Comments on: Preview & Chat: The Philadelphia 76ers

By: cacaweiei

cacaweiei — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:03:06 +0000

Here is the problem Phil is showing again that he cant coach, what he can do is prep for playoffs and improve a bench at the cost of wins and career seasons by the starts. Sasha, Jordan are just not reliable. Walton doesnt get used. Basically, Fisher is showing age, so if you cant get 38 plus minutes a nite from Kobe, ARiza and Pau along with Bynum you are going to see a ton of let downs. The bench is streaky overated and overwhelmed with eurtrash and headcases this laker team is overated but still capable of getting lucky in the playoffs due to kobe and pau, but I am sick of hearing excuses the last three games might of well has been losses they look awful.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:49:05 +0000

I have started a new post where we can get into this thread more.

And JD, it’s early December. The Lakers are not going to be playing at a May level now, nor should they. The Celtics aren’t, they are doing a lot of that same “flip the switch” stuff. There are months and months of lessons to be learned yet. I am trying to enjoy this team for what it is and not have every bad quarter remind me of last June.

By: J.D. Hastings

J.D. Hastings — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:44:22 +0000

I am duly impressed by the 15-2 record, but this isn’t last year when expectations were so low that almost any decent outcome would thrill me.

This year there is only one question- can this team beat the Celtics (or whichever team beats the Celtics).

And while we shouldn’t live in the past, those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. HAVE the Lakers learned the lessons of the past? No. They just gave up a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter to lose a game. How can you not reference game 4 of the finals? Why did they lose? They on the glass, just like in the finals.

Here is a really stupid stat. I understand that up front, but it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on. Though 15-2, the Lakers are only 4-2 against the East. Nobody in the West scares me. I feel like the Lakers have an edge over almost every team out here.

But the Celtics aren’t afraid of the Lakers, and all the teams in the East face the Celtics 3-4 times, so as a conference I think they respect the Lakers less. I think the West is more talented, but the East is meaner, and I don’t think the Lakers are as comfortable in that environment.

The Lakers are definitely more talented, but so were the 2000 Blazers against the Lakers.

So it comes down to Christmas for me to start evaluating whether this team is really ready to win it all. But as thigns stand if the Lakers go up 20-30 points at halftime, I’m not going to feel safe. And I guarantee you the Celtics won’t feel scared.

So until this team proves to me that it has in fact changed, I am living in the past somewhat. I respect all their accomplishments, but am very aware of their weaknesses.

By: Darius

Darius — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:03:53 +0000

I would add one thing to what Kurt said in #85.

Understanding that we are 15-2, and what we’re doing *is* working, there is something to be said for making the opposition adjust to what we’re doing. As Kurt posted with his Strong Side Zone post and his reference to what Pelton wrote on in his post on our defense, we are playing a very aggressive defense conceptually. That means that we are dictating to the opposing offense what we want them to do. So, while it might make sense to play a particular player straight up or in a different manner than what our defensive game plan is currently showing (like the suggestions made in defending Andre Miller), we must understand that we are playing a consistent strategy to win every game against any opponent by dictating to them what we want them to do. So far, with a 15-2 record, I would say we’ve been mostly successful. Sure, there have been some lapses and some spotty execution sprinkled throughout the games, but overall I think the Lakers are playing well.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:39:27 +0000

By the way, the planned Trevor Ariza post I wanted to do is not happening due to real life getting in the way of the blog. I know, need to work on my priorities. Sorry.

By: Mamo Sean

Mamo Sean — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:24:12 +0000

Sometimes it does seem that we are nit picking at the team, but given that they are 15-2, they aren’t giving us very much to pick at in the first place.
Phil is a master at strategy. I agree with what kurt said about teams not making too many adjustments during the regular season. Phil seems to see the adjustments he needs to make, but does not enact them all. I see this as a good thing since since it doesn’t overload our team with things to worry about and also doesn’t give all our looks to the opposition. Phil is also the master of letting his team play through the rough spots and, to a certain extent, I agree with his philosophy. Letting them battle through without too many adjustments has seemed to fair well for his more talented teams. Especially later in the season when they are making adjustments. When they hit those rough spots during adjustment time, they don’t panic.

anyway, i am content with the team we are fielding now. [edited for trade talk]

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:59:11 +0000

Remember also that teams, the Lakers included, make few adjustments really during the season to things, but do once the playoffs roll around. The Lakers were coming off a game the night before, there would have been little scouting/prep time and no practices on dealing with Miller differently.

By: Craig W.

Craig W. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:42:56 +0000

Brian,
I agree with your assessment of Miller. It seems the coaching staff simplified the defense greatly because the players were not able to handle more last year. Now the PG apparently have only one way to play on defense and don’t take individual player capabilities into account. This may simplify the system for Fish/Farmar, Vlade, Gasol, Bynum, but it also makes us much more vulnerable when other PGs don’t fit our pattern.

The key is that it didn’t change the win to a loss and that is probably how the coaching staff looks at the situation.

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:09:40 +0000

Chalk up another somewhat lackadaisical win. The D has definitely been lacking of late, and I’m torn as to whether that’s more due to teams getting some film on us and starting to scheme us, or just lesser effort on our part. I suspect it’s a bit of both. For instance, our rotations have been a half-step slow for the past few weeks (indicating slightly reduced effort), but you’re seeing more of the skip passes to a spot-up shooter on the weak side that is always open against the type of strong-side zone that we’ve been employing.

I’m also a tad confused why we were overplaying/funneling Miller so much to one shoulder or the other. To me, he’s the exact type of point guard that you *don’t* want to overplay. He’s not too quick to guard, and he’s not a great shooter, so you play him straight up, maybe backing off slightly, and force him to take barely contested 17-footers, of which he’s only going to make 40% or so. He’s at his best when he can get his body on you and get into the paint, and that’s exactly what we allowed him to do. Since both Fish and Farmar both did it I assume it’s something the coaching staff cooked up, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:43:40 +0000

80. This team is 15-2. Get out of the past and move into the present. And, when you have a player Like Kobe, relying on him in crunch time is the smart coaching move.