In a lot of ways, the Lakers first game of the playoffs looked a lot like too many of their regular season games. They came out focused on the defensive end of the floor and caused all sorts of problems for the Jazz, plus shared the ball and hit open shots in the half court. […]
Archives for April 2009
Lakers/Jazz Game 1 Chat
And so it begins…. Everyone it seems thinks the Lakers should cruise in this series. They should win, but the Jazz are too good and too proud a team to just roll over, the Lakers are going to have to earn it. Don’t play focused, don’t communicate on the defensive end, turn the ball over […]
Lakers/Jazz Preview: When The Lakers Have The Ball
The name of the game in the NBA is to create and exploit mismatches. That’s one thing the triangle offense does well, put guys in good positions and force the defense to adjust, then have counters for those moves. When the Lakers have the offense flowing — getting the ball to the mismatch and counterpunching […]
Lakers/Jazz Preview: When the Jazz Have The Ball
The Lakers will go as far as their defense will take them. That remains the mantra of this site, and for that reason we will start our preview of this first round series with what is going on when the Lakers are on defense. What the Jazz do is no secret around the league, Jerry […]
My Kup of Tea…
When you’re a part of the Lakers organization, there is always a legend that you’re compared to or a legacy to live up to. If you’re a player like Andrew Bynum, be prepared to hear about Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, and Shaq. Or if you’re Kobe Bryant, you better understand the history of Baylor, West, and Magic […]
What I Hope To See In The Playoffs
• Great, focused defense from the Lakers. Every game. Every quarter. • For the Lakers to see as little of Deron Williams as possible. • As joem said in the comments, for San Antonio, Houston and Portland to win tonight so they can all be tied with Denver and the NBA can spend a day […]
Preview & Chat: The Utah Jazz
Records: Lakers 64-17 (1st in the West) Jazz 48-33 (8th in West) Offensive ratings: Lakers 112.5 (3rd in league) Jazz 110.0 (8th in league) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.5 (6th in league) Jazz 107.0 (10th in league) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Jazz Deron Williams, Matt Harpring, […]
Fast Break Thoughts
In the comments, we’ve been talking about what Shannon Brown brings that Jordan Farmar doesn’t — defense. To back that up, here are the 82games.com numbers: Opposing two guards are shooting 37% against Brown, and have a PER of 10.3. (To be fair, that is a small sample size and is a bit dated). Against […]
Preview and Chat: The Memphis Grizzlies
Records: Lakers 63-17 (1st in West); Grizzlies 23-56 (12th in West) Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 112.8 (3rd); Grizzlies 103.6 (28th) Defensive Efficiency: Lakers 104.9 (6th); Grizzlies 109.6 (21st) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol, Bynum; Grizzlies: Conley, Mayo, Gay, Arthur, Gasol. Thoughts on the Portland Loss: This loss hurts on a few fronts. First, […]
Preview & Chat: The Portland Trailblazers
Records: Lakers 63-16 (1st in the West) Trailblazers 50-28 (4th in the West, tied with Spurs) Offensive ratings: 112.6 (3rd in league) Trailblazers 113.8 (1st in league) Defensive ratings: Lakers 104.6 (5th in league) Trailblazers 108.6 (17th in league) Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum Trailblazers Brandon […]