Records: Lakers 54-25 (2 seed); Hornets 55-23 (1 seed)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 114.6 (3rd); Hornets 113.6 (5th)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 107.2 (8th); Hornets 106.9 (5th)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol
Hornets: Chris Paul, Mo Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler
Lakers Notes: After a shaky first 9 minutes (give or take) last night the Lakers played good defense, were efficient on offense and they cruised to a win. It was a good defensive effort by the Lakers, who after the first few minutes got smart and serious about defending Brand in the post, throwing a variety of looks and doubles at him. For the game the Clippers shot just 33% (eFG%) and had an offensive rating of 85.7. That said, I’m not sold that the Lakers have turned the corner on defense, tonight will be a much better test. Same with Sunday.
While tonight a back-to-back, it was the best kind possible — no travel and the starters got to rest during the fourth quarter.
Good to see Luke Walton back and put in a role where he could succeed against the Clippers. Look at his shot chart and you see he was back to hitting threes (4 of 5) but all his other points came in the paint right at the basket. He was back to playing smart and within the system. Hopefully that continues.
The Hornets Coming In: I don’t need to tell you they are playing well, but to get a little more insight we asked the guys At The Hive a few questions:
1) Everyone talks about CP3 (with good reason), but what does the often-overlooked David West bring to the table? How does he blend with Paul and the other starters?
Many people talk about how Paul has single-handedly made west into an All-Star, but that is overstated. The most important thing West brings to the offense is the ability to score with Paul not involved at all. Obviously, that’s a rare occurrence, but it’s a necessity to keep Paul fresh. West brings an excellent back to the basket game every night, and that’s a skill that would translate well from team to team, regardless of point guard.
His ability to extend the floor (with the 17 footer) blends very well with Paul’s passing ability. Much of our offense is predicated on floor spacing- even small let-downs in floor spacing can be devastating, as Utah’s stomping of the Hornets attests to.
2) There seemed to be a defensive slump with the Hornets mid-season, but of late the good defense appears to be back. What has changed? What is the team doing right?
I’m not so sure we’re out of the woods yet. Our defensive efficiency has been on the up-climb, but this team still experiences odd lapses in intensity that we really didn’t see early in the season. The biggest problem has been the inability to prevent penetration. It’s one thing when guys like Deron Williams and Paul Pierce are getting to the paint, but players like Marko Jaric have been accomplishing it as well. The second biggest aspect of returning to old form will be closing out on shots. Some New Orleans players have shown an odd proclivity for lazy closes. Of course, I’m confident in Byron Scott’s ability to turn things around in time for the postseason.
3)The big playoff question is, will the Hornets be able to handle the heat in what will be a first playoff test as a team and for some key players. How do you think they will hold up? What teams are good and bad matchups for them in the deep Western Conference?
I’ve never bought into the playoff inexperience argument too much. If a team is good in the regular season, I like their chances in the playoffs, and vice versa. That said, defensive intensity will definitely be stepped up in the playoffs, and how far the Hornets go will be determined by how much they, in turn, can step it up. Again, I think Byron will have the guys up to the task.
As far as matchups… obviously I don’t want to see Utah for a while. They guard Chris Paul better than any team in the NBA right now, and match up well offensively against the Hornets. Los Angeles would rank second on that “don’t want to see” list, since the Lakers are so deep, and have so much size on their frontcourt. But as you said, there are no easy outs in the West. I had Dallas pegged as an easy first round opponent as recently as a week ago, but now look at them. Ditto for Phoenix. This might sound odd, but I wouldn’t mind a matchup with San Antonio. We’ve defeated them by 24 and 25 this year, and even though history says they turn it up a notch in the postseason, I still like our chances against them.
Keys To The Game: While all the hype is the “Kobe vs. Paul for MVP†tonight, Kobe cannot let his passion and ego get in the way of a team game. If in the second quarter this becomes The Kobe Show he will put up 50 and the Lakers will lose.
For the Lakers to win they have to be focused on defense — and that starts with stopping Chris Paul’s penetration. The Hornets love them some high pick and roll and Paul with his quickness (and mastery at changing speeds) gets into the lane a lot. The Lakers bigs are going to have to be active on those screens, the Lakers need to throw a variety of looks at Paul and when he does get into the lane the rotations need to quick and the right one. Peja and Peterson love the corner three and go there, the Lakers cannot double Paul off them.
On offense, I’d like to see the Lakers use Gasol out on the wing to draw Chandler out of the paint. Whoever gets Peja on him (probably Radmanovic, at times maybe Odom) the Lakers should post up.
The Lakers have to crash the boards, the Hornets are a very good rebounding team (third best in the NBA in defensive rebounds). The Lakers need to make sure they Hornets don’t get easy put-backs or second chances. Also, cleaning up the defensive glass may give them a chance to run and get some easy buckets.
UPDATE: I had a computer crash that cost me much of my first version of this preview, and in the rush to get it done I missed a couple things. Commenter Reed nicely summed them up, so I’m noting them here:
2. Kobe must attack NO’s wings and get into the lane. NO does not have strong wing defenders, so Kobe must not settle for jump shots tonight. Get into the paint and get to the free throw line. Also, Chandler and West have no reliable backups, so getting them in foul trouble this way would be huge.
3. Force Paul to be a scorer. We’ve heard this before.
4. Don’t settle for 3s in the triangle. The Laker offense works best when run inside out. Last night (and often lately), the Lakers shooters (Kobe, Radman, Sasha, Fisher, Farmar, Walton) would jack up 3s without taking advantage of Gasol or Odom (or Kobe) on the block. Throw the ball down low, make your cuts, let Pau playmake, and then take the 3 if that’s what the defense gives you.
5. Bench points. Our biggest advantage over them is in our second unit. If they can’t win the +/- battle at the quarter turns, then we are in trouble. Watch for a close contest between the starters that eventually opens up at the early 2nd or 4th quarter mark.
UPDATE #2: Another great post from Bill Bridges, who has scouted the Hornets well:
The Hornet’s offense.
Option
1. High pick n pop w Paul and West. Pop to West for the open J (actually a set shot) free throw line extended. Automatic. Still don’t know how Cleveland didn’t cover this. Wound up losing to the Hornets on the last play of the game.
2. West post up on the left low block. He’ll either take the step back J on the baseline or try to pound it into the lane for a jump hook.
3. High pick n roll w Chandler and Paul. Paul lobs for an alley oop dunk from Chandler.
4. Transition. Paul pushes it up. Peja spots up top left 3 point line. A little penetration and dish out to Peja.
That’s it. Every thing else is a variation.
1. Stay w/ West on the pick n pop. Paul takes a floater or he dishes it out to Peja whose rotated to the right corner.
2a. Double West before his dribble, he dishes to Peja for the top left 3
2b. Double west after he starts his dribble into the lane, he kicks it out to Paul for the straight ahead 3.
3. Cover Chandler’s cut and Paul throws it back out to Peja for the top left 3. or takes a floater
4. Cover Peja and stop penetration. Reset the offense.
Peterson gets his usually on corner 3’s w the shotclock winding down.
How to slow them down?
1. Yes let Paul shoot. But not off a kickout from West. This he buries. The ones he shoots off the dribble is less reliable.
2. Do not double West unless he is killing you (kinda how you guard Aldridge)
3. Never, ever let Peja get going to leaving him open early in the game.
Where you can watch: Game time is 7:30 pm Fox Sports in LA and League Pass.
Rules says
Chris Paul seems to rip the Lakers a new one consistently….esp since the Lakers fail hardcore at defending the pick and roll. I hope we can pull this one out, that way voters won’t use this game as an excuse as to why Paul desrved the MVP more then Kobe(honestly, even if Lakers win, Paul will prob win it)
atthehive says
As a Hornets fan, I sincerely hope this one game doesn’t decide the MVP (which I wish I didn’t care about but somehow can never fully disregard) regardless of the outcome. After all, it’s ONE game. But in light of how insane the voters are, it probably will : [
Nik says
More bad news:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakerep12apr12,1,5269645.story
Wow. Our guys are really slow healers.
Reed says
A few game keys:
1. Draw Chandler away from the paint on defense. Utah exemplifies this well. Okur’s shooting ability forced Chandler to come out to the perimeter, leaving the middle open for penetrators and rebounders. Gasol doesn’t have Okur’s range, but I’d use him more on the high post tonight than usual, as Kurt suggested.
2. Kobe must attack NO’s wings and get into the lane. NO does not have strong wing defenders, so Kobe must not settle for jump shots tonight. Get into the paint and get to the free throw line. Also, Chandler and West have no reliable backups, so getting them in foul trouble this way would be huge.
3. Force Paul to be a scorer. We’ve heard this before.
4. Don’t settle for 3s in the triangle. The Laker offense works best when run inside out. Last night (and often lately), the Lakers shooters (Kobe, Radman, Sasha, Fisher, Farmar, Walton) would jack up 3s without taking advantage of Gasol or Odom (or Kobe) on the block. Throw the ball down low, make your cuts, let Pau playmake, and then take the 3 if that’s what the defense gives you.
5. Bench points. Our biggest advantage over them is in our second unit. If they can’t win the +/- battle at the quarter turns, then we are in trouble. Watch for a close contest between the starters that eventually opens up at the early 2nd or 4th quarter mark.
J.D. Hastings says
“but this team still experiences odd lapses in intensity that we really didn’t see early in the season. The biggest problem has been the inability to prevent penetration. It’s one thing when guys like Deron Williams and Paul Pierce are getting to the paint, but players like Marko Jaric have been accomplishing it as well. The second biggest aspect of returning to old form will be closing out on shots. Some New Orleans players have shown an odd proclivity for lazy closes. ”
Why did he start writing about the Lakers in the paragraph? That’s weird…
I hadn’t really thought about it, but he’s right about the Utah matchup. That’s their achilles heal team. They’re best bet to avoid Utah would be to relinquish the top spot in the standings. then they’d only face the 4-5 seed in the conference finals. Somebody fax this to Byron Scott!
I understand the reasoning behind posting Radman up, but having seen him trying to post up more, it’s not real pretty. The best case scenario is usually a brick that we rebound and put back.
I can’t believe this game is n’t nationally televised. But that fact may prevent Kobe from trying too hard to be dominant at the expense of his teammates.
erichirsch says
Let’s hope whoever gets Peja as a defensive assignment sticks to him like glue. If you get burned playing him close, he drives to the basket, he doesn’t have mega terrific finishing skills, and at least the ball’s out of Paul’s hands. Sag off him, he’ll rain 3s all night, which could be deadly.
Kurt says
Reed, great point about making Paul a shooter. That was in the pre-crash version of this preview, so I just added your comments to the post.
Bill Bridges says
I’ve watched alot of NOH games and they can be easily stopped. Why? Very limited and predictable offense. A predictable team would be easy for PJ to plan for and beat in a series. But for one night they are tough.
The Hornet’s offense.
Option
1. High pick n pop w Paul and West. Pop to West for the open J (actually a set shot) free throw line extended. Automatic. Still don’t know how Cleveland didn’t cover this. Wound up losing to the Hornets on the last play of the game.
2. West post up on the left low block. He’ll either take the step back J on the baseline or try to pound it into the lane for a jump hook.
3. High pick n roll w Chandler and Paul. Paul lobs for an alley oop dunk from Chandler.
4. Transition. Paul pushes it up. Peja spots up top left 3 point line. A little penetration and dish out to Peja.
That’s it. Every thing else is a variation.
1. Stay w/ West on the pick n pop. Paul takes a floater or he dishes it out to Peja whose rotated to the right corner.
2a. Double West before his dribble, he dishes to Peja for the top left 3
2b. Double west after he starts his dribble into the lane, he kicks it out to Paul for the straight ahead 3.
3. Cover Chandler’s cut and Paul throws it back out to Peja for the top left 3. or takes a floater
4. Cover Peja and stop penetration. Reset the offense.
Peterson gets his usually on corner 3’s w the shotclock winding down.
How to slow them down?
1. Yes let Paul shoot. But not off a kickout from West. This he buries. The ones he shoots off the dribble is less reliable.
2. Do not double West unless he is killing you (kinda how you guard Aldridge)
3. Never, ever let Peja get going to leaving him open early in the game.
Lakers shoulda kept Pargo huh?
Reed says
8– Great stuff.
will says
8: awesome
kwame a says
8-Vlad has to stay at home with Peja, great point. Also, Lamar has to get a hand out on West, or we need to rotate over, he can’t be left alone for wide open 18 footers. Offensivley, the Lakers need to go to Pau and get Chandler out of the game early.
ryan says
Good stuff. I agree with making Paul a scorer. If Paul gets 40 pts and beats you by scoring so be it. But he will kill you if you let him get 20 pts 10-15 assts. In the game we won, Paul scored 32 but only had 5 assists. In the two games the Lakers lost Paul averaged 23, and 19 (those are incredible numbers).
I am mad that this game is not on national TV. Instead they are showinig CHI Vs CLE. I really want to see the game. Maybe I’ll order league pass to watch one game,
kwame a says
Oh yea, Bonzi is a problem, we don’t have a good matchup for him, he makes me nervous
Reed says
But Bonzi makes Byron Scott even more nervous.
dustin says
Hey does anyone know whats going on with janeiro
the games arent there anymore
thanks for your time
and if you know any alternative sites
Samy says
Yeah any new sites?
kwame a says
13-He’s been playing well of late, and gives Kobe fits on the block. Hopefully Byron leaves him on the bench. I think their bench is uderrated, J.Wright has come on nice, and Pargo and Wells are solid. Anderson is back too, although he hasn’t done much.
hertagnism says
Injury woes with Ariza? If a bone is broken in your foot, shouldn’t it hurt so much that you won’t be able to walk? Yet they report that he’s running at 80% his body weight and moving up to 90%.
Oh Zenmeister, did you have a hand in this?
First a crosscountry evaluation for Bynum and now a small broken bone that still hasn’t healed for Ariza but yet they both practiced and from the therapy video Bynum was in, he looked good. Smells fishy.
As per tonight’s game, I think it will be decided in the first quarter and the third quarter. If the Lakers come out with good or even solid defense and continue their offensive onslaught, they will have a great chance to win. If their defense is spotty early on, the chances go down and expect another uphill battle in the 2nd half. They need to post Kobe more.
j. d. hastings says
Oh hey, how about some halftime racial tension? This game’s got everything!
kwame a says
Lakers gotta match the runs the Hornets are bound to make.
chris h says
with the Suns losing to the Rockets tonight, doesn’t that mean we can clinch first place in the Pacific with a W tonight?
yeah, like Kwame A says, we gotta know they are going to come out hard in the 2nd half, with the goal to outplay us, and cut it to 10 to start the 4th, and then it’s anybodies game.
I hate this trying to protect a lead, it’s hard to do especially against top teams.
jd, not sure what you are referring to, did I miss something?
I don’t watch with the audio on, my wife plays piano a lot, which I kind of prefer anyway, lakers to classical, you should try it some time.
Goo says
Complete 180 from the defensive intensity and efficiency on the offensive end from the first half, are we going for 50+ 3’s? I vaguely remember multiple Lakers attacking the paint in the first half but each clanked 3 and easy Hornets layup seems to be fogging my memory..
Laker Pauer says
Dear God, blowing a 30(!) point lead… I wanna cry.
Goo says
Guys who need to watch the game online, try out this site (you’ll have to download the programs to the left of the play button though, but they’re not spyware or viruses or anything like that, i know links to download the programs are somewhere on the site but you can google the name of the program to find download pages elsewhere)
http://www2.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=9830&part=sports
..a Lamar Odom attempt at a 3, the ultimate sign the offense is falling apart
kwame a says
No more pep in our step. Offensivley the ball is moving slow, the cuts have stopped. On defense the hard trap is now soft, and the rotations are not crisp.
matt. says
Samy, dustin — Did you try doing a google search? Here’s what I found when I did:
http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080409025547AA0ZvX4
Try channelsurfing.net and andromedanet.com.
Also, hd-t.org has HD quality downloads of past Laker games. Usually takes a day after the game for them to upload, and you have to have torrent software.
And lakersmedia.com has HD quality highlights of every laker game on their site.
Reed says
Hopefully, the hornets took their shot and now lose a little energy.
The Lakers need to start attacking off the dribble earlier in the shot clock and make backcuts. The Hornets are overplaying and taking them out of their offense.
Paul is spectacular.
kwame a says
MVP exclamation dunk!!
Reed says
However this game ends, I have more respect for NO. They took LA’s best shot — our best first half of the year — and did not flinch. Just kept working and chipping away — always believed.
LakeShowTime says
Looks like we were dead tired in the 3rd…good D by us in the last 3 minutes tho
LakeShowTime says
Our offense looks timid in the last 2 however
kwame a says
I cant believe they have Peja on Kobe, in the 4th, in a close game. I dont get it
lei says
omigod thank you lakers. pacific division champs!
Kareem says
GAME. SET. MVP
matt. says
29-10-8 on 9-17 shooting? Sounds like an MVP to me.
hertagnism says
What an ugly win. Seriously, blowing up a 30 point lead?
Lakers attempted 35+ from beyond the arc and converted a poor percentage. Their defense was lackadaisal the latter parts of the game. After a brilliant first quarter and the beginning of the 2nd quarter, they just relaxed. Not only that but the really dumb turnovers that gave the hornets hope.
Well, we’ll take it.
Before the game, there was hype that this game would decide the MVP and the #1 seed (perhaps). After the Lakers win, I think there is still a good chance at #1.
ryan says
Lakers pulled out a win. Good game. If they win out they could possibly get 1st, which would be good cause then they would likely face Denver is probably the best match up.
Craig W. says
In the 2nd half I don’t think I saw the triangle offense run once. All I saw was a bunch of 1-on-1 plays with all the other players (except Gasol) hanging out at the 3pt line. The 3pt shot is going to be the death of us in the playoffs – mark my words.
GK says
Great win tonight, but we really need to finish off the season strong. We obviously can’t look past San Antonio and we still can’t look past Sacramento. This is not the last game of the season.
Karl says
If the Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks look to stay where they currently are, as in the 2-3 or 6-7 range, it would be best for the Lakers to get to 1st in order to avoid any of them until the Western Conference Finals.
But we’ll worry about that tomorrow cause tonight the Lakers are the Pacific Division champs once again!
kwame a says
38-If the Lakers play D like they did in the first half, then they can go far
j. d. hastings says
People talk about the playoff experience of the Hornets (including a really annoying sideline report in the first half where the smug reporter mocked the Hornets like a d-bag waaaay too early), but Chris Paul has never looked like the kind of guy who will be shaken by the stage. He’s an absolute warrior. I’d be more worried about Peja, but he’s got a lot of experience. This team is for real.
I don’t think either half was entirely indicative of these two teams. Which makes sense, because none of the 4 games they’ve played has felt very representative…
RT says
Did anyone hear Norm Nixon on the post-game show say that acquiring Pao Gasol was the “biggest trade in Laker history?” What? Gasol? Biggest trade in Laker history? It was a great and important trade, for sure, but are you kidding me? Acquiring Kareem wasn’t a bigger trade? Acquiring Kobe wasn’t a bigger trade? Acquiring Wilt Chamberlain wasn’t a bigger trade? Acquiring the pick that became James Worthy – a hall of famer and one of the few Lakers honored with a retired number – wasn’t a bigger trade? That’s the definition of short memory.
http://artofthesport.blogspot.com
me says
Im my (heavily biased mind) Kobe is clearly the MVP. I love to watch Chris Paul and he is a wizzard with the ball. But he can not match the combination of skill, defense (aside from the occasional ball watching), extreme intensity (matched by only Baron Davis,) and sheer will to win, that Kobe posses. We all remember that Kobe unified all these young guys and took them to a point (before the injuries started hitting but with out Gasol) in the middle of the season where they wer almost unbeatable for a stretch.
All the offcourt bullshit that has tainted Kobe in the public eya has nothing to do with basketball and should not be weighed in.
MVP….MVP…..MVP
Ryan Schwan says
Good game for you guys. I know Kobe and Pau got the points, but it was Odom that won that game for you. It was his defense that hampered the Hornets more than anyone else on the floor. He was working West and made Paul’s floaters infinitely harder to land with his long arms. He was also the catalyst of that first quarter lead, working with slick passes and determined drives to the basket.
Fisher was also vital.
Oh – if my Hornets meet the Lakers in the playoffs – covering Peja might be a good idea.
Those could be really good games.
matt. says
@42 – RT — Yeah that drives me nuts. Everyone – media, fans, bloggers – seems to think that whatever happened last nite is bigger, better and more important than what has gone before.
Like people proclaiming Shaq the most dominant player ever. Really? Go take a look at Wilt’s stats sometime at basketball reference. And once your head stops spinning, compare his stats to the rest of the league in each of those seasons. THAT was dominant.
In today’s media culture it just seems like having an instant opinion on everything, and arguing that opinion to the death, is more important than being balanced and well-informed.
The ombudsman on ESPN wrote a really good article on this last year. She said that the 24-hour news cycle has become the 24-hour opinion cycle.
And I have no idea why I’m writing all this after the Lakers just won one of the biggest games of the year.
drrayeye says
(42) I think Norm was talking about season changing mid-season trades. The Lakers have only lost a few games since midseason with Pau in the lineup this year.
None of the other great Laker acquisitions you refer to were acquired mid season through a simple trade.
Looked at that way, Norm Nixon may have been right on the money.
drrayeye says
We need to take this incredible Western Conference pre playoffs playoff one day at a time. The Hornets are going to hear cowbells tomorrow night in the second of their away back-to-back. Of course, that cowbell music will be familiar to former Kings Peja and Bonzi.
Considering that the Sacto home record and the Hornet away record are almost identical, and Sacto’s recent victories against quality opponents, this could be a very interesting game.
I’m not even ready to peek ahead to Sunday yet.
Travis Y. says
The defensive intensity and energy level was incredibly higher than the Hornets in the first half. If we out work teams like that there’s nothing from stopping us in the playoffs. So at least we know we’re capable of playing at a high level. It’s just whether we can sustain this level.
Craig W.- Live by the three die by the three.
That was not disciplined basketball, and was painful to watch in the 4th. I wonder when we’ll get our act together.
Nonetheless good Lakers win. Here’s to improvement.
Brian Tung says
I was at the game tonight, in the nosebleed seats. There was a lot of concern from the fans after the Lakers staked themselves that big lead–I started getting concerned in the last few minutes of the second quarter, but it really started hitting folks in the third.
Mostly, it seemed as though the Lakers were a little gassed. They started settling, and more revealing, they missed a lot of open looks. Many of those threes were off inside-out looks, and they just couldn’t knock them down. Lay-ups were rimming out, too. That usually spells exhaustion.
I was really impressed with the Lakers D at the start and at the end of the fourth quarter. On the way out, I mentioned to my friend who saw the game with me, that the Lakers have given up big leads just as they’ve come back from big deficits, but on balance, most of the time we give up big leads in pressure situations, we end up pulling the game out, whereas when we’re down big, we often complete the comeback. (2003 Game 5 vs Spurs being a notable exception. Damn that Horry trey was down deep.)
The Dude Abides says
#45 Ryan — On at least two of Peja’s 3-pointers in the second half, he was contested pretty closely. I think a lot of people forget how tall he really is…he’s pretty close to being a legitimate 6-10. He doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. I guess the thing to do if you want to defend him effectively would be to deny him the ball and not help out on CP3…not an easy thing to do.
That first half was easily the best perimeter defense that the Lakers played at home all season. The last time they played defense like that, they beat the Hornets in NO when they still had Bynum.
nomuskles says
Phew! I’ve got nothing to add. That was some pretty high quality basketball right there.
mike says
I like the way the playoffs are falling into place, Spurs and Suns 1st round seems pretty good, if we can pull off 1st in west it’ll be even better, but getting 3rd and having to face the spurs and suns back to back would have been tough but i believe that is now not going to happen so even with 2nd we’ll only have to face the winner, unless things change.
But a look at the rest of the schedules I think the suns, rockets and spurs will stay about where they are each losing once more hopefully. But we have to take care of the spurs.
harold says
i’m just happy that Kobe didn’t try to go 1-5 on this one.
yeah, happy with the win too.
#1 seems quite unlikely, but at least there’s hope.
Bill Bridges says
A little exciting than we like but what I noticed:
The the 1st quarter the Hornets got NONE of their 4 primary options. The Lakers coaches did a good job forcing the Hornets into second and third options and random improvisation. An example. When Paul and Chandler ran their PNR lob play, Kobe rotated over to intercept the lob.
The Hornets were out of sync on both ends.
I really thought that the officials had a huge impact in changing the game. In the second quarter they changed the way they called the game. They didn’t allow the incidental contact from the Lakers’ point guards that they were allowing in the first quarter. The result foul trouble for both Fisher, Farmar and quickly into penalty. In one sequence, Chandler set a moving screen on Fisher, Paul rubbed Fisher off and actually ran into Chandler, throwing Paul off balance. Fisher got the foul.
This change in officiating forced the Lakers D to be less aggressive (remember the 2004 final vs Detroit?). Defensive passivity remained for the Lakers until the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter. I think if the refs kept calling the game the same as they did in the 1st, this would have been a blow out. Hence, the hornets were able to run their top 4 options and variations for the rest of the game.
As far as Peja on Kobe. Byron has been putting Peja on the best offensive player at the end of games. Peja was on Lebron at the end of the Cleveland game. The truth is that he actually has been doing a pretty good job. And who else would have guarded Kobe, Mo Pete? While Bonzi is a better one-on-one defender than Peja, he would have been no more effective against Kobe and Peja is a much more dependable team defender. In the Hornets defensive scheme, individual defense is not as important as knowing where the help is coming from and steering your man into it. Not a single NOH player can cover his man one on one.
After the 1st quarter, the Lakers became tentative on offensive and slow to capitalize on mis-matches. The Hornets started to push their defense out (while trapping Kobe high) daring the Lakers to dribble penetrate. Instead, the Lakers chose to continue to try to shoot over it.
Anyway, to recap. The “Bill Points” tally. Kobe points = 16 (FTM + assists). Odom = 11 (FTM + Offensive Rebounds) . When Kobe points > 12 and Lamar points > 10 the Lakers win. Between the two, Lamar was the key.
Beyond the numbers, It seemed as if Lamar has now accepted that Bynum is not coming back and is ready to make up for Pau’s lack of strenth. It is as if we saw Lamar’s mental toughness and will to win finally showing through for the first time in his career. Good to see and probably why the Lakers wound up winning.
Brian says
“Better call the fire department, Nixon is getting burned”
Ah brings back some good memories of Chick Hearn’s golden years. His channel 9 broadcasts while growing up are the main reason I am a Laker fan to this day.
Great game, love to see Odom in top form like that.
namotuman says
over the top defense in the first half ALMOST offset by lackluster/fatigued play in 15/16ths of the 2nd half, rescued by a series of stops at the end. good thing they played d in the end, because the o stunk…….
peja really got into the act, but just like that airball in sacto, when the chips were on the line in this game, he clanked his 3 ball, when he had hit what seemed like 6 in a row over an array of laker defenders (most impressively l.o.)……
curious….pj voted for adelman for the coty award. i thought there was a bit of bad blood between those two from the sacto days….
saw it again!….ronny passing up an opportunity to attack the rack to dish to sasha for a….long 2…….with bynum’s absence getting extended, he needs to get back to that early season form mindset of energy/attack off the bench……
kwame a says
Drraye- I hope the Kings beat the Hornets too, but the Hornets have the second best road record in the NBA, that’s a little different than the Kings, who have the 10th best home record in the NBA. That being said, anything can happen (although I put no faith in the Clips beating them)
Warren Wee Lim says
Nice to see that my whole post yesterday went to ashes when Phoenix lost to Houston. Now it gives me another false hope that the Lakers might actually win the West if we go 2-0 and the Hornies lose 1 more game (probably the Dallas one drray but I hear you on the b2b @ Sactown).
Now here are the updated “projections”.
Lakers will finish at least with 56 wins. Good for 1st or 2nd or 3rd.
Hornets will likely be #1 but they hate Utah don’t they? Can we pre-arrange something so that we can face Utah presumably in the 2ns round? Oh and they like the SPuRs? Perfect! They can have them in the 2nd round.
SPuRs kinda like being not on top. This year, it may be a case of a forced hand rather than them playing it on 2nd gear, the West is simply so darn packed and they could not pull off wins against the Hornies. I bet they’re the 2nd team they’d like to avoid in the 2nd round. If its any consolation, the SPuRs may not be present in the 2nd. If they stay 3rd and Phoenix stays 6th, they’re in for a bumpy ride.
Utah will most probably, in all likelihood, safe to assume, presumably, assumingly, almost most certainly, surely, be the 4th seed. Could you believe I used 7 adverbs there?
Houston is unbelievably staying strong. A date with Utah is what it means and TMac will have a date with destiny and the demons and skeletons in his closet. Likely a 1st round exit. AGAIN. Sorry but I simply do not have faith in TMac nor Adelman. I think they’re good but… but… but…
Phoenix looks like the “safe” 6th. Dallas cannot catch up but they are most likely unable to catch up with Houston too. So its San Antonio on a silver platter Mr. Shaq…
Dallas clinched the playoffs off a Dirk three. Weird how they have won 50 in 8 consecutive seasons. I think NOH or LA is quite overpowering for their standards but they are playing well as of late.
Denver of course will most likely beat out GSW.
LA or NOH v DEN
UTA v HOU
LA or NOH v DAL
SA v PHX
Scenario 1 – LA is #1.
This is the scenario all Laker fans hope for esp with Bynum and Ariza reportedly not ready. We simply have DEN and UTA’s number this year…
Offensive teams < Lakers.
Scenario 2 – LA is #2.
This is the bumpier road. Dallas in rd1, SA in round 2, but an easier WCF UNLESS NOH wins. Definitely what looks more possible but I am cringing and crossing fingers its scenario #1.
Stephen says
Warren,
I really like the Lakers chances against the Mavs,Nuggs. The lakers might lose a game or two,but not a series.
This yr I like the player match-ups w/Utah vs Houston. Rockets finally have a PF in Scola who can bang w/Boozer and they can put Hayes or Landry on Okur.Utah has nobody who can guard McGrady and I think the array of Houston points can somewhat offset Williams.(Last yr T-Mac routinely beat AK-47 off drive and Utah used numerous defnders to wear down T-Mac. This yr Giricek and Fish aren’t there.) Depends on how much the refs let Utah get away w/ for deciding factor.
Optimum scenario for everybody else is for Pho and SA in First Rd. Let them wear themselves out and eliminate a strong contender right off the bat.
I still believe NO gets top spot and they should beat Denver pretty handily,gaining the Playoff experience all the talking heads say they don’t have.(Utah didn’t have any of the vaunted experience last yr and made it to WCF.)
How many are willing to bet Kobe,Lamar and Gasol sit out the last game giving almost 7 days of rest before Playoffs?
Bending the multi-topic rule,but anyone else finding it amusing how everyone is now sitting out against Sonics? First McGrady,then Ginobli and now Howard.
chris h says
http://146.145.120.3/default.asp?c=latimes&page=nba/stand/standingacw.htm
doesn’t THIS bring a tear to your eyes, fellas?
how sweet……………………
go kings tonight!
laughing hard says
Go Kings… I never thought I’d see the day =)
alex v. says
I think it’s great that we’re seeing more and more of warrior-Lamar*, the monster who played in last year’s play-offs. Besides the rebounding and general dirty work down lows, it seems like he’s been doing a lot of close passing and ball fakes that we don’t usually see from him. I don’t know whether it’s Lamar gearing up for the play-offs, or just finally getting really comfortable working with Gasol, but I’m really looking forward to seeing more of this.
* Not to be confused with Golden-State-Warrior-Lamar, who throws up long jumpers early in the shot clock. We don’t need any more of him.
RT says
@46/matt: Yeah, I read that; Schreiber is a great media critic; I’m glad ESPN replaced Solomon with her.
@47/drrayeye: It didn’t sound like that to me, but I can buy that Nixon meant that it was the Lakers’ best midseason trade ever. I guess I can give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t say exactly what he meant to say.
http://artofthesport.blogspot.com
kwame a says
Quick point I’m not sure we have talked about yet: Even if New Orleans loses one more game and the Lakers win out, they are not guaranteed the #1 seed. Houston can win out too, and they would have the tiebreaker on us and NO. Therefore, to get the #1 seed, Houtson and New Orleans must lose one more game, and we need to win out.
drrayeye says
(58) Kwame a,
According to ESPN, New Orleans is 26-13 away, and Sacramento is 25-14 at home. Should Sacramento win tonite, they would be dead even in w/l with the Hornets in actual games–whatever the rankings.
If we go by the numbers rather than the rankings or the hype, this game is a toss-up.
Go buy a Kings t-shirt (a Los Angeles Kings t-shirt will do if you have one) and dig up some cowbells. The Kings may need our help to get over the hump.
The Fanalyst says
The second half of a second game in a back-to-back schedule is always going to be a little flat, from any team, almost all of the time. I like the effort and am glad for the huge win. Everyone new the Hornets were going to make a run for it, but the Lakers showed composure and pulled it out. It was a good, gutsy playoff-type win and should put Kobe firmly in the MVP spot. Especially since Chris Paul couldn’t stay out of foul trouble and Kobe was throwing down a highlight reel dunk and dominating (almost a triple-double). If we can knock out the Spurs on Sunday we should be able to grab the top spot in the West before it’s all said and done. Can’t wait for the game tomorrow!
kwame a says
64-Road records and home records are not the same. New Orleans13 games over .500 is more impressive than 11 games over .500 at home. That’s all I’m saying, and I’ll be screaming for the Kings too.
Ryan.G says
This is going to be a critical game for the Kings. My brother drove up to Sacramento yesterday and is going to watch the game with his friend that is a big Kings fan. Hopefully they can upset the Hornets tonight.
musil says
65. drrayeye’s point stands. we’re not talking about overall strength of resume–in which case new orlean’s road record would be more impressive than sac’s home record–or even overall quality. We’re talking about the conditions of this particular game, in which sac is the home team, new orleans the road. oh, i just felt like arguing.
The Dude Abides says
Houston does not have the tiebreaker with NO. If LA, HOU, and NO finish tied w/ 57-25 records, the first step is determining the two division champions. So, Lakers get Pacific. Between NO and HOU, their head to head is 2-2. Next step is division record, and NO has a better record within the SW Division than HOU. So, NO is SW champ, LA Pacific champ, and their head to head is 2-2, but the Lakers have a better conference record, and therefore get the #1 seed.
adb says
I know by now you guys have all seen Kobe’s jump over a car. However, here’s a hilarious take on Kobe’s 1st attempt!
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1811089
Lakersfan88 says
55, I was at the game and you are absolutely right about the officials changing the game and the Lakers defense getting lazy as a result. Once the Lakers were up by 20+, they pretty much stopped calling any fouls in their favor (one that stands out is Bonzi pushing Luke off with his arm when he was posting him up) and would call little ticky-tack fouls on the Lakers, and the Hornets were definitely playing a little dirty out of frustration or whatever.
Luckily once the game started to get close they returned to reasonable officiating (well, as reasonable as NBA refs get). But all in all great game, and amazing defense for about 3 out of the 4 quarters. If the team can play like this every night, then start making plans for a parade in June.
matt. says
63 – kwame a
Wow I hadn’t even thought of that. Good call.
So we need the Hornets to lose to either Kings or Mavs, and we need the Rockets to lose to either Nuggets or Jazz. Got it. And of course we need to win out.
pw says
69. Today’s the day the Hornets need to lose. They are coming off on the wrong end of a back-to-back and playing on the road against a decent Kings team. After last night’s high emotion game, I would be surprised if the Hornets come out and play well in the first quarter.
Apart from the Kings game, the rest should be easy for the Hornets. The Mavs would already have locked up the 7th seed by the time they meet the Hornets and would probably rest their starters for that game.
kelly says
Great performance by the Lakers. We got to get that 1# seed. Dallas and the Spurs 1st 2 rounds is a difficult road to the WCF,
chris h says
47, 42, let’s not forget the mid-season pick up of Mychal Thompson, that my friends was a major pick up.
and the reason is, we were going to face the Celts again in the finals, no doubt, and up until then, we had no match up for Kevin Mchale, …none.
MT actually had recruited McHale at college, and had his number. remember that game day with the Celts was actually MT’s first day on the job and they used a ballroom in a Boston hotel to walk him through some plays?
that was a big pick up.
but RT, I have to go with Dr Rayeye, I believe Norm was talking about a mid seaon pick up, and Gasol is possibly the biggest, that and Mychal Thompson.
(we did beat the Celts that year, that…was huge!)
another trade, Norm probably wouldn’t mention, was trading him to the Clips for Byron Scott…hahaha
chocomm says
I hope you guys still haven’t forgotten that if we lose on Sunday to the Spurs and the Hornets lose one of their final three games, the Spurs will once again be the #1 team in the WCF.
But I must say that we must do anything and everything to support the Kings. Yes, the Kings, the blood-rival during the Shaq-Kobe era. The Kings play the Hornets tonight, and then the Spurs on Monday ; a back-to-back for the Spurs after they play the Lakers on Sunday. So believe it or not, the Kings will have as much say in the race to the #1 as the Lakers will.
The Dude Abides says
Totally agree with chocomm…we need to support the BallSACs tonight and hope they come up big against the Hornets. Maybe Artest will suddenly become healthy again for tonight’s game. The only games he seems to play these days are against contenders. Let’s hope that Garcia, Hawes, KMart, and Salmons all hit their shots, and someone is able to keep Chandler off the boards.
Reed says
If NO beats Sacramento tonight and we beat San Antonio tomorrow, then Dallas will have full control over the 1 seed. They play NO at home on the last night of the season. If we have beaten SA and Sacramento and NO has not otherwise lost, then Dallas will be able to “choose” who their first round opponent is. If they beat NO, then we are the 1 seed and they play NO. If Dallas loses to NO, then we are the 2 seed and NO is #1. I am desperately hoping Dallas doesn’t decide to rest Dirk now that they have the 7 seed locked up.
drrayeye says
Reed, Let’s not peek beyond tonight. Then we can have fun speculating each day for the next few.
chris h says
and…don’t forget that WE play the Kings our final game of the season, they do indeed have some say in the final standings, even tho they aren’t in them.
Reed says
True, true. But it is hard not to envision the possibilities with just a few games left. That Dallas game is interesting because, unlike Sacramento, they might have a direct interest in who gets the 1 and 2 seeds. I imagine they would want to avoid us as they have had no answer for Kobe all year, but who knows.
Warren Wee Lim says
But why would the Kings want us to be #1? They will give this game to the Hornies guys… bank on Dallas to choose NOH over us. We seem to have their number this year and Kobe-Lamar-Pau is deadlier than CP3-West-Chandler.
kwame a says
Quick update, Kings up 5 with 4:30 to go in the 2nd quarter.
kwame a says
Oops, Kings got sloppy with ball, got some turnovers, some forced shots, but made a couple shots to get to halftime with a 52-49 lead. Hornets look a little tired, hopefully the Kings hold on.
Warren Wee Lim says
Yeah and the W’s are winning while the Nuggs are being smothered by the Jazz.
drrayeye says
Tonite, Dallas is geting beaten (pretty bad) by Portland at halftime, but Denver is getting clubbed by the Utes. The Clippers are getting Smushed by Golden State–gave up 42 in the first quarter. Then there is the nail biter in Sacto where the noise of those cowbells is just barely keeping those pesky Hornets one Peja stinger away.
Keep in mind that if Sacto wins, the Lakers control their own destimy. If Denver loses and Golden State wins, they are tied for 8 (though Denver has the tie breaker). Dallas losing can’t help, but they seem pretty locked into 7.
That’s just tonite, folks!
Anonymous says
big 3 by artest!!! looks like kings might pulli t out!!
DowJones says
^^oops got too excited my post
Reed says
Artest of life, goodness, and truth.
laughing hard says
I’m cheering for Ron Artest… I feel dirty =)
DowJones says
haha commentators mentioning about the love other teams show for kings hahahahaha so rich looking at this chat right now
emh101 says
92 Ha, ha. I know what you mean. I was SO happy when he made that three! And I hate Ron Artest . . . uh oh 3 second violation. PLEASE pull this out.
AM says
The thing to remember is that no matter what happens with New Orleans, the Lakers still need to take care of their own business. That means coming out of the locker room with defensive intensity and offensive focus (inside-out basketball) and maintaining those things for 48 minutes against both San Antonio and Sacramento.
Remember Brian Shaw talking about how he told the team multiple times during halftime up in Portland about New Orleans’ loss on that day, and how the team didn’t respond with what it took to get the win (not to diminish Portland’s play). It would be a huge disappointment if the Lakers saw a loss by NO, then relaxed, and blew their opportunity!
If SA or Sacto come out and hit their contested shots, block our shots inside, and truly defeat us, so be it. But if the Lakers jack up misfired threes or play lackadaisical defense, then we don’t deserve the #1 seed. Simple as that, really.
Aaron says
GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ….Up by 7 with 24 sec left, now NO back in it!!!! Down one!
The Dude Abides says
Unbelievable!! SAC had a 7-pt lead with 24 seconds left, they fouled MoPete on a three, he hits all three FTs, then SAC can’t inbound the ball in five seconds. Peja just hit a three with 12 seconds left to cut the lead to one.
pw says
Wow! Peja made a clutch 3…
Aaron says
KINGS WIN KINGS WIN KINGS WIN!!!!!!
The Dude Abides says
Woo hoooooooooooooo!!! BallSACs win!!!
emh101 says
Woo hoo! It seems like the Lakers can control their own destiny. Unbelievable!
laughing hard says
QUEENS WIN!
Karl says
The Lakers are in 1st place!
pw says
It’s funny. After yesterday’s game Chris Paul made a statement that they were going to win the last 3 games anyway so yesterday’s loss did not matter too much. I thought that was a little arrogant of him to say. That statement must have provided a lot of motivation for the Kings.
AM says
Well, the #1 seed is now the Lakers’ to lose (or Houston’s to take — as kwame a. pointed out). Time to get pumped up, Lakers fans!!
Aaron says
BTW Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the Hornets are happier as a #2, as this will pit them against a Mavs team that cannot keep up with CP3, as he showed the last time these two played, as well as a possible 2-3 matchup with the Spurs, who they beat twice by over 20 this year. They have a better chance of getting to the WCF with a 2 seed, as they stay away from the Lakers and Jazz until the WCF if they get there.
Jeff says
NEVER thought I’d be saying this…
But THANK YOU SACRAMENTO!!!
Now just have to hope Houston loses….and we win out.
Bring on da Spurs! We control our Destiny!
drrayeye says
Well,
The Kings did the dirty deed. Even a stinger at the end by Peja wasn’t enough. Yes, Ron Artest was involved. He not only scored 22, but must have had sometihing to do with Peja’s 2-11 from the 3 point line.
Mr. “MVP” was 4-13 and 0-2 from the three though he did have 12 assists. It appears that the Hornets just ran out of gas.
It’s not up to Mark Cuban, Dirk Nowitzke, or Devean George. They may or may not sting the Hornets, but right now, the Lakers once again control their own destiny.
By winning two games, the Lakers will probably play Denver (or Golden State?). Some one else can figure out if the Loss by Dallas is enough to put them in danger of dropping to 8.
Now, tomorrow this may all change.
Isn’t the Wild West wonderful?
Goo says
I feel like I need to take a shower after cheering for the Kings…
alex v. says
Who would have thought that Phil Jackson’s plan to let the Hornets back into the game Friday night so they would expend as much energy as possible thinking they could come back would pay off so handsomely? That _was_ what happened, right?
me says
Of course, Phil had it all masterminded.
chocomm says
Thank you so much Sacramento Kings. I would even gladly contribute to some SAC home tickets if you somehow prevent your players from dressing up to forfeit the game against the Lakers on Wednesday.
Dear Lakers, this is I believe your 3rd or 4th opportunity to secure the #1 seed for once and for all. We have lost games to CHA, MEM and here we still are. We lost @ POR the night the Hornets lost to the Jazz at home. But here we are, with 2 games left in the season, to determine our destiny, to pick the road that best suits us to return to the NBA Finals, and to make a statement that with our without Bynum who the best team in the WCF (at least record-wise) really is.
Please come out with the same intensity as on Friday night against the Spurs tomorrow and barring a monumental collapse against the Kings, we will proudly have our name next to the Number 1 seed in the WCF Bracket. Let’s go Lakers.
Craig W. says
We do have to win our final two games – and the Rockets have to lose 1 game. The San Antonio game should be rough. If we can get through it I really hope Phil and Kobe can get the guys to avoid feeling overconfident against the Kings. Remember who they have beaten in the last week.
Bryan says
I’m a Laker fan, an NBA fan, and a basketball fan. And right now, all of me is in hoops heaven. Every Laker game matters these days; there are two games a night in the NBA with seeding ramifications, and all teams are playing ridiculously good basketball. THIS is where amazing happens.
And you know what else? Lakers Celtics. The odds are long, and anything can happen… but it’s mid-April, and we can all look at each other, smile, nod our heads yes.. it’s possible. As Laker fans, nothing gets us more excited… more than the idea that we’re championship contenders… the idea of beating Boston in the Finals has us… not looking past our next opponent… but we can entertain the notion without it being a stretch.
Makes me wish I was 10 again, beating DJ, Ainge, Bird, McHale, and Parish in my driveway every afternoon.
Go Lakers! (will we beat the Spurs? I have no idea, but I can’t wait to watch. It’s been marked as the highlight of my weekend ever since we beat NO. And Sacramento beat them too? Holy crap, I don’t know what to think or do. I love this game!)
Warren Wee Lim says
LOL at Sactown Bells being cheered by LA fans. I honestly didn’t think it would be possible tonight but it happened. That’s why you do not underestimate drrayeye’s word folks 🙂
At this point, we have the bracket that we want. We have a date with Denver in the 1st round and presumably Utah in the 2nd. Both teams we will be up against are considered winnable in 6. It is up for Destiny to decide who we face in the WCF and up to our Lakers if they want it bad enough.
Warren Wee Lim says
I looked ahead to check the remaining games and here are some things I observed:
Its San Antonio tomorrow. This is the game of the year which we will win. Book it.
Houston will be @ Denver. We want Houston to lose 1 more game and we want Denver in Rd1. How big can this game be?
The day after, its Houston @ Utah boosting our chances once more… and we shall find ourselves cheering for Sacto once again. Yuck.
April 15th, my birthday would be the day we want the Kings luck to end. It would also be excellent if our friendly neighbor, the Clippers, would do us a favor by beating NOH.
On the last day of the season, Utah @ San Antonio. Depending on how the Suns play out, give them the SPuRs.
chris h says
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers13apr13,1,667998.story?page=2
according to the Times, Ginolbi is lasted as “out” for the game Sunday…do you believe it?
me thinks it’s a smokescreen.
it’s a ‘must win” for both teams, you better believe they’re coming out with all guns blazing.
we’ve gotta match the intensity from minute 1 to 48, no let downs.
The Dude Abides says
I’ve already pointed out that if the Lakers, Hornets, and Rockets finish in a three-way tie for the best record in the West, the Lakers get the #1 seed. If the Lakers win out, they will effectively have clinched the top seed, because there is no way that Houston wins on back to back nights against Denver and Utah. Those are must-win games for the Nuggets to make the playoffs and the Jazz to get home-court advantage in the first round. IHere is my predicted finish:
1. Lakers 57-25
2. Hornets 57-25
3. Spurs 56-26
4. Jazz (w/home court) 55-27
5. Rockets 55-27
6. Suns 55-27
7. Mavs 51-31
8. Nuggets 50-32
9. Warriors 49-33
The Dude Abides says
Here’s the link to the tiebreaker criteria. It’s ambiguous if there’s a three-team tie. It’s hard to tell what takes precedence…division winner or head-to-head-to-head among the three teams. So, I might be wrong.
http://www.nba.com/statistics/playoff_picture.html#tbb
Emma says
Why so confident about the Spurs game, Warren? Blind faith?
themojojedi says
Would anyone here be looking forward to the following potential first round scenario with Bynum still working his way back?
Lakers: finish as (3) seed (there are a number of ways this could play out, but assume Lakers, Rockets and Hornets win out at 57-25 and we lose the 3 way tie-breaker as some have discussed)
Suns: win out to finish 55-27
Spurs: lose to Lakers and drop either one or both of the Jazz/Kings games to finish 55-27 or 54-28
Suns win any 2-way tie-breaker over the Spurs on head to head and Phoenix take the (5) seed with Spurs at (6)
So, even if we win out, the result may be the currently undermanned Lakers (3) vs the reigning champion Spurs (6) in Round 1
Sorry to sprinkle a little worst case scenario over the last few days of the regular season.
matt. says
117 Dude —
Yeah I read the tiebrakers on ESPN and I’m not sure about that either. If it’s 3-team, then right now Houston has the tiebraker by virtue of head-to-head record between them, us and NO (Rockets are 4-3, Hornets 4-4, Lakers 3-4). But you could be right about settling the division first. That certainly makes sense. I mean, you have to have a division champ, and that champ has to be a top-4 seed. How could you make NO the division champ, and then use the 3-team tiebraker to give HOU the top seed? That wouldn’t make any sense. So I think you might be right. But it would be nice if they could clarify that.
Stephen says
Throwing a little more fuel on the fire.If Houston beats the gazzillion to one odds and ends up w/the West’s top record,who’s the MVP? Kobe and Paul’s stats aside,the argument is basically they have lead their team to the top of the ultra-competitive West. What happens if that’s not the case?
To clear the air,if I had a vote it would be KG for MVP. He is the proverbial best player on the best team,but far more importantly for me,he changed the complete culture of the team.Last yr Pierce,Rondo and Powe were the worst team in the NBA,now they’re on the best team.
I discount LeBron because he couldn’t get his team past Howard’s Magic. His team will end up w/@ the 13nth best record in the NBA and that just doesn’t cut it for League MVP.
Paul would be my second choice unless his Hornets ended up 5th in West.
I would pick Paul over Kobe because of Paul Gasol. Until the Gasol trade the Lakers were in the middle of the Playoff pack and were entering period of everyone questioning the team. When Gasol was traded the Lakers took off and became the team so many love/dread. Within the past couple of weeks how many here commented on seeing last yrs Lakers w/Gasol out.Gasol transformed the Lakers from a good team to an elite team.
To me KG turned the Celts around and changed them from a potential maybe Playoff team w/Allen and Pierce to the best team in the League. The Lakers were transformed by Gasol’s trade.
My MVP ballot would be
KG
Paul/Kobe(depending on final record)
Ginobli/McGrady(again final record)
Dwight Howard
LeBron
Rasheed/Deron Williams
Kevin McHale
Stephen says
Kurt,
If you ever do an end of yr awards thing,I nominate Warren for best crystal ball as he accurately predicted Gasol was available and would be a perfect fit for his beloved Lakers.
TCO says
I have a problem with people voting for CP3 unless NOH wins the West. He is the candidate that does not have a great argument if he does indeed not have a better record than the Lakers and win the West. If one uses stats as a measure LeBron has better pure stats. KG and Kobe would have better records as well. I would have Paul 2 or 3 in that case.
The thing with Paul is, NOH has been quite healthy this season, with there being no major prolonged injuries theres as that occurred here. Furthermore, if one looks at the adjusted plus/minuus, Paul’s is not even in the top 100. That serves to show the quality of the team [and coaching] around him.
As for KG, what Boston has done is great, but it is in the LEast. Yes his team has an amazing record vs the West, but he nevertheless gets to play those extra games in the East and less in the ultra competative West.
Stephen says
Last time I’ll do any Rockets stuff here unless meet in Playoffs but I just read something that shows how crazy the West is. The Rockets could have the best record in the West and be the 5th seed. If they tied w/SA and NO,they lose out on tie-breakers and have to be seeded behind Utah and La.
matt. says
120 – Stephen,
If memory serves me correctly, the Lakers were #1 in the West when Bynum went down, not “middle of the playoff pack”. And thanks to that, they were actually exiting the period when everyone was questioning the team, not entering it.
I would have Kobe, KG, Paul on the first tier of candidates, with everyone else way behind.
Underbruin says
“I would pick Paul over Kobe because of Paul Gasol. Until the Gasol trade the Lakers were in the middle of the Playoff pack and were entering period of everyone questioning the team.”
The Lakers had only fallen back to the ‘middle of the pack’ because of Bynum’s injury. The day Bynum went down, the Lakers beat the Grizzlies to go to 25-11, and move to a half-game away from 1st-place in the west – the exact same spot they were in after beating New Orleans on Friday.
I’m not even sure I’d vote for Kobe if I had an MVP vote – but to claim that the team had zero success before picking up Gasol isn’t exactly true.
kwame a says
Do the Lakers control their own destiny, or does Houtson have to lose once more. Does anyone have the answer to that? If the Lakers win out I know they will have the best conference record, but the Rockets have the season series edge on both us and the Hornets.
The new team to root for may be Denver tonight, they can knock Houston off, but like others have said, the only way that matters is if the Lakers beat the defending champs today.
harold says
life is fun. life is good. sacramento plays spoiler, and they probably relish it, since they also get to see us.
as for MVP, i think there can be a case made for Paul, KG, Kobe, but no way i’m buying a case for LeBron. Stats on a junk team that wouldn’t make the playoffs in the West does not cut it at all. That team is basically based on LeBron getting stats while everyone else does the dirty work, and their wins depend on the defense, not on LeBron.
mike says
Underbruin is right, the Lakers were very successful before Bynum went down, and they dropped to the middle of the pack because of Bynum and Ariza going down around the same time, they were in chaos, things were going so well and then they lost so much momentum, it was an emotional thing for the young guys I think. But Kobe did what he had to do to keep these guys “in the middle of the pack” trying to get them involved, doing it himself whatever it took.
Pau is a huge help to the team, but without Kobe the team goes nowhere, the Lakers without Kobe would lose more games than any other team, maybe the Celtics w/o KG would lose more but come, would KG win so much without P Pierce??? The Cavs have lost so many games already and without Lebron they would lose more but not as many more. I don’t think its all about stats, I think its about leading your team and your team suffering w/o you, but you have to put up #’s, the lakers only had 1 all-star, celtics, hornets, spurs all at least 2. So saying the Lakers team is so great it is all about Kobe making them able to be great, Lamar, Fish, even Pau have roles, they aren’t stars. D. West, P. Pierce, Manu, are mini stars
Craig W. says
Once again, the MVP race is in the hands of the ‘talking heads’, not in fans hands or in statisticians hands. All our discussion doesn’t change the fact that Kobe is a lightening rod and many ‘talking heads’ are looking for ways to vote against him – or for him in some cases. Ten years ago we didn’t have all this talk about ‘top team’ and ‘making your team better’. I just wonder why this talk became the norm? If I remember correctly, it was the inclusion of Kobe in the MVP race that changed the discussion. Think about it people.
KurkPeterman says
“This was quite a game, actually. It feels like it was really a drawn-out battle. But it does get us to that 50-win [mark]. We think that we are going to have to win 57 or something like that if we want to finish at the top of this heap.”
-Phil Jackson : 3/31/08
Right on the money.
Stephen says
Craig,
The “talking heads” have the vote,so they are going to decide it. I agree it’s pretty flawed,w/a built-in bias against West Coast players,but it is the system.
I would hate to see the MVP decided by stats,because what stats would you use? The fairly new PERs and WINs produce some absolute howlers that defy not only what our eyes tell us,but are completely contradicted by what coaches and players think and do. And as noted,the traditional stats favor the gunner on a mediocre team.
We have to remember that two of the primary purposes of the MVP Award are to keep sports writers/talking heads thinking and writing/talking about the NBA and to keep NBA awareness in general high. For the League,the more “contested” ,the better. Which is why the NBA refuses to support either a best season,best on best team or most important to his team criterea.
Craig W. says
Stephen,
I am not making any demands – just stating the point-of-view that MVP doesn’t really have any meaning, given the way it is arrived at. I don’t have any suggestions; other than to eliminate the award. You are right, the NBA wants this award because of the publicity.
Kobe clearly draws the greatest number of $ to all arenas around the NBA and on TV. If that isn’t an MVP for the NBA I don’t know what one is.
Stephen says
Craig,
Wasn’t trying to imply anything. Think we agree on just about everything except who the MVP is :).
The NBA if it wanted to could create another award,call it the Best Individual Season,but even then fans would still feel their guy got jobbed.
There was some attempted spin over whether Kobe’s comments actually motivated the team(obvious attempt to get past some voters problem w/Kobe’s words over summer).But interestingly Phil didn’t play along. W/the West up for grabs,could Phil be secretly hoping Kobe doesn’t get it this yr and thus go into Playoffs w/an extra edge?