Lakers

[Jeff Lebowski]

Well you'd be happy to know that the Lakers just lost on a Troy Murphy tip shot as time expired. The Lakers blew a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter.

Wonderful news. Thanks.

[smokymountainrain]

The Lakers blew a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter.

Kobe must have tried to take over.

[il Padrino Ute]

Well you'd be happy to know that the Lakers just lost on a Troy Murphy tip shot as time expired. The Lakers blew a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter.

Sweet.

[Flystripper]

The biggest surprise for me has been Ariza. I know Vlad stretches the defense but Ariza needs more minutes.

[Surfah]

The biggest surprise for me has been Ariza. I know Vlad stretches the defense but Ariza needs more minutes.

My new favorite player. He's the perfect fit. He's D first. Rebounds and scores without the ball. I told my brother in law that I'd take Ariza any day of the week over Turiaf who used to be my favorite Laker next to he who shall not be named.

[TripletDaddy]

Good to see Los Lagueros back on track after a shocking loss to the upstart Pacers.

I know this Laker team ranks near or at the top defensively, but I still get the same old heebs when I see them let little guards run roughshod through the paint.

15-2 is a nice start but this team still has some serious work to do defensively before it can think about a title. And in case nobody has noticed, Boston has quietly been dominating its way back into the best winning percentage in the league.

[Surfah]

Good to see Los Lagueros back on track after a shocking loss to the upstart Pacers.

I know this Laker team ranks near or at the top defensively, but I still get the same old heebs when I see them let little guards run roughshod through the paint.

15-2 is a nice start but this team still has some serious work to do defensively before it can think about a title. And in case nobody has noticed, Boston has quietly been dominating its way back into the best winning percentage in the league.

Yeah that was a nice bounce back on the second half of a back to back. The Celtics are taking it to the Pacers right now. The Lakers need to get the killer instinct and bury teams when thy can. The second team got cute last night and lost the lead and then the starters couldn't turn the momentum and merely kept pace. Still 15-2 and they have drubbed some great teams including Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix, Blazers, Dallas, etc.

[CJF]

scores without the ball.

That's a pretty neat trick. How does he do that?

[TripletDaddy]

OK, time for a bit of a reality gut check.

25% into the season and here is what I know about the Lakers:

1. Defense has definitely improved over last season. The Lakers are now hovering around 4th place in overall defensive efficiency, behind the Celtics (no surprise there) and the Cavs and Magic (bigger surprises).
2. Overall offensive efficiency has been stellar. Again, the Lakers are in 3rd place, behind Cleveland and Portland.
3. Bench play....I think the Laker bench is tops in the league. The shifting of Odom from starter to bench has worked out very well and Ariza is quickly becoming a household name for his defense, steals, and vastly improved shooting.
4. Unfortunately, the same bad habits that plagued the Lakers last season are already apparent this season...small guards and protecting the paint seem to be the Lakers achilles heel. The addition of Bynum was supposed to help (and it has), but the past 6 or 7 games have been unimpressive from a defensive standpoint. Last season the Lakers would fall behind and then expend a lot of energy in the 3rd quarter/early 4th coming back. This season, the Lakers are blowing big leads in the 4th quarter and hanging on.

Overall, not complaining.....yet. The Lakers still enjoy a nice MOV. But they lost last June because of defense. And thus far, Boston has proved it is the better defensive team this season. If the Lakers don't get serious about locking down the paint, it will be a Celtic repeat.

One other thought.....while everyone assumes it to be a foregone conclusion that the Lakers and Celtics will play in the Finals, Lebron has not so quietly dragged Cleveland at a torrid pace and look almost as good as Boston and LA. Keep in mind that Boston was only a heartbeat away from losing last playoffs. A Cleveland/Boston matchup this post-season could prove to be VERY interesante.

[smokymountainrain]

OK, time for a bit of a reality gut check.

25% into the season and here is what I know about the Lakers:

1. Defense has definitely improved over last season. The Lakers are now hovering around 4th place in overall defensive efficiency, behind the Celtics (no surprise there) and the Cavs and Magic (bigger surprises).
2. Overall offensive efficiency has been stellar. Again, the Lakers are in 3rd place, behind Cleveland and Portland.
3. Bench play....I think the Laker bench is tops in the league. The shifting of Odom from starter to bench has worked out very well and Ariza is quickly becoming a household name for his defense, steals, and vastly improved shooting.
4. Unfortunately, the same bad habits that plagued the Lakers last season are already apparent this season...small guards and protecting the paint seem to be the Lakers achilles heel. The addition of Bynum was supposed to help (and it has), but the past 6 or 7 games have been unimpressive from a defensive standpoint. Last season the Lakers would fall behind and then expend a lot of energy in the 3rd quarter/early 4th coming back. This season, the Lakers are blowing big leads in the 4th quarter and hanging on.

Overall, not complaining.....yet. The Lakers still enjoy a nice MOV. But they lost last June because of defense. And thus far, Boston has proved it is the better defensive team this season. If the Lakers don't get serious about locking down the paint, it will be a Celtic repeat.

One other thought.....while everyone assumes it to be a foregone conclusion that the Lakers and Celtics will play in the Finals, Lebron has not so quietly dragged Cleveland at a torrid pace and look almost as good as Boston and LA. Keep in mind that Boston was only a heartbeat away from losing last playoffs. A Cleveland/Boston matchup this post-season could prove to be VERY interesante.

If the Zen Master could just convince Kobe that he doesn't need to lead the league in scoring, the Lakers might be undefeated right now. The Lakers have yet to lose when Kobe scores below his 25 point average. In the three losses, Kobe has taken 21, 25 and 30 shots. They have too many weapons on offense - guys who are efficient scorers - for Kobe to be taking 20+ shots.

Last night, Bynum, Gasol and Odom tool 29 shots. Kobe took 25 shots. Bynum, Gasol and Odom are shooting 56%, 56% and 50% respectively. Kobe is shooting 46%.

[TripletDaddy]

If the Zen Master could just convince Kobe that he doesn't need to lead the league in scoring, the Lakers might be undefeated right now. The Lakers have yet to lose when Kobe scores below his 25 point average. In the three losses, Kobe has taken 21, 25 and 30 shots. They have too many weapons on offense - guys who are efficient scorers - for Kobe to be taking 20+ shots.

A few things...

1. Kobe isn't leading the league in scoring. He is in 5th place.
2. The problem isn't the Laker offense....they lead the league in overall ppg at about 108 and are second only to Cavs in MOV, at 11. They are the only 2 teams to have an ave MOV in the double digits.

How much more offense do they need?

It is their defense that needs the help.

Again, I am nitpicking. The Lakers are in first place in the West and have the second best record in the NBA.

But this whole season is about 10 days in June and thus far, the Lakers don't look ready. At least imo.

[smokymountainrain]

A few things...

1. Kobe isn't leading the league in scoring. He is in 5th place.

I should clarify my comment on this one. I know he isn't leading the league in scoring, but the way he shoots sometimes, it sure seems like he thinks he needs to be.

2. The problem isn't the Laker offense....they lead the league in overall ppg at about 108 and are second only to Cavs in MOV, at 11. They are the only 2 teams to have an ave MOV in the double digits.

How much more offense do they need?

This is a fair point, but I also don't think it's a coincidence that when he involves other players more rather than chucking, the Lakers chances of winning are significantly improved. I'm not sure he realizes it or just doesn't care. Just my opinion, but I feel like when guys get thrown a bone on offense, they tend to play better defense.


But this whole season is about 10 days in June and thus far, the Lakers don't look ready. At least imo.

You are nitpicking and they may not be ready, but they are ridiculously good and if the Jazz can right the ship, the Lakers scare me. If the Jazz can't right the ship, it may not matter.

[TripletDaddy]

You are nitpicking and they may not be ready, but they are ridiculously good and if the Jazz can right the ship, the Lakers scare me. If the Jazz can't right the ship, it may not matter.

You are right on the offense. This was Shaq's contention the entire time....throw the dog the bone and he will guard the yard.

I kind of tune out the Kobe haters because they don't watch the Laker games (not saying you are in this category). Because of these ridiculously large leads, Kobe has been sitting quite a bit during late 3rd/4th quarter.

In several instances, Jax puts in the second unit and they are the ones that give up the lead. Kobe's shooting isn't likely the culprit here. If I had to put a finger on the main problem, it would be that the current rotation leaves too many defensive liabilities on the floor in the second unit. I still can't figure out when Bynum will stay with the second or when Gasol will stay. It is erratic at best. Plus, there are times when Mihm comes in (yikes) to rest both Bynum and Gasol, then you have a double whammy liability because at least Bynum and Gasol can score regularly....Mihm doesn't even give you that, so the lead shrinks even faster (no defense, no offense).

That being said, you are correct in that keeping these guys involved in the only way this team will remain deadly on offense. The chemistry with these guys has been at an all-time high the past season or so. While Kobe won't win the MVP this year, he is doing everything he can possibly do.

The current squad has already showed the ability to play defense. Again, nitpicking because as it stands they are 4th in the league in overall D....but they dropped. At about the 12 or 14 game mark, they were second, I believe. They need to figure out how to bring out the intensity for every game. last night's game against Sac was NOT a good example of how to get that done. Trailing by 5 at the half and not closing out an easy road win.

Jazz are in trouble until D-Will gets healthy and right. Bottom line. They just can't do it without him at 100%. And even then it will be tough. Assuming everyone is healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Lakers/Jazz finals or semi finals, though.

[TripletDaddy]

Case in point.

Suns trade Raja and Boris, Shaq is out of town at his grandmother's funeral, and the Lakers are trailing Phoenix by 1 point and it is almost the 4th quarter.

[Surfah]

Case in point.

Suns trade Raja and Boris, Shaq is out of town at his grandmother's funeral, and the Lakers are trailing Phoenix by 1 point and it is almost the 4th quarter.

Wow the D they played the first 15 games of the season has been non existent in the last week.