We knew that the Lakers would have a tough go of it this season, but the team’s first two games have served as the evidence that wasn’t fully formed off just the preseason and our analysis of the team’s offseason moves. The Lakers have been, for lack of a better word, awful to start the year.
Unfortunately for them, lopsided losses against the Rockets and the Suns are only the beginning as the team faces the Clippers tonight. Their Staples Center co-habitants haven’t exactly looked great either — they played a sloppy and close game against a very shorthanded Thunder team last night — but are clearly the superior squad entering this game. They are a team that in the spring will actually look to have a good chance to make good on their championship aspirations while the Lakers (who have stated to have the same goal) will look retain a top five protected lottery pick.
The match ups in this game aren’t even really worth discussing, to be honest. While it’s nice in the abstract to discuss how Jeremy Lin might perform against Chris Paul or how a combination of Jordan Hill and Ed Davis might fare against Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the reality is that the Clippers’ players should outperform their counterpart in nearly every matchup. The only advantage the Lakers look to have is with Kobe against a Clippers’ wing rotation that doesn’t offer a great defensive option (though Matt Barnes and JJ Redick will compete hard on that end and offer more than just token resistance). We’ll see if Kobe can carry over some of his effectiveness he showed in the Suns game (he did, after all, have 31 points in only 3 quarters of play), but also see if he can do so while his teammates join him with some reasonable production themselves.
From a larger strategy standpoint, this game actually mirrors some of what the Suns’ game did. While the types of players and match ups are different, the Clippers will play fast and look to exploit the Lakers’ transition defense. The Clips have multiple players who can turn a rebound into a fast break chance and the Lakers will need to find a way to get back effectively or give up the type of highlight plays that will be all over SportsCenter after the game.
In the half court the Clips will mix a lot of post ups for Griffin with pick and rolls between Paul and both big his big men. To counter, the Lakers’ bigs will need to have strong communication with their guards in order to effectively manage Paul at the point of attack while still covering the back line. One particular play to watch for is when the Clippers run a 1/4/5 pick and roll where Griffin screens for Paul and then, after diving, makes a catch with a quick lob to Jordan for the easy finish. This is a play the Lakers used to run often between Kobe, Pau, and Bynum several years ago and with that reminder I will now go weep in the corner.
Ultimately, this game is likely to end just like the Lakers’ previous games did. I wish I had better news for you, but again, it’s not like we didn’t see this coming. From a talent perspective, the Lakers just aren’t as good as the team they are playing. We will be saying that a lot this season, it seems.
Tim says
Kobe goes baseline for the slam dunk. Vintage Kobe.
Chearn says
Wouldn’t you know, Redick’s offense was anemic in the Clippers game the other night, yet here he is on fire against the Lakers. Sickening how he is unstoppable against the Lakers.
KenOak says
Man, we need to tighten up the defense on 3’s. Gonna kill us every game.
Chearn says
So far….
Tim says
So many wide open 3’s for the Clippers.
Jayz says
Where the Kobe haters at?
Crickets!
KenOak says
Watching Kobe never gets old. Suddenly this team is playing together and giving the Clips a run!
Jayz says
40th best player in the NBA, ok espn!
Chearn says
Is it really coming together?
He’s something like a Phenomenon!
Kenny T says
Off subject but when a guy like Ricky Rubio gets a big extension it leaves me shaking my head! This man has done absolutely nothing in the NBA!! Yet guys like Tim Duncan are asked to take pay cuts for the sake of their teams. What a crock!! Absolutely incredible that so many fans buy into that crap!!
Fern says
Totally agree Kenny. And how about Kobe %*#€@$@ Bryant?Thats why he gets paid the big bucks!!!!40 best player huh? I thought he was done…
Kenny T says
Clarkson has that “deer in the headlights” look.
chibi says
the lakers cannot afford to win this game. go clippers. #tank
Fern says
With Darius permission im posting here what i pist it in the other thread by mistake somehow i dint saw this one and it was in the 1st half:Just when i said that the Bulls looked better the Cavs took it in OT, Rose wasn’t there though. I still think they are the best east team. Thoughts on what i seen on the Lakers this being my 1st look at them, whatever problems they had guarding the 3 point line they are doing a better job than they did the first 2 games not freat but just good enough. And i believe Coach is correct when he says that we dont shoot that many 3s bc we dont have 3 point shooters. I expect a lot more downtown shooting once we get Kelly and Swaggy back.Kobe… What can be said? Still killing it, he is going to score at least 25ppg this season. That dunk on Barnes was sweeeet. The man still have it. So to all those doubters there is a big glass of shut the hell up waiting for you at the bar, small sample but he looks fine and effective. Surprised to see Henry there, i thought he was out. This team is not good at D but they are hustling and are making the Clips work for everything. Looks like they made some adjustments and look better as a result. We dont have the talent. But im ok with what i seen. Lin needs to get it going. He is being hugely underwhelming.
Kenny T says
Fern… All Kobe needs is some help! He’s still a great player and will be til the day he hangs them up!
Anonymous says
scott>rivers
jimmymmm says
Robert Sacre is horrible.
Kenny T says
Hill en fuego !! Refs showing Ed Davis no love.
Fern says
We know that Kenny i wasnt refering to anything you said, i was refering to the people that count him out and doubt he could be elite again, in a small sample he still is. Same people that call Byron Scott the dumbest coach in Lakers history after 2 games. Look like some adjustments were made and the team is getting used to its coach. Were not that good but this team is starting to respond. This game is about pride and this team have a ton of it.
KenOak says
There’s a bit of a discrepancy here refs…
Chearn says
Progress at last. I’m satisfied.
Fern says
Progress indeed, i do think Coach put Kobe back in way too early but being undermanned at the sg pos, i kinda undertand, but Kobe rab out of gas at the end. We need Nick Young back.
Chearn says
I agree, Fern.
T Rogers says
Hell of an effort tonight. No shame in this loss.
AusPhil says
FT discrepancy more glaring than 3s today.
mud says
much better.
Kenny T says
Tough ending for The Show….KB couldn’t buy one down the stretch. Clips sure went to the line a lot in the 4th. Game turned IMO when Jordan got away with fouling Lin (no call) and the Clips came down and scored.
Kevin T says
Coach put Kobe in a couple of minutes too early in the fourth. Should of used one of the time outs with about a minute left. He had 3 to use.
Aaron says
Kobe is unreal. 36 after all those miles and his achillies tear. His numbers this season don’t tell the story. He is moving like he shouldn’t be moving.
amc says
more playing time for ed davis pls. Finally jordan hill showing progress on his jumpers. Wes johnson is useless.
Jayz says
That Sacre sequence where he commited an offensive foul and gave up a Jamal Crawford 3 to end the 3rd lost us the game.
On the flip side, any questions about Kobe’s health is now dead.
Kobe looked like Kobe tonight!
bleedpurplegold says
Kobe is getting his game legs under him….ed still neds about 10min more than today, but this shows the team can put some fight to other teams….great L if there is some like it! GO LAKERS!
Archon says
The Lakers are close, they just need an effective player at the small forward position, Wes isn’t that.
A healthy Xavier Henry and Nick Young will do wonders for this team
Agree says
WOW, that was a real good loss, what a battle. The Lakers looked like an entirely different team last night. Lin played assertively and showed what he’s capable of when he’s not playing too passively. Kobe was excellent.
So the Lakers that showed up last night had lots of fast breaks, shot 20 threes, and were overall feisty. Lin got smashed by Jordan and should have fouled out, that really was crap and could have made all the difference. Griffin just went into beast mode, but we still had a shot at the game anyway. IF the lakers can put out this sort of effort and get Lin/Kobe clicking they will eventually start winning a bunch of games. We just need Henry and Johnson to do something for us though. And please play Davis 30 minutes, rather than Boozer!
Bah too bad its the warriors tonight, but I can enjoy watching a team actually show some offense and fight even if they lose to these good teams.
amc says
byron scott must realize the importance of shooting more three’s in a game. And inserting more shooters in a lineup in some stretches of the game, just to keep the defense honest and clueless. Our defense failed miserably in the 4th quarter. We also allowed crawford to explode in the 2nd half. CRawford is the epitome of an elite 6th man, are we not aware of that? And we failed to use the hack a deandre jordan just to give them variations in our defense. We competed but we failed. All we need is a win and we handed ourselves a loss and a posibble blowout disaster against GS in our next game due to fatigue(4th game in 5 days)
nimble says
One word:Refs!
BigCitySid says
Obviously the Lakers best effort. Looked more like a team tonight. 1st good game for the backcourt as a whole.
mindcrime says
1. Some have hoped for 90% of Kobe pre-achilles tear. I thought the ceiling was closer to 80%. I think he’s already in the 65%-75% range and trending the right direction. But let’s see how he does the second night of a BTB (for short-range evaluation) and how the wear-and-tear of the season affects that trend (for long range judgment).
2. This team seems to want to play better and harder on the defensive end than it did last year, but simply doesn’t have the talent to do so. That’s resulting in less humilation in the form of dunks and layups for the other team, but is also creating more freethrows and wide open looks from three for the other team.
3. Much will be made of Kobe taking over and going 1-7 in the 4th. I think he came back a minute or two too soon first of all. Second, I’m not sure why Lin and Hill stopped shooting and attacking down the stretch, but whatever the cause (Kobe haters will say Kobe said give me the ball or else, I have a feeling it was actually the usual mix of Kobe wanting the ball and other other players falling back into the trap of saying “ok Kobe, handle this” like the first two games) the other players have to keep shooting, especially when they’ve been playing well. So Lin, Hill, Ellington, Davis–you heard me—if you’re open–shoot shoot shoot shoot.
4. Love Wesley Johnson’s raw athletic skill. Think he’s shown some improvement in his game (i.e., shooting off the bounce). Don’t think he’s ever going to be able to get his thousand-dollar hops and quicks to overcome his ten-cent psyche. If Xavier has gotten his legs under him, I’d like to see him get more time at the 2 and the 3.
5. More Ed Davis please (in Scott’s defense, I think Davis would have played more if he didn’t have so many foul problems).
6. Sacre seems incrementally better this year. But that would only take him up from sure-fire D-Leaguer to “should only see the game in an emergency” status for most teams.
7. Until Swaggy returns, I’d like to see more Ellington, because Kobe can’t play this many minutes night in night out (see 1 and 3 above).
8. Interesting comment during the game last night from the announcing crew. Notwithstanding the Clippers’ ascent, there’s no question which team is still beloved in LA–they noted that other local sports teams had to stop having Clippers players throw out the first pitch at Dodger games and had to stop flashing Clipper promotions on the video board because the crowd would boo. My theory on why? Twofold. First, it’s been a Laker town for so long that a few years of reversed fortunes aren’t going to change that overnight. Second, while I think it’s good for LA and the league to have another team in LA have success, is there a more-unlikeable lineup of stars on any playoff-caliber NBA team? CP3 is a great competitor and player, but he’s a flopper and a whiner who doesn’t think he’s ever committed a foul or missed a shot without being fouled. Jordan and Griffin are outstanding players, but act like WWE “bad guy” wrestlers who are more interested in taunting, flexing, and posturing to get themselves on a poster or Sportscenter than anything else. Simply put, these three guys are great players (Griffin has elevated his game by a mile this year both in terms of his perimeter shot and his post game–legit MVP candidate for sure, and Jordan is now officially an offensive weapon in his own right–not just a dunker), but between the flopping, flexing, and whining, they do themselves and their franchise’s marketability a great disservice.
Tra says
When the opponents starting PF outscores (39 pts) our entire starting frontcourt (37 pts), it usually means that we’ll end up with a loss.
Excellent shooting performance from Hill, but to get only 14 pts combined from Boozer & Johnson is pathetic.
Loved the communication out there on the floor between Kobe & JL. Hopefully it continues and their chemistry improves throughout what’s going to be a very looooooong season.
Oldtimer says
A big relief from previous blown outs, it is a teaching lesson loss. Lakers were aggressive last night. Some observations:
– Byron should have not delayed after Clarkson made the 3 pt shot in the 4th the sub for starters. The momentum moved to Clips with the help of the refs.
– Davis should play in the 4th
– Kobe should be going to the rim while Jeremy and Ellintington should position themselves in the perimeter to receive the pass from Kobe especially in the 4th when Kobe is doubled or triple teamed.
– Sacre is a better outside shooter than dribbling the ball or manning the post, he should be in the elbow area of the shaded lane than under the basket. Ready for catch and shoot repertoire to minimize TO’s.
– the biggest change or adjustments done, teammates of Kobe trusted themselves and applied their OWN knowledge than relying too much on Kobe show. However, Lakers known secret weapon should be incorporated to any kind strategies planned.
– Clarkson, Ellington and Lin are developing into good perimeter players if Lakers want to infuse 3pt shooting, more plays should be planned for them.
– practice FT shooting if Lakers want to achieve .500
– What they lacked in talents should be compensated by team spirit in the BELIEF that they can win the 3rd meeting against GS, the game is still 5 vs 5; ball is round and refs are human who might support the underdog or the long shot horses. Just keep on trusting yourself and you will overcome any challenges.
TheNumberOfFlopsIsTooDamnHigh says
Well at least our hollywood nights jerseys look good.
On another upside, watching Chris Douglas Roberts makes it seem like the Lakers roster isn’t comprised of the worst talent in the NBA.
Man, that guy looks so terrible out there, compared to him Sacre looks smooth and Johnson like a a good shooter.
So while Kobe rallies up his guys to jab about something the coach should have told them before the game, our opponent actually plays ball and scores an easy layup.
And as soon as the ball starts moving and there is a glimpse of an offensive flow (and we are actually up a few points), there comes Kobe and hives up bad shots out of double team iso’s to give it away.
As much as I appreciate all he achieved in his basketball career,
I also have to really question what the hell he is not getting right now.
He said his game would have to evolve, he would have to adjust and be more efficient.
He knows he doesn’t have the speed and agility anymore to shake double-teams and get good looks like he used to.
He also wants to pass MJ on the all time scoring list asap.
He also supposedly watches a lot of tape and see’s the big picture unlike anyone else.
So I can assume he knows that our offense would benefit from better floors pacing and more corner 3’s.
So why the hell would he continue to labor the ball up-court, bump and grind it out in the post almost every single time, ruining his back and knees just to keep laying heavy bricks all night?
Why wouldn’t he rather just let the point guard be the point guard, get himself open in the corner and drain easy threes?
I don’t understand.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely think Kobe can still play on an elite level and contribute to a contending team. But it’s obvious he can’t do it in the way he used to, with heavily contested fade-away-turn-around jump shots.
Even if his percentage will go up a bit during the season, its still not going to make for a winning strategy.
If he keeps trying to play like his old self, by the time his shots start falling at a higher clip it will already be too late: we will have lost too many games to catch up in a tough western conference.
Its really hard to be a Lakers fan these days. I am not enjoying this.
the other Stephen says
That fourth quarter three from Lin after he tried to wave off and communicate to Kobe that he had a double coming from Griffin was pretty memorable. I hope he continues to build confidence and chemistry with Kobe in a way that surpasses what he was able to achieve with Harden in Houston.
@mindcrime,
Yup, that Dodgers-Clippers experiment was nefarious.
Agree says
Other people in the league must not buy into the “kobe’s done” narrative. Because they certainly are still doubling him all the time. If he keeps passing like he did for most of the game when he had hard double teams, he will help this team beyond just being their #1 scoring option.
I honestly think Lin is a solid 17/7asssist guy IF he looks to remain aggressive and this means shooting the ball, not only driving endlessly. He clearly has improved as a shooter and seems to always score and shoot really well when he shoots 15 shots, the nights he shoots 7 shots he seems to do lousy. IF I was Byron I would tell him to keep looking to shoot 6 three’s a game, since he is clearly one of our only drive and kick people and it will keep the defense honest if they don’t just assume he’s going to the hole every time.
Jordan Hill made his money last night, his “jumper” AKA set shot reminds me of a YMCA legend stroking open 18 footers. Even if the Laker’s still end up in the bottom 5, I hope they look more like game 3, rather than the joke team they showed in games 1 & 2.
J C says
Obvious progress and yeah Kobe looks amazing all things considered.
But all the good signs we saw last night don’t mean a thing and won’t help us win a game when at the end, every single Laker defers to Kobe and expects him to win the game for us.
Kobe was one reason we were winning the game, but he wasn’t the only reason.
Stick to what got you the lead. Ball movement and a team effort.
Players seem to lack the confidence or permission to do anything besides pass the ball to Kobe for the last three minutes of the game.
It’s a losing strategy.
It’s up to the coach, Kobe, and the other players to see this and correct it. Otherwise we will lose a lot of winnable games.
Like last night.
mindcrime says
And as soon as the ball starts moving and there is a glimpse of an offensive flow (and we are actually up a few points), there comes Kobe and hives up bad shots out of double team iso’s to give it away.
As much as I appreciate all he achieved in his basketball career,
I also have to really question what the hell he is not getting right now.
__________________________________________________________
I really think it’s a little early, based on an extremely small sample size, to posit that Kobe doesn’t “get it” or that he “gave away” the game last night. Last night was the first time in the first three games that the team demonstrated anything resembling an offensive flow. In the first two games, Kobe received several typical “Kobe grenades” where nothing happened for 18-20 seconds of the shot clock, and someone threw him the ball saying “bail us out.” (In fairness, there were also several times Kobe seemed to press the issue individually, most-likely because he’s trying to test the limits of what his body will do now.) But last night, for three quarters, Kobe quite willingly let Lin and Hill get theirs. (He only took 15 shots last night) Did he press in the fourth quarter? Certainly. But there were also mutliple times in the fourth where Hill got the ball at 15-18 with room to shoot or drive, and passed up opportunities he had seized earlier in the game. Lin also stopped attacking the basket. So as usual, the answer is somewhere between the competiting narratives typically relied upon by the haters (Kobe is a ballhog and won’t give the ball up at crunch time) and apologists (the other guys need to resist the urge to defer). The truth is, Kobe has to cede some control, but he’s going to take over if everyone else shrinks from the moment.
I suspect that as this season progresses, they will develop some chemistry on that issue. I’m willing to let a few more games go by before I hit the panic button and say “Kobe doesn’t get it.”
ninjagorn says
I watched the Bulls-Cleveland game yesterday, and oh boy, i know why we could not get a pick for Pau at the trade deadline last year. Miss after miss in the paint (he is an overpaid Boozer) and also helped Thompson get 12 offensive rebounds.
I just hope that Kelly is close to returning, he will need some time, but i would play him ahead of CB, also the Phoenix game was actually close i think something in the range of +5-10 for them and then came 3 straight TO from CB and it was over.
If Lin and Hill and others keep hitting some shots, we havee a chance to stay in games and win them, but in the first two games i felt like Kobe should shot every time, and others maybe make dunks or layups (except CB and Johnson, they should stay in the defense, beceause they were usleess).
The problem is also that almost all rotation players missed at least some time in the preseason, so they are probably not in game shape.
Aaron says
When will the Cavs follow the TWolves lead and stop allowing Love to get the ball and create his own offense. I’m sure they want to make him happy but they know his percentages in ISO. They aren’t stupid. They know he is strictly a spot up shooting stretch 4. But they also want to keep him in free agency. Do they let him keep getting his shots blocked the entire season to help their chances of keeping him? Or do theh do everything they can to win as many games as they can this season and tell him he needs to strictly play off the ball? Interesting to see what happens.
But of course the only thing that maters for the Cavs is if LBJ gets back on his “vitamins” and can get to the basket and finish like he used to.
Chearn says
Kobe shouldn’t play at all in the game tonight. This is a game that he should rest. I hope Scott uses tonight to gauge the competitive fire from the other players on the team. See if players like Lin, Hill, and Davis can follow-up last night’s game with a sustainable offensive and defensive output to be competitive in tonight’s game.
TheNumberOfFlopsIsTooDamnHigh says
@mindcrime: you are absolutely right, it is too early into the season for a blanket-type “Kobe doesn’t get it” statement. My point wasn’t to push the typical hater “Kobe is a ball hog” narrative as much as wondering why he keeps making it harder on himself (and the team) than necessary.
I always have been and still am a big fan of Kobe as a basketball player and I always enjoyed watching his game. I am also fully aware of that he is a volume shooter and hangs his hat on scoring buckets to help his team win. That’s what he does, and I don’t have an issue with that.
What I tried to say is that there is a discrepancy between what he himself said he needs to do to help the Lakers compete (adjust his game and be more efficient -which I think includes shot selection) and what he has actually been doing on the floor (not just in the last 3 games, but also in the preseason games he played.)
Listen, I don’t think Kobe has to transform into a pass-first-and-don’t-shoot-the-ball,
15+ assists type of guy to be valuable.
What I’m saying is that Kobe would help himself and the team much more not by taking less shots, but by taking less contested shots. Its obvious that his contested mid range jumpers don’t fall like they used to.
He still draws double teams in the post, but the team can’t capitalize on that with our guys not moving well enough off the ball, too much congestion in the paint and no one getting in position for open looks from the perimeter.
So why not kill two birds with one stone and have Kobe move off the ball, “adjusting” himself into the corners and shoot some easy threes?
Ray Allen put up some pretty good numbers AND contributed to the success of his team doing just that.