingly along the banks, their passengers gesturing for you to come ashore.

An explosion ripples across the ground. You can feel the shockwave in your bones. Your pursuers peel off toward a cloud of rising smoke. You take the opportunity to head to the riverbank, getting as close as you can to the site of the explosion before jumping off.

The smoke comes from a large structure with the word "Palace". The "P" dangles precariously and someone has spray painted an "M" in its place...to apparently misspell the word "Malice."

Ah, TruWarier has been here. You hear it in the whispers that go silent when you glance in their direction. You see it in the way people scatter. You find in the results.

Inside the quiet Palace, you come across the smoldering remains of automobiles. A flaming tire rolls from the metal carnage and topples at your feet. On the whitewalls is a message from DancingBarry:

The Horsemen were here. They jumped their opponent, stealing the keys to their vehicles before they could start them up. Then they lit the cars on fire one by one and headed home.

I will continue to track them.

They arrived in Detroit at 4 a.m., fighting through the snowstorms, scheduling and any fatigue from playing ball less that 24 hours earlier. Detroit greeted them with an injury-riddled lineup, and the Lakers happily took to beating them down, 93-81.

It wasn't that close. The Lakers built a big lead, hoped to hand it off to the bench and sit out the fourth. It was the bench, however, who didn't play with the energy or smarts that Phil and company were hoping for.

The Lakers scored just 10 points in the fourth, yet still seemed to cruise to the win. Unfortunately, the starters had to return to restore order.

Both Kobe and Ron both had season highs in steals, the two combining for 11 takeaways.

"Ron was particularly outstanding by his ball-hawking and stealing the ball," Phil said afterward. The Piston fans were hoping to give Ron some added ribbing in addition to the usual grudge they hold for the "Malice at the Palace." With his recent comments about wanting to fight Ben Wallace in a pay per view event after his career is over, they grumbled when Ron touched the ball but that was about it.

What else could they do? He was taking them apart, not only leading the Lakers with 6 steals, but also 9 assists.

After struggling out of the gates with injuries and illness in the first game of the road trip, the Lakers swept the remainder of their opponents. Schedule-wise, that's about what was expected looking at the level of opponents and the back-to-back situations.


Kobe -- -- Kobe and Artest were causing all kinds of problems in the passing lanes for the Pistons. They had 11 of the Lakers 15 steals. That's getting after it. Of course, they didn't have to deal with Hamilton and Gordon, so they may have been a little more aggressive. But in a game where Phil wanted energy, they certainly led by example. It looked like Kobe tweaked his finger briefly on a reach, but he played normally the remainder of the game. After the first game in Utah where he looked nothing like himself, he sure bounced back nicely the remainder of the road trip. It doesn't look like there's a shot he can't hit despite the finger. The Stats: He scored 28 points on 11-23 shooting (1-4 from three, 5-8 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 5 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He let his man fly by on a kickout, he moved in and hit the 19-footer to start the game. He missed an elbow turnaround. He airballed a lefty runner. He swished a toe-on-the-three-line jumper. He worked Stuckey on the dribble and picked up his second foul in just over 4 minutes, Kobe made one of the FTs. He attacked from the wing and drew FTs, he made one, missed the second, it came right back to him and he hit the 14-footer. He missed a pull-up three in transition. He had 8 points in the first quarter. He got tapped on a short pull-up in the lane. He picked up a tech after trying to post up and getting the ball knocked loose. He hit LO for a score in transition. He hit an off-balance "throw" in the middle of the lane. He spun away from a double and hit a baseline jumper from a tricky angle. He attacked to his right and took contact from behind while trying to finish with his left, he made both FT. He back-rimmed a running three at the halftime buzzer. He had 14 points on 5-11 shooting and 3 steals. Second Half: He was stripped from behind, looked like a sure foul to save a sure layup. He stepped back and hit a sideline three. He scored a bustout layup off the Bynum outlet. He spun through a double team and drew FTs under the hoop, he made one. He sank a face-up baseline jumper. Poor post entry, easily stolen, points the other way. He missed a turnaround from the elbow. He bricked a long pull-up jumper, didn't hit iron. He was spun around on a reach in the lane, but still hit the jumper. He grabbed a loose ball on the sideline, switched hands in the air and no-looked to LO for the breakaway dunk. He missed a long three. He had 10 points in the third on 4-7 shooting. He missed a baseline jumper. He was hit on a runner with no call. He jumped a passing lane to swipe a pass, saved it to Ron, got it back and scored a layup. He lost Chucky on the dribble, hung and banked a short one. He missed a layup with his left on a drive down the lane.

Gasol -- -- He didn't seem to get into a comfort zone, inside or out offensively. His hustle still allowed him to be effective on both ends and get to the foul line. Ron and Kobe set him up for some easy ones. Pau managed to score once in the post with a great spin move. Kind of an off game for him. The 11 boards are almost a couple below his 12.8 average this season. He's battling Dwight Howard, who has 13 a game, for league leader on the boards. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-11 shooting (5-6 from the line) to go with 11 boards (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 35 minutes. He was a +21. The Action: He missed a short baseline jumphook. He missed a wing jumper on a busted sequence. He drew FTs getting out on the break with Kobe and Ron, he made one. Quick spin from the high post and he drew FTs at the rim, he made both. He was hammered trying to make a quick outlet after a rebound, back to the line, he made both FTs. He had 5 points (all FTs) and 6 boards in the first quarter. He missed a face-up jumper from the wing. He missed a jumphook way short. He threw a pass behind Kobe on a cut. He missed a layup after a spin and yelled for the whistle that didn't come. He scored a layup off the interior feed from Ron. He had 7 points on 1-6 shooting and 8 boards. Second Half: He missed a short jumper. He missed a short one off the screen-roll. He scored with his left on an up-and-under. He spun on Wallace to lose him and scored the reverse. He scored a layup, set up off the drive and dish from Ron.

Bynum -- -- "He should be fresh," Phil said before the game. He looked more effective tonight than he has recently. Whether that was because he was feeling better from the upper respiratory infection or he was just working harder, who knows? Probably a little of both. Phil took him out at one point because he didn't follow through on their defensive patterns, but other than those issues it was a decent game from Drew. He dealt with some first-half foul problems, but got that under control for the remainder of the game. He boarded better, including some tip-outs to teammates and he blocked a few shots (one of which was on the three line, which he controlled and immediately outlet to Kobe for the score). Offensively, he didn't force the issue and passed freely. He finally crashed the offensive glass for a couple of putbacks. Those are the effort/hustle plays that the team needs to see some more of on that end and they helped have an efficient/effective night. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-8 shooting (2-3 from the line) to go with 7 boards (3 offensive), 2 assists, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He drew Kobe's man and kicked out to him for a jumper. He was stripped under the hoop on a corner sequence. He hit a jumphook in the lane. He was shoved on an And-1 alley-oop from Ron, he missed the FT. Nice help D on the other Bynum to force him to throw a pass away. He dunked off the drive and dish from Shannon. Low position on the center sprint and he drew FTs on the quick entry, he made both. He jammed back in a miss by Brown after crashing the glass. He blocked the other Bynum's dribble penetration. He dunked off the corner entry from LO. He got pump-faked into the air and gave up an And-1 to Kwame (just hold your ground, Drew, it's Kwame), he had to sit midway through the second quarter with his third foul. He had 12 points on 5-5 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: He missed a short jumphook at the front of the rim. He swatted Chucky's three, controlled it and outlet to Kobe for the layup. He tipped in a Pau missed jumper. Nice challenge on dribble penetration to force a brick. He tipped a board out to Artest from a crowd. He hit a soft-touch jumphook from about 10 feet out.

Artest -- -- Season highs in assists and steals from Ron while the quiet Piston crowd grumbled. Some great defense from Ron against the Pistons. He has quick hands to constantly pester the ball hander, but he also anticipates well. When our bigmen shut down penetration and guards are looking to pass, Ron is always looking to cut off the angle of their kickouts. He and Kobe were just too disruptive for the Pistons -- a big reason why the Pistons barely cracked the 80-point mark. Offensively, he moved the ball and made the extra pass. He got into the paint and collapsed the D. His teammates reaped the benefits. Phil used him briefly at PF against Villanueva when LO picked up early foul trouble. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 4-10 shooting (1-4 from three, 5-6 from the line) to go ith 5 boards, 9 assists, 6 steals, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +14. The Action: He deflected a pass, but then lost it trying to push up a break. He drained a sideline three on a busted offensive sequence and smiled on the way down court. He swiped a pass and ignited the break. He swiped another pass and was quickly fouled, he made both FTs. Great lob pass from behind the three line to Bynum for the And-1 dunk. He helped cause another pass to be thrown away with some smothering sideline D. He missed a long jumper and a three. He posted up and drew FTs off a turnaround in the paint, he made both. More great D on Villanueva poking a ball loose and forcing a pass out of the post attack. He had 7 points and 3 steals in the first quarter. He missed a three on another busted offensive sequence. He battled for a Pau miss and scored the putback. He stripped Ben Wallace on a perimeter reach as he was cutting by. He posted up and bulldozed Stuckey for FTs, he made one. Extra pass under the hoop to Pau for the layup. He had 10 points, 4 assists and 4 steals. Second Half: He swiped a cross-court pass on the first defensive stand. He was picked on a drive into the lane, layup the other way. He jab-stepped, stepped back and swished the 15-footer from the right side. He attacked and kicked to Fish for three. He missed a wing jumper. He scored a reverse off the Pau handoff. He missed a layup. He stripped a man in the backcourt, just not giving up and causing problems for the Pistons. He missed a wing three. He nearly had another steal on a reach in the corner and then tried to throw the ball of his man while diving into the first row (Joel: "Ron Artest into the crowd...for a good reason.") He attacked the lane and set up Pau for the uncontested layup.

Fisher -- -- It's a shame when you can't take advantage of Chucky Atkins' horrible defense. Atkins took it to the Lakers to start the game, but then faded later. Most teams are attacking with their point guards and expose Chucky's weak D. That's just not Fish's game. Fish had to deal with some foul issues, but played a reasonably well. He had a few bad passing sequences, but other than that he stayed within himself. Phil kept his minutes down and let Shannon have some extra run at the PG spot. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-3 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a +12. The Action: After a steal, he charged into Atkins on the break, turnover. He took a tipped out board and quickly fed Bynum for the jumphook. He drained a pull-up wing jumper in transition. He pushed out the rebound and drew FTs on a runner, he made both FTs. Second Half: He threw an entry pass away and didn't get back on D (must have been tired from being the only man back after several Piston breaks to start the half). He missed a long wing jumper, rushing it a bit. He drained a wing three on an Artest kickout.

Lamar -- -- He did not look ready when he came off the bench in the first quarter. He was a step slow and sluggish. He was promptly tagged with two fouls and sent back to the bench after a few seconds. He started the second quarter, however, and avoided picking up that third foul. After that, he was really the only bench player to contribute at a quality level. Post game, Lamar was ticked that the second unit had forced Kobe, Pau and Ron to return to the game. Some very poor offensive execution by that fourth-quarter unit, Lamar included. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 10 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 23:33. He was a +10. The Action: He picked up a weak foul on his first defensive stand, then was whistled for a second foul on the same stand. He then didn't box out on the FT and gave up an offensive board. He sat after just a few seconds of action. He scored off the glass getting out on the break with Kobe. Great hustle to knock an offensive board off a Piston in the left corner. He found Bynum from the corner for a dunk. He swished a corner three from the right side. He threw an outlet away. Second Half: He dunked on a bustout after Kobe outlet to him. He deflected a pass off his man for a turnover. Early offense miss from three (not the kind of shots you want when milking a lead).

Brown -- -- Shannon isn't thought of as a floor general, but he needs to think the game better sometimes on the offensive end. You don't want to play too loose with a lead when you are on the road, and that's what it looked like he was doing. Take your time, work for good shots, don't play into the hands of your opponent. This is a good learning experience for the bench guards early in the season. Take the win, but also take something away from the game. Defensively, he had some nice moments, including a swat and a strip in transition. Phil ran him at PG some to help keep DFish's minutes down. The Stats: The Action: He cut off the pinch post, attacked and fed Bynum in the paint for the dunk. He swiped a pass a few seconds later and was fouled on the bust out, he made one FT. He missed a bank from the left side. He missed a turnaround off the high post. He missed a wide open corner three. Nice foul on Kwame who was about to dunk. Second Half: He missed a baseline jumper. He stripped Villanueva and was held. He got tapped on a wing three, rattled in and out. He fell asleep and let his man cut behind him for a layup. He stripped the ball off Stuckey to save a transition score. He couldn't finish an oop from Farmar in transition. He missed a runner, but got it back. He cut down the lane, up-faked and powered up a layup. Horrible possession, attacking without an advantage in transition, then fouling (milk the clock). Great transition D, exploding off the ground and swatting Chucky's drive out of bounds.

Farmar -- -- Poor game from Farmar. He settled for threes instead of getting into the midrange or lane and came up empty. He had an ugly iso sequence where he was stripped. Defensively, he had one of those flat-footed, give-up-a-layup sequences right after entering the game. To start the fourth quarter he was involved in a couple of turnovers in the first couple minutes. All of that helped drag down the bench production tonight. Cruddy game to follow up one of his best. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-6 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 17 minutes. He was a +4. The Action: His man blew past him on Farmar's first defensive stand for a layup. He settled for a three instead of attacking the open court in front of him and missed. He swished a step-back three at the end of the first. He missed an open three (again settling for the three when he could have cut off Kobe into a wide open lane when his man left him). He stepped through and missed a difficult 15-foot leaner off the glass. Second Half: He tried to iso on Bynum and was stripped, uggh. He missed a tricky turnaround fade from the elbow with the shotclock low. He didn't draw iron a leaner as he tried to go glass. He drew a clear-out foul on Bynum.

Vujacic -- -- He came in for Lamar with 3:36 left in the first quarter as we moved Artest to PF. Decent minutes, good effort. Phil decided to give Morrison some run in the second half, which left Sasha as an odd man out. The Stats: He had no stats in 3:36. he was a +6. The Action: Great job battling on the boards when Pau didn't box out and he saved an easy score with a tip out. He didn't curl off the handoff and it was stolen. Second Half:

Powell -- -- Horrible minutes in the fourth. He was even running with starters. Phil eventually gave him the hook after a bad back-to-back sequence on both ends. Powell certainly hasn't done himself any favors in his last couple of games. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) and had no other stats in 4 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a three with the shotclock low. Early offense jumper, missing with 17 seconds left on the clock. He then goal-tended a jumper that was short, obvious goaltend.

Mbenga -- -- He came in with 7:45 left in the midst of the Lakers looking like a chicken with their head cut off. He didn't help and came out a couple minutes later. He didn't do anything wrong. The offense just wasn't focused enough to have him in there. The Stats: He didn't have any stats in 1:52. He was a -2. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: Nice challenge on penetration to force a miss.

Morrison -- -- He came in for Artest late in the third. Phil let him run deep into the fourth. He started off by making a shot and looking active on the offensive glass, but he then missed some very good looks. He needs to knock down the open ones. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 offensive boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 9 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He sank a wide open baseline jumper. He kept and offensive board alive. He missed another baseline jumper. He missed a wide open three at the end of the third quarter. He posted up and missed a short jumphook. He was called for a charge in transition. He missed a baseline jumper.

Phil -- -- "Energy. It's about energy," Phil said before the game. The team arrived in Detroit at 4 a.m... The Lakers went on a 11-0 run in a 3-minute stretch of the quarter... Phil brought in Sasha and slid Ron up to PF when Lamar got into foul trouble. The Lakers led 31-19 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, LO, Kobe, Brown, Farmar unit in the second quarter... Phil sat Farmar and put Brown at PG for a brief stint... Dominating first half, holding the injury-riddled Pistons to just 19 points in each quarter... The Lakers led 56-38, shooting 46 percent (17-37). The Pistons shot 39.5 percent (15-38). The Difference was the Pistons going 7-13 from the line, while the Lakers went 19-25... The coaches warned the players that they let the Pistons back in the game last time they played... The Pistons went on a quick run to start the half, but the Lakers battled back to force a timeout... The transition D by the Lakers was lousy. Phil called a timeout after another breakdown... Phil made his first subs, Morrison for Artest and LO for Bynum late in the quarter... The Lakers led 83-62 after three... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Morrison, Brown, Farmar unit... Phil brought back in Pau, Powell, Artest, Kobe and Brown midway through the quarter with a 15-point lead... He benched Powell after a couple of ridiculous plays... In a game where Phil wanted energy, the bench sure didn't bring it. The Lakers scored just 10 points in the fourth quarter and had to bring back in the starters to restore some order... The Lakers had 15 steals in the game...

[City_Dawg]

Thanks DB.
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*sighs*

!...

[ClutchShot]

hello DancingBarry

[markjay]

Good point about Brown's floor management. I've been disappointed in him. Yes, he makes some great plays but he also jacks up bad shots, shoots too early in the clock, has trouble moving the ball well. I now think his ceiling is lower than I thought previously.

[LakerDynasty6.0]

At the risk of being forth-right, let me just say: Thanks DB for the automobile similies..
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Starting Lakers Dynasty6.0! NOW!!
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....." each year in Lakerland is marked by four seasons: Kobe’s Mad at His Teammates; Kobe’s Shooting Too Much; Kobe Leads the Victory Parade; Kobe Receives His Championship Ring."

[Dr. Laker]

[DancingBarry]

[limchrc]

thanks

[Balki Bartokomous]

Powell looked a guy who logged heavy minutes on the trip or maybe he just lost interest out there knowing he's trade bait with Farmar?
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"Now we're so happy we do the dance of joy."

[CannonBrown]

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Thanks again DB.

Lakers first extended road trip ended with 4 consecutive wins after the initial loss at Utah. Even with Kobe's finger injury, 4-1 is a great record.

Now back home with OKC on Tuesday and the Christmas showdown with Cleveland.
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"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.

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks again for the recap DB -- I out of the house today and missed the game; I'm happy to hear Artest really took it to the Pistons in the Palace and shut that crowd up and shut that place down.

[mike_dee23]

I'm starting to see a Farmar-Brown jack-it-up tandem developing... very similar to the Farmar-Ariza, Farmar-Vujacic, Farmar-Evans tandems... not very promising.
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MTFBWYA

[LakerFan1972]

[LakerSanity]

[mike_dee23]

[Shaber]

[andyhuang]

Thanks DB.

Kobe 5 steals.
Atest 6 steals

[LakerSanity]

[davidse]

thanks as always


reallly concerned with what i saw from powel last night.
seems like someone who's only concerned about his own.
and as much as that may be understandable with not getting any minutes lately and being a free agent next summer - it's not something we need or want on our team.

as far as i'm concerned - he just became a 900k trade bait/filler - and although we'll need his conscent - i don't think that will be a big problem...

[RCS926]

[LA Law]

If I miss the game I can always get a great rundown on it here......year after year