LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 2/8 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:42 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 2/8 - Thoughts and :-)) ratings

Time to go on a Run... Kobe and Cook picked apart the Rockets while Kwame and George played some spirited minutes as the Lakers took the 89-78 win over the Rockets Wednesday night. The Lakers closed out their lengthy road trip with a sound victory over the Rockets and have 8-straight games at Staples to make some noise.

Kobe played a well-rounded game, setting up others (who hit their shots) and then taking over when needed. In the last meeting with the Rockets, Phil got on Kobe for the passive game he played. He then dropped the 62 on the Mavs in three quarters in the following game. Tonight, he played a well-balanced game, giving the team exactly what they needed when they needed it. Brian Cook continued his hot shooting from the perimeter, scoring 27 points after the career-high 28 points the night before. Phil gave him some well-deserved minutes tonight. Speaking of minutes, Kwame finally stepped up with some solid post D on Yao and some nice activity on the other end.

Most importantly, Ronny Turiaf stepped on an NBA court for the first time in a Laker jersey after his heart surgery this summer.


Turiaf -- -- It was a long time coming, but Ronny Turiaf finally got to step on a court in a Laker uniform. During the summer he was elated after signing his contract with the team. "I don't think you guys understand how good it feels," he said at the SPL. "This is the Lakers." Shortly after that, the news broke about his heart condition. That was followed by the tearful press conference. With 1:01 left in the Rocket game, Phil subbed Ronny in for Brian Cook. If you didn't know the back story, it would have been a nothing minute, but for Ronny it was the realization of a dream. He attempted a shot off the glass after taking contact and missed. That probably would have been a trip to the line if it wasn't a blowout at that point. It wasn't much, but is was more than any stat line of the night or any ESPN dunk highlight.

Kobe -- -- Just a sensational all-around game from Kobe. He setup teammates early, then when they finally started to struggle, he throttled up his own offense. You can clearly see this year that is what he is hoping to do. It sure helps when he's got guys hitting shots. Kobe scored 32 points on 13-29 shooting, dished a season-high 9 assists and had a season-high 6 steals. He was the engine that drove the team on both ends. He was aggressive defensively early. He blocked Yao on help D, very nice. He swiped a pass. He bolted from the corner to strip the entry pass from Yao, he then got fouled at the other end on the break, he hit both FTs. He kicked it out from the double team to Cook for a three. He made the extra pass to Cook for a wing jumper. At the end of the first, he took a long three not within the offense, the Rockets dunked on the other end off the rebound and Phil called a timeout. I think this was a play in a nutshell that the Lakers have been harping on to avoid lately (we still took 26 threes in the game). He crossed over Bowen badly and hit a long wing jumper over him. He pushed up the break with Yao back, it looked like we might have a Yao-Kobe highlight, then Kobe went behind the back to Kwame who threw down a monster two-hand, And-1 dunk. He got the ball on the weakside wing, squared up and hit the jumper. He doubled Yao on one end, stripping him, he then pushed up the break surveying the floor, he attacked and whipped a pass around a defender to Lamar for the dunk. He got the ball on the weakside wing again, faked the shot to get Welsey in the air, then hit a jumper away from him. He found Cook for a long jumper on the sideline. He kicked a ball to Smush who hit the three. Kobe had 8 points, 7 assists and 4 steals at the half. He kicked to Smush for a three. With the offense starting to sputter to start the third, he throttled it up. He missed an easy elbow jumper. He hit a 16-footer straight away. He hit a turnaround on the wing. He hit another turnaround from the mid post. He hit a turnaround at the elbow. He double pumped, rose up and hit a 17-footer straight away. He jumped the passing lane and snagged a TMac pass, pushed it up and threw it to Devean on the break, who drew FTs. He curled off the screen-roll with Lamar, took it down the heart of the D for a layup. After a brief rest, Kobe swished a three over TMac from the wing. He attacked to his left, pulled up above the FT line and swished a jumper as the shotclock went off. He ran a simple pick and roll with Cook midway through the fourth and Cook drained the three (should have done that in the fourth last night). With Yao down on the floor at the Laker defensive end, Kobe attacked quickly, got into the paint, hung and banked in an And-1. Kobe hit a face up three from the wing. Lamar gave him the ball with a couple seconds on the shotclock about 35 feet away and Kobe had to hoist up an airball three, he then jokingly ribbed Lamar for passing him that. Overall, just a great all-around game, bouncing back from one of his weaker performances of the year.

Odom -- -- I just want to give Lamar some more props. He is in noticeable pain every now and then on the floor. He's grabbing boards when he can with one hand and Kobe is doing a bit more initiating. We still need him on the floor. He had 8 points on 3-9 shooting (1-5 from three) and a team-high 13 rebounds to go with 2 assists in 38 minutes. He attacked the baseline, kicked it out, got it back and hit a jumphook from the post. He settled for a few open threes, although they were shots out of the offense that the D was daring him to take. So, he's got to try a couple of those open looks. There were a couple plays where Lamar missed Kwame open under the hoop. Lamar dunked on the break when Kobe found him with a great pass behind a defender. Lamar finally connected on a three, off a pinch post after moving the ball around. He played solid D on TMac when he was matched up. Devean was a better match up, but Lamar played well.

Cook -- -- Cook is on fire. He dropped 27 points in this one on 11-18 shooting (3-4 from three), AND he also pulled down 10 boards to complete the superb double-double. The rebounds were a season high, and so were the minutes (42:03). But, he didn't just get the rebounds because of the minutes. There have been a lot of 20-minute stints from Cook with just a couple of boards. He was boxing out and battling aggressively. Offensively, he was torching it from the perimeter again. He hit a wing jumper on the Lakers first possession after we cycled through the offense. He knocked down a jumper from the corner. He drained a three from the top of the key off a Kobe kickout. He hit another wing jumper off a swing pass from Kobe. He blew past Swift who rushed out at him and Cook dunked with both hands. Great first quarter with 11 points. After a rest, he came back in and picked up where he left off. He hit a long wing jumper off a pass from Sasha. He hit a baseline jumper over Yao. Lamar tapped an offensive board to him and Cook made a layup. He had his toe on the three line on a long jumper off a Kobe pass. Cook led all scorers with 19 points on 9-14 shooting at the half. He also had 5 boards at the half. He drained a wing three on his first touch of the second half. He attacked off the pick and roll, drew FTs and made both. Nice help D to surprise TMac in the post, then Cook grabbed the board. Cook hit the wing three off the two-man game with Kobe midway through the fourth and the Rockets called timeout. Great last two games...keep it up, it makes things so much easier.

Smush -- -- I almost question Smush as a starter coming out of the second half. We come out way too flat too often, and sometimes it seems like he doesn't come out with the intensity. He has played the first quarter very aggressively throughout the year. It's not like we have a whole lot of options, however. Smush put together a solid night offensively with 13 points on 4-11 shooting (3-7 from three), 7 boards and 5 assists. He also had 2 steals. He ran the pick and roll with Kwame and we got a dunk out of it when Smush hit Kwame with a nice bounce pass. He attacked aggressively along the sideline and drew FTs. He hit a three on a kick from Kobe. Good D on the last play of the half to hold the Rockets from shooting. Very soft D to start the second half, giving up threes and layups. Kobe found him for a three on a kickout. He gave up another easy layup under the hoop. Nice ball fake in transition on Yao, then he switched hands and scored the layup. Smush drained a three off a pinch post with Cook. He hit another three from the wing.

Kwame -- -- Great response after the tongue lashing that Phil gave him after the last game and in the press. Kwame was active throughout the game on D and muscled Yao out of decent position. His stats weren't impressive, but his position D and ability to hold the block against Yao allowed Phil to leave him in the game. To be honest, I wasn't real optimistic about Kwame's chances with his efforts in the last two games, and that Yao could probably shoot over Kwame pretty easily. But Kwame played him tight all game and held ground. He finished with 7 points on 3-7 shooting and 4 boards in 34 minutes. He dunked off the pick and roll with Smush. Kwame got out on the break, Kobe found him and Kwame threw down the two-hand, And-1 jam over Yao and Bowen. If that wasn't huge enough, he had a mammoth crash of the offensive boards off a Kobe missed reverse, and he threw down the miss with two-hands, just beating the shotclock. (That's the kind of energy and board crashing he needs to be relentless with.) Howard took a cheap shot on Kwame from behind, knocking him to the floor, Kwame got back up and had words with him, both got techs. Nice hustle back in transition D to snag a pass later in the game. That would have been a layup in the previous games.

George -- -- He played some excellent D on TMac who had 11 points on 5-18 shooting. This game didn't need to go down to one final defensive stand as it did in L.A. earlier in the year. Devean and Lamar did a great job shutting down TMac throughout the game. All you need to see on the statline to know what kind of game George had was the 7 offensive boards in 25 minutes. He played his role well, even though he only managed 2 points (2-6 from the line). He gave the team second chances throughout the game with some great energy. He crashed the offensive glass, pulled down a board and drew FTs. Great job again on crashing the offensive glass for a few more rebounds against smaller defenders. He threw a loose ball off of Yao's legs to get a Laker possession. He crashed again, tried to put it back, missed, and was fouled on the next putback attempt for FTs.

Walton -- -- Nothing to report.

Vujacic -- -- He missed an open jumper in transition and a three. He had 3 assists in 10 minutes. Not much else to report.

Phil -- -- The Lakers led by double digits going into the half. They had 14 assists... It only took a little over three minutes to give up that lead to start the second half as their D came out especially soft... The offense sputtered, as well, and Kobe throttled up his offense with some midrange jumpers and they pulled back ahead... Kwame and Cook earned their minutes tonight and Phil kept them out there... The Lakers mixed some solid switching D, a couple sets of zone, and some timely doubles on the defensive end. Phil called a quick timeout once when their offensive execution was poor and led to a transition score... Turiaf was the only rookie of the Lakers to get some PT tonight... The Lakers road trip was a couple wins shy of Phil's goal...
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ocho
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:50 pm    Post subject:

props DB.

the reason i've been pissed off at the numerous head down negative BS posts that have been flooding this board is because when you look at guys like ronny turiaf, kobe's superb play, and lamar odom wincing on every posesson but still gutting it out....it makes me very proud to be a laker fan.

ronny turiaf's return is nothing short of remarkable.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:53 pm    Post subject:

DB, I don't think you know what you mean to this entire site. Thanks for a great recap!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:06 am    Post subject:

I sat here and clapped as Ronny played.

I don't know how to express how happy I was.
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magic_bryant
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:17 am    Post subject:

As always, good stuff DB!

I agree with ya ocho. I can not BELIEVE people can be so negative right now. Lamar, in noticeable pain, is out there, playing his best. Having to rebound with one hand, tapping balls to himself. If anyone questions this guys ability, watch these past 2 games. He's a presence on offense that, despite him not ever really even LOOKING to score, defenses STILL adjust to when the ball is in his hands, thus allowing Kobe to set up a 1-on-1 opportunity on Offense. A guy like Ron Artest, who can't initiate, would be able to allow Kobe to play 1-on-1, except he wouldn't be looking to get it to Kobe everytime. Lamar's mere presence, with a passiveness, is what allows Kobe to be Kobe, much like Pippen allowed MJ to be MJ.

Just the way this former "loser" is gutting this out is making me VERY proud of him. I didn't get a chance to watch this game, but I did see the last one. I saw LO step up to shoot a FT, and he was down on one knee in considerable pain. He knocked one down. But the fact that he's out there, fighting through it, HAS to endear him to his haters. If not, then that's just pathetic.

Turiaf...what more can you say. Dude WANTS to be a Laker. Every interview I've heard him say, he mentions wanting "to be a Laker, to play with the best players in the world like Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom". Dude is what you would want in ALL players. Does he even SIT on the bench? He's standing up, encouraging his team the ENTIRE game. Guys like THAT, despite only getting in for a mere minute, is how you win tough Road games. Cause when the team is beginning to get down on themselves and losing the necessary energy, you look over and see a guy like Turiaf, just cheering and going crazy, it pumps you up. Considering what Turiaf has went through to be here as a 12th man at this point, I'd guess it's the same feeling times 10.

Proud as hell to be a Lakers fan right now.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:19 am    Post subject:

PopcornMachine wrote:
I sat here and clapped as Ronny played.

I don't know how to express how happy I was.


You and I were there next to him this summer with the press access. He's such a passionate, likeable person. He was emotional in that quote I put in the post above, almost tearing up at the time... It was like he was bleeding purple and gold before he even had a chance to put on the uni. And then to see his world come tumbling down around him a couple days later... I know what you're feeling. Very hard to express in words the whole thing...
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:21 am    Post subject:

Does anyone know when we will realistically go on a run? i want a 8-9 game winning streak we haven't had one since the 2004 season with Shaq.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:21 am    Post subject:

Great report, lakers showed life tonight, i wish they could back kobe up like this every game, is lamar actually playing harder because he's in pain??
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:59 am    Post subject:

Thanks, great report
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:09 am    Post subject:

thanks, DB...
solid game, but... never in my life i am negative, but that's a win against one of the worst teams in the game today... we won at new york and houston, both teams with no character and defensively unwatchable... the rockets defended very softly against kobe.. cook had all the space in the world to shoot... they never attacked our paint... it's still a win, so we have to enjoy it... but, please, no illusions...
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:35 am    Post subject:

Surprisingly when it came down to a sense of urgency type of ball game Brian Cook is the name mentioned in the Lakers must win against Houston. Cookie seemed flawless in every shot taken in the victory against the struggyling Houston Rockets ball club. Kobe was Kobe scoring 3 points under average but had a strech of consecutive made jumpers in the end of the third which kept the Lakers boat afloat. When is comes down to the win it was really Brian Cook which did the job. No Chris Mihm will definelty hurt but Cookie showed he could hold it down until Chris' return. Good to see Lamar Odom back for the the second game since his injury. Beleive it or not he is crucial to this Laker ball club.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:42 am    Post subject:

KingKobeDubbz wrote:
Surprisingly when it came down to a sense of urgency type of ball game Brian Cook is the name mentioned in the Lakers must win against Houston. Cookie seemed flawless in every shot taken in the victory against the struggyling Houston Rockets ball club. Kobe was Kobe scoring 3 points under average but had a strech of consecutive made jumpers in the end of the third which kept the Lakers boat afloat. When is comes down to the win it was really Brian Cook which did the job. No Chris Mihm will definelty hurt but Cookie showed he could hold it down until Chris' return. Good to see Lamar Odom back for the the second game since his injury. Beleive it or not he is crucial to this Laker ball club.


Yep. Despite the lack of an outside shot, Lamar is a presence when the ball is in his hands. When it's in his hands, the D has to adjust. And when it DOES adjust, Kobe is setting his man up for a 1-on-1 challenge. Then, Lamar works with the ball to make the D readjust once more, then makes the pass to get the ball to Kobe, who already has the 1-on-1 situation set up.

Count the basket for #8, Kobe Bryant.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:56 am    Post subject:

Some quotes from the various game reports that I didn't get to stick in the Thoughts and Ratings:

"I don't want to give this team anything that can possibly be breathing room," Jackson said. "They just don't react well to any kind of let-up. You have to have the pressure on them all the time to perform well."

"We are undefeated in my era," Turiaf said. "So that's good."

"That's the kind of game he's got to play for us," Jackson said of Brown, "a game that inspires the team."

The humorous Kobe-Odom exchange on the court: "He said, 'Why did you give me the ball?' " said Odom. "I said, 'Cause you wanted it. That's why you ran up on me.' "
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:06 am    Post subject:

DancingBarry wrote:
Some quotes from the various game reports that I didn't get to stick in the Thoughts and Ratings:

"I don't want to give this team anything that can possibly be breathing room," Jackson said. "They just don't react well to any kind of let-up. You have to have the pressure on them all the time to perform well."

"We are undefeated in my era," Turiaf said. "So that's good."

"That's the kind of game he's got to play for us," Jackson said of Brown, "a game that inspires the team."

The humorous Kobe-Odom exchange on the court: "He said, 'Why did you give me the ball?' " said Odom. "I said, 'Cause you wanted it. That's why you ran up on me.' "


Yep. That sounds like Kobe.

God I love that. When (bleep) hits the fan, Kobe wants it everytime, willing to run out 35' to take the last shot.

And of course will jokingly poke at Lamar for giving it to him.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 3:57 am    Post subject:

THanks DB! As always this is my favorite post game read here at LG. Your intelligent recap brings in the true fans who are POSITIVE about our team. This is especially true after losses ... I know I'll get an honest evaluation from you. Not the inane whinning and crying that inevitably appears in the rest of LG.

Speaking of an honest evaluation ... do you think this is the beginning of something special out of Cook? He has such a sweet outside touch and added aggressive board play last night. A little D mixed in would make him a formidable PF. Do you think he has the mental fortitude to do this game in and game out?
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 4:43 am    Post subject:

Great recap, DB. It was great to see Turiaf on the court.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:37 am    Post subject:

da ocho wrote:
props DB.

the reason i've been pissed off at the numerous head down negative BS posts that have been flooding this board is because when you look at guys like ronny turiaf, kobe's superb play, and lamar odom wincing on every posesson but still gutting it out....it makes me very proud to be a laker fan.

ronny turiaf's return is nothing short of remarkable.


I agree. All the people I know who know I'm a Laker fan have had great delight in expressing their "I knew this was going to happen" crap, and all the people I know who supposedly love the Lakers were saying "trade so and so, they suck" blah blah bah - but I feel the same way as you did. They were bound to turn around, and I knew they would.

You go, Lakers!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:45 am    Post subject:

tnx!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:08 am    Post subject:

VEN_150 wrote:
Great report, lakers showed life tonight, i wish they could back kobe up like this every game, is lamar actually playing harder because he's in pain??
Sometimes, when you are sick or in pain, it makes you focus harder on your performance and what you are doing out there while playing. Many players have had great games in the face of illness or injury. Kobe and MJ both come to mind...I'm sure there are many others...

Also thanks, DB, for the time and effort you put in to give us those recaps. I think you know how appreciated they are. Props to Lamar for gutting it out, despite being in obvious pain...it is obvious this team is much better when he is on the court. Also congrats to Ronny! Loved seeing him come into the game...can't wait til he plays for the first time at Staples...hope the home crowd gives him a warm welcome...I have a feeling he's going to be a great energy/hustle guy as well as a crowd favorite...


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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:13 am    Post subject:

PopcornMachine wrote:
I sat here and clapped as Ronny played.

I don't know how to express how happy I was.

I cant wait to hear the response he gets from staples.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:18 am    Post subject:

Thanks isn't enough for what you do for Lakerground, DB.

Hope Ronny gets to play more after the Allstar break. We need his game to help us win. This roadtrip could of been better if we were healthy but maybe we can get a win streak at home.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:18 am    Post subject:

Just as I was going to write this season off... How can you figure this team out??!!... Kwame woke up, from a deep sleep... Someone must have lit a fire under that man... Most astoundingly, Kwame was able to manhandle Yao, for most of the game... Kwame was very active, offensively, and defensively... We need more consistency, from the bigman position.

Kwame needs to develop a good outside shot, because he's been getting some nice open looks, but he just can't convert those. Kwame's specialty is the drive to the basket, and nice put-backs.

I think what happened, was that Kobe decided to hold back, and facilitate the triangle. Kobe helped to get everyone ese involved. Cook was hot, like fresh baked cookies, so Kobe just fed Cook, as much as possible. Kobe still tried to take over, when our offense stagnated, but we never fully gave up, on teamwork.

We should make note of what worked for us, and try to keep using it... Of course, we need to modify, depending on the matchup.

Turiaf's heart is ready, but it looks like he needs to get a little more in shape, and acclimated to the flow, tempo, and stress, of the NBA.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:33 am    Post subject:

froesel wrote:
Thanks isn't enough for what you do for Lakerground, DB.

Hope Ronny gets to play more after the Allstar break. We need his game to help us win. This roadtrip could of been better if we were healthy but maybe we can get a win streak at home.

Exactly what he said. Great Work DB.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:36 am    Post subject:

Finishing a brutally tough road trip on a much-needed positive note. As always, great job DB. Thanks.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:42 am    Post subject:

Cookie with back-to-back NKPOG's. Like I said before, the one thing he does well is shoot. The 10 boards were an added bonus. He looks very energized when he's getting his looks and knocking them down. Also nice to see that he isn't settling for jumpers as he actually drove to the basket on a couple of plays to draw contact. JVG was pulling out what little hair he has left.

Very complete overall game from Kobe with 6 steals, 9 dimes and ZERO turnovers. My favorite moment of the game is when Kobe stuck 5 straight jumpers in the 3rd. I swear I could hear the Rockets give a deflated, collective "Oh, shh....t"

Great energy from DG and Kwame and total inspiration from Rony. Still, the roadie was a disaster, but hopefully some lessons will be learned. Now to take care of business at home.
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