NETS -at- LAKERS - 2/18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:28 pm    Post subject: NETS -at- LAKERS - 2/18 - Thoughts and :-(( Ratings

Bombs Away... The score in this one doesn’t really do it justice. It should have the feel of about a 20-point loss not a 109-98 loss.

It would have been nice to see the teams with full rosters -- AD and Schröder for the Lakers and the Nets with KD.

We certainly aren’t winning anything this season without AD, so expect the team to struggle against good teams. But adding Schröder due to the protocols made this one a lot less competitive than it likely would have been.

The Lakers pushed out to a lead early, then got lit up from the perimeter with regularity. The Nets scored 30 more points from the three line than the Lakers.

Without enough scoring punch to stay with the Nets, L.A. faded as the game went along. They needed faster, mobile defenders playing on a string defensively against a team like this. That wasn’t happening tonight and it ended up with some garbage-time minutes as the Nets walked away with it.

Vogel said AD will be out 4 weeks. The team is now 5-2 without him.


LeBron -- -- We kept him in longer than we should have tonight. I guess the team flirted with maybe trimming the lead down. But you could see they didn’t have it in them tonight, so just rest him when we’re down 20 in the fourth. He can probably score at will against the Nets unless they stick Durant on him to slow him down a little. Midway through his 17-point, 5-assist first half, he seemed to realize this. But we didn’t really have the second punch in our offense. So LeBron put up his numbers on his way to hitting the 35,000 mark. The Stats: He scored 32 points on 14-23 shooting (1-6 from three, 3-6 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 7 assists, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 33 minutes. He was a -7.

Kuzma -- -- We should have leaned on him more in this game. No reason he couldn’t have had more run and more offense ran through him. He sank a couple of threes early on, got a putback for another bucket, hit a jumphook and then blew past his man for an easy layup. That drive he scored on just made you think Schröder would have lit the Nets up. Perfect kind of team for him with weak perimeter D and not a lot of anchoring in the paint. Double-double for Kuz, bringing the required energy and effort. He had a couple scores in the second half in a lineup when LeBron was out. Much needed points in those situations where we really struggle to find purpose offensively. Defensively, a minor thing, but he’s gotten split on double teams in each of the last two games. He needs to tighten that up. The Stats: He discord 16 points on 7-13 shooting (2-5 from three) to go with 10 boards (5 offensive), 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 34 minutes. He was a -9.

Caldwell-Pope -- -- This is the kind of game where KCP probably should just say I’m going to go down firing and see if he can’t shoot himself into a groove. We lost our No. 2 scorer and our No. 3 scorer, so that means we’ve got to get production from others. We’ve got to get him on track. Honestly, I’d love for him to sit out a game or two and get some rest and see if that helps. He’s really getting banged up and that turnaround after a long season may be catching up with him. But no AD, no Schröder, no rest. KCP made 1-5 from three, of course, we didn’t get to see his one make as the feed went black as it went in. At least he got to see it go through, lol. A couple scores getting to the rim, which we need. We’re best, though, when he’s hitting threes and getting out on the break with speed. Neither of that was happening tonight. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-8 shooting (1-5 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 assist, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 29 minutes. He was a -10.

Gasol -- -- First off, this is precisely the team you don’t play Gasol against. They’re small, perimeter oriented and AD would be a problem for anyone they try to match him with. They started him, but brought him off the bench in the second half to go against Jordan and pull him out of the paint. A small adjustment, but it wasn’t going to make a difference. Some poor passing early, which is rare from him. The Nets were trying to pressure him on the pass, which is what we want as we get the floor spaced. But the execution was flawed as he had 3 turnovers in the first half. In the second half, his mobility was a bit of an issue at times. Again, AD covers so much floor space, Marc doesn’t, and the Nets took advantage on drives or the perimeter. At times they could go around him or just pass off and his second bounce is non-existent to be effective on those. I do like he was aggressive shooting the three ball again, which will pay off in better matchups. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-5 shooting (2-4 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 20 minutes. He was a -6.

Matthews -- -- He struggled defending Harden’s stepback. When AC is on him, he stays on Harden’s shoulder to prevent that. Then, we rely on some help D to persuade Harden not to drive. The team just wasn’t focused on defending some of that correctly. Wes missed a couple of threes early on and I guess that was the end of him having a reasonable offensive game. That seemed to affect him. “I turned down one I probably should have taken,” he said afterward. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-4 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 24 minutes. He was a -4.

Harrell -- -- Matched up with Jordan off the bench in the first half. He had some moments with his floater catching Jordan off guard. He also had a dunk off the two-man action with LeBron on an ATO. He was a bit in no man’s land defensively in this game. When you combine that with playing with THT or another Laker not quite on a string defensively, it all falls apart quick. THT even got irked with Harrell not recovering to his man in timely fashion on one play. Harrell had a -19 in 15 minutes. There will be some ugly film room stuff to look over this one. Let’s see how he and the team respond. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 5-8 shooting to go with 3 boards, 1 block and 2 fouls in 15 minutes. He was a -19.

Caruso -- -- We had to make sure we could run him at the PG when Bron wasn’t in there. Dennis being out impacted how/when we use AC. But it’s a problem we need to solve. No word on how long Dennis will be out, but this is exact the wrong time for this to happen. Dennis isn’t great at floor generalling, but he can at least score and get to his shots. It’s going to be worrisome to watch these non-LeBron minutes led by AC. Very sketchy moments trying to playmake. He got his only points on a spin in the paint to bank in a short one. Some good steals that helped us get into transition (miss AD doing that for us, too, on D). AC debuted his new shoe deal tonight and promptly led the team with a -20. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 26 minutes. He was a -20.

Horton-Tucker -- -- Defensively, he was lost way too much in the first half. Too many mistakes on the team D concepts and then he also gave up some penetration too easily. The team D breakdowns, however, are what will stick with the coaching. LeBron got mad at him on one unneeded help where he sagged off Harris and gave up a three. You got to get the reps in to try to shake some of these mistakes from his game, but I think you’ll see the scouting from other teams put THT in decision-making positions defensively, and then, of course, give him the three ball and plug the paint to take away the drive from him and offense from others (0-3 from three tonight). A couple garbage time buckets. He tried to hammer a big dunk early on over a challenge but couldn’t finish it. I like the aggression, though. One nice play defensively blocking Kyrie’s jumper from three. As week as he’s been defensively, we may really need to just put the ball in his hands offensively more if Schröder is out for a bit. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 3-9 shooting (0-3 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. He was a -14.

Morris -- -- “I thought the group that finished the half had really good energy, so we just wanted to try to steal some of that momentum with Kieff at the five,” Vogel said. He got the start in the second half as we went small. Here’s where you miss AD as he’s our small ball anchor and perfect to destroy teams that hope to play small like that. So Morris instead of AD? Yeah, not going to look pretty. In fact, he and AD scored the same in this one. The Stats: He didn’t score on 0-2 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 board and 3 fouls in 10 minutes. He was a +5.

Cook -- -- Some rare early run in this game as we were down another player and KCP had to go in the locker room for a stretch. He sank a three, hit a pull-up in the lane and had a nice defensive play recovering to knock a ball of his man under the hoop. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting (1-2 from three) to go with 1 block and no fouls in 11 minutes. He was a +4.

Dudley -- -- Good to see him back on the floor. I wouldn’t mind him playing a little more with some of the other units because the ball moves and the offense moves a little more. Not a lot of minutes with those units, but just some when we have no purpose. We don’t have anyone to floor general when LeBron sits, so a vet like him will help organize the offense to play with some purpose. First play out tonight, we saw him doing that. He managed an assist and steal in his brief stint. The Stats: He didn’t score and had 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 foul in 3 minutes. He was a +9.

McKinnie -- -- Good looking stroke on a three on a kickout and he swished in garbage time. Also pulled down some boards. Good stretch. The Stats: Hescored 3 points on 1-1 shooting from three to go with 4 boards in 4 minutes. He was a +7.

Cacok -- -- Three minutes of garbage time and nothing worth mentioning. The Stats: He had no stats in 3 minutes. He was a +9.

Vogel -- -- Key Moment: Probably finding out he didn’t have Schröder an hour before starting this one. The Lakers had an early lead in this game in the first quarter, then just fell apart on both ends. If you’re not scoring against the Nets, you’re going to be in trouble. We certainly missed AD/Schroder probably dropping an easy 50 combined.

Key Substitution: Let’s go with starting Morris in the second half. We had a little run late in the first half with a more mobile, five-out small ball lineup. He hoped to see more of that, but no AD, we aren’t likely winning against the better teams.

Key Stats: Let’s just look at the three shooting. The Lakers hit 8-30, the Nets 18-39 -- a 30-point difference there. Both teams scored 7 points on the break. We needed another 10-15 points on the break. Transition game was not there tonight. It starts with D, but we also weren’t consistently bringing the pace, either.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
unleasHell
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 16 Apr 2001
Posts: 11591
Location: Stay Thirsty my Friends

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 10:54 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB,

This was the perfect game to watch on FF!

My misery lasted a much shorter time...
_________________
“Always remember... Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots.”
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Nobody
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 13 Sep 2008
Posts: 5699
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:16 pm    Post subject:

I can't stand watching Harden play. Loved the time he showed Morris out of bounds infront of the ref in the 3rd Q and Morris got whistled for the foul.

You won't win many games with the other team scoring a +30 on threes.

Oh well, onto the next one.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
joeblow
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 3075

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:31 pm    Post subject:

Bah. Win or lose considering our injuries, I was hoping we would play smarter than we did. My three complaints during the game (from least to greatest problems) were:

3. Lebron taking threes when we needed him to dominate in the paint more. The Nets often have poor interior defense, and we didn't have AD and DS to attack the rim... that leaves Lebron and Harrell (who didn't get enough touches). 1-6 from beyond the arc is terrible when your other skills are so potent. Other than that, he earned a silver star for his overall game (Kuz gets the only Laker gold star).

2. Awful offense from all four of our main guards. KCP, Wes, Caruso and THT (from three at least) gave us what? 24 total points with bad shot percentages? Hopefully the DS detractors can appreciate him more going forward.

1. Leaving Joe Harris open for three to double team another Net. Literally dumb defense. Even if he missed it being wide open on occasion doesn't change the fact that it is dumb to leave him, period. He went 6/7 from distance and shot 70% overall tonight, and most of it from beyond the arc was barely challenged because of the constant double team of other Net players. Soooo frustrating.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DrDent
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 12:32 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.

This one I would have been fine with the L - expected it without AD, and even more so without DS. But the lack of focus and come and go energy was very frustrating to watch. Meanwhile, the Nets were constantly after it the whole game.

Mistakes the Lakers were making during that 7 game win streak (eg self inflicted wounds for long stretches) are showing themselves as being game killers vs good teams. Even without AD or DS, just simple passes or holding onto the ball should be accomplishable.

And DB - I really think we need a more mobile big on defense (even when AD returns; AD cant do it all). Gasol is literally the stay-puft marshmallow man; walks like him, jumps about as high, and intimidates no one as players launch themselves at him as if he was a soft pillow for a landing. Zero, and I mean zero intimidation presence down there. His ability to hit an occasional 3 doesnt cover up for everything else.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DrDent
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 30 Jun 2016
Posts: 12975

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 12:35 am    Post subject:

joeblow wrote:
Bah. Win or lose considering our injuries, I was hoping we would play smarter than we did. My three complaints during the game (from least to greatest problems) were:

3. Lebron taking threes when we needed him to dominate in the paint more. The Nets often have poor interior defense, and we didn't have AD and DS to attack the rim... that leaves Lebron and Harrell (who didn't get enough touches). 1-6 from beyond the arc is terrible when your other skills are so potent. Other than that, he earned a silver star for his overall game (Kuz gets the only Laker gold star).

2. Awful offense from all four of our main guards. KCP, Wes, Caruso and THT (from three at least) gave us what? 24 total points with bad shot percentages? Hopefully the DS detractors can appreciate him more going forward.

1. Leaving Joe Harris open for three to double team another Net. Literally dumb defense. Even if he missed it being wide open on occasion doesn't change the fact that it is dumb to leave him, period. He went 6/7 from distance and shot 70% overall tonight, and most of it from beyond the arc was barely challenged because of the constant double team of other Net players. Soooo frustrating.


Good points. And re point 1, I've seen the Nets give up big leads in minutes as well. Lakers just couldnt get anything going, and looked confused on offense at times.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
A Mad Chinaman
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 07 Apr 2005
Posts: 6121

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 12:55 am    Post subject:

Great job DB

Great points mentioned by the previous posters

With Harden guarding Gasol, why was he in the paint to take advantage of his height

This game will provide much for the coaching staff to talk about.

Lakers either need far greater movement and flow in their offense and;or find a dependable 2nd scorer.

THT has now been scouted by opposing teams (as DB mentioned), so are offense - he needs to start utilizing his "counters." On defense, he needs to learn quicily where he needs to be if he wants more additional PT

With Dennis the Menace out for an unknown time period, KCP having either physical or mental fatigue and THT learning the system - AC has a lot of responsibilities (floor general, shooting, defense, rebounding, etc.)

It is the "Dog Days" of the NBS season that also menas not having AD till a few weeks after the ASG (a good thing), we will hopefully see the Lakers develop their bench for the playoffs.

With only the Clippers now appearing the only legitimate threat to beat them in a playoff series and with home court advantage not meaning much for this season, this is just a long preseason for Vogel to experiment and find what combinations will work for him.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
wolfpaclaker
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 29 May 2002
Posts: 58318

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:19 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB.

Hard to evaluate the match ups when 2nd superstar is out, and then your 3rd best shot creator who plays about 30 min a game.

THT and Caruso struggled a bit in this one.

These games remind me a lot of the bubble play. Pre-playoffs. Recall a lot of weird lineups and not so good execution.

Our goal needs to be keep Lebron and AD healthy, and peak at the right time. If we can get Dennis and Trez to fit in by the playoffs, that's been a successful regular season.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Reply with quote
danzag
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 28 Apr 2013
Posts: 22244
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 4:48 am    Post subject:

Thanks, DB!

Frustrating but I'm not worried about this loss. At this point Vogel is just testing some lineups and rotations
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
lakerican
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 3780

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:01 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
PenG_
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 01 Feb 2020
Posts: 10387

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:01 am    Post subject:

joeblow wrote:
Bah. Win or lose considering our injuries, I was hoping we would play smarter than we did. My three complaints during the game (from least to greatest problems) were:

3. Lebron taking threes when we needed him to dominate in the paint more. The Nets often have poor interior defense, and we didn't have AD and DS to attack the rim... that leaves Lebron and Harrell (who didn't get enough touches). 1-6 from beyond the arc is terrible when your other skills are so potent. Other than that, he earned a silver star for his overall game (Kuz gets the only Laker gold star).

2. Awful offense from all four of our main guards. KCP, Wes, Caruso and THT (from three at least) gave us what? 24 total points with bad shot percentages? Hopefully the DS detractors can appreciate him more going forward.

1. Leaving Joe Harris open for three to double team another Net. Literally dumb defense. Even if he missed it being wide open on occasion doesn't change the fact that it is dumb to leave him, period. He went 6/7 from distance and shot 70% overall tonight, and most of it from beyond the arc was barely challenged because of the constant double team of other Net players. Soooo frustrating.


We all said Lebron should play his usual minutes and not do too much. He showed that he can get to the rim at will against this team, which is all that was required in a RS game without two key players. He needs to find his three ball, as does most of the team. This was an L with or without a more aggressive approach to the basket. Plus, this team is 27th in 3 point attempts. We prioritize our shots pretty well.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
joeblow
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 3075

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:19 am    Post subject:

PenG_ wrote:
joeblow wrote:
Bah. Win or lose considering our injuries, I was hoping we would play smarter than we did. My three complaints during the game (from least to greatest problems) were:

3. Lebron taking threes when we needed him to dominate in the paint more. The Nets often have poor interior defense, and we didn't have AD and DS to attack the rim... that leaves Lebron and Harrell (who didn't get enough touches). 1-6 from beyond the arc is terrible when your other skills are so potent. Other than that, he earned a silver star for his overall game (Kuz gets the only Laker gold star).

2. Awful offense from all four of our main guards. KCP, Wes, Caruso and THT (from three at least) gave us what? 24 total points with bad shot percentages? Hopefully the DS detractors can appreciate him more going forward.

1. Leaving Joe Harris open for three to double team another Net. Literally dumb defense. Even if he missed it being wide open on occasion doesn't change the fact that it is dumb to leave him, period. He went 6/7 from distance and shot 70% overall tonight, and most of it from beyond the arc was barely challenged because of the constant double team of other Net players. Soooo frustrating.


We all said Lebron should play his usual minutes and not do too much. He showed that he can get to the rim at will against this team, which is all that was required in a RS game without two key players. He needs to find his three ball, as does most of the team. This was an L with or without a more aggressive approach to the basket. Plus, this team is 27th in 3 point attempts. We prioritize our shots pretty well.

As I said, I was prepared for either outcome of winning or losing because of our health issues and the talent level of the opponent. I just wanted smart play against a potential Finals opponent (if we make it that far).

I mean, if the Lakers were tighter with issue #3 (with Lebron not "wasting" as many possessions to go 1 for 6 from three) and issue #1 (defensively staying next to Joe Harris at the three like white on rice), the game would likely have been a lot closer.

I agree our team wasn't shooting well in general, but some of that comes and goes from game to game. These two issues in particular that I focused on in this post I feel are attributed more to poor decision making, and therefore unnecessarily made our chance to compete a lot tougher than it needed to be.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
PenG_
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 01 Feb 2020
Posts: 10387

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:07 am    Post subject:

It was a damn shame to see our guards struggle against this Nets defense. Could've been a moral boost even in a loss if our players could've found some rhythm offensively.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TooMuchMajicBuss
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 17 Sep 2008
Posts: 21064
Location: In a white room, with black curtains near the station

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:01 am    Post subject:

Thanks DB. I'm hoping AD is only out 4 weeks, and I hope his Achilles is fully healthy and ready to go when he comes back. It's going to be a long 4 weeks though at this rate. Here's hoping a few Lakers are able to adjust and evolve just a bit.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
ElginBaylor
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 05 Nov 2005
Posts: 10772
Location: Hoosier Nation

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:19 am    Post subject:

The bad news for this game came well before the opening tip. Like a wreck on the freeway, I'm just going to move past it and hope for a smoother road ahead.
_________________
Not a legend
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:44 am    Post subject:

Lakers having their 9th practice of the season apparently today.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
TDRock
Retired Number
Retired Number


Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 48596
Location: LA to the Bay

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:06 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Lakers having their 9th practice of the season apparently today.


Yeah I was going to post that but I got busy and forgot. Last night was frustrating to say the least but I have to believe the chaotic slapdash-ness of this season is a contributing factor to our issues. AnyWho thanks for the write-up DB
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
danzag
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 28 Apr 2013
Posts: 22244
Location: Brazil

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 11:43 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Lakers having their 9th practice of the season apparently today.


This is insane.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
DancingBarry
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief


Joined: 07 Sep 2001
Posts: 40188
Location: O.C.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 2:04 pm    Post subject:

danzag wrote:
DancingBarry wrote:
Lakers having their 9th practice of the season apparently today.


This is insane.


It's a big reason why the team is not playing greater than their parts right now. LeBron is offensive glue. But guys like Schroder, Trezz...they are just doing what they do and trying to find their way.

Other teams have that issue, too. But I think if we were healthy last night and the Nets were, we take that game. We've got a core with more collective experience and the Nets have holes that a guy like Schroder...even though he hasn't been integrated great into the team...could just do his thing and probably drop 20 with ease.

Now we're a month without AD practicing. A some time without Schroder, who will miss this practice today. It's going to take a while.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> Thoughts and Ratings All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB