As every coach in every sport will tell you, it’s about getting your own house in order before you start to worry about what the other team will do. So, before we talk Bucks let’s talk Laker defense. For the first 14 games, the Lakers were giving up 102 points per 100 opponent possessions, good […]
Game Preview
On Tap: The Charlotte Bobcats
After losing a game that seemed in the bag before the fourth quarter, the Lakers get a Charlotte team they had better not look past. Quick thoughts on the loss to Minnesota: The Lakers tired legs showed in the fourth quarter when they were slow to get out in the face of Szczerbiak and Hudson. […]
On Tap: The Minnesota Timberwolves
If the Lakers are going to do something rare and win the second game of a back-to-back (they are 5-16 in the last 21), the game at Staples tonight is going to need to resemble the first half of the win in Utah. Specifically, Kobe was not the sole offensive focus and his teammates knocked […]
On Tap: The Utah Jazz
My biggest concern is about this game is the Lakers catch whatever injury bug Utah has. Not that plenty of Lakers haven’t missed games (George, Walton, Kwame, etc.), but key Jazz cog Carlos Boozer has yet to step on the court, while Andrei Kirilenko has played only eight of the team’s 15 games so far […]
On Tap: The San Antonio Spurs
Looking for the advantages in this match up as a Laker fan is not easy. But here’s one — the best place to attack the Spurs offensively is from the midrange. San Antonio is good at defending inside and at the arc, but their middle is softer. Dean Oliver of Seattle talks about noticing that […]
On Tap: The Seattle Supersonics
Normally I would warn you to guard against getting sick by eating too much turkey and stuffing then trying to watch the Laker offense. But if the Lakers are going to get their offense looking like something less dysfunctional than the Bundys, this is the right team to do it against. Seattle has the worst […]
On Tap: The Chicago Bulls
What is it with these Bulls and slow starts? Last season they started 0-9 but finished 47-35 and made the playoffs. This season they have started a little better 3-5, but they’re still in last place (because they are playing in the toughest division in basketball). The Bulls come to the West Coast on what […]
On Tap: The Los Angeles Clippers
No, I don’t think it will last — the Clippers will not continue on pace to win 60+ games, they will come back down to earth. That doesn’t mean they can’t make the playoffs — if they stay healthy they have a good shot. They could even win the Pathetic Pacific this season. But they […]
On Tap: The New York Knicks
Rather than having me, who has seen 0% of the Knicks games this season, talking about that team, Larry from the Father Knickerbocker blog and I have swapped previews. What follows is his look at the game, my synopsis of the Lakers this season is up at his site (all of which will be pretty […]
On Tap: The Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis has not played much like a Mike Fratello team so far this season. Oh, they may still be boring fans to death and setting offensive basketball back decades (we’ll get a better look at them tonight, if we can stay awake), but they are not playing good defense. The ill-named Grizzlies have a defensive […]