CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS - 4/9 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings

[DancingBarry]

All About the D... Lamar and Kwame brought their A games, which makes a tremendous difference in how effective we are. Phil made a key change, putting in Luke for Cook in the starting lineup. This moved Lamar defensively on Brand, who ended up getting his average numbers. Lamar didn't collect a single personal foul in the game and the Lakers took the 100-83 win.

The solid D makes this game a blowout late in the fourth. The offense seemed to settle a bit too much for the threes, shooting 8-29. During the first quarter, Lamar drove on several occasions while everyone stood around. Or, they would swing the ball around the perimeter for someone to shoot a three. The Lakers played a strong fourth quarter, unlike the previous game. Kobe scored 17 of his game-high 38 points in the quarter, and we held the Clipper to just 14 points in that quarter.

Luke gave the Lakers 13 points and 7 boards in his start. Cook scored all 9 of our bench points in 15 minutes.


Kobe -- -- Kobe played all but 39 seconds of this game as Phil made sure we were getting the W. This was despite a calf injury Kobe received in the last minute of the Suns game. Kobe scored 38 points on 14-27 shooting (3-7 from three and 7-9 from the line). He had 5 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers. He missed a few jumpers and lost the ball on a couple of drives early. He was getting swarmed by the Clips and our spacing was bad. He finally scratched when he drew a foul at the end of the quarter and got a couple FTs. To start the second, he attacked the lane and hit a running jumphook. He blew past Mobley on the next possession and scored a reverse. He then worked off a Cook pick and hit a jumper from the top of the key. He missed a baseline turnaround, then he connected on a midpost turnaround. After reaching in to cause a turnover on a Clipper big, he crossed over Cassell on the other end and hit a 20-footer. He drew FTs on a throwdown attempt, made one. He hit a tough baseline turnaround posting up Mobley. He attacked off the dribble, reversed directions with a full-speed spin move and made a layup after losing the defenders. Nice left-handed entry bouncepass to Kwame who had low position on Brand and scored. He swished a long wing jumper for his first score in the second half. He dunked off a great interior feed from Kwame. He slashed across the lane, drew a whistle and banked in a left-hander for the And-1, he made the FT. He found Cook for a long two off a kickout and for a three when they ran the pick and pop. He had Radmanovic on a switch, put on a series of moves and then finger rolled in the lane. On the next possession, he hit a big wing three. He swished a wing three later over Cassell and slapped him on the rear. He attacked and drew FTs. He was left wide open on the last possession and he drained another three.

Odom -- -- Lamar put up some numbers tonight socring 23 points on 9-17 shooting and dominating the boards with a game-high 15 rebounds. He started at the PF guarding Brand, got scored on a few times, but Lamar managed not to get into foul trouble...or commit a foul at all. When he and Kwame are playing like this, the Lakers are a fiesty team. Lamar posted up Radmanovic and scored easily on a jumphook. He attacked the rim several times with no luck and no one cutting to get open. Great D rejecting Radmanovic and controlling the ball (the only block of the game. Although, Lamar blocked a shot on a continuation play later). He tipped a Kobe/Brand jumpball to himself, then attacked the baseline and jammed on Kaman (nice). Kobe lost the ball, but it went right to Lamar and he swished a three. He pushed up the break and fed Cook down low, who drew FTs. He sank a quick three from the wing. On the next trip down, he faked the three, attacked off the dribble in the lane and hit a layup with contact and no call. Kwame found Lamar cutting down the lane and LO threw down a huge dunk. He scored a layup in semi-transition off a pass from Smush. He had a great sequence on the offensive end just under the 5 minute mark of the third, tipping several offensive boards to keep them alive and finally gaining a Laker possession, then on the inbounds, he curled off Kwame and dunked over Kaman. Kwame tapped an offensive board to Lamar for a dunk. Great game against his former team, finally getting over his struggles against them. "We've often remarked about that, haven't we as a group?" Phil said in the Times. "You [media] guys were talking down about my boy and then he just comes out there and plays the game. Lamar was great on the boards. He carried the attack."

Kwame -- -- His statline didn't reflect the job he did on the night. He had 9 points on 3-7 shooting and 8 boards, but he was active on both ends and made some key hustle plays in the fourth that Staples appreciated. He did a good job on his man D and generally clogged the lane. Phil rewarded him with 41:31 of action. He backed down Kaman off the dribble, turned and hit the bank over him. Nice up and under move on Kaman, but he couldn't finish with his left. Good stand against Brand, holding position then contesting the shot to force a miss. He got great position on Brand under the hoop, took the entry and scored with his left. He stole a ball in the back court and found Lamar cutting for a dunk. He had great position and Luke missed a pass to get him the ball. He got low position again, Lamar found him and Kwame drew FTs. After a great bounce entry by Luke, Kwame made the extra pass to an open Kobe for the dunk. Awesome sequence in the key run of the fourth, Kwame pulled down one offensive board that led to a Kobe three. He then tapped a missed jumper to Lamar, who dunked under the hoop. Kwame posted up Brand, got him in the air and hit an And-1, he missed the FT. He nearly tapped a missed FT in. Active again on the glass and Brand fouled him to prevent an offensive board, Kwame made one FT.

Smush -- -- Smush scored just 8 points off 2-9 shooting. He added 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals in his 26:49. He drained a three a couple feet behind the top of the arc to start the Laker scoring. Nice D reaching in on Kaman in the corner to strip him easily. He got beat off the dribble by Cassell for a layup. He missed a couple of layup attempts off drives. He missed a floater, then ripped it away from a Clipper and drew a foul, he made both FTs. He was getting stuck by some picks, which freed up Cassell (plus, he and the bigmen didn't seem to be on the same page on how they were going to defend those, at times). He missed a three to start the second half. With the offense overloaded to one side, Smush attacked off the dribble on the other side and hit a runner off the glass. He poked a ball loose from Cassell, who got it back, then Smush stole the pass, on the other end he found Lamar for a layup. Nice work tipping away a defensive rebound away from the taller Livingston.

Walton -- -- Walton's dependable play of late (and our weaknesses in our current starting lineup) helped to get him the starting spot over Cook in this game. He was the Lakers third scorer on the night with 13 points on a solid 6-10 shooting (1-4 from three). He pulled down 7 boards, leading the team with 4 offensive rebounds and he dished 2 assists. Great job pushing the ball up the backcourt, through traffic and all the way for a layup. He grabbed a loose ball and hit a leaning jumper from 17 feet with nice form. He missed three straight shots behind the arc, when Lamar looked reluctant to take them and made the extra pass. He crashed the boards, pulled down a Smush miss and scored over the Clipper bigmen. He swished a corner jumper with his foot on the three line. He contested a corner jumper, then leaked out and Kobe found him for the breakaway layup. He hit a high arching jumper in the lane. Great swing through ducking under the defender's arm, then attacking the baseline and finding Lamar who was fouled. LO missed the second and Luke pulled down the offensive board (it led to a Kwame And-1).

George -- -- Devean played just 9 minutes in this one and didn't score on his only attempt. He fumbled the ball away in the post. He missed an open three early in the fourth. Tight D on McCarty and he forced an airball in the lane.

Cook -- -- Cook got sent back to the bench, but didn't let it effect his game. He provided some scoring spark -- the only scoring spark off the bench -- and a few key shots in the early fourth quarter. He finished with 9 points on 3-8 shooting, 3 boards and 1 steal in 15 minutes. In to start the second quarter, he had his man sag off him to deny a post entry to Kobe, so Cook hit the sideline jumper (they need to run that more to keep the spacing honest). Cook picked up two personals in a row trying to defend the post. Lamar found him in transition and Cook drew Kaman's third foul of the half and a couple FTs. He scrambled on the floor for a loose ball (probably the best player we have on the team when it comes to hitting the floor for loose balls). He hit a long two from the side with his foot on the three line when Kobe kicked it to him. He drained an open wing three, running the pick and pop with Kobe. He then got posted up by Kaman and Phil decided to bring back in Kwame, but keep Cook in a little longer covering a smaller man.

Vujacic -- -- He didn't score, but he brought some effective defensive intensity and Phil rewarded him with the minutes. The key number for Sasha was the team-high +26. He was 0-3, had 5 assists, 4 fouls and 2 steals in 22 minutes. Good stint in the second quarter, he didn't do anything on the offensive end (as a matter a fact, as soon as he took a long three early in the offense, Phil sat him for Smush). But, he played solid D on Cassell in that stretch. In the second half, he gave up some penetration and a foul to Livingston. He then knocked away an inbounds pass and ignited the break. He got tapped on an open wing three that rattled out. He missed another three. Kwame got an And-1 and Sasha gave him a chest bump (I love it). Great D on a baseline switch by Sasha, he then fronted Mobley as the entry pass came and it was fumbled out of bounds.

Turiaf -- -- He played 2:48 and wasn't needed much as Kwame went for 41:31 of action. Nice short stint in the second, playing serviceable D, even helping cause a travel on Cook's man by coming over to contest a shot.

Phil -- -- He switched up the starting lineup, exchanging Cook for Walton. Luke was essentially playing the key minutes anyway as Cook had been sitting on the pine after each stint at the start of halves. The offense was a little shaky to start the game, but pulled it together... Phil called a timeout in the third after the Lakers gave up back-t0-back perimeter baskets in soft transition D (similar to what killed them against the Suns). Looked like Lamar and Smush weren't staying tight on their men... With 3:30 in the third, he subbed out Smush for Sasha, then 30 seconds later he subbed out Kobe for Smush, then another few seconds later after a TV timeout, he subbed back in Kobe for Sasha. That was Kobe's rest. No. 8 had enough in the tank to drop 17 in the fourth... Phil mentioned in Simers column that he thinks he cost the Lakers about 4 games, due to letting them play through troubles and not calling a timeout, in order to teach them some lessons...

[magic_bryant]

As always...(insert complimentary remark to DB).
_________________
Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass."

[DancingBarry]

Something I mentioned a couple games back about Phil trying to let the guys win on the fly vs. the playoffs, when he would be calling timeouts in those situations. He confirmed that after the game tonight:

[magic_bryant]

Odom was showing some fire with that play. Sure, we lost, but ya know what, I kinda like that he wanted to hit a big shot.
_________________
Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass."

[A Mad Chinaman]

DB:
PJ seems to be setting up his rotations for the playoffs - assuming (I am) will be going to the next season. When points or energy is needed from the bench - Cook, Sasha, Jim Jackson, Turiaff and DGeorge can provide what's needed. The only question seem to be how to integrate Mihm into the starting lineup.

AFter the game, there was a program "In His Words" where PJ demonstrated and explained "The Triangle." Fascinating 30 minutes where terms such as Blind Pig, Line of No Return, Moment of No Return, Lag Pass, etc. were demonstrated and how efficient this system is! Ample evidence on how the system needs players on the court that have a high basketball IQ to fully exploit its benefits. PJ stated that there are probably 80 offensive opportunities where 50+ are played within the Triangle. He also explained why the coaches get together separate of the players before talking to them and what BShaw is charting throughout the game. Anybody else see the program?

[Addicus]

I saw the program - it was a lot to digest in that short time limit, but is was clear and concise. I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the Laker Insider show featuring Smush after that.

Great job DB!
_________________
Stop crying and start doing.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/addicusbrown

[wolfpaclaker]

"my boy"

Who was Phil alluding to with that statement?

[kobe_somebody_odom]

[wolfpaclaker]

[kobe_somebody_odom]

Exactly, Why would anyone want to package 18/9/6 over the last 19 games for injured players. And its not just Odom. They want to include other players like Mihm, Kwame, Bynum and picks.

Odom for O'neal straight up- OK
Odom/Mihm for KG, Yao or Brand- OK
Odom/picks/bynum for resigned Bosh, D Howard, Lebron, Carmelo, - OK

Anything less is not worth it IMO. I think this team with a few more pieces makes a run with Kobe/Odom/?. The chemisty between Smush or Sasha/ Kobe/ Walton/ Odom/ Kwame is looking good right now. Add a Mike James, Boozer, Rashard Lewis and we are an elite team.

[karlmalonefan]

Yeah, I was really surprised when Phil referred to Odom as 'my boy'. I don't think I've ever heard Phil refer to a player that way before. I think that clearly shows that LO isn't going anywhere...which makes me very happy...
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[angrypuppy]

Thanks DB!

One of the more solid games of the year.

Jackson is definitely fine-tuning his playing units for the postseason. The drama is building for that April 16th game vs. Phoenix. In view of recent line-up tweaks, I'm curious to see what Jackson has in mind to counter the Suns. You would think that Devean would be a better answer on Marion than Luke, but it looks like Phil is willing to go with Luke as the tri functions better while he's on the floor.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[heineken]

Thanks for the recap. I always enjoy reading them.
_________________
"It's all about the beer"

[magic_bryant]

"They're having a real fine year. They backed in last night and got a (playoff) berth and they should be congratulated," Jackson said. "But chances are great after 25 years that they should have a year. The odds are there at some point after all those draft picks they've had over the last 25 years."



Phil is the MASTER at the back-handed compliment.
_________________
Stephon Marbury on Kobe: "He's the only person on 'dis earth that can do 'dat. He guards people, like shuts 'em down. Then, to do 'dat on 'da offensive end. It's like 'Damn, I can't score on him AND he about to bust my ass."

[angrypuppy]

[koolruningz]

Thanks DB.
One thing i have noticed of late is Kwame's passing skills, for someone who has been accused (quite rightly sometimes) of being so clumsy he seems to be reading the defense well and making some nice looks.
I love the atmosphere around this place after a win, hopefully we can close out the season strong. The only game that may give us problems is the Suns but hopefully Phil has formulated a stategy to beat them by then. I think that would give us alot of confidence going into the playoffs.
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"The advice I get from Magic, Michael and those guys, that's always sacred," Bryant said. "That's going to the mountain top and talking to Buddha, know what I mean? That's privileged information."

[angel]

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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." ~~Martin Luther King Jr.~~

[DancingBarry]

[DancingBarry]

[mm708]

Kwame = Second half most improved player.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[angrypuppy]