Today we are taking a break from the “Bryant/Jackson/Buss Full Employment For Sports Columnists Act of 2007†to watch some honest to goodness basketball. (If you can’t get enough Kobe saga — or just want an insightful look at the drama in the front office — read the latest from Roland Lazenby over at True […]
Game Preview
Game On
I’m exicted to watch some Lakers basketball. And to watch a sporting event where Frank Caliendo’s new show isn’t promod every 20 seconds. That said, how much can we read into one preseason game? Not much. Especially one where Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and possibly Kwame Brown will be in street clothes. If you find […]
Preview & Chat: The NBA Finals
Hey, we did these for 87 Laker games, why not one for the Finals… Note to Laker management/fans/players/anyone who will listen. The two teams in the NBA Finals are two of the top four defensive teams in the league. This is not a coincidence. One-Sided? Without looking at a statistic or a match up, my […]
Laker/Suns Chat: Game 5
Let’s talk about the technical stuff the Lakers need to do tonight. In game three the Lakers started switching on the screen-and-roll the Suns ran, and also did some trapping (having both the center and the guard try to stop Nash from making a play). It worked pretty well for three quarters, as Jackson said […]
Lakers/Suns Chat: Game 4
It comes down to defense. In game three not only did the Lakers switch (or occasionally trap) on the pick-and-roll, not only did they play better man defense, but they cut off diagonal and other passing lanes. They limited Suns options, and they are going to have to do that again. Thanks to Gatinho for […]
Game Four Preview
Forty-eight minutes. It’s pretty clear what the Lakers need to do to win in this series — if you have not read Nate Jones’s breakdown of game three on Fanhouse yesterday you must, it’s so good and comprehensive I’m not going to repeat it all here. But this time they need to do all that […]
Game 3 Thoughts
Finally! In the second quarter, the Lakers started playing like a desperate team, and washed in with that wave of desperation was hustle and honest-to-goodness pick-and-roll defense. Back for three quarters were the Lakers from last December, the team other squads didn’t want to see come playoff time. Keying the 21-9 second quarter run that […]
Lakers/Suns Chat: Game 3
It says a lot about this Laker team that the coaches are still tinkering with player substitution patterns and lineups well into the first round of the playoffs. They can overcome that if we see a Laker team that’s a little angry tonight, one with a little fire in its belly. They need to be […]
Game Three Preview
The year was 2004, and the Lakers fell down 2-0 to the hot and rolling San Antonio Spurs. It looked bleak. It looked like a Laker team that, back before the season started, most fans thought would walk to an NBA title was going to be eliminated in the conference semifinals. But the Lakers won […]
Lakers/Suns Chat: Game 2
Something to look for in this one — where are the Lakers getting the ball to Kobe and Lamar early. On the block, like early in game one, or out on the perimeter like late in that game. If the Suns are overplaying to keep the ball out of their hands in the block, there […]