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Records: Lakers 41-13 (1st in the West), Warriors 14-37 (14th in the West, 25.5 games behind the Lakers)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 109.4 (9th in the NBA), Warriors 106.7 (16th in the NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 102.2 (2nd in the NBA), Warriors 110.6 (27th in the NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
Warriors: Stephen Curry, Corey Maggette, Andris Biedrins, your guess is as good as mine
The Lakers Coming in: So much for Kobe being back tonight. Apparently, Kobe will sit out tonight’s contest as he’s experiencing some soreness in his ankle after yesterday’s practice. Fortunately for the Lakers, they’ve been used to Kobe being out so they shouldn’t have to adjust to being without Kobe. What’s more worrisome is that Kobe’s had almost two weeks off and he’s still not completely over his sprain. I’m not going to jump to conclusions here; my first thought is that Kobe is now of the mindset that pushing through the pain just isn’t worth it and that getting as close to 100% healthy is a bigger priority than playing in this specific game. We’ll see where he’s at for Thursday’s game against the Celtics and hope that he doesn’t have any more setbacks before that game. As for tonight’s action, I’m anticipating that Phil calls Odom’s number and puts LO into the starting lineup. This is what Phil did in Portland when only Kobe was out to start the game and tonight is the same exact circumstance only against a different team. I suppose Shannon could get the nod, but Odom has performed so well as a starter in the past three games that I think this is the way that the coaches will go.
Adding to Kobe’s injury woes is Luke having another setback with the pinched nerve that’s been bothering him off and on for most of the season. Luke was not playing a lot of minutes lately, but he was the primary backup at SF and that will likely cause a shake up in our rotations for as long as he’s out. How Phil deals with this is anyone’s guess, but I think we’ll probably see more minutes for Ron and/or Kobe at SF or we’ll have some earlier sightings of Ammo (which for tonight, will probably mean both more minutes for Ron and Ammo getting some burn). I do hope that Luke can heal up relatively soon, but this is the 3rd time this season that he’s had issues with his back and that does not bode well for him. Back injuries are tricky and he may be on the shelf for a while and even miss the rest of the season. I think we can all agree that we hope that is not the case.
The Warriors Coming in: Even though some of their players are on the mend, this is one banged up team. Monta Ellis is nursing a sprained knee and is planning a trip to see Dr. James Andrews to get his knee examined. RadMan is questionable with a sore achilles tendon. Azubuike is out for the year with a bad knee. Raja Bell is out with a bad wrist. Brandon Wright hasn’t played all season and Anthony Randolph could be out for the rest of the season with a very bad sprained ankle. That’s six rotation players and only RadMan has potential to see action tonight. As you can see from the starting lineups listed above, I have no clue who Don Nelson is going to call on to flank Curry, Maggette, and Biedrins (that could be due to the injuries or because Nellie is a bit nuts, you can choose). Maybe Morrow will get the start next to Curry in the backcourt. Maybe it will be CJ Watson. Maybe Turiaf will start at PF. Maybe Anthony Tolliver will. It could even be Chris Hunter that starts at PF. Every single one of those players (save Hunter) has started a game for the Warriors in their past five games. So, really you got me on who Nellie throws out there to start the game tonight.
However, even though the W’s have had a lot of players out – leading to shuffling lineups and a lack of chemistry – some of their guys are playing well. Steph Curry has really come on after a slow start to his rookie season. He’s topped 20 points in each of his last three games and recorded a triple double (36 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) in his last game before the all-star break. And before his dislocated finger on his left hand, Corey Maggette had also been putting up some very good scoring numbers and was rebounding the ball quite well too. Anthony Morrow has gotten over his shooting slump and is knocking down the three ball. Biedrins is rounding back into shape after missing a lot of time earlier in the year, is rebounding better of late, and playing his typical clean up man game on offense. And fan favorite (for both us and them) Ronnie Turiaf has been providing his typical high energy and defending the rim like a mad man (kinda like this).
Warriors Blogs: Warriors World is getting you the info you need on the Dubs. And there is always the folks over at Golden State of Mind that are always giving you a fresh take on the team in Oakland.
Keys to game: This is a game where the Lakers could get by just by out-talenting the other team and we could just call it a night. However, if the Lakers want to build on the success they showed before the all-star break and truly get some momentum going, they’ll want to execute their offense and pound the Warriors relentlessly. That means running the Triangle through post entries and then working the offense to get quality shots. The Warriors don’t have any quality big man depth behind Biedrins and Turiaf, so our bigs can come at them in waves, hit them early and often, and watch them wear down as the game progresses. Besides attacking the post with our bigs, the Lakers should also be able to post their guards and wings – especially the players guarded by Curry and Morrow. If either of those players end up on Artest, the Lakers can run their sets to isolate Ron on the weakside block and either attack them with the power move or wait for the double to arrive and create open shots on the perimeter for our shooters. The Lakers will also have a tremendous offensive rebounding advantage (especially if Odom in in the starting lineup) which should be even more pronounced if they stick to the script on offense and get players lined up properly within their sets. That means, no PUJITS (Fisher, Kobe, Farmar, Brown, Sasha – that’s a lot of guys, no?) and avoiding the first long jumper that presents itself in the half court.
On defense, be aware of the pace. The Warriors play at the fastest pace in the league and want to turn every game into a trackmeet. They’ll attempt to push the ball off every defensive rebound and will even try to run off of makes. The Lakers will need to be aware of this and get back defensively. However, when the Lakers are changing ends and getting set to play D, they’ll need to be aware of the Warriors players running to the 3 point line. Curry, Morrow, and RadMan (if he plays) would all rather shoot the three in transition than attack the basket. The only player that will always want to attack the basket is Corey Maggette and to contain him you have be aware that he wants to drive to his right hand and is always looking to draw the foul to get to the FT line. Maggette is one of the league leaders in FT attempts per game (taking 8.7 per) and shoots them at a very nice 85%. This is one of his main weapons on offense so the Lakers need to guard him without fouling.
The other key to stopping the Warriors offense is playing effective D on the pick and roll. Don Nelson’s half court offense is based off two things: wing isolations and P&R’s. If you stop those, you win. The Warriors love to run the P&R with Curry as the ballhandler and either Biedrins or Turiaf as the primary screener. Curry is a fantastic shooter so you must fight over the top of the screen when guarding him. However, he’s also a very good ball handler and will turn the corner quickly or split the showing big man if he sees an opening. The Lakers bigs must hedge and recover on him and make him give up the ball to a non-threatning teammate. When dealing with the screener, understand that Biedrins will roll to the basket every time and will try to slither to an opening in order to get off his little lefty hook. He’s very effective at this and is crafty around the basket. The defense must disrupt his path to the hoop and overplay his left hand to make his finshes tougher. Turiaf on the other hand is primarily a pick and pop player and would rather shoot the open 18 footer. He’ll mix in an occasional roll to the hoop and will slip a screen every now and then, so you must be aware of those possibilities as well.
This should be a game where the Lakers win going away, the fans get tacos, and Kobe Odom has ice on his knees with 5 minutes to play. However, if the team goes into the game without the intensity to make that a reality the Warriors are quite capable of putting points on the board and keeping this one close for longer than any of us would like. Stay focussed and bring the executution that took out Portland, San Antonio, and Utah and this team will be fine.
Where you can watch: 7:30pm start time in the West on Fox Sports, and ESPN Radio 710am
Zephid says
This one’s for Warren!
I feel like I’ve lost my Warren-virginity.
Darius says
A note that I didn’t bring up in the preview, this is the first game back from an extended break for most of these guys so it could be sloppy in the early stages. Especially if the pace is fast to start out. Only Pau and Curry have been playing any basketball in the past several days with everyone else coming back from a mini-vacation. The Lakers are a low turnover team, so lets see if they can play a clean game to start out.
Zephid says
I think that the main reason Kobe decided to sit this one out is because he realized that the team has been playing fine without him. Now if the team had lost 2 of 3 or even three straight, no doubt Kobe would’ve been back for this game. But since the supporting cast went 3 for 3 without him, Kobe is thinking maybe his team can hold it’s own without him against the Warriors. All the while, Kobe can get more healthy and prepare his body for the stretch run and the playoffs.
But I’d be willing to put money that Kobe plays against Boston.
the other stephen says
3. and yet our victory over the celtics would be all the greater if accomplished without kobe.
T. Rogers says
Good move by Kobe. Why push it if you don’t have to. The Lakers have to control the tempo and give the Warriors heavy doses of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.
ray says
i expect a heavy dose of comments on how we will need point guard upgrade after this game. Just saying.
glove32 says
It is better for Kobe to rest his ankle, getting a couple of extra days should help in the recovery process. I think he will be ready against Boston. Hopefully the Lakers will continue their excellent play of late and the Taco Unit will close out the game
Rudy says
Any news on if Bynum will play tonight? I’m looking forward to seeing if our offensive flow and spacing these last 3 games was really due to Kobe or Bynum being out.
Bryan says
Living in the Bay Area, I see alot of the Warriors (I like to kid my Warriors-fan friends by asking why there isn’t a pro team in the area). It really is a shame that a roster with Curry, Ellis, Maggette, Randolph, and Biedrins can’t play above-average basketball.
It really all comes down to the players (and coaches) not really caring. At this point, yes, the injuries are piling up (they had to take a techical foul once this season just to keep 5 guys on the court due to fouling out!), part of me wonders if the players are shutting it down as soon as they can, due to injury, cause they’d just rather not play for this team.
Curry will have a few coming out parties through the rest of the season, tonight being one of them. Maggette has been their best/most consistent player. He just takes smart shots, and hustles on the Boards. The guy just doesn’t force anything – of course, much of that was playing with Ellis, who would command most of the attention. One-on-one, Maggette can beat anybody, but if the offense has to focus on him, so can the defense. He’s shooting 52%, 2nd behind Rondo as far as non PF/C’s with more than 30 games played. He’s been impressive. Which is why they’re trying to dump him now.
It’s sad, even the fans have stopped showing up to Warrior games, which is a first. (Did you hear what Bogut did to get people in the stands in Milwaukee? Genius!)
ThePeruvian says
Bryan, what did Bogut do? Or anyone other than bryan if you know, please…….. I’m curious as hell now
alex v. says
@Bryan/9 – I think injuries always “linger” for bad teams. The players don’t care, and the teams can always use the injury excuse to explain away their incompetence. I’m sure it’s worse at GS, where Nelson seems to make a hobby of jerking around players, just because he can. That’s great that people have stopped showing up to games up there. Now if they ‘d just stop buying tickets… 😉
@PT/10 – Bogut apparently bought a block of tickets for all the home games and gives them away to fans based on their promise to cheer wildly.
Warren Wee Lim says
Zephid, LMAO.
Jon M says
This is from the NY Times:
He bought 100 lower-level seats for every home game and gave them to fans who he was certain would raise the decibel level at the Bradley Center. The result was Squad 6, a wild cluster of standing, chanting and screaming fans decked out in wigs, sombreros and even a man brandishing a wrestling-style championship belt.
“I thought it would be better just to get an atmosphere created in there,” Bogut said. “It’s only 100 people, but the noise they make sounds like 1,000. It gives us some energy to feed off.”
If you want to read the entire article: http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/bucks-fans-respond-to-boguts-incentive/
Warren Wee Lim says
How nice would it be to get a win over Boston with Kobe sitting? 😀
ThatGuyRyeRye says
Wow, great breakdown, especially on each individual Warrior’s tendencies. I’ll be paying special attention to our PG’s defensive play on Curry.
Igor Avidon says
Re: Luke. I have a bad disc/pinched nerve due to poor weight-lifting practices when I was a bit younger. Discs get inflamed for many reasons and pinch the nerve. That stuff is there to stay. I really hope he can get the proper medical attention and resolve the problem, but this could linger for the rest of his career.
Warren Wee Lim says
YAhoo is reporting G. Karl is taking a leave to have throat cancer treated… that must just be unfortunate for the Nuggs and that must just prove that Cancer is hereditary. Ugh.
Darius says
Bryan,
I live in the bay area myself and catch my fair share of Dubs basketball. I’d say that the lack of success from the Warriors is more attributable to the coaches and management than to the players. Yes, the players are the ones that are on the court, but it’s the coaches that “prepare” them and its the front office and ownership that sets the direction of the franchise and this one is completely rudderless.
Those that know me know that I’m rarely one to criticize coaches as they know way more than I do and they’re the ones that are running practices, devising game plans, and spending countless hours scouting the opposition. However, I think Nelson deserves a boatload of blame for the way that his team has performed this season. He has given some players the green light (Monta, Maggette) despite their success or lack thereof during games (this goes back to Stephen Jackson and Baron as well) while jerking others around (Randolph, Wright – when healthy) and seems to have an aversion to playing more than one big man on the court at any given time. He’s seemed almost completely focussed on obtaining the coach’s wins record and hasn’t seemed interested in truly fostering the development of the young players he has on his roster.
Does Nellie’s unconventional style win some games? Yes. Did he lead the ‘We Believe’ team to a major upset over the Mavs a few years back? Yes. But where is the accountability for when his team underperforms or when he throws rag-tag lineups out there to compete? Earlier in the season, he threw Maggette out against the Lakers to start the game on Gasol. Really? When Turiaf was available to start the game? Like I said before, I hate to criticize coaches as they know their personnel best. But, Nellie seems to be coaching off pure hubris and not based off what may work best for his team.
Mike Penberthy says
So far this season the Lakers have lost only once to a team with a losing record (Clips), so at least they’re beating the really bad teams. Hopefully it’ll stay this way after tonight. It’s a nice change from the early 2000’s, when you knew there would be games against under .500 teams that they just wouldn’t show up to.
Warren Wee Lim says
Whoever guesses the exact starting 5 for the Dubs gets a prize from me 😀
The Warriors have always had the identity of being a rogue team. Win big games, lose sloppy ones. They have a pool of talent, largely due to being in the lottery perennially but also because of their style of play.
Much “success” can be attributed to Nellie leading the “we believe” crew. But like Darius said, the organization is just a pure joke when it comes to being a serious playoff team. There is constant bickering among players, there is constant conflict between coach and players… there are constant trade demands that hurt your team and the player’s value.
I don’t think the W’s lack talent at all. If we have to gauge a team based on stats and potential, the Warriors should be way up there. But there will never truly be a change in culture unless Nellie is replaced. Much like the Clippers until Dunleavy decides to leave.
Palani says
hate to be cynical, but did G. Karl/Denver management know about it before the extension? it was just last week right?
Warren Wee Lim says
Profiling the Dubs on paper:
Stephen Curry – dead eye shooter, amazing range, very quick, good handles, excellent passer. Lacks strength and a body that will last 82 games. Rookie, already a star.
Monta Ellis – lightning quick guard, good range, incredible athleticism and can create his own shot. Lacks size to defend bigger and taller guards and oft-injured. Young veteran, definitely a star.
Corey Maggette – amazing athleticism for his size, incredible strength for a G/F and has a body of a football player. Other than lebronze, no other player in the league can be profiled with such combination of strength, speed and size. Amazing ability to draw fouls due to his massive upper body strength.
Vladimir Radmanovic – deadeye shooter from downtown but a weak on-ball defender and rebounder. Known to slack off by being the help defender most often leaving his man open to drive or shoot. Space Cadet, nuff sed.
Andris Biedrins – one of the most efficient centers in the league. High-rate rebounder, above par defender, excellent position player, decent game all around. Lacks size to bang with bulky centers which most often than not causes him to miss time on the court.
The one key ingredient common to all 5 starters is defense. I must say the lack thereof is very glaring. Curry and Monta are super quick but they are not able to defend. Maggette is strong but he is lazy. VladRad is the same less the strength. Biedrins is the only decent-good defender on this starting unit and that’s already being generous.
james says
wow Lost was great tonight btw
jeremyLA24 says
Bryan/Darius- I just got stationed up in the Bay Area at Travis AFB in Solano County not too long ago and I never see any Warrior/Kings games on cable! What channel do these teams broadcast on so I don’t have to watch a choppy stream? Or are they so bad they don’t get broadcasted? Thanks.
Bynumite says
No LOST spoilers James. I have yet to watch the episode. I am waiting after the game to catch it on DVR.
Tonight is a great opportunity to see if the offense can continue to be fluid with the return of Bynum. LO is going to have a big game. I hope to see more minutes for Sasha after his last performance against the Jazz. Also, everytime the Lakers play the Warriors I feel bad for Ronny. He is an awesome guy who should have won a title with the Lakers. Now he gets to get jerked around by Don Nelson in addition to all the injuries he has suffered this year.
That Kobe GQ article was awesome. Additionally, I think Kobe definitely goes on Thursday against Boston.
Don says
Man I’m way too excited for this regular season game. Thank god for the internet and choppy streams
Darius says
jeremy,
I think it’s going to depend on who your provider is. Based off this link: http://www.foxsportswest.com/pages/tvguide
if you’re on ATT U-verse, the game would be on FSN 772. But you can search based off your provider at that link.
Darius says
Have I gotten one prediction right? WOW gets the start tonight…
jeremyLA24 says
Thanks D, I’ll check it out.
Don says
Haha Darius, keep at it. You should predict Kupchak doesn’t trade Vujacic and Ammo for Deron Williams.
Simonoid says
I’m looking forward to Lost too.
Tyler says
I’m not comfortable with these 3’s by Brown. I do like the steal and dunk though.
Darius says
I’m not sure I like the pace of this game so far, but I like that the shots are going in. Shannon is making his jumper and both Bynum and Pau are active on the block so far. I’d like to see Ron get a shot that wasn’t a three pointer, though. Maybe he can get to the FT line to find his stroke – this is the 2nd straight game that he’s been off with the long ball.
jeremyLA24 says
nice run by Shannon but he’s the type of guys that needs 5 bad shots just for a heat check. I’d love for PJ to harp on shot selection at this time out yet still incourage the good playing.
Mark says
Tyler, you have to understand that sometimes confidence is the best skill you can have.
And when your only job is to shoot when you are open via an extra pass, I’ll take that any day.
Zephid says
Oh no Gasol. Everyone knows you never pass it to Fisher on the break.
Phillip says
A few early notes:
If the Lakers are going to continue playing at this pace, they’re going to HAVE to make their shots. The Ws have too many shooters who can keep them in a game with this many possessions.
You have to like how active Bynum has been in the first eight minutes of the game. He’s been on the boards had have been going up strong when he’s gotten the ball deep in the paint.
Also, the Lakers have gotten two offensive rebounds after taking shots deep in the shot clock that have led to points. The Warriors aren’t going to have any chance at winning if the Lakers continue to keep them off of the boards.
Tyler says
Mark,
I really mean the Pujit 3’s, one of which with absolutely noone to rebound and the other with Gasol and Bynum not yet in rebounding position. That is not a habit I would prefer Shannon getting into.
Simonoid says
Darius: be careful what you wish for. That fadeaway from the paint was uggggly.
Daniel says
Is there a player in the entire NBA that you would rather pass off to on a fast break less than Derek Fisher?
Mark says
I’m just thinking whether or not we should play Pau-Bynum-Odom more often, to get them acquainted in the floor together.
Sure it is absurd to do it tonight, but when we play Denver and other teams which have big bigs, I think we can get it done, along with Farmar and Shannon (sorry Fish).
Simonoid says
Zephid: I’ve seen Pau run many breaks, and that’s probably the first bad decision. But think about it, I’ve never actually seen him try to finish – how many single defenders on the break would try to stop Gasol coming at full speed? I wouldn’t take a charge or even challenge and risk an and-one.
Mark says
Kwame!!
Simonoid says
Daniel: David Wesley. Although he’s retired. So maybe I’ll go with Kwame Brown, like Mark said.
The Dude Abides says
Tough D from Ammo!
sT says
Ammo is in already, interesting.
Darius says
After one quarter, the Lakers offensive efficiency is 135.3. The Warriors’ is 85.6. The Lakers have 9 assists on their 14 makes and have 4 offensive rebounds on their 11 misses. Not bad, so far.
The Dude Abides says
Bad O from Ammo!
jeremyLA24 says
Lamar possibly the most underrated rebounder of all time.
The Dude Abides says
This lineup’s play…not exactly scintillating.
Simonoid says
Man, Farmar has lost all confidence at the stripe, dating back to last season.
Rudy says
Jordan Farmer is playing no defense tonight
Don says
Wow ammo’s ‘pass’ was so off
Jim says
Wow, is it me or do we just look leaderless when Gasol and Kobe are not in the game?
Darius says
Now we see the ugly results of pushing pace. I know the second unit with Farmar, Sasha, and LO are more built to run, but they (Jordan and Sasha especially) need to be more selective and slow the game down when the simple play isn’t there. Our advantage inside is not going away.
The Dude Abides says
Pretty funny they gave an assist to Morrison on that four-foot airball that Drew caught in the air and dunked. I thought Biedrins got a fingertip on Ammo’s shot.
Tyler says
Farmar at UCLA 76% FT
Farmar Lakers career 66% FT
Isn’t that the one thing that should stay pretty much the same?
Rudy says
How bad is Adam Morrison?
Jim says
Rudy,
Pretty bad. The only thing worse that I can think of is our salary situation.
Simonoid says
Tyler, stay the same or get better. And he works on it too. Just a matter of confidence.
sT says
The Warriors are just dunking the ball against us, and our guards are missing 3 point shots, left and right.
Bobji says
Turiaf the defensive stopper.
I really hope he comes back to the Lakers…
The Dude Abides says
I think Phil just likes to mess with the fans by playing Sasha the entire 12 minutes of the second quarter, and having Ammo accompany him for seven of those minutes. FSM, that was ugly.
Darius says
At the half, the Lakers offensive efficiency has dropped to 103.1 and the Warriors has gone up to 95.1. The Lakers inability to hit shots, while playing at a faster pace with sloppier results really hurt us in the second quarter. We went away from the post and decided that we’d rely on dribble penetration by Sasha and forced jumpers by Ammo and Artest. Pau could be more efficient on the block, but he’s passing well out of the post and even if he’s missing his shots, the offense as a whole is running much better when he’s getting touches. No surprise there, though.
glove32 says
Sasha 11 minutes a plus/minus of -11
Tyler says
Dude,
I think they are auditioning them for trades. Now teams know that if they bring those two in they can easily blow 14 point leads as quickly as they built them.
The Hoops Freak says
Trade showcase tonight against GSW.
This is the team to do it against.
Burgundy says
So who’s going to clean up the steaming turd Sasha and Morrison left on the court during the 2nd quarter? I hope that extended run wasn’t to try and entice teams to trade for them…
glove32 says
Sasha and Morrison would be perfect for a team “trying to tank” the rest of the season to get more lottery ping pong balls
MannyP13 says
Yes, I hope the Lakers bring back Turiaf, Crittendon, Madsen and Ariza. While we are at it, why not bring back Smush Parker.
Darius says
I don’t necessarily agree with the “trade showcase” thoughts. We’re missing Kobe and Luke, Artest is playing poorly, and LO can only log so many minutes at SF. Sasha is going to get run tonight and so is Ammo. Not to get into any speculation, but opposing GM’s know exactly what they’d be getting in either player at this point in the season and their careers.
The Hoops Freak says
Gasol looks terrible.
Drew says
I would really love to see Bynum look to pass the ball out of the post more often, he truly is a black hole down there
james says
artest not stopping maggette whatsoever
Tyler says
James,
Artest hasn’t been stopping many people this year. About 85% of the SFs in the league can take Ron off the dribble almost at will.
The Hoops Freak says
Corey Magette is the second-best worst player in the NBA. Cap’n Jack holds the belt.
The Hoops Freak says
I love what Fish means to the Lakers, but how can he be such an awful finisher?
Rudy says
Why isn’t Phil playing the Odom/Gasol lineup more that worked so well for us the past 3 games?
ray says
im not watching because of Lost, but can someone tell me how Shannon has the most shots?
The Hoops Freak says
Gasol is getting absolutely hammered in the post tonight. No calls.
sT says
Well we still have a 9 point lead at the moment, very good. Hmmm, make that 6 now after a GS three.
jeremyLA24 says
Darius 2- Sloppy was right! That was your prediction of the night by far.
Drew says
The Kings really are blowing a great opportunity to beat the celts right now, they are 0-6 from the FT line down the stretch
The Hoops Freak says
Finally they call a foul.
The Dude Abides says
73. I’ve been specifically watching Andrew whenever he gets the ball in the post to see if he looks to pass. For much of the game, he was looking to pass, but there WERE NO CUTTERS.
The Dude Abides says
Some Laker needs to take over the assignment of finding Anthony Morrow on the Warrior secondary fast break and preventing him from shooting a three.
Rudy says
Why is Sasha getting so many minutes tonight? He is killing me out there.
Drew says
85. I would say that is a product of them never being rewarded in the past for cutting to the hoop….they seem to cut when Pau has the ball in the post
Anonymous says
links??
The Hoops Freak says
PJ is killing me with this lineup.
Mico says
Shannon doing his thing.
lakers8884 says
Shannon playing great tonight, and within the flow of the game.
The Dude Abides thats what i’ve been saying since Kobe went out, it ISNT Kobes fault about the flow of the offense because NOBODY cuts or moves around when he and Bynum play, everyone just stands around expecting them to score. That’s part of why Cleveland is so good, they have guys CONSTANTLY moving without the ball and that enables Lebron to give them easy passes for layups/dunks.
I Love Bynum but when he plays he renders Gasol and Odom half as effective as they usually are when he isnt playing.
zirk says
Just end this stupid game! How we are struggling against the team with the 3rd worst record in the league, kobe or no kobe, is beyond me. Oh wait, “we always have trouble against up-tempo teams like this”. That’ll be the excuse of the night.
The Hoops Freak says
92. They make you play their way some nights. Sloppy, ugly, take any shot on the floor basketball.
Rudy says
I don’t know how he did it, but somehow Corey Maggette has developed a reputation in the league where he can just put his head down, go to the basket and get superstar calls
Eric says
THIS is where we miss Kobe terribly
The Hoops Freak says
I really wanted to get to bed at a reasonable time tonight. Thanks for screwing that up Lakers.
zirk says
93. If you’re smart, you don’t fall into that trap. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to always play well, but you can certainly always play smart. Just my opinion…
The Hoops Freak says
97. Not an excuse, just an indisputable fact. It happens. Basketball is a fickle game.
Bobji says
What is this… so many turnovers and missed free throws it’s like the lakers are waiting to have kobe rescue them. Maybe he’ll appear to suit up and play the last 2 minutes.
The Dude Abides says
Jordan Farmar does not have an optimal assist to turnover ratio tonight: 0 ASTs, 5 TOs.
zirk says
98. Agreed. It’s just annoying when it happens to our team! Haha. Well, they have 3 minutes to take care of business!
Mico says
Talk about green light…
4 of 18/ 1 of 8 for Curry
zirk says
This just in. They’re going to bring Kobe out in a wheelchair in the last minute of the game. Oh wait, only that loser Pierce does that!
Lakers8884 says
It’s pretty evident the closing lineup of choice for the lakers frontline will be Lamar and Pau, but Bynum will close against Boston and maybe Cleveland if he doesnt get in foul trouble (we already know he cant stay on the court against Dwight Howard)
The Hoops Freak says
Anthony Morrow is rather punkish.
R says
Maybe Shannon will become the 20-10 guy so many Lakers fans seek …
jeremyLA24 says
Shannon getting some great clutch experience tonight. Even though its just the Wiz’, this will pay off come April and beyond.
Simonoid says
Look at Brown’s last shot again – the shake and bake, the subtle cradling of the ball in his left hand before bringing it up to shoot.
How many times have we seen that exact move before?
From Kobe, of course.
sT says
ShanWOW! maybe he should be getting starters minutes?
Warren Wee Lim says
shannnnn WOW
glove32 says
Shannon had a very nice game, he needed it after his performance in dunk contest
Mark says
I never doubted Shannon’s ability to score.
His shooting has really improved much, but right now he seems to be a really rhythm shooter, more of an Ariza-type last year.
But we want to see him defend better as the season progresses, he has the body and athleticism we’re all looking for to replace Fish. If he can guard the points and the SGs (though it may be a bad idea), everything he will do after is a bonus.
ray says
Good win. Like you said Darius, sloppy game. But good win.
Keep resting Kobe! Get healthy please.
Don says
great win. so happy to see shanwow getting his groove on
Warren Wee Lim says
Zirk, I can feel your negative energy all the way to the Philippines.
Chillaxe kid.
Mark says
Now let’s get ready to whip some Boston oldies. 🙂
Rudy says
I’m happy for the win, but I’m not sure why we didn’t look as good against a bad Warriors team as we did against Portland/San Antonio/Utah. I guess you can blame it on the All-Star break, but here are a couple things I’m worried about.
1. If Artest does not have the foot speed to keep up with the likes of Maggette, how can he keep up with LeBron?
2. We need Jordan Farmer to be our energy guy off the bench. He played uninspired ball tonight.
3. Is Pau ever going to figure out a way to play well with Bynum in the lineup?
james says
i have to say i never thought i’d see Shannon Brown scoring 27 points for us this time last year
themojojedi says
95. Rudy, that’s just Newton’s Second Law of Basketball, drawing Fouls=mass x acceleration.
The Dude Abides says
118. I think it was just Phil’s funky rotations. The offense and defense both looked good in the first quarter. Then Phil stuck Sasha in for all 12 minutes of the second quarter and Morrison for 7 minutes. And it was Bad Sasha, not the version of Sasha that’s been playing well for the past couple months. This allowed GS to get back in the game.
We also got Bad Jordan for most of the game (5 TOs, 0 ASTs). It happens. Players have off games. I’ll still be happy with a ten-point victory without Kobe, even against the Warriors. We held them under 100, even with all the bail-out calls the refs gave Maggette.
jeremyLA24 says
Rudy 118- I like to see Farmar attack the basket more and create open looks for a scoop pass down low, kick out to the 3, or his patent double clutch lay-ups. That’s his game and he just wasn’t running it tonight.
ray says
I think, and this is pure speculation, but sasha played badly, so he doesn’t get traded to a crappy team.
Or does he play like that when he gets a lot of minutes?
I’m joking zephid.
Jay says
118.
It’s pretty simple to see why we played so poorly. Artest and Gasol couldn’t throw it in the ocean at the beginning of the game. Our rotations were awful. Odom + Gasol is BY FAR the most optimum big lineup we have, but Phil seemed to try his best to NOT play them together. Odom didn’t shoot well when he was in the game anyways.
Add in a 17 minute steaming pile of Sasha, 7 minutes of lacktion for Morrison (1 assist and some bricks away from an astounding 7 trillion).
So none of our forwards had a good offensive game, Bynum gave his traditional 1 quarter of great effort, 3 quarters off meh, plus bad personnel rotation. That’s the recipe for a bad game.
Bobji says
Shanwow channeled the spirit of Kobe to finish the game off.
I’m going to say with Kobe out, the team really misses Walton more than one might think, even if it’s just a few minutes because AMMO at sf is… not particularly great.
Joel B. says
123. I was just about say the same thing. Its funny he’s playing badly, hoping a team won’t take him.
But anywho, Lamar and Pau were horrible offensively but they did other things well…pau 5 assist odom 18 boards while drew did the scoring 21 points. Thats what andrew in the line up affords the lakers.
Shannon played really well…I think he made up for that thing that happened in dallas on saturday.
Aaron says
Gasol just isn’t a great low post one on one scorer anymore. He is still pretty good though… but Andrew does a better job down there. Gasol is best used at the high post facing up and hitting cutters.
Pat B says
127, you’re delusional. Pau Gasol is the best low post scorer in the game today. PERIOD.
Adrian says
Sloppy game from the Lakers, but it sure is comforting to see us go 4-0 without Kobe all the same. The ball movement that we had been doing so well for the last three games was nonexistent today, but at the same time it game Shannon a chance to shine, which he did. Phil was also obviously trying mess with rotations a bit (taking out players who were on fire, giving sasha and AMMO minutes?!), so credit to the team getting the W with us playing 4v6 for 15 minutes (sasha counts as a player for the warriors).
3ThreeIII says
I suppose we need to define a whole bunch of stuff when we talk about “Best low post scorer”, but for certain Bynum has a better shooting percentage than Gasol does. Both true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage as well.
I agree that our offense works best with Gasol at the high post on either elbow, facing the basket, hitting cutters, and taking his man one on one when that is favorable.
That said, Bynum is clearly our best low post threat, and one of the best in the game.
And this argument that Odom and Gasol is the “Best” combination has a bit of a false premise. Lamar makes everyone better, which is kind of what he does.
The Lakers have four players with a PER above average (15.00)… Bryant at 23.00, Gasol at 22.5, Bynum at 20.00, and Odom at 16.1.
Nice to have a pair of big men that have PERs at 20, very nice.
gxs says
@127 – wtf? do we watch the same pau gasol? If anything, these last few games have *highlighted* how good of not just a low post scorer he is, but how good a basketball player in general.
He’s only 27-8, I’m dumbfounded by your comment.
gxs says
I like ShanWows stat sheet tonight. 11-19 including a 1-6 from three point land. I hope he can keep this up – though getting looks from a Pau Gasol pass is not quite the same as getting them from Vujacic.
sT says
There was a comment many threads ago about the site “82 games” ratings of different groups of players on the floor, and Odom made whichever group he was in better, either with Gasol or Bynum. The point of it was to describe that they both are needed, but that it was a credit to LO for what he does to the “other” pbigs with him. It was by Bill Bridges, drrayeye or Reed, one of those I think, I should go hunting for it, it was a very good comment about what you are talking about here now.
Darius says
New post up. A brief recap of the win.
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2010/02/17/lakerswarriors-shannon-shines-in-victory/
E. Dimowo says
#132: Isn’t that a shame? Hmm a freakin SG passes disgustingly worse than a 7′ center… well then again, Pau is Pau…