CLIPPERS -at- LAKERS - 10/27 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

And So It Begins... "Rooftop. Now," reads the note that was slipped under your penthouse door. They issue orders to you now that you no longer bother questioning. Sometimes, however, you do wonder whether you are an assassin, a soldier or an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill. Such is life in the post Apocalypse.

When you open the door to the rooftop, you are greeted by Death and all his friends -- the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Death Riders. They part as you step forward. That's when you see him -- Little Larry O'Brien.

Power, energy, electricity surges from him. At the same time, you're drawn to the Little Larry like an addict to a needle, a gambler to dice. Your blood turns to hot gravy, your pulse quickens as they hand him to you.

The moment you touch the Golden Child, it all comes back to you in a flash of images: The repeated devastation of Nuggetville; the defeat of the Green Menace; a fallen church of King James; whispers from suburban Rocketville; being chased by an axe-wielding Tin Man who wants your heart; the defeat of the magicians...all of the exploits from the past year.

You raise Lil' Larry above your head and hear a roar from the crowd that has gathered beneath the high rise. You soak it in, eyes closed, enjoying the moment. After a moment, you are interrupted by a familiar voice. "What would you do to save Little Larry? Would you move heaven and earth?" You open your eyes and see Angel standing next to you again.

You notice once more that as she stares at Little Larry, it's not her face that is reflected back. It is the multi-colored faces and eyes of a million others. She is your city. She is Los Angeles. "They're coming for him," she says, as she looks off into the distance. "Out there. Somewhere. They're coming for him."

The noise below changes. There are shouts, screams. Something is happening not outside the perimeter defenses, but within the crowd. "They're already here," you say. Before you can turn around, the Horsemen have gone. Angel gathers Little Larry in her arms. "Go!" she says. "Don't let them take Little Larry. Defend the city!"

It only seems like seconds by the time you arrive to the foot of the building. They have scattered into the wind. Purple and gold papers flutter in the breeze like Autumn leaves. You grab one, it's DancingBarry:

The Horsemen were here. The defense of the city begins now.

I will continue to follow them.

The Laker Girls wheeled out the Larry O'Brien Trophy surrounded by glimmering diamonds of the championship rings. The team unveiled the new banner to "I Love L.A." Former Laker greats were all in attendance. It was as things should be in the City of Angels.

The Clippers know their role in the city, as well. Step aside, the Lakers have a title to defend.

The Lakers worked the post game methodically from the start. The only Laker to hang out on the perimeter was DFish as everyone else took turns collapsing the D from the inside.

They led by as many as 15 points, but a poor all-bench/no-starter lineup by Phil had that quickly erased midway through the second quarter. After losing another lead, the Lakers led by just 1 going into the fourth. This time Phil staggered his rotations to leave impact ballers on the court. The result was a 15-2 run and command of the game.

The Lakers took the 99-92 win without Pau Gasol, who is still nursing that hamstring. Kobe led the way with 33 points, followed by Andrew Bynum's 26 and 13. Lamar also added a double-double. In his regular season debut, Ron Artest continued to struggle with his shot. His impact was felt, however, with a team-high +14.

And so the title defense begins...


Kobe -- -- If there is a trend for Kobe this early season, it's that he's going to pound it in the post against smaller defenders. Teams are going to pay and opponents are going to wear down. There will be no hiding defenders on our SF spot with Ron Artest's size out there. We're also going to see Kobe roaming and aggressively jumping the passing lanes. He and Ron seem to be setting a tone on both ends. That's an intimidating combination. With Bynum, Artest and Pau drawing a lot of fouls, the Lakers should get in the bonus often. It wasn't often enough for Kobe tonight. He was clearly irked shot after shot for the lack of whistles he thought he was earning. He didn't get pegged with a first game tech, however. The Stats: He scored 33 points on 11-26 shooting (0-1 from three, 11-12 from the line) to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +9. The Action: He lost his man in the post, missed a layup after stepping on a foot, got it back and scored an And-1 before going to the floor, he made the FT. He posted up Baron and swished the turnaround on the baseline. He missed a step-back wing jumper. He lost the dribble in the backcourt trying to push it out. He was stripped on a drive. He busted out off the Lamar steal and dunked. He hit an elbow turnaround jumper. He hit an elbow jumper getting out on the break with DFish. He reached around Kaman and slapped the ball loose on a switch. He missed a layup on a step-through, then missed his putback. He jumped a passing lane, swiped the kickout and was given a clear-path foul, he made both FTs. He curled down the lane, ball faked and drew FTs, he made both. Looking for a two-for-one, he attacked to his right, took contact and banked in a layup. He swiped a pass on the other end and it led to a Bynum layup. He had 17 points on 6-10 shooting, 5 boards and 3 steals. Second Half: He attacked past his man, took contact yet somehow twisted and flipped in a reverse with no call. He took a pass from DFish in the paint, shed his man and drew FTs, he made one. He posted up Baron and was fouled on a turnaround, he made both FTs. He overpowered Baron in the post and missed a layup, looking for another call. He missed a jumper. He overpassed instead of taking the open three and it resulted in a 3-second call on Drew. He spun away from a double and missed a layup. He posted up Baron, spun away from a double and hit the turnaround. He posted, reposted and missed a turnaround. He drew FTs on a cut away from the ball, he made both. He missed a 21-footer. He had 9 points on 2-8 shooting in the third. He rattled in a 20-footer after freezing his man and fading back. He hit the floor after a turnaround with no call and was getting ticked. He missed a runner next time down, calling "And-1." He missed a three, cut and Bynum hit him for the hanging, And-1 layup, he made the FT. He swiped the ball from his man on the perimeter, pushed it up and bounced it to Ron between defenders for an And-1 layup. He missed a turnaround from the post. He forced up a jumper expecting a foul that didn't come. He posted up, overpowered his man for a layup at the front of the rim. He spun, attacked baseline and fed Drew for the dunk.

Bynum -- -- Happy Birthday, Drew. Here's a ring. Now go out there and dominate. His bid for making the All Star squad is off to a sound start. Without Pau, there is certainly more room to work, but the Lakers didn't shy away from spreading the wealth in the post, either. Bynum earned his extra points tonight. He was running the floor continually, beating men down the court. He was working the offensive glass, regaining possessions and scoring or resetting the offense. He was drawing fouls right and left and, more importantly, knocking down the FTs. Defensively, he stayed out of foul trouble. The Clippers also had no post game. Kaman was hitting jumpers to do his damage. The Stats: He scored 26 points on 9-15 shooting (8-10 from the line) to go with 13 boards (6 offensive), 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls in 38 minutes. He was a +8. The Action: He won the jumpball, then hit a jumphook to start the game. He posted up early, attacked around Kaman to his left and scored off the glass. He dropped a behind-the-back pass from DFish. He out-reached a couple of Clippers for an offensive board and was fouled, he made one FT. He scored a layup off the lob from Artest. He lost the handle going up for a layup. He was called for 3 seconds when Ron tried to create from the post. He missed a putback and screamed for the foul. He posted up and missed a jumphook. He faced up, attacked middle and scored a layup. He missed an oop in transition, got it back and scored a layup (good job getting down court). He swatted a baseline drive and was called for a foul. He posted up Smith and got undercut for FTs, he made both. More FTs off the screen-roll and interior feed from LO, he made both. He challenged a man on one end, ran the floor, scored a layup off a lob from Lamar with a second left in the half. He scored 17 points on 6-10 shooting and had 6 boards. Second Half: Nice challenge on Kaman after helping to get a miss. He spun from the right elbow and hit a turnaround jumper. He was fouled on a lob in transition, again Bynum ahead of the pack, he made both FTs. He out-reached the Clips for another offensive board, but missed the turnaround. Running the floor again, he took a bounce pass and finished a tough layup, screaming for a call. He missed a jumphook with his left. He had 23 points after going 2-4 in the third. He hit Kobe cutting for an And-1 layup. He blocked Kaman's turnaround. He dunked off the Kobe drive and dish along the baseline. He was fouled at the elbow and made one FT.

Lamar -- -- Missing Pau's double-double tonight? No problem Lamar's got it. As we've seen in the past, Lamar gives this team the depth to still dominate without one of Pau or Bynum. He can step right in at the PF and deliver impact ball. He did a very good job mixing his inside-outside attack tonight. His passing skills were on display throughout. Very good well-rounded effort and a strong start out of the blocks for LO. There won't be a game that goes by without announcers mentioning his new wife, will there? We'll keep that to a minimum here. The Stats: He scored 16 points on 6-13 shooting (2-5 from three, 2-4 fromo the line) to go with 13 boards (3 offensive), 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 40 minutes. The Action: Poor, low pass to Bynum and it was picked off. Bynum couldn't handle his second pass. He attacked in transition and scored a layup to his left. Nice elevation and he drained a wing three off the pinch post. He posted up and missed a jumphook. He swiped a pass from Baron, pushed it up and hit Kobe for the dunk. He posted up Butler out of a timeout and drew FTs, he made one. He jump passed to Ron for a layup. He attacked to his right and had his floater goaltended for an And-1, he missed the FT. He posted, reposted, and kicked to Artest for the three. He swung it to Fish for the three off a Kobe kickout. He hit Bynum with an interior feed for FTs. He took the outlet and lobbed to Bynum for a layup with a second left. He scored 8 points on 3-4 shooting, had 6 boards and 5 assists. Second Half: He missed a wing jumper. He swiped a pass, pushed out the break and lobbed to Bynum for FTs. He tried to power in a layup and lost it with no call. He was blocked (it looked like) on a layup and then called for a travel when it didn't hit the rim. He blocked Baron's drive. He missed a long wing jumper to start the third. He crashed the glass and put back in an And-1 while falling away, he made the FT. He missed a three. He crashed the boards and tipped in a Farmar drive. He plugged a long three with the shotclock running down. He missed an early offense wing three. He airballed a long three after trying to run down the clock.

Artest -- -- "I don't think he's used to being that wide open," Kobe said. Unfortunately, that doesn't explain the difficulties at the line. He continues to struggle with his shot, from both beyond the arc and from the stripe. This is the trend we saw during the preseason. He's just off right now. At some point it will come around. He didn't force anything, just missed wide open looks out of the offense. If you watched Artest the last couple years, you didn't see him anywhere near the post as much as the Lakers are running him. He's in the paint a ton. Some of it's good, some of it's a bit sloppy, however. It seems he prefers to playmake from there more than finish. Phil ran a long first stint for Ron, then rotated him better in the second half. Good hands throughout the game, often poking balls loose, but not getting credit for steals even though we got possessions back. Thornton had only 8 points. Ron led the team with a +14. During the ring ceremony, he greeted every Laker before they went out to get their ring. He had his hair shaved with a Lakers "L" on the back, a fallen friend's name on one side and Chinese characters for "champion" on the other side. He's hungry for a ring for himself. The Stats: He scored 10 points on 3-10 shooting (1-5 from three, 3-7 from the line) to go along with 5 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers and 2 fouls in 41 minutes. The Action: He missed a layup, trying to flip it up on his way down. He was called for an offensive foul while trying to get a post entry pass (must have knocked an arm away). He forced Thornton into a brick on one end, then missed a three himself on the other. Great low position on an inbounds and he drew FTs when Kaman doubled, he made both. He knocked a ball off his man for a turnover. He flashed to the ball and drew defenders, lobbing to Bynum for a score. He regained possession with some hustle in the backcourt off a miss. He scored a layup in transition when Lamar hit him with a jump pass. He missed an open corner three. He reposted to Lamar, then hit the three on the kickout. He posted up and fed a cutting Farmar for a layup. He posted up, spun to the middle and was hacked, he made one FT. He gambled for a steal, lost and gave up a layup. He had 8 points on 2-6 shooting and 3 assists. Second Half: He posted up and threw a pass away. He missed an open three. Great perimeter D swiping the ball from his man after pressuring him, but then he threw a pass away. Great iso D on Thornton to force a brick. He missed an open sideline three. He was swatted by Butler trying to power up for a layup. Nice speed (which is rare) after Kobe swiped a pass and Ron finished an And-1 layup out on the break, he missed the FT. Quick attack from the post next time down and he was back at the line, he missed both FTs.

Fisher -- -- He didn't have to worry about Baron in this game. With BD's health reducing his effectiveness, the Lakers weren't on their heels or forced to switch against Baron (1-10, 2 points) like they usually do. Still, the Lakers got shaky PG minutes tonight. Fish struggled with his shot, the reserves looked like reserves. Fish ended up playing about 6-8 more minutes than Phil wants him to. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-8 shooting (1-4 from the line) to go with 1 board, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 33 minutes. The Action: He was swatted on a drive. He missed a corner three. He swiped the ball on the perimeter, pushed it up and fed Kobe for the jumper. He missed a corner jumper. He swished a wing three off the Kobe kickout and Lamar swing pass. Second Half: He missed a three. He curled under the hoop and finished a layup over Kaman. He missed an open corner three. Great bouncepass to Drew in transition for a layup. He lost the ball on an attack, layup the other way.

Luke -- -- The most action Luke got tonight was some extended conversation with David Stern as he was getting his ring. After trying to go with Luke and a lineup of reserves in the second quarter and paying the price, Phil kept Luke benched in the second half. He opted instead for Kobe at the SF in relief of Artest. Right now Adam Morrison must be wondering how he is going to see light of day. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting and had 1 steal in 3:22 of action. He was a -8. The Action: He missed a turnaround. Second Half: Did not play.

Brown -- -- His lone highlight play was interrupted by a Kaman foul as Brown was getting ready to throw down. Shannon played SG as we slid Kobe to the SF or rested him. Farmar ran the point while he was out there. Not a very effective game with those lineups. Normally a reliable shooter from the FT line, Shannon also stuggled from there tonight. The Stats: He scored 1 points on 1-4 shooting from the line to go with 1 board and 1 foul in 9 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He attacked in transition, elevated and drew FTs at the rim, he missed both. No challenge on a jumper by Telfair. Second Half: Busting out ahead of the pack, he took the elevator to the top floor trying to do something spectacular but was hit as he tried to throw it down, he made just one FT.

Vujacic -- -- With Shannon taking most of the backup SG minutes tonight, Sasha was given some minor spot duty. He missed out on the second quarter Clipper run when Phil went to the all-bench lineup, quickly yanking Sasha for Brown. The Stats: He didn't score or shoot, had 1 board and 1 steal in 4:46 of action. He was a +3. The Action: Brief stint before Phil yanked him for Brown. Second Half: He stripped Smith in the paint on a switch.

Farmar -- -- While the Lakers still ran some preseason lineups, they didn't see the same preseason effectiveness from the second unit. Some fairly ugly minutes from Farmar out there offensively. Some of his mistakes were quickly capitalized on for points the other way. Defensively, he put in a good effort, came up with a couple of steals and had some decent hustle. The Stats: He scored 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 steals, 2 turnovers and no fouls in 15 minutes. He was a +2. The Action: He swiped an inbounds pass in the backcourt and then dunked. Good D to force another turnover when his man attacked. He overshot a wide open corner three. He tried to split a double and was picked by Smith for a layup the other way (yikes). He cut off Artest and scored a layup. Second Half: He attacked down the middle of the lane, missed, but it was tipped in by LO. He attacked and threw a pass away, score the other way.

Mbenga -- -- Who's fault is it that we run offense through him? Yeah, Mbenga shouldn't put up everything that comes his way, but the second unit needs to play with more purpose. Call him out of the post to set picks or work on the other side of the floor. Mbenga looked better out there when he was running with a couple impact players in his second stint where he was a +6. Great to see him pick up that ring prior to the game. He's come a long way. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-5 shooting to go with 3 boards and 1 foul in 10 minutes. The Action: He missed a high arching turnaround, then airballed a face-up jumper. He missed another jumper next time down. Uggh. Second Half: He crashed the glass to grab a missed three by LO, then scored it.

Powell -- -- Out of one timeout, we ended up with Powell shooting a three. I'm not sure if that was planned or not, but he showed his extended range in the preseason. Keep an eye on that. He was a -6 in his first stint with the complete bench lineup and a +5 in his second stint running in Odom's spot with the starters. Why we ran a garbage time lineup in the first half, I'm not sure. The cracks in your reserve players' games will show a lot more when you do that. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-1 from three) to go with 2 boards and no fouls in 8 minutes. He was a -1. The Action: He missed a jumphook. He missed a three out of a timeout (wonder if that was set up for him). He sank a short jumper off the two-man sequence with DFish. Second Half:

Phil -- -- Lamar started for Pau... The Lakers looked relentless in their post play from the start. Every position but the PG posted up during the first quarter. Lakers just working it inside methodically... Phil's only sub was Farmar for Fisher in the quarter. The Lakers led 32-22, but would pay the price for lack of early, staggered rotations in the next quarter. The Clippers had 9 turnovers, Lakers 7... Second quarter starters: Mbenga, Lamar, Artest, Sasha, Farmar... He brought in Brown for Sasha after just a couple minutes. He then subbed out Odom for Powell... Ugly lineup now: Mbenga, Powell, Luke, Brown, Farmar... Horrible rotation by Phil and he's forced to call a timeout with this preseason unit shooting blanks. You've still got 4 impact players without Pau, you need to leave one on the court at all times. It resulted in an 11-1 clipper run. Phil brought back in 4 starters and kept Powell out there... First shot out of timeout goes to Powell , of course... The starters pulled the lead back to 59-49 at the half. The Lakers shot 20 FTs, but only made 14. The Clippers had 13 turnovers, the Lakers 8... The Lakers lead was trimmed down to just 3 before Phil had to start making his subs with 1:26 left in the third. The first moves was Brown and Farmar for Fisher and Artest, sliding Kobe to the SF... The Lakers led just 76-75 heading into the fourth...They held a special ring ceremony for Tex Winter between the third and fourth quarter... Phil went with a Mbenga, Lamar, Kobe, Brown, Farmar lineup... Then brought in Artest for Kobe... Then Sasha for Brown and Bynum for Mbenga. Now with Bynum, LO, Artest, Sasha and Farmar... During all of that, the Lakers went on a 15-2 run to take control of the game... The Lakers made 25-37 FTs, the Clippers got to the line for just 11-16. That was the difference in the Lakers post game vs. the Clippers perimeter game...

Game Flow -- LINK -- Check out the wholesale lineup changes in the second quarter. Much better staggered rotation in the third quarter.

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Thanks again for the recaps DB!

The ring ceremony and the raising of the Championship Banner was a sight to behold.

Classy of the Lakers to bring back the great players from former Championship teams, then to give Tex Winters his ring between the breaks of the 3rd-4th quarters.

Lakers looked both dominating and distracted, but a Win is a Win.

All in all, a good start to defending the Championship.

Edited to add: got to have quick fingers to be first when DB is posting the recaps.
_________________
"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.

[TheLakerFeeling]

2nd! (arg!)

Thanks, DB!

[Ray_Gonzoles]

[Paillard]

First. . . game of the season.

I guess I gotta be quicker.

[TheLakerFeeling]

[Vishnu]

Our season will go down the toilet now. Don't you guys know that I'm supposed to be first?

[GoldenThroat]

Yes, the staggered rotation was a HUGE improvement, and I hope we do that throughout the game. There's no reason not to, especially when Pau comes back. The Farmar/Brown/Walton/Powell/Mbenga lineup looked like they were playing hot potato around the perimeter. Not a single one of those guys can get their own shot on a consistent basis.

I believe that the triangle's effectiveness is predicated on having a player that can draw extra attention. That's why it's taken otherwise great players to multiple championships, and has been God awful in Chicago (post MJ) and Dallas. That lineup highlights the weaknesses of the offense.

I think we need at least 2 our our top 5 guys (Kobe, Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Artest) out there at all times.

[waterman40]

Thanks DB!

Glad that one is over with.............
_________________
LAKERS 2019-2020: NBA World Champions!

[chilake24]

‘He scored 33 points on 11-26 shooting (11-12 from three) ’

[Ray_Gonzoles]

[City_Dawg]

IT HAS BEGUN!!!!!!

GS DB GS

Im glad the Lakers won and all but the highlight of the night was Jeanie Buss
_________________
*sighs*

!...

[DancingBarry]

Just rewatching that Shannon Brown dunk play... I think he was going to try to pull off a 360.

[8750]

finally i can write again: Thanks, DB

[DancingBarry]

[dawglaker]

Kobe/Artest/Bynum/Lo/gasol atleast one of those 5 should always be on the floor at any and all junctures of the game any of those 5 can be the number one or two options on offense
_________________
"I didn't mean to walk in the shower with him. Yeah, I walked in the shower. I'm not a homosexual, but Kobe - he had no clothes on." - Ron Artest

[DancingBarry]

[8750]

DB, i was only saying that finally the new season has begun, nothing else...
and we have finally your thoughts and ratings...

[LakerSanity]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB.

It was good to see Drew out there in the 4th quarter. I wonder how much of that will change when Pau returns.

[ElginBaylor]

DB, something I've never mentioned but, being the first game of a new season thought I'd point out now, it takes a bold man to write in second person.

As always, you're work is much appreciated.
_________________
Not a legend

[LakersInFour]

Thanks, DB. Your highlights and recaps always make the season go by much easier. Especially since for the first time in ten years I do not have a subscription to NBA League Pass. I'm on the East Coast, and with a new wife and old career obligations, I just don't have the inclination to stay awake until 1:30 most nights watching basketball.

I'll be back out West in 18 months ... you can be sure I'm going to be reading each one of your recaps with more attention than I ever have.

+1000000
_________________
"It’s like going to the Getty and standing in front of Van Gogh’s Irises while some schmuck next to you critiques individual brush strokes. Just shut up already. The more you talk, the more you embarrass yourself."

[Tanlentueux]

thanks !

[IPK]

[Nobody]

Nice writeup, thanks DB.

Sloppy game, but some rust is to be expected.

Kobe actually had 5 steals, but the one at the end of the 2nd quarter was wrongfully attributed to Bynum. Active hands on D, I love it. Ron needs to get his shot down and it'll be a treat to watch, I thought he was good defensively and did a nice job with his passing, also had some hustle plays. Odom was great and so was Bynum. The rest of the team was meh, hopefully we don't see Farmar, Brown, Walton, Powell and Mbenga in at the same time anymore, that was just horrible to watch.

Yay, 1-0.