KNICKS -at- LAKERS - 11/24 - Thoughts and :-)) Ratings

[DancingBarry]

Doin' Work... A note slides under your apartment door interrupting your game of solitaire. You see it happen and run to see if anyone is still there. Of course, they're gone. Looking down you pick up the note and read. "Turn on the TV" is all it says.

Across the room is the old school color television complete with a dial and brown faux wood-grain casing. You've turned it on once or twice before hoping to find something to watch or some news, but all the television producers and news broadcasters must have died in the apocalypse.

On top of the TV is a two-button remote, the kind your dad used to call "the Clicker." You press the power button and it twangs like someone broke a guitar string. The television flickers on, a static-filled signal of shapeless, distorted images. Someone is broadcasting.

You reach out to touch it like you're the little girl from Poltergeist. Static electricity zaps you in the finger and the television goes blank again.

"That's it?" you wonder aloud.

As you're about to strain your thumb muscle on the Clicker's power button again, you suddenly hear sound. "Are we live? Are we live?" It's DancingBarry:

The Horsemen were here. Their opponent flung acid-filled water balloons over the perimeter defenses. They were easy to dodge. The Horsemen hurled rocks in return. Eventually, they went away. Stay tuned for further updates.

You may return to your previous programming. I will continue to track them.

It wasn't particularly entertaining, but it was a win. Kobe and the Lakers were just Doin' Work.

The Knicks looked like a team just buying time. They have players in the last year of contracts and a front office looking to make a franchise-changing acquisition in the offseason. Unfortunately, it's still November, and there's a lot of hoop to play.

This is definitely a team that needs a star player. They've put up some spirited ball at times, but have come up short. Without a real go-to player and a commitment to defense, it will likely be a very long season for New York.

After a crushing 17-0 run in the third quarter, the Lakers led by as many as 25 points over the perimeter-chucking Knicks. The Lakers kept the tempo mostly in their favor despite 25 turnovers and a few too many missed threes. It wasn't pretty and the bench took some of Phil's wrath, but L.A. coasted to the 100-90 win.

The Lakers will add the "W" to the win column and nitpick their game. That critique starts with the bench play. Not just the bench, but also some of the impact players who were running with the second unit.

"Tonight, I just didn't see the leadership from the right sources out there," Phil said afterward.

In the fourth quarter, a Lamar/Bynum led unit gave up an 11-0 run and forced Phil to put back in Kobe and Ron who should have been icing down. Such are the Laker problems these days as they win their fourth straight.


Kobe -- -- His shot was looking smooth from the start. This resembled more of a Kobe game from last season. Just a variety of scoring: inside, outside and always in-between with the midrange. The Lakers had a post advantage to press, but they will always have a Kobe advantage. He scored an efficient 34 points, including a perfect 6-6 during the third quarter. The Knicks threw a variety of defenders at Kobe, often on the same possession. Kobe should have had low minutes in this game, but the bench immediately coughed up the lead after he sat and Phil had to bring him back. The Stats: He scored 34 points on 14-20 shooting (1-4 from three, 5-7 from the line) to go with 5 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 4 turnovers and no fouls in 40:40 of action. He led the team with a +25. The Action: He sank a top-of-the-key jumper to start the game. He scored a layup trailing the break. He swished an elbow jumper in transition. He missed an early offense wing three, it resulted in points the other way. He was stripped in the lane. He missed a FT jumper. He swished a fade from the FT line. Great challenge on Curry under the hoop to get him to miss point-blank layup at the buzzer. He had 8 points on 4-6 shooting. He stripped Curry on a quick double. He swished a sideline jumper, his foot on the three line. He missed a wing turnaround. He sank a 17-footer. He swished a baseline turnaround. He hit Ron for the corner three. He drew FTs off the handoff and drive, he made both. He missed a layup. He missed a three. He drew FTs on a hesitation move with a second left in the half, he made one. He had 17 points on 7-12 shooting. Second Half: He attacked the lane and kicked to Fisher for the three. He spun through a double and scored a layup past a swinging third defender. He missed a tech FT. He posted up, spun away from the double and banked in a layup. He was undercut, but still swished the one-hander on the baseline. He sealed Douglass easily, took the post entry and scored the layup. Three ball from the corner pocket on an inbounds pass. He wound the clock down and swished a jumper in the lane. He had 13 points on 6-6 shooting in the third. He missed a three to start the fourth. He posted up and hit a cutting Ron for FTs. He spun backdoor, took the lob and scored the layup. He was fouled on a long pumping jumper, he made both FTs.

Gasol -- -- Not a lot of notes for Pau in this game, which usually means not a lot of action. Pau was active and led the team in rebounds, but he didn't get a ton of post looks. The Lakers seemed to push a lot more of the post offense through Bynum. "It varies a little bit every night," Pau said. "It depends on the match up. We have to go to our advantages. We have so many it's hard to focus on one or two." He also mentioned that the second unit has to do a better job sustaining the effort. The Stats: He scored 11 points on 5-9 shooting (1-1 from the line) to go with 16 boards (5 offensive), 2 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and no fouls in 28 minutes. The Action: He posted up Chandler and scored an And-1 off the glass, he made the FT. He missed a short turnaround in the lane. Excellent recovery on Duhon to swat the layup. He spun to the middle of the lane and hit the hook. He missed a layup. He cleaned up a Fisher drive with a tap in. He picked up a deflected pass and scored the layup. Second Half: He rushed a short putback and missed. He slammed off the baseline drive and dish by Ron. He spun and lost the ball.

Bynum -- -- It seemed like it was either feast or famine. He'd get a ton of looks and post touches for a stretch, then the Lakers would go away from him for a long stretch. Bynum showed his range of post moves. Some of these are looking a lot more automatic these days and perhaps the Lakers are trusting him more. He was getting hit on several shots without calls and picked up a tech. All this action for Bynum is going to grow his game for when the pressure is on. He still has a lot to work on. "He has a tendency to get himself into positions in the lane, in crowded areas, that are just a little awkward," Phil said before the game. He said Bynum's last ankle tweak was related to that and that as he matures his game, he'll clean up some of it. Bynum got benched early in the second half after we gave up a layup and a dunk. He didn't react to the dribble penetration and watched the layup. The second one was some miscommunication under the hoop. Phil quickly gave him the hook for the more mobile Lamar. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 6-14 shooting to go with 8 boards (4 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls in 32 minutes. He was a +3. The Action: He backed down Lee easily and hit a jumphook. He got tapped on a short jumphook. He swatted Duhon's dribble penetration on one end, then finished the lob from Fish on the other. He drop-stepped and hit the lefty jumphook over Lee. He drained a turnaround jumper over Curry. He muscled in a lefty up-and-under taking contact with no call. Bynum had 10 points on 5-6 shooting in the first. He missed a turnaround in the lane, but Lamar dunked it back in. He missed another turnaround. He was hacked on a dunk attempt with no call and picked up a tech. Second Half: Poor reaction when Fish was beat, he watched dribble penetration score without helping. He was was blocked on the other end forcing up a short one over the double team. After Lee dunked on another two-man sequence, Phil benched him early. He scored an easy And-1 against Harrington in the paint, he made the FT. He drew a crowd and FTs under the hoop off the Kobe pass, he made both. He missed an awkward lefty jumphook in the paint. His baseline bounce pass was poked away. He missed a jumphook with poor position. He threw a pass into Lamar's shins when he was doubled. He was hit under the hoop and missed with no call. He was fouled off the Artest pass for more FTs, he made both. He drew a double and hit Artest under the hoop for the layup. He traveled trying to attack across the lane. He tried to dunk in a Kobe fallaway that was coming up short and was called for interference.

Artest -- -- Ron had a couple different players to defend in this game. Al Harrington has been averaging 20 points a game this season, mostly off the bench. He had torched the Celtics and nearly beat them in regulation on the final play. Against the Lakers, he was MIA, scoring just 5 points on 2-7 shooting. Ron's D had been slaying SFs lately. "That's something people are going to notice that are fans of the Lakers. He really shuts people down. I mean shuts them down," Phil said prior to the game. "It's not like he's going to do a good job on them. He really puts people in a freezer." Meanwhile, Ron quietly went about scoring 17 points in this game. He had a few too many turnovers, dropping some great passes in the paint, losing the handle on a dribble on the sideline or miscommunicating on passes. That just seemed like more flukish errors versus him trying to do too much. The one consistent place where he's turning the ball over is while trying to post up off the ball. He is getting whistled too often for offensive fouls and needs to try to play cleaner in that department. The Stats: He scored 17 points on 7-13 shooting (2-5 from three, 1-2 from the line) to go with 7 boards (2 offensive), 4 assists, 6 turnovers and 4 fouls in 37 minutes. He was a +17. The Action: He sank a corner three when his man sagged off him. He attacked down the lane and missed a scoop off a long two steps. He missed an open three off the Kobe kickout. He was called for an offensive foul trying to get post position. He fumbled away a great pass from Pau under the hoop. He missed a wing three. He was blocked on a drive left. He lost the handle in early offense. He was swatted on a layup. He hesitated then threw a post feed to Gasol as Pau had turned away, turnover. Great D on Chandler forcing him into an airball on iso. He sank an open corner three when Kobe spotted him. He had 6 points on 2-7 shooting and 6 boards. Second Half: He sealed his man and scored a layup in early offense. He missed a three, just beating the shotclock. Pau got it back and found him for a layup. Another offensive foul trying to set up in the post. He sank an open corner jumper with his foot on the three line. He attacked baseline and hit Pau off the dribble for a dunk. He swished a step-back wing jumper. He set up Drew for FTs out of a timeout. He was shoved, cutting weakside and taking the Kobe post pass, he made one FT. He cut under the hoop off the Bynum post double team and scored a layup.

Fisher -- -- A few good games in a row for Fish. Perhaps, Pau's return on both ends has something to do with that. Better shots available and more mobile defense. Nate Robinson torched the Lakers last year. Fish and company were able to keep him down in this one. Fish was the only Laker PG doing anything tonight. Shannon, Farmar, Sasha all put up stinkers in their minutes out there. The Stats: He scored 12 points on 4-8 shooting (1-3 from three, 3-3 from the line) to go with 6 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover and 1 foul in 28 minutes. He was a +21. The Action: He missed a sideline three. He stole the ball and hit Kobe on the break for the layup. He hit the toe-one-the-three-line jumper. He attacked off the three line and drew FTs, he made both. He lobbed to Bynum in transition for the score. His corner three rattled out. He telegraphed a kickout, dunk the other way. He missed a runner, curling down the lane, but it was cleaned up. He drained an 18-foot pull-up in transition. He was hit on a rebound for FTs, he made one before a lane violation erased the other. Second Half: He swished a baseline jumper. He sank a wide open sideline three on the Kobe kickout. He missed a runner about a foot short. He stopped a 3-on-1 break drawing a charge (he's one of the best in the league at that). He switched on Harrington, bodied him up so well that Harrington went flying into the stands as Fish looked at him like "you've got to be kidding" (Harrington came back for more a few seconds later).

Lamar -- -- If we're going to be critical of the second unit in this game, then we need to focus some on Lamar who has moved back to the bench. Phil called out LO and Bynum out after the game for not leading in those minutes. They are the impact players and the guys who need to dictate that impact. Lamar has been floating badly on the offensive end in the past few games. He's settling for jumpers and isn't working off the ball very well. He also needs to get into the post more instead of hanging out on the perimeter. We've got strongside and weakside post areas where he can go to work, but you see him a bit too much out on the perimeter. Lamar still led the Lakers with 5 assists. Despite the scoring/second-unit issues, he was active on the glass. The Stats: He scored 5 points on 2-8 shooting (1-3 from three) to go with 12 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls in 31 minutes. He had a +/- of 0. The Action: He stuffed back in a Bynum miss. He missed an 18-footer. He hit Farmar on a long outlet for a dunk. He missed a layup. Second Half: He airballed a baseline jumper. He missed a wing three. He missed a corner three. He was called for 3 seconds when Fish tried to repost to Pau. He was blocked in the paint. He hit Bynum in the paint for the easy And-1. He swished a three on the secondary break. He traveled trying to attack off the three line.

Brown -- -- "It's not a problem we can't fix," Shannon said of the bench floundering. He said it was embarrassing to lose a 25-point lead and have to bring Kobe and other starters back in. Shannon didn't have the electric plays to spark the team in this game. A quiet Staples Center could have definitely used it. "He's a hustle guy and that's something that's really important to this team," Phil said prior to the game about Shannon's role. Phil ran Shannon at some lead guard tonight after Farmar's poor first stint. Shannon still wound up with a -11. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting (0-2 from three) to go with 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 turnovers in 13 minutes. The Action: He sank a 21-footer on his first attempt. He missed a corner three. He missed a three. Second Half: Low lob to Bynum, turnover. He traveled trying to attack off the perimeter.

Farmar -- -- He was the first guard off the bench, played a horrible first stint and Phil left him on the bench for Brown and Sasha in the second-half substitutions. That didn't help the poor bench guard play. His only make was a leak-out, uncontested dunk. Everything else missed. You don't want to see a lot of three chucking against a team like the Knicks as it results in transition opportunities. Most of his threes, however, Farmar had to take...open looks on kickouts with the shotclock low. He had one poor, early offense chuck, but the others were good shots. He just wasn't connecting. Seemed more like "one of those nights" than ill-conceived play by Farmar. The Stats: He scored 2 points on 1-7 shooting (0-4 from three) to go with 1 board, 3 assists and 1 foul in 13 minutes. He was a -4. The Action: He missed a wing three on a kickout from Kobe. He missed a wing three, then a bank shot when we got it back. He missed a layup. He dunked on a leak out. He tapped out a defensive rebound he should have grabbed, it led to points for the Knicks. He missed a three on the other end. Second Half: He missed a wide open three on a Kobe kickout. He hit Kobe on the backdoor lob for a score.

Vujacic -- -- He came in for Ron after he picked up four fouls in the second half. Poor minutes, poor shooting and mediocre D. That won't help dig him out of Phil's doghouse. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-3 shooting, had 1 assist and 1 turnover in 8 minutes. He was a -7. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He gave up a layup on his first defensive stand. He threw a pass away in the paint. He missed a 22-footer, but the somehow Knicks fumbled it away and we got it back. He clanked a forced wing jumper. He bricked a baseline jumper.

Morrison -- -- He came in for Kobe with a 25-point lead. That was quickly cut down and Morrison finished with a -15. I don't think Ammo had a lot to do with that. Luke probably would have had the unit flowing and playing to their strengths better, but Morrison is usually one of the few guys who seems to run the offense and not force things. Others were misfiring with a lot of frequency. The Stats: He didn't score on 0-1 shooting and had 2 boards in 9 minutes. The Action: He did not play in the first half. Second Half: He missed a step-back jumper.

Phil -- -- Nothing like a game that should have been a blowout to keep Phil cracking the whip... High scoring first few minutes. The Lakers led 20-16 at the midpoint of the first quarter. Every starter scored... Phil subbed out Bynum for LO this time, instead of Pau... He went back to Bynum and Farmar a couple minutes later. Curry and Robinson were in for the Knicks... The pace slowed down a little and the Lakers milked Bynum for 10 points to lead 30-24 after the first... Phil started a Bynum, LO, Kobe, Brown, Farmar unit to open the second quarter. That unit seemed to hoist up a lot of perimeter shots... Phil brought in Artest for Kobe... Second units played low hoop IQ basketball, guards jacking jumpers and no post feeds... With the score tied, Phil went back to the full starting unit. They immediately went on an 8-0 run... The Lakers led 55-45 on the 15-4 run to close the first half. The Knicks shot 18-50 (36 percent), the Lakers 23-52 (44 percent). The Lakers out-rebounded the Knicks 35-24, including 5 more on the offensive glass... "We lost our way in the middle of the first half," Cleamons said, mentioning they settled for jumpers... Phil benched Bynum early in the third when they gave up a layup and dunk... The Knicks missed a ton of threes and the Lakers started picking them apart with a 17-0 run... The Lakers won the third 28-17... Phil started a Bynum, LO, Kobe, Sasha, Brown lineup... He subbed in Morrison for Kobe... Phil called a timeout with 5 minutes left when their 25-point lead was trimmed to 14... Phil went with a Bynum, Artest, Morrison, Kobe, Farmar unit... The bench played super soft. "Right now they're just filling in minutes for guys who are getting rest on the bench. They've got to do better than that," Phil said... The Lakers had as many points on the break as the Knicks (10 a piece)... Phil said that the 25 Lakers turnovers were too much forcing the ball into crowded spaces versus moving the ball away and coming back to those players...

Game Flow -- LINK -- A couple of key runs. The Lakers huge 17-0 run in the third, then they gave up 11-0 and 11-2 runs in the fourth to make it look closer than it was...or should have been.

[Ray_Gonzoles]

Thanks again for the recaps DB!

Lakers pretty much in control from the half until 5 minutes left, but still held on with a 10 point win (and tacos).
When the Lakers are in passing mode, it is a thing of beauty, and so desturbing to the opposing team that one (or more) Lakers are always open for the easy look.
_________________
"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.

[JTS1]

#2 is cool.

however the bench coughing up leads is NOT cool!
_________________
'How many kids can say growing up that they'll turn pro and play for their favorite team in the world and spend your entire career there? IT'S BEEN A DREAM!'-Kobe Bryant 11.29.15

[lounger]

Thanks DB!

[DaggerHearts]

You missed Kobe's sickes play of the night. He got the abll sort of posting up but it way far out. He dribbled baseline as the double came over and then spun back to the middle, splitting the double with precision footwork and layed the ball in with his left hand. Poetry in motion.

[DancingBarry]

[George W Buss]

Thanks, DB!
I agree that Farmar actually played acceptable today, although his shots were off. He didn't make too many stupid mistakes, unlike another player *cough* Sasha *cough*
Same thing with Ammo who rarely forces things.

[Shaber]

[Texas_Pete]

Thanks DB. 4th straight double digit win. Holding opponents to 96ppg. Held a team that dropped 105 on Boston to 90 points and 39%. This team is pretty good and we haven't even scratched the surface of what we can do. But don't tell that to David Lee:

[lakergreenmachine]

Thanks DB, great job as always
_________________
"Moment of Silence For the Champions."

[Magic'sSon]

TOP TEN!!

Thanks DB.

[ChefLinda]

[limchrc]

thanks

[Sage_10]

thanks DB! Good stuff
_________________
"You Must Be Willing To Give Up That Which Can Be Lost In Order To Gain That Which Cannot Be Lost." - FORTUNE COOKIE

[prisma8slg]

thanks DB

[angrypuppy]

Thanks DB.

I can't say I'm surprised at the ineptitude of Farmar. On very rare occasion he'll show you a fleeting glimpse of play making skills, demonstrating that he has the talent but not the maturity to stick in this league. Placing either Pau or Bynum with the second unit isn't the answer, as "Chuck" Farmar will ignore them and fire off long jumpers, turning our size advantage into a transition defense disadvantage.

Lamar has to wake up. Despite the nice rebounding stats he's not getting involved, particularly on offense. We need second unit leadership both in terms of running the offense and accepting the responsibility that Farmar is clearly shirking.

[yanyon]

domo arigato dancingbarry_san

[Rick12322]

Thanks DB.

[LakerSanity]

I'm becoming convinced that Artest is the best defender in the league... he's astonishing. Both on team and man D, I can't think of another player that has his kind of impact this season. Even Josh Smith and Dwight Howard, although great team defenders, don't have Artest's man D talents.
_________________
LakersGround's Terms of Service

Twitter: @DeleteThisPost

[Luca Brasi]

the lakers once again put their defensive prowess on display last night. holding the knicks to 11 points below their scoring avg. and 39% fg. i don't care what the stats are - because i think our defensive numbers have been hurt by inconsistent bench play - this team is best defensive team in the league, period.

the only area of concern is having the bench be somewhat productive while their out there so we can limit the starters minutes so they can continue at this pace defensively. it takes a lot of energy to play this kind of defense and we don't want to burnout before the difficult stretch of road games in the second half of the season.

also, i would be remiss not to mention, once again, what a marvelous job DB does with the game's breakdown. it's not simply a bullet point breakdown like you get on nba.com or the like; it's statistical facts, mixed with detailed accounts of game action, and a little bit of prose thrown in for good measure. what it all adds up to is great entertainment. it is the kind of alchemy that chick was famous for, and would certainly applaud.
_________________
"i was born down in the valley where the sun refused to shine, but i'm climbin' up to the highlands, goin' to make that mountain mine" ~ Lakers, 2011

[Snake Plissken]

[Klone_dd]

For the most part, it was a cakewalk. Kobe should've had more points than minutes, but the unfocused bench mob wouldn't allow it.

LO's job with the 2nd unit is to stabilize them and give them leadership. I think Bynum's job with the 2nd unit is to be a post presence and to get shots. Both failed, leaving JoFar and Sasha freedom to hoist away. Yuck.

What a sad state of NY Brick bball. We should all give Thanks that ol Doc Buss, Mitch, Phil & Kobe are committed to bringing a winning team in LA. I don't know how Brick fans have endured for the past decade.

[Freakout]

Wasn't thrilled with Drew's second half.

The bench unit or the lineup we had out there to close the game before Kobe and Ron were put back in really misses Luke. The biggest problem in my opinion is Lamar. He is playing too passively with that unit. You need him being aggressive just so that the ball doesn't end up back in Farmar's hands. I swear I'm reaching Smush Parker hate levels with him.

[airball2]

Very impressive team, although Bynum needs some maturing, and needs to recognize double teams earlier and get the ball out of the post. Also, we could sure use some more consistent scoring off the bench! Our bench's inability to protect a 20+ lead against the Knicks is not good, and we need to use these games to rest Koby to preserve his knees/legs for the post-season.

It's amazing how far south Sasha's game has gone since 2007. I think the guy is a head case, and probably needs a change in scenery. He just seems to be trying too hard.

Farmar is just too scoring oriented as a point guard, and he's not even a good scorer. Not sure how many times I've seen him pass up on easy kick-outs. The Sasha/Farmar combo just has bad chemistry, and I'm not completely sold on Brown either.

I wonder if it would make sense for the Lakers to pick up someone like Stackhouse, a proven scorer coming off the bench.

[wolfpaclaker]

Lamar has gotten in his head that this team has too many scorers and the post should go to Kobe/Drew/Pau/Ron before him. This basically makes him purely an outside threat and he's happy leading the team in assists.

I've been saying this for a while, only now since he isn't shooting as well from outside and playing off the bench others are noticing it. He has been doing this all year, that's why he leads the team in assists but his FG% is down to 41. He isn't making an impact scoring, he is basically accepting outside looks and playing Fisher's role with better playmaking (and actual PG skills).

You look back at 2005-2006 this is exactly how he was playing. His FG% was around the same even and his assists were leading the team. That is why you don't want LO always playing the guard role.

We almost never have him play in the forward spot anymore. He's pretty much one of the 2 guards who make up the dual guard Tri. I think Phil will ask him to move off the ball, but he doesn't move well when he's initiating or on the guard role all the time.

You have to put him back at the 4 spot and let him be a post sprinter for half his minutes. He doesn't run up the floor anymore off the ball. He doesn't look to post up. He doesn't try to use screens. Basically he is trying to put out a Jason Kidd impersonation. I think it goes back to adding Artest and Kobe being a bigger post player this year. This has made Phil adjust Odom's role again. You had a great thing going last year, I don't understand why they put him back as a guard full time again.