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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 Bucks

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Records: Lakers 19-4 (1st in West) Bucks 11-11 (6th in East)
Offensive points per 100 possessions: Lakers 108.3 (12th in league), Bucks 104.2 (24th in league)
Defensive points per 100 possessions: Lakers 99.4 (1st in league) Bucks 103.3 (7th in league)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Carlos Delfino, Prince Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Andrew Bogut

The Lakers Coming in: The win over the Bulls was not a pretty thing. My advice: Get used to it. This is what road games look like — teams are not tired at home, and they are not going to roll over for the Lakers in front of their fans. They will have more fight, and the games will be closer. What matters in the end is that the Lakers stay healthy (you know, like not have any other players fracture a finger), develop some toughness (I think the Lakers still have that from last year) and get the wins. So, on that scale, Chicago was a success.

Kobe scored 42 with an avulsion fracture that would have sidelined every other player in the NBA. I don’t think you can say often enough how impressive that is.

The two things to watch going forward on this trip are:

Kobe’s ball handling. In the comments there was a discussion that ball handling may be more of a concern than shooting, and so far that seems to be the case. He torched the Chicago to the point Bulls fans were “oohhing and aahhhhing” and his shot looked just fine. But there were 8 turnovers. We should really watch that tonight as the Bucks are a team that really works to create turnovers (and transition baskets off them).

The other is Bynum and rebounding. There are reasons his numbers are down from the start of the year — Gasol is back, for one. Last night, he had Brad Miller on a defensive assignment and that pulled him away from the basket. But THREE rebounds? None for a full half the other night? Rebounds are one part of the game that are about desire. Remember Charles “Round Mound of Rebound” Barkley? Stand next to him and he is 6-4, 6-5 tops, yet he was a beast on the boards. There are a few factors in being a good rebounder, but at the top of the list is desire. Right now, Drew is showing passion when it comes to scoring, and his defense has been good. We’ll be breaking this down more later.

The Bucks Coming in: In November, the Bucks were the sensation in NBA circles — they had Brendon Jennings dropping 55 as a rookie, they were fun to watch and were catching teams off guard. But you only catch teams in the NBA off guard for so long — the Bucks are 3-7 in their last 10 and Jennings is shooting 42% (eFG%).

Jennings is the kind of guard built for today’s NBA — lightning quick and impossible to stop one-on-one. Unless he stops himself, which he is doing more and more of as teams have adjusted to him. Jennings often comes off ball screens but if he can’t turn the corner he has no fear putting up a jumper. Even if that is a long two-pointer with a hand in his face and a lot of time left on the shot clock. It’s a rookie mistake, one to be expected and something he needs to adjust for, but that takes time. If he does turn the corner, watch out. But even then teams are packing the paint and not letting him have an uncontested layup anymore, and he needs to find open teammates as part of that.

It’s a maturing process, but Jennings brings a confidence, intelligence and those jets that you just can’t teach. He could be special.

The Bucks are not a one-man show, however. Andrew Bogut continues to be a quality big man giving them a presence inside at both ends of the floor, and he dropped 27 on the Blazers the other night on 12 of 19 shooting. Luke Rindnour is has a true shooting percentage over 60% (which kind of shocking). I look forward to watching more of Ersan Ilyasova, who seems to be playing well and hitting the boards hard. Michael Redd is not what he was, but he comes off the bench for them and on any given night can fill it up again.

Blogs and Links: Check out Bucksketball (who predicts the Lakers win, so we like them already).

Keys to game: The Bucks bring to the table a formula that should scare Lakers fans a little — a big man who can step out from the hoop combined with a lightning quick point guard. In the past, that has been a troubling combination for the Lakers.

The Bucks are a pick-and-roll team as the start to their offense, with Jennings having the ball in his hands. The top priority for the Lakers needs to be keeping Jennings from getting layups coming off that screen with no one there to stop him from turning the corner. You can force Jennings into bad, rookie shots. It’s basic pick and roll offense, but the Lakers need to be focused tonight.

Bogut should be a familiar matchup for Bynum because it’s a little like guarding Pau in practice. Bogut has a variety of post moves and a jumper out to 15 feet,. Right now, despite all the Jennings hype, Bogut is the center of their offense, the Lakers need to be focused on shutting them down.

The Bucks, not surprisingly with Scott Skiles as coach, can play pretty tenacious defense. If the Lakers become an isolation team it will play into the hands of the shell style defense they play (similar to what the Bulls did a few years back). Ball movement, passing and cutting will get the Lakers good looks.

The Bucks are also third in the NBA in terms of turnovers created per possession — then they can get Jennings running out in the open court where stopping him would be nearly impossible. The Lakers need to take care of the ball (Kobe, that means you).

Where you can watch: This game is on Channel 9 here in Los Angels starting at 5, and also is on ESPN 710 radio.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. sT says

    Well, usually when it is not actually Warren leaving the 1st comment, but someone else for him, it works, but not always. Yeah, Jennings is going to be a problem tonight against Fisher, but we will see.

  6. chibi says

    Ilyasova has been an excellent rebounder this year, and not too shabby offensively. Foul trouble has kept him from being a real producer, though.

    Matchup-wise, you hope this is a game where the offense flows through Gasol instead of around him, but I have absolutely no confidence in that happening.

    Thank goodness Kobe kept LA in the game last night in the 1st quarter. Visiting teams can’t afford being jumped early, because it’s so hard to build and halt momentum on the road.

  7. Travis says

    This game worries me, simply because the Lakers looked like they had tired legs last night. Almost like they all had a super intense practice session after the loss in Utah.

    The reason I say that is because of stuff like Bynums offensive foul when he didn’t get a good position on a screen and used his elbows instead. Pau coming up short on some deep position looks, LO barely getting the ball across midcourt under 8 seconds. Even Shannon Brown came to the bench waddling a little bit after his dunk.

  8. hanconscious says

    Lots has been said about Andrew Bynum’s rebounding, but i’d actually like to see some data on how well he’s boxing out. We’ve already seen that on good rebounding teams, the rebounds are distributed among other players, so standout rebounders don’t usually appear on balanced rebounding teams.

    The other thing of note is that Bynum isn’t built like a modern day rebounder. You’ll normally find that the best rebounders are usually more agile and not traditionally low post bangers anymore. It also explains why Lamar Odom is our team’s best rebounder.

    However, if Andrew Bynum isn’t active in boxing out, then it’s right to be a bit concerned.

    (As i don’t live in the US, i can’t watch any games, so I have no idea whether bynum is boxing out or not.)

  9. MS says

    Man thank God! I was starting to fear the worst. Glad it doesn’t get any worse than my own noobness.

    So, I was having this discussion with my roommate last night and we’re both kinda stumped here – Fisher is the damn man, and despite his shortcomings, he’s clutch as hell and is THE chemistry guy that we CANNOT subtract. But at some point he has to move to a different role, and we both think that’s going to happen this season. [Edited for trade speculation. We will be doing a trade post soon for this discussion.]

  10. DirtySanchez says

    KB was trying to put on a show for the fans last night in the windy city. Hopefully thats out of his system and he will play a team oriented brand of ball tonight. Less turnovers and an effort on getting his teamates involved in the offense early, will help keep them focused on the road.

  11. T. Rogers says

    Andrew better look to redeem himself on the boards tonight. I can see Shannon getting some time on Jennings. As much as I love watching Kobe get 40 points, last night’s line for the starting five was nothing pretty. I hear Kurt on being satisfied getting the W. It would just be nice to see at least four of five starters in double figures. And it would be good to see Fish at least scratch! Is that too much to ask?

  12. TDOG says

    DirtySanchez obviously has no idea what he is talking about. Kobe does whatever it takes to win the game, period. If Kobe feels his team needs him to score more, he will. How about instead of blaming everything on Kobe, maybe his teammates should try to get better offensively. If you are a true laker fan, you better accept the fact that Kobe is Laker basketball. [edited] If you don’t like the way Kobe plays, go root for the Spurs.

  13. PJ says

    Again its a chicken v egg situation. Was Kobe taking on a heavier scoring load to keep the Lakers in the game or was his heavy lifting the cause of his teammates lack of offensive production? I don’t know the answer. But, I am happy to get the W.

    • Kurt says

      Kobe was exploiting mismatch, and doing it well. However, TDOG, the Lakers are at their best when Gasol and Bynum are involved in the offensive flow. You may have enjoyed the 2006 All Kobe All The Time Lakers but it took team basketball (and players better capable of of playing team basketball) for the Lakers to get back to the Finals and win it. Kobe is the face of Lakers basketball, but he understands a team is what wins.

      Also, we are civil around here. Feel free to disagree and make your points, but be civil.

  14. DirtySanchez says

    TDOG, its not my point to blame everything on KB, my point is that the players around him have to feel like teamates instead of fans who paid to get in the game. Going 1 on 3 is not an efficient way of playing basketball with the team that we currently have. Playing the lowly Bulls the concept of KB versus 5 will get you a win, but against top teams in the league we will not see the same results. I guess Ill just be a loser because to win the chip we have to have a team not just Kobe.

  15. harold says

    Kobe is Kobe and that’s something that won’t change.

    Take the bad with the good, and be glad that the good often outweigh the bad 🙂

    But still, I wish he could will himself to work hard at making others score…

  16. Gr8 Scott says

    This is a game where if we had a shot to win with a few seconds left, I would be happy – although I’d like to see us go hard, get up big early and rest some. Our team looked really sluggish last night against a so-so Bulls team and yet we ground out a win. Road wins are tough, no matter what anyone says. I would like to see us go through Pau & Drew, but only if they are going to be aggressive from the get-go. Paging Dr. Josh 18 foot Powell – your services are needed to spell our big men. Go Lakers!

  17. TDOG says

    Sorry, I’ll try to be more civil. My point is that KB’s other teammates should feel the burden of doing more to win games. KB is just filling in the blanks. If more scoring is needed, done. If playmaking is needed, done. You get the point. The concept of KB versus 5 is not Kobe’s fault. Blame it on the other players that don’t feel the need to step up. If KB doesn’t see the fire in his teammates, he’s going to take the initiative to win the game and as Kurt said, exploit the mismatches. Sorry, I don’t see the fire and desire in his other teammates. The Lakers are just cruising along and coasting in for victories. This works for now, because KB can still dominate and destroy opponents at will. The other teammates need to figure out how to play with some passion during the regular season (not just for the playoffs). Unfortunately, I feel that this is the main difference between the current Laker team and the Celtics.

  18. Not Charlie Rosen says

    Sometimes Kobe–like Phil–realizes that it might be worth a game (or at least the idealized gameplay we all hope to see every night) to send a message. Sometimes it’s horrific for fans–see game 5 against Phoenix, with no shots–sometimes it’s inspiring–see the game against the Knicks a few years ago right after Bynum went down, when KB dropped 61, reminding everyone that Bynum’s good, but the Lakers were scary even without him.

    I think that’s what last night was; he even said it in some of his post-game comments, that he wanted to come out aggressive early and let everyone watching (not just the Lakers and Bulls, but the entire NBA) that he may be injured, but don’t put the Lakers up on a shelf just yet…sumbitch can still drop 40+ with only 8 fingers.

  19. Bynumite says

    I think that there is some overreacting going on about Kobe’s game last night. I think that it was a combination of his need to show everyone that despite this fracture he could still be devastatingly lethal in addition to what the Bulls were giving him. That being said, Kobe Bryant scares me. A avulsion fracture on your shooting hand would pretty much sideline any basketball player. Yet he still is able to come out and score 42 points in an efficient manner off of 26 shots is astounding. Nights like last night make you realize how lucky we are to watch one of the greatest competitors ever play the game of basketball.

    I do agree with Kurt that the offense needs to run through Pau. He makes this offense flow so much smoother when he is able to get involved. I am sure there are statistics that show how many possessions result in a basket when Pau touches the ball versus when he does not touch it. I think that there needs to be a more concerted effort to get him involved in the offense. He has been taking on average about 11.3 shots a game which I think for him is too low. He needs to be in the 14-15 range. He is our most efficient scorer and it is extremely beneficial to the offense when he is able to get going as opposed to Ron’s ridiculous drives to the basket that make me cringe.

  20. Brian says

    I don’t mind Kobe taking as many shots as he did last night because he was shooting well. But in doing so he makes us a less effective overall team, because no one else gets in rhythm. And he can’t turn the ball over 8 times against good teams on the road and expect us to win. Luckily the Bulls are barely decent.

    And I never thought I would say this, but man, I miss Stu. Hundley brings absolutely nothing to the table as color commentator except Captain Obvious comments.

  21. JB says

    It’s not so much Captain Obvious, it’s two “broadcasters” without a color commentator, to the extent that Hundley awkwardly took it to commercial last night–I think in the second quarter–and chopped Joel off a bit.

    I can’t blame him, he’s got 40 or so years of habits to overcome, but it is a little strange to hear them almost wrestling to see who the play-by-play guy is.

  22. j.d. Hastings says

    Speaking of Kobe and Facial hair, why does his MV Puppet have a goatee?

    My speculation about last night is that with his finger Kobe is more likely to shoot a lot early- before it starts becoming sore from activity. Be active, force the defense to respect him, then while he wasn’t exactly inacitve, he forced the issue much less the rest of the game. He was more likely to look to draw fouls and find teammates or play the decoy.

  23. The Dude Abides says

    Ugh…Hundley just said that Brandon Jennings had a 50-point game this season, then repeated it two more times, including saying that he scored 45 of his 50 in the last three quarters. I’m pretty sure he scored 55 points in that game. One other thing about Hundley is he mumbles so much. Sometimes he’ll go through an entire sentence without even one intelligible word.

  24. Sandibe says

    There were times yesterday where Kobe pushed his offense more than I would usually prefer, but I thought it was strategically important for him to show the rest of the NBA that his broken finger will not hurt his ability to score. The more an opposing team believes that his injury will hurt his offense, the more likely the opposing team will shift defensive resources from Kobe to other players. Last year’s finals against Orlando showed that the more Kobe can force the opposing team’s defense to focus on him, the more the floor opens up for the rest of the team. We want our opponents to double-team Kobe because he is among the best at passing out of it and because the triangle offense is among the best at getting the ball to the open man. Yesterday’s performance helps put to rest any thought an opposing team might have about guarding Kobe less.

  27. Maes says

    Puppet Kobe’s goatee makes him look like a villain, and a wee bit like Count Chocula, am I right? 😉
    Anyway, I think it’s pretty safe to pencil in a win here, the bucks haven’t been playing all that well, although a lot of that was reintegrating Redd and the small injury Bogut had.

  29. lakergirl says

    Dude, i rather listen to Hundleys mumbling than the Bucks commentators. Spewing the usual “Artest is baggage” and “Jennings would be good tonight if the refs dont let Fisher bully him”

    NBALPBB can make for better viewing experience if they let us choose what feed we want to watch each game.

  34. The Dude Abides says

    Wow…the official scorer didn’t give Pau credit for that block on Bogut. What game is he watching? Also, Milwaukee is playing excellent free throw defense in the early going.

  38. emh101 says

    Brown and Farmar have been playing confidently and under control these last few weeks. That pleases me.

  45. jeremyLA24 says

    I have to say that D. Fish driving to the basket is about as useless as shaq shooting open 3’s

  51. The Dude Abides says

    51. Yeah, I think the league office will rescind that T on Ron Ron. All in all, I’m liking our chances in the second half. We’ve gotten most of the calls in this game, but that’s because we’ve been more aggressive inside. The Bucks are bound to get some more calls their way in the second half, but I think our guys will keep going inside. I just hope it’s not D-Fish on dribble drives.

  52. The Dude Abides says

    52. The Bucks went to the rim a number of times in the first quarter, but the Laker bigs either blocked their shots or jumped straight up and forced misses. So, the second quarter has seen a lot of Milwaukee outside jumpers.

  55. Tyler says

    You know what would help the Lakers win some road games? Somebody, ANYBODY, hit open 3 pointers with some consistency.

  60. harold says

    Just got here, and what’s with Gasol taking a 3? That his first this season? He should try for 20-20 tonight…

    And Kobe is on pace to match last night’s 8 TOs

  64. harold says

    We’re one cold-streak from Kobe away from losing this game.

    Let’s hope he doesn’t force the issue, or that Pau becomes very vocal and demanding of the ball.

    Not that I’m realistically expecting either to happen…

  65. The Dude Abides says

    Even though Drew only has three rebounds so far, his effort on the glass and on rotations is vastly better this game. He’s constantly contesting shots, and blocking out well for the most part.

  68. Harris says

    Realistically we should lose this game and I kind of hope we do because we are not playing well. Its too much Kobe and everyone else is rushing. We have left it too late for this game though. We basically need Kobe to save us.

  70. jeremyLA24 says

    what is up with this new traveling call? They call it on both sides of every game I see. Its when you are on the perimeter and you drive. I don’t know what they are doing wrong and I don’t like it at all.

  71. Darius says

    I just started watching, but the boxscore looks like a game I’m glad I’ve missed. I love Kobe, but I very much dislike him having 21 FGA’s with the next closest player having 12.

  72. Darius says

    Has our defense been that bad all night? Fisher can’t play his man to go away from the screen when Pau is trying to hedge on that same side. No wonder Phil called a timeout.

  73. Harris says

    Darius, its been a mess. Lots of isos, no variety in the offense, and Kobe in hero mode way too early.

  74. Mohan says

    Just a lack of effort on both ends of the floor…they seem to be content with just getting out of Milwaukee.

  75. The Dude Abides says

    73. Darius, Milwaukee has been packing it in a lot. They’re playing what appears to be almost a matchup zone, doubling our bigs down low. At least Kobe has been getting to the line a lot. Also, Drew’s been on the bench a lot and Lamar’s been mostly passive. Ergo, 1/3 of the Laker shots have been by Kobe.

  76. reggyray says

    It never ceases to amaze me how often players get called for traveling on the their first step. This is the NBA, the highest level of professional basketball, but players still commit errors not even commonly seen in junior ball. I myself play organized basketball and have not committed a travel in that matter, to the best of my memory, for numerous years.

    It is a very simple concept – being to move, put the ball on the floor. Yet I had to see Ariza travel on his initial step many times last year, and it is something beginning to creep into Shannon’s game this year, too.

  77. Yusuf says

    Good ol’ reliable post game. No team enjoys the post as much as the Lakers.

    I dont kno if its going to be as efficient against the Celtics tho. Their trio of bigs are all great post defenders plus their defensive rotations are as good as anyones in the league. Will Kobe be as successful backing down Pierce? (who is stronger and taller) Bynum and Perkins matchup intrigues me because we all saw Perk give Dwight all he could handle but Dwight doesnt have the moves Drew does.

    I havent seen the same great passing the Lakers have had in the past two seasons in the games Ive seen so far this season. Is it just me?

  79. DirtySanchez says

    KB started out the game with 20 points on 12 shots, then decided with LA up 6 to try to go in me against the world mode, next stop New Jersey, coming to a town near you. It has been a disappointing affair on offense all night, PJ has got to light a fire under these guys to pull it out.

  81. j. d. hastings says

    I thought it was still the third quarter when I looked up and realize there was only 3 minutes left. From the shots Kobe and Fisher just took, I’m not clear if they know its late in the 4th either.

  82. Simonoid says

    Did Jennings just told Redd to think about what he’s doing? Wow, the rook’s got some balls.

  83. lakergirl says

    The bucks announcers are funny. One always seems clueless and says the wrong thing. Then the other one corrects..hilarious

    GO Fish

  91. DreDawg says

    15 turns for kobe in the past 2 games. please go to pau more and lets pull this game out! oh phantom foul on bogut!!!

  96. j. d. hastings says

    I love kobe but when 1 point wins it, why not use Pau Gasol instead of trying to post up 17 feet out and taking a well contested jumper?

  97. Yusuf says

    Ah man. Another Kobe walk off wouldve been great for the highlight reel.

    Kobe 45 minutes on the 2nd night of a back to back. And more coming.. Great

  98. The Dude Abides says

    That last shot by Kobe was set up perfectly, but I think the ball slipped a little on the release of the shot. I’ll take my chances with a 15-ft jump shot by Kobe at the buzzer every time with the score tied.

  99. DreDawg says

    96. exactly. gasol either gets a ten foot hook shot or someone gets an open look. a no-brainer…..

  101. jimjoyce says

    Despite the fact that the Bucks have not played well overall lately, your analysis overlooks the fact that they have continued to play exceptionally well at home, 9-3 coming in.

    Like most young teams, wins on the road are scarce, but they are rough at home against everyone.

  103. j. d. hastings says

    The lakers keep the bucks off the offensive glass all game until now? The Lakers need to relearn how to play on the road.

  104. DreDawg says

    why double down on bogut?!! bucks have 3 – 4 three point shooter in their lineup right now. now they pay the price.

  106. 81 Witness says

    how did they miss that foul on odom? He got slapped on the head.

    Lakers deserve to lose. They had no energy tonight and played sloppily.

  107. wiseolgoat says

    i don’t know if that’s their defensive gameplan, but fish doubles down on the post man ALL THE TIME NO MATTER WHAT

  114. Tyler says

    These announcers for Milwaukee are awful. The color guy yells at calls like he’s a fan. Also, Bogut was clearly still moving backward when Kobe ran into him.

  117. 81 Witness says

    Do or die time kids. Set screen to Kobe, wait for the double-team and pass to Fisher for the W.

  118. pb says

    What amateurs Bucks announcers are!
    Screaming “THAT’S NOT A FOUL!”…LOL.

    Milwaukee is giving this game to us. We just need to take it from them now!

    KOBE TIME!!!!

  122. pb says

    Wow…nothing but the bottom of the net.

    He just knows how to make it more DRAMATIC.

    Kobe is simply amazing…

  129. Mohan says

    128 – When we were down 106-100, I actually thought to myself, “Kobe needs a 7-0 run here to redeem himself for the missed shot at the end of regulation”.

    How beautiful was that.

  130. joits says

    you knew after that bad shot at the end of regulation, he wasn’t going to let another opportunity go. kobe is the man!

  131. DreDawg says

    i dont believe we just won that game! kobe took the exact same shot he did at the end of regulation! guess we gotta be down 1 for him to make it! got lucky on the shouldve-been-offensive foul 3 point play by kobe. but there were some terrible calls that went against our way as well.

  132. j. d. hastings says

    hahaha okay great shot by kobe, but I felt more embarassed than thrilled. That was a bad call to give kobe the 3 point play and it took 3 critical missed FTs to allow them to get to OT and in position to win.

  133. LAkersFan says

    Can someone explain why the Lakers suck at defensive rebounding?
    For 5 games in a row, they’re outrebounded (offensive rebounds), and Andrew has had less than 5 rebounds 5 of the last 7 games or something like that.
    Why is it that the Lakers have a big frontcourt yet can’t secure rebounds? Is Drew just slacking off?
    THe excuse about Pau isn’t valid, because Drew operates closer to the basket. Plus, 1-2 rpg decrease can be excused, but droppping from 10 rpg to 3 rpg? Why is that?

  134. Jim says

    And they said Dirk was the best with 2 seconds left in the game today. Kobe must have heard that. Kept the game close so he could win it with his shot (1/2) ain’t bad. Especially when the 2nd one was a win it or lose it ball.

  135. The Dude Abides says

    Before Kobe rudely interrupted me with his piddly little game-winning jump shot, I was in the middle of making the argument that long rebounds off three-point shots are virtual crapshoots. I can’t blame the Lakers for not getting those long rebounds.

  137. The Dude Abides says

    135. Drew is our designated shot-changer when the opponent shoots a 10-12 foot jump shot. He switches off his man to contest the shot, so he’s not grabbing many defensive rebounds. He did a pretty good job of screening out Bogut for the most part when both were under the basket. Also, we had 41 defensive rebounds to Milwaukee’s 9 offensive rebounds. That’s a pretty good ratio.

  138. the other Stephen says

    i don’t understand how kobe’s finger could make him turn over the ball more, but not affect his shot percentage. i haven’t watched the past couple games, so is there anyone who can explain to me the reasons for this madness?

  139. Ghetro says

    I’m with J.d. on this one… great buzzer beater for the win, but that 3 point play awarded to Kobe… eh.

  140. lil' pau says

    well, that was interesting…

    great teams find a way to w–… ah, hell, we were lucky. that and one given to kobe would have kept me up all night if it had been called AGAINST the lakers in a reverse situation. that was really awful… great shot at the buzzer, though…

  141. chris h says

    man, it’s 11PM here in freezin’ Toronto, working late but had to look for a link, I found one on a spanish espn, it was great, the guy who came in to clean the joint laughed, asked me if i understood spanish, i said pocito. we watched it together, then he had to move on. I couldn’t believe the ending! wow! glad my wife tivo’d it cuz I’m going to watch both these when I get home this weekend. and I’m looking forward to 70 degrees again, won’t complain about the boring CA sunshine! no way! wow, what a finish!

  142. Bynumite says

    141. I rewatched that 3-point play a few times and Bogut’s left foot is still moving when Kobe runs into him.

    When I first saw it, I thought charge immediately and was about to throw my remote into the TV.

  143. james says

    be prepared guys were gonna get alot of whining about the blocking call and to be fair they’ve got a point

  144. luubi says

    the refs gave Kobe an early Xmas gift and he took it.

    you know who I’m happy for? Pau! His 20/20 performance didn’t go to waste.

  145. R.J. says

    Great ending to a blah, ugly, slog it out game that the Lakers were very fortunate to win. Few macro points, not so much about this game specifically:

    1. Are the Lakers in such a rush to usher in the Andrew Bynum era that they’re skipping over the Pau Gasol era?

    2. The Lakers best 5 does NOT include Andrew Bynum, imo.

    3. Flipped over to Mavs-thunder for a quick second and they happened to show that Artest and Kobe are 1-2 in the league in +/-……..Ron Ron has been everything we could have hoped for to this point.

  146. Ghetro says

    144. I’ve blocked out a lot of whining about the refs from other fans over the past few years, but yeah, maybe this time I’ll let them actually run their mouths.

    Just for this one though… >_>

  148. Eric says

    yeah….i cant be excited about the game winner. as good as it was, that 3 point play was just wrong.

  152. Mimsy says

    I was out all evening, rushed home in time to see the last few minutes of the game… just in time to see Kobe miss the game winner. Bleh.

    Sat down to watch OT, and it was fun and dramatic and Kobe making the game winner was great, and I was sad that I missed what looked like it had been a great game.

    And then I came here and read everyone’s comments and now I’m glad I didn’t see it. It sounds like it was ugly.

  153. R says

    As Kurt said in the preview:

    “The win over the Bulls was not a pretty thing. My advice: Get used to it. This is what road games look like — teams are not tired at home, and they are not going to roll over for the Lakers in front of their fans. They will have more fight, and the games will be closer.”

  154. Chise says

    With the terrible officiating in this game, throughout but especially the 4Q/OT, I’ll take that no-call at the end of the game. I don’t recall how bad of a call it was, but the refs totally missed two fouls on the previous few trips, one when Odom went for that last shot he took and one when Artest went to the basket and was pretty much molested. Great shot by Kobe though…

  155. Jim says

    Kobe now has had 2 winners in the last 12 nights. I love that he’s hitting them, but I hate that he has to. We are a better team than how we are currently playing. I know 2nd half of a road back to back isn’t easy, but this Bucks team is not terrific either. I was expecting the run at the end of the 3rd to put the game away. I’m thrilled with the W, less than thrilled with the 1st 52 minutes of the game.

  156. DirtySanchez says

    Drews game has definitely been off since Pau came back to the lineup. Drew hasnt accepted his role on the team yet and I think his low point production compared to the beginning of the year has hurt his ego. The coaching staff has got to find a way to get him to realize that he will not be the only answer in the paint. If Drews game contiues to fail in other facets on the court, I think he will be sitting on the bench a whole lot more in the future.

  157. brimshine says

    My least favorite part about road games… the other teams announcers. Who else loved the color guy for the bucks yell “Miss It!” as Kobe nailed the winner.

  158. Ghetro says

    158. They really said that? Man, that’s hilarious. You’ll never catch Joel or Stu (or Hot Rod even) saying that.

  159. J says

    Interesting comment by Phil in the post game interview. Ireland asked him about Bynum’s poor rebounding in the past few games. Phil said Bynum hasn’t been feeling well the last few days and has had a lack of energy. Phil has had to monitor his minutes more carefully.

  160. Simonoid says

    Was it just me or did the play-by-play man for the Bucks yell “Miss it!” right as Kobe shot?

    Talk about amateurism.

    Edit: Snoopy I told you to remind me to read everyone else’s comments.

  161. pb says

    I know that the Lakers should be beating lower echelon teams like the Bucks like a drum, but would you rather be the moping fans of the Bucks right now?

    How devastated must they feel knowing that they had at least 4-5 easy chances to put the game away in the 4th quarter and in OT?

    Missed FT by Bogut.
    Blocking call that should have been a charge on Kobe.
    Two Missed FTs by Ilyasova.
    Missed shots with 4 point lead.

    All I know is that we should be glad to win these games. Who wouldn’t rather see a convincing blow out? But blow outs are boring. Sometimes, you need these buzzer beaters to make you realize that victory can come in many shapes and forms. Win is a win.

    The Lakers win. The Bucks lose.

    I’m glad that my team won.

  163. The Dude Abides says

    Upon further review, the block call on Bogut should have been a no-call, neither a charge nor a block. Kobe did a spin move into traffic, and Bogut flopped. Kobe wasn’t moving at a real high speed, so there’s no way a 275-lb center should fly backwards like he’s shot out of a cannon when a 210-lb guy runs into him on a spin move.

  164. harold says

    At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is that we won another game without adding injury. (although some of our players added T’s)

    The quality of the win, which only exists in Hollinger’s rankings, will not matter an ounce as long as we learn from it.

    Enjoy the win, enjoy the game-winner, and remember that it’s a back-to-back in the road with our best player playing with a fractured finger that would keep some of us from typing, let alone play professional basketball.

  165. Gr8 Scott says

    Wow. Call me Scottstadaumus. See my post (18) talking about this game coming down to one shot.

    As for all of you who didn’t enjoy the win or thought the blocking call was bad – go watch some other team, seriously. Yes, it wasn’t a great call, but here’s a news flash – Kobe gets the benefit of those more times than not. That is why he is Kobe Bean Bryant. The dude can drop in a game winner on a broken right index finger a night after dropping 42.

    Listen, there are going to be nights where we beat teams just due to our best 6-7 guys being that much better than the other team and tonight was one of those nights. I’m not sure why we are playing with an 8-9 man rotation, but this is a long haul and we are headed in the right direction.

    And for the love of Pete, enjoy the beauty of another Kobe buzzer-beater!

  167. T. Rogers says

    Sometimes you just need to take the result, forget about it, and move on. The Lakers got the win. It was ugly. A few guys didn’t play well. Still they won and its time to move on.

    I’ll look forward to the New Jersey Nets.

  168. reggyray says

    I’m not sure why people think that Kobe’s 3-point play was a charge. Bogut is a known flopper, and if you watched closely, Kobe was indeed fouled, after the contact with Andrew – upon his spin move, a Buck (it was either Redd or Bell), reached in as Kobe flipped up his shot. Really, what should have occurred was a no-call on the Kobe-Bogut collision, and a shooting foul on Bell/Redd.

  169. Scott B says

    I had the Bucks’ broadcast tonight on League Pass and from this moment on I will never ever again in my life say or think anything bad about Joel and Stu. Give me the pull-up game, the mid-range game, the automatic-under-nine-minutes-timeout game. I’m pretty sure the Bucks’ color guy yelled “miss it!” when Kobe fired the game winner.

  170. Mimsy says

    I think people think Kobe’s charge was a charge because it was… :p It definitely looked that way to me. I know, Bogut weighs more than Kobe, but a mere 60lbs extra is nothing to someone with Kobe’s sheer physical strength and determination. He’s pushed larger players around in the past.

    I think it was a charge and a bad call. I also think that if Ilyasova and Bogut had made their free throws, Kobe’s three points would have been canceled out and would not have decided the game.

    It’s never one single thing deciding the outcome of a game, it’s a combination of several factors. Let the doubters say that an incorrect call decided the game. I will say as I have said in the past, we do not need the refs to help us win.

  171. sharky says

    The color man for the Bucks was HANDS DOWN the worst announcer I’ve heard this year. It was embarrassing. How about his whole “Kobe won’t like a foul called on him” – “Don’t call a foul on Kobe” thing? It was ridiculous. It was amateur.

    Come on League Pass – give us both broadcasts for every game.

    And Bucks fans… I’m sorry you have to listen to that guy every game. I really am.

  173. Wavenstein says

    LOL at “Laker fans” crying about a win. Go Lakers, Go Kobe!!! Go watch tje Spuds if you can’t appreciate greatness

    • Kurt says

      I agree that the that the travel/charge call was bad. That said, what I would say if this was reversed, is that it shouldn’t have mattered. Bogut missed the FT that would have won it in regulation, there were the two missed FT when the Bucks were up six in OT, they missed multiple shots with the game on the line. Then they single covered Kobe on a potential game winning shot, letting him get to a spot he loves at the elbow — you have to get the ball out of his hands or make the shot harder. They had their chances, the refs didn’t help but they could have won it. Glad they didn’t though.

  174. BOOBOO says

    I’m not sure if this was mentioned, but I read on ESPN (somewhere) that the regular referees have some days off so NBA is currently using NBDL as replacements.

    I didn’t get to watch the game (except the final possession, heh), so I’m not sure if the refs are official NBA refs or replacements.

    Anyone have comments on this?

  175. Don says

    re: Kobe’s turnovers – it seems like he is turning over shots due to mental mistakes e.g. driving hard into a bad position, leaving his feet to pass, misreading the defensive positioning, etc. It’s not like he is losing the ball while dribbling so it doesnt seem like the pinky is the issue w/ the turnovers

  176. nimble says

    KB was the man again,under appreciated and bashed but still is perfect with a broken finger.
    About the charge,it was a flop but should have been no call,no foul nothing.Surprised to see refs giving Kobe benefit of the call.He is not Dwade after all or sweet Melo 🙂

  177. Josh says

    Nah- Kobe was fouled by a Buck other than Bogut prior to the Bogut contact- and that’s the foul that should have been called. The Bogut thing was definitely not a charge. Kobe didn’t lower his shoulder and Bogut’s feet were not both planted (he’s still moving that left foot back when the contact occurs).

    In real time- I thought it was a charge. But seeing the replay immediately after in slow-mo from a number of angles shows that Bogut was not planted.

  180. bygones says

    No offensive foul,nothing,watched it over and over again.Perfect call for a hand slap largely gone unnoticed.

    KB24 forever!

  181. kaveh says

    hanconscoious,

    How can you possibly say such a thing?

    “(As i don’t live in the US, i can’t watch any games, so I have no idea whether bynum is boxing out or not.)”

    Have you been introduced to that wonderful invention, the computer? Oh, and its extension, a combination of computers hooked up together, the Internet? Just kidding.

    If you wish to know where to get games to download or watch streams, send me an email: plyka_b@yahoo.com

  183. JR says

    Kurt, yeah I rewatched the game winner on league pass and that single cover surely must be on Skiles. Awful move, and awful awareness by the players. Fisher’s man should have left him when there was no longer time to pass and at least disrupted Kobe’s shot. I would also prefer letting Odom have that 3.

  184. Maes says

    Kaveh, the biggest problem with watching NBA games as a foreigner is the time difference, you can’t stay up till 5 AM every day 😉

  185. Underbruin says

    For those curious about the “miss it!” comment by the Milwaukee color commentator, the following link has Kobe’s buzzer beater as seen on the Bucks’ broadcast:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp8n-Vm0xHo

    It’s pretty blatantly obvious – not like he just muttered it or something. I hate to say it, because it kind of makes me feel petty, but I love how dejected the guy sounds after Kobe hits the shot.

    To borrow a phrase… “Unbelievable,” indeed.

  186. wiseolgoat says

    187 – yeah, the best part was the mopey “no, it was in time” when the other announcer said it was reviewable. awesome.

  187. Brian Tung says

    reggyray (8:56 p.m.): I think it is barely plausible that it was a block (I’d have been happy with counting the bucket but no foul), but I think that your not being able to see why people think it was a foul on Kobe just says you’re a Lakers fan. Nothing wrong with that, but I’m sure lots of Bucks fans can’t see why people think it wasn’t a foul on Kobe. Or steps.

    Josh (11:02 p.m.): Sure, I can make that case–as a Lakers fan. Because I already want to believe that that’s what happened. Objectively, though, that blocking foul just typically doesn’t get called toward the end of the game. For whatever reason, refs do tend to let the players play more. Probably specifically to drive Stu nuts (hey, a palindrome).

    But, as one of the die-hard fans from Major League says, “Who gives a s—? It’s gone.”

  188. luubi says

    I watched the youtube clip and it wasn’t as bad as described here. Yes he did say “miss it” but it was after the release and I think it was just a spontaneous outburst, sort of a verbal English to will the ball out of the net. If he’d said it before the release or as Kobe went up for the shot, yeah that would’ve been really unprofessional. And they did give Kobe props.

    Personally, I thought Kobe walked. I think a fair call would’ve been no basket, two shots or ball out of bound if they weren’t already in penalty. You can’t allow continuation on a travel violation.

    But the whole “Kobe wouldn’t like to be called for a foul” is stupid small market victimology complex / Donaghy conspiracy crap. Like ANY player likes to be be called for a foul. Look at Tim Duncan, one of the supposed best sportsmen in the game. Every time he gets called for a foul, he looks utterly shocked. “What, me, foul?”

  190. Travis says

    re: Bynum. I think some people have a point, that he’s been pretty lethargic lately. He was accountable for at least 2 defensive breakdowns in the overtime period just from not being active.

    Hopefully its got something to do with the “not feeling well” that Phil points out. Also, everybody looked tired the last 2 games, and I’d imagine Drew has the worst of it being that he spent his offseason rehabbing rather than getting in shape.

  191. DreDawg says

    185. thats crazy, as a league pass subscriber, thats why i watch half the road games on mute. looking back at the replay, dont you guys think that they could have put 0.2 or 0.1 back on the clock? it seems like there was 0.2 when the ball was falling out of the net. not that i care, but if i was a bucks fan….

    speaking of league pass, comcast finally added NBATV on HD. of course, even if you pay for HD and even if you pay for league pass, you still dont automatically get this channel and they charge you if you want it.

    on another note, i love phil’s decision to inbound the ball from backcourt with 5 seconds remaining. i think it puts the defense on its heels a bit more. (i’m assuming that was by choice, and not because of the advancing half-court rule on a timeout. what is the rule on that anyway, anyone?)