CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS - 10/18 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

The Parasitic Twin... Tossing and turning, trying to get some decent sleep, you finally drift off into a nightmare. You're shaving in the mirror when you notice something on your shoulder. It's a drooling miniature, parasitic twin, like a less-talented Kuato.

The hairless creature gibbers in some language only twins understand. It wants you to shave him, too. Super.

Although creeped out, you put a dab of shaving cream in your hand and reach for his toothy face. He lunges and clamps down on your finger, his razor sharp bite refusing to let go. It's on.

With your other hand you smack him upside the head several times until he squeals and finally lets go. He lunges again for your ear, but you grab his meaty head and hold on tight. In the mirror, you now notice that your ear has been scarred and chewed into gnarled nubbin from years of these attacks. Why didn't you get him lanced years ago? Finally, in your anger you punch him, knocking him out cold.

At that moment, you hit the floor hard beside your bed and wake. You're holding a pillow in your clinched fist and sweating. Damn, what the hell was that about?

You hear a knock at the penthouse door. An envelope is slid beneath it, you recognize DancingBarry's penmanship:

The Horsemen were here. They share the same space with this opponent, but that's where the similarities begin and end. They faced a surprising attack early, but eventually took control of the situation. Despite being short-handed again, others continue to contribute.

And I will continue to track them.

The Clippers will be tougher this year. They add some new, young talent. But the Lakers simply have more. This is a story that is destined to repeat itself year after year like some recurring dream.

Despite sitting their trio of Pau, Lamar and Luke again, the Lakers managed to find other sources of production on their way to the 114-108 win. The bench once again rose to the occasion as Jordan Farmar (11 points, 7 assists) and Shannon Brown (20 points) stepped up and delivered. A new name, however, gave the team some spark -- Adam Morrison had his best game as a Laker, sinking all four of his threes and scoring 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to keep the Clippers at a distance.

"It's nice to finally make some shots in a game," Morrison said in the Associated Press. "You don't know before you get out there. I had good rhythm going for a little bit. My knee feels good and I feel comfortable out there, so hopefully I can squeeze my way into the rotation."

The game didn't get off to a good start for the Lakers. They struggled to defend the two-man game or establish their interior offensively. The Clippers held double-digit leads at points in the first half.

"We weren't prepared to play to start with and we made some mistakes defensively, which opened the doors," Phil said. "We still have to shore up the inside and stop the penetration dribble. We weren't very sharp offensively in the first quarter, either."

Andrew Bynum continued to be productive, even against a tougher Chris Kaman. He held Kaman to 8 points while Bynum scored 20 points to go with 13 boards and 2 blocks.


Kobe -- -- He had an over-the-shoulder circus shot fall, but other than that it was not a smooth game from Kobe. Again, he's struggling with some of those midrange shots he usually hits. He also led the team in turnovers (4) while only getting 2 assists. Looks like he still needs to shake some of the rust loose. He's had some poor preseasons in the past only to drop huge games on opening night. I wouldn't expect anything different. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-11 shooting (4-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. The Action: He missed a 21-footer. He missed a turnaround in the lane short. He posted up Gordon and got contact on a spin move, he made both FTs. He missed a face-up 15-footer. He spotted Bynum in the lane for a dunk. He tucked the ball under his arm and hit the lefty shot in the lane. He backdoored his man for an alley-oop dunk from Farmar. Out of a timeout, he attacked the lane and hit Gaffney under the hoop for a layup. He missed a 20-footer from the left wing. He stepped back to take a three, elevated, then passed to Bynum under the hoop for the And-1 with 0.4 left in the half. He had 6 points on 2-7 shooting. Second Half: He attacked baseline and threw a pass away. He missed a runner with his left. He attacked across the lane, got tripped and flipped a circus shot in over his shoulder looking for a whistle that never came. He missed a turnaround jumper. He missed a step-back wing jumper. He spun quickly in the post and drew FTs, he made both.

Bynum -- -- Bynum was missing a lot of chippies, but he seems a lot faster off the ground going after some of those misses. He had 8 offensive boards, partly because of that, but also because he is just too long for opponents. He picked things up in the second half offensively, going 5-9 and once again working his way into a team-high for points. Kaman struggled with foul trouble trying to deal with Bynum and only shot 4-12 to go along with 4 turnovers. Drew had a couple good blocks and a few challenges that caused problems. The team seemed to be off in their two-man defensive sequences and some of their rotations. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 7-17 shooting (6-8 from the line) to go with 13 boards (8 offensive), 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: He missed a jumphook and a follow tip. He backed down Kaman, missed, got his board back and drew FTs, he made one to get the Lakers their first point. He missed another short jumphook. He beat Kaman down the floor and earned FTs (while sending Kaman to the bench with his second foul), Drew made both. He set up in the lane and Kobe found him for the dunk. He swatted Kaman on iso post D. On the other end, he back-rimmed another jumphook. He posted up, drew a double team and was fouled on a turnaround, he made one FT. He fought for a Kobe jump pass and threw it up and in for an And-1 with 0.4 in the half, he made the FT. He had 9 points on 2-8 shooting and 7 boards. Second Half: He grabbed a Kobe miss and scored over Kaman. He missed a reverse, point blank and was looking for the foul call. He missed an open elbow jumper. Kaman reached on the perimeter, Bynum attacked past him for a layup. He was blocked trying to put back in an Artest miss. He sealed Kaman to set up the corner Tri sequence (that was picture perfect) and he dunked off the post entry. Nice challenge on one end, on the other he tipped an offensive rebound to himself behind Griffin, spun and swished a turnaround. He attacked to his right in a hurry trying to avoid a three-second call and he missed off the glass. He cut behind Farmar who no-looked back to him for the And-1 layup, he made the FT.

Artest -- -- Just a couple of quarters of action for Ron, but he was more aggressive. He was the only one able to score in the first 6 minutes of the game. We saw him using his body more while attacking and getting to the rim. He's a load if he gets a step on a defender. He can't elevate well, but if he gets his body on a defender they are in trouble. Defensively, he had to run a little at the PF again. His muscle and size serve him well there, especially on the glass. On the perimeter, he's got a quick set of hands and comes after people. The Stats: He scored 13 points on 4-7 shooting (1-2 from three, 4-6 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 turnover in 24 minutes. The Action: He swished a three fading to his right on a catch-and-shoot. He inbounded, immediately posted up Butler, got it back and drew FTs, he made both. Bad angle on the post entry pass and it was easily picked off. He stole a pass, pushed it out and used his body to fend off Griffin while scoring with his left. Nice board in a crowd and he quickly outlet the ball. He posted up Griffin and drew FTs, he missed both. He had 7 points on 2-2 shooting in the first quarter. Second Half: He swiped a pass in the backcourt and powered past Kaman for a layup. He curled down the lane and missed an easy layup. He missed a layup on a drive left. He worked off a Bynum screen and kicked out to Fish who was fouled from three. He had Kaman on the perimeter, attacked him off the dribble and drew FTs, he made both. He took the interior feed from Fish and scored a layup. He missed an open three off the Kobe double team.

Fisher -- -- For some reason, Fisher decided to try to establish himself early tonight. He went 1-6 in the first quarter and the Lakers fell behind from the start. Poor game from him and he was clearly out-played by the reserves again. Preseason isn't what we need DFish for, but he needs to be careful from having opening quarters like that. Even with Lamar and Pau out, the team still has Kobe, Bynum and Artest who should be dictating a lot more of the action than DFish. Seems like every now and then he has a game like this that make you wonder what he was trying to accomplish at the start of the game. Much better second half. Defensively, he and the team were getting hurt on their two-man game defense. It didn't seem like they were on the same page. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 1-7 shooting (0-1 from three, 4-5 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 19 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He missed a 21-footer on his first touch. He missed another long jumper on the second trip down. He threw a lob over Kobe's head and out of bounds on the third trip of the game. He was swatted on the break on his next attempt. He missed a layup on a drive to his left. Next time down he finally made the layup in transition. He missed a wide open jumper from the left side. He gave up penetration and a dunk. He went 1-6 for 2 points and a -11 in that first quarter stint. Second Half: Horrible help D on the two-man game, turning his back on Kaman and letting him go backdoor for a layup. He drew a charge on the perimeter. He was fouled on a three-pointer out of a timeout, he made two of the FTs. Nice corner entry to Bynum for the dunk. He was hammered trying to attack baseline in transition, he made both FTs. He cut down the lane, took the pass, bounced a no-looker to Ron for the layup.

Powell -- -- He got the start at the PF spot, then Phil later slid Artest over. He wasn't the efficient, freethrow machine in the last game, but he still gave a serviceable game. It looks like he's getting more confident from farther away from the hoop. He's taking some shots that are pushing his range near the three arc. If he ever develops that kind of range that would raise his game and value a notch or two. A little too much trying to create off the dribble from Josh in this one. He did have a nice drive and dish to Morrison, but this isn't something we want to see consistently from him. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 3-9 shooting to go with 5 boards, 1 assist and 5 fouls in 31 minutes. The Action: He missed a jumphook in the post. He swished a 21-footer from the wing. He sank a 17-footer from the elbow. He missed a jumper with his heels on the three line. Second Half: No box out on Griffin and he gave up a putback jam. He attacked and missed a pull-up jumper. Weak foul call on guard penetration and he had to sit midway through the third with his fifth. He missed a pull-up 15-footer, fading back on the shot. He attacked and kicked out to Morrison for a three. He missed a wing jumper. He missed a good looking left-handed jumphook. He flashed to the strong side and hit an elbow jumper.

Brown -- -- He led the Lakers in scoring in the first half with 13 points and finished tied for team high with the 20. Great production, although it seemed like it was either very pretty or very ugly. No in between. The good was some spectacular tip-ins on the offensive glass, swishing jumpers and a breakaway dunk. The bad was some very weak passing or stalling of the offense with the dribble trying to create. Some of those problems should smooth out once the talent around him demands less initiating from Shannon. Good to see him hitting from the perimeter again. The Stats: He scored 20 points on 8-13 shooting (1-3 from three, 3-4 from the line) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 28 minutes. The Action: He pulled up on the break and hit the 16-footer. He pounded the dribble, tried to create, then jacked up a jumper and missed badly. He froze a bigman with a hesitation dribble and was wrapped up for FTs, he made both. He squared up and swished a three on a post kickout. He leaked out, caught the Mbenga outlet in stride and took off a couple feet inside the FT line for a soaring dunk. Horrible post entry pass, looked like he tried to spin a bounce pass in there, and it went right out of bounds. He bolted off the three line on a Bynum FT, soared in and tipped the missed FT back in. Soft cross-court pass to Kobe and it was easily picked off, he then fouled to prevent a hoop. He hit a fading baseline jumper, his body never got squared up. Great effort to block Smith on a transition dunk. He missed a corner three. He had 13 points to lead the Lakers on 5-7 shooting and 2 turnovers. Second Half: He missed an 18-footer, pulling up off the dribble. He was blocked on a heave from 35-feet trying to beat the shotclock. He stripped the ball from his man to ignite a break. He clanked a wing jumper off the dribble. Serious hang time on a tip in of a Mbenga missed jumper. He swished a 20-footer from the left wing. He swished another jumper working off the Bynum screen from the same spot. He crossed over Baron twice for fouls and got to the line with a few seconds left, he made one FT.

Vujacic -- -- Sasha was a tech Machine tonight. All 3 of his points came off techs. He didn't connect on his perimeter shots in this one, but he somehow led the team with a +15 in his brief action. Next highest was a +6. Sometimes timing is everything. While discussing the Laker guard situation, Phil said "...and the Machine, if he can find his shot again..." I don't recall him using the nickname before, but somehow funny to hear from him. The Stats: He scored 3 points on 0-3 shooting (0-2 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 2 fouls in 11:36. The Action: He gave up an And-1 jumper to Butler and then Phil sat him. He made a couple tech FTs off of illegal D calls. Second Half: He missed an open wing three. He drew a clear-out foul on Gordon. He missed a 16-footer. He sank another tech FT. He missed an open wing three, short.

Farmar -- -- Strong game again from Farmar. We can use the words "floor general" again because he played that role well tonight. He was orchestrating the offense and looking for the hot hands. He led the team with 7 assists. Again, the Lakers needed him to create for those lineups he was on. Farmar was attacking with speed and aggression. He seemed to know his passing options and was able to dictate the action. Often, he seems like a race car out of control when he's that aggressive, but he was seeing the floor well. He missed a couple of FTs. I was hoping that would be an area of improvement. Hopefully, that isn't a trend that carries through the season. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting (2-4 from three, 1-3 from the line) to go with 2 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 24 minutes. The Action: He missed a sideline three. He threw a 30-foot lob to Kobe on the weakside for the dunk. He turned the corner with speed, then hit Morrison for an open three. With a burst of speed to his left, he drew FTs on a fading jumper, he made one. He sank a pull-up three in early offense. Second Half: Sweet attack off the three line, he drew the D under the hoop and went behind his back with his left to Drew for the And-1. He missed an open three. He drew a moving screen foul (and then a tech on Dunleavy). Nice drive and kick to Sasha at the end of the third, but Sasha couldn't knock it down. He attacked with speed and aggression on the first possession of the fourth, took contact at the restricted circle but scored the And-1 layup, he missed the FT. He drew a clear-out foul, shoved into a screen by his man and bouncing off it. He dribbled baseline, turned and swished a jumper. He drained a three, trailing the break. He blew a two-on-one break with Shannon, charging over Baron instead of passing. He attacked and kicked out to Morrison for the three. He worked off the screen and found Morrison open again for another three.

Morrison -- -- That slowly growing pulse we have been tracking over the past several games finally turned to life. Ammo had his best game as a Laker. May this be the confidence-builder he has been needing for a long time. He was in the zone and his teammates were finding him. It was pretty to watch as he was splashing threes and helping that deep bench unit bury the Clippers in the fourth. You don't like to put a lot of weight on one preseason game, but Morrison needed this. "Rhythm is very important for a shooter or any player, that's why these preseason games are good," Morrison said. Once he got into that rhythm tonight, he got more aggressive as the game went along. Now let's hope he can string some of these games together. The Stats: He scored 14 points on 5-7 shooting (4-4 from three) to go with 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 3 fouls in 20:37 of action. He was a +6. The Action: He tried to bounce an interior feed to Powell, who couldn't handle it. He drained a catch-and-shoot three on a kickout from Farmar. He missed a floater in traffic. Second Half: He swished an open corner three off a Powell kickout. He hit Farmar trailing the break for a three. With the shotclock winding down, he attacked Rush off the dribble and sank a step back jumper from the top of the key. Left open in the corner on the next possession and he drained a sideline three. He was open again in the other corner and Farmar found him for another three. He missed an elbow jumper short.

Mbenga -- -- Some pretty good sequences of post D tonight, but he had his hands full in the team D sequences and paid the price. Blake Griffin posterized him badly on one throwdown. (Joel wondered after the game how many YouTube views that dunk would have.) Phil got on him a little early in the game for not helping on D. He eventually fouled out, but he gave a consistent effort that helped keep the team cruising even when he had to man up against Kaman. The Stats: He scored 6 points on 2-5 shooting (2-2 from the line) to go with 3 boards, 4 assists, 1 block and 6 fouls in 16:28. He was a +6. The Action: He was late to a rotation and Phil called a timeout to have some words for him. He swatted Smith on one end, then drew a foul getting down the floor quickly. Quick outlet to Brown for a breakaway dunk off a rebound. He posted up and hit a jumphook in the middle of the lane. He faced up and bricked a jumper. Second Half: He drew FTs on a baseline turnaround jumper, he made both. He got posterized badly by Griffin while trying to block his dunk attempt. He sank a 16-footer, straight away. He missed an open wing jumper. He missed an elbow jumper. He fouled out with 3 minutes left.

Gaffney -- -- He came in to relieve Powell at the PF spot midway through the second quarter. Pretty good stint for him (the team went +2), but he showed some range hitting a three and Kobe found him for a layup. He's making a case for being on the roster. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-2 shooting (1-1 from three) in 6 minutes of action. The Action: He cut under the hoop and Kobe fed him for a reverse. He sank a corner three on a swing pass. Second Half: Nothing to report.

Phil -- -- Phil started Powell at PF tonight with the Pau, Lamar, Luke trio out (we may see some of them back in the next one)... The Lakers struggled early tonight, except for Artest who scored 7 of the first 8 points the Lakers had midway through the first quarter... Phil then slid Artest to PF and brought Sasha in at the SG. He subbed Sasha out shortly later for Brown. Shannon would deliver... The Lakers trailed 33-22 after the first. They made just 7 of 22 shots. Fish and Bynum were a combined 2-12. Defensively, they were broken down on the screen-roll with ease. Clippers made 12-22... Phil started a Mbenga, Powell, Morrison, Brown, Farmar lineup in the second. They fell back big, but the team slowly chipped away at the lead... The Lakers trailed 60-57 at the half. Too many points for that team... They took a 1-point lead a minute into the third. The Lakers ended the third with their biggest lead of the night, 83-77. They made 20-44 shots in between the second and third quarter, but holding the Clips to just 17 points in the third was the key... Phil started Mbenga, Powell, Morrison, Brown, Farmar lineup... With Morrison splashing threes, the Lakers built a 12-point lead... The Lakers made 45 percent of their shots, including 9-17 from three. They had just 12 turnovers...

[AllorNothing]

Thanks

[JTS1]

[Ray_Gonzoles]

As always, thanks for the recaps DB!

Two games in a row Farmar has showed he wants the Guard position.

Shannon had some highlight moments tonight, but Sasha was a no-show.

Glad to see Morrison can shoot when he finds his spots in the offense.

Toast needs to regain the confidence in his game and maybe he will turn it around this season.
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"Just show up ready to work, ready to play, Have your big boy pants on, leave your diaper at home." Kobe Bryant
Anything less than a championship is a failure. Period.

[AllorNothing]

You are right about Fisher. Sometimes Phil gives him too much free range in establishing himself early to build a brick house. I rather let Pau or Andrew establish the inside game first.
Seems like we get very ugly games when Fisher starts clanking early.

[danish87]

awesome stuff once more
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"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." - Jack Handey

[TooMuchMajicBuss]

Thanks DB. Drew does look a lot more mobile out there than I remember. I'm really curious how Drew's game will develop alongside Pau when he returns and Ron's on the floor with both of them. In fact, I'm trying to picture the Lakers getting the full benefit of Drew, Pau, Ron, LO and Kobe, and how PJ's going to set the rotations to get the right balance. Nice problem to have.

[Mation]

Thanks DB! Really liking the intangibles and effort Gaffney brings to the games. Hope this is the game that propels Morrison with his offense.

[Wilt]

Glad to see Morrison figure out how to find open spaces in this offense. We won't run multiple, Michael Redd-type screens for him. That's just not what we do. Instead, he needs to make the initial reads from the wing, make the pass, screen for somebody, and then get into open space late in the clock in order to "hide" and hope for dribble penetration by our guards. Farmar did that tonight, and Morrison made the shots.
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¡Hala Madrid!

[Tanlentueux]

[calistrtballr]

ron played great D on griffin

[limchrc]

Thanks.

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB

I watched the highlights and Farmar looked really good.

[angrypuppy]

Farmar and Morrison worked well together, though I'm not sure it's sustainable for the latter. The Clips ignored Morrison, using the extra defender to double or roam. Morrison made them pay the price, but then I wouldn't expect teams to ignore him to the same degree if he cracked the rotation and started to score in a similar fashion.

Farmar was much more impressive, in that he was finally demonstrating that he can see the floor. I wasn't sure if he had poor floor vision for a PG, or if he played with blinders as he was looking for his own shot. Obviously he can play a floor general role which if the Lakers become depleted by injuries during the regular season. The limitations of the reserve players would be amplified without a Farmar or someone with true PG skills. As much as I like Shannon Brown, he's a better fit within the Fisher role with the first unit.

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[angrypuppy]

[ElginBaylor]

Ahhh, DB...Love the Total Recall reference.
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Not a legend

[Laker7]

I liked the fact Phil left MBenga in until he fouled out. He basically told DJ "This is your time and you are own your own against a pretty good center (Kaman)." DJ needs this kind of competition if he is ever going to improve. DJ had is issues but he kept trying, he did not quit. Gotta like that out of your bench players. And while he got posterized by Blake Griffen, he will definatley not be the last player in the NBA that it happens to. Blake is a stud.

I also liked Phil putting Drew in for Dj rather than go small with Powell at C. Gave Drew some end of game time he can build on.

Powell fell in love with the 15-20 ft jumper he had going the previous night which led to his poor shooting percentage (3-9 from the field). I would have liked to see him take the ball and drive to the basket (hopefully getting contact and either the and 1 or 2 FT's) rather than take too many of those jumpers.
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Darvin Ham is an idiot!

[RCS926]

Definitely liked what I saw from Jordan, Shannon and Ammo. Drew continues to roll along, and it looks like health is the only thing that's going to prevent him from making the All-Star team this year. I like what I've seen from Gaffney. He's working his butt off to try to make the team, but I like the fact that he plays under control out there despite being an energy guy.

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[And 1]

[Omar Little]

[angrypuppy]