HEAT -at- LAKERS - 2/28 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Ten Straight... It wasn't long ago that this was one of those games you marked on your calendar. These days the Heat are no longer in any fan's Fave 5 of big-game opponents. Thankfully, the Lakers didn't look past the game and took their 10th win in a row, 105-88.

The biggest thing to come from this game is that double-digit win streak, the mark of a good team. But don't tell that to Jordan Farmar, who took the opportunity to go for a new career high and lead the Lakers with 24 points. Apparently, he called his shot, too.

"I told my dad today I was going to get it tonight," Farmar said in the Times. "I've just been feeling good, just being really aggressive. I was joking in a sense, but once the game started going and I started knocking down some shots, I felt that I had an opportunity."

Four Lakers reached double digits in rebounds, including a couple 13 and 11 double-doubles from Gasol and Odom. The Lakers, unfortunately, didn't get the kind of distance from the Heat that could have allowed them to rest Kobe and Lamar. Phil did manage to keep Gasol's minutes down with some effective play by Ronny.


Kobe -- -- Reggie Miller said if you flip Kobe and DWade, the Heat make the playoffs...just off of Kobe's sheer intensity. It's true. In fact, the Heat team looks very similar to the Laker teams that have struggled, but made the playoffs in the last couple years. They even have Smush. Kobe played another of those all-around games and led the Lakers in assists. Defensively, he dogged DWade on the head-to-head and dominated him in the first half. Riley had to pull Wade off Kobe because of foul trouble and hide him elsewhere. The Stats: He scored 21 points on 7-14 shooting (0-2 from three, 7-7 from the line) to go with 8 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 41 minutes. The Action: He found himself open in the middle of the lane, took the pass from Pau and hit the short jumper to start the game. He stripped Wade from behind, pushed it out and dunked taking some obvious contact and no call. He took the outlet and quickly one-timed a bounce pass to Luke on the break for a layup. He overpassed (he had a wide open three) and we got called for a shotclock violation. He read the front on Gasol and flashed to the ball to hit him with the high-low. He dunked when Fish pushed out a steal. He drew a double coming off a weakside screen and hit Gasol for the easy dunk. So much for Wade covering Kobe, two fouls and he had to sit in the first quarter, the second was a swing-through move from the corner that he suckered Wade into, he made both FTs. He missed a turnaround in the lane. Quick first step easily past DWade, then he scored the And-1 reverse jam, he made the FT. He cut off the ball, took the pass and just missed the And-1 layup, he made both FTs. He collapsed the D and kicked out to Farmar for the three. He got tapped on a drive. He missed a pull-up from the wing. He drew FTs on a jumper, he made both. He faced up and measured a top-of-the-key jumper, which he drained over Davis. He had 17 points in the first half (DWade 0-5, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls). He swiped a return pass to Wade, pushed it out, pulled the ball down to his hip then threw down. He set up Lamar for FTs on a drive and dish. He tracked down a loose ball and flipped it over his shoulder to Luke down the court, who hit Lamar in stride for the dunk. He missed a three. He swatted Davis's jumper to force a shotclock violation. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a 19-footer trying to beat the shotclock. He challenged Marion's dunk at the end of the quarter getting all ball and a miss (he then did the finger wave to the crowd, which irked Marion). He posted up, collapsed the D and fed Lamar for FTs. He blew past Haslem and dunked on the baseline drive. He gave-up a 4-point play to DWade on a three with a foul.

Gasol -- -- Barkley gave Gasol some props for how well and how quickly he fit in. "Not only are they winning games, they are beating the hell out of people," Chuck said. Gasol missed a lot of chippies tonight. Several from just a few feet around the rim. Defensively, he and Turiaf anchored the paint very well (combining for 7 blocks and several other challenges). The Stats: He scored 13 points on 6-13 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers and 1 foul in 33 minutes. The Action: He missed a face-up jumper. He hit an open jumphook off the two-man game next time down. He missed a jumphook. He was fronted and Kobe found him on the high-low for a layup. He dunked when Kobe drew Gasol's man off a rub screen and hit him open under the hoop. He missed a short one under the hoop. He blocked a jumper on one end, but missed under the other basket (looked like a foul). Great help D, jumping out on a shooter to swat the corner jumper. He took a pass after fumbling it in the lane and hit the jumphook. He missed a layup in traffic. He handed off to Farmar on the high pinch post for a three. He missed another easy jumphook from a couple feet out. He blocked a shot on one end, sped down court (he can fly when he pushes it) and drew a foul on the break with Kobe, he made one FT. He scored under the hoop after Lamar no-looked a pass off an offensive board to him. He threw a pass out of bounds thinking Fish was going to drop to the corner. He hit a 16-footer from the left wing on the inbounds. Nice shot challenge and he recovered the board.

Lamar -- -- Some highlight plays from Lamar tonight, coming off some great Laker passing sequences. Good, blue-collar game from LO. Defensively, our length was too much for the Heat as we outrebounded them by 15. If you think about it, this is our small lineup, too. We did go big for a stretch to start the second quarter, running Gasol, Turiaf, Odom, Sasha and Farmar. That lineup went on a 7-0 run when it was out there. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting (1-1 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 40 minutes. The Action: He slipped the screen, took the pass, gathered it and scored. He hit Luke with the extra pass for the jumper. He forced an outlet and it was picked off. He tipped an offensive board to himself then threw it off Haslem, excellent effort. He drew FTs when Kobe set him up under the hoop, he made one. Great sequence, he tipped a pass on the D end to Gasol who deflected, Kobe tracked it down and then flipped a long no-looker over his shoulder to Luke busting down court...by the time Luke went up to catch the pass over his shoulder to Luke, Lamar was already trailing the play and Luke threw a behind-the-back bounce pass on his way down after catching the Kobe feed to Lamar for the dunk (wow, that was tough to explain, check out the video here). He held ground firmly in the post against Haslem on one end forcing him into trouble, then Lamar pulled down an offensive board on the other and no-looked over his head to Gasol who scored. He drew FTs when Kobe collapsed the D in the post, he made one FT. He sank a deep corner jumper. He sank a wide open three, sizing it up and knocking it down.

Fisher -- -- Poor game again offensively, combining some bad decisions and bricks. Too bad our roster is so thin right now because DFish could probably use a little rest. Thankfully, Farmar has stepped up his game. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-11 (1-5 from three, 2-2 from the line), 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 24 minutes. The Action: He missed a wing jumper. He missed a three from the left wing. He airballed from three, might have been blocked. He drew FTs on a power drive against Banks, he made both. He fumbled away a baseline drive and got stripped on another drive on consecutive plays. He missed a jumper short out of a timeout. He tried to create for the last shot of the quarter and got his shot rejected. He hit an elbow jumper to start the half. He missed a wide open three. He missed another jumper from the right side. He swished a corner three on a kickout from Gasol. He missed a three on the break. He drew a whistle fighting through a moving pick.

Luke -- -- Good game from Luke. He had a few cringe moments, but he also was in on a number of highlights and filled out his stat sheet. And, he also didn't let Marion abuse us when he was matched up against him. (Marion had 13 points and 5 turnovers.) Glad to see some serviceable minutes from Luke, although there was a lull in the first half with him on the floor during one stretch. He seemed to be in a better flow on the offensive end. The Stats: He scored 9 points on 4-8 shooting (1-2 from the line) to go with 11 boards, 4 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: He blocked JWill from behind. He missed a point-blank layup on the break. He went for a suicide steal and it cost a hoop. He swished an open 19-footer from the top of the key. He busted out on the break and Kobe hit him for the layup (Farmar got on him later for not dunking, "You can't bang it?"). He drained a corner jumper off the LO swing pass. He picked up a loose ball dropped from a couple Heat rebounders and scored the layup. He cut, took the pass, drew the D and hit Ronny quickly for a dunk. He bricked badly on a long wing jumper. He got hit on a shot in the lane, he made one FT. He swished an open wing jumper when the Heat left him for Kobe. His pass was picked off in the lane for a score the other way. He posted up Wade and got blocked, sheesh. He was called for a carry. He missed an open 18-footer. He found Farmar off the quick weakside drop pass for the layup.

Turiaf -- -- He challenged anyone who dared try to throwdown around him and sent a number of people packing...a couple weak fouls in the process, but it had the crowd going. Nice job on the boards tonight, too. Not sure if that was the lack of size from the Heat or just a better overall effort by Ronny...maybe both, but he controlled the defensive glass. Offensively, his perimeter shot was off, but he scrapped for a few points. The Stats: He scored 7 points on 2-8 shooting (3-3 from the line) to go with 12 boards, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls in 24 minutes. The Action: He swatted a shot under the hoop. He missed a high-low Tri read when Gasol was being fronted and it stalled our set. He missed a FT jumper. He tried to organize the offense and hoisted up a long wing jumper as soon as he got it. He missed another FT-line jumper. He threw down a huge dunk when Luke drew the D on a cut and then fed him. He got blocked from behind and wanted the foul. Another foul on a Turiaf monster rejection of a throwdown...the crowd was ticked at that call, that was a heck of a play. He rejected the next one with no call and posed for a second. He drew FTs on a defensive box out, he made both. He blocked Haslem from behind. Great effort taking a pass under the boards, missing, fighting for it again and scoring the And-1, he made the FT.

Farmar -- -- Your leading scorer with a point-a-minute performance...Jordan Farmar. He set a new career high with 24 points off the bench in his usual rotation, including closing out another game. Defensively, he was never challenged, but did a good job with some hustle and anticipation. The elevation in Farmar's game has coincided with the slide in DFish's game. Glad to see him stepping into that vacuum. The Stats: He scored 24 on 9-14 shooting (4-8 from three, 2-2 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls. The Action: He squared up and drained a baseline jumper on his first attempt. He launched an outlet pass out of bounds. Banks hit a three over him at the buzzer as Jordan didn't crowd him with the clock winding down. He missed a jumper when the offense stalled. He swiped a pass, pushed it out and hit Sasha for the jumper. He drained a three off the high handoff from Gasol. He got a soft roll on a three when Kobe kicked out to him. He missed an open three. He was given a couple FTs on a clear-path foul when he swiped the ball from Wade and he fouled him. He jumped the passing lane, stole the ball and dunked. He hit the side of the backboard on a corner three and wanted the foul. He scored a layup off the weakside cut when Luke hit him in stride. He drained a three in transition on the next Laker score. He missed a three on his next attempt. He snatched the loose ball, stepped on the gas in the open court to get around defenders and drew the goaltend. He scored a layup when Sasha broke DWade down off the dribble and found Farmar. He swished an open three from the left wing on an inside-out sequence and Farmar set a new career high. He swatted Davis from behind.

Vujacic -- -- How sweet is it when Sasha not only pulls off his Crossover of Death against DWade, but he also gets under his skin and forces one of those Rage Against the Machine fouls from Wade? Sasha don't you know he's a superstar? You can't do that to him. Classic. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 5-9 shooting (2-4 from three) to go with 2 assists, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 21 minutes. The Action: He drained a 16-footer from the right side in transition. He drained another from about a foot back of the same spot on the break. He missed a forced three from the top, but got back on D to deflect a pass and prevent a breakaway score. He missed a corner jumper. He swished a wing three off a Farmar pass. Rage Against the Machinetime: Sasha came down court and camped in the corner, DWade followed him and gave Sasha a shove...Sasha exaggerated the effects, but there's no reason for DWade to be over there unless Sasha was in his head. Sasha then pulled off Crossover of Death on DWade, attacked the lane, drew the D and fed Farmar for the layup (mess with Sasha and he pulls out the crazy weapons). Bad post entry and it led to a turnover when Farmar couldn't recover it. He swished an open corner jumper when he lost his man off the ball. He airballed a three. He swished an open three off an inside-out sequence.

Mbenga -- -- He came in with 8 minutes left in the second quarter. The Stats: He didn't score, didn't take a shot, grabbed two boards and had 1 foul in 2 minutes. The Action: Just a couple boards and a foul.

Phil -- -- The Lakers got off to a quick start with a 12-4 opening push, forcing a Heat timeout. A 6-0 Laker run forced another Heat timeout... The Heat went on a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 24-16 and Phil called a 20-second timeout. We got a shotclock violation out of the timeout... Some lackluster play from both Fish and Luke again and the Heat cut the lead we extended on back down to 10 and Phil called a timeout... Phil let Pau sit for the majority of the second quarter. (He later did the same type of thing in the fourth, two 16-minute straight stints. Wonder if there are some back issues.)... The Lakers led 53-41 and had a 14-4 advantage on points off turnovers... "We lost our concentration maybe twice in the first half and once in this quarter," Phil said at the end of the third. "It gets too easy sometimes and these guys start messing around and forget about ball movement."... We led 73-58 to start the fourth... The second unit couldn't build and maintain a lead and Phil had to bring back in Kobe and Lamar midway through the fourth... Got a little rest for Gasol, but Kobe and Lamar both played 40-minute games. They'll have to push through the next one...

Game Flow -- LINK -- The Lakers had another one of those crushing opening starts to game. Check out the 20-4 run in the first quarter.

[brock]

First... again!

[Magic'sSon]

FIRST!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Magic'sSon]

DAMN YOU BROCK....DAMMMMMNNNN YOUUUU!!!!!

[wigglesxjr]

DB for pres bravo, thanks for the recap

[AndrewBynum17]

DB should Farmar should start over Fisher?

[Theseus]

Nice job, nice including the barkley comments.

I think gasol was just being rested to keep him good for tomorrows game

[KOBEhastheMAGIC]

We rid ourselves of most of the cancers....Cook, Kwame, Smush.

It's time to finish the job and get rid of P-U-K-E and Derek SelFish.

We aren't winning anything as long as those two are part of our regular rotation.
_________________
Kobe Bryant has brought the Lakers three championships, 4 Finals, carried an absolutely pathetic team to the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference and has given us countless thrills and memories. If you are not a Kobe fan, then you are not a Laker fan.

[KOBE 2.0]

Thanks DB!

[DancingBarry]

[Magic'sSon]

Thanks DB...

[Shaber]

Sasha!!!

Sick Jumpers of Death!

Sick Crossover of Death!

Rage Against the Machine fouls!


What a guy

[Shaber]

[Omar Little]

[KOBEhastheMAGIC]

[Shaber]

[Shaber]

[DancingBarry]

[RG73]

[AndrewBynum17]

[AndrewBynum17]

[ecchen1]

[KBryantisclutch]

Ten Straight. . .!
Good Recap. My favorite part of all of these Recaps are the smiley ratings. I have to check in after every game to see what each player got. They are always dead on.

[KOBEhastheMAGIC]

[AndrewBynum17]