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Lakers/Nuggets (Game 4): Tap The Rockies

Rey Moralde —  May 6, 2012

Box Score: Lakers 92, Nuggets 88
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 108.2, Nuggets 103.5
True Shooting %: Lakers 51.1%, Nuggets 49.6%

The Good
This was the type of game the Lakers wanted to play. It was on their favored slow pace instead of the breakneck speed the Denver Nuggets wanted to do. The Nuggets fought valiantly, yes, but it just seemed right that the Lakers were going on this methodical pace.

Kobe Bryant didn’t shoot particularly well (10 for 25) but I liked the way he played for the most part. He let the game come to him and his shot selection had a nice mix. Kobe got into the paint seemingly at will in the second half and he deferred at the right times. 22 points, 8 boards, and 6 assists for #24.

The much-maligned bench got HUGE contributions from Jordan Hill (12 points and 11 rebounds) and Steve Blake (10 points, 3 assists, even a block on Danilo Gallinari!). Hill was a bundle of energy. He had 7 offensive boards. And Blake, of course, hit that three that essentially put away the game.

Andrew Bynum also had a nice game. He could’ve rebounded more, yes, but 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks is pretty damn good. And Pau Gasol had a great all-around game at 13-9-6. And, finally, the Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets, 48-38. They were able to counter the guys with unlimited turbo in Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee.

It’s not like it was a wire-to-wire finish by the Lakers; it was a close game throughout (both teams shot 39 for 86!). But with the way the game was played, I felt confident the Lakers were going to come away with this one.

The Bad
Danilo Gallinari went off. He scored 20 points and was taking advantage of the mismatches he was getting. Andre Miller also brought his old man game and was schooling Sessions and Blake early on (he eventually ended up with 15 points).

Also, the Nuggets were scoring early in the paint. They eventually outscored the Lakers in the paint, 52-48, but the disparity seemed more than that.

And, of course, it was hard to stop the Nuggets when they’re in transition. 18-7 fastbreak points in favor of the Nuggets.

For the most part, it was a grind-it-out game in favor of L.A.

The Ugly
Maybe the disparity would’ve been bigger if the Lakers shot better freethrows. L.A. didn’t shoot very many foul shots but 9 for 18 is ugly. 50 percent. Shaq laughs at that percentage.

Also, did you guys see Pau on the TNT broadcast? He looked completely out. My initial thought? Pau Gasol needs food badly.

The Plays Of The Game
There were two and you know what I’m talking about. There was the three made by Ramon Sessions after Gallinari fell on a Pau Gasol pick that left Sessions open. And then it was followed by an F U 3 by Steve Blake after a drive and dish by Kobe. That gave the Lakers the cushion to beat the Nuggets. I’m particularly happy for Steve Blake, who was (sometimes, unfairly) railed by Laker fans throughout the season. It was so good to see Kobe trust his teammates at a time like this.

One more win and the Lakers advance to the second round for a date with Oklahoma City. Just concentrate on closing this out first before looking at the Thunder.

Have a good week, ladies and gentlemen. Just don’t celebrate too much yet and don’t be like that stalker lady that walked out on the court earlier.

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Lakers/Nuggets (Game 2): Just Buy Your Tacos

Rey Moralde —  May 1, 2012

Box Score: Lakers 104, Nuggets 100
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 111.8, Nuggets 107.5
True Shooting %: Lakers 51.7%, Nuggets 52.2%

Seeing as the two other playoff games earlier tonight couldn’t hold home court, we’re all hoping it’s a different story in Staples Center.

THE GOOD
And well… it showed early that this was JUST a bad match-up for Denver. The Lakers’ size was just too much to handle. Andrew Bynum had a playoff career high 27 points and Pau Gasol played the facilitating big man (13 points, 10 boards, 5 assists). When they’re not doing their damage, Jordan Hill came in to neutralize Denver’s hustle. Personal problems and all, he put that all aside by grabbing 10 rebounds. He’s been quite a good third big man for them Lakers. Also… Devin Ebanks? Way to go for doing the little things. Not the best day on the field but he grabbed 8 boards!

Kobe Bryant scored 38 points on an efficient 15-for-29 shooting. He was putting on a clinic early on creating space for his jumpers. He got a bit more erratic in the second half but, overall, it’s hard to criticize 38 points while making over half of his shots.

It’s also good that they turned up the hustle in the second half because the Nuggets were pummeling them on the boards early (they were getting so many offensive boards and second chance points). I attribute that to Hill’s infectious energy. For the most part, the Laker ball movement was good but then there was a period in the fourth quarter that the offense was stagnant. That enabled the Nuggets to come back. But, hey, at least, the Lakers weren’t in Santa Claus mode tonight. They only had 10 turnovers tonight.

THE BAD
Maybe Bynum was only looking for offense tonight. Note to Bynum: the Lakers play better when you play defense. And he didn’t seem too engaged in playing that and boxing out. Bynum got 9 boards simply because he’s a big dude but when this guy hustles, he should be able to grab 15 to 18 boards even with Gasol or Hill there.

It seemed contagious. Denver seemed to get off the shots that they wanted; they just missed them. Ty Lawson’s lightning drives and jumpers were there (he had 25 points). Kenneth Faried’s rough and tumble play was on (14 points and 10 rebounds). Corey Brewer (13 points off the bench) shot decently. But, overall, it was just a rough day in the office in terms of shooting. The Lakers got lucky. The Nuggets shot 4 for 19 behind the arc (that missed 3 by Ty Lawson when the Lakers were up, 95-91, was a dodged bullet, no question).

The Nuggets did beat them in transition, though. Not like you expected the Lakers to get back on transition D but the Nuggets had the edge on fastbreak points, 30-15. When the Nuggets were playing their tempo, there wasn’t much the Lakers could do about it.

And while we make fun of JaVale McGee a whole lot, he did have six blocks. The Lakers oughta pump fake more. Or tell him his mom is making out with Dr. J again.

Oh, yeah. The Lakers might wanna move around a bit more on offense. Especially in the all-important 4th quarter.

THE UGLY
Not that the Lakers were better behind the arc. The Lakers shot 2 for 15 from Downtown (SWV would be disappointed), which made a nice two-story house inside Staples Center.

THE PLAY OF THE GAME
Kobe with the block on Al Harrington’s dunk in the third quarter. The old man can still run fast and jump high! I don’t think I’ve seen Kobe chase down a block in years. Good hustle!

But, alas, the Nuggets scored 100 points so the Staples Center crowd didn’t get them tacos and Twitter L.A. didn’t get virtual tacos. Hey, the Lakers and their fans (us!) shall take the victory, though. They held home court and now go to Denver up, 2-0, in this best-of-seven.

What concerns me a bit is that Denver was able to make this close and they’ll look at this as a moral victory. Yes, moral victories don’t equal real wins in basketball games… but now they’ll have some confidence going into Game 3 in Colorado.

Still, the Lakers are the superior match-up. Take care of business in Game 3. And they can step on their necks while they’re down in Game 4. One game at a time. Push it real good.

But mmmmmmm. Tacos. This recap is over. I’m hungry.

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Lakers/Thunder: Elbow To The Thunder’s Head

Rey Moralde —  April 22, 2012

BOX SCORE: Lakers 114, Thunder 106 (2OT)

This isn’t going to be the normal good/bad/ugly recap like you normally see out of me. I suppose you can say that I’m mailing in my recap much like the Lakers did today against the Thunder.

Until the 4th quarter, that is.

Of course, we’ll have to talk about Metta World Peace… Ron Artest elbowing James Harden to the head after he made his third dunk of the game. Up to that time, MWP had been playing the hardest out of all the Lakers and they had all the momentum in the world as they cut the lead down to 48-47. Whatever you think of that elbow (intentional, accidental, etc.), it was vicious and I won’t be surprised if he gets suspended 10 games or even more. At the time, it seemed like a death knell for the Lakers as they just seemed to go through the motions (they were as down as many as 18 points). Andrew Bynum, despite having 5 swats, looked sleepy out there. Heck, if someone told me I needed to play basketball at around 12:30 P.M., I’d probably stay in bed, too. But Bynum is a professional basketball player in the NBA and if he’s going to loaf around like that, then he doesn’t deserve to play. And he didn’t play after the third quarter as Jordan Hill (she sounds hot!) and his infectious energy was needed more out there.

Kobe Bryant. What can you say? This is why he is Kobe Bryant. He made most of them big shots. That 3-point runner in the 4th. That 3-pointer in Sefolosha’s face right after. His defense against Russell Westbrook (who finished 3-for-22) was PHENOMENAL. Kobe finished with 26 points and while he didn’t shoot well overall, he put the team on his back (sorry, NSFW video) and willed this team to victory.

I like that Mike Brown actually stuck with his line-up of Kobe, Pau Gasol, Devin Ebanks, Steve Blake, and Jordan Hill. Ebanks hustled relentlessly (10 freethrow attempts and did a nice job guarding Kevin Durant) and Blake made some timely threes (his threes in the fourth quarter were huge in this comeback). But you really gotta give fistbumps to Jordan Hill. The guy basically revived his career with a 14-point, 15-rebound, and 3-block performance. We just hope that Brown actually gives Ebanks and Hill some minutes from here on out because these hustle guys are too important to let them stew on the pine. Also gotta give props to Gasol. He didn’t look too hot earlier but he finished with a near triple-double with 20 points, 14 boards, and 9 dimes. He got the whole team involved with his great passing.

Oklahoma City was hurt with the loss of Harden (who is a great playmaker and third scorer) but they were up by as many as 18 points. Their fourth-quarter execution needs work and kudos to the Lakers for not giving up and taking advantage. I hope Bynum was observing intently during this game. I hope he learned that you just can’t walk on the court and expect to get 15 boards without trying.

Some have said that the Lakers should be worried that it took two overtimes to beat a Thunder team without Harden. Some have also said we should be worried for the Lakers’ lack of effort in the first three quarters. But there are going to be players that will put forth the maximum effort like Jordan Hill and we should be encouraged that the Lakers actually now have another big man beyond Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy.

No matter how you look at it, this was a HUGE win for the Lakers and their psyche. They’re down to one more game left in the regular season (against Sacramento on Thursday). And hopefully, they can punctuate their wild and wacky season with a win over that lowly squad. Even if Ron doesn’t see action for the rest of the year, we now know that they have guys that can step up and fill that gap. This COULD be a blessing in disguise as we have clamored for Devin Ebanks to get a spot on the rotation.

Get ready for the playoffs, ladies and gentlemen.

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Lakers/Nuggets: The Matt Barnes Show

Rey Moralde —  April 13, 2012

Box Score: Lakers 103, Nuggets 97
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 110.8, Nuggets 104.3
True Shooting %: Lakers 63.3%, Nuggets 50.9%

For the fourth straight game, the Lakers were going to be without Kobe Bryant, who was still out with tuberculosis or whatever that shin injury is called. Looks like it was up to the other guys to step it up again. Also, Coach Mike Brown didn’t coach due to personal reasons. John Kuester, former Detroit head man, had the reins for tonight. I almost expected a mutiny.

And, yes, I totally expected Andrew Bynum to get 35 rebounds in this game.

The Good:
He didn’t. But Bynum ended up with 30 points and was actually efficient in his shooting. He went 11 for 19 on the field and he got to the stripe, too (8 for 11). Granted, it wasn’t exactly pretty early on for Bynum and we’ll get to that later. Oh, and he had eight rebounds. Disappointment.

Against San Antonio, it was Metta World Peace that achieved his Laker career high. Tonight? It was Matt Barnes. He scored 24 points and pulled down 10 caroms (tied for the Laker high!). Yeah, I’m kinda disappointed he doesn’t have much of the El DeBarge hairstyle anymore but he was certainly getting into the rhythm of the night. Barnes hustled everywhere and made all four of his shots behind the arc. They don’t win this game without his potent scoring (YES) and scrappiness. He should’ve worn a hockey mask tonight.

Speaking of Metta, he started off fast on the offensive end. He eventually ended the game with 14 points but his hands were a bigger factor today as he ended up with 5 steals. And he also grabbed 8 boards. The small forwards for the Lakers are kicking it into high gear.

Pau Gasol didn’t have the best scoring game (14 points) but he did have ten boards and three swats. He also helped move the ball around with 5 of the Lakers’ 25 assists. Ramon Sessions struggled but he had a decent line at 7-4-6. And Steve Blake had his third consecutive good game with 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals off the pine.

And, of course, Staples Center fans got tacos and the Laker fans on the internet got virtual tacos. Plus the Lakers clinched a playoff spot with the win so don’t panic about that!

The Bad:
Bynum continues to have his issues with double teams (his frustrations probably made him get lax on D in the first half). The Nuggets came back a few times when they started quintuple-teaming (relax… I could get hyperbolic) Bynum even before he receives the ball. Of course, when they stopped doing that, Bynum made them pay.

Andre Miller has a YMCA game that can never be beat. He had a 20-6-6 line. He’s virtually had the same game since he was in college and probably when he was 8 months old. It never ceases to amaze me. And Al Harrington always seems to do well against the Lakers. Al Harrington finished with 18 points and reminded everybody that turtles fight with honor.

The Spurs only had ONE offensive board in the previous game. Tonight? The Nuggets had EIGHTEEN (in overall rebounds, the Lakers still won, 45-40). The Lakers forgot to box out Manimal (Kenneth Faried) and Pierre (JaVale McGee). They combined for 11 offensive boards.

Also, I’d like to know the stats for most double-digit games blown in a season. I believe the Lakers lead in that department. They were up as many as 15 points. Oh, Lakers. You’re so Hollywood. You just have to keep making it dramatic. If I wanted drama, I’d go rewatch my Melrose Place DVDs.

Lastly, I was hoping JaVale McGee would do something moronic. He didn’t and he actually had a very good game (14 points off 7/9 shooting and 10 boards). Though his only misses on the field were critical tip-ins that were botched late in the game.

The Ugly:
Turnovers were the story. The Lakers ended up with 22 giveaways. Gasol had six and Bynum had four. What was maddening was their post entry passes. If messing up a post entry pass was a crime, we’d have a bunch of Lakers in jail now.

Also, it’s amazing that the Nuggets had SIXTY-EIGHT points in the paint. 68 out of their 97. The Nuggets had 21 fastbreak points so even without those, that’s still a ridiculous amount of points in the paint. How about that vaunted frontcourt, eh, Lakers? Oh, well. It was a good thing that the Lakers didn’t get into a shootout/track meet with the Nuggets because that would’ve been disastrous.

The Play Of The Game:
I will go with the steal and the dunk by MWP in the first quarter. It really shows that he’s healthy, too. Keep doing that thang.

The Lakers are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the #4 Clippers. At this point, they’re probably not going to get any higher than the third seed. So they’ll have to keep playing their ball and continue to have momentum as the playoffs inch closer. They may not have Kobe again in their next game. But it’s probably a good thing as his teammates gain more confidence and Bean gets some much-needed rest.

The Lakers’ next game is against the Mavericks on a Sunday matinee. Great. We all know how the Lakers do on a Sunday afternoon. If it doesn’t rain, maybe you’re better off chillin’ in the park and waiting for the sun to go down along with your homies…

Have a great weekend. Even with this ridiculous wind going on in Southern California.

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Lakers/Spurs: Club 17 Paint Job

Rey Moralde —  April 11, 2012

Box Score: Lakers 98, Spurs 84
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers 110.1, Spurs 94.4
True Shooting %: Lakers 53.5%, Spurs 50.6%

The Lakers faced San Antonio for the first time this season. Kobe was still out. The Spurs rested Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili in the previous game so they would feel more fresh. We kinda joked that the Austin Toros would keep it close against the Lakers, who barely escaped the Hornets’ nest a couple of nights ago. What followed was a complete surprise.

The Good:
Andrew Bynum. Andrew Bynum. Andrew Bynum. THIRTY REBOUNDS IN THE GAME (easily breaking the season high in rebounds of 25 by Dwight Howard and… wait for it… Ersan Ilyasova!). Bynum absolutely owned the paint on both ends. Owned it so much that it felt like the single offensive rebound by the Spurs (yes, they only had ONE) was a pity board. But I suppose the Spurs can feel better that they would’ve outrebounded the Lakers if Bynum wasn’t there. The board count? The Lakers had a 60-33 whoopin’. SIXTY. 16-1 on the offensive boards, by the way. Of course, with Bynum’s domination on the boards, Pau Gasol looks lazy in comparison. Our favorite Spanish forward only had 11 rebounds. SLACKER.

Not only did Andrew Bynum get a career high in rebounds (Darius also noted that Bynum didn’t foul at all in the game!), but Metta World Peace had his best scoring game as a Laker. He scored 26 points and, at one point, made five straight field goals in the 3rd that included a series of fadeaway jumpers. He even made an old-school flat-footed 3-point set shot with the shot clock running down. Metta had smoke coming out of his fingers. I wish that Bill MacDonald knew his NBA Jam terms, though. Three in a row is not heating up, Billy Mac; that’s ON FIRE.

Pau Gasol had a terrible start, shooting-wise, but the Spurs got into even deeper water when Pau started making his jumpers in the 4th quarter. He had 21 points to end the game and, like Bynum, owned the paint as well. It’s just that we can’t appreciate Pau’s performance as much if Bynum (who also had 16 points) was basically being Pac-Man by eating rebounds as if they were ghosts.

Matt Barnes continued his hustle with 13 points, 6 boards, and 4 dimes. He also hit 3 3-pointers in the first half, which got most of us Laker fans afraid that they might depend on that 3 a little too much. But the ball rotation was so good that they had such good looks, we’d get mad if they didn’t take them. Steve Blake finished with 10-3-3 in his second consecutive good game, including a 3 that basically Austin 3:16′d San Antonio and the Laker fans that have been down (to put it kindly) on his game.

The ball movement was quite a sight. They had 23 assists on 40 field goal makes.

And the Lakers were swarming on D, particularly inside the paint. They made Tony Parker shoot difficult shots (2/12) and were getting in the face of most of their shots from inside to the midrange. The Spurs shot 40.7% overall and only scored 41 points after the half. San Antonio couldn’t deal with the Lakers’ size (insert terrible enlargement pills joke here).

Andrew Bynum and Metta World Peace should be able to listen to ‘N SYNC or Celine Dion as loud as they want in the locker room the next few nights after their fantastic performances. Steve Blake should’ve given Bynum the ball so he could shoot a 3 (I’m sure you guys noticed how Bynum ‘guarded’ Steve on the final seconds).

This feels like the most complete Laker game this season. Maybe tomorrow, Kobe Bryant will be amnestied.

The Bad:
The Lakers have had trouble covering the perimeter for years now and this is no exception. The Spurs hit 13 treys in the game but that was pretty much the only weapon the Spurs had.

Ramon Sessions (LATE EDIT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) was a little bit out of control even though he still had a decent game. Since the Lakers owned this game, I suppose we can give Sessions a pass with his four turnovers.

The Spurs did a great job fronting the post against the Lakers in the 2nd quarter. The Lakers had trouble with that for a while and if I was a San Antonio fan, I would wonder why they went away from that.

It’d be nice if the Lakers can kick teams while they’re down. When up 23, punch them in the face and go for a 30-point lead. When up 50, kick them in the groin and go for a 60-point lead. When up 127, leave C4s on their backs and go for a 180-point lead. You get the picture.

I’m also the last person to harp on referees (well, Darius might fight me to the death on this one) but the Spurs could Dragon Punch Andrew Bynum in the face and they still wouldn’t call a foul. Maybe they felt sorry for the Spurs.

The Ugly:
Good grief, Boris Diaw is a big boy. Imagine him dancing. Yeah, I thought you would like that image.

The Play Of The Game:
I will take MWP’s flat-footed three-pointer early in the fourth. That’s when you knew that everything was going right. You actually kinda wonder if Kobe’s spirit actually went inside Metta’s body. It was a sight to behold.

In a way, this game makes me angry. You saw how Bynum was so dominant on the glass. You kinda wish he would stop loafing around so he can average around 15 boards a game (30 boards a game?). It’s obviously a bit hard for Bynum to score with no Bean on the court but he has to be patient and not get so frustrated on both ends. Pass it out, repost, rinse, lather, repeat until a good shot comes along from the team. We all assume Bynum’s going to own this team beyond the Kobe Bryant era. Hopefully, he’ll figure it out. He’s a smart kid.

If this was any indication on how well the Lakers can play, the Spurs better know what they’re facing. They’re going to face each other twice more in the season. Of course, Gregg Popovich could just be a total jerk, kill a thousand people, then sit his stars down.

Meanwhile, the Lakers start a three-game homestand on Friday. They draw the Denver Nuggets. Of course, we would like to see the effort and execution they had earlier tonight against Ty Lawson and company. They can’t depend on Danilo Gallinari missed lay-ups and JaVale McGee bloopers that would make him an America’s Funniest Home Videos staple; the Lakers gotta bring it. With or without Kobe.

Enjoy the win. I know my dinner tasted better after that. Even if it was just a measly chicken sandwich.

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