Record: 31-28 (27-32 Pythagorean), 7th seed in the West
Record last 10 games: 5-5 (but have dropped 5 of the last 7)
Offensive Rating: 104.2 (26th in the NBA)
Defensive Rating: 106.1 (14th in the NBA)
Playoff Implications: While they are all big now, this one is huge, and not just for the city of New Orleans. The Lakers are precariously balanced in the eighth playoff spot, with Sacramento and Utah both 1.5 games back. New Orleans is just one game ahead of the Lakers.
Paul vs. Smush: This is the biggest match up of the night. Soon to be anointed Rookie of the Year Chris Paul is the offensive catalyst for the Hornets, starting with his 18.2 points per 40 minutes (second on the team) with a true shooting percentage of 54.8% (remember, the league average is close to 53%). What’s more impressive is he is dishing out 8.9 assists per 40 minutes with just 2.9 turnovers. As a rookie.
You would think he should be hitting the “rookie wall†since he’s never had to play this many games in a season before, but in the last 10 games he has been the team’s best player, by a wide margin.
When the Lakers and Hornets played last month, Paul was 6 of 10 from the field and finished with 19 points and 13 assists. Smush (and Sasha) will need to make sure he is not that efficient tonight if the Lakers are going to win
The rest of the Hornets: Despite Paul, the Hornets are one of the worst offensive teams in the league. David West has been solid at the four and leads the team with 19.5 points per 40 minutes. Speedy Claxton is always dangerous. Last time these two played, Desmond Mason led the Hornets with 21. But these are guys the Lakers can stop if they play focused defense.
This is a game Kobe, Cook and Odom should do well — the Hornets are an average defensive team but they have trouble with athletic people at the three and the four. For the season, threes (where Kobe essentially plays) are shooting 51% (eFG%) against the Hornets. He had 35 points last time, but the Lakers got their ass handed to them.
Lakers notes: Devean George is questionable tonight due to a sprained right wrist. Look for Jim Jackson to get a few of his minutes.
That last game where the Lakers lost big to New Orleans, Lamar Odom did not play.
Key’s to a Laker win: First, withstand the early run. New Orleans should come out fired up for the first game back in the Big Easy (although apparently the players really are fond of Oklahoma City). If New Orleans comes out hot, the Lakers just need to keep it close.
If they play the solid man-defense we’ve seen the last couple of games tonight, they should be able to slow down an unimpressive Hornet attack. The key is out top, and making sure Paul doesn’t get loose then start setting up teammates.
I’m not a big fan of saying a game is “must win†with 20+ games remaining, but this is about as close as it gets. The Hornets have stumbled in the last few games, coach Byron Scott blames it on the first time is young squad has been under playoff pressure, and a loss here would further erode their confidence. Let them try to hold off Sacramento and let’s get into the seventh spot.
John R says
Simmons takes it back today in a giant mailbag…
Q: Are you crazy? Like him or not, Kobe is the BEST player on the PLANET right now. You cannot leave him off the Olympic team. You have to have him, even if it means leaving Shaq to eat triple cheeseburgers in Miami. No two players in the NBA can defend him, no other scorer in the NBA plays defense like he does, and really, who do you want taking the potential game-winning shot in the gold medal game? Shaq would tell you Kobe.
— Greg Rivaldi, Carlsbad, Calif.
SG: That last point is a really good one. When I made my 2008 team, I was projecting 30 months from now and hoping that LeBron and/or Wade would be just as competent at crunch time. And I’m not sure you can have all three guys on the team because they’re all Alpha Dogs, and we learned the hard way that you can’t have an Olympic team with too many Alpha Dogs. At the same time, if my life depended on it, and I needed a basket with 10 seconds to play, Kobe would be the guy.
(Translation: I was wrong. Having a 2008 team without Kobe is shortsighted, even if he’s contrived and self-centered to a certain degree, and even if he hasn’t had a single teammate enjoy playing with him since 2001. In crunch time, you need him. I’m going to take another crack at that column this summer after we see what happens with Shaq and Stoudemire this spring. I’m also willing to reconsider Carmelo.)
kwame a. says
this game is key. the hornets were up big on phoenix two nights ago and blew a double digit lead to a team that was missing nash, stoudamire, thomas and jones. they only scored 9 points in the fourth. my point is that they are on the verge of slipping out of the playoof picture, and with sacramento almost a lock to get into the playoofs, it is essential the lakers beat the hornets, who along with houston, will be our main obstacles to getting to the postseason. We have to stop the lineup they put out there with speedy and paul, we must exploit this height difference
Daniel Myers says
I like how Kobe has been sharing the ball in the 1st quart lately. Tonight i would like to see him ATTACK the basket early. Get the Horents in foul trouble early, which will free up everyone else. If the Horents get in quick foul trouble then there deffense will weaken and people like Smush and Odom can post-up and be more effective.
I would love to see Ronny in there.
Maybe Bynum.
I cant wait to see what Jimmy Jackson has to offer.
I remember him killing the Lakers back in the day when he was with Sac town.
So if we can get them in early foul trouble and limit our turnovers. We WILL win!!
I predict a playoff slot no lower the 6th for the Lakers.
D
chris henderson says
Lamar has to be agressive tonight, as we’ve seen all season, when he plays hard, looks to drive and either finish with authority, or dish off after drawing in the D, that kind of play becomes contageuos to the rest of the team. AND THE LAKERS WIN!!!
one thing I DO NOT want to see is the reliance too much on outside looong range three point barrage type of offense, gotta run pick an pop with Kobe and Cookie, LO driving, Smush driving..and watch out for the Smush to kwame alley-oop…I betcha iwe see one tonight!
and when we get a lead, and have that falter in the 3rd quarter, or they are closing in on us near the end of the game…and if we are stalling on O, or gone a little cold…
WIN IT WITH DEFENSE!!!
BLT says
I think, by the way, that Chris Mihm also did not play in that last loss to the Hornets. Losing Odom and Mihm certainly didn’t help.
b
Goo says
Everybody and their mother might be in love with Chris Paul but he’s a ho if you ask me, I still won’t forget him socking Julius Hodge in the uhh ‘downtown’ region.
kwame a. says
hey bill simmons, hope you noticed the most clutch player of this millineuim come through with an insane 18 pts in the fourth quarter, to supplement one of Lamar Odom’s finest games of the season. stupid queens, jazz and rockets!
john says
a damn fine showing. makes me want to believe they can still make the playoffs.
lamar gettin 18, even with all those missed easy shots… my favorite one was where he blew it the first time from point blank range, got it back, and STILL didn’t try and dunk it on his second attempt. is chris henderson still alive?
luke and sasha, oh my.
chris henderson says
for most of the game last night, i was ready to toss Smush under the bus, he was getting beat by Paul every time down, so then we’d see Paul being chased by Smush to the hole, and Mihm would have to step in as last line of D, draw the foul, and have to go to the bench. Then all that silly business when he got fouled but got no call, then next time down, gets a nice little dunk and has to make an arse of himself, drawing a T…my main problem with Smush is he feels (the stage) too much like he has to “look cool’ all the time. I want to see him bear down, get agressive, forget he’s on TV, or in front of 20,000 screaming maniacs, just play (hard) ball.
but then, after the steal in the 4th qtr, I felt he finally made up for the poor performance proir, but still, I feel Smush is too preoccupied with the cameras, and his image, and should be more concerned about his performance on the court…that’s what matters!
you know basketball REALLY IS a game of LUCK.
(of course you gotta be able to get the ball close to allow luck to have an influence) and..the game is one of streaks…so when we all saw Kobe’s luck be bad for the first 3 qtr’s…we all kinda knew he was due. and we saw his luck change for the good at the end.
But this goes to what I’ve been saying for some time, we live (good) and die, (bad) by Kobe’s shots, (luck).
I’m not saying Kobe is just lucky (good or bad) I recognize he shoots straight, and has done the hard work to come as close as humaly possible to be able to nail it each and every time, but we’ve all seen the impossible (to laws of gravity or physics) when the ball climbs back out of the cylinder…that’s just bad luck.
So, good luck, or bad luck, that belongs in Vegas, and in every facet of life, it’s uncontrolable, so we need to recognize that we play for the best luck we can, and UTILIZE the one area that is controlable, AGGRESSIVE DEFENSE, at the end last night, with the Hornets trying desperately to get back into the game, what a pleasure to see our guys actually dig in, play like the season was on the line…
because …it was, a loss last night would have been a killer. hope to see them play more D like that, friends.
John R says
Ya know, if the Lakers had class they would have let the Katrina victims see their team win. Kobe Bryant doesn’t care about black people.
The only comparison I could come up with is if there was some blowout and the coach decides to play the team manager who happens to be autisitic or something and he starts raining three balls. But that could never happen because it would be too hurtful to the other team. Just like beating the Hornets in their first true home game.