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A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

Preview & Chat: The Philadelphia 76ers

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Records: Lakers 53-13 (1st in the West) 76ers 33-31 (6th in the East)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 113.8 (1st in league) 76ers 106.3 (23rd in league)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 105.6 (6th in league) 76ers 105.6 (6th in league)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol
76ers Andre Miller, Willie Green (appropriate guy to start today), Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Samuel Dalembert

The Lakers coming in: Lest you think only you noticed this, early in his post game press conference after the Dallas game, Phil Jackson talked about how the Lakers have lost the killer instinct they had earlier in the season, when they got up by 15 and buried teams.

The players kind of shrugged that off at practice Monday. I personally think this is really a matter of boredom and focus, plus the injury to Bynum weakening the rotations. The Lakers keep winning, and while they get up for the challenges — back-to-backs in Houston and San Antonio — they get up by 15 early on Dallas and they just kind of start going through the motions.

But now is the time to start changing that, to start getting focused, because if it is Dallas in the first round they may not be so lucky to come back and win those games.

The 76ers Coming In: This is the first game of a six-game West Coast swing for the Sixers, who come in with a three game winning streak. The swing is a tough test, but it’s a chance for a team that is just missing that little something to pull together before the playoffs. They likely will get Orlando in the first round, and that is a tough task but not an impossible one (after the Nelson injury).

That little thing the Sixers lack, by the way, is any kind of consistent outside shooter. Nobody on the team stretches the floor. They are sort of like Utah of three years ago that way.

I have always loved Andre Miller’s game, he is a classic PG who can pass, penetrate and play solid defense. And he is playing well — scoring 18 a game while shooting 54% and dishing out 8 assists per game the last 10. Of course, the other guy to watch is Iguodala, who leads he team in scoring, slashes to the hole as well as anyone and gets them both assists and rebounds. Plus, he is the only guy to fear from three on this team, shooting 36.4% in the last 10 games from deep.

Keys To The Game: My one word of advice — don’t drink green beer tonight. Green eggs and ham I could see, but beer? No.

If there was one game where the Lakers pack-the-paint style of defense should work, it is this one — the 76ers are the worst three point shooting team in the NBA, hitting just 31.5% of their attempts. What they do have is an athletic front line, but if you can keep them out of the paint and shooting jumpers, they struggle. (That said, the Lakers need to be ready to adjust, Donyell Marshall got hot from three in their last game against the Heat and it changed everything.)

On defense, the Sixers are about gambling and forcing turnovers, which leads to easy buckets going the other way with all the athletic guys they have that can fill the lanes. The Lakers have to take care of the ball — I’m looking at you Farmar and Sasha.

Also, the Sixers do play some zone, and after the disaster against Dallas, you can be sure they will pull it out tonight. Darius talked about how to attack that:

The way to beat a zone is with the high post flash and the baseline player running from short corner to short corner as the ball reverses. Odom and Powell would be perfect in this role, but we have to be patient and move the ball.

One other lesson needs to be learned from the Dallas game — when the zone came out the Lakers became a jump shooting team, and that fueled some transition baskets for the Mavs. The Sixers are very good in the open court and would love some long rebounds and chances to run. Just another reason to make sure the ball gets inside early and often. Second unit, I’m looking at you. Again.

Where you can watch: 7:30 start at Staples, on Fox Sports in LA, if you’re already not too drunk on St. Patrick’s Day. And if you are, don’t drive (insert your own Norm Nixon joke here, if you want).


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bryan says

    love the picture, Kurt.

    So if Philly could go back in time, what would they do with the $ they saved by not signing Elton Brand?

    Beware the big stats guy who’s never been on a winner.

  2. Craig W. says

    I wonder if they regret letting Korver go to Utah – solving the Jazz’s 3pt problem and creating theirs.

  3. kwame a. says

    Ariza v. Thaddeus Young-should be the funnest matchup of the night. Two high flyers. Young has been arguably the Sixers best player this year, and he probably isn’t even able to legally buy a st. patty’s day brew.

  4. Snoopy2006 says

    Random, and with no chance of leading to a discussion, but I must ask – does anyone else feel a little sorry for Adam Morrison? The guy, if I remember correctly, was fiery in college, played with a lot of passion and spirit. I don’t think I’ve seen more than 1 facial expression (“glum”) since he joined the Lakers, even while he was breaking up the Mbenga – Mihm fight. I remember reading about his diabetes, hope he’s handling that OK and that hasn’t affected him at all (any more than it did in college).

    Zephid had a great post in the last thread, as the season winds down I’ll be looking for more of those effort plays (everyone rebounding, etc.).

    Also, I think some people made the comment that Kobe is a horrible off-ball defender. That has 2 sides to it – Kobe is an excellent help defender, almost Pippen-esque. But his recovery is horrible. So against a complete non-shooter, it’s actually worth it to have Kobe roam a bit. The problem is Kobe doesn’t adjust well. When someone like Ronnie Brewer gets hot, Kobe waits for him to cool off rather than sticking with him. That’s when Kobe’s D gets frustrating. Kobe as a roamer has its uses in certain situations, I just think Phil uses it a bit too much. Jeff Van Gundy had a rare insightful line on Sunday – he said Kobe is one of the best “one-possession defenders” in the game. I think that’s perfectly accurate. Kobe, when locked in, is incredible. But he doesn’t lock in unless he’s playing against Lebron and maybe Pierce. And the thing is, this year Kobe could afford to do that. The offense runs much smoother through Pau than through Kobe; he could afford to expend that energy on the defensive end.

  5. Darius says

    Snoopy,
    I think Morrison has had problems adjusting to who he is as a pro. He was an elite college player who could score at will and now does not have that same role in the pros. Add to the fact that he was a high lottery pick and was drafted to continue doing what he was doing in college (without the skill to actually accomplish it) and I think he needs to find a role that really does suit him. Contrast him to JJ Redick, who was also a prolific scorer in college, but was drafted later and was always only asked to be a role player (and even Redick just recently started to get meaninful minutes). It really is going to take an adjustment from Ammo. I hope he makes it. I always feel bad for guys that are labled *busts* and hope for their redemption.

  6. beyondblue says

    #1

    Sign a pair of wings who can shoot the three (I’m guessing there were a few available, like Ben Gordon, JR Smith, Sasha, Navarro, Mason, etc) or traded for a top 2-guard talent.

    Now it appears their best lineup has Thaddeus, Dalembert, and Speights as their bigs, and they are starting Willie Green at the 2!!! Seriously?

  7. Snoopy2006 says

    Darius – And on top of being a #3 pick, just because of his scoring ability + race + length, he was compared to Larry Bird. Talk about expectations.

    Well the last so-called ‘bust’ we had didn’t exactly blossom here. But Phil did manage to find a role for Kwame (as a defensive backstop) and he filled that role fairly well. If anyone can help Morrison adjust, it’s Phil.

    Craig – Very true, and not only did they let their best 3-point shooter go, but if I remember correctly, with Korver they wouldn’t have had the cap space to make that colossal Brand mistake.

  8. Craig W. says

    Actually Jeff VanGundy said Kobe is one of the best “one-possession defenders” in the HISTORY OF THE game.

    Since I had the game recorded, I went back and watched it again and made sure. He is really impressed with Kobe when Kobe is focused. I suspect that ability, when focused, is one reason he is so critical of Kobe when he makes mistakes.

  9. Craig W. says

    It is really nice that we have a general manager who thinks twice before he acts once. If I remember correctly, us fans had Mitch buried up to his neck in the dirt and we were arguing which of us would be able to charge at him on a horse, with our long lance.

    How time changes things. Sometimes the best thing in the world is not to get your wish.

  10. Chris J says

    Not to dwell on Morrison, and I realize this will come as blasphemy to many given this month’s NCAA tournament, but we need to keep in mind that success at the college level doesn’t equate to success as pro.

    Everyone’s saying, “No s–t,” as they read that, but think about how many times we’ve seen a first team All-American who has simply fizzled as a pro, or a guy who got hot in March and was suddenly thrust into the lottery?

    (Morrison, Reddick, Oden, Wally World to the T’Wolves, and on and on. Georgetown’s Reggie Williams was amazing in college and never did much as a pro. Just ask the Clippers.)

    Or on the flip side, how often do we see the guy who came from a small school and went deep in the draft or even was undrafted yet went on to be a star?

    (Ben Wallace, Oakley, Starks, Pippen, or Bruce Bowen, who I saw play often in college and would never have suggested he had any future as a pro in his future.)

    Too often a college system fuels a college player’s success, which is partly why there have been so few good pros to come from Duke relative to the number of great college players there. Then you get the Dick Vitales of the world spouting off on how great a player so-and-so is, the hype machine fires up and players find themselves in the NBA with much greater expectations than they could ever meet.

    Jordan is Elgin Baylor-like as an awful G.M., and he totally bought the hype when it came time to pick Morrison so high. (He also flubbed on the can’t miss high school star, Kwame Brown.) But it’s not just Jordan who makes that mistake. There are a lot of GMs who fall for the March Madness and end up screwing over their pro teams come draft night.

  11. clutch824 says

    Andre Miller has to be on top 5 underrated NBA list right now. It’s too bad he’s wasting on a team that overpaid a career underacheiver 3 years past his prime that didn’t fit their system.

    4 – Way to get a shot in, Snoopy. “rare insightful”, I like that. Although, I actually agree with JVG a lot. In that game he also said whole 2nd unit have play poorly this year, sans Powell. He said he’s the only bench player that gives consisent effort and I agree.

  12. Snoopy2006 says

    8 – True, but JVG and Mark Jackson make outlandish comments all the time. Their ‘commentator’ mode places an emphasis on hyperbole and shock appeal and sound bytes over real analysis. I still can’t get over Mark Jackson calling Pau’s release a picture-perfect release. Even despite my mad man-crush on Pau, I find that laughable.

    I agree on the second point. For anyone who has forgotten the vitriol pointed the front office’s way, here’s a reminder:
    http://www.firemitchkupchak.com/2007/05/people-of-los-angeles-v-mitchell.html

    It really goes to show – Laker fans might be the most spoiled/impatient in all of sports. I remember when I, too, was sick of being a first-round exit. Really, a 3-4 year window between contention is an amazing feat. Very few teams even reach this point more than once, and the Lakers have stayed at this level for longer than any team.

  13. kwame a. says

    11-I thouhgt JVG didn’t explain his comment well. Our bench was great when Drew was starting and Odom and Ariza came off the bench. We lost Vlade, guys got hurt and the bench has lost confidence. Post all-star break the comment is appropriate, but pre-break the bench was really good.

  14. wiseolgoat says

    Snoopy – despite Morrison struggling in the NBA, I think his attitude is still in the right place. Despite his “glum” interviews and lack of charisma off the court, he always seems to be the first one cheering and waving a towel on the bench during timeouts. That to me signals an engagement with the overall team concept we’re building, instead of letting his recent struggles bog him down.

  15. cahuitero says

    I’m not really keen enough on basketball stats, strategy or insider info to be sacreligious and say Kobe’s defense is not good or overrated but what I can say is, that from what I’ve seen, his defense diverges on more than a few occasions from a few basic tenants of good defense; keep your eye on the ball, don’t lose sight of your man, hustle back on defense (instead of arguing about a none-call), don’t pressure 35 ft from the basket, don’t foul 35 ft from the basket, etc. Defense in my estimation is all about effort and consistency; you can’t have mental lapses or take plays off if you want to be considered a great defender. In the end, defense is not about impressive blocks on Yao Ming or one possession of in your face perimeter defense; it’s more yeomanship than showmanship. I think Kobe is more the latter than the former. And unfortunately, I think the team takes on that personality.

  16. inwit says

    Kobe should be more patient before he strats to roam. Why let a guy like Brewer, just finished with warm ups, get two or three open looks? You are asking for him to get a good start. Also, if he stuck to his man more, his jumping into the passing lanes might have more suprise value.

    On the other hand, maybe he is doing exactly what the coaching staff wants.

    Morrison looks as stiff as a middle-age man. Kobe does Pilates I have heard.

  17. Ryan says

    Not only does Morrison have to adjust to the fact that he is simply not the same pro player as he was a college player, he is also coming back from a really serious knee injury.

    Its not always easy comparing a players college career with how they will be in the NBA. Morrison is an example. Tyler Hansborough I think will be another. Fantastic college player but I don’t think he will be a great pro player (but he will not be going in the lottery).

  18. clutch824 says

    13 – I’ll buy all of that except the effort part. I think the effort part is absolutely true. And I’ll admit my man crush on Powell.

  19. Snoopy2006 says

    15 – “the team takes on that personality.”

    Very true. Let’s not forget that earlier in the year Kobe, Ariza, Farmar, and someone else (Lamar?) had a running bet to see who could get the most steals. Gambling is rarely the staple of a great or even solid defense (see: Spurs of the last decade, or 08 Celtics, or JVG-coached teams). My philosophy is that great defense comes from tough, fundamental, stay in front of your man D.

    Kobe’s flaw is that he’s so good, sometimes his talent clouds his judgment. And his gambling defensive attitude has definitely spread to the rest of the team.

    14 – You’re right, I do think he’s a good teammate. lol I was just pointing even when he’s waving a towel, his face is expressionless. It’s like he lost his soul. I love the guy, though, and really do hope he can find a niche with this team. Until he can shore up his defensive deficiencies, though, I don’t see a lot of PT for Ammo.

  20. inwit says

    Before Bynum was hurt they could go most of the game with at least two of Kobe, Pau, Lamar or Andrew on the court at the same time.

    Now, with say, Pau and four subs, it’s a whole other game. Farmar and Sasha can’t throw a decent entry pass into the post and the triangle looks like some guys floating in the ocean with life rafts.

  21. PeanutButterSpread says

    Wow.

    The way y’all are going on about Kobe, you guys might as well join the Smushcalade’s own rant about how Kobe brings doom to the Lakers: “The problems with that team start with him and end with him.”

    http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2009/03/16/kb-no-24-was-the-problem-uh-sure/13449/

    I don’t think Kobe’s roaming defense sets a precedent for the rest of the team.

    I thought yesterday’s “let up” wasn’t due to bad defense, it was due to bad lazy craptastic offense.

    As for other games, yes, Kobe has a tendency to roam, sometimes it bites him in the butt at the end, other times it doesn’t. Like I said in the other post, the Lakers usually do a good job when it comes to shutting down other team’s star players.

  22. The Dude Abides says

    21. Jim Rome did a hilarious takedown of Smush in the first five minutes of Rome is Burning this afternoon. Romy said that luckily for Smush, Kobe can’t retaliate on the court for those comments because Kobe’s team isn’t going to be playing Guangdong anytime soon.

  23. kwame a. says

    Random point about the MVP race: Last year it seems Kobe won it after beating NO and wrapping up the 1 seed in the West. Do people think that had the Lakers got that win they got in Cleveland in the last few weeks of the season, Kobe would be a more viable MVP candidate.

    I feel the buzz of that win, and the Laker’s (and Kobe’s) 2-0 record against the Cavs (and Lebron) has subsided and preconceived notions about annointing LBJ King-MVP have re-emerged.

  24. wondahbap says

    I hate it when Kobe roams as well. Even if it is the strategy. The rest of the guys don’t protect the rim when he does roam and let’s his man go back door. Ronnie Brewer can’t score if it’s not at the rim, and Nicolas Batum can only score the same way. Neither can shoot, so why give up those easy buckets, when each team only has one player who can create any shot he needs to (dron and Roy, respectively)? Stay at home. Let them work.

    What I really hate to see is when the 2nd Unit decides to let leads slip because they want to run up and down the floor like the Warriors.

    I think we had 3-4 possessions in a row against the Mavs where both team weren’t scoring, but each team was running and gunning with no structure. It ended with a Terry 3, and cemented a run in which Dallas started to take the lead.

    Overall, I think our defense is fine, but this will be a game that we will need to stay disciplined. Andre Miller had a lot of success penetrating last time. We need to see fast feet and good help rotations.

  25. j.d. Hastings says

    23- I’ve heard more than one person this week saying that Kobe is MVP because the Lakers beat the Cavs twice. Nevermind that Kobe had relatively quiet games. Last year the consensus was whoever got the first seed in the west. Maybe this year it’s the best record in the league.

    I think Adam Morrison’s paycheck makes his suffering a lot easier to handle.

  26. clutch824 says

    I can’t believe I just saw Sumsh Parker trash Kobe Bryant. No words…

    Kwame, I’m still surprised our boy ever won ONE! D-Wade just made huge leap in the conversation for doing what Kobe lost for in 06 & 07. I’m sure that’s the only one he’ll ever see. You can put LBJ down for 4 right now. There’s nothing Kobe can do. He’ll be 3rd this year.

  27. inwit says

    If memory serves, wasn’t it in the immediate aftermath of two years of Smush as Laker’s point guard that Kobe demanded to be traded?

  28. wondahbap says

    Kwame,

    Dwyane Wade is hurting Kobe’s MVP candidacy more than anything. He is going to take some votes from Kobe. Not LBJ. Unfortunately.

    I still think it’s LBJ’s to lose, but he hasn’t been MVP good in the big games this year. Kobe has. Dwyane Wade shouldn’t matter. If Kobe’s 05-06 didn’t, nor LBJ from last year.

  29. 91601guy says

    Norm Nixon may be a no-show for tonight’s pregame show, TMZ is reporting that he got pulled over for DUI last night.

  30. Craig W. says

    Kobe committed the one unforgivable crime – he didn’t talk to the media, but he worked on his game instead – and for that he will never be forgiven by the ‘talking heads’.

  31. kwame a. says

    26/28- Wade is having a really great year. I also think CP3 is having a great year. I really don’t think you can go wrong with Kobe or LBJ, I’m just always amused at how the criteria is changed to fit who the voters want to give it to. Regardless, what a time to be an NBA fan right? Kobe, LBJ, D Wade, CP3, TD and TP, Boston’s Big 3, Dirk, Yao, Howard, Durant, Roy. Golden Age.

  32. PalaNi says

    where can you find these stats? thanks

    “Cleveland Cavaliers: 53-13, 89.1 possessions per game (25th), 112.2 points scored per 100 possessions (4th), 102.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (2nd). “

  35. Craig W. says

    Kobe has always focused on the trophy. It is we fans who worry that ‘our guys’ aren’t getting enough credit. There is another player, who isn’t talked about much, except by us old foggies, and he also didn’t get much credit in his day — Wilt Chamberlain. We all know his name, but we really don’t give him his due. During the time he was making headlines the basketball purists were all saying the really good player was Bill Russell. Well Russell won the rings (sound familiar) and he had clearly the best talent around him (sound familiar again), but that in no way disparages Wilt’s accomplishments. Oh, and Wilt wasn’t always nice to the media people (sound familiar again). This stuff never changes.

  36. Gr8 Scott says

    I’m glad Kobe won the MVP last year. Before last year, I never thought he would win after Colorado and the Shaq exodus – even though 05-06 was a simply exquisite individual year for him. Now that he has one, I wish the talking heads would spin the argument that he should win again based on the fact that he’s been the best player in the game for arguably the last 6+ years and how can he only have one? LBJ will have plenty of other years to win (and likely will finish with more than our own KB24), but I would say that Kobe has continued to carry this team (as he did in the Olympics) and that we’ve had a much brighter target on our team’s backs after last year’s finish. We’re on track to win in the neighborhood of 64-66 games and and this won’t be good enough for another MVP? He’s taken the same team from last year (with Pau for all of it) and will lead us to more wins. I just don’t get it. I’d love to see the MAN cap off another MVP season with the only award that matters – the Larry O’Brien trophy. Also another MVP would place him in rarer company. Jeez, Dirk has one, TD has two – how can Kobe not have two???

  37. Adam T says

    Kwame, Golden Age is right. And the Lakers should be in the mix for a while! Regardless of what Lebron does next year (or whenever after that), his team will be a contender every year for the next decade. OKC is a couple years away from being what Portland is now. Portland is trying to get where we are now, while we are trying to three-peat or something crazy…well, we have aspirations.

    I hope to see a lot of the other young players find a place in the league as well. The Jared Dudleys of the league. But overall, things are very promising.

    As for the Kobe discussion, he does fuel the morale of the team. That is unquestionable. When it comes to the playoffs, his defensive intensity will be up. I at least like to think it is what he’s “been conserving” for. He’s in his 13rd year now, we know how much mileage he’s got. What I still think is the biggest problem is the focus and discipline. Someone mentioned earlier about Sasha bodying up on Chris Paul rather than using his length. That’s the kind of thing I see being our biggest problem – lack of focus and discipline. I am not saying it is Kobe that is disciplined more than anyone else, but I do think that we make some bone-headed plays sometimes.

    But we are working out the kinks. I think we’ll be ready.

  38. Apricot says

    I care about the MVP – and I hope Kobe doesn’t get it. I think it will be better for the team to have a pissed off Kobe locked in on getting the championship and, should the Lakers meet the Cavs, focused on taking LBJ out.

    As for who is actually the MVP, I think it’s LBJ. Kobe *could* get the stats that Lebron gets in LBJ’s system, and Kobe is still probably a better player than LBJ, but in fact, LBJ is actually doing more for his team than Kobe has to. Which is a good thing. I would rather the Lakers be a more balanced team with multiple weapons that goes all the way than to have Kobe win MVP carrying a bad team.

  41. Joel says

    LeBron deserves the MVP in my opinion (although I still think Kobe is the better player). He has to be spectacular almost every night for the Cavs to succeed, and he usually is. Considering the talent level on that squad, the fact that they are battling the Lakers for the best record is really impressive, and a testament to how good LeBron is (as well as how well they defend and rebound).

    Even if you don’t agree with LeBron winning it, at least we won’t have a repeat of the 2004/5 and 2005/6 debacles. Steve Nash, 2-time MVP. Yikes. That is going to confound NBA historians 20 years from now.

  42. kwame a. says

    41-I’m fine with LBJ winning, but I don’t buy the argument that he is leading a band of scrubs. His team is constructed to maximize his skill-set. They have put shooters and defenders all around him. Ilgauskus is a top 10 center in the league, Mo WIlliams is an all-star guard, he has shooters like Pavlovich, Gibson and West and nasty defenders like B.Wallace and Varajeo. I think the way people look at supporting casts is skewed by how many 20pt scorers a team has. The Cavs have a huge, fairly deep team with an abundance of 3pt shooters that are perfect for LBJ’s drive and kick game.

  43. j.d. Hastings says

    I think Lebron probably deserves the MVP, and since I supported Kobe in 2006, I’d be happy if Wade won. I’d also be happy if Kobe won, though it would still feel like a make up for past years. Overall, I agree with Apricott. I wouldn’t mind having kobe pissed going into the Finals against the Cavs (knock on wood).

    I do think its a misnomer to say that Lebron gets less help though. The Cavs have a weird lineup, but they are definitely deep. Pavlovic, Gibson, Verejao/Smith, and Szerbiak have all been starters prior to their current bench role and all of them contribute something. Mo Williams, West and Big Z have also all been big contributors. That Lebron still dwarfs what they bring is just a testiment to his awesomeness.

    Even in years past, his teammates may not have been great offensively, but the fact that the team was so great defensively allowed them to be so one dimensional on offense, like AI’s philly teams.

    Kobe didn’t have that in 2006-2007, which is why I think those are 2 of the few times I’ve really seen 1 non-bigman carry a team into the postseason (apologies to LO).

  44. Joel says

    42

    They aren’t scrubs, but they are fairly limited as championship contenders go. You expect a 60-win team to have solid role players, good shooters, depth, quality bigs, and a style to complement the skills of the superstar. The difference is, most of them also have at least one other star (and sometimes two) in addition to the superstar. And when I say ‘star’ I’m talking about guys like Parker, Ginobili, Gasol, KG, Allen, and Stoudemire, not Mo Williams or Big Z.

  45. Lakersfan88 says

    The one thing I don’t understand about this MVP debate is that the media’s prevalent argument seems to be that LeBron has led his team to the same record as the Lakers, both of whom sit at the top of their conferences, but LeBron is averaging better statistics and playing with less talented teammates. It seems like they don’t even consider that Kobe and the Lakers have to play the likes of San Antonio, Utah, Houston, etc. multiple times a year while LeBron gets to beat up on the Bulls, Bucks, Pacers, Knicks, Nets, etc. night after night. They always talk about what would theoretically happen if you put Kobe with those scrubs and put LeBron on the Lakers with Pau, Odom, Bynum, et al, but by the same token I think they ought to consider that if the Cavs played in the West they would definitely have at least a few more losses than they do right now, while if the Lakers played in the East it’s pretty likely they’d have a better record or at the very least the same record. At the end of the day, while the Lakers and the Cavs have identical records, the Lakers are playing in a much tougher conference and I think that should count for something in this MVP debate.

  46. Craig W. says

    Hey people!!! Better ease up on who you call scrubs. Different teams win in different ways. Detroit in 04. Chicago’s first ring. It is how the makeup of a team fits together and comes together that makes them champions. If Lebron’s team wins are we going to continue to call them scrubs? How about the Lakers last year? We were picked for 8-10th place in the west by the “experts”.

  49. passerby says

    orlando and cleveland going down the wire. not so concerned about the lakers game tonight and that gets me concerned. another must-win we can do in dominating fashion. i hope to see some semblance of playoff chemistry and discipline on both ends we’ve been waiting for and philly is one of those teams we can start this surge.

    i hope trevor ignites and goes hot tonight. i like when this guy makes it big…well okay, same is true for other lakers but i digress. lamar also should pick it up especially when this becomes a blow-out. GO LAKERS!

  50. kwame a. says

    Interesting stat that I saw on LG that supports both the idea that Kobe makes his teammates better and that Sasha needs to play with Kobe to be effective. Looking at the minutes Sasha has played this season versus last season:

    57.5% w/Kobe last year.

    27.6% w/Kobe this year.

    Thats quite telling

  51. Don W says

    Regarding the MVP race, I’m surprised this year there isn’t the token talk about who makes the players around them better. That was the selling point for Nash, and the reason Kobe was denied so many times despite being the world’s best player. This year people are arguing Wade for single-handedly dominating and winning games, or LBJ’s efficiency, or the Lakers winning.

    To me, Wade, LeBron, CP3, and Kobe are equal in terms of statistics, a few more rebounds or half a steal more a game doesn’t mean much, especially with different team systems, so that cannot be the deciding factor. The team’s success has to be the crucial factor, which leaves LBJ and Kobe. Then, if we look at the players around them, Kobe has stepped it up with the absence of Bynum, mastered the game’s intangibles like rhythm and flow, putting his imprint on games stats cannot measure and only purists can appreciate watching him effortlessly shift crucial game momentum with an acute sense for the game. LBJ may have better stats and efficiency, but the fact that they have essentially the same team as years past except for Mo Williams seems to make case that Mo rather than LeBron was key in the team’s improvement. In fact, I think it damages LeBron’s prospects, along with the fact, as mentioned, that his team has a much easier schedule.

  52. wiseolgoat says

    I can’t believe turkoglu passes up a rolling dwight howard to the rim every single time in favor for a kickout to a covered and ice-cold rashard lewis. get the man the damn ball!

  53. Joel says

    “In fact, I think it damages LeBron’s prospects, along with the fact, as mentioned, that his team has a much easier schedule.”

    Really? I think the award is his to lose really. After inventing all manner of reasons not to give it to Kobe over the years, I can’t imagine the media moving him ahead of LeBron at this point.

  55. BCR says

    This year is really LeBron’s to lose. I don’t think Wade makes any major noise in this MVP race unless Miami goes berserk over the last couple weeks and finishes with 50 wins (which means going 14-2 for the rest of the season, with two games against Boston the road, Atlanta on the road, Orlando at home, and two games against Detroit). I always thought that for Kobe to have a chance for MVP this year, the Lakers would have to get the runaway best record in the NBA and Cleveland would have to lose to Boston for HCA. As it’s looking like Cleveland will win the East, I think the MVP argument is a bit moot right now; Kobe doesn’t really want it either.

    As for the bench, the comment above about always having two of Kobe, Odom, Gasol, or Bynum with the bench is pretty salient. It’s easier for players to find their roles in that situation, so we don’t have Farmar attempting one-man breaks or Vujacic trying to score on a fadeaway off the dribble.

  57. The Dude Abides says

    Well, if our guys play the Craboliers in the Finals, I sure hope we don’t draw the same officiating crew as tonight’s game between CLE and ORL. Some major, major homer calls in the final 30 seconds of the game. ORL down two and the refs call three seconds on Howard with 30 seconds to go. First 3-second call the entire game against either team. Then with 8 seconds left, Lebron does an up fake from 22 feet, gets his defender to flinch and only slightly leave his feet, then LBJ moves slightly FORWARD into the defender to draw a slight bump and immediately falls AWAY after the contact and goes up for his shot, and gets awarded two FTs after the air ball. A terrible, terrible call. He wasn’t even in his shooting motion when he drew the slight contact.

  58. Matt says

    Cleveland’s Strength of Schedule is .494, ours is .501, so not a massive chasm between us, but our schedule has been tougher.

    Also, the team with the most wins thing doesn’t work for me, especially this year. Chances are, whoever gets the best record will only be ahead of the other team by a few games at the most.

    To me, LeBron, Wade, or CP3 are MVP. Kobe is a top player in the league, but I always interpreted the award as the literal Most Valuable Player. Those three are more vital to their team’s performance than Kobe, in my opinion. Not necessarily because the other players are worse, but because the other players are relying on them to score and create. You can make the argument our offense runs better through Pau, not Kobe.

  59. Don W says

    53 – I was making my case for Kobe. Just because the media decides one way doesn’t make it the best decision. (wow, sounds so obvious when said)

    56 thanks for the article. I’ve always enjoyed reading about PJ’s coaching style.

  60. Craig W. says

    Talking about the MVP is sort of silly. Last year the media painted themselves into a corner when the thought NO would beat out the Lakers for the top spot (we were picked to finish 8-10) and said the man on the team with the best record would win it.

    They are not going to paint themselves into that corner again this year.

    The MVP is for Lebron or Wade to lose, at this point.

  62. Joel says

    Man, the Celtics are getting hammered by injuries. Powe hurt his knee a few minutes into the game, and Rondo just went to the locker room after rolling his ankle.

  63. wondahbap says

    #45,

    Right on. The East only has 3 good teams. The rest aren’t any good.

    Plus, I just find it so funny how Kobe just has so much of a better team, when just before last season (minus Pau and Fish), these same guys were picked to be 7-9th in the West. Meanwhile LBJ went to the Finals the summer before, and now Kobe has all of the talent to play with?

    Just as ridiculous, is John Hollinger claiming CP3 is on par with Magic, then defending that claim in his chat that Magic had great teammates. Really? Magic won championships in high school, college, and 5 in the pros. His teams won because of him.

    People see what they want. Kobe’s accomplishments will speak for themselves.

  66. Joel says

    63

    I don’t see what ESPN’s preseason predictions have to do with whether or not Kobe’s team is more talented than LeBron’s.

    Also, I would say replacing Kwame and Smush with Pau and Fish is a pretty significant upgrade, wouldn’t you?

  67. Matt says

    62-

    I won’t even go into theCP3-Magic thing.

    As for the teammates thing, Pau and Fish are rather large additions, aren’t they? Plus, Andrew’s development into a reliable scorer in the post was not expecte to hapeen so rapidly.

    And LeBron is widely hailed as having dragged a crew of average guys to the finals that year. That roster was truly bad. Larry Hughes was second in minutes played.

  69. penston says

    Maybe this has already been mentioned. When Stu and Joel do their on-court pre-game chat, and Joel turns his head and peers up at old # 22, Mr. Meyers reminds me of Franklin the Turtle.

  72. Topher says

    @ NIck the Great
    I agree I sometimes wonder if even care about basketball or just about creating off the wall stats that can not be measured like the NFLs Quarterback rating

  73. Joel says

    70

    Hollinger can’t help it. If his PER tells him Chris Paul is Magic’s heir apparent, then it must be true.

  74. Emma says

    I can’t get over the fact that Magic is shilling for casinos now. You’re better than that, Magic!

  76. Aaron says

    With the surrounding cast that Kobe has and the expectations placed on him, what does Kobe have to do to win the MVP???

    I’ll say this: he for sure isn’t winning if the Lakers don’t get best record in the L.

  77. Topher says

    @55 I thought the same that Kobe could only win it ( in the eyes of the media, thus get the trophy) if they won something like 69 or 70 games, that is not going to happen so it seems to be LBJs although Dwade is playing amazing.
    Check out http://lakersfan32.blogspot.com/2009/03/nba-mvp-2009.html
    to see why it is unfair if Wade wins it with less than 50 wins though.

    Kobe still deserves it though just as much as any of those other two.

  80. Joel says

    75

    3 years ago Kobe finished 4th because people said his team wasn’t good enough. By that standard Wade shouldn’t really be in the conversation, but whatever.

  81. BCR says

    Young versus Fish on a jump ball. Was there ever a bigger mismatch? And Fish beats Young to the ball? What?

  84. Joel says

    If the Lakers can’t hold this Philly team below 100 they should be fined. These guys are building a house out there.

  85. Don W says

    hmm, we actually seem interested in playing d early on. nice. and now for a racially unrepresentative commercial

  87. Zephid says

    This is a combo fortune/effort lead. We’re playing great defense, all our shots are falling, and none of theirs are.

  95. BCR says

    Joel,

    For February:

    Sasha: .273 3P%
    Ariza: .344 3P%

    For March:

    Sasha: .294 3P%
    Ariza: .348 3P%

  101. Anonymous says

    I can’t wait til Bynum comes back from his injury….watching the lakers second unit since Ariza went to the starting lineup has been awful! Now let me go throw up now.

  102. BCR says

    Stu: “It’s going to be a lot easier offensively if you run it through Pau; easier than dribbling it on the perimeter…”

  103. Kurt says

    On Ariza/Sahsa, if you look at the numbers for their careers and last season you will see why Ariza is left open for threes. If he keeps hitting them that will change, but he’s going to have to keep proving it for a while. Sasha is off, but he has proven over time he can hit the three.

    Here’s my Walton question since I’m stuck at work — who is guarding him? Are they going to him because it should be a mismatch?

  104. Joel says

    Funny how the Lakers get 2 layups after feeding Pau on the left block. Will they take the hint for the rest of the game?

  107. The Dude Abides says

    For half of the 4th quarter, the Celtics have been playing Pierce at center. Mikki Moore fouled out and Powe hurt his knee.

    Hey, the bench decided to run the offense through Pau and we started scoring. Whadda ya know?

  109. Joel says

    103

    Andre Miller was guarding him, but given Miller’s strength I don’t think it’s a mismatch that warrants forcefeeding Walton on 3 or 4 possessions.

  111. Joel says

    Make that 3 layups after getting it inside to Pau.

    Every time I look up Lou Williams is completing another 3-point play.

  112. The Dude Abides says

    103. Kurt, they were going to him because Andre Miller was matched on him down low in the post on three consecutive possessions. First possession, Luke somehow decided to turn a five-foot bank shot into a ten-foot fallaway and didn’t draw iron. Second possession Luke failed to see the shot blocker come over and help and got his shot tipped. Third possession he threw the ball away for a fast break layup at the other end plus a foul by Farmar. Then the Lakers decided to go to Pau.

  116. Omar says

    Thanks Darius but that site isnt working for me 🙁 ….maybe cuz i am in jamaica….any others guys?

  117. Matt says

    Kurt, the thing is I don’t think he has proven he can hit it. His percentage this year is very close to the seasons before last. It seems unlikely he had that much luck last year in his shot, but it might be that he really is not a lock down shooter.

    I think he is somewhere between last year’s 44% and this year’s 34%.

  120. Ryan says

    I know the lakers like to play at a fast pace, but this is ridiculous. They need to start taking good shots and not turning the ball over.

  121. PeanutButterSpread says

    FEED PAU!!!

    That should be the new Laker chant at Staples.

    Re: the Chris Paul as Magic heir apparent debate, last week, TNT was arguing LBJ is possibly better than Magic … especially if LBJ had the teammates Magic had … and that LBJ was essentially a better Magic.

    I didn’t enjoy listening to their one sided debate on that subject.

  124. Nick the Great says

    I’m shocked that the Sixers press has been giving us this much trouble. Though it turned into a fiasco of a soft layup against two guys, I like that Brown recognized that he could take it hard up the gut. Kobe and Trevor need to do the same, and then go strong to the rack or kick to another cutter. A few open dunks and I bet the 76ers will stick to half court pressure for a while.

  125. Anonymous says

    LBJ better than Magic? Paleez…I highly doubt LBJ could’ve led the Lakers to the 79-80 championship all by himself the way Magic did.

  126. Omar says

    Naa…still not working…. i normally use that site but it hasnt worked for me for the last few games

  129. Zephid says

    Gasol has that weird monkey hook shot going. Everytime it goes up I think there’s no way it’s going in, but it does.

  131. Don W says

    Speaking of weird monkey hook shots, there’s another one from Trevor, and the same logic goes for him

  134. Cherith Cutestory says

    Is there anything more exciting than 6 consecutive defensive possessions ending in fouls? There is a hilarious “Where NBA happens” parody in there, I just haven’t quite found it.

  138. BCR says

    And the only three Sasha hits is the one when he was five feet behind the line. Hopefully this ignites a fire under him.

  140. Andreas G. says

    The second unit is really doing an effort to get the ball inside to Pau today. It’s nice to see that they’ve adjusted since the last game. Now if the Lakers could only clean up their game, and maybe grab a few boards, they should pull this one out.

  141. Nick the Great says

    OK, tie game after an atrocious first half. I expect Phil to bring the fire and brimstone in the locker room and we see a much more efficient Lakers team at both ends of the court in the second half.

  142. Zephid says

    hmm.. Most of Sasha’s missed threes were on line, but long. Maybe he should just take a step back off the three point line, then they’d all go in.

    The Sixers are playing great defense. This should not be discounted. Yes, our offense went stagnant when the bench came in, but that coincided with the Sixers deciding it was time to try on defense, so it made our bench look extra bad.

    Much as we would love to go to Pau every time down, the guy does get tired. As Shaq said, pounding inside is a lot more tiring than running up and down the floor, so I think it’s good that we’re trying to get Luke involved in the post, considering he was so good at it just a few years ago.

  143. wiseolgoat says

    Pau is really dragging out there – he’s not getting as deep post position as he was in the beginning of the game and his decision-making is a lot slower than it was too. I guess that’s what happens when you play the entire 2nd quarter.

  144. The Dude Abides says

    Well, if Phil wants to rest Pau and Trevor by mixing in two bench players after nine minutes or so of the third quarter, I would suggest not to send in DJ and Luke together like he did in the first. I would suggest putting Sasha in instead of Luke, and moving Kobe to SF. That way we can run the offense through Kobe in the post instead of Luke, and DJ can flash to the FT line. Luke can then come in with the rest of the second unit plus Pau when Kobe goes out, and we can run the offense through Pau in the low post.

  145. Don W says

    60-40 FG% in the first half and still tie game. That’s what 14 extra shots will do. TO’s and ORebounds are killing us.

    Kurt mentioned the athletic front line and the forcing TO’s.

  146. The Dude Abides says

    142, 143 – Zephid and wiseolgoat, I think Phil needs to trust DJ for a few more minutes. He gave him less than two minutes of burn in the first quarter, and that coincided with Luke’s continuous and ongoing meltdown. DJ made one bad play, and that was an overeager goaltending play on a shot that wasn’t going in.

  147. The Dude Abides says

    Kurt, are you getting a little tired of having to moderate the vast majority of my posts? Perhaps it’s my Google Chrome browser. Or, it’s certain keywords that the spam filter picks up. Maybe you can publish a list of the spam keywords for all of us to refer to?

  149. Snoopy2006 says

    I think Sasha needs to drive a bit more (cringing as I say that), but just shooting more 3’s isn’t the best way to break out of a slump. Getting some easy scores, a couple layups, maybe some midrange shots – that should help more than just laying constant bricks. (I mean that in general, I have no idea what he’s been shooting tonight).

  151. Andreas G. says

    It’s kind of funny to compare what the Lakers’ announcers are saying when they get a bad call (“well, it balances out”) to what the Celtics’ announcers say when the same thing happen (“OMG that’s not a foul!!!”).

  154. magic says

    Nice closing of the quarter. Good to see Lamar get into the game more. I was a little worried seeing fish lead the fast break, glad to see it work out.

  155. Kurt says

    The one thing Walton is doing well is entry passes to the post. If I were defending him I’d play off and try to to take that pass away and make him shoot.

  156. Nick the Great says

    That was a good spurt to watch, but this is a funky lineup we are starting the fourth with (although apparently nobody told Jordan). I wonder how vicious Kobe is gonna be on offense.

    Also, and entirely unrelated, in light of the Celtics loss to Chicago tonight (which I kinda sorta called yesterday), I just want to wonder aloud; how much more will it take before the Hollinger math elevates the Lakers over the C’s in his daily rankings. Apparently wins and losses (and who you’re losing to) don’t factor in?

  160. Joel says

    156

    I believe margin of victory is a major part of Hollinger’s formula. Don’t ask me for anything more than that though. Power rankings hold no interest for me whatsoever.

  163. Emma says

    Sometimes I can’t believe Donyell Marshall is still in the league. I feel like he’s been around for 20 years or something.

  165. Joel says

    It’s amusing how Stu and Joel still seem to be waiting for the Lakers to win by double digits every game.

  166. Kurt says

    Lou Williams is one of those guys who came straight out of HS but would have been better served with a year or two of college ball.

  168. Nick the Great says

    The Lakers have been turning the ball over more than any NBA team should. I really do feel like I am watching the Syracuse/Louisville game from the other night. This is just silly. On a plus side, though, I like that they’re staying agressive on the offensive boards.

    @ Joel- I really don’t care either, it’s just another excuse to get fired up about something. I remember Hollinger’s margin of victory argument article. Essentially, he was saying that the Celtics winning their games by less than two points less per (at the time) was more of an important factor than the quality of teams that were getting beaten (Lakers not having lost to the Cav’s or C’s), which is an argument that is just total rubbish in my opinion. Whatever.

  169. Darius says

    Kurt,
    Iggy showed flashes of being this player (he was taken in the lottery) but he was a guy that was usually deferring to others. He played with Walton, Frye, and Salim Stoudemire his Frosh season and then those same guys (minus Luke) his Soph season. He always had that athleticism though.

  170. Anonymous says

    I think phil needs to bring back Ariza and Lamar in the game…this is getting ugly.

  176. passerby says

    philadelphia just didn’t expose our same weakness…tell me they didn’t…oh they did something else, they took the lead in our own court and our bench continues to tell me something about their D and the burn our starters are getting late in the season should this continue…this can get really tiring and disappointing…but oh well, all the drama in Lakerland…

    but some teams, no a lot of teams in april to june don’t play to our script. man up lakers! salvage this game!

  177. The Dude Abides says

    Yep…time to bring back Trevor and Lamar. Josh Powell isn’t giving us anything tonight.

  179. Kurt says

    Lakers with turnovers on 22.4% of their possessions so far, Sixers with 9.4%.

    I must not remember Iggy well from college because I was so mesmerized by Walton’s high flying dunks.

  180. Joel says

    This has been one sloppy game. All these mistakes and bad shots are playing right into Philly’s hands.

  184. Joel says

    Kobe has been terrible in the 4th so far. He needs to redeem himself in the next 3 minutes.

  187. Anonymous says

    If Lakers end up winning this game, it’s because Philly gave it to them…Lakers do not deserve to win this game the way they’re playing right now….

  188. Nick the Great says

    Wow, this is one frustrating game to watch. Such sloppy passing on offense. Somehow I’m not really all that concerned, though, like my subconscious is taking for granted that we’re gonna make a push and pull it out at the end.

    Is it wrong that my enduring image of Royal Ivy is still Hakim Warrick dunking on him in the Final Four?

  189. Craig W. says

    We might at least try to run our offense instead of all p&r or iso – they expect this.

  190. Darius says

    The P&R is not the play to go to right now. The Sixers are doing a great job of hedging and recovering and Kobe is making mistakes by jumping to pass. We should be going to the block, making our cuts, setting screens, and attacking the interior of their D. Dalembert is on the bench and they don’t have a shot blocker on the floor. Now is the time to work the ball around and cut hard to the basket.

  192. Emma says

    The Lakers are playing like they don’t need HCA should they meet the Cavs in the finals.

  194. rhybread says

    Pau really has been playing well lately. The Lakers have been pretty lax, but you can’t quibble with anything Gasol has done lately.

  195. Joel says

    This is the worst 4th quarter I’ve seen from Kobe in a long time.

    Gasol, on the other hand…

  206. Adrian says

    oh my God! Can anybody explain how Kobe misses 5 straight shot then bury a clutch 20 footer?

    Mamba, i apologize for my comment earlier (171)

  210. Darius says

    Philly went away from the Miller/Marshall P&R for no apparent reason. And that turnover killed them. Kobe finally waved off the screen and just shoots. WOW!

  218. Joel says

    An Iguodala 3? Really? Whatever. Lakers didn’t deserve this win after the way they played in the 4th.

  220. Nick the Great says

    I don’t even know what to say. Kobe tried to bail them out at the end, but this wasn’t a team that deserved to win the game. Just too sloppy all the way around. Learn the lesson, shake it off, and get ready for the next one.

  227. Andreas G. says

    Lakers’ starters: Combined +63 (including Kobe’s -9)

    Laker’s bench: Combined -70

  228. Anonymous says

    EJ’s Neato Stat of the Night…Lakers bench a combined -70…throw in Kobe’s horrible -9…and you got a big L!!!!

  229. Joe says

    Sucks for me because im from philly area, so now i have to hear about this shot for weeks….

  230. Matt says

    Not putting team’s away when you can will cost you games.

    We continue to play down to the competition. Maybe we aren’t as good as we think we are? I don’t know how this team continues to have mental issues with commitment and effort.

  231. Lakersfan88 says

    This team doesn’t deserve HCA throughout. They’ve gotta drop the act too because I’m not so sure all of them want to win a championship either, because if they did the damn bench wouldn’t let a 14 point lead slip and let the game end up this close. Just embarrassing. The bench is gonna get the team burned in the playoffs.

  232. Anonymous says

    If the Lakers don’t get HCA throughout the entire playoffs…this game will surely haunt us…

  234. j. d. hastings says

    Fantastic Loss. Aside with all the worrisome signs within the game, we now have to wait on a hot Cleveland team to lose in order to regain home court in the finals. Or else face a team trying to tie the nba’s best ever home record. Fantastic. I’m thrilled.

  235. The Dude Abides says

    Ok Phil, now that we’re a game down and the Cavs have a MUCH more favorable schedule the rest of the way, it’s time to start limiting Pau’s minutes. We’re not going to get home court if we play them in the Finals anyway, and there’s no way Boston, Orlando, or the Spurs are going to catch us. Give DJ some minutes, there’s nothing to lose now. He certainly can’t do any worse than Powell did tonight, a -22 in only 13 minutes with Philly’s bigs pounding him on the boards. At least DJ gives us an inside presence on defense. Powell tries, but he just doesn’t intimidate.

  236. GR8Scott says

    I hope this is a huge wakeup call for the team. Stu Lantz flat out said this Laker team doesn’t have the killer instinct right now and I have to agree. Our bench has got to find a way to at least preserve the leads that the starters give them. Kobe had a bad game, but not fouling before the shot is inexcusable. We have to learn to play D for longer stretches (we can’t for 48) and close out teams when we have the chance. I wonder if the team is losing focus with no big “statement” games left in the regular season… With a road-heavy schedule, dropping these really hurts. We now look up to the Cavs in the race for HCA. Let’s turn it around Lakers!!

  237. Archon says

    The lakers bench went from huge plus to a major liability in about 12 months. The good news Andrew will firm up the bench and the starters will be playing more minutes in the playoffs

  238. luubi says

    well I’m pretty disgusted. there’s just no way PHI should have a 21-4 or whatever it was run over us at home in 4Q.

    the chance of getting HCA over cleveland is pretty slim now.

  239. Zephid says

    I think that pretty much ends HCA. Looking at our schedule, I predict at least 1 loss on the 6 game road trip, and at least 1 loss to the combo of Houston, Denver, Portland, and Utah. Compare that to Cleveland, whose only tough remaining games are San Antonio, @ Orlando, and Boston, there’s almost no chance they blow more than two of those, and there’s a very small chance that we lose only two of our remaining games.

    Hopefully, this will light a fire under our bench to come out and play hard. They’ve been lazy the past couple of weeks, and it shows in their passes and their defense.

    What’s amazing is that we’ve only lost one game by more than 12 points, and we’ve only lost 5 games by double digits.

    Overall, there’s very little positive spin you can put on this game, other than hoping this gets the Lakers noticing that they’ve been playing like crap and need to take it up a notch.

  240. Anonymous says

    Our bench is straight up horrible. Even if our starters build a huge lead, our awful bench can’t even sustain it. I think Ariza needs to go back to the bench to help the second unit get it going. Heck, I’d rather start Ammo over Luke. Ammo was a poor man’s Radman anyways….

  243. Archon says

    Does anyone remember the year Darin Erstad hit .370 or when Beltre hit 48 homers. I think we will be looking at Sasha’s year last year the same way people look at those years. Outliers to end all outliers.

  244. Kurt says

    240. Ammo is not even a homeless man’s Radman. This is a guy coming off major knee surgery with shot confidence. He is not the answer. The answer at this point has to be within the existing rotation guys. No magical help is coming.

  246. BCR says

    Well, the doomsday pronouncements above are bit too much (Iguodala, a 30% three-point shooter, nails his only three out of seven for the night), but HCA does look like a faraway prospect. This is a game when Bynum is particularly missed for controlling the paint. Again though, this is one game. We went through the motion for quite a bit in this game, and we know we bring our game when the matchup demands it.

    We were also banking on Cleveland losing a few even before this game. Their only difficult game away from home is Orlando (and maybe Washington, as they seem to have Cleveland’s number), so we’re banking on Boston or San Antonio beating them at home.

  247. PeanutButterSpread says

    Well that sucked balls of steel.

    Good news is if the Portland blowout wasn’t a wake up call, this loss to the 76ers might be.

    Well, wash this one out with listerine, salt solutions, whatever works that will leave behind that disgusted taste in your mouth.

    Ominous signs were pointing this way when our starters spotted big leads against Spurs and Mavs, but our bench couldn’t hold on to them and needed the starters to clean up their mess … it was only a matter of time before it bit them in the behind.

    I guess all that “practice” against the zone on Monday didn’t do much good.

    How do you punish bench players? I don’t know what else the coaching crew can do to motivate them or get them playing right. Losing doesn’t seem to motivate them. I’m almost wishing for a trade, send Jordie and Sasha for ………….

  248. dave in hillsboro says

    235: There’s also no guarantee that Cleveland makes it out of the East. If that’s the only team that has a better record than us, then we might just have home court throughout after all, since Cleveland is going to have to get past Orlando and/or Boston to make it to the finals. Does a healthy Boston beat Cleveland in a seven game series? It’s certainly not cut and dried.

    I think KG is probably healthier than his recent appearances (or lack thereof) on court would indicate. Losing Powe probably hurts them, but we’ll see how that goes. Cleveland lost Wally tonight, for who knows how long. They might run into some adversity, starting with a visiting Blazer team. Can I get a let’s go Blazers?

    Also, add me to the list of people who think we can beat Cleveland in the Finals without home court.

  249. Joe says

    No, we will not get homecourt, 7 road game trip is too much and Cleveland who never loses at home has too many home games remaining. I think a fully healthy Boston team can beat Cleveland, even without the homecourt. Thats what we will need to hope on.

  250. Matt says

    Both Jordan and Sasha have regressed quite a lot this year. Perhaps we should have seen this coming. Couple that with the loss of VladRad and Andrew getting injured again, and you have a major weakness on the bench.

  251. BCR says

    PeanutButterSpread,

    Well, let’s not put our GM caps on yet. There’s a lot of games left in the season. I don’t think Farmar is going anywhere. Vujacic might get some looks, but if he’s playing poorly, that’s going to drive down his trade value, especially with a $5 million contract going through ’10-’11.

  252. DTC says

    But really, home court is a lesser worry than the state of our bench players – namely Farmar and Sasha, because even Luke has moments of good play once in a while. If our bench continues to destroy the team’s chances like they have done recently, we’re not winning the title, with or without home court

  253. exhelodrvr says

    That early stretch of the third quarter illustrated “bad” Kobe – he was mad because of the first half foul trouble, so he came out determined to make up for it, no matter what. So (if memory serves) he made two very nice shots, then got the ball knocked out of his hands, then got an offensive foul. Four trips down, Gasol (in the midst of a 25-28 string, or something similar) never touches the ball.

    Then, the second half of the 4th quarter, we saw “good” Kobe. He would initiate things, defense would adjust to him, and he would pass to a teammate. They went from a 5 point deficit to a four (?) point lead during that stretch.

    With “good” Kobe, this team is unstoppable, even without Bynum. With that mixture of “good” and “bad”, and no Bynum, it’s a crap shoot.

  254. Anonymous says

    The fact that our two best bench players (Lamar and Ariza – 18 pts combined) in the beginning of the year are now starters will definitely weaken any bench. It’s just sad to see that none of the current bench players are stepping up….

  255. Ryan says

    My friend and I have been debating the defense (or there lackof) the last couple weeks… My thoughts to him were that some guys have it in their DNA or eventually “get it” when it comes to playing D. Kobe, Fisher (even though he’s getting up there in age), Ariza, Farmar and Bynum could probably develop from solid to excellent defenders as their mental skills mature. Some of the other guys obviously don’t, Sasha being one of them. (I appologize if I’m stating the obvious) I’m still not convinced the Lakers could win it all because of their lack of commitment to the defensive end.

  256. DTC says

    Although, I just want to point out that when the Sixers went on that 24-4 run in the fourth, I think Kobe and Pau were on the floor the entire time.

  258. Darius says

    This was just a bad, bad loss. So I don’t want to jump to conclusions. The turnovers really hurt us and those aren’t a staple of our game at all. We did not take care of the ball and (as Kurt said in the preview) Philly took advantage of their extra possessions.

    One thing that really hurt our bench was their inability to stop dribble penetration and rebound on our defensive glass. Louis Williams was a team high +16 on the night and had 18 points and 6 assists. We could not contain him when he came in the game and he changed the pace by forcing his agenda on us. The only saving grace of our second team was that they did get the ball to Pau more. But even that was for naught as we went away from him in the 4th quarter when Donyell Marshall and Reggie Evans were in the game to guard him. To compound the mistake, we went P&R (which Philly defended well all night) and Kobe (uncharacteristically) made too many mistakes with the ball by leaving his feet to pass and allowing defenders to poke the ball away by not protecting his dribble. We played a careless game for most of the night by not protecting the ball on offense and not rebounding. That’s how you lose a game.

    (Besides the rebounding issue) I don’t think our other mistakes are indicative of what type of team we are, but we did get out-efforted and that’s disconcerting. Philly is a scrappy team, but still, we need to play harder in these games.

  259. Anonymous says

    We shouldn’t panic yet…once Bynum comes back, our bench will be a lot better. I’m not worried about Sasha, he doesn’t get fazed by poor shooting. He’s confident enough to get out of it. I’m more worried about Luke and Farmar because their play is driven by their confidence. If they have none, then they’re a waste of space out there….

  260. BCR says

    Ryan,

    We’ve discussed this constantly, but a lot of the problems is the team coasting through a good portion of regular season games. Take away our best rebounder and shot blocker and coasting through games is a lot harder. I think getting Bynum back will by a psychological boost as much as a boost in a basketball sense. He made up for a lot of mistakes from the second unit also.

  261. DTC says

    I have a bad feeling about the Golden State game… Laker slumps usually take more than two games to wear off. And I remember we had two inexcusable losses (one to Memphis at Staples) last year… I hope I’m wrong.

  263. wondahbap says

    Don’t I feel like a fool for defending the defense today.

    The Sixers repeatedly went to the rim. They are not a jump shooting team, and way too many buckets were lay ups, dunks, or fingerolls. I haven’t checked the box score but it seems we got pounded on the boards as well.

    Now we have to make up a game.

    So, like Kurt said:

    Remember the Mantra

  264. Muzik says

    The race for Homecourt Advantage began months ago. When the Lakers lost winnable games, everyone said, “It’s one loss, not the end of the world.”

    Funny how when I mentioned the importance of HCA back in December, I only received criticism for blowing one (for each time they lost) out of proportion.

    The truth is, the Lakers have a better record than their actual skill. Easy early scheduling allowed for the illusion, and people bought into it. Now we have a 7-game roadtrip, at nearly the end of the season, with Cavaliers (almost) cruising on easy street the rest of the way.

    When/if we meet the Cavaliers in the Finals, and have to win on the road at the best home team’s house, all these “unimportant, regular season losses” will seem a lot more important.

  265. The Dude Abides says

    Pau appeared to me to be fatigued during Philly’s big run. I thought PJ should have rested Pau at the beginning of the 4th with that 11-point lead, and have LO and DJ as our two bigs. Let Pau have the timeout between quarters to rest, plus about four minutes of the 4th. Then you bring him back in along with Josh Powell when you take DJ out, and LO gets a few minutes of rest. I’m guessing that Phil didn’t want to risk having DJ in against the Sixer ballhawking defense. Either that or he blamed DJ for the six-point run at the end of the first quarter, but that run was almost entirely due to a series of bad plays by Luke.

    Our bigs were very slow closing out on Marshall on his first two 3-pointers. I would like to think that DJ or Lamar would have done a better job defending him on those two plays. The third one he hit was in transition after a turnover, so that one wasn’t on our big men.

  266. Matt says

    263- there is some truth in that. Our “pythagorean” record is 49-17 according to basketball-reference.com.

    It seems we may have outperformed our team’s true talent level a bit. After coughing up leads to so many teams, we should at least consider that we really aren’t as good as we have thought.

  268. exhelodrvr says

    Muzik,
    ” the Lakers have a better record than their actual skill.”
    I disagree with that. They are still (IMO) the best team in the league; you can’t complain too much if someone wants to say that Cleveland is better, but at this point those two are clearly leading the pack. The Lakers record is actually worse than their skill – they are still in the process of optimizing the application of all that skill. (And that statement applies to EVERYONE on the roster.)

  269. Archon says

    Bynum will be the second best bench player in the league (Mano #1) when he gets back, so I think that will answer a lot of questions

  270. harold says

    Well, at least I have World Baseball Classic to keep my mind off this ugly loss.

    … of course, if Korea loses, my mood will be doubly worse.

  271. wondahbap says

    Muzik,

    The race begins with the 1st game. We all know that. And NO, one loss in the middle of the season is only one loss because it’s an 82 game NBA season. Not college football. Predicting a loss will come back to haunt us isn’t predicting anything. They happen. Losses like tonight may come back to haunt us. Not one in December. There are still 15 game sleft, and we beat cleveland twice.

    So, please, don’t act like Nostradamus about predicting this with a loss in December.

  272. Brian says

    If we face Cleveland, HCA won’t be as important as it would against Boston. We match up very well against Cleveland, we beat them in 5 either way. We won there already – in fact, we beat them fairly handily both times we played them. Boston, OTOH, matches up well against us, and we need HCA to play them (and, barring a major collapse, we will have HCA against them).

    As for tonight’s game. It sucked. Move on. It means very little in the grand scheme of things. This team tends to play up/down to perceived challenge presented. This is why we can go on the road and beat two of the West’s toughest teams. And why we can lose at home to craptacular teams like Charlotte, and now Philly.

  273. wondahbap says

    “Our “pythagorean” record is 49-17 according to basketball-reference.com. ”

    ???? Right. According to a formula we are not as good as our record. I can’t believe people put stock into that.

  274. Brian says

    And I think the “we’re not as good as our record” argument is so much b.s.

    We’re 11-4 against the top 4 teams of each conference. Cleveland is only 7-7. Boston is only 7-7. We’ve played our best against the best.

    And our schedule hasn’t been “easy” either – according to Mark Cuban’s blog, we’ve been screwed the most by the NBA schedule makers in terms of playing the most back-to-backs against teams coming off a rest.

  275. Snoopy2006 says

    What concerns me isn’t the game itself, it’s the Lakers’ reactions to Phil’s killer instinct statement (that Kurt alluded to in the OP), and now this game.

    The Lakers’ comments in the LA Times today were almost flippant. Kobe and Lamar both essentially yawned and said, “Yeah, that’s just Phil trying to motivate us. No biggie.” Uh, no, that was Phil stating the facts.

    We’re not in trouble as long as our players revert back to the hunger they had at the beginning of the season. It sounds strange to say, but without having won anything, it’s almost as if some players play with a sense of entitlement.

    The solution:

    If I was Phil, I’d spend all of tomorrow replaying Game 6 of the Finals in its entirely for the team. Over and over again. In a constant loop. With ultra slo-mos. And Van Gundy and Mark Jackson commentating. Until the Lakers run screaming from the movie room, fall to their knees, and promise to never be out-hustled again. A young team can’t always turn the switch like some veteran teams can.

  276. Matt says

    Yeah, basically. We are not as good as our record indicates. It seems wild, but…

    Wins and losses are not the only way to measure a team’s performance is what that is getting at, I believe.

  277. jac says

    This loss doesn’t worry me as much because it was a lucky shot at the end of the game, and hopefully players will learn what to do in that situation in the future. I agree with the above posts which state that it is much more important to get Home court against boston as opposed to cleveland. So let cleveland prosper and shine in this newfound glory they have found and hopefully it’ll lead to destruction during the playoffs. Hopefully the lakers learn from all these ugly and heartbreaking losses and come playoff time play with energy and passion.

  278. BCR says

    The “we’re not as good as our record” comments above are bogus. Did you watch the Boston or Cleveland games? This loss isn’t going to haunt us. Come June, we’re not going to stride into the Finals and remember this game. The pythagorean record is a stat. Nothing more.

    In any case, HCA is important, but it’s not the end of the world if we don’t get it. Cleveland still has to go through Boston or Orlando to get to us. And who is the only team who has beat Cleveland at home? Us. Out of the three elite teams in the East, we matchup best with Cleveland, about evenly with Boston, and worst with Orlando. Now, we’re not going to lose HCA to Boston unless we tank horribly for the rest of the season, so the worry here is entirely unjustified.

  279. wondahbap says

    It seems wild and absurd.

    So what would measure how good we are. Our record against the top team as Brian just posted? Or maybe the win margin, or our NBA best road record (with the most back to backs), spectacular home record? Rebounding?

    What do you need? We are better than last year’s team that made the Finals. Take a look at the team we played in the Finals. Can they say the same thing? We’ve dealt with injuries like every other team, and look where we’re at.

    Loss #14 and the sky is falling in?

  280. Matt says

    I did watch those games, the thing is there are a ton of other games to look at. We played well then, did not today.

    It is very possible that our team has an extreme issue with playing hard unless it is against a competitor, I was presenting an alternate idea, which people here have vehemently denied to have any truth to it.

  281. Ryan says

    Matt,

    Lamar Odom was quoted after the Blazer loss basically stating the same thing you just did.

  282. wondahbap says

    Matt,

    Okay. So, let’s assume that is true, that “It is very possible that our team has an extreme issue with playing hard unless it is against a competitor.”

    You should have nothing to worry about then. All teams in the Playoffs are competitors, right? Problem solved.

  283. Matt says

    Were you talkling to me, wondahbap, regarding the “sky is falling” comment? I don’t think I said that anywhere…If I did, I don’t actually think we are screwed and have no shot, just that our chance of winning a title is a bit less than what most Laker fans think.

  285. Travis Y. says

    A loss like this doesn’t mean that the 76ers are better than us. It’s just a game that shows the lack of focus and is a result of having 82 games and then a 20+ games in the playoffs.

    Coach Jackson was talking about how we lost that killer instinct we started the season with. There are two reasons the Lakers jumped on teams and stepped on their necks.

    #1 It was the beginning of the season and we were out to prove that being in the finals was not a fluke and that they were making a statement to the whole league, which they accomplished.

    #2 We had Andrew freaking Bynum. That solidified our second unit with Lamar there. What you see now is a 2nd string that is the definition of hit or miss. When Bynum returns we have a post player to run the offense through and not settle for jumpers, especially when Pau is out. I’m not worried, because I know that the rotations will shorten and Bynum will be back.

    The only thing I hope we accomplish is finding that SG/SF that can close games. Whether it be Sasha, Ariza, or Walton.

    And of course for Farmar to get his groove back, because he’s the leader of the 2nd unit.

  286. Snoopy2006 says

    There’s no need for overreacting. But I disagree with the people who’re playing this off too coolly, like it’s just another loss. Look, it’s not this game itself that’s concerning. What’s worrying is that this team was playing much better earlier in the season, with more fire. We’ve lost that. There’s no denying that.

    Can we turn it back on before the playoffs? There’s a good chance we can. But there’s no guarantee. Many teams have peaked too early in the regular season and have been forgotten in the history books. Anyone who isn’t concerned after the recent stretch of play (not the losses themselves, but the lack of fire and the way we’ve been losing, along with crappy bench play) is either blissfully optimistic or mellowed out by some illegal substance.

  287. The Dude Abides says

    284. wondahbap, I’ve pretty much conceded HCA vs Cleveland because I’ve seen the remaining schedules of the two teams. I don’t see us going 15-0, or 14-1 at the worst, to be able to tie the Cavs and regain HCA.

    As I said before, it’s time to start cutting back on Pau’s minutes, and probably Kobe’s as well. Those two had no offseason to recharge their batteries after making it all the way to the Finals. I don’t believe our guys will need HCA to beat the Cavs if both teams make it all the way, and there’s no way any other team can catch us. Boston is too far behind us and too banged up, and I don’t see ORL playing perfect ball down the stretch, either.

  288. Snoopy2006 says

    The other thing many people seem to be forgetting – why are we assuming Bynum will come back and pick off right where he left off? I certainly hope and pray that he does. But how slowly did he start the season after his last injury? It took months to truly get back into rhythm. This injury is less severe and took a shorter period of time, but I can’t see Bynum sliding back into his old slot seamlessly. There’s no guarantee he’ll solidify our bench.

    And while I don’t have the stats, I think Sasha and Farmar were playing pretty poorly even with our full rotation. Our guard play needs to be shored up quickly.

    50 – That’s one of the best stats I’ve seen in a while. It might give us some solid ground for improving Sasha’s play. I’d like to see Sasha in the closing lineup again, like last year (with either Fish or Ariza depending on matchups). Maybe playing with the starters will free Sasha up.

  289. Darius says

    Matt,
    You’re not the only one that feels this way. Tex Winter does too.

    The comments about home court confuse me though. We are the best road team in the league and I think we can win anywhere. We’ve proven as much. There are only 5 teams that we have played and not beaten in their gym: Sacramento, Orlando, Portland, Indy, and Utah. On our upcoming road trip, we’ll get our chances against Chi, Det, Mil, Char, Atl, and Jersey (and before the year is up we’ll get another shot at Port and Sacto). These games will determine if we really are the best road team, but with wins over Bost, Clev, SA, NO, Hou, Phoenix, and Denver, I’m pretty confident that we actually are a pretty good road team. Would HCA be nice? Of course. But I think of all the contenders, we’re the team that needs it the least (followed by Boston then SA then Cleveland).

  290. Darius says

    Sorry, that should say 6 teams that we haven’t beaten on the road that we’ve played and should include Miami. I still stand by what I said though, especially since those road losses include games where we lost by 4, 3, 2, and 1 points against the Jazz, Magic, Heat, and Pacers respectively (but to be fair also include the blowout loss to Port and a double digit loss to Sac).

  291. Snoopy2006 says

    That picture of Kobe with Bill O’Reilly makes me want to puke. Kobe should have given him the Artest workdown.

  292. Darius says

    Hahaha. Sorry Snoopy. That story was everywhere last week, but that was the first one I found and just linked to it there.

  293. Snoopy2006 says

    lol forgiven. Interesting link, though, I have a tremendous amount of respect for anything that comes out of Tex’s mouth. Phil Jackson’s a legend, but he owes so much of his success to Tex.

    Is Tex in the Hall of Fame yet?

  294. Kurt says

    To take my mind off this loss for a bit, I watched/skimmed the Orlando v. Cleveland game. Nobody in the east is going to beat the Cavs at home. I really think they are Finals bound.

  295. sT says

    What bothered me with tonights game were the turnovers and the team did not take over and control the game the way they should (killer instinct) have. Good point about HCA though, we are a good road team this year and as long as we never see Cleveland we will have it anyway, probably.

    “You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act.” – Tex Winter

  296. 3ThreeIII says

    With luck, this is the best thing that could have happened…

    The Lakers have been playing with fire, and finally got burned.

    Maybe now they will play the whole 48 minutes, and just put teams away early, then keep the hammer down til the final buzzer.

  297. Yusuf says

    Home court advantage in the finals format doesnt matter. 2-3-2 benefits the team with the 3 straight games at home. The Lakers are good enough to split the first two and then its 3 straight in LA.

    HCA in the west is all that matters, and thats locked up.

  298. Lakersfan88 says

    One thing that just kinda crossed my mind…

    Phil Jackson has always been a coach that used players to the best of their capabilities, with a great awareness of what players could and could not do and thus playing up to their strengths and using them in ways which they could be most successful.

    Now that being said, if we all realize that the bench is better at playing run and gun instead of a half-court triangle set, what’s the insistence on having them slow down and play in the half court? It’s fairly obvious at this point that they don’t really know how to get the offense running, even with Luke and Pau in the line-up with them. I bet they’d play better defense too if they figured more forced turnovers would lead to more easy offense.

  299. drrayeye says

    I didn’t see the game, but I heard the full postgame on radio and read the almost 300 comments. In some ways these comments seem to reflect the worst of the Laker’s problems: lack of focus.

    I was hoping that the Lakers would win and the Cavs would lose. It was the opposite. Then there is the incessant Kobe/Lebron hype . . . .

    The games are played one at a time. We need to appreciate them one at a time. It is the unceretainty of the future that keeps everything interesting each night.

    The only thing that we know for sure is that the Lakers have clinched a spot in the playoffs already. That’s a far cry from “winning” the Western conference.

    The Cavaliers appear on a mission even stronger than last year’s Celtics, but they are not assured of winning even the first round of the Eastern Conference championships.

    The Lakers need to reestablish their “team” concept on both ends of the floor for 48 minutes–and show it for the next game. Everything else will take care of itself.

  300. clutch824 says

    Gotta rep Muzik, Matt, & Snoopy here. How ridiculous does it have to get before people stop minimizing these performances? There are legitimate flaws here that doesn’t look like any champion I’ve seen. This ain’t the time to coast going into the playoffs. It’s time for everyone to pull their weight. It’s starting to resemble the 07 JV squad again.

    I haven’t thought this team was as good as its record since Dec for multiple reasons (that aren’t all about the Lakers). Anyway, it’s 4 weeks left. It’s past time to be concerned how they’re actually playing in games, not records.

  301. wiseolgoat says

    This last home-stretch of games will be very interesting to see how the team responds to this loss. Phil’s postgame comments seemed to hint at the possibility of changes to the substitution patterns of the 2nd unit.

    I’m not too concerned with HCA in the Finals. The 2-3-2 format really puts a premium the home team protecting those first 2 games (or else possibly facing elimination on the away court), and we’ve proven that, thus far, we’re the best road team in the league. I’m more concerned with fine-tuning rotations, building confidence, and getting over whatever mental hump we have that prevents us from closing teams out as soon as we can. In other words, peaking for the playoffs instead of peaking for the regular season.

  302. wiseolgoat says

    To follow up to my last comment, HCA would be great in that it gives us a crutch to lean on if we struggle on the road in the playoffs, as well as a psychological boost from accomplishing a goal that we set in training camp, but it’s certainly no determinant of anything. For everyone who keeps on citing the Celtics last year as evidence that HCA is the postseason panacea, go ask Dwyane Wade how he got his ring.

    I agree with drrayeye that reestablishing our focus and our team concept will be most important. Get that right, and everything will flow from there.

  303. exhelodrvr says

    drrayeye,
    “The Lakers need to reestablish their “team” concept on both ends of the floor for 48 minutes–and show it for the next game. Everything else will take care of itself.”

    Definitely – unfortunately, there seems to be an attitude on the team that that can be turned on and off, and it’s not that easy, especially with a team that is still young and tends to lose focus. They need to develop those habit patterns.

  304. Craig W. says

    drrayeye,
    I did watch the game and and a couple of facts are becoming clear.
    1) Kobe has more problems when long, athletic people guard him.
    2) Pau has more problems when athletic, defensive centers guard him.

    When both these situations occur we really need a 3rd scorer to open things up. We don’t have one until Andrew comes back.

    Lamar has repeatedly proven that he has the consistency of a bench player, although he has the talent of a superstar. We simply cannot pay this type of player $8-10M/yr and I expect him to be gone next year, unless he settles for closer to the midlevel exception.

    Trevor is really playing his first year in the triangle and his first year where he is being asked to be a long range bomber. We won’t really know about him until next year. Another gamble, along the lines of Sasha and Walton.

    Farmar is probably a bench player.

    We don’t know enough about Shannon Brown to even play him much.

    We better hope Andrew comes back on time, because it is becoming apparent to us fans that the Lakers have some real cracks. If this is true, you can be our opposing teams also know this. With Utah it really doesn’t matter – they can’t guard either Kobe or Pau – but others, like Boston, certainly can. There aren’t many teams that can take advantage of our combined weakness, but they are out there.

  305. wondahbap says

    clutch824,

    I agree that there are some things to worry about in a loss like that, but am I ready to concede home court over it? No. It’s one game we have to make back. Not exactly an impossible task.

    yes, we have some issues, but so does every contending team. I’m not minimizing losses, but do not think our record is inflated. It’s easy for some folks to play the “this team was as good as its record” card after a loss like this, but what did they think of the team after our big wins? As recently as last week road back to back. All we know for sure is that our team isn’t invincible. That’s it. But we knew that from day one. Neither is Cleveland and neither is Boston.

    Did anyone think “this team was as good as its record” when we exposed weakness in the Cavs and Celtics? Did you think those teams weren’t as good after we beat them? They have bigger flaws then we do. Flaws that aren’t as easy to correct, or can’t be. Ours is focus. Theirs is personnel. But we we focused against SA and Houston? I’d say yes, so really, what was tonight? A bad loss, due to bad habits. When I see this team NOT SHOW up at all. I’ll be very concerned.

    Dude abides,

    Looking at Cleveland’s schedule, they have PLENTY of opportunities to lose a game. Wmight not go 15-0 or 14-1, but neither will they, and we only have to make up one game. WE have the tie breaker. Our road trip is not tougher than our last long Eastern swing, and remember we are the best road team in the NBA, the home games we have look good as well. Our toughest game should be in Portland.

    We will win homecourt.

  306. Don W says

    I don’t understand why everyone is drawing the conclusion that HCA is lost.
    Cleveland has home games against POR, ATL, SA, and BOS. Away game at Orlando.
    We have home games vs. HOU, DEN, UTAH. Away game at POR.
    True, CLE has a great home record, but they are also not great against elite teams. I doubt the those 4 teams care Cleveland has only lost 1 at home.
    It’s still possible that CLE loses 3 games and we lose only 2.
    But I agree with the commenters above that we don’t need HCA against CLE, but we do need it against BOS, given Bynum is not back to full strength. If he is, HCA does not matter.

  310. magic says

    I have not had the opportunity to study lemming behavioral much, but what do lemmings act like? Do they get sad too when the Lakers lose or cuss “f*kn lakers loss” in disbelief every 3 hours or so?

  311. Darius says

    After thinking about the game last night, a couple of points come to mind:

    *Kobe played limited minutes due to foul trouble and when he did play, it was below standard. He had a bad game. He made mistakes in the 4th quarter that I haven’t seen him make since…I can’t remember when. And we lost by 1 at the buzzer.

    *We had a below standard game in terms of turnovers. Not only did we turn the ball over more than normal, but we also didn’t force as many as normal. We went away from our strong side trap that produced TO’s in the first quarter and then we actually didn’t help on the dribble when we should have against a team that struggles making outside shots. And we lost by 1 at the buzzer.

    *We were +5 on the glass, +6 in assists, and shot a better FG%. We were relatively even in FT’s and in fouls committed. But the Sixers scored one more point than us by taking 12 more shots.

    All I’m saying is, we played a poor game and we lost. But it still took a last second shot to beat us. I think everyone gets upset about games like this because we can play better. We’ve seen it. We saw it last week. So, I don’t get how people think that we won’t play well again. Do we have flaws? Of course. But so does every other team in the league. I’ll happily take our flaws, with our players over those of other teams. Even if Bynum doesn’t come back as good as he was when he was injured. Does everyone else think we *won’t* play better than last night when the playoffs start?

  312. clutch824 says

    305 – wondahbab, see that’s what I’m saying. This isn’t just about last night. That game was a reflection of the entire season since Nov. Not just when we get up for teams like Boston & Cleveland. It’s about who the Lakers really are as a team. As a team, we’ve regressed instead of building on last season. Injuries & trades don’t explain that away. Kurt’s mantra post was right on time. Also, I don’t even care about HCA. You have to be able to win on the road, period.

    About the “not as good as the record” thing, I can understand not buying that. I admit it’s kind of cliche, but my point is the team has not played consistently like you’ve historically seen teams play when they have this kind of lead in their conf. I’ve tried not to get too caught up in their gaudy record all season. It became easier to do so starting in mid Dec. I watch these questionable performances where 4 or 5 guys don’t show up and Kobe and/or Pau have to save the team. Or Kobe misses 3, 4 terrible shots in a row and then makes a huge, contested dagger and pulls it out. Lousy defense in both cases. We’ve gotten away with a lot of games this year. I and others here notice that stuff and potential playoff opponents are banking on that for an upset.

    It’s debatable what teams have the bigger flaws or what those are. I wouldn’t place us as the best team at the moment. And I personally think the Cavs are fine and I don’t want to see them in a potential Finals.

  313. Darius says

    312. Clutch,
    If a one point loss, when we don’t play well is indicative of our season then I’m fine with that. You can claim that there have been many questionable performances that should have been losses only to have victory snatched back by Kobe or Pau. Okay, I see that. But we *have* Kobe and Pau. They’re on our team. If we didn’t have those guys, then I’d be more concerned. I’ve always taken a little bit of pride in winning games that we shouldn’t. Cleveland did that the other night against the Clips and no one is saying they’re not as good as their record. They did it earlier this season against the Warriors too. In fact, I’ve seen highlights of them winning at the buzzer or with comebacks in the fourth quarter that probably should have been losses and no one is saying that they’re not as good as their record. In fact, it’s the opposite. People say those performances show that they know how to win games. Why aren’t we the same? Against the Mavs, people point to the fact that we let the Mavs go on a huge run to take the lead. I counter with the fact that most teams don’t lose that lead and still come back to win. Most teams lose that game. We did not. In fact, this Philly game is one of the only games that we lost where they came back and we didn’t still pull it out. And it took a buzzer beater to make that happen. I’ll admit it’s not all roses and 1000 thread count sheets on my pillow top mattress, but it also isn’t all shanti-town at the Staples Center either.

  315. clutch824 says

    Darius, first the “pillow top mattress” thing was nice. Second, it seems like you’re lumping me in with the idiots in sports media or casual fans. Don’t do that. Of course you’re right about the double standard. Musik’s “record” statement that I supported somewhat affects the other contender’s records as well. I don’t want to trail off into that.

    About everything else, bottom line you either think the way we’re playing now (and a lot of the season) is good enough or you don’t. If you don’t, you have to wonder when we’re going to play better. Some believe there’s a switch and once the playoffs starts it GO time. I don’t believe that and I’m wondering when are we going to start gelling for a championship run. Maybe when Bynum get back, maybe April 1, maybe Thurs night againt Golden State. Who knows?

  317. wondahbap says

    Clutch,

    Every game the Cavs ave played this month has been close, except for 2. The loss to the KG less Celtics, and against Milwaukee.

    They aren’t playing as dominant as you would like to think. Will your mind change if Portland beats them?

    Why exactly are they better than us?

  318. Darius says

    Clutch,
    I’m not trying to lump you in with those groups, and I apologize that it came off that way. However, your comment(s) are indicative of the idea that the team is somehow not playing well enough to win and you’re basing that off last nights loss and many other games where we’ve either lost or games where we won but did not play well. I feel that using that standard is unfair and that by using those games or the negative qualities exhibited in those games is truly pessimistic. It’s why I mentioned the mattress vs. a shanti. I can easily admit that we’re not playing our best. But not playing our best is not the same as playing bad. Especially when the level that is *not our best* is still better than most teams can muster on any given night. And knowing that we can play better (which is evidenced by us actually playing better) makes me believe that we actually will play better. I have faith in that. I don’t necessarily need to see that now (though it’d be nice) because I know that level exists. One last point-I’ve said this before, but it’s going to take a strong effort to win the title, from us or from any other contender. If Boston or Cleveland or Orlando or San Antonio or New Orleans expects to beat us by hoping that we don’t bring our ‘A’ game, their going to be sorry they were holding out for something that they can’t control.

  319. clutch824 says

    wondahbab, I would say the Cavs are 1, we’re 2, Boston 3. That’s just a personal feeling. I like the cohesion the Cavs have with their roster. This garbage about LBJ not having help needs to stop. They have multiple people playing their roles very well, something we do not. If KG & Rondo wouldn’t have gotten hurt, I may have them as #2.

    Keep in mind, I base this on where I think the teams are, not how good they can be. I felt like everyone else after the Celtics game. That was the blueprint…