| Today's Game
Sunday, 6:30PM
vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
TV: FS West
Coming Up
Tuesday Nov 24 7:30PM
vs. New York Knicks
TV: FS West
Lakers Standings
Lakers Record: 9-3, ½ Games Back In Division. Playoff Seed #3 In Conference. |
|
|
|
 Lakers Blog
|
|
See all
Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 23, 2008 - 03:38 PM
Lakers Blog
|
 In the history of the Lakers, the roll call is replete with some of the greatest legends of the NBA hardwood and teams that will occupy the rarefied air as among there best of all time. If one could reach back in time and select the cream of the crop to be on the all time Laker team, who would they be? This is one fans list.
I have included only the starting five for the simple reason that I don’t know enough about the all the great players from the 50’s and 60’s to fill in a second team completely. My sincere apologies to so many great players I was forced to omit.
Point Guard: The incomparable Magic Johnson. You want to talk about winning? Try this on for size: A twenty year old off his sophomore national championship year in college comes to a team that hasn’t gone to the finals in seven years and over the next 12 years before his retirement from the HIV virus takes them 9 NBA finals, winning five. Now reread that last sentence. Take a moment to think about it. Scary isn't it? His opponents in these finals are some of the best teams of all time: Dr. J’s Seventy Sixers, Birds’s Celtics, Isiah’s Pistons and Jordan’s Bulls. All those teams went to multiple finals and all won titles. Magic’s team met no patsies in winning their bling. Still the most physically unique player in the history of the NBA. A six foot nine point guard who rebounded like a power forward and could dribble up the floor through the teeth of the defense like he was six inches shorter eliminating the need for an outlet pass on the break. Thirty years later there has still been no player who can approximate what he did on the floor. He powered the greatest fast break in NBA history. Anyone who didn’t see this player initiate and orchestrate the Lakers fast break, making spit second decisions on the move frequently forcing the ball up the court in less than three seconds has no idea how fast and how beautiful basketball can be. His engine of destruction would just bury teams in waves of fast break points, turning a contest into blow out before the opposition could even think about what had happened. One of best basket minds of all time and one of the great clutch players in NBA history. As a 20 year old rookie he had to fill in at center for an injured Abdul Jabbar in game six of the NBA Finals against Dr. J’s Seventy Sixers in Philly. All he did was jump at center, play all five positions and rack up 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists in leading the Lakers to victory, grabbing the Finals MVP and inaugurating the Showtime Dynasty. Think Michael Jordan could have done that at age 20? Could anyone have? Dr. J said following the game, “He was like a man among boys, only he was a boy among men.” Later in Magic’s career Julius said of him, “He’s the only player I’ve seen who can score 30 points and dominate a game or score zero points and dominate a game.” He could execute the most basic of passes along with the most spectacular or no look ones with equal facility. His height enabled him to look and pass over the heads of a defense like no other guard could. He hid his killer instinct behind a one thousand watt smile and exuberance and overt love for the game that electrified his teammates and fans alike when being cool and emotionless was the in thing in the NBA. The most unselfish of players, willingly sacrificed what could have been a 25-30 point a game scoring average, early career recognition as being better than arch rival Larry Bird and league MVP’s so that teammates like Kareem, Wilkes, Mcadoo, Nixon, Worthy, Scott and others could get theirs and team could function at its best. Brought emotion and with Larry Bird, passing and teamwork back to a dead league. When he came into the league in 1979, the NBA finals were on tape delay at 1130 at night, by 1984 the NBA was fasting rising, hottest ticket in sports and a prime time spectacular. He along with Kareem led an end to decades of frustration for the Laker organization by beating Boston in the 1985 Finals. They became the one and only team to every win a ring on Boston’s home floor. The term triple double was forced into the NBA lexicon to describe his ability to frequently reach double digits in points, rebounds and assists in a single game. Some of his achievements: College national champion and finals game MVP, Five time NBA champion, three times NBA finals MVP, a three time League MVP, participated in 12 all star game, winning the MVP in 1992, 10 all NBA team placements and an Olympic gold medalist. All time assist leader at his retirement and still holds the all time assist average of 11.2 a game. Named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Magic Johnson is recognized as the best point guard in NBA history head and stands alone like the Colossus Of Rhodes among the pantheon of Purple and Gold Gods as the Greatest Laker of all Time. He is on the legitimate short list of players who can be posited as the best player in league history.
Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant. A razor call over Mr. Clutch and the logo of the NBA Jerry West. West was the better teammate and much more mature and stable personality but Kobe’s incredible physical skills, scoring acumen and edge in titles (3-1) give him the call here. Except for passing, anything West could do Kobe could do better. The closest thing to Michael Jordan in terms of pure energy and jaw dropping body control and scoring from the two guard spot the league has ever seen. When Kobe is on, he is simply indefensible. A great defense player when he chooses to be so. Played a huge Robin to Shaq’s Batman in leading the Lakers back to glory during the three peat after the failures of the post Showtime era. This year became his own Batman, leading HIS team back to the NBA Finals. Owns almost every single season and single game scoring record in Lakers history. If you want to know how amazing this is take a look at just some of the scorers who played for this organization: George Mikan, Abdul Jabbar, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlin, Egin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and James Worthy. Already considered by most objective fans and experts the second best shooting guard in NBA history. Some of his achievements include: Three time NBA champion, All NBA selection since 1999, Ten time All Star, all defensive first or second team 8 of the last nine years, league MVP and two time scoring champion. Entering next year at only thirty years of age and surrounded by a talented team, Kobe has plenty of time and opportunity to grab more rings and mount an assault for a position on the top tier of NBA greats.
Center: Kareem Abdul Jabbar. A close pick over five time Laker champion George Mikan who inaugurated the initial Laker dynasty. Kareem matched Mikans hardware with the Lakers and is my choice because he won another ring with Milwaukee and simply because he was the more athletic versatile, longer lived player. He also had the most unstoppable shot in NBA history-the Sky Hook. This man won three straight national championships at UCLA and would have won four if freshmen had been allowed to play in college back then. Jabbar was a blend of finesse and athleticism who could also muscle up for rebounds as well. He was a superb defender and shot blocker and one of the best passing big men of all times. A very cerebral player who understood basketball at all levels. He along with Magic Johnson led the greatest Laker dynasty of all times. Kareem was part of five NBA titles during his stint in Los Angeles and will forever be remembered as a Laker. The epitome of cool and grace under pressure, he made the game look too easy. His fanaticism about health and training was years ahead of its time and helped him to play successfully well into his forties. He won the finals MVP against Boston in 1985 at the advanced age of 37 and finally ended the Boston curse giving Laker fans and the organization the win over Boston they had long thirsted for. His accomplishments are mind numbing. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the game in 1989 at age 42, no NBA player had ever scored more points, blocked more shots, won more Most Valuable Player Awards, played in more All-Star Games or logged more seasons. His list of personal and team accomplishments is perhaps the most awesome in league history: Rookie of the Year, member of six NBA championship teams, six-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, and a member of the NBA 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. He also owned eight playoff records and seven All-Star records. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. No player achieved as much individual and team success as did Abdul-Jabbar. He remains the NBA’s all time leading scorer. Another player on the short list of candidates for the best player to ever live.
Power forward: Elgin Bayor. The most tragic player in Lakers history. A 6 foot 5 athletic marvel, he combined the strength of Charles Barkley with the moves of Julius Erving. A member of the great Laker teams of the 60’s with Jerry West that ran into Russell’s Celtics seven times in the finals losing every time and losing again against the Knicks. That’s and amazing eight NBA finals appearances for Baylors Laker teams! Count ‘em. Every Laker scoring record that Kobe Bryant now breaks was set by this amazing athlete. He had every move in the book and invented others that had never been seen before, a precursor to Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Not only could he score at will but he consistently would have rebounds in the high teens and twenties. Some his achievements include: 10-time All-NBA 1st Team. In 134 playoff games, Baylor averaged 27.0 points and 12.9 rebounds. He led the Lakers to the NBA finals 8 times. From 1960-61 through 1962-63 he averaged 34.8, 38.3, and 34.0 points, respectively. He was selected 1959 Rookie of the Year after averaging 24.9 ppg and gave new hope to the struggling Minneapolis Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1960. Baylor played in 11 NBA All-Star games, and scored 23,149 points in only 846 games as a pro. His career average of 27.4 ppg is third behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain on the All-Time list. His best offensive season was 1961-62, when he averaged 38.3 ppg. Overall, Baylor averaged 30 points or more three times during his career. On December 11, 1960, Baylor became the first player in NBA history to break the 70-point barrier after he torched the New York Knicks for 71 points. Named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Baylor, who teamed with Jerry West to form one of the most feared scoring duos in the NBA, was named All-NBA First Team ten times. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In one of bitterest bad jokes in sports history, the year he retired because of bad knees, the Lakers went on to win the NBA championship.
Small forward: James Worthy. A blur of fire power mixing athleticism and finesse, Big Game James was the perfect exclamation point for the Lakers Showtime fast breaks with either a head jarring slam dunk or scoop shot. In his prime he was just too big and too fast to be effectively guarded and repeated destroyed Larry Bird and his Celtic front court mate’s efforts to stop him in three NBA finals match ups with Boston. Collegiate player of the year he led North Carolina over Georgetown for the NCAA title and then brought his winning ways west. He was 6 foot 9 package greased lighting, with a first step that many guards would have killed to possess. A member of three NBA finals championship teams he won the Finals MVP against the Pistons in the last Showtime championship. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; Three time NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP in 1988; Twice All-NBA Third Team; All-Rookie Team; Seven-time NBA All-Star; Named one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
That’s my list. I feel horrible about leaving off the great Jerry West and George Mikan, but as amazing as these players were, I just could not justify placing them above Kareem and Kobe. That says more about the latter two players than is an indictment on the former.
I defy any team, including the Boston Celtics, to come up with a starting five that would beat this team in a seven game NBA series.
Anyone who wishes to comment on my choices, please feel free. You can add your own players if you disagree or even set up a the bench if you feel you have knowledge to do so. As I said earlier, I just don’t know enough about all those great Lakers players of the far past to move into the second team and feel any confidence about my selections. Hope some of you found this enjoyable.
|
|
Discuss 1 Review/Comment
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 05:06 PM
Lakers Blog
|
After a great 2008 season cumulating in a bitter end, there will be a lot of speculation about the future of the team and the fate of certain players.
The question remains, in order to take the final step, is change necessary on a team that came within two games of the ultimate prize? With the way Boston dominated us, will even the return of Drew guarantee a win over them next year?
Although the bitter and one-sided loss to Boston can create a reactionary rush to cure the flaws we displayed against them, is it wise to make major or even minor adjustments to a team that completely dominated its opponents in the West? The fact is that right now, as presently constituted, the Lakers are no worse than the third best team in basketball (we don’t know how they would have fared against Detroit). If in the end we were to make changes, where could we best benefit?
Since in not a general manager and don’t presume to know which teams are willing to trade their own players and for whom, I won’t make idle fantasy trades in this post, but simply evaluate the team and its players from my perspective.
If the Lakers were a stock to be kept or traded on the market, they would be rising with a bullet, second only to the Celtics and listed as a much better long term investment than Boston. I will use this motif in looking over the players we have, some almost universally loved by Lakers fans, others not so well received.
THE STARTERS
This unit was good enough to carve out the best record in the West breeze through the playoffs and make the NBA finals. They all looked good until we hit Boston when the Celtics terrific team and individual defense, physical play and rebounding acumen exposed some crucial weaknesses. Boston is old and really is not a long term threat for Laker hegemony but baring a very rapid aging next year, that is the team that should join us for a Finals rematch. Since we know how badly they dominated us in several areas the urge to try make changes its there if we realistically want to change the outcome of this years series. Since the disappointing play of Pau and Lamar was a large reason for the loss trading one of them would be the logic route in an effort to get more a more physical defensive presence. I would agree with this scenario except for the fact that this team, without making a single move will be getting an all star caliber center back. Drew will cover for a lot of defensive lapses next year, at least as for as it pertains to players waltzing past perimeter defenders and scoring in the paint. This will also provide the benefit of moving Pau back to natural position of forward. By doing this his ridiculously soft interior defense and erratic rebounding will be mitigated to a large degree. I feel trading Lamar would also be a mistake. He is a tenacious, effective rebounder and if he is traded that would only leave Drew as the only legitimate board man on the team. I know if we have a rematch with Boston, the thought of only Drew trying to match Boston under the boards is not an appealing prospect. Likewise if Drew got hurt next year and we did not have Lamar our lack of rebounding would be devastating. Unless Lamar can be moved for a player of equal or greater facility at collecting rebounds, I would be very cautious about shipping him.
As good as the Lakers were this year; the one lineup we didn’t get to see is Pau, Drew and Lamar. The potential of what these three may do is simply too tempting for me to want to not see it in action for at least next year.
Kobe Bryant: Despite his horrific showing in the Finals, still the best player in basketball. Unless you are getting the much younger Lebron James, theres no use even speculating on him. He’s Kobe. He’s the bluest of the blue chip players. Keep till retirement.
Andrew Bynum: The improvement this young dreadnought center made this year in spite of the paucity of playing time and experience he had in playing organized basketball(hardly any high school, no college, not a lot of professional experience)must have have been absolutely frightening for the rest of the league to watch. At the time of his injury he was putting up all star numbers and getting better in every facet of his game seemingly on a nightly basis. By the time he went out, he was already the second best player on this team. The moment he comes back, he will be so again. People say whe will have to adjust next year to playing with Pau and Lamar. This is not true. He is the superior player. They will have to adjust to playing with him. The Franchise’s future. Blue chip all the way. Keep till retirement.
Lamar Odom: A tenacious rebounder and jack of all trades, master of none. He can get the tough rebound take the ball up the court, pass it off for an easy two or go to the hole. He can get you 18 boards or 28 points with equal facility on any given night. Not a very good defender or shotblocker. He can break your heart and your team by disappearing for long stretches at a time just when you need him the most. Seems to shun the athletic limelight. The quintessential team player, perhaps to a fault. Semi blue chip. Keep for the short term for evaluation as to how he plays with Drew.
Pau Gasol: The trade for him got the LA Lakers through the West and into the finals but he wasn’t good enough, physical enough, intense enough or a as good a defender as the Lakers needed to clear the final hurdle. His value and performance should increase with a return to his natural position at forward. A good enough center for us to beat all the teams except for Boston who really preyed on his deficiencies. Keep for the short term for evaluation as to how he plays with Drew.
Derek Fisher: A true warrior in the sunset of a great career. Had a better season than anyone had a right to expect. Showed his age as the playoffs went on and had large stretches against Boston where he disappeared. Not the defender he was but still better than most of Lakers on the current roster. Moving to the bench may actually be beficical to both his career at this point and the Lakers if Jordan Farmar continues to improve. An old blue chipper. Keep for one more year.
THE BENCH MOB
This unit is a major cause of concern. Unlike the starters, their play began to dip against Utah and steadily declined until against Boston they were pretty much non existent. In the regular season where game planning is next to impossible, the intensity level is not that high and defense is many times half hearted, the Bench Mob looked good. All of them contributed to some degree and had their moments. Sasha was the standout. In the playoffs it was a different story. With intense game planning by the opposition, a severe ratcheting up in intensity and defenses they had to go against, the Bench Mob failed utterly. An argument can be made that they cost the Lakers the Championship series against Boston.
Sasha: A great heart with a gym rat mentality and great work ethic. He was a star in the regular season and playoffs-until he hit Boston. Except for his sparkling 20 point effort he was taken out of his game offensively and defensively. He is too much of a one dimensional player relying on his jumper and little else. Not a very good ball handler either. In order to take the next step up he needs to work on dribbling and driving to the basket as well as his post up moves. Work on his defensive footwork would also help him and the team. Every day he practices his jumper this summer is time wasted. Possible blue chipper. Keep.
Vlad: A former starter he will now return to the Bench Mob with Drew’s return. A great asset when he’s raining in threes and a huge liability when he’s not. A horrible defender and rebounder. His shot is a thing of beauty when it’s on, but he’s just not consistent enough to make up for the problems he causes the team when he gets a lot of minutes. Fades against tough defense and physical play. This is one player the Lakers can and should move if they find the right opportunity. Sell.
Luke Walton: The liability. Judged not athletic enough by scouts when drafted, this assessment has been proven true. Whether you want to call it reflexes, fast twitch muscles or instincts-whatever it is, he doesn’t have them. His physical liabilities are magnified greatly in the playoffs and against tough teams. He ends up looking lost and harried, missing easy jumper and lay-ups with regularity. Not a good defender or rebounder. Not a good post up player. Not a good outside shot. For all his purported intelligence loses the ball a lot and makes bad passes. Frequently fouls in frustration. He is 27 years old and should be in his prime. What you see now is what you get. What compounds the problem is his salary. He’s tying up money the Lakers could better use on keeping other players or getting free agents. If the Lakers can find someone dumb enough to take they should in a heartbeat. Sell.
Ronny Turiaf: He is the myth of energy. He parlayed some towering eye catching blocks with a screaming, chest bumping, high fiving act that got him the misnomer of “Mr. Energy” by TV announcers. This is not even remotely true. He is “Mr. Enthusiasm” not “Mr. Energy.” Energy implies production which Ronny does not give. Unfortunately, despite all the enthusiasm he shows, it does not translate into energy or production. His on court performance is as bad as Luke’s. At 6 foot 9 or ten and close to 260lbs he is an abysmal rebounder. His offensive game is nonexistent and can only hit a short jumper if he is unguarded and even then with inconsistency. No post up game. Not a special defender. Even his trademark block shots dwindled away as the year progressed. He gets worse as the competition gets better. Despite his reputation, who does he play harder than; Sasha, Kobe, Lamar, Luke, Jordan? Anyone? A perfect example of a media creation that was bought lock stock and barrel by the fans. While he is only in his second year, he does not evince the basketball instincts that Sasha and Drew gave off even when they were playing bad. With those players, they were always around the ball, always moving, always looking alert and energetic. When one watches Ronny, he never seems to be around the ball, never invades the action. He can’t seem to anticipate rebounds, get position or block out. Even on the rare occasions he does, so often another player seems to step in and grab the ball over him. He’s always seems out of position or a second late. It’s possible he will improve, but I have a feeling that Ronny is going to be pretty much what he is now. Another player on the bench the Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to move if they can. They already have a nice group of cheerleaders at every game. Sell.
Jordan Farmar: A very good regular season. He had problems against the big guard of Utah but came back again against the Spurs and had nice moments against the Celtics. Confidence improved once Utah was in the rear view mirror. Lots of heart and desire. A good athlete who needs to work on his passing and defense. If he makes the same incremental leap next year that he did this year he could possibly be our starting point guard in 2009. A possible blue chipper. Keep.
Trevor Ariza: Only 22 years old. A baby still. Nice athleticism and a very good defender. Needs to work hard on his offense. He seems to have very good basketball instincts and is always around the ball for rebound or a steal. Showed flashes of greatness in his eye opening stint against Boston. If he works hard could become a special player. Once can envision him ending up a Bruce Bowen type. Possible blue chipper. Keep.
In looking at what cost us against Boston and our obvious weakness, two free agents in the market stand out: Ron Artest and James Posey. Posey would bring the three point range that Vlad gives us but with the physical toughness and defensive mindset that Vlad does not possess. Posey would be a great acquisition for us and his defection would also hurt Boston, killing two birds with one stone. This player would fit perfectly on our team.
Artest while a great physical addition comes with the obvious baggage. He is an ultimate head case and has had trouble in every locker room he’s been in, even winning ones. Can Phil, who somehow gutted it out with Rodman and Kobe keep this wild card under some semblance of control? If they can’t it could become a nightmare. If they could he would help this team immensely in winning a title next year. Is he worth the risk?
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:34 AM
Lakers Blog
|
The Lakers took their charter east, hoping to chart a path to one more win and push to a deciding game seven. Instead, they were being taken down the garden path like lambs to the slaughter by a Celtic team that was leading them to a place where they could be trussed up, immobilized, cut up and dissected at Boston’s leisure.
The Laker death sentence was scheduled for 9pm eastern time and there would be no commutation of sentence by their legendary coach or a reprieve meted out by there MVP leader. The execution was carried out with malice and forethought. It was cold and it was brutal.
Kobe came out and scored and then Derek did the same to give LA a fast 4-0 lead. Kobe started firing threes hitting them in that spectacular way that he can when he has lightening in bottle. Before you knew it he had 11 points. But this, like everything the LA Lakers tried in this series and this game was just a mirage, so much smoke and mirrors. The Celtics had long ago gotten into the Great Man's head and his game far to deeply to allow him to have any impact on the celebration they had planned.
The first half of the first period was frenetic action and missed shots. Both teams scrambling to find a rhyme and an edge: Kobe threes. A Fish drive and score. No continuity on offense by either team.
Our center set the real tone for the game with his early play: Pau losing the ball. Pau collapsing on the floor as Garnett dunked. Gasol fading away and shooting and missing a jumper over the much smaller Paul Pierce.
The ominous warning signs were already being established. When the Celtics tied the game at 10 after shooting 2 for ten to that point, one could sense what was about to come.
Rondos jumper gave them their first lead at 12-10. Kobes last effective play of the game, his last three, gave us back a temporary lead. Pau missed another jumper. By this point Rondo had three steals, Pau three turnovers and the Celtic pressure was building
The damn broke with three straight Garnett baskets. Boston 20-18. This was followed by another Laker turnover, and an Allen two. A Jordan Farmar turnover and a Garnett dunk. Ray Allen had to leave the game from a hit to the head by Lamar. Farmar missed an easy two and Pierce countered with a two. Kobe missed a three he took from the Pacific Coast Highway. It would symbolize his entire night; desperation and confusion. The Celtics lead 24-20 at the end of one and were rolling.
In the second, the Celtics picked up where they left off and ABC could hear thousands of TV’s across the country being shut off. Kobe took another bad shot. Pierce hit a three. Lamar threw a bad pass for a turnover, Kobe missed again. Ronny and Luke entered the game, and Van Gundy once again brought this observer a good chuckle as he talked about Ronny’s “energy.” With this “energy” once again in full force the Celtics got three offensive boards on one play and converted it into a three pointer. After another three the Celts had a nine point lead, all the momentum and the NBA championship. At this point they had seven offensive rebounds to LA's zero. It spoke volumes on what was happening in this pivotal sixth game that the Lakers had to have.
Kobe was way short on a jumper and the lead stretched to 21-12. The Lakers were led by sloppy, careless play from Kobe and Pau; Kobe drives into the teeth of the Celtic defense, dribbles behind his back and gets the ball stolen again. Posey converts with a three. Kobe by now had more turnovers than the one assist he would have for the game. You wondered if he had learned anything playing against this team, trying a move that dumb against a defense that good. Luke misses and easy shot, Farmar gets the ball stolen by Rondo again.
By now the game is a blur of Boston steals, blocks, fast breaks and threes. They accelerate into a 23-6 run which goes to 26-6 after another Kobe three point miss.
At the end of the first half nightmare Boston leads 58-35 holding the Lakers to 29 percent shooting.
The second half was just a more intense version of the second quarter. One half expected a Celtic cheerleader to come off a pick and roll and just prance to the basket for a lay-up…and drawing the foul. Allen rained in threes like he was Pacman Jones at a strip club with someone else’s money. Just a comedy of mistakes and excruciating to watch featuring Pau backing to the basket, having the rug pulled out and falling to the floor like the worlds biggest wet noodle as he crumbled to the floor; Kobe was stripped again which was becoming his signature play of the game along with missed jumpers; Sasha leaving Ray Allen alone to shoot threes like he had the Ebola virus.
The Lakers looked like a fuzzy, gentle rabbit that had stumbled into a den of wolverines and was wondering why it was being torn apart in ten different directions and so desperately looking for an exit. Unfortunately in the NBA, you can’t leave the court till time runs out.
The Los Angeles Lakers came to Boston looking to make history....and they did. By the fourth quarter they had allowed Boston to tie an NBA record 17 steals. It only seemed like 170. Allen has likewise by this time tied another NBA record with seven threes. It only seemed like 17. Finally and fittingly, Boston won by an NBA finals record 39 points. It only seemed like 139.
Some thoughts on this series and what it showed: I never thought a team could take a player as great as Kobe Bryant and flat out turn him into another just another basketball player on the floor, and lots of times a bad one at that. Has Kobe looked so bad in the playoffs since his rookie year? His abject failure brings one renewed appreciation for the dominance Shaquille O’Neal displayed in leading the Lakers to three straight championships. I have a feeling lots of Laker fans, and Kobe himself, have a new found respect for how Shaquille O'neal completely dominated three NBA finals, literally taking them in his hands and crushing out the opposition in game after game. Being the "Man”, the way Shaq was, was no mean feat. What Shaq did was incredible and should never be forgotten by Laker fans, no matter how it ended with him. Kobe will have to wait another year to try imitate the big mans success in just one finals….let alone three in row.
Once the Celtics reduced Kobe to a just another player on the floor and by extension made Pierce the best player on the floor, this series was over. If Kobe was not the best player on the floor against Utah or San Antonio, we don’t win those series either. Credit the Celtics for doing what was thought to be impossible.
The defense played in the West is WEAK. The Celtics showed how even the vaunted San Antonio defense is a paper tiger. I bet the only coach almost upset as Phil is Pops because now he knows how flimsy his defense really is and how far he has to go to revive that team. The Celtics took the Lakers offense apart from the ground up. You get the feeling if we had to play them again, they would win by 70.
The Lakers will have to shore up defensively, even with Drew next year, if we have a rematch with this team.
The Bench Mob is highly overrated. We have two good guards-Sasha and Jordan. We may have a very good young player in Trevor. We have two forwards who are worthless-Luke and Ronny. In the long, less intense regular season the Bench Mob can do the job with reasonable effectiveness. In the playoffs where teams can game plan you and defense and intensity go up three notchs, Lukes and Ronnys flaws are brutal for our team. If you don't think so, ask yourself, how much did they help us in the last three rounds? How much did Bostons bench help them against us?
Coaching: I’ve long suspected that coaching genius is overrated. A bad coach can hurt you, but all good coaches are fairly equal and there is little “coaching magic” that goes into victory. If two teams have good coaches, it’s the one with the best horses that wins. If Doc and Phil were switched I think the results would have been pretty much the same. If there was any real “advantage” or “magic” a “great” coach can somehow conjure up then Phil, with a good team at his disposal this year, would have done so and won this series. I think a good coach is a good coach and Phil is no better then Red or Pat Riley or Doc Rivers nor are they better than he. Doc had the worse record in the league last year and now he wins the title. Did he suddenly become a genius in the off season? No, he got the players in the off season. It in the end it comes down to who has the horses.
Despite the dismal end this has to be classified as a very exiting and successful year. Kobe got his long overdue MVP award, the Lakers ascended to predominance in the West and now have a nucleus of players that will enable them to contend for championships for a long time into the future. Only two teams get to the NBA final and we were one of them. The teams achievements far outweighed the final outcome of their season.
The ending for this game was fairly predictable but the future is obviously bright for us. I'll take this season and look forward to the next with even greater anticipation. We will be back in the finals next year. Let’s hope that next year we can make that last push and get our next ring.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 16, 2008 - 12:42 PM
Lakers Blog
|
After the historic collapse in game four, one wondered what the Lakers would bring to the table in their last home game. Would they pack it in or would they show some pride and deny the Celtics a chance to celebrate on their home court?
Kobe came out obviously wishing to stop a humiliating Celtic coronation on Lakers ground. Looking like the MVP he was on fire, drilling 4 three pointers in staking the Lakers to and early lead.
The LA Lakers continued their good play in the second quarter, piling up a lead that resembled the fourth game. Unlike the last game however, there was no thoughts of a blowout from this observer as I wondered not if, but when the resilient Celtics would begin to chisel away at the large early Laker advantage.
Sure enough things started to change. Odom missed a wide open Ronny under the basket. The Celts began a damaging run and when Pierce hit a three pointer, the lead had been whittled down to 43-39. A Gasol pass to Lamar for a layup finally ended a 15-0 Celtic run. Tony Allen blew by Radmanovich for his sixth point of the half. When Kobe sleepwalked the ball up the court in the last seconds of the half, had it taken away leading to a three pointer by Pierce at the end of the third you could almost hear Jerry Buss calling the airport and telling them to put the Laker charter jet in the hanger for the rest of the year. The Laker bright spots were Lamars nine points, Kobes early fireworks and Jordans drives to the hole for much need points from the bench. One interesting sidenote was the insertion of Chris Mimm into the lineup instead of Ronny. This was a tacit admission by Phil that Ronny has be useless to the team, which he has. Mimm didn't do any better and Ronny was once again inserted...his "energy" doing its usual nothing. I don't think at this point any objective fan expects anything else from him. His myth of "energy" has long been exposed now in these playoffs and he is no better a player than Luke.
The third quarter has been won by Boston the whole series and it didn't start any better this game. An Allen three tied the game and both Pau and Vlad missed a layups. At this point one could see the inevitable collapse coming.
Low and behold, a funny thing happened. Instead of collapsing, the Lakers for the first time perhaps in this series dug in and punched the Celtics back in the face. Kobe got a rebound for two. Fisher hit a two and drew a foul. When Vlad canned a three the Lakers had actually taken a quarter that had been previously been Celtic territory and claimed it as it's own and taken a seven point lead.
In the fourth Farmar continued his nice play, once again driving for a deuce. When Lamar canned a three the Los Angeles Lakers had a twelve point lead and the Celtics on their heels. As they built a 14 pt lead in the fourth, you didn't take anything for granted, but it was nice to watch them actually compete and not melt from the Celtic pressure.
The Celtics made one more push and when Posey hit a three the lead was cut to four. Garnett hit a basket to tie at it up at the 4:28 mark. The Lakers held on for dear life and fought back for a small lead down the stretch and when Kobe knocked the ball from Pierce and Lamar fed him streaking down the court the Lakers had forced the series to a sixth game. It was interesting that Jordan played these last crucial minutes instead of Sasha, who except for his twenty point game earlier in the series has been having problems, like all his teamates.
Some impressions: It's amazing to watch Boston limit Kobes effectiveness game after game. They have done a tremendous job on him, making him almost nonexistent for long stretches. They use great team defense, but Paul Pierce deserves kudos also for taking on the hardest job in the NBA-guarding Kobe for long periods of time-and doing a great job of it. He's doing a vintage Bruce Bowen impersonation, only better.
The absence of Perkins opened things up for Lamar and Pau. Both players had their best all round games of the series both scoring and rebounding. Both men had moments when they actually fought Boston down low; a rarity in this series for Lakers.
The insertions of Mimm over Ronny and Jordan over Sasha is showing is indicative of how much the Bench Mob is failing and how desperate we are to get any kind of bench help. Only Jordan out of the four was effective in this game.
The game was a really nice win, if only to not let Boston celebrate number 17 on our home court. Making them go to game six is also a victory in itself after the game four collapse. Also nice to watch the Lakers compete physically to a successful degree for once with the Celts.
However, the fact that at home, without Perkins and with the best games all series from Lamar and Pau we were still forced to hang on after opening a big lead does not give one much confidence with the series headed back to Boston, where we will play worse and they will play better.
I get the feeling that come Tuesday, we will be forced to watch a very ugly end to a very fun 2008 season.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, June 13, 2008 - 01:57 AM
Lakers Blog
|
Laker players, coaches and fans packed Jerry Buss's cathedral to modern sports hoping to continue with a second consecutive win and further their resurrection against the hated Boston Celtics. In on of the most stunning turnarounds in NBA championship history and one of most painful losses in Laker playoff history, a Celtic team that was too tough, too good at what they do and too determined not to lose took one of the best playoff games the Lakers played all year and twisted it into a grotesque final requiem mass on the Lakers 2008 title hopes.
The Lakers who swept through the West like a finely oiled thresher machine cutting down wheat finally showed up belatedly in game four. This was the team that cut down Denver, out scored Utah and humiliated San Antonio.
The LA Lakers came out on fire and determined to put this to bed fast and send a message. Odom, Kobe and Fish all drove to the basket drawing fouls in the opening minutes. Lamar Odom played like a man who had missed the first three games with the flu and had finally found himself with a weeks worth of pent up energy. Before you knew it, Odom was three for three, attacking the basket like there was no tomorrow.
The Lakers pulled out the whole bag of western playoff tricks, running, passing, dunking, playing inside out. When Vlad hit a three, the Lakers were up 20-6 and for the first time in 6 games this year against Boston we had broken their defense and bent them to our will. The Lakers 21 point lead at the end of one was the largest in NBA championship history and accurately reflected what was happening on the floor.
In the second, with the bench in, Phil did not repeat his mistake of game and left one starter in-Pau-to keep things a little more comfortable for the bench players. At this point Trevor Ariza gave a brilliant tour de force in what real "energy" play is all about. A block, a dunk, a three, a steal, a rebound. Before you could blink this young man had 6 points and 5 rebounds and given a mouth watering display of what the future holds for this 22 year old Laker.
When Lamar Odom drove to the hole he was seven for seven and we were flying. The Lakers showed how impotent Bostons hopes were by deflecting a 12-2 Boston run and with a Farmar three at the buzzer we took an 18 point lead into the locker.
In the first half, the Lakers were a work of art; attacking the basket, passing, scoring, running, rebounding and defense. It was the best the Los Angeles Lakers had looked all year.
In the third quarter, the Celtics came out a beaten team determined not to be beaten; not on this night, not by this Laker team. The decline was slow, insidious. The lead dropped by a few, then a few more. No one really felt it would last. Like in the first half when Boston pushed, the Lakers perfect offense would crank back up and the inevitable lead would grow. No one felt it would last but a Celtic team that knows how to grab your throat and not let go till have nothing left to give, no where to turn.
A 21-3 Celtic run was capped by a PJ Brown dunk over Pau at the end of the third.
By the forth, the Lakers will was visibly broken. Like in the previous five games against them, they looked caught in the type of nightmare you keep trying to wake up from but can't; attacking the basket became harried jumpers, running became stagnation, rebounding and defense were now the perview of the Celtics.
As the LA Lakers missed 20 of their last 26 shots, the dream of a 15th title died a little more on each futile offensive possession. With each defensive breakdown, the Celtics dream of a 17th title congealed and hardend from the the slippery quagmire of their first half into the dry firmament of the second half.
On the final Celtic score, Ray Allen waved everyone off and took Sasha one on one to the hole. It was a metaphor for the whole series. Ray was the better player than Sasha, Ray was more confident than Sasha, Ray imposed his will on Sasha, Ray won the battle with Sasha. So it was on that singular play between two players and so it was over the series between the two teams.
By taking on the Lakers who we saw in the West playoffs, by taking the Lakers best and most ferocious shot they threw at any team in this post season and comming back from 24 down to win for the fifth time in six meetings this year, the Celtics made an emphatic and unequivical statement: This is no team winning on "fake" ankle injury heroics. This team is not winning on "bad calls". They are not winning on some nebulous "manipulations", "cheating" or some "weirdness".
The Boston Celtics are winning this series because they are better at what they do than we are where these things are always decided: On the court, team against team, will against will, talent against talent.
The Celtics are winning this series because in five of six meetings this year, they have made Kobe Bryant a human being and not Superman. The are winning because in five of six meetings this year, they reduced the high octaine v-8 offensive engine of the Lakers to a four cylinder ecomomy car. The are winning because in the end, as the game goes through all four quarters, they execute their defense better than we execute our offense. They win because on every night, they have another hero who steps forward to give invaluable help in a win: Cassell, Powe, Posey. The Lakers have players who can't take that challenge: Luke, Ronny. They are winning because they are tougher, rebound better, will die to beat you. They win because when the rubber hits the road, they are mentally harder and take the pressure better than the Los Angeles Lakers. The are winning because they bend our will to theirs and enforce their style on us. They are winning for the reason that all teams win a championship-they are the better team.
Some thoughts that struck me: Why did Phil keep Derek and Lamar on the bench down the stretch? I guess he wanted Vlad in to spread the floor, but Lamar was a monster and deserved to be there at the end. Why did he have young Jordan in there instead of D Fish? When Jordan missed that open three near the end I thought of it again. When the Celtics get their defense really going, the Laker offense is no match at all.
Pau had one of his better efforts......but even with that four plays stuck with me as I watched. In two instances he had perfect inside position for easy scores. The ball got to him and ....it pops out of his hands then out of bounds. On both plays he looked like he was sleeping, not ready for the passes. On another play, he went up soft again to the basket and got his shot easily rejected. As the announcer said at the time, he had to go for it, draw the foul, not feather it up there. As we fought to regain the lead before it was too late, I thought alot about how much those six points would have changed the final minutes. Paus lack of defensive switch on Allen when Sasha had dogged him so hard also hurt like hell. He could not and should not let Ray just drive in there and get that layup. Pau is an intregal part of this team but it will be nice to see him moved back out to forward next year. I hope so much Drew never has to miss alot of games again.
Trevor Ariza showed Ronny Turiaf and Laker fans in his incandescent cameo tonight what real "energy" is. Real energy translates into posative production like points, steals, blocks and rebounds. Energy impacts a game. Ronny Turiaf does not have energy. He has enthusiasm. There is a big difference. Enthusiasm is screaming, yelling, high fiving and jumping around. While its nice to have enthusiasm, it does nothing to help your team win. If Ronny Turiaf ever wants to become any kind of player in this league and have any posative impact for this team, he needs to change his enthusiasm to energy. Right now he is as useless as Luke Walton. Maybe more so.
There will be another game, maybe more before the final denoument and trophy presentation, but the Lakers 2008 championship hopes officially dried up with that 24 point lead. It actually ended months ago, on the night Andrew Bynum wrecked his knee.
Dreams die hard, and so do teams. I hate losing to Boston but unlike Magics 1990 championship loss tp the Bulls, I don't have a feeling of finality. Instead I feel like I did in 1984 when we last lost to Boston; that the future is ours. After 1984, no Celtic fan rooted harder for Boston to return to the finals than I did. It was because I knew we would win it the next year and I wanted them and only them.
Next year I will repeat that pattern for the same reason. I will root for Boston with all I have to make it back. I want them and only them...
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 02:17 AM
Lakers Blog
|
The Los Angeles Lakers opened their first home game of these 2008 NBA finals ready, eager, willing and able to give Boston their third straight win and their 17th NBA championship. But The Great Man, Kobe Bryant, with a big assist from Sasha dragged the Lakers kicking and scream to their first win of the Finals.
Over the years, I have occasionally seen one or two players lead their team over another, but anyone who watched this game saw the rarity of two men forced to beat both their opponent and their teammates. It's a testament to both of them that they pulled this unlikely feat off.
The game started out ominously, Kobe shooting an airball and Vlad throwing up something that looked like a shot. Phil made a substantial switch getting Kobe off the exhausting Ray Allen and putting him on Rondo. The thinking obviously to rest save Kobe some energy for offense and cut down on the assists and offense sets Rondo got the Celtics into the last game. First smart move Phil has made in the series. Kobe set the early pace, attacking the basket and sending a message that even if the team lost tonight, it wouldn't do so standing around and letting the Celtics set the pace and tone.
The Lakers were not especially effective offensively except for Bryant, but they had energy on defense and tried to hit the boards with a little more brio than they had in past games. The LA Lakers for the first time in the series were the aggressors and began picking up points on the line. Just when things seemed to be going our way, Odom continuing his dismal play picked up two quick fouls. When Garnett blocked Gasol's "dunk" attempt, and Posey, Cassell and Brown scored the quarter ended tied. Not a good sign as the Lakers were hustling like mad and had nothing to show for it.
Odom kept up his series theme in second, grabbing his reaching his third foul before he could get his third point and going to the bench, forcing Layup Luke Walton to come in. Luke immediatly made his presence felt by missing a layup which Ray Allen then converted into two with a jumper. At the 8:50 mark little gaurd Farmar took on massive forward PJ Brown in a heated scrum for the ball which almost escalated to a fight, and you could see tempers and fire rising in both teams as the importance of this game was very clear to both teams. This was the first aggressive emotion the Lakers had shown in the series to date and it was nice to see. Too bad with veterans like Lamar, Gasol, Vlad and Fisher on the team it took second year bench player Farmar to do it.
This was he period when Kobe finally got help. Sasha began teeing off like only he can and piled up 12 quick points. It was no surprise that that Kobe and Sasha, the only two players on this team who seem to have championship fire and desire kept the team in the game. You knew if these two men were not playing like they were, the Lakers would already be down by a big margin and ready to be run over. At this time the timid towers of Odom and Gasol had two points between them. Kobe and Sasha somehow managed to beat the Celtics and their own teamates and establish a 6 point halftime lead, but could they keep it up?
In the third, it looked like our two man team would lose the valiant fight they had fought against all odds. The Celtic defense tightened up, and Garnett finaly got loose from a horrific shooting night and Celtics found a rhym on offense to go on a 12-2 run and the lead. Gasol finally decided to do something instead of watch the game and got his first bucket. A two point lead at the end of the quarter felt about as safe as a fly in a Venus Fly Trap.
A nerve wracking fourth started with Sasha and Allen exchanging threes and featured Kobe and Gasol missing free throws and Pau falling down like a limp, wet noodle that falls out of spatula as the Celtics picked up another rebound.
With 6:27 to go and the game on the line, the Great Man hit a three to put us up 69-68. It was a lead we would hold for rest of the way. Pau, utilizing some empty space undoubtably shocked himself by picking up two offense boards for points. Watching this huge, timid, 7 foot rabbit score these points after Kobe and Sasha did his work for him the whole game only makes one realize how humorous and unjust life and sports can be.
The killing blows thankfully fell to the men who deserved them. At the 1:50 mark Kobe came down and was hit with Celtic trap in the backcourt. Sasha was wide open in the left corner. One could see the play unfolding as though in slow motion. Kobe read it perfect, hit Sasha with the ball and...swish, three more on our lead and 20 for Sasha.
With 38 seconds left Kobe ended his abuse of the Celtics by hitting another smart shot thus ending the Celtics four game winning steak against the Lakers and giving us our first win of the finals.
It was great to win this game. Losing to team, getting bullied and deconstructed for four games and two in the finals can really whet ones appititite for a win and this one really tasted good. Just to beat this team for change.
What do I take from the game? To be honest, pretty cold comfort. We stay alive for another game. One more shot to come up with some answers. Thats about it. Though we won, the Celtics once again took out almost the entire Laker team from the offensive equation. Odom, Gasol, Fisher, Vlad, Ronny, Luke, Farmar. All missing in action. Our starters(baring Kobe) shot 7-28. The fact that this happened in the friendly confines of Staples, where all our players were kicking butt and taking names during the playoffs is perhaps more ominous than the two Celtic home victories. Unless Gasol and Odom somehow start to perform up to the level that helped us get this far, the heroics of Kobe and Sasha will end up being the one happy memory of a dismal finals. One more game by the starters like this and Boston can plan the party.
There will plenty of discussion on the starters and the bench mob after the season. I'm sure all of us will have plenty of thoughts on this. I will say, this however , Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol look like players who in no way, shape or form want to, desire to, or expect to rise to the challenge pressed on them by Boston. Watching two such large, physically gifted and talented men just shrink up like this, literally destroying any realistic hopes we have of winning a title is pathetic. Pau for Javaris and two number one picks may indeed end up the steal of the century, and if Javaris ends up a great player, its Memphis that will have the steal.
These two "men" still have time to right the ship and make this a series. Wether they do will decide how they are viewed by Laker fans for the rest of their lives.
Congratulations Kobe and Sasha, you guys rose to the occasion and beat both those teams. Thanks for the great win.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Monday, June 09, 2008 - 01:08 AM
Lakers Blog
|
Coming out of the West with a sterling 12-3 record and deposing the defending champs in short order, the Lakers came into the Finals living large. After two games in Boston, the West playoffs seem like a fading dream awaked by the new reality of Celtic team that has had every answer against them in four straight games now.
In the blink of an eye Los Angeles has gone from living large to living in oblivion and the realization that the team that ran away with a 66 win season was no mirage or eastern faker but the best team in basketball. If they didn’t believe it before, the force fed humiliation tonight makes sure the Lakers know exactly where they stand at this point in the 2008 NBA finals.
Unlike the first game, the Lakers did not run out to the early lead, but after playing give and take they did eventually take a seven point lead. They crashed the boards much better and seemed determined to send a message the softness of game one would not be repeated. Phil showed has hand with a new move by inserting Ariza in early. At the end of one we had a two point lead yet signs of trouble were already starting to surface. Kobe was 1 for 4 with two fouls and the Celts were shooting 51%.
It was in the second that the complexion of the game, and now maybe the series was irrevocably changed. With a two point lead, Phil went exclusively with the Bench Mob. Given the recent history of their play, one has to wonder why he did this, without having at least one of the big three in to lend a helping hand. The result was as ugly as it was predictable. Six turnovers in nine possessions. Some of the lowlights included Luke throwing a bad pass that got picked off, Farmar driving to the hole and throwing up a prayer. By now the Celtics were attacking the basket, once again showing themselves to a much more aggressive team than Los Angeles. A 15-1 free throw margin signaled the difference between the mindset of both teams, and was a foreshadow of the humiliation to come. By the time the Bench Mob was done with their “contribution”, a two point lead had turned to a nine point deficit.
The Lakers last gasp came with the reinsertion of the starters. Playing some good, tough, consistent ball, the starters pulled the team within four. But like in every case, in every game against us the Celtics had an easy answer for all our hard work. Pierce and Allen hit two threes and the lead we had worked so hard to cut down to four was expanded to ten again.
That they could do this so easy, when it took us so much effort to get back in the game was a fitting metaphor for the whole series:
For us everything is too hard- from Kobe’s inability to score, for the Bench Mobs dismal play, our lack of rebounding, our inability to defend he big three or stop the Celtics from attacking the basket with impunity or shoot threes. For Boston every thing is too easy- They go to the basket at will, they make it so hard for Kobe, their big three seem to score when the want, the attack the boards like they are going against timid children and get open threes when the want to.
The third quarter showed both teams and the country exactly how much of a difference there is in the match up between these two teams this year. As Laker determination and toughness faded under relentless Boston pressure, bad passes and lack of rebounding turned into a seemingly endless procession of Boston fast breaks and dunks. The Lakers didn’t look like the proud and efficient Western Champs but more like a weak, confused team that suddenly realized they were playing a team who can reach a level and a gear they cannot achieve. At this point, one could see that the Lakers flaws that were masked by a great offense and the incandesant play of Kobe Bryant in the West playoffs will not be hidden from this Celtic team, but will be more and more attacked and exposed. The similarity between this game and the two regular season games was startling and not coincidental.
The Lakers came back in the fourth to threaten, but only the Celtic blowout made this possible. As happens so many times, the team who was way ahead simply could not keep up the intensity in game they knew they had won. The Laker comeback, aided and abetted by Boston’s letdown was admirable and will look good in the morning papers, but it was fools gold. When the game was on the line the Lakers were taken apart and humiliated in no uncertain terms. Anyone who took comfort in the “comeback” is deceiving himself. The Lakers have problems against this team that were not solved in the last few minutes of fourth, but were exploited even further throughout the first three quarters and eight minutes.
The litany of problems was long and now becoming very familiar with each loss to this team: The Bench is completely ineffective. Their defense harasses us into mistakes and turnovers. Our defense really doesn’t force them out of their comfort zone. They rebound better than we do. They attack the basket, we shoot jumpers. Raja Rondo is suddenly making Derek fisher look very old. Kobe is forced to work for every point. His effectiveness is limited way below what he usually does to an oppossing team. Lamar and Pau again stumble. Lamars offense is gone, he looks confused, and Pau had three boards at the half. Lamar had eight total boards. What happened to the guy who would get 12-18 boards with regularity?
I think what this team is doing to Kobe and Lamar and our whole team is tribute to Boston. I think the Lakers are getting a good lesson in just how good, just how intense you have to be to win 66 games.
When looking at a way to turn this around, the Lakers are already trapped inexorably by two factors: Numbers and team match up problems.
NUMBERS: The Lakers have now lost four straight games to Boston this year with no wins. The Finals math is simple. We have five games at left at most. Three games are in LA and two in Boston. To win this series we now have to beat this team four out of five. That means sweeping them in LA and winning one of two in Boston.
To achieve this unlikely numbers turnaround we have to find a recipe to win. When one looks at how Boston has dominated us this year the task becomes even more daunting than winning four of five.
These are the advantages Boston has shown so far against us this year which will have to be reversed at home in order for us to make the precarious numbers game work out for us.
MATCHUPS:
The Bench: Their bench has outplayed the Bench Mob. For fans who have been watching the Mob closely this is not a big surprise. They have been fading more and more as the playoffs have gone on. When one looks at what the mob really is, its not really so impressive. Sasha is the only consistent scorer. Luke and Ronny pose no offensive threat what so ever. Neither of them can rebound nor play defense to any degree that can bother an opponent. Jordan is just too young and inexperienced to give the team a lot in this kind of situation, especially on the road. Trevor is coming off a broken foot and long layoff.
Physicality and Aggression: The Celtics have shown that they just are the more physical and naturally aggressive team. They attack the basket and set screens to free up players for shots. The do this with relish. They like this style of play, we don’t.
Rebounding: Even with our concerted effort to even this up tonight, in the end the Celtics prevailed in this department again. They simply have players better physically equipped mentally ready to attack the boards for four quarters.
Defence: They play a better, more cohesive brand of defense. The Lakers defense has been shaky all year, and it’s telling in this series. They just can’t cover the Celtics big three nor their role players. Even Kobe can’t follow Allen around the screens and picks he is using to free himself up with. When our best defender can’t shut down even one of their big three, it’s a big problem.
Weapons: The Celtics, because of the difference between their defense and ours also have the better offense. The Celtics score easier than we do. This is devastating for team that relies on its offense like we do. Not only can’t we stop the big three but now Rajon Rondo is becoming an increasingly alarming problem.
The Best Player: No, I’m not suggesting for a second Paul Pierce is as good as Kobe Bryant. But because Boston can cause Kobe so much trouble with its defense, and make him less effective than he normally is and Pierce can pretty much do as he wishes against the Lakers, Pierce in fact becomes the most effective player in the series.
Kobe is our ultimate edge. When the most effective and dangerous player in series is not Kobe Bryant, and in fact plays for the other team, we have a huge problem.
Coaching: Before the series started, we all heard the smug slams against Doc. You know, “While Phil is strategizing us to victory; Doc will be giving pep talks.” Seemed funny then, doesn’t see so amusing now though. When Phil put in the complete Bench Mob in the second quarter with a two point lead without even one starter for them to rely on, did any of you think we would hold the lead for long? Phil couldn’t have pitched Boston a bigger softball or given the Celtics a nicer jump start on their road to victory. With a team that has the best player in basketball and enough talent to go 12-3 in the rugged west playoffs, The Zen Masters bag of tricks has been totally blank against “Pep talk Doc Rivers”, in four games where as Doc has had all the answers for the challenges the Lakers pose. Suddenly that vaunted coaching edge seems to be riding on the Green bench, not the Purple and Gold one.
Now the series shifts back the friendly confines of Staples along with concomitant hopes for a Laker victory and perhaps a way to get back in a series threatening to get ugly.
What can we expect back in LA? Can the Lakers actually turn the tide and reverse all the unhappy trends that we are seeing?
At home the Lakers offense will look better; the Celtics defense a little slower, perhaps enough to get Kobe more effective space. We may even rebound better than we did at the east coast. More of our shots will fall and less of theirs will. Our bench should play better, theirs worse.
Will it be enough to win three in a row? It better because right now this Lakers team is living in oblivion and one loss at home will end this series, if not on paper then surely in fact.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, June 06, 2008 - 01:48 AM
Lakers Blog
|
The two Crowned Princes of the NBA finally locked swords tonight in the media built castle know as The Finals to determine who will reign as King. When it was over there blood on the marble floor...and that blood ran Purple and Gold.
The loss was not caused by a single brutal blow or vicious strike. This was a loss inflicted by a lot of small wounds with the cumulative effect being a Celtic victory that moves them within three games of their long awaited 17th championship.
The bleeding that led to this loss actually started months ago. When Doc Rivers got a team that was big, athletic and physical and got them to buy into the idea that playing superior defense will win a championship. The Lakers defense and the Celtics defense are two different things.
More blood was drawn the night Andrew Bynum went down. Of all the teams I feared his loss would hurt us against, its the Celtics that scared me the most. Big, athletic, physical and multi-talented you have to match their physical play and rebounding aggression or they will beat you at the end of the day. The rebounding edge of 10 tonight was no small part of the defeat. It is a fact that our team has three large, athletic big men- Gasol, Turiaf and Vlad- who simply don't have the drive or desire to rebound effectively night in and night out. If they can't find this within themselves the bleeding will continue and we will lose this series.
The biggest and most severe wound was inflicted on our most important player: Kobe Bryant. Kobe looked out of sorts, unsure of himself and begn to jack up shots even when he was tightly covered and they weren't falling. To me, though, it was not his missed shots that stuck out in my mind. It was a play in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers were trying to close the gap, the game still on the line. Kobe drove through the paint and closed in on the basket. You were expecting him to launch an easy jumper or even a finish with the foul, but instead he hesitated and dished out to Sasha in the corner-who missed. In all my years of watching The Great Man, this is the first time the thought crossed my mind, "He didn't have the confidence to take the shot."
Every great player has days like this and if this was one game, I would forget his performance as easy as Kobe sloughs off a bad game-but its not. In three games against the Celtics, Kobe has not had one good shooting game. Three games of the exact same result against the same team is not a fluke or an off night. It constitutes a pattern. What the Celtics are doing to Kobe reminds me so much of what the Bad Boy Detroit team did to Michael Jordan back in the late 80's.
This is the single biggest problem that confronts us in this series. Kobe is counted on to carry too much of our offense for this to continue. Kobe never needs help to be effective offensively, but this may be one series where they need to help him get shots that can work. If the coachs, the team and Kobe can't figure out a way to get him loose, this series will not end in our favor.
The bench players are not going to find any easy minutes in this series, and the flaws and liabilities of every player on this team will be magnified under the pressure of this Celtic defence and the crucible of the NBA finals. The other moment that stuck out in my mind with intaglio clearity was when Kobe was taken out in the fourth quarter. Luke and Ronny were both on the floor for several minutes. Watching these two offensively challenged players passing the ball back an forth, neither having the offensive game or the confidence to make a move of any kind was a microcosm of how flawed these two players have been all year. You could almost hear them thinking, "No you take the shot." Did anyone really think this lineup would make up any crucial ground as we watched them play hot potato with the basketball with time slowly ebbing away?
I know Luke Walton has gotten his share of abuse here, but its not really so undeserved. He should have worn a green jersey in this game because he helped the Celtics tonight more than he did the Lakers. Watching him pull his 'I look slow, I'm confused, I don't really know what i'm doing' routine-usually followed by his fouling an opposing player and shaking his head-is quickly forgotten when its one of a long line of 82 regular season games. Not so easy to forget when it's the first game of the NBA finals and you lose. Luke bled like a stuck pig tonight. It's not his first time and its not going to be his last. The question is how much will it cost us in the championship round?
With the defense that Celtics are blanketing Kobe with, Lamar is going to have to step it up. It may be that 14 points will not be enough to cut it. Nor will the rebounding effort he gave tonight. We all know Lamar does not like the spotlight, but if we are to win a title, he may have to step forward and learn to like it just a little bit more.
The seminal moment of the game? To me it was when Paul Pierce went out. I waited for the Lakers to grab a choke hold at that point. After a while it became evident that we didn't have it in us to take advantage of this golden opportunity. As the time ticked away, and the Lakers squandered the moment, I got the feeling it would not come again.
At this point I have to admit, I feel a little dread. It's not just the loss but the patterns I'm seeing now in all three Laker-Celtic games. In all three meetings now, they have effectively taken Kobe out of his rythm and therefor eliminated the catylist of this team. In all three games they have disrupted what is usually a very high powered offense. In all three games they have physically dominated us and taken control of the boards.
It goes further. We have one player who poses a large matchup problem for them: Kobe Bryant. They have three players who pose matchup problems for us: Garnett, Pierce and Allen. They have found a defensive answer so far for Kobe. Watching the Celtics three against us, I end up almost praying one or more is not going to go off for a huge night. I saw nothing in this game, or the two regular season ones, that give me confidence that we have any real, sustainable defensive answers for any of their big three.
We still have alot going for us. If Kobe can get going, then that inexorable pressure he puts on a team will begin to crack Boston just as surely as it did San Antonio and our other victims. Pau and Lamar have shown that when embarrassed, they can respond with outstanding efforts. We have Phil who will do all he can to figure out how to use the abundant offenive talent we have to find holes in Bostons defense. He already began his message by saying we need to get more physical. There is also the adjustment factor. Like we did with Utah and San Antonio, this team may mold and contour it's play to meet the challenges presented by Boston. The physical dominance those two clubs had over us slowly eddied away as those series went on.
Game two Sunday night will be a looking glass into the future of this series. If we can come back, find some keys to unlock what so far has been the Celtic mystery, and take that game, then our road to the championship is still very open and readily accessable.
If Boston wins, then the 2008 Lakers will be asked to win four of the next five games agains a team that has beaten them four straight times. As a realist and a long time observer of the NBA, I have a very hard time envisioning that possiblity.
Game one is over, and Laker blood is on the marble floor. Game two will tell us just how bad and deep the wound really is.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Saturday, May 31, 2008 - 06:53 PM
Lakers Blog
|
On the verge of the historic 11th match up with our most hated and ancient enemy, the ramifications of this series is as big as you can possibly imagine-for so many reasons. Formally the Celtics whipping boy, losers of 8 straight championships match ups to them, we are now their biggest fear, as we implacably march on in the quest to take from them the title of most decorated franchise in NBA history. The Lakers are only two titles away from tying them, and three from ascending the throne. The history and hatred, dirty tricks(all on Boston’s side),rough plays and broken hearts stretch back through 50 years of NBA history.
They built their legacy and dynasty on the bodies of the great Jerry West-Elgin Baylor Lakers of the sixties, and cost us what would have been our most impressive dynasty in Laker history. Without that Celtic team, our franchise would now have 7 more rings to its credit.
We returned the favor to a degree in the 80's. The Great Magic Johnson breaking the Celtic jinx and Larry Bird, as we made our own Showtime dynasty at the expense of a second Celtic one.
The feelings from those years live on, and both we and the Celtics know just how much history is at stake in this final. Do we drive another nail in their hearts, inch closer to relegating them to second place in all time NBA history, or do we fall another championship behind.
Every Celtic fan is fully cognizant that we are breathing down their franchises hallowed neck and they do not like it one bit. Make no mistake, the stakes here are apocalyptic in nature in the battle between these to rivals. It is nothing less than all time preeminence in NBA history. Every championship we win, no matter who we play is really directed at them. And the same holds true for Boston. This time the battle will be decided directly between us.
In looking at this match up, let’s start with what we know. They beat us twice, badly. They totally deconstructed ups both offensively and defensively. In the first game we had neither Drew nor Pau. I didn't put alot of stock in that game. The second game is a different story. We had Drew and were on a serious roll. I fully expected us to avenge the earlier loss. Wrong. The replicated the earlier wins with consummate ease, making us look out of sync and ineffective on both ends of the floor. At this point I realized the Celtics were a genuine point of concern.
On the surface this does not seem a good omen for our chances to succeed. But this dismal past is mitigated by the fact that in the cramped regular season, you have scant time to prepare for a team before you have to play someone else the next day. You can’t really focus on breaking a team down. Time constraints just don’t allow it. In a seven game series, you can. Every nuance of their offense and defensive sets will be microscopically examined. Our two losses will be looked at closely to see what they did and what we didn’t do. Celtic playoff losses will be examined and every weakness gleaned.
One of the big keys in my opinion will be the effort of Pau Gasol. In the second game, Perkins pushed Drew around and took him out of his game. With Pau's well known reputation as being soft, is there any doubt Perkins will redouble his efforts to put Pau through a physical torture test? When Pau's rebounding was a problem and costing us games, there was alot of talk about this issue here.
I pointed out that anyone that big and athletic should and could force himself to attack the board with more alacrity and brio in the playoffs. I used another finesse player, James Worthy, as an example of a player who time after time in big games and the playoff raised his rebounding way over what he usually averaged. Big game James had the heart and desire to put it on the line and do things he normally didn't want to when rings were on the line. After a talk to by Phil (and Kobe I suspect) after his pathetic 5 rebound performance in game 3 against San Antonio, Pau has shown the like Worthy, he can indeed use his will to power and do the things he may not normally want to do. He had 10 and 19 rebounds respectively in the last two games of West Finals. It is no coincidence that we won those games.
Pau once again has to show this will to power for us to attack Boston successfully.
If Pau has a five rebound game against Boston, I highly doubt we will win. If he gets ten or more, the reverse is more likely. Because of his past history, Pau will be a marked man. If he can't suck it up, and force himself to do what he must over just one last seven game series, he will prove to be not only soft but mentally not a championship caliber player.
Home court: Unfortunately this will belong to Boston. It throws a completely different dynamic into this series than the Lakers are used to. The Lakers must come out like a house on fire and win one of those first two games. With the 2-3-2 formant, I find it hard to envision us taking all three home games against a team this good and accomplished. I believe if we lose the first two games in Boston, we will lose this series.
Kobe: In both games Kobe shot 35 percent. This is way too low a point to shot ration for a guy we depend on for so much scoring. If Kobe finds that he cannot score effectively against this team, then he will more than ever have to trust his teammates and not force up shots. Needless to say, the rest of the team and bench mob will be tested as never before in this scenario. If this situation does evolve, and his teammates don't hit the shots that will be there for him, we will lose this series.
Ray Allen: The Celtics like the LA Lakers revolve around a big three. Pierce and Garnett, like Kobe and Duncan and Paul and other players of that caliber are really too good to d to stop, especially over seven games. The weak link here is Allen. As the Celtics have shown over the playoffs, when Allen is having problems, they can be beaten, even by the Hawks. As they have shown all year and in the last two Detroit games, when he is on, they are one of the hardest teams, if not the hardest, to beat in league. Unfortunately, it is beginning to look like Ray has found his game and his shot.
Kobe and Sasha (and hopefully Trevor) will have to replicate what we did in stopping Ginobilli. If Ray Allen goes off like he has the last two games, this will become a nightmare scenario for the Lakers, and it is very easy to see our defense crumbling up like a house of cards just as it did in the two regular season games.
It’s not going to be an easy task, but I guess that’s why the Celts won 66 games and are in the finals. I do believe this will be by far our hardest series, and our toughest matchup to date.
Who do I think will win? When I think of The Great Man being on our team, I believe we will. When I think of how we ripped through the hard West playoffs, I believe we will.
When I think this great Celtic team that won 66 games has home court, where they are almost invincible, I believe they will. When I think back on how beating us twice was child’s play for them, I believe they will.
Unlike our other series, I just don’t have a feeling or the strong confidence I felt against our other opponents. From day to day, hour to hour my feelings change. I guess you can say it is a sign of worry.
Anyway, there will be a lot more going on to decide this series than I have talked about. We all know how this thing goes, new vicissitudes, heroes and goats in every game on the trail to deciding the winner.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
Posted by: SPQR on Friday, May 30, 2008 - 10:32 AM
Lakers Blog
|
It's amazing how much ones perception and confidence can be changed after a few games of a series.
With the Jazz a rapidly fading memory the next gauntlet was layed down: The defending champion Spurs. Could we match up? Were we out of our league against this great and proud team? How will we do?
First game. Before you know it, our beloved Lakers are down by twenty and I'm thinking, "Wow, they really took it to us this game. It's not the Jazz anymore. Wer'e going to have to regroup and come up with some answers." The Lakers, very much to my surprise, came back to win.
Now fast forward to game five. Almost the exact situation. The Lakers are down by 17. The Spurs are frisky and pushing to avenge their home loss and drag us back to San Antonio and then a possible game seven. We are apparently dead in the water. What am I thinking? "No problem, we will come back to win this game." After watching the Lakers outplay the champs for the the majority of the series, I had no doubt our youth, talent and will to win would prevail. I have never been so confident that a team down by such a large margin would come back to prevail. I had seen enough in the prior games to know the Spurs were just running on adreniline against a superior team....and when adreniline runs out, superior ability will prevail. Did any of you feel that same confident calm last night?
It is most interesting to note that in the three games that went down to wire: one, four and five; the younger more inexperienced team won. It was these games, toe to toe gut checks that ultimatly decided the series, not the two blowouts. The Lakers lost not a one of them. Not what one would expect from a team so young against an oppenent so wise and experienced. Of all the revelations in this series, this I feel was the most dramatic and impressive.
This was something both an experienced Suns and young powerful New Orleans team could not do against the champs. It's why they are sitting at home and we are going to the finals.
The catylist of course was The Great Man: Kobe Bryant. Like Michael Jordan before him, he just is too great, causes too many problems and ulitimatly triumphs where others fail. Out of all the great coaches and players in this series, it was he who was the ulitmate arbiteur of the outcome. Put Kobe on either the Spurs, Hornets or Suns. Who goes to the championship now? Everone knows the answer.
Finally manumitted from the overwhelming shadow of Shaquille, and subpar talent, The Great Man is now fully unleashed to challenge the legacy of Michael Jordan. It seems inconcievable to think that so soon after Jordan's supposed 'once in life time' career and performances that someone would come along, almost a contemporary at that, and legitimatly prove to be his equal...or even superior.
The one area he will never equal Mike is with the adulation of the media and sporting pubic. Kobe has certainly done enough dumb things to earn the emnity of fans but even before this, there was an undercurrent of dislike for him. I think this was simply caused by the fact that he came along second. Mike was a original, in talent and accomplishment. He was a past master at playing the media game. Firing the publics imagination with his skills and making the impossible seem ordinary, over his career he became an Amercian icon. A latter day Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle or Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali. It was a given that no player for decades to come would come along and perform and accomplish what he did.
Then, along came Kobe.
During the three peat years, any unbiased observer could already see that as unimaginable as it seemed, a man had come along who possessed the same skills and drive as the beloved icon. I have had many discussions with fans of Michael and was always struck by their dislike and dissmissal of Kobe as a second rate copy of Mike. The next few years are going to be very difficult for the 'protectors" of the Jordan legacy as Kobe racks up championships at a .......Jordanesque pace.
It's ironic that the commercial used to say, "Be like Mike." Of course they didn't expect it or really want it to happen. Kobe has shown how getting a little to close to being, "like Mike", is dangerous. They will resent you.
Yes, MJ will always be the hero, and Kobe the villain; but he is our villain. And our villain along with the team he leads will be pillaging the NBA landscape for years. Their hate for the Lakers and Kobe will grow with every defeat we inflict on them, every new ring The Great Man takes as his own. I wouldn't want it any other way.
Want to single out the unsung hero, space cadet, Vlad Radmanovich for his contributions in this series. With erratic scoring all series from Pau, Lamar, Fish and Sasha losing his shot for the last three games, Vlad's steady and consistant scoring was huge for us. Unlike the aforementioned players, his play was steady from game one and never wavered. Without his contributions, this victory may not have happened. No space cadet anymore.
Well, 12 down and four to go. Our greatest challenge probably awaits from the east. Just one more time into the breach and let slip the dogs of war, to hopefully our 15th championship.
|
|
Discuss
|
|
|
