Comments on: Well, That Went Well http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/ A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers). Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:41:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Kali http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617485 Kali Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:18:28 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617485 Very big game, lets hope they dont get relaxed like we have seen in the past. Check this out http://kaliphornya.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/no-time-to-relax/ Very big game, lets hope they dont get relaxed like we have seen in the past. Check this out

http://kaliphornya.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/no-time-to-relax/

]]> By: Zephid http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617443 Zephid Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:47:47 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617443 Each of our players did certain things well and certain things poorly last game. Of course, in a 25 point blow-out, there's few things to criticize, but I think by trying to replicate our highs, we can win this series. I'm not saying it'll be easy like some of the "Lakers in 4 or 5" people, but it's tough to see us losing if we replicate Thursday's play. <b>Derek Fisher</b> Fisher played a pretty good game, at least by the low standards we're forced to hold him to due to his poor play in the previous series. There were only a couple of "WHY?!" moments, especially when Fish drove into a sea of Magic players in the point, only to force a bad shot/pass on the inside that got stuffed by Dwight. I also felt Fisher's defense was average, with his on-ball defense being well-below average. Repeatedly we saw Alston and Nelson get either wide-open threes or drives to the basket off a simple screen and roll. However, his help defense on Howard served to disrupt a couple of Howard's possessions, which is all we really need from Fisher in this series. <b>Kobe Bryant</b> Game 1 could be the magnum opus of Kobe's career. His shots were falling, his passes were pin-point, and even his rebounding/defense was at a high level. Can't really say anything bad, as Kobe took Lee into the post and then shot the mid-range over Pietrus, exactly as the game-plan dictated. <b>Trevor Ariza</b> I was really impressed with Ariza's mental fortitude last night. Kobe missed him on a couple of open three opportunities, and Ariza was getting killed by Howard and Gortat's screens (saw a couple were he basically fell through them instead of running around them). Still, Ariza kept his head up, played exceedingly tough defense on Turkoglu, and closed out really well on shooters. As long as he keeps playing that type of defense, we don't need him to shoot. <b>Pau Gasol</b> I felt Pau was getting punked in the post early in the 1st quarter. He was forcing up shots, rushing his hooks, and hesitating on his jumpers. Maybe it was Finals pressure, but he didn't seem really comfortable until we got him playing in the flow of the triangle and working to pass around Dwight instead of going through him. Pau's defense, however, was beyond outstanding. Here's Pau, constantly criticized for being soft, drawing 2 huge offensive fouls on Howard, and continually pushing Howard out of his comfort spots, as well as helping off Howard to challenge drivers. I don't agree that Pau needs to take more shots, because Pau is such a great passer and is willing to give up a good shot to get a great shot. Much has been made about Pau's lack of attempts, but he could force up a lot more attempts if he wanted to; he simply chooses to look for a better shot. <b>Andrew Bynum</b> Loved, absolutely loved his physical play against Howard. Bynum really took Howard out of his rhythm in the 1st quarter with a couple hard fouls and pushing him off the block. None of Andrew's fouls were bad fouls, contrary to the idiocy being spouted from Mark Jackson's mouth. All of them came when Dwight was attempting to dunk, or on the terrible call when the two were jostling for position and the refs decided to call the foul on Bynum when it could have gone either way. All we need from Bynum is 20-25 minutes of interior defense, rebounding, and ready hands to receive Pau and Lamar's excellent interior passes. <b>The Bench</b> 1. Lamar Odom Lamar closed out on shooters, especially Lewis, extremely well, forcing Lewis to have a couple fake-dribble-pull-up shots that he isn't used to taking. I think Odom really took Lewis out of his rhythm, and also forced Lewis to defend him on the other end. A lot has been made about Gasol having to switch between defending Lewis then Howard, but Lewis also has to switch from defending Gasol to defending Odom, which seemed to take a lot out of his legs and picture perfect shooting form. 2.) Jordan Farmar Played fairly solid, missed all of his shots, didn't make any bad mistakes. I would've liked to have seen more Shannon Brown instead of Farmar, but I think Phil went with experience (relative) over athleticism. 3.) Sasha Vujacic He really won't and shouldn't be playing too many minutes. His stupid fouls could really cost us, putting the Magic in the penalty and sending the non-Howard Magic players to the line (all of whom are very solid free throw shooters). 4.) Luke Walton I don't think he could've played any better. He absolutely abused Lee in the post, made a bunch of insanely good passes, and played serviceable defense on Turkoglu. Can't really ask much more of him. Overall, if in Game 2 we play anything like we played in Game 1, we should still win. I think Game 2 is probably the turning point of this series. If we win Game 2, I really can't see Orlando winning 4 out of 5 games against us. If we lose Game 2, it'll be just as tough for us to win 3 out of 5 when 3 of those games are in Orlando. So long as we come out and take care of business, this trophy is ours. Each of our players did certain things well and certain things poorly last game. Of course, in a 25 point blow-out, there’s few things to criticize, but I think by trying to replicate our highs, we can win this series. I’m not saying it’ll be easy like some of the “Lakers in 4 or 5″ people, but it’s tough to see us losing if we replicate Thursday’s play.

Derek Fisher
Fisher played a pretty good game, at least by the low standards we’re forced to hold him to due to his poor play in the previous series. There were only a couple of “WHY?!” moments, especially when Fish drove into a sea of Magic players in the point, only to force a bad shot/pass on the inside that got stuffed by Dwight. I also felt Fisher’s defense was average, with his on-ball defense being well-below average. Repeatedly we saw Alston and Nelson get either wide-open threes or drives to the basket off a simple screen and roll. However, his help defense on Howard served to disrupt a couple of Howard’s possessions, which is all we really need from Fisher in this series.

Kobe Bryant
Game 1 could be the magnum opus of Kobe’s career. His shots were falling, his passes were pin-point, and even his rebounding/defense was at a high level. Can’t really say anything bad, as Kobe took Lee into the post and then shot the mid-range over Pietrus, exactly as the game-plan dictated.

Trevor Ariza
I was really impressed with Ariza’s mental fortitude last night. Kobe missed him on a couple of open three opportunities, and Ariza was getting killed by Howard and Gortat’s screens (saw a couple were he basically fell through them instead of running around them). Still, Ariza kept his head up, played exceedingly tough defense on Turkoglu, and closed out really well on shooters. As long as he keeps playing that type of defense, we don’t need him to shoot.

Pau Gasol
I felt Pau was getting punked in the post early in the 1st quarter. He was forcing up shots, rushing his hooks, and hesitating on his jumpers. Maybe it was Finals pressure, but he didn’t seem really comfortable until we got him playing in the flow of the triangle and working to pass around Dwight instead of going through him. Pau’s defense, however, was beyond outstanding. Here’s Pau, constantly criticized for being soft, drawing 2 huge offensive fouls on Howard, and continually pushing Howard out of his comfort spots, as well as helping off Howard to challenge drivers. I don’t agree that Pau needs to take more shots, because Pau is such a great passer and is willing to give up a good shot to get a great shot. Much has been made about Pau’s lack of attempts, but he could force up a lot more attempts if he wanted to; he simply chooses to look for a better shot.

Andrew Bynum
Loved, absolutely loved his physical play against Howard. Bynum really took Howard out of his rhythm in the 1st quarter with a couple hard fouls and pushing him off the block. None of Andrew’s fouls were bad fouls, contrary to the idiocy being spouted from Mark Jackson’s mouth. All of them came when Dwight was attempting to dunk, or on the terrible call when the two were jostling for position and the refs decided to call the foul on Bynum when it could have gone either way. All we need from Bynum is 20-25 minutes of interior defense, rebounding, and ready hands to receive Pau and Lamar’s excellent interior passes.

The Bench
1. Lamar Odom
Lamar closed out on shooters, especially Lewis, extremely well, forcing Lewis to have a couple fake-dribble-pull-up shots that he isn’t used to taking. I think Odom really took Lewis out of his rhythm, and also forced Lewis to defend him on the other end. A lot has been made about Gasol having to switch between defending Lewis then Howard, but Lewis also has to switch from defending Gasol to defending Odom, which seemed to take a lot out of his legs and picture perfect shooting form.

2.) Jordan Farmar
Played fairly solid, missed all of his shots, didn’t make any bad mistakes. I would’ve liked to have seen more Shannon Brown instead of Farmar, but I think Phil went with experience (relative) over athleticism.

3.) Sasha Vujacic
He really won’t and shouldn’t be playing too many minutes. His stupid fouls could really cost us, putting the Magic in the penalty and sending the non-Howard Magic players to the line (all of whom are very solid free throw shooters).

4.) Luke Walton
I don’t think he could’ve played any better. He absolutely abused Lee in the post, made a bunch of insanely good passes, and played serviceable defense on Turkoglu. Can’t really ask much more of him.

Overall, if in Game 2 we play anything like we played in Game 1, we should still win. I think Game 2 is probably the turning point of this series. If we win Game 2, I really can’t see Orlando winning 4 out of 5 games against us. If we lose Game 2, it’ll be just as tough for us to win 3 out of 5 when 3 of those games are in Orlando. So long as we come out and take care of business, this trophy is ours.

]]> By: Kurt http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617442 Kurt Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:23:41 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617442 New post up talking about the importance of game 2. New post up talking about the importance of game 2.

]]> By: Simon http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617441 Simon Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:08:02 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617441 I dunno why everybody is attributing Alston's lack of rhythm to Nelson's minutes. Take a look at his game log in the playoffs and you'd see that this type of bad shooting game is pretty common. He was 6/26 in games 5 and 6 of the Cleveland series. Through four games against Boston he was shooting 8% from threes. He's just very prone to missing shots, which is why the Lakers were giving them to him. Yea, he can get hot, but it's less likely than the other Magic players going off. The idea that he's established some kind of amazing chemistry or that he should get a lot of credit for how far the team's gotten doesn't seem right to me (though his defense has been underrated). If Nelson gets better as the series goes on, and I think he will, then SVG made the right move in seeing what he could do. I dunno why everybody is attributing Alston’s lack of rhythm to Nelson’s minutes. Take a look at his game log in the playoffs and you’d see that this type of bad shooting game is pretty common. He was 6/26 in games 5 and 6 of the Cleveland series. Through four games against Boston he was shooting 8% from threes. He’s just very prone to missing shots, which is why the Lakers were giving them to him. Yea, he can get hot, but it’s less likely than the other Magic players going off. The idea that he’s established some kind of amazing chemistry or that he should get a lot of credit for how far the team’s gotten doesn’t seem right to me (though his defense has been underrated). If Nelson gets better as the series goes on, and I think he will, then SVG made the right move in seeing what he could do.

]]> By: pickandroll8 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617440 pickandroll8 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 09:12:31 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617440 Loved the win, but I'm getting a not so funny feeling that Kobe might just try and take the Magic out of the series in game 2... I will be interested to see what sort of angle he will take, but Im not the only one here that thinks the ball should be dumped into Pau alot more.. for pete's sake, the guy is shooting at 60% and will make Lewis work extremely hard (well, harder then he worked in the cavs series) on the defensive end and maybe tire him out a little so that he has a little less to give at the other end.. who knows? but in any case, I think it is a travesty that Pau is only getting 16-18 shot attempts a game.. ... here's to hoping that kobe doesn't get tunnel vision for all the snarling that he's been doing lately, the last 3 laker games have been a joy to watch... peace Loved the win, but I’m getting a not so funny feeling that Kobe might just try and take the Magic out of the series in game 2…

I will be interested to see what sort of angle he will take, but Im not the only one here that thinks the ball should be dumped into Pau alot more.. for pete’s sake, the guy is shooting at 60% and will make Lewis work extremely hard (well, harder then he worked in the cavs series) on the defensive end and maybe tire him out a little so that he has a little less to give at the other end.. who knows? but in any case, I think it is a travesty that Pau is only getting 16-18 shot attempts a game..

… here’s to hoping that kobe doesn’t get tunnel vision for all the snarling that he’s been doing lately, the last 3 laker games have been a joy to watch… peace

]]> By: Kaifa http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617437 Kaifa Sat, 06 Jun 2009 07:53:44 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617437 In these play-offs you have to be ready for everything. Even a solid article by Plaschke on Lamar: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers6-2009jun06,0,4465920,full.column And here's Cleamons' take on how the pick and roll fits into the triangle offense: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/06/jim-cleamons-lakers-offense-triple-post.html In these play-offs you have to be ready for everything. Even a solid article by Plaschke on Lamar:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers6-2009jun06,0,4465920,full.column

And here’s Cleamons’ take on how the pick and roll fits into the triangle offense:

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2009/06/jim-cleamons-lakers-offense-triple-post.html

]]> By: Will http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617434 Will Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:15:33 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617434 113: also svg can't back out of playing nelson significant minutes now. for the rest of the series, alston and nelson will have to basically split minutes say plus/minus 4 mine each now. Had svg played jameer say 8-12 mins he could make the necessary adjustments but now i think it is too hard for him to regress nelson's mins 113: also svg can’t back out of playing nelson significant minutes now. for the rest of the series, alston and nelson will have to basically split minutes say plus/minus 4 mine each now.

Had svg played jameer say 8-12 mins he could make the necessary adjustments but now i think it is too hard for him to regress nelson’s mins

]]> By: Apricot http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617433 Apricot Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:02:43 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617433 Adjustments. I think ORL actually played Kobe okay tactically to give him that midrange jumper -- he was just laser-like in the 2nd and 3rd, and could easily shoot a lower percentage. The problem is strategic... they really need to double Kobe and give Fish and Ariza the open 3s. Even if this leads to the same number of points, this will give them *higher-quality misses*... it will lead to some long rebounds with guards running out past the shooter, leading to running game and transition 3s. If Kobe takes the midrange jumpers with our bigs diving, or if he passes out to the Gasol high post-low post passing game, these lead to misses rebounding near the basket which we can contest, leading to few fast break points. I really think that if the Lakers continue to shut off the Magic transition game, then the Magic will have a very hard time winning. They cannot beat the Lakers in a series using solely the half-court game... they would have to hope for monster penetration from the guards or terrible foul trouble for our bigs leading to Dwight going off. Adjustments. I think ORL actually played Kobe okay tactically to give him that midrange jumper — he was just laser-like in the 2nd and 3rd, and could easily shoot a lower percentage. The problem is strategic… they really need to double Kobe and give Fish and Ariza the open 3s. Even if this leads to the same number of points, this will give them *higher-quality misses*… it will lead to some long rebounds with guards running out past the shooter, leading to running game and transition 3s. If Kobe takes the midrange jumpers with our bigs diving, or if he passes out to the Gasol high post-low post passing game, these lead to misses rebounding near the basket which we can contest, leading to few fast break points.

I really think that if the Lakers continue to shut off the Magic transition game, then the Magic will have a very hard time winning. They cannot beat the Lakers in a series using solely the half-court game… they would have to hope for monster penetration from the guards or terrible foul trouble for our bigs leading to Dwight going off.

]]> By: Ray Sharpe http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617431 Ray Sharpe Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:27:08 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617431 Boy, I really wanted to see Kobe vs. Lebron. Really I wanted a Celtics rematch, but that wasn't going to happen once KG got hurt. We have to win Game 2 and then just win one of three on the road, but I really don't see this Orlando team beating us. If we can keep Ariza and Lamar there's no reason we can't wind up back in the Finals next year again. It's a good time to be a Laker fan. Nothing will be as much fun as Showtime, and winning three in a row was pretty fun, but if we can keep our players, we are set up for a good run again. Boy, I really wanted to see Kobe vs. Lebron. Really I wanted a Celtics rematch, but that wasn’t going to happen once KG got hurt. We have to win Game 2 and then just win one of three on the road, but I really don’t see this Orlando team beating us. If we can keep Ariza and Lamar there’s no reason we can’t wind up back in the Finals next year again. It’s a good time to be a Laker fan. Nothing will be as much fun as Showtime, and winning three in a row was pretty fun, but if we can keep our players, we are set up for a good run again.

]]> By: The Dude Abides http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2009/06/04/well-that-went-well/comment-page-3/#comment-617429 The Dude Abides Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:42:40 +0000 http://www.forumblueandgold.com/?p=1638#comment-617429 OT-The Spurs are trying to sign one of the better Greek big men. Why is this relevant? Check out the google translation of an excerpt from the Greek article: “The other side of the Atlantic San Antonio Semen exercise suffocating pressure on John Bourousi to obtain his signature…The sperm were days here and open a ticket with departure date in order to move to San Antonio to see the city, the facilities of the group (land proponitirio) and if satisfied to sign.” The commenter who posted this news on the 48 Minutes of Hell blog then goes on to say, "Please inform them that the name of the team is not the Sperm and we are not the S.A. Semen." I'd post a link, but that would only get me caught in spam filter hell. OT-The Spurs are trying to sign one of the better Greek big men. Why is this relevant? Check out the google translation of an excerpt from the Greek article:

“The other side of the Atlantic San Antonio Semen exercise suffocating pressure on John Bourousi to obtain his signature…The sperm were days here and open a ticket with departure date in order to move to San Antonio to see the city, the facilities of the group (land proponitirio) and if satisfied to sign.”

The commenter who posted this news on the 48 Minutes of Hell blog then goes on to say, “Please inform them that the name of the team is not the Sperm and we are not the S.A. Semen.”

I’d post a link, but that would only get me caught in spam filter hell.

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