The Association

Bynum's Best Performance of the Season Keys a Smart Lakers Win

By Craig Kwasniewski

It took half of a quarter, but once the Lakers were able to adjust to the Knicks pace, they put together a collective defensive effort not seen in weeks and easily beat New York 109-87. Here are a few brief observations from my seat high up in section 316:

Tonight was easily Bynum's best effort of the season. Somewhere in a pub in the South Bay Jim Buss is doing body shots and patting himself on the back. I never thought I'd say this while Pau Gasol is still in his prime, but the Lakers need a healthy Andrew Bynum to contend this year. Easily this was his best effort of the season. Before the dubious ejection early in the 4th quarter, Bynum's length held Amar'e at bay. Blocked shots, offensive rebounds and a sweet throw down RIGHT ON Stoudemire summed up the night. The Knicks only got back into the game when Drew was on the bench in the third quarter. Then Bynum was called for a foul on a clean block and questioned Leon Wood, literally asking "What did I do wrong?" No foul language, just a shrug and a question...

TWEET!!!

You're outta here! It's like Wood decided right at that moment to enact the "no complaining rule", you know the one that they stopped enforcing mid December...like EVERY "new rule." It really made no sense.  But hey, we pay a ton of money to see a refs and not the players.  Fortunately the Lakers rallied behind their lost teammate and won easily down the stretch.

A good Knicks team always raises the energy in the crowd. NY pride from all the expats showed up in force tonight. A lot of orange and blue and a lot of that typical NY attitude. It makes every game seem like an event. As always, the NBA is a better league when the Knicks are relevant.

Pau Gasol is over-thinking on offense. Darius Soriano at Forumblueandgold.com pointed out that Pau has such an array of offensive moves that he sometimes spends too much time contemplating in the post. Whatever it is, he's not as fluid down low as he was in November. Instead he gets the ball and spends a good 4 to 6 seconds over-analyzing the situation. It causes the defense to rotate and over-play his passing lanes. Instead of a quick fluid move (and/or pass), Pau is stuck in place and left trying to draw a foul or hitting Kobe for a bailout shot. Trust your instincts and commit early in the possession Pau!

Steve Blake contributed much needed minutes on the floor. It really didn't matter if Steve Blake lit up the boxscore tonight. All that mattered was that the Lakers didn't need to replace both his and Matt Barnes minutes tonight. Barnes will probably be out at least 5 weeks, but it's hard on a veteran team with potentially two major rotation players out. Criticize Blake's drop in production, but they needed him tonight.

Artest was in 2009-10 form. Hey it could be New York but the fan in me hopes it's Barnes going down that brought out a more aggressive Ron Artest tonight. The Knicks run that fast-paced SSOL system and have a reputation for being a tad soft. Artest came out and played physical east coast basketball all night. Sure he had his typical open-court turnovers (simply put: he is a mess in the open court, he must have plied his game on a half court back in Queensbridge.  He can not run and dribble at all... AT ALL!), but he did have two separate incidences meant to send a message. He did his "was that me?" move with arms up high while locked in with another player (like he'd did TWICE with Pierce last year) in the first half. But the REAL message was knocking down Amar'e as he came crashing down the lane in the second half. It was aggressive but unlike the Miami game, a controlled aggression with the sole purpose of sending a message: not tonight. We'll see if he brings the same game on Tuesday against Cleveland.

Overall, the Lakers don't have the athleticism to run and gun with the likes of New York or Miami so they need a cohesive and smart effort on both ends. Tonight was one of those nights, probably bolstered because it's New York. Whatever, it's still a great cerebral win.

Lakers Barely Hold on to Beat the Jazz in Game 1

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Nice of the Lakers to "grant" us an exciting Game 1 by completely scrapping a successful offensive game plan most of the second half (ummm I believe they call it the Triangle) to barely beat Utah 104-99. 

Here are a few observations from my seat high up in Section 316: 

That game should NOT have been this close. Let's be honest here the Lakers are a terrible match-up for the Jazz.  LA's length in the front court causes problems for the smallish Boozer and Ronnie Millsap. Utah's thorn in the Lakers side was Okur forcing Bynum or Gasol to step out and defend the three.  Well Okur's gone and his replacement Fesenko is big but slow and nailed to the paint, allowing Bynum and Gasol to clog the lanes a keep Boozer from attacking the offensive glass.  Oh and did I mention the Jazz don't have anyone to defend Kobe?  Forget Kirilenko's injury, when healthy he wasn't able to stop Kobe. The Jazz have never had anyone to stop Kobe.  Really Deron Williams is Utah's only advantage (well that and the Lakers boredom) and he's not dropping 40 points and 20 dimes anytime soon.

This is just a bad match-up for the Jazz.  But they are well-coached, disciplined and talented enough to make this a 6 game series.  

What happened to the Triangle in the 2nd half?  Did you see the backdoor cuts from Artest and Odom in the first half?  Yes.  Did you see all the easy baskets after the ball was worked around the perimeter?  Yes.  Did you see the Lakers pounding the ball, dribbling around in the first half?  No.  That's what we in the business refer to as the Triangle Offense.  For a second I actually believed that Ron Artest finally got the offense.  Watching him slash down the lane and get the feed off Gasol was a thing of beauty.  This is why NBA higher-ups always thought Gasol was the perfect fit for the Lakers.  His court vision, patience and intelligence fit perfectly in the Triangle.  Did you see the no-look behind-the-back bounce pass to Bynum for a dunk? (BTW - it's didn't count because of a foul but it got a loud "Ohhhhh!!!" from the 300-level)  The Lakers spread the floor and initiated the offense from inside out.. in ONLY the first half.  And for much of the first half the Lakers actually looked the part of defending champs.

Ahh but then the 2nd half rolled in... Dribble, dribble, dribble, fade-away... dribble, dribble, dribble, fade-away.  Part of it was the Jazz bigs forcing Gasol and Bynum out of the low post (more on that later) but a huge part was the Lakers guards simply not initiating the offense from the inside.  As Phil Jackson would say, the team lost their direction in the 3rd quarter.  And it spilled over onto the defensive end as the Lakers couldn't get a stop.  What's so frustrating with the 2010 Lakers is how quickly they revert to bad habits with too much dribbling and too many threes.  It's obvious they know how to win, but like a rebellious teenager they refuse and want to do it their way.  And only when their backs are up against a wall, like say 5 minutes left with the Jazz leading, do the Lakers finally collect themselves and do it the right way.

Good Kobe saved bad Kobe. Kobe took over down the stretch getting clutch jumpers from his sweet spots near the freethrow line and just out at the short 17. But it was bad Kobe that maybe forced good Kobe to save the day. Late in the 2nd quarter he got into a little one-on-one tussle with CJ Miles and let the refs get to him. Kobe bristled that Miles was aloud to body him around and lost his focus. Predictibly he tried to respond and took the game right at Miles, trying to force the refs to call something. They did... *TWEET*...Offensive foul. A comfortable double digit lead went bye-bye as the Jazz took some momentum into the half with Kobe now in foul trouble. 

But again, Kobe saved the day offensively and won the game down the stretch. But unlike the 2nd quarter Kobe let the game to slow down and attacked the defense with poised patience. Meaning, he got the ball on the wing, waited to see how the defense set up, sized up his man and took to ball right to his comfort spots, nailing jumper and getting to the rim with relative ease.  (Though it didn't hurt that the Jazz decided not to double him on the perimeter and force him to pass the ball off.)

Do we need to start MVP chants for Gasol? Phil Jackson thinks so...25 points, 12 rebounds and a playoff career-high 5 blocks... and he made ALL of his freethrows!!! If this were fútbol "they" would say Gasol is in good form. His game is peaking at the right time, especially with several Lakers injured or temporarily disappeared (that's you Odom!!). Boozer isn't going to be attacking the offensive glass in this series. Gasol's defense is forcing Boozer to work very hard for his points, forcing him into fade-aways that take his monentum from the offensive glass.  

Utah's bigs turned the game around on defense. It started slowly in the second quarter but the Jazz's bigs bodied Gasol, Bynum and Odom out of the lane, keeping the from posting down low. Slowly over time the Lakers bigs got discouraged from all the physical play. Suddenly Gasol's getting the ball 12 feet from the basket and forcing shots.... SHORT!  Plus when the Lakers did get the ball low, the Jazz doubled off Artest (and why not after all he is the WORST three point shooter in the playoffs), frustating the Lakers bigs into contested shots and turnovers. Utah's defensive approach was patient very much like an NFL team that sticks with the run.  As time passed (and possibly with the benefit of the short turn-around) the Lakers bigs just didn't seem interested in fighting to get low.  I expect more of this in game 2.

Ron Artest... just one thing here... STOP SHOOTING THREES!!!!  Seriously, the way he worked in the offense in the first half I thought, "Hey' he's finally getting this!!!"  But late in the 4th quarter, with the Jazz defense daring him to shoot the three (umm because he's like 1-918 this postseason)... there he goes again, firing one up from downtown... and like downtown LA on a weekend... no life.  STOP SHOOTING THREES!!!!

Bynum Return Keys Lakers Win... Oh and Artest Wasn't Too Shabby Either

By Craig Kwasniewski 

Strength, aggression, focus, power... Words that never ever come to mind with Andrew Bynum. But that changed today after the Lakers grinded out a 87-79 home win over Oklahoma City to take a 1-0 lead. Andrew Bynum came out this afternoon with one goal in mind: to have an impact on the series. That he did with thunderous dunks (kicking out his legs a la early 2000's Shaq... Drew NEVER does that) and a dominant presence on the defensive boards. This is the Bynum that Jim Buss had been hoping would appear, the one the Lakers banked a lottery pick on, the one worthy of the 5-year exten$ion and the one that still mystifies Lakers fans on a nightly basis (all the talent in the world yet all the inconsistency). If he keeps this up, Bynum will be THE difference-maker in this series, especially with an "off" Kobe. 

Anyway here are a few thoughts from my seat high up in Section 316: 

The Lakers defense carried them to the win. Who expected a grind-it-out late 90's Heat-Knicks series with these two? I didn't! Oklahoma City can score with the best of them and the Lakers two years ago had one of the most efficient offenses in the game. Instead the Lakers rolled out old-school defense like we've never seen before (I'll be honest, I never expected a full 48 minutes of defensive pressure from this roster). The defensive rotations were crisp and the double teams and recovery were quick and timely. You can always tell the Lakers are into it defensively because all five are scrambling all over the floor, getting their hands into passing lanes and holding their own on the defensive boards. Westbrook was able to get easy hoops late in the 2nd and early in the 3rd quarter, but Kevin Durant never found his rhythm... I'm sure LA will take a great game from Westbrook over Durant any day. Kobe eventually went into "enough of this sh*t" mode late and contained Westbrook down the stretch. 

Ron Artest's D made up for his horrible shooting...barely. Look I know the Lakers got Artest for defense and the showmanship (after-all it is Jerry Buss, he knows LA is more than X and O's, you need a dash of spice. This is what "the experts" never understood when he took Artest over Ariza. Buss wants the Lakers to win but he also wants them to dominate the headlines, good or bad. In his mind you ALWAYS take an Artest over Ariza any day.) Anyway, watching Ron-Ron work Durant on defense was a pleasure. 

Quick side note (trust me this gets back to Artest): Back in high school I had a friend of mine who was a starting linebacker who always held his own playing pick-up ball with the basketball team. He played lock-down defense, being just physical enough to intimidate but never crossing the line. After, I asked him what was the key? He said he always looked at the guy's chest. Forget the jukes, the pump fakes, the stutter steps, your chest always goes where you go... "just look at the chest." 

That is EXACTLY what I saw Artest do when defending KD on the perimeter. Eyes on the chest and a hand in the face on EVERY shot. Everywhere Durant was, Artest followed.  Hand in the face, forearm in the chest, feet moving, Artest was there.  Durant was going to get his, but he had to work really hard for it. Artest played an almost perfect game on D, frustrating the league's leading scorer to 24 off 7-24 from the field.

Now about Artest's shot selection... Ron-Ron needs to stop shooting threes. As I've tweeted, screamed, texted, sexted, whistled... and all other forms of communication, there's a reason why you're WIDE OPEN on your three's Ron! Teams know you're shooting 20% since All Star break and are daring you to shoot. Just take a step in for an easier 18-footer, or a dribble and bounce pass into the post. DRAW out the defense by attacking the lane and dishing. 1-8 from three point range does not a three point shooter make. Just stop! (BTW - take away Artest's 1-8 and the Lakers shot an impressive 7-14 from three, stop shooting Ron!)

Kobe ain't right. Can you imagine the panic if Bynum wasn't as dominant today? Odom was a non-factor (Sunday day games are his kryptonite) and Kobe could never find his rhythm (triangle code for jacking up deep, contested shots). Kobe never really found his comfort spots on the floor. So like any veteran he forced the Thunder to put him on the line, a brilliant move except that his freethow shooting is also off (he shot 7-12 today, yuck!). Kobe being Kobe, I expect a better game on Tuesday. It's just hard to see such a dominant offensive force struggle so much lately. Normally, as each season passes, Kobe tightens up his game and finds his comfort spots in the Triangle. Unfortunately Lakers fans are still looking for that. 

Lakers went inside early and often. You will not beat the Lakers if they attack offensively from inside out. I'm just stating the facts. With Odom, Bynum, Gasol, Kobe and even Artest the Lakers have FIVE consistent low post threats. The Lakers opened the game attacking down low with Gasol on the left and Bymum from the right. The result? A 27-13 lead after one. Oklahoma City changed things up and fronted the post, hoping their weakside length would be enough to discourage the Lakers wings from feeding the post. The adjustment worked and the Lakers struggled the rest of the way, forcing them to win on defense. Let's be honest, this team isn't constructed to win games on defense and are kidding themselves if they think they can win a title Celtics-style (all defense and limited offense). They need to continue atacking the post to win. 

Looking ahead  to Game 2. Durant won't struggle again like today. He's too smart and talented and will find a way to get on the board. The Lakers need to continue to control the defensive glass, keep Artest out of foul trouble and attack from inside out. I expect more Westbrook earlier in the game. The Lakers can't stop him when he drives with a full head of steam. Maybe we'll see OKC spreading the floor more, giving Westbrook space to attack and kick to Durant. But I expect a better effort from a rusty looking Kobe in Game 2... and a Lakers win.

Lakers-Portland: So Frustrating that I Can't Come Up With a Decent Headline

By Craig Kwasniewski

How do I spin this? It seems like eons since the Lakers beat a quality team not from Utah. Really, how do I look at yet another Sunday loss against a potential first round opponent? Okay yeah, they're bored. They clinched the #1 seed in the west and have been in coast mode for weeks. Fine, but would it kill anyone to get some momentum heading into the playoffs? They're injured. Kobe's dinged, Bynum's having an extended injury break for the third season in a row, Luke Walton's out (yeah but when was he NOT hurt?), Odom's shoulder probably needs surgery, Artest continues to tear up his feet wearing Starbury-esque kicks and Vujacic's psyche is so damaged that a prescription of Maria Sharapova isn't even the cure. But EVERY team is banged up at this time of the year. Next excuse: they're losing but working out the kinks along the way in preparation for the playoffs...  FREEZE IT!

Maybe...

I do see small improvements despite the losses over the last 7 days. They're definitely attacking more from the inside and the team defense is improving. But the overall execution down the stretch is alarming. Poor shot selection and terrible defensive rotations cost several very winnable games. Oh and did I mention they can't hit freethrows when it counts?!? Maybe they're piecing things together for a long postseason run, but it would be nice for them to mix in some basketball IQ late in the 4th.

Anyway, here are a few other thoughts after watching the Lakers lose to Portland 91-88 from my seat high up in Section 316:

The Lakers point of attack early on is more post-oriented. Well the Triangle offense after all is the TRIPLE POST OFFENSE. The Lakers advantage is having FIVE legit low post scorers (Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Artest & Kobe) so naturally you'd expect a 60-40 mix of inside vs. perimeter shots... right??? Except that the since All-Star break the guards are caught running screen and rolls and jacking up terrible threes (that's YOU Farmar!!!!). Just because the defense is giving you a wide open three doesn't mean you take it (that's you Artest!!!)

Anyway, they last few games the Lakers are working the ball inside more. The result? A typical Phil Jackson run. The defense holds their own and over the course of 6 or 7 possessions and the Lakers suddenly find themselves taking control of the game. Everyone who has played in the Triangle Offense always refers to "offensive rhythm" which initiates by attacking from the inside out. Suddenly there's a few easy buckets and the defense drops down low, creating spaces and instead of contested 20-foot jumpers you see 15-17 foot wide open jumpers... offensive rhythm.

Jordan Farmar... pass the damn ball inside! Is this a case of NBA Napoleon's complex? Did the bigs steal your lunch money? What gives? Seriously, I'm trying to remember the last time you actually made a low post entry pass. Late 2009 is all I can think of. Instead you get the ball and look to shoot first, then look to shoot as a second option, you look to drive as a third option, look to pass around the perimeter and finally when all else fails, you look to shoot. I'm getting tired of the contested 21-foot jumpers. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are willing passers out of the post, they actually will find you for a spot up jumper. And if you have the ball with 8 seconds left in the quarter you actually have time to work the ball around instead of dribbling out the clock for a fade-away three. I get terrible flashbacks to the Ty Lue era with that crap. STOP IT!

LaMarcus Aldridge Lakers killer.  I want to say Aldrige averages 38.4 points against the Lakers, right?  All I'm sayin' is that if he ever played this well a full 82, we're talking first team All NBA.  The guy has a hell of a mid-range jumper and is waaaay too quick on the offensive block for Gasol.  The Lakers need to respect his offensive game and put the quicker Odom on him.  Make it so if the Lakers face Portland in the playoffs!  All Marcus Camby does is stand around the free throw line and crash the boards, Gasol SHOULD be able to stick with that!

Ron Artest, stop with the corner threes!  Enough already! There's a reason defenses are giving you five second wide open looks from the corner... you're not hitting them.  There are other spaces on the floor to spot up in the Triangle Offense besides standing in the corner with your hand up for 24 seconds.  Early in the season Artest displayed an acceptable three point range but they were from freethrow line extended.  Yet as the season passed, Ron-Ron felt he was more dangerous (to Lakers fans) from the corner.

Still no need to panic.  Yes, the missed freethrows by Kobe and Fisher with the game on the line was disturbing.  Yes, Fisher's on-the-ball defense is scary-bad.  Yes, the poor execution on both ends of the floor late in games is troubling.  And yes, another loss to a potential first round opponent is worrisome.  But it's not like we haven't seen this before (Houston round 2 anyone?).  Obviously the Lakers still feel that have the switch come playoff time.  They still have the most overall talent with the greatest coach in NBA history... so you just gotta believe.  And I still do.... barely.

A Little Late But... Lakers Finally Show Up in a Big Game

By Craig Kwasniewski

Now THAT was a big win!  The frustrating thing about the Lakers is their brashness and how they look down on all opponents not wearing Celtics Green.  Even back to last year's Western Conference Semifinals, the Lakers didn't bring a true playoff effort against Houston until Game 7.  This makes every "big game" this year a headscratcher for their fans.  Do they respect contender X?  Or are they just not as good as their roster and payroll suggests.  Far too many times the defending champs mailed in their efforts only to be bailed out by Kobe late (including FIVE game winners).

The Lakers turned up the defense and overcame a unusually poor offensive effort from Kobe to beat Denver and send a clear message: we're still the defending champs!  Finally the Lakers gave an effort worthy of their expectations, hype, salaries, etc.  Finally we got to see a team that was supposed to rival the 1996 Bulls 72 wins.  Finally we got to see what is supposed to be the next dynasty... FINALLY!

Anyway, here are a few thoughts after watching the Lakers beat Denver 95-89 from my seat high up in Section 316:

Kobe is still out of sync.  It really says a lot about our expectations from Kobe after sitting out for 17 days.  We're assuming he'll fit right back in, drop an easy 30-6-6 spot on Denver and embarrass JR Smith for his Kobe stopper remarks.  Ummm the dude missed 5 regular season games and All-Star Weekend.  It's amazing that he saved the Lakers against the Grizz a few days ago but in reality he needs a few games to get back his rhythm (a word you always hear in PJ's Triangle Offense) and blend back in with a team that had a successful 4-1 stretch.  Anyone else would be allowed a few weeks to get back to normal.  This just says a lot about Kobe's bounce-back-ability (not a word but you get what I mean) in the past.

Bynum looks LOST and continues to remind me of Benoit Benjamin.  Possibly the biggest regular season game considering the Lakers needed to send a message to the trash-talking Nuggets and remind them who's the defending champs.  So how does Bynum respond?  By dropping TWO points and THREE fouls by halftime.  Hey, way to rally in a big game kid!  Way to send a message by not jumping on the offensive end (he missed another bunny by trying to flat foot a wide open layup, this happens every game!).  Defensive three-in-the-key should now be called the Bynum rule.  Move your damn feet on defense!

This kid reminds me more and more of Benoit Benjamin with all the god-given talent and lack of heart.  No coincidence that he rode the bench for much of the 4th quarter while the Lakers pulled away.  Flat out, the Lakers are better with an Odom-Gasol tandem than Gasol-Bynum.  He just doesn't get it and should be benched to send a message except that he's in Jim Buss's Penthouse (the polar opposite of doghouse).  So I'm sure we'll here some "injury" to spin his apparent disinterest this afternoon.   

Ron Artest earned his 5-Year contract against Melo.  It's still hard to realize that Ron-Ron is under contract for five years but it's a hell of a deal as long as he defends like that.  Artest was very effective against Melo, contesting every shot and wearing him down along the way.  The funny thing is that if you just paid attention to the stat sheet, you'd think Melo was going over and through Artest on his way to a typical 30+ game.  True, Melo hit a lot of shots, but it was more a testament to his overall talent because damn, Artest was in his face the entire game.  But you can only hit so many sick shots under duress before fatigue eventually sets in.  Not to sound like everyone's high school coach, but fatigue leads to a lack of concentration and eventually cheap fouls.  Really it shouldn't surprise anyone that Melo fouled out with minutes left... game, set, match Artest.

Lamar Odom is secretly becoming the Lakers best low post player.  In a league where most teams would be lucky to have two legitimate low post scoring options the Lakers have FIVE (Gasol, Bynum, Artest, Kobe and Odom).  Here's the thing, you expect Gasol and Bynum to have consistent low post games, and Artest tore up the Lakers down low in the Western Conference Semis last year with sweet passes and strong shots.  But Lamar Odom, when motivated... and that's really the key words here, when motivated... is the Lakers most dangerous player down low.  He's naturally a pass-first guy, so he's patient enough to look for the right cutters but his length, ball handling skills and being left-handed is enough to make him virtually an automatic bucket.  Plus, his touch and confidence has greatly improved since the disaster of the 2008 Finals.  The problem is that the Lakers don't call his number enough late because they have FIVE low post options.  Obviously, you really can't argue with having Kobe or Gasol posting up late... it's a nice dilemma.  But as he showed Friday against Philadelphia and this afternoon against Denver, Odom is just as reliable down low.  Plus, with defenses keyed on Gasol and Kobe, Lamar can blend into his most comfortable role of being the third scoring option.

Pau Gasol was very un-euro like with his post game comments. European ballers have always had the reputation of being very bland with the post-game quotes.  Usually they're very nice and loaded with vanilla clichés... just enough to fill the papers but never creating waves.  Which makes Gasol's post game comments to a local radio station very surprising:

We wanted to show them that they won't have a chance against us (in the playoffs). We showed (again) that we’re a better team than them.

I'm guessing the emotions got to him a little because outside of complaining for more touches he's usually not that candid.  Maybe like the rest of us, he's getting tired of all the trash talking from the Nuggets.  I see it as a slight reveal from the Lakers, who normally look down at the Nuggets with a condescending tone.  Maybe they're starting to respect the Nuggets talent... the first sign of a true rivalry.  Juicy!

Lakers/Mavs and is Pau Gasol Pregnant?

By Craig Kwasniewski 

 

According to Yahoo.com: 

Forward Pau Gasol has left the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Dallas Mavericks because of a strained left hamstring. 

A team spokesman said Sunday night that Gasol would undergo an ultrasound test on Monday.

Ultrasound?  Just hold on a sec... isn't that what you give to pregnant women to see what junior looks like?  What ever happened to the tried and true MRI?  Is the economy hitting the NBA so hard that the Lakers medical staff doubles as the California Fertility Clinic by day?  I'm cool with the new found extra sensitive and emotionally conscious medial staff...

"Mr. Gasol, I have great news!  Congratulations it's a...."

TORN HAMSTRING!

Let's hope not.  Anyway, the huge #1 vs. #2 Western Conference Battle Royal between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks never materialized.  The Lakers simply out-sized the Mavs on their way to a 131-96 home win.  I was there in my seats high up in Section 316 and it wasn't even that close. Instead of a full blown 316 Report breakdown (because the game really wasn't worthy of one), let me just give a quick summary.

Basketball is a game of match ups and Dallas just doesn't have the right mix of talent to hang with LA. Okay sure, great analysis there Craig.  Way to go out on a limb and profess that a mid-level team in the west can't hang with the defending champs... brilliant!  The Mavs aren't big enough like say Cleveland to give the Lakers any fits.  Sure Eric Dampier was out, but beyond Damps, what other legit size do the Mavs have?  I really love the potential of having Shawn Marion on the roster.  He always does a decent job defending Kobe with his length and athleticism giving KB24 trouble much like James Posey did when he still played in the NBA.  But who matches with Gasol and Odom?  

Okay taking size out of the picture, maybe Dallas can out-quick the Lakers and beat them in a Phoenix-like run and gun three point contest.  The problem there is that Dallas doesn't have the speed like back in 2006.  Dirk is older and not as quick off the dribble and Devin Harris is busy breaking the 1972-73 76ers record for futility in New Jersey.  Maybe Dallas can ride the wave of their home crowd and steal a few games here and there or get a bored-out-of-their-minds Lakers like the Houston series last season, but other than that Dallas is the 3rd or 4th best team in the west (behind a healthy Denver and San Antonio). A very good 4th best, just not capable of passing Denver or the Lakers in the playoffs. 

BTW - On Pau Gasol's strained hammy... This is a serious problem for the Lakers.  In the NFL, hamstring injuries stay with players the whole season and extended rest is the only way to heal them.  The media keeps hammering home that Gasol only missed 11 games with the other injured hamstring.  Actually he missed most of October and the first few weeks of November... basically 6 weeks with a strain.  The Lakers are entering the meaty portion of their schedule and have a banged up Artest, Luke Walton still out with his annual injury and now Gasol.  This puts more strain on the rest of the roster... especially Kobe, who's no longer the 20-something with boundless energy.  At this point the most important thing for the Lakers to repeat is that they are as healthy as possible by April.  I'm not saying they go 2006-07 Miami and fall to a 40-win season, I'm just saying that an occasional loss here and there is okay as long as they see the big picture... and with Phil Jackson running things I'm sure they will.

Get well Pau!

Lakers Steal Game One from Denver

By Craig Kwasniewski  

Whew! As series go, one chapter down and this feels like the makings of an epic series. The Lakers overcame their now typical lackluster start and some very questionable officiating to pull out a 105-103 victory over a very confident Denver Nuggets team in Los Angeles. Here are a few thoughts from my seat high up in Section 316 of Le Stade de Staples:  

Carmelo Anthony wanted to send a clear message... LeBron, Dwight Howard and Kobe aren't the only superstars left in the playoffs. Remember last year when Melo called out the Nuggets for quitting? That player is long gone... Melo was straight up ballin' on BOTH ends of the floor. He held his own down the stretch, hitting clutch hoops and holding his own defensively.

Kobe v. Melo... The never told story. These two superstars really haven't had the famous one-on-one battles like Wade-LeBron or Kobe-Wade. Both guys went at it at both ends of the floor tonight combining for 79 and despite the high scoring, playing impressive defense down the stretch. Melo was able to keep Kobe on the outside forcing him into difficult and deep fadeaways late in the game (see the photo below). Kobe was only able to close it out on the freethrow line after an ill-advised reach in foul by K-Mart... Melo really didn't need help on the play. Anyway, rivalries and made in the playoffs and hopefully this series brings us more of Kobe vs. Melo. 

The "only so many points to go around" theory applies to Melo and Chauncey. Unless you're completely giving up on your head coach like New Orleans, the scoring ceiling the playoffs is usually around 110 points.  So people can always argue "well... just wait until (these several guys) get hot" but no matter what, they still won't exceed 110 points... Simply there's only so many shots to go around. Anyway, this is why we'll never see a game where both Chauncey and Melo get 30 a night. It's either one or the other. Tonight Melo dominated on offense but Chauncey was held in check... Well except for those sick threes late in the game.  Denver seems more dangerous when Chauncey is hot, I think the Lakers are willing to accept the occasional Melo scoring outburst as long as it's not late in the game.

The Lakers stole this one. Denver dominted the first quarter right from the tip, taking advantage of the Lakers now typical slow start. (BTW - these slow starts are VERY disturbing!  How hard is it to get motivated for the playoffs? CLEARLY the Lakers started off like this game's on a Sunday in November, this whole "let the game come to you" crap is getting old.  It wouldn't hurt to put a mentally weak team down in the early stages instead waiting 12 minutes to finally show up.)

But I digress...

Denver blew their chances at blowing this game wide open by missing early freethrows and not riding Melo's hot hand for the rest of the first half.  Clearly the Ariza/Walton tandem were being dominated by Melo, so why not play him most of the first half and grab a big halftime lead? (BTW - Luke Walton on Carmelo Anthony?  REALLY???? Did Phil bet on Denver?) Anyway, George Karl needed to get a feel for the game and adjust his rotations accordingly. 

The Lakers bench circa November finally showed up in the second quarter and rallied the Lakers back into the game.  Early in the season, the Lakers earned the reputation of having one of the deeper teams in the NBA from the stellar and enegertic efforts of their bench in the 2nd and late 3rd quarters.  Several times this year the Lakers starting 5 didn't open with the right energy and they relied on the bench to change the pace of the game, which happened again tonight.

The starting five showed up in the second half and the Laker rode a heroic effort by Kobe to steal the W.

Moving on to Game 2.  A big if still falls on the Lakers.  If the Lakers starters open with the same effort they did against Houston in game 7, they win easily on Thurdsay.  The Nuggets feasted on weak opponents this postseason and have yet to ever show resilience when trailing.  They know they lost a great chance at stealing game 1 and I'm curious how they bounce back.  One thing I do know is that you won't get a game where Bynum, Gasol and Odom all don't show up offensively.  I see a better effort from Gasol in game 2.

But if the Lakers follow their 2009 postseason pattern, they'll take Denver lightly and lose Game 2.  And like everyone else familiar with these Lakers anything is possible...



Melo got the best of Kobe on this one.  He was right in his face and forces Kobe to come up short.

Los Lakers Drop the Ball on Noche Latina

What, no free XXXXXL white tee shirts, no halftime donkey shows, no Mariachi Band playing the "defense" song, no free admission with a ticket stub to cock fights in the IE, no "find the Virgin de Guadalupe in the pool of sweat" contest... How can the Lakers celebrate Latina Noche night and not properly honor La Raza? All we got was the Lakers wearing "Los Lakers" jerseys and a few Los Lobos songs during los timeouts (sorry too many los's). At least have the Lakers girls surgically remove their torsos... Okay maybe that was bad but where was the celebration of the Latino culture in LA without any semblance of Latino Culture? Oh wait, they did give away free tacos from El Jacko en el Boxeo after the Lakers beat Memphis 99 to 89. 

At least give us hot dogs wrapped in bacon (btw - the best/worst/worst food ever, I once bought one before a game a few years ago... 30 minutes of pleasure followed by 10 days of indigestion and most likely a tape worm, yet somehow worth it). Anyway, a few other thoughts from the game from my seats in Section 316: 

Memphis, the Mos Eisley of the NBA: On the Grizzlies are Darko Milicic, Darius Miles, Quentin Ross, Chris Mihm and Damon Stoudamire with Henry Bibby as a coach ... You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... Either their front office sees something in these guys on the cheap or the Grizz are the last stop/last chance before D-League-ville. There's nothing wrong with taking a cheap feeler on a few long shots, but 1/3 of the team is too much! BTW - couldn't you just picture that "He doesn't like you, I don't like you either" exchange between Darius Miles and Marc Gasol? 

Gasol vs. Gasol: People thought the Pau Gasol trade last year was the most one-sided trade in the millenium but we easily forget that Marc Gasol was a throw in. The guy can straight up play! He's just a rookie but he has great passing skills and is a capable rebounder. Give him a season or two to develop a low post game and Memphis has a true all star. You can see that he already commands respect from his teammates for his basketball IQ. Which makes me wonder: Luke Walton, Ronnie Turiaf and Marc Gasol... Mitch Kupchak really knows how to draft in the second round! 

Oh and Marc Gasol outplayed his brother Pau, who was clearly frustrated all night. 

First impressions on OJ Mayo: I read somewhere that Mayo has a Kobe-like work habbit and he's a star in the making. Maybe, but I didn't see it tonight. Certain players, like Kevin Durant, command attention whether being a rookie or not, yet Mayo seemed caught between facilitator and scorer. Because of the beard he does he rally looks like a 30 year old grizzled veteran. 

Moment of the night: Actually there were two of them. The first involved DJ Mbenga, who got the Lakers bench all riled up with a block on defense followed with a 12-foot jumper on the next possession (Derek Fisher was laughing so hard he fell on the floor). But the true moment of the night or La Noche was Adam Sandler kissing Jack Nicholson during the kiss me cam segment. Hilarious!

It's official, Charlotte owns the Lakers!

By Craig Kwasniewski

That Larry Brown is one hell of a coach! Who else can find a way to: get Trevor Ariza concussed, force Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol to be a complete no-show (I hope I read about flu-like symptoms for Gasol because he was terrible!), force the Lakers to play Luke Walton key minutes down the stretch, force the Lakers to freeze out Bynun, their best player in the second OT and foul out Kobe Bryant. Only the brilliant Larry Brown could find a way... (standing clap)... This bud's for you!

Yep, the above happened and the Lakers STILL almost pulled out the W against a very stubborn Bobcats but instead they dropped a very entertaining game in double OT 117-110. A few thoughts from my seat in 316:

Charlotte owns the Lakers: The numbers don't lie, the Bobcats have won 5 their last 6 against the Lakers. Despite heavy warnings in Tuesday's LA Times, the Lakers still took the Bobcats for granted and CLEARLY didn't show up defensively. The best/worst thing about the NBA regular season is that talent doesn't always triumph over effort. But props to Charlotte for battling and neutralizing most of the Lakers front court with they typical Larry Brown D.

A watershed moment that almost happened. Kobe fouls out in the first OT and with Pau Gasol a complete no-show, the Lakers were forced to call on Andrew Bynum's number to win... and for the first two possessions it worked! Flashback to the pound-it-inside Shaq era as Bynum carried the Lakers early in the second OT with excellent and very patient post moves. And like much of the Shaq era, the Lakers stopped calling Bynum's number, which totally makes sense! Bynum is 2 for 2 with Staples Center feeding off his energy and instead Odom and Vujacic jack up a few terrible shots and provide stellar masonry work... Ballgame Charlotte!

Bynum showed a lot early by willing to shoulder the Lakers offense. Unlike Odom and Gasol, who always fight bouts of sphincteritis down the stretch, Bymum calmly demanded the ball, gathered himself down low and performed well in the post. It's good to see Bynum hold his own with the team relying on him. 

Luke W. no longer deserves the Walton moniker. Horribbble... Terrrribbble...Give up your name Luke! Bill Walton made a name with superb fundamentals and a high hoops IQ. So what does Son of Walton do tonight? With the game tied with 6 seconds left in the first OT he throws away an inbounds pass (despite having Sasha Vujacic W-I-D-E O-P- E-N five feet away), killing the Lakers chance at a last second win (they didn't even take a shot!). Instead Charlotte gets possession with a chance to win with 4 seconds left and because Walton wears forum blue and gold, they didn't turnover the inbounds pass. How do you not pass to the open man FIVE FEET AWAY???

The Lakers Achilles Three. Once again up three with the game on the line, the Lakers defense fails to guard the three ball. The NBA is a drive and kick league so defenses are keyed in on containing penetration. But you NEED to stay at home when a three is the only thing that can hurt you! The Lakers "brain trust" of Odom, Radmanovic and Vujacic continue to struggle at defending the three with the game on the line. This could be a problem come playoff time.

A great game! Very rarely do I leave a Lakers loss feeling satisfied but so many things had to happen for Charlotte to win... and they did. Obviously, if the Lakers gave the same effort as they did on Sunday we're looking at a 15-point win. Credit Charlotte for playing hard on both ends, but also credit the Lakers for their fierce rally to send it into overtime. Charlotte missed several freethrows down the stretch to close out the game and Kobe and Fisher hit clutch threes to tie it up. Mix in the oddity of Kobe fouling out, Gerald Wallace's collapsed lung (BTW - it really didn't look like a hard foul at first, but let's hope Wallace get well soon... will Bynum get suspended?) and the clutch game-tying shot by Fisher at the buzzer and it was a good time at Staples Center.

 

Kobe Goes Bladerunner in W Over Cleveland

by Craig Kwasniewski

Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant...

Special police squads - BLADE RUNNER UNITS - had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant This was not called execution. It was called retirement.

Did you see Kobe's hands? All I think about is Harrison Ford's character Decker in Blade Runner when the Replicant bends back his ring finger... it's all gnashed up and bent in like 75 places... THAT was Kobe's hands right after he dislocated his ring finger literally seconds into yesterday's Lakers-Cavs clash. Give LeBron the MVP but give severe big ups to Kobe for out-gritting LeBron with only 2 good fingers on his hand (have you forgotten the torn ligament on his pinky finger?) and leading the Lakers to a big 105-88 win over Cleveland. Here are a few thoughts from my seat in Section 316:

Kobe knows how to play hurt. Unlike Pussy Pierce and his wheelchair, Kobe goes old school when he's banged up; never let your opponent on to how serious the injury. Literally seconds into the game Kobe dislocates his finger! He slowly jogs over to Lakers trainer Gary Vitti for treatment. He has that "dayum this f-ing hurts!" Damn! We've been looking forward to Kobe vs LeBron for weeks and POOF! it's over (seriously, the way Kobe was playing it I seriously thought Kobe was done simply because be never let's on to the pain). Vitti gives the finger a once-over and Kobe returns to play decoy/facilitator for the rest of the half. Clearly with his shot waaaay off, Kobe found other ways to keep LA in the game by defending LeBron in his "lock-down corner" way and the Lakers bigs pounded the Ilgauskus-less Cavs to keep it close 50-49 at the half.

Lakers showed up tonight. Maybe it was the fear of a three game losing streak (yes) or the Lakers truely respect the Cavs (also yes), but the Lakers showed up tonight with the same kind of intensity as the Celtics game. The second unit of Vujacic, Ariza and Odom used length and intensity and exposed the short handed Cavs (without both Ilgauskus and Delonte West).

Orlando Magic is NOT a Contender. Btw - you're honestly telling me that over a very long 82 game season that opponents give Orlando the same intense effort as when they face Cleveland, Boston or LA? I went to both the Magic and Cavs games and there was a definite difference in attitude by the fans and players. Whereas the Orlando game was a date night (and trust me, the crowd was very "talented"), the Cavs game is a total guys night out... you never waste a great game like this on a chick! Anwyay, if advancing to the second round of the playoffs defines being a contender, then add in Orlando. But they lack that clear-it-out-and-take-over guy needed to win in the playoffs like a Kobe, Paul Pierce or LeBron.

The Lakers key adjustment.  Derek Fisher's play of late is killing the Lakers!  It's hard to say it considering that he's possibly the truest "good guy" in the NBA, but playing 40-plus minutes a game since Farmar's injury is taking a toll on his body.  Opposing point guards look like All-Stars (Jameer Nelson... are you kidding me??) and shots are clanging hard off the rim.  FINALLY, Phil Jackson made an adjustment and had Odom bring the ball up the court.  Seems like minor adjustment but that extra break along with reducing his minutes to 34 tonight was the right move as Fisher was fresh down the stretch.  Farmar's still 3 weeks away from returning so Jackson needs to do everything he can to keep Fisher to 30 minutes a night for him to be effective.