LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 5/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings
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DancingBarry
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:06 pm    Post subject: LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 5/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Signal to Noise... You've packed your bags and hit the road, covering endless stretches of flat, monotonous highway through the night. You know the destination, you've been here before. Still, you get the creeps when you pull in front of the battered, worn down billboard that reads "Rocketville: The Blueprint for a Better Tomorrow." Behind it is a neighborhood of homes crumbling on foundations, tilting badly and creaking and groaning with the slightest breeze. Dead flowers wilt in the yards. Windows are broken, but you think you see movement inside.

As you walk cautiously step forward, windows slam shut, curtains are pulled. Whispers fill the air, but disappear every time you turn in their direction. You catch phrases like "time to die" ... "we can take him"... "you're nothing"... "do you know who I am?"... The whispers turn into loud, incoherent screams, and you can barely focus on anything.

You realize what their protests are about. The Horsemen have gathered at the edge of this suburban nightmare. They are one Death Rider short, but perhaps that is precisely what has given the Horsemen an edgy look of focused determination.

The noise swirls around you like a verbal hurricane. It doesn't faze the Horsemen. Death raises one arm and the charge begins. The noise grows into an ear splitting migraine, forcing you to cover your ears and close your eyes. The wind kicks up as the Horsemen weak havoc upon Rocketville.

Someone taps you on your shoulder, it's the littlest Death Rider. Cautiously, you look up and uncover your ears. "Open up your eyes or you might get laid out," he says with the sly grin. He proceeds to take the fight to Rocketville.

Amid the screams, protests and high-pitched static, you hear the Horsemen. They are communicating, barking out orders...executing. They've cut through the noise. In fact, they seem oddly at the top of their game during these times. They sweep the inhabitants of Rocketville from their streets and homes. The bells ring out... eight, nine, ten... and stop. The Horsemen have won.

A flare or rocket of some kind shoots through the air and explodes above you. A small parachute slowly falls to your feet. You pick it up, there's a note attached. DancingBarry:

The Four Horsemen were here. Down one of their toughest Death Riders, they came to the fight with focus. The environment was hostile and angry, but they tuned it out and went to work. When the fight was over

They will meet again. I will continue to follow them...


He took to the floor, starting for the first time in a long time. Thrown into the heat of the battle with DFish's suspension, Jordan Farmar was expected to hold his own. He did that and then some in the Lakers 108-94 road win over the Rockets.

Farmar was buried on the bench, but gradually his minutes have increased against this speedy Rocket backcourt. He set the tone early in this game, diving for a loose ball in the backcourt and feeding Trevor Ariza from his belly for a dunk.

The Lakers were forcing turnovers, getting out in transition and hitting their threes. That will get you road wins against this Rocket team, which is no slouch at home.

The turnovers and threes were the stats to look at. The Lakers went 11-20 from three and had just 6 turnovers that led to only 3 points. Meanwhile, the Rockets had 17 turnovers that led to 20 points.

Kobe Bryant scored 33 points, sinking a couple of threes against the clock. He also swatted Yao a couple times on the other end. Late in the game, Yao was limping from a bad wheel.

Adelman thought the Rockets got impatient. They struggle to counter some of the overplays the Lakers do defensively. Sunday, the Rockets team will be fighting for its life. The Lakers hope to take it. Another road game like this and they just might.


Kobe -- -- A couple of his four three-pointers sounded something like this: Swish. Buzzer. Silence. They came at the third quarter buzzer and a "ball game" three with 2 minutes left. Big shots at key moments. He is a defender magnet, guys just swarm all over him and it's up to other Lakers to hit open jumpers or get to the rim. Tonight, they did that much better. Kobe had a stretch were he was missing some shots, but when he started to attack good things happened for the team. Kobe also had some highlight plays on the defensive end, including an impressive block on Yao at the front of the rim to save a sure hoop. Three swats from Kobe in this game (another one on Yao from behind). Excellent job leading this team in a tough environment. The Lakers played with some fire in the bellies. "We knew we would be in for a dogfight," Kobe said. "It's good to see us come out and respond the way we have." Kobe passed Larry Bird for sixth place on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list with 3,928 points. Excellent. The Stats: He scored 33 points on 11-28 shooting (4-6 from three, 7-8 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks and 2 fouls in 44 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He drained a step-back 20-footer on his first attempt. He swished a three over Artest on a switch. He drained a toe-on-the-three line jumper next time down. He spun to lose his man and hit the elbow jumper. He lost his man with a behind-the-back dribble and hit the one-hander over another defender. He had 11 points on 5-6 shooting in the first quarter. He missed a runner, taking contact with no call. He sank a three off the high screen. Bad decision to settle for a long jumper over Yao instead of attacking past him, he missed. He missed a scoop, but stole it back. He missed a reverse layup. He missed a long three. He kicked out to Luke for a three. He had 14 points on 6-13 shooting, no FTs in the first half. Second Half: He was hit on a wing jumper on his first attempt of the half (Kobe to line for the first time), he made both FTs. He blocked Yao on help D at the front of the rim, wow. He missed an open three in transition. He missed a short jumper in transition. He missed a long jumper. He missed a runner, followed it up and tipped it in. He drew the D and hit LO for a corner three. Phil brought him back in for the last 7 seconds of the third, Kobe got the inbounds with 3 seconds left in the third and swished about a 39-footer at the buzzer, crazy shot. He missed on a drive. He kicked out to Sasha for a three. He got hit on a runner, no call, got it back and made the 4-footer, getting dumped to the floor again, no call. He attacked to his right and somehow muscled in a layup after taking body contact from Battier while he got a hand on the ball. He missed a floater, but Pau got it back. He attacked and finally drew FTs, he made both. He missed a 21-foot pull-up (attack, manufacture points at the line, don't settle). He sank a long three, just getting it off before the shotclock went off with just over 2 minutes left. He missed a long jumper, but Pau got it back. He attacked and missed in a crowd, but LO cleaned it up with a putback jam. With the game put away, he was fouled, made one FT. He was fouled again, made both FTs.

Gasol -- -- After controlling Yao's productivity in the previous game, the Lakers knew the Rockets were going to try to make a better effort to get the ball to Yao. Pau wasn't always successful in fronting the post. He gave up some offensive boards. But we made the Rockets look elsewhere enough that Yao's productivity was once again held down. Offensively, Pau played a more perimeter oriented game. He was still an essential part of our attack as we were exploiting Yao's weak two-man D. Some of Pau's better offensive sequences were, once again, when he was able to Yao on the move. Yao was really hobbling at the end of the game. It will be vital for the Lakers to exploit that even more in the next game. Keep running on him, keep making him move defensively. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-11 shooting (5-7 from the line) to go with 6 boards (3 offensive), 3 assists, 1 block and 4 fouls in 36 minutes. He was a +13. The Action: He swished a pull-up 10-footer. He missed a 15-footer. He drew the D and kicked out to Ariza for three. He was blocked trying to shoot a fade over Yao. He missed a jumper. He hit the 12-footer off the two-man with Farmar. He missed an elbow jumper. He picked up a cheap foul in transition off the ball (Yao FTs). He had 4 points on 2-7 shooting, 1 assist and 2 fouls in 16 minutes. Second Half: He faced up Yao, attacked right, spun the other way and hit off the glass with his left. He drew FTs when Kobe set him him up under the hoop with a bullet feed, he made both. He faced up Yao at the top of the key, attacked left after crossing over, stopped on a dime and hit an And-1 jumper, he missed the FT. He got tapped on a 16-footer. He missed an elbow jumper out of a timeout. He was fouled with 52 seconds left, he made one FT. He took an inbounds pass, pushed it out and was knocked down by Artest, Flagrant-2 for Ron, bye-bye (weak ejection, but Rocket fans should quit complaining about hard fouls), Pau made both.

Lamar -- -- Quietly, Lamar was your second leading Laker scorer tonight. He did in on basically garbage points and hitting a couple threes. With the Rockets packing it in so much, it makes it difficult for LO to get aggressive off the dribble. You can see that in the lack of assist numbers and FTs. Defensively, he struggled with Scola, who had 4 offensive boards and some easy scores in the post. At the end of the night, however, Scola was a -18, leading the Rockets in that category. I'd like to see Lamar front Scola on occasion in the post, just to give the Rockets another look defensively. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 7-11 shooting (2-2 from three) to go with 13 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 34 minutes. He was a +11. The Action: He threw down a lob from Ariza on the first possession. He scored a layup on the break with Farmar. He scored a layup when Ariza found him under the hoop. He dunked off the bounce pass from Farmar. Scola was getting him in the post, backing him down for a few easy ones. He was hit on a jumper with no call. He swatted Scola on help D. He was called for a charge attacking down the lane to his left. He had to sit with 9:29 left in the half. Back in, he picked up his third foul undercutting Landry on an offensive rebound. He had 8 points on 4-6 shooting, 5 boards and 2 blocks in 15 minutes. Second Half: Scola scored a layup off an offensive board. He traveled on the two-man game. He drained a three off the kickout from Farmar. He fumbled a break away. He missed a long sideline jumper next time down. He sank an open corner three off the Kobe kickout. He missed a layup on the break. Kobe drew a crowd on a drive and LO cleaned it up with a putback jam.

Ariza -- -- Early in the season, we had L.A. Law -- Ariza and Farmar -- coming off the bench. That dynamic back, but in the starting lineup. A couple key factors to the Laker success were seen in Trevor's game. Let's start with the defense since it led to some offense. Trevor swiped the ball 4 times, and we quickly switched ends to score easy points. That uptempo offense, the counterstrike before the Rockets can set up defensively, is huge. The Lakers have to keep pushing it as it is critical to our success. Trevor also drained his threes in this game, and that was another key factor for the Lakers success. L.A.'s perimeter players struggled in the first two. Ariza makes us very difficult when those go down. Against Artest, it seemed like Trevor played Ron a little tighter and we didn't get exploited as badly in the post as the last one. Rob became a volume shooter (23 shots, just 1 assist). The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-7 shooting (3-4 from three, 2-4 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 turnover and 5 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +16. The Action: He lobbed to Lamar for a dunk on the first play. He stripped Yao on a double team. He missed an early offense pull-up (horrible shot selection). He sank a three on a kickout from Pau. He bounced a pass to LO for the layup. He dunked when Farmar dove to the floor for a loose ball and hit him with a pass. He charged on a wild spin in the lane, his second foul with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. He swipped a pass on D, pushed it out and drew FTs on the break, he made one. Great help D under the hoop to swipe a pass and push out the break again, FTs for Farmar. Second Half: He swished a three from the sideline. He missed a three. He drew a charge, crowding Artest on the perimeter and forcing the drive. He missed an 18-footer. He swished a corner three on the Farmar kickout. He was fouled with 1:10 left up by 10, he made one FT.

Farmar -- -- Rise to the occasion. From buried on the bench to starting in just a few games, Jordan Farmar played some clutch ball tonight in place of the suspended DFish. His first start all season. Phil Jackson has changed gears between series, going strong in the first series against the Jazz, now fast in the second series. Again, as mentioned, you wish he would have played Farmar more in that first game. What was most impressive about Farmar's game tonight was the hustle. Early on he dove for a loose ball in the backcourt, then hit Ariza from the floor for a dunk. Those are the gritty, blue-collar plays that inspire your team...and your fan base. Hustle is something you can always bring. The difficult part for Farmar has been playing with intelligent effort. Tonight, he played poised, heady ball at the PG spot. He didn't force things very often and exploited Yao's weak two-man D. When the dust settled, he led the Lakers with a +18. Job well done. Keep bringing it. One area where he struggled like DFish was from beyond the arc. Hopefully, one of them can start knocking some down. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 3-7 shooting (0-3 from three, 6-8 from the line) to go with 5 boards (2 offensive), 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and no fouls in 33 minutes. He was a +18. The Action: He missed a three off the high pinch post. He hit Lamar on the break for a score. He missed an open wing three on his next attempt. Great dive to the floor to get a loose ball in the backcourt, then he rolled it to Ariza for the dunk. Great extra pass from the corner to Lamar under the hoop for a dunk. He dunked when Luke stole the ball and hit him. He hit Pau on the two-man game for a jumper. Quality first quarter from Farmar. He drew FTs in transtion after Ariza stole a pass, he made both. He missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer. He was a +5 in the first half. Second Half: Great hustle to grab a high offensive board, he got up for it. He banked a leaner over Yao off the two-man with Pau. He swiped a bounce pass. He worked off the two-man game and hit Ariza in the corner for a three. He gambled trying to steal an entry pass to Yao and his man scored a layup. He sank a baseline jumper when Pau returned the pass to him off the two-man game. He missed an open three off the two-man game early in the clock, could have been a big make with 3 minutes left up by 8. He was fouled with 1:01 left up by 9, he made one FT. He picked his man and drew more FTs, he made both. He swatted his man from behind. He was fouled intentionally again, he made one FT.

Bynum -- -- Some good fronting D by Bynum on Yao. He was moving his feet and denying the entry pass. He also had some swat action going in his limited minutes. He was playing impact ball, he just didn't get the minutes he should have. Again, there's no reason for Powell to be out there. We should make the Rockets adjust to us. Bynum has played four good stints in a row. Even though the Rockets had one good stint when Bynum was out there in the prior game, that was the Sasha, Brown, Farmar trio that was more to blame. The second units tonight held the line and Bynum's rebounding and swatting was an important factor in that. He's got to get more aggressive offensively in regards to getting position, but he may just be following instruction to rebound and defend right now. He looks very cautious on that end of the floor. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-2 shooting to go with 5 boards, 2 blocks and 3 fouls in 12 minutes. He was a +1. The Action: He took a high entry, gathered himself and powered up the layup. He grabbed a Kobe miss and hit a 7-foot jumper. He swatted Lowry in transition. Second Half: He drew FTs gathering in a high entry pass from Kobe in traffic, and -- scratch that -- no FTs were given, wow.

Luke -- -- Again, Phil ran Luke at the PF and SF spots. Some tough matchups here for Luke. He even went against Scola for a stretch and the Rockets didn't go after it. Amid all those odd lineups, Luke somehow managed a +2 during some of our trickier rotations. He hit a couple of jumpers in this game, including a three. That's especially effective when he's at the PF spot. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-6 shooting (1-2 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 19 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He swiped the ball and hit Farmar for a dunk. He attacked Landry with speed and drew FTs (Lakers first after 13 minutes), he made one. He missed an open three from the wing. He missed a 21-footer. He was called for a technical foul after tapping a ball with his foot after he was called for a foul (bogus, that should have been a delay of game, free point for the Rockets). He faked off the three line, moved in closer and hit the 14-foot jumper. He swished a corner three next time down on a Kobe two-for-one kickout. Second Half: He missed a one-hander on the baseline. He let Artest get past him to the left for FTs. He missed a 19-footer, then gave up an easy post score to Landry.

Brown -- -- With Fish out, Brown slid up to the backup PG spot and led the bench in scoring. Phil couldn't run the same small guard combos since we needed to make sure we had a backup PG available. Brown played some quality minutes. To start the fourth quarter he manufactured 4 points from the line with some aggressive play. That's just huge as it gets Houston into foul trouble, but also creates some offensive for our second unit squads. In the next game, Brown should take some of Sasha's minutes. He's outplaying him. The Stats: He scored 8 points on 2-2 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 15 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He sank a pull-up 15-footer. He had a ball stripped off him on a drive. With the Brick Machine calling for the ball, Brown instead sank a 20-footer off the high screen. Second Half: He drew FTs on a drive with the shotclock low, he made both. Quick attack from the wing and he drew FTs again, he made both.

Vujacic -- -- Sigh. Hit your shots, Sasha. I trust Shannon Brown more from outside than Sasha right now. In fact, with DFish back in the next game, Brown should get Sasha's minutes. Pretty simple. Sasha hammered Wafer to the floor on a foul in this game. This was probably the hardest foul of the game by the Lakers, but Wafer initiated it all by jumping into him to draw three freethrows. von had 9 points, but on 2-10 shooting in this game. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 1-6 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 1 board, 1 steal and 2 fouls in 13 minutes. He was a -3. The Action: He missed an open baseline jumper in transition. He missed a wing three. He missed an open three. Second Half: He drained a three on the Kobe kickout. He got caught in the air on a three from Wafer, who jumped into him, Wafer went down hard and drew three FTs. He missed a 20-footer on the other end. He missed a 22-footer out of a timeout.

Powell -- -- He came in for Lamar when LO picked up his third foul of the half. Again, not to beat a dead horse again, but really...we could have gone to Bynum who was playing very good in this game. Phil did go to Luke after a short stint at PF, but the Lakers really struggled during this stretch. Thankfully, so did the Rockets. That may not be the case in the next game. There were boards an opportunities for Bynum where he would have made a difference. You just can't leave impact talent on the bench in exchange for our deep bench players. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-2 shooting and was a -1 in 3 minutes. The Action: He missed a turnaround in the post. He missed a jumper, way short. Second Half: He did not play in the second half.

Phil -- -- Phil went to Farmar to start at PG in place of the suspended DFish... The Lakers had the pace in their favor, but were having difficulty defending Yao/Scola in the post with Pau/Lamar. Both need to front as much as possible... The Lakers led 30-28 after the first quarter. The Lakers shot 14-23, the Rockets 11-19 in the first. No fouls on the Rockets in that quarter... Phil started a Bynum, Lamar, Luke, Sasha, Brown lineup to open the second quarter... Lamar picked up his second foul and Phil brought in Kobe, sliding Luke to PF... The Lakers led 42-39 when Phil went to the Pau, Lamar, Ariza, Kobe, Brown lineup midway through the quarter... Lamar picked up his third foul a few seconds later and Phil went with Powell instead of Bynum. He swapped out Farmar for Brown shortly later... Phil went to Luke against Scola instead of Powell with a couple minutes left. Luke stepped up. The Rockets didn't explore Scola in that matchup... The Lakers led 50-48 at halftime, making 21-46 (45.7 percent). The Rockets made 16-23 (48.5 percent). The Lakers scored 14 points off 11 Rocket turnovers, the Rockets scored 3 points off 3 Laker turnovers. The Rockets made 12-15 from the line, the Lakers just 4-6... DFish's Tweet at the half: "Great half! To have the lead at the half is really good on the road. First 3 mins of the 3rd qtr are key."... The Lakers met that challenge, winning the first half of the third quarter to take an 8-point lead... Phil sat Kobe and Gasol for the final minute and half of the third... He subbed back in Kobe for the final 7 seconds. Kobe swished a 35-footer at the buzzer... The Lakers won the third 24-14 and led 74-62 going into the fourth... Phil started a Bynum, Luke, Kobe, Sasha, Brown lineup... The Lakers gave up two offensive boards and a dunk on a sequence and Phil called a timeout with under 6 minutes left, up by 10... The Lakers maintained the lead and for the last minute and half went to the line. A ton of intentional fouls... The Lakers ended up shooting 25-33 FTs, the Rockets 18-25. The Rockets had the advantage there until the final minute... Just 17 assists for the Lakers. They had some good ball movement at times, but still aren't quite at the top of their game... From DFish's Tweet: "I'm so proud of the team. They responded like champions and that is what this is all about. WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP. Great job guys."...

Game Flow -- LINK -- No runs against the second unit tonight. It wasn't always pretty, but they held the line.


Last edited by DancingBarry on Sat May 09, 2009 12:35 am; edited 2 times in total
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koolmo23
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:06 pm    Post subject:

Great recap thanks for all the hard work

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PakaLOLO
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:08 pm    Post subject:

Thanks

great game!
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AllorNothing
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:11 pm    Post subject:

I think Gasol is learning and getting more aggressive offensively as this series progresses. His best bet is to get in the middle of the lane and just front Yao giving him some space to operate. There is no way Gasol is going to back down Yao on the low block.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:13 pm    Post subject:

He just needs to keep using his speed (in half court and full court) and perimeter game. With Yao's bad wheel, that will be especially important in the next game.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:15 pm    Post subject:

although we're not undefeated, like the cavs. i think what the lakers have done on the road so far, against the jazz and now the rockets - both teams that tied for the 5th best home records this year, is phenomenal.

other than that hiccup in late in the 4th, in game 3 versus the jazz, we've been dominant in real against great home teams. contrast that with cavs playing versus the pistons - horrible at home, and the hawks above average at home.

frankly, no one has been more impressive in the playoffs than the lakers so far. don't be fooled by the M.O.V. the cavs have been displaying.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:16 pm    Post subject:

thanks db. finally seeing the blimp of old farmer again ^.^
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:19 pm    Post subject:

2 down 2 more to go. Lakers were focused for the whole game. Need to bring that intensity for the next two and close this out.

Thanks again DB!
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:21 pm    Post subject:

koolmo23 wrote:
Great recap thanks for all the hard work

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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:30 pm    Post subject:

DB
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:35 pm    Post subject:

Given the second half, I have a feeling we've seen the last of Josh Powell (and more of Andrew Bynum).
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:37 pm    Post subject:

Always look forward to reading your Thoughts and Ratings DB. Good stuff.

The boys sure gone and laid the smack-down tonight.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:40 pm    Post subject:

Thanks DB!

That pancake Fish laid on Scola seemed to turn this series a bit. The Lakers came out fighting tonight.

Very encouraging to see Bynum fighting more and more each game. Those so-so stats don't tell the story, he turned the heat up on Yao big time.

Nothing against Josh Powell, but he is the only Laker I didn't feel belonged on the court out there tonight and I also see absolutely no reason to play him when Bynum is grabbing tough rebounds like he did tonight.

Jordan Farmar!! Wow keep it up.

Fantastic game. Fantastic DAGGER by Kobe to end the third! That was fun.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:42 pm    Post subject:

LakerSanity wrote:
Given the second half, I have a feeling we've seen the last of Josh Powell (and more of Andrew Bynum).


I hope so.
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:49 pm    Post subject:

Thanks Bud waiting up for it
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:55 pm    Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 5/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

Thanks DB!

LO, Shannon and Sasha have missed layups that (thankfully) didn't cause us to lose the game. It is something to watch out for as the Lakers proceed on their path to win a NBA title.

Re: Ariza
He has a tough matchup with Artest - along with Luke. It would be nice if they read the scouting report that says to force RonRon go to his right when he is driving to the hole.

Turnovers
With only 6 TOs, the Lakers got into a good rhythm to keep moving the ball forcing the Rockets to move their feet and make decisions.

Pau
I agree with your comments on how to get Pau more involved with the offense. Facing up forces Yao to move his feet and make decisions. If the Lakers "corner 3" shooters are making a decent percentage of their shots (like they did during this game), it will always be fatal for the Rockets

Defense
As noted by the reporters, the Lakers' defensive intensity went down allowing the Rockets to get to 6 points. In this game, they were able to recover. This tendency will be harder to overcome when they face Denver and Cleveland (assuming that the Mavs and Magic will get defeated)
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Addicus
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PostPosted: Fri May 08, 2009 11:56 pm    Post subject:

ty
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ReaListik
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:04 am    Post subject:

DB great stories accompanying your analysis. I really appreciate your work and creativity you put into these write-ups.

I'm hoping that this team smells blood and goes in for the kill on Sunday, so they can go back to Staples and finish it out.
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:13 am    Post subject:

Hey DB - If you watch JD2K's highlights the next to last one is the foul on Pau. He shows it from trailing camera view and Pau fell because Battier clipped him on the legs with his arm as Pau was leaving his feet. Ron happened to hit Pau up top right afterward. The person who should have been ejected was Battier.
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lakerfn4lfe
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 1:56 am    Post subject:

DB, I read every one of your reviews to see what your take was and for the most part I think you are spot on.

This game and the previous games are the first games that I felt we played real solid playoff basketball.

If we would have hit out open shots, we would have won by 30, and as we progress through the playoffs those open shots will be critical to make.

Sasha still doesn't have his confidence. He seems to not be in rhythm with his shot and is shooting too quickly. Or he doesn't have his feet set and is taking a shot on the run.

But the good news is that Trevor, Shannon and especially Jordan are playing with much more confidence.
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sonimala
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 2:06 am    Post subject:

Kobe's two blocks on Yao and his agressiveness on the defensive boards I think turned the momentum in the third. He foiled two certain Yao baskets that led to points on the other end. Yao was never the same after that. Kobe showed why he's all NBA defensive first team.
Thanks DB.
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Andre2K
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 3:33 am    Post subject:

start Farmar!!!!
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 4:55 am    Post subject:

Big win. Thanks DB!
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Mr. EiGhTy-OnE
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: LAKERS -at- ROCKETS - 5/8 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

DancingBarry wrote:

Phil brought him back in for the last 7 seconds of the third, Kobe got the inbounds with 3 seconds left in the third and swished about a 39-footer at the buzzer, crazy shot.


DAGGER 3!
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limchrc
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PostPosted: Sat May 09, 2009 7:04 am    Post subject:

Nice win! Thanks for the recap.
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