LAKERS -at- BLAZERS - 2/6 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Sacrifice... You return to the river where the water turns stagnant and the air stale, where a pale gray house with weather-worn window coverings and a decaying roof awaits. No one would blame you if you turned back. After all, the Horsemen haven't won a battle here in ages.

Last time you were here, in the heart of Bad Juju, the screams mocked you from the jungle. A woman with chalk white eyes rolled back in her head stabbed a purple and gold doll again and again.

Today, the door to her house has been kicked off its hinges. The jungle is as quiet as ever. Outside the house you see signs of a struggle -- claw marks in the ground as if someone was dragged off into the darkness. Perhaps, it was her.

You flick on the flashlight and cast its beam over the interior of the house. It freezes on a lone hooded figure, the one called Death. You nearly jump out of your skin.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you fighting with them?" you ask.

"Sacrifices must be made," he says through gritted teeth. He seems annoyed by your flashlight, so you scan the rest of the room. You spot a message on the wall.

By the time you finish reading it, Death is gone and you are left alone with just the words of DancingBarry:

The Horsemen were here. They exorcised their demons with a sacrifice to the gods. The offering was Death, himself.

I will continue to track them...

Perhaps the Basketball Gods required a sacrifice. They would trade one streak for another.

After 235 straight starts -- nearly three straight years -- Kobe Bryant did not suit up. Go back a little further, to Feb. 23, 2005, to be exact. That was the last time the Lakers won in Portland. Legends Tierre Brown and Jumaine Jones helped get the job done.

Since then, it didn't matter how well the Lakers were playing or how many injuries the Blazers had (tonight, they added Roy to their list of wounded). Chalk up a couple losses at the Rose Garden for L.A. That's just the way it went.

Phil tried to change that mojo last year by sitting out. The Basketball Gods wanted more than the Zen Master. They wanted the Mamba.

With the bitter taste of last night's loss still festering on the tongues of the Lakers and their fans, they took to the court without Kobe. Shortly later, Bynum would find his night ended early with a bruised hip.

The team rallied. Nearly to a man, they dug in and played with heart and focus. Big games from Ron (21 points), Shannon (19 points) and Lamar (who pulled down 22 boards). It turned into a blowout late in the fourth as the Lakers took the rare win in Portland, 99-82.

"Everybody was probably a little bit more focused," Lamar said. "It happens when you get humbled and you get embarrassed a little."

He added, "We could have had this mindset last night."

Next to some much needed time off, a win Portland might be just what the doctor ordered.


Gasol -- -- Without Kobe, the team kind of reminded one of the Memphis Grizzlies playoff teams where Pau was often the first option. Unfortunately, Pau is struggling at the moment. "My legs are so heavy right now. It was pretty noticeable out there," Pau said afterward. While Pau wasn't very effective as a scorer in the post, he did help draw a number of double teams that led to either layups and FTs for teammates or good looks from downtown. You've got to have someone who can draw that kind of attention. The players around him took advantage of it and Pau did a good job finding them. Pau's shot was off, whether it was facing up for jumpers or trying to work the post, nothing looked as automatic as he usually does. Defensively, we kept Aldridge to 16 points on 16 shots. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-14 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 8 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 39 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He choked a bank over Miller, wow. Wide open under the hoop and he dunked off the DFish feed. He missed a short turnaround. He posted up, drew the double and fed Brown under the hoop for a reverse. He fumbled away a sure dunk on one end, then he threw an outlet away on the other (Fish and Ron each thought the other ways going to grab it, I guess). No box out and he gave up an offensive board. He drew a double and hit Farmar under the hoop for a layup this time. He scored a layup getting down court with Fish on the break. He posted up on the left block and hit the lefty jumphook (need to get him the ball more over there). He had 6 points on 3-5 shooting and 2 boards. Second Half: He back-rimmed a face-up 13-footer. He back-rimmed an easy lefty jumphook set up out of a timeout. He screamed at the ref for a tech after trying to power in a layup, missing and not getting a foul call. He rolled off Farmar, took the pass and dunked. He missed another face-up jumper. He didn't attack aggressively and missed a bank, but Lamar saved him. He missed a jumphook. He broke the press and bounced to Artest for a layup. He scored an easy layup on the post move to the middle of the lane. He was fouled in the post and made one FT. He dunked off the high entry from Ron.

Bynum -- -- He joined Kobe after bruising his hip on a foul to start the game. His mobility was suffering and Howard was killing him early. After his first-quarter stint and a brief appearance later, Phil shut him down. The team matched up better defensively. They turned Howard back into Old Man River and all was well again. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-3 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 1 board in 10 minutes. The Action: He missed a reverse on the first possession, but LO tipped it in. He drew FTs on the second touch of the game, he made one. He scored a layup on the up-and-under move in the post. Howard beat him down court for a layup. He sagged off Fernandez on a switch, easy three. He somehow airballed a 2-footer. Second Half: He did not play.

Artest -- -- Heck of a game from Ron. He delivered a series of staggering blows to the Blazers to end the first half. Three straight threes, including one from 40 feet at the buzzer. He knocked that one down like it was a freethrow. With Kobe out, Ron's full game has to pick up the slack. There have been a couple instances this season where he's had to fill that vacuum and he's answered the call. This, of course, was the first time Kobe wasn't even available as a decoy. Ron led the Lakers in scoring tonight and was extremely efficient in the process. It was efficient not only in the amount of shots, but also the amount of time the ball spent in his hands. He wasn't dominating the ball. Great to see his offense rise to the surface when the team needed it. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 9-12 shooting (3-4 from three) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 1 foul in 38 minutes. He was a +19. The Action: He missed a wing three. He was called for a travel on a face-up move. He was blocked on a layup. Nice inbounds bounce pass to a cutting Brown for an And-1, play took just 2 seconds. He scored a layup in the post off the Lamar feed. He sank a sideline three. He swished a long wing three next time down. Off the inbounds at midcourt, he squared up and drilled a 40-foot three, money at the buzzer. He had 11 points on 4-6 shooting. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper. He swung through, attacked right and scored a layup. He cut off Pau on the baseline, took the handoff and scored the layup. He sank a wing jumper with his heels on the three line. He bumped his man, watched him flop and scored a layup. He scored a layup off the Pau bounce pass in transition. He found Pau under the hoop for a dunk.

Lamar -- -- Rebounding Machine. The Blazers had just 2 offensive boards in the game as Lamar owned the glass. One-and-out possessions are vital when you've lost some of your offensive dynamic. LO started at the SF spot. He picked up a couple of fouls early (going over the back for one board attempt) and had to sit. He was guarding Miller and vice versa to start the game. That actually didn't seem like a bad match up with Miller not wanting to take long range shots, Lamar could sag off him. With Bynum's injury, Phil then ran Lamar at the PF spot the rest of the game. Offensively, he didn't do a lot of scoring and got a little three-happy during one stretch. But late in the game he helped shut the door on the Blazers on both ends. Lamar said he had fried chicken and waffles for lunch along with candy, of course. He needs to repeat everything...especially the attitude and focus. That focus is what makes the biggest difference to his game. Maybe he will go on one of those rebounding binges now. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 4-9 shooting (0-3 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 22 boards (19 defensive), 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +25. The Action: He tipped in a missed Bynum reverse. He was called for a foul crashing the glass. He drew FTs pushing out the break, he made both. He swatted Miller's penetration. He grabbed a deflected pass and dunked easily. He missed a jumphook. He jump passed to Artest in the post for a layup. He had 6 points on 2-3 shooting and 8 boards. Second Half: He missed a three from the wing with the shotclock low. He missed a wing three from the other side. His third straight three and third straight miss. He tipped in a Pau miss for his 20th board. Another offensive board and he pulled it out to reset the offense. He attacked a gap and scored a layup over a smaller guard. He missed a dunk at the end of the game, but the Lakers got it back to dribble down the clock to the groans of the few remaining Blazer fans.

Fisher -- -- A bounce-back game from DFish? With the embarrassing home game in the back of his mind and Kobe out tonight, he helped captain the team in hostile territory. The Blazer PGs weren't on fire like last night's Nuggets (or last time the Lakers were here and got torched by them). Fish was hitting shots, drives and making some excellent passes. Every now and then he'll put together a quality game. He picked the right time to do it tonight. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-10 shooting (2-2 from three, 2-3 from the line), 1 board, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover and 2 fouls in 30 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He missed a 19-footer. He attacked off a screen and drew FTs, he made one. He hit Pau under the hoop for a dunk. He made a tech FT. He deflected a pass. He sank an open wing jumper. He missed a forced, driving jumper, total prayer. He got backdoored for a layup. He swiped an inbounds pass and took it the distance for a layup. He pushed up the break next time down and hit Pau for the layup. He clanked a wing jumper. He curled down the lane and hit the teardrop. He had 8 points on 3-6 shooting and 4 assists. Second Half: He drained a wing three when given room. He drained a corner three on his next attempt. He drew a clear-out foul on Bayless. He missed a top-of-the-key jumper.

Brown -- -- With Kobe out, who would step up off the bench? Shannon was essentially Kobe's replacement. After a 14-point first half, he started at the SG in the second half. He did an excellent job working the Triangle. About the only time he didn't was when he was smartly going for a two-for-one shot or iso'ing with the shotclock low. Both of those are typicaly Kobe roles. Defensively, he was superb. Some great challenges and always hustling. He also showed quick hands knocking balls loose on the perimeter or in the paint. Even when he had to take a foul after coughing up a ball, he saved two points as the Blazer missed both FTs. Shannon's a key to our D. Even though J.R. went off on him last night, many of those were tough shots on Shannon. Good to see a real back up for Kobe. The Stats: He scored 19 points on 8-15 shooting (1-3 from three, 2-3 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist and 1 turnover in 38 minutes. He was a +15. The Action: He reversed off the feed by Pau. He iso'd on his man, spun and banked in a jumphook (nice, show me that again). He sank a wing jumper. He missed a two-for-one three attempt (good recognition). He curled off a high screen, took the inbounds bounce pass and scored an And-1 layup, he made the FT. He was mugged on a drive with no call. He dunked softly in transition. He missed a wing pull-up jumper. He reposted to Pau, got it back from Fish and hit a wide open wing three (that's how you work inside-out). Great challenge on Bayless's jumper to force an airball. Second Half: He was fouled on a speedy dive cut off Pau, he made one FT. He missed a three. Aggressive attack off the pinch post and he scored a layup. He missed a 20-footer with the shotclock low. Nice hands to strip Fernandez. He was trapped in the backcourt and had his pass deflected, he fouled to prevent a dunk (both FTs were missed). He drained a long wing jumper off the screen.

Farmar -- -- Late in the third, the offense started to flatline. Phil subbed out DFish for Farmar and Jordan gave it some CPR. He set up Pau for a score, had a couple of steals and later hit a couple of threes that buried the Blazers. That second unit built on the lead of the first unit. Without Kobe, Farmar becomes more important to this team. Kobe creates offense off the dribble. Few other Lakers have the skill to do that consistently. Farmar before this game: "The whole team took it to heart and felt pretty bad looking at the film," he said of last night's defensive problems. They took it to heart and played with heart. Well done. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting (2-5 from three, 0-2 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and no fouls in 18 minutes. The Action: He attacked off the pinch post and his layup was goaltended. He missed a three. He attacked off the three line and hit a step-back baseline jumper. He attacked baseline on a mismatch and drew FTs, he clanked both FTs, arrgh. He cut off Pau, his man doubled and Pau hit Farmar for the layup. Second Half: He swiped a careless inbounds pass. Nice clock management, hitting Pau on the screen-roll with for a dunk with a second left in the third. He swiped a pass and saved it to a teammate. His drive was swatted out of bounds. He got tapped on a three. Sasha got it back, they reset the offense and Farmar hit the three. He missed a wing three. He got lucky on the other end when leaving Blake wide open and having a three rattle in and out. He sank a wing three.

Luke -- -- Some fairly ugly minutes from Luke. He did not look confident with his jumper. The Blazers started picking up on that and Luke needed to sit. In the second half, Phil went to Sasha as the back up SF. Ouch. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 1 foul in 7 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He missed a tough one-hander trying to create against the shotclock. He passed up a jumper and moved in to miss his fallaway. He missed a three, way off. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Vujacic -- -- Fresh off last night's Pile O' Garbage game, Sasha managed to tick off Phil a couple of times. One was on a pass Phil thought he should have made, the other was a foul Phil that he shouldn't have. Phil was on him for both of those, barking during timeouts. In the second half, Phil had to run Sasha at the SF tonight because Luke couldn't handle it (Kobe's usual role as Ron's back up at SF). Sasha handled himself better than Luke, even running some plays set up for Kobe and hitting out of them. Success for Sasha can be found in that midrange area. He needs to find his shots there before doing anything else. Lay off the excessive three bombs, don't try to score at the rim. Just pull up in those in-between spaces for jumpers. That's the only thing he's money on and he doesn't play to that strength enough. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three, 1-1 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 1 assist, a steal and 3 fouls in 8 minutes. The Action: Phil got on Sasha for not hitting Farmar with a pass on a breakaway. Phil sat him and Sasha disagreed. Second Half: He swished a baseline jumper in the Kobe role off the inbounds pass. Bad drive into the paint (he could have done two things, pull up for a FT jumper or pass to Powell for a layup, instead he bricked a runner, then fouled...Phil got out of his chair in anger on that one). He pulled down an offensive board and reset the offense. He attacked left and hit a step-back 15-footer on the baseline. He sank a tech FT. He missed a corner three.

Powell -- -- With Lamar picking up two fouls and Bynum in the locker room, Powell got some early first quarter run and plenty of action later. He wasn't very effective offensively. And anytime he gets the ball in the post, I tend to blame the passer for the bad things that are about to happen. Powell, however, brought some very good effort. That's one thing he can control. He was active on the glass and that usually resulted in good things. He and Pau botched a couple of passes they each should have had, not exactly the same chemistry as LO/Pau with the passing game. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. The Action: He fumbled away a Pau pass, returning the favor for a pass Josh had thrown to Pau earlier that was fumbled. He got swatted on a putback attempt. Second Half: He missed a 20-footer to start the fourth. He airballed a jumphook in the post over a smaller man. He was called for a push-off foul on the offensive glass. Good hustle to help the team secure a defensive board. He faced up, took a dribble to his left and swished the wing jumper.

Phil -- -- Good to see Tex behind the Laker bench. The team did a good job running the basics of the triangle for him... Last year, Phil sat out to try to help battle the Portland mojo. That didn't work. Did the absence of Kobe light a fire under the team this year? Or was it just how angry everyone was after last night's game?... Phil opted to start Lamar at SF and move Ron over to Kobe's spot at the SG. The biggest lineup the Lakers have run all season... Phil sat Bynum after just a few minutes for Shannon. Bynum was getting torched by Howard. He went to the locker room with a bruised hip from getting fouled to start the game... The Lakers led 17-14 after a 9-2 run, forcing a Blazer timeout with 5 minutes left in the first... Lamar picked up his second foul with 4 minutes left in the first. The Lakers were up 1 and Phil had to bring in Powell at PF... The Blazers went on a 11-2 run... The Lakers trailed 29-26 after the first quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Powell, Luke, Brown, Farmar unit. This unit didn't know how to get the ball to Bynum when he was being partially fronted... Down 39-30, Phil wen tto a Pau, Lamar, Luke, Sasha , Farmar unit.... Phil sat Farmar, Sasha and Luke for Fisher, Brown and Artest. They tied up the score on a run. Ron hit three straight from behind the arc to help the Lakers win the second quarter 28-19... The Lakers led 54-48. The Lakers 52 percent (22-42, 4-8 from three, 6-10 from the line). The Blazers shot 50 percent (18-36, 4-11 from three, 8-8 from the line)... Shannon started for Bynum in the second half... The Lakers led 63-55 midway through the third. Fish hitting a couple threes and Shannon getting to the rim... The Lakers led 67-59 despite the three Laker bigs not really scoring in this game: Pau (6), Lamar (6), Bynum (3) up to this point... Pau missed twice and picked up a tech out of that timeout. The Lakers offense went dry so Phil subbed in Farmar for Fisher... The Lakers won the third, 19-16. Farmar provided a little spark at the end of the third... The Lakers led 73-64 after three quarters... Phil started a Powell, Lamar, Artest, Sasha, Farmar unit... With a 12-point lead, Phil ran a Pau, Powell, Sasha, Shannon, Farmar unit. They extended the lead... Phil brought back in Lamar, Ron and Fish for Powell, Sasha and Farmar. Farmar was playing great... They continued to extend the lead... The Lakers shot 49 percent. The Blazers shot 44 percent. The Blazers took just 71 shots and only had 2 offensive boards. The Lakers out-rebounded them 47-30... The Lakers won the points in the paint 48-22...

Game Flow -- LINK -- After that first quarter, the Laker D did not allow any large or extended runs. Well done.

[adtz]

thanks DB~

[Cutheon]

First! Aww, second...

Good (bleep), DB

[SoCaLjAy]

Thanks DB... great win tonight. The guys really stepped up and played well.

[lounger]

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB! Here's to a win in the Rose Garden!

[LakerEric]

Thanks DB and thanks Fish for a good game. I have been all over him but one game isn't going to hack it. Don't have to be great just solid, like tonight.
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Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[TheElectronica]

This is why Artest is so important. He is that other aggressive scorer/playmaker.

[LakerEric]

6 guys in double figures and the spacing and passing was very good tonight! The D really locked down in the second half.
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Do you believe it now, Trinity? - Morpheous

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

[Nobody]

Great win! I'm really proud of this team for digging deep and finally pulling a win off in the Rose Garden. Especially after the Nuggets debacle.

So what happens to the Portland curse now, do the roles reverse? They haven't won in LA for 3 years and are 2-9 in their last 11 trips to the Staples Center. Hope the Lakers get them in the Playoffs and mop the floor with them.

YAY!

[limchrc]

nice win

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. Great team win. If we beat the Spurs at home without Kobe I think Kobe will shut it down until after the ASB. This is the perfect time for him to get a much needed rest.

[Rick12322]

Thx DB. Portland started off hitting everything, which was a typical phenomena in all our losses there. But, they finally cooled off and that was huge for us. Another thing that helped was Portland, like many teams in the league nowadays, has a defensive scheme that's affective against our team with Kobe and it preys on the teams top heavy deference to him. Ron had a huge, huge game from the 3 pt. line and Odom was huge on the glass. Last of all, when we went smaller and quicker we matched up better against their small team.

All of those things impacted our victory, and the odds all of all those things continuing in Kobe's absence is slim. However, that's not to say a lesson can't be learned from this. Kobe has got to find a way to make his game mesh a little better with this team, the team does need to stop "deferring" to him and they do need to keep that ball moving on offense.

[wolfpaclaker]

Lamar defending Miller - and in the past defending small PG's like Steve Nash and Tony Parker on switches - has me thinking there is no reason to not experiment with this lineup.

Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Artest, Bryant.

We are being murdered at 1//3/4 with the starters when the other team has speed anyway. At least now you have length, athleticism, ability to switch and should be able to dominate the paint (on boards and scoring).

If Kobe and Ron could take turns on the better perimeter scorers and LO was put on the weakest of the opposing perimeter players - this lineup could thrive IMO. In reality once the picks come into play with Fisher, it's the bigs defending smaller players anyway. The Lakers switch everything or atleast try to on most nights. See no reason to start Fisher in those circumstances. Ron, Kobe and LO all can shoot 3's and Ron has began making his 3's at a very good clip. I actually have confidence in LO too in making open 3's now.

Now not play 30 mpg together - but something 12-14 mpg would really give us a new dynamic. This lineup forces the Lakers to go inside-out. Start the 1st and 3rd Q.

Just a small fact - the Lakers are 4-0 with Lamar starting at SF. Although this isn't our best lineup nor LO's best position, the common theme I have seen in all those games is LO gets to work in the post right away, dominates the glass and the Lakers look to score in the paint as opposed to taking perimeter shots.

It's the right way to start a game IMO.

You look at Fisher he's getting killed most nights away. Might as well as killed on D playing the right way. You focus on dominating the interior with your size. Let the other team get ahead even if they are hot from outside, you'll eventually match up their speed with Brown and Farmar backcourt anyway. However to begin games looking to dominate the paint, I feel the Lakers would improve their chances to win every game.

If not Lamar because you want to save him for the bench, start Luke with those guys. Just having a guy out there with a pass first, run the O, PG mentality will do wonders for our game. Again it's not more than 7-8 minutes of the 1st Q and 6 minutes in the 3rd Q. We easily should be able to get away with playing that lineup in those minutes.

[night89]

We finally made the sensible decision regarding Kobe. Now I wish they would also take my advice on Bynum(if not, tell him to wrap those knees so tight so that there would be no possible injuries. Of course, he would be limited even more, and probably make his impact equal to a bench player, which one would ask then why he should even play. And the answer is, I guess, it's too "radical"(but not necessarily insensible) otherwise.

Bynum will be limited in the regular season, due to those braces. But there's no reason why he should have to wear them in the Finals, or in any series that we need his full explosion. Right now, he just needs to keep his conditioning up, that is what's important. Then unleash his full fury against Shaq and Nene, and nobody will complain.

If I'm guessing correctly, I think Bynum is actually more athletic now than at the same point last year, without the brace(s), although I'd have to see him to be sure.

Quite frankly, it's at a point where I think we should just sit him down completely, so that he can add as much muscles as he can. This would prevent any possible injuries, and reduce the stress on his knees to near 0.

What does it matter if he sits out the regular season, when in theory, it's entirely possible for him to get his physical shape to a point where he would average 22, 15 and 3 in the WCF and Finals? All the regular season is is for homecourt, this would all make up for that.

I think Bynum will have a far far important role than people think. Remember that how he looks now is irrelevant, and the braces are not mandatory. How strong AND athletic he looks against Denver and Cleveland WITHOUT the braces is what's important.

[THE_MACHINE]

Dang you really Bash sasha on these but it is true though he needs to shoot more midrange.
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Where were the Sasha haters in 07?..........

"I was playing. I was playing," Vujacic said. "When you're sitting on the bench, you can't do those things."

[smiles]

shannon really helped with the scoring in the 1st half. It kept portland on their heals and had some nice defense plays in the 2nd half.

[ssiknick833]

Thanks DB.
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[DancingBarry]

Wolf - I agree. I like seeing Lamar in those other positions. I don't think you have to start him there. You could. But just running it for stints. He could come in early for Fish instead of Pau/Bynum and we could adjust our D between Kobe/Artest/LO for best match ups.

The thing is, get him thinking the game. active and engaged. In all those games he's played at the SF, his game has looked so much better. Not just at the SF...but at the PF! He just plays differently after he's spent some at a different role that makes him cut and crash and use his size. It carries over to his other positions.

[RVCdesigns]

Thanks as always DB.

[2guardwillshoot]

Missed the game last night! Appreciate your detailed unbiased breakdown of the game action! I really don't know how you do this! Thanks DB!

[lounger]

DB, did us going more over picks rather than under help the defense more? We seem to get beat too much when our guards go under.

[A Mad Chinaman]

[Shaber]