SB Nation - Derek Fisher

Some Thoughts on Kobe & Shaq

Josh Tucker — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:01:03 -0000

A few days ago, as you all remember quite well, Kobe Bryant hit this ridiculous game-winning bank shot over Dwyane Wade to beat Miami and keep the Lakers' winning streak (now at 9 games) alive. It was incredible, and yet, because it was Kobe, completely unsurprising. I was out of my mind, and yet, because it was Kobe, I should almost have expected it. It was an amazing shot, and yet, because it was Kobe, not a shocking one.

For me, as for many Lakers fans, the experience went beyond that single shot. In the day or so that followed, I found myself mentally reliving many of Kobe's previous buzzer beaters. Two of my favorites, of course, are the double-whammies versus Portland and Phoenix — in both of which, Kobe first ties the game at the buzzer to send it to overtime, and then, at the end of overtime, hits another shot at the buzzer to win it. (Side note: I wonder how many other players have hit two buzzer beaters in the same game, on more than one occasion? Anyone know?)

Suddenly, something occurred to me. My wife, who often watches Lakers games with me (lucky man that I am), had probably never seen either of those shots (or rather, pairs of shots). We got married in late 2006, and it was only after that that she started watching with me. So, of course, I called up YouTube and played them for her.

That's when I noticed something — something different about Shaq and Kobe...

Back in May of this almost-over calendar year, the NBA was busy applying fancy editing to some of the more dramatic moments in NBA playoff history, and the results were awesome. You had Dr. J's reverse layup, Larry Legend's inbounds steal, Magic Johnson's baby skyhook, and of course, Kobe's clutch alley-oop pass to Shaq.

When the Kobe-to-Shaq commercial ran, Jason Kottke noticed something about the play:

Bryant creates 95% of the offense here by crossing Pippen over and throwing a perfect lob to O'Neal. O'Neal throws it down and the camera follows him as he heads down the court yelling in celebration, totally blowing right past Kobe, who has his hand out to high-five Shaq. Kobe half-heartedly grabs at O'Neal's forearm as he passes; Shaq doesn't even notice.

Henry Abbott picked up on Jason's observation and ran it on TrueHoop, referring to it as "Where Amazingly Sad Happens."

Watch the video at the top of this post, and you'll see what they were referring to. Here's the unedited version, which further reinforces Kottke's point, making it even more clear that Kobe, not Shaq, is responsible for this play; Shaq was open for the lob because Kobe drew four defenders (Derek Fisher was keeping the fifth one honest).

Kobe created that play for Shaq. Kobe deserves most of the credit; all Shaq did was cash in on an incredible move and a gorgeous pass by Bryant. In fact, it's worth pointing out that in this situation, Kobe did what Magic didn't — pass the ball to his open big man. In light of Kobe's reputation as a supposed ball-hog (7 assists in the triangle offense, anyone?), even that is worth something — especially since Kobe had enough space to take the shot himself, and a free-throw jumper is almost automatic for him. But he made that pass, found his open big man, and created the biggest play of the game.

But what's Shaq's response, when the momentous play is completed? It's certainly not to show any appreciation to his very deserving teammate. Instead, he turns and points to the home crowd as he runs down the court.

It's as if to say, "I've done it! I've all but won us the game — give me the glory!" He's too busy exalting in his greatness and soaking in the adoration of the fans to even notice Kobe, let alone thank him. The star of the game, as Kottke also points out, was Kobe, who had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 blocks in the amazing comeback, as compared to Shaq's 18/9/5/1. The credit for the pivotal play belonged to Kobe. But there's Shaq, taking all the credit.

Watch the unedited video again. As Kottke points out (the dude was full of insights), it shows Shaq finally finding Kobe for a high-five, long after the play is over and he's sought out and received his props from the fans and his teammates. Kottke points out that "it's a brief moment; they slap hands and go their separate ways, foreshadowing Shaq's departure four years later." To me, it looks like more of the same from Shaq — his body language says, "High five me for that awesome play I just made." (To his credit, Kobe does just that.) Not that there's anything wrong with that, when it's deserved; players do that all the time, when they've just done something awesome. It's just that, in this case, it should have been a high five, or even a hug, that said, "I'm high fiving you for that play you just made."

Kinda like this:

Having been blown away by Kobe's game-winner over Miami, and having gone back to relive this previous clutch Kobe moments with my wife, I noticed something that reminded me of Jason Kottke's and Henry Abbott's observations regarding the Kobe-Shaq alley-oop.

Kobe deserved more credit for his game-tying floater than Shaq did for his alley-oop dunk. Unlike Shaq, Kobe created his own shot, and it was much more difficult. The presence of mind to know how much time was on the clock, and to know what kind of shot he could get in that time, was incredible. That left fake before he goes to the right around Raja Bell is simply brilliant. The twisting floater over Diaw to avoid the block was as perfect as it gets, and a very tough shot found nothing but net. As one commentator puts it (sounds like Hubie Brown, maybe?), "This is a miraculous shot."

But incredible as that shot was, it never would have happened without Smush freaking Parker's (!!) strip and deflection. And Kobe knows it. From stripping the ball without fouling, to dancing along the sideline while chasing a loose ball, to the presence of mind required to calmly make the controlled tap to an already-breaking teammate (Devean George), Smush Parker was, quite simply, playing way over his head. It was a brilliant, savvy, smart play that set up Kobe's shot. Get this right, folks: Kobe may have tied the game, but it was Smush Parker who saved it.

And Kobe knows this. He's just sent the game to overtime, and the crowd is going nuts for him, and he could care less about any of that. Instead of celebrating his own incredible shot or soaking in the crowd's mind-numbing adoration, he makes a bee-line for Smush. There's no simple high five here, no quick butt-smack. He freaking smothers the kid, and doesn't let go of him until Smush knows that he was the man on that play. Even after his teammates catch up and mob Kobe for making the shot, he still doesn't let go of his boy.

Smush Parker didn't put up 25/11/7/5 on the game. In fact, he was pretty bad on the night, going 2-12 for 5 points, with 3 rebounds, only 1 assist, and 5 fouls (and no free throws of his own). As hindsight has made so very clear, it had to be frustrating for Kobe to be playing the mighty Suns alongside a player of Smush's caliber (not to mention Devean George/Brian Cook and Kwame Brown, who, together with Smush, composed 3/5 of the Lakers starting unit). But in this moment, none of that matters, because as far as Kobe is concerned, Smush is the hero of the moment, and he makes sure his point guard gets every ounce of the appreciation he deserves.

Now, don't take this as being some sort of end-all point to completely settle the argument — but doesn't it seem a bit off to you, in watching these two plays, that Kobe had the reputation of being such a bad teammate, and Shaq, such a great one? Certainly, Kobe has had his flaws. But, as this video session suggests, perhaps it's not nearly so cut and dry — perhaps Kobe was never as bad as he was made out to be, and perhaps Shaq was never as good.

Just some food for thought, for the next time the Shaq-Kobe "relationship" comes up.

Lakers Dominate Suns, Look Better Than Ever

Josh Tucker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:38:35 -0000

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NCIS is my favorite show. Gibbs is my role model.

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In 2008-09, the Lakers won the NBA Championship (you know ... in case you hadn't heard). Along the way, they won 65 games. Throughout all this, their longest winning streak was 7 games. They had more than one such streak.

During the regular season, they often struggled to maintain focus and intensity. Their ceiling was very high, and they had the fortunate ability to play at nearly full potential when needed — but not consistently, and not when the competition was less than top notch. They often gave too much ground to bad teams, and though they were solid against Denver in the Conference Finals, and handled Orlando quite quickly en route to a 4-1 Finals victory, they weren't nearly as good as they should have been in the first two rounds, against lesser competition.

Many of these things appear to be changing, and last night's game is just the latest piece in a nine-game string of of games that punctuate that statement. With Pau Gasol still getting into shape, Ron Artest still learning the offense, and the schedule tougher than the pundits would have you believe, the Lakers' win over Phoenix last night has them riding a winning streak of nine games — already two better than anything they did last year.

With the stage now set, let's take a closer look at last night's blowout of the Suns at Staples Center...

Okay, I just can't help myself. Two more fun facts about this streak that I just have to point to:

On this nine-game winning streak, the Lakers have broken 100 points nine times. They have held their opponents below 100 points eight times.
Their average margin of victory over these nine games is 15.3 points per game. Basically, they're on a dominant nine-game winning streak, averaging a blowout.

Okay, on to last night's game. We'll do this with bullets.

Defense

The Suns have the NBA's best offense. Even after last night, they still rank nearly a full point per 100 possessions better than second-ranked Denver in that category. The Lakers, meanwhile, have one of the NBA's best defenses — 3rd by Offensive Efficiency rating, but first in defensive FG%, eFG%, and TS%. When the two clashed, the Lakers' defense easily won out.
The Lakers held the Suns under 100 points; only two other teams have managed that all year. They also held the Suns under 90 points; no other team has managed that all year.
They also held the Suns to under 100 points per 100 possessions (or, as we like to say around these parts, under 1.00 point per possession). By Hollinger's measure, they managed an efficiency rating of only 95.8 points per 100 possessions (0.96 PPP); by Dex's more accurate count (Hollinger uses a formula; Dex actually tallies it all up, possession by possession, superhero that he is), they were up to 0.98 PPP (98.0 points per 100 possessions). Either way, considering these two facts: (a) the Suns average 112.1 points per 100 possessions (1.12 PPP), and (b) a defensive efficiency rating of 95.8 points per 100, by Hollinger's rating, would be good enough for best defense in the League.
The Suns are 3-point shooting maniacs. They average 22.7 three-point attempts per game, and they convert at a mind-numbing rate of 43.4% from that range. Last night, the Lakers defended the arc very well, holding the Suns to a mere 13 attempts, of which they made only four. For the mathematically challenged, that's 30.8% shooting from distance. For some perspective, note that if they shot that poorly from three all season, it would rank them 23rd in the NBA in 3-point accuracy, instead of where they currently rank — first.
They also rank 3rd overall in total field goal percentage, at 49.3%. The Lakers held them to 44.6% on the night. Solid.
Phoenix didn't break 30 points in any quarter. They were held to 22 or less in three out of four.
Some subjective observations: Ron Artest was awesome as ever on D. Five steals, very disruptive overall, and never gave up on a single play. I was also very pleased with our bigs' defense. Taking a page from Toronto's playbook (I can't believe I just typed that; Toronto is ranked dead last in defense), LA switched on screen-rolls with Nash, sending Gasol or Bynum out to challenge the floppy-haired Canadian. I was impressed with both big men, who were very active defensively, moving their feet and generally preventing Nash from getting by them and into the paint. Great effort there, and great result overall. They didn't shut him down, but they kept him pretty quiet, at 12 points and 10 assists.
Final thought on last night's defense, back to offensive/defensive ratings: Tallying a defensive rating that, if maintained over the course of the season, would rank the Lakers first in the league, against the best offense in the league? Yeah, I'd say that's pretty damn good defense.

Offense

The Lakemen are slowly climbing their way up the ranks in Offensive Efficiency. They're still ranked only 13th overall, but the offense has actually been quite good of late, and their rating is slowly increasing. Last night, they scored 121.0 points per 100 by Hollinger's formulaic rating — a number matched identically, in this case, by Dex's more accurate exact count, which yielded 1.21 PPP. For perspective: Phoenix boasts the best offensive rating in the League, a point better than 2nd-ranked Denver, at 112.1 points per 100 (1.12 PPP); last night, the Lakers were 9 points per 100 better than that.
21 three-point attempts, 10 makes, which is a conversion rate of 47.6% from distance. Yeah, they stole the Suns playbook on that one. Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar — all hit at least 50% of their three-point attempts.
26 free throws earned, a very solid rate of 0.32 FTA/FGA, and converted at a very high rate of 84.6%. Ron Artest didn't miss a single freebie.
The Suns doubled heavily in the paint, since the Lakers destroyed them down there last time. The Lake Show simply responded by hitting jumpers, knocking down threes, and passing out of the double team down low. On a couple occasions, I was very pleased to see Bynum take a page from Gasol's playbook, drawing the double with his back to the basket and then dumping the ball off to his low post-mate.
Good ball control. A temporary lapse in the second quarter, where they committed six turnovers, but only 11 overall — and only one in each of the first and third quarters.
Six guys in double figures, including two off the bench. (I'm telling you, the more I see the Farmar/Brown lineup, the more I love it.)

Bench Play

I've decided to refer to the reserve lineup that Phil Jackson plays when it still matters — typically, in the 2nd and early 4th quarters, and sometimes in the 3rd — as the Bench Unit. This is the lineup that features Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, and Lamar Odom (or at least two of those three), but NOT Sasha Vujabric, Adam Morrison, Josh Powell, or DJ Mbenga. The lineup featuring Vujabric/Morrison/Powell/Mbenga, usually accompanied by either Farmar or Brown, is what I will refer to as the GarbageTime Unit. It's nothing revolutionary, just calling a spade a spade, since the GTU guys simply do not play when it still matters.
The Bench Unit was very good last night. They were part of a 2nd-quarter 8-0 run, and a 3rd-quarter 15-1 run (that's where the game was decided, going from a still-in-question 9-point game at 72-63 to an insurmountable 23-point lead at 87-64). They also managed to play even in the first half of the fourth quarter, responding to a mini-run by Phoenix which cut the lead to 13 thanks mainly to a pair of threes by Shannon Brown, which pushed the lead back to the 20-point margin the Lakers ended the game with.
The Lakers won every quarter but the fourth, and they only lost the fourth by 1 point.
The GarbageTime Unit didn't lose a single inch. The Bench Unit lost only 1 point to Phoenix in the first part of the fourth quarter, but held a 20-point lead when the GTU replaced them. The GTU held its own and ended the game with that same 20-point lead.

Individual Play

Kobe Bryant. Awesome as usual. 26 points on only 16 FGAs. 9-16 from the field, 50% on threes, 7 rebounds, only one turnover, 8 trips to the line, in a pretty average 36 minutes.
Ron Artest. As I already mentioned, 5 steals, very disruptive overall, never gave up on defense. Lights out from three (3-5), hit all his free throws. 15 points on 11 FGAs, along with 5 assists. Solid.
Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. 5-9 shooting for Bynum, 6-10 for Gasol. 13 points for Bynum, 14 for Gasol. Between them, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and only one free throw miss and one turnover. Played very well together offensively, and both were excellent on defense. Bynum even attempted a 3-point attempt (didn't have much choice), which almost bounced in (factoring out that desperation attempt, he was 5-8 from the field).
Lamar Odom with the little things. 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal.
The Point Guards. All three of them. Good three point shooting, good defense, good energy.

Final Thoughts

It's worth noting that Phoenix was once again playing on the second half of a back to back, in Los Angeles. Not ideal circumstances. On the other hand, the Suns are a good team, and good teams pose a serious threat even on the second half of a back to back, on the road. Yes, it was a bit of an advantage for the Lakers, but don't undervalue the effort they gave or the credit they deserve for this win. They controlled this game in every way, and it wasn't because Phoenix didn't come to play.

Speaking of controlling the game: The Suns play at a pace of 98 possessions per game. The Lakers play at a similar pace of 97.8 possessions per game. Nonetheless, because of the Suns' ability to run with Nash and to take high percentage threes in transition, as well as the Lakers ability to dominate in the post, and in the half-court set in general, I think it's safe to say that in this particular matchup, a slower game is a good idea for the Lakers. With that in mind, the pace of the game was yet another thing the Lakemen controlled very well, as the game went 89.5 possessions (89 for LA, 90 for for Phoenix).

Bottom line: Another game, another blowout.

Finally, a Win For the Former Orlando Magic Players in New Jersey

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:34:50 -0000

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After their 97-91 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, the New Jersey Nets' long nightmare is over. New Jersey has its first win on the season, improving to 1-18 tonight after setting an NBA record for most losses to start a season, with 18. Brook Lopez--an All-Star in the making--tallied 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots in the win.

The Nets have four former Orlando Magic players, which is why I'm mentioning their win on a Magic-centric site. Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Keyon Dooling, and Courtney Lee played a combined 600 regular-season games for Orlando. Lee played a big role in New Jersey's win tonight, with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including connecting on 3 of his 4 attempts from three-point range. He added 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals for good measure. Battie played his first-ever game as a Net, only recording a missed field goal in 6 minutes. Keyon Dooling also made his season debut, and scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting. De to a sore left knee, Alston did not play.

The Magic sent Alston, Battie, and Lee to New Jersey in June in the deal headlined by eight-time Vince Carter coming to Orlando; Ryan Anderson, a 21-year-old power forward, also went to Orlando in that transaction. Dooling arrived in New Jersey as part of a sign-and-trade transaction in 2008, after the Magic were unwilling to go above the luxury-tax threshold in order to meet his salary demands.

Congratulations to Rafer, Tony, Keyon, Courtney, and the rest of the New Jersey Nets.

UPDATE: Here's Chris Sheridan's game story for TrueHoop, which includes this bit about Lee, speaking about the last time he won an NBA game:

For Lee, it had been 156 days since he won a meaningful game. "I remember, I dunked on Derek Fisher and had 13 in that game," Lee said, showing memory skills not quite up to par with his basketball skills (he scored only 4 points in that Game 3 victory over the L.A. Lakers during the finals, which he followed up with a 4-point performance in Game 4 -- part of the reason that he is no longer with the Orlando Magic).

Is Sheridan suggesting the Magic would not have traded Lee had he played better in the Finals?

Why You Should Watch, Part 1: A Suns Fan's Cheat Sheet to the Rest of the League

Mike Lisboa — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:40 -0000

Coach Gentry cheers on the Suns at every game. You should, too! (Photo by Max Simbron)

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The Phoenix Suns are 11-3 and heading into a December full of must-watch games against top flight NBA teams. No Suns fan worth their salt is going to miss a match-up against the Lakers or Spurs or Mavericks. Those teams have been lifelong (or at least decade-long) nemeses to our beloved Suns and each of those games is like a basketball rite of passage.

But what about the rest of the League? Why should you watch the Suns beat up on the Timberwolves or Bobcats? And what about those random teams that never get any pub way out west like the Bucks or the Nets? Below is part one of list of things to look for and reasons to watch our Suns play every team in the NBA. Feel free to print it out and keep it on the fridge next to your official Phoenix Suns schedule or next to the remote so you can crib from it on gameday. Also included is each team's SBNation site if you'd like to learn more about them.

But mostly you should watch because it's the Suns!

Atlanta Hawks, Peach Tree Hoops: Another early season surprise, just like The Suns. The obvious angle here is former Sun, Joe Johnson, aka Daisy Buchanan aka The One That Got Away. While in past seasons, one could have argued that perhaps he was the only reason to watch the Hawks, this year Atlanta done went and put together a ball club. Josh Smith will put you on a poster after rebounding your miss that he nearly blocked on the other end and Jamal Crawford will go from 0-15 points in the blink of an eye. This is a fun team that, like the Suns, seems poised to make an unexpected run at an assumedly superior division rival (the Orlando Magic).

Boston Celtics, CelticsBlog: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce. For me those are reasons enough to watch them. For Suns fans, KG represents an alternative dimension where the Suns won the trade lottery a few years back and miraculously transformed into a defensive championship-winning machine. Ray Allen was a Suns assassin with the Sonics seemingly ending every contest against the Suns with a 3 as time expired. And Paul Pierce is the The Truth. Probably a little underrated around these parts, Pierce is a ferocious competitor and maybe the 3rd most important Celtic in history behind Bill Russell and Larry Bird. However, time is catching up to the Big 3 and this may be the last chance to catch them before they retire/go their separate ways. Oh, and for added Suns angles, former Sun/Sun Devil Eddie House is always conscienceless good times firing 3s off the bench and Rajon Rondo causes some current fans to look at Goran Dragic coming off the bench and cut themselves since he was in fact a Phoenix draft pick that the Sarver and company sold on eBay back in the day.

Charlotte Bobcats, Rufus On Fire: True story: I nearly canceled League Pass after coming across a Bobcats/Nets game a couple weeks ago. It was eye murder. That said, there's some fun to be had here. First, you can boo/cheer Boris Diaw as you see fit. Watching him play waffle croissant frustrate another team is much more liberating without worrying about how his 9 milli a year is affecting the Suns' cap situation. Raja Bell is gone, but in his place is former Suns division rival Stephen Jackson who should up the excitement quotient in the Queen City. And if you though Mike D'Antoni had a thing against young players, you can practically see the Charlotte faithful's collective head getting ready to explode as rookie lottery pick Gerald Henderson continues to ride pine even in garbage time.

Continued after the jump...

Chicago Bulls, Blog-A-Bull: Joakim Noah will make you eat your words. Derrick Rose is going to be a very good point guard for a very long time. Vinnie Del Negro has one of the best tans I've ever seen. He's the NBA's answer to George Hamilton. If you want something of a Suns angle, John Salmons shunned the Suns leading them to eventually sign Marcus Banks to one of the worst contracts in Suns history AND Luol Deng was also a one time Suns draft pick. Alternately frustrating and fantastic, there's a lot to watch any time these Bulls take the floor.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Fear The Sword: Little known fact about these Cavs... just kidding. If ever an NBA team suffered from overexposure, it's this year's Cavs. Whether or not, Shaquille O'Neal puts Cleveland over the top or drags them under, LeBron James' presence makes Cleveland must-watch basketball every time he takes the court... at least for another few months.

Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Moneyball: Well, well, well, if it isn't a rejuvenated Shawn Marion back in the Western Conference! With Jason Kidd and Tim Thomas on the roster, that's 3 former Suns who could make life miserable for their ex-team. Then there's notable Suns killer and former Wildcat Jason Terry who gets all Bill the Butcher on the Suns every time they play. And of course, Dirk Nowitzki is a straight up animal. New to the mix this year is rookie Frenchman Rodrigue Beaubois, who might be the only 6'0" player in the NBA with a go-to alley oop play drawn up especially for him. So, yeah, watch these guys.

Denver Nuggets, Denver Stiffs: This is quite simply an electric basketball team. Defensively suspect perhaps, this Nuggets team is simply terrifying on the offensive end. Carmelo Anthony's most dangerous spot on the floor is, well, the floor. From the baseline to the top of the arc, he is making opponents lives miserable this season. Off the bench, rookie PG Ty Lawson is quickly making a name for himself as a capable and dangerous back-up to Chauncey Billups' unwaveringly steady hand. These cats are slick and worth watching any time they take the floor.

Detroit Pistons, Motown String Music: The most exciting development in the world of Dee-troit Basketball is Will Bynum's transmogrification into the explosive substance, Bynumite. And he's a former Wildcat, too! Also, the Suns whupped them handily so they're good for the occasional Alando Tucker sighting. And I <3 a healthy Rip Hamilton.

Golden State Warriors, Golden State of Mind: There's a lot to like here: Steph Curry, Anthony Randolph, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrens and hey -- it's Raja Bell! I was a big Anthony Morrow fan at Summer League and after one game, even D-League call-up Chris Hunter is making some noise. The problem is with Don Nelson running the show mailing it in, you never know what version of this team you're going to get. As a Suns fan though, with 14 games worth of hindsight, try and figure out how that rumored Amare trade would have worked out this season (my 2 cents: not well).

Houston Rockets, The Dream Shake: No T-Mac? No Yao? No problem. Sort of. After a hot start, the Rockets have cooled off to the .500 level in their last 10 games. What they lack in star power, the team is attempting to compensate for in effort and ingenuity. While that combination may make for a middling season, it also makes for smart, hard-fought basketball games that the Suns will have to earn.

Indiana Pacers, Indy Cornrows: Because Danny Granger is the brightest star you've never heard of. While off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, Granger is capable of taking over games and should not be slept on. Also, Tyler Hansbrough will help you find your dog.

Los Angeles Clippers, Clips Nation: This is a team on the verge of... something. They've got a solid if unspectacular commingling of veteran and youth presence in the starting line-up and on the bench and it will only get better once Blake Griffin joins the mix. Boom Dizzle and Eric Gordon make for an above average (and occasionally dynamic) backcourt. Chris Kaman is playing as if he is actually from another planet this year. Marcus Camby is ol' reliable and Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair are providing serviceable minutes off the bench. In short, these Clippers are ready to break out of the cellar and into the NBA middle class, but they won't because Mike Dunleavy is a terrible, terrible coach. So why should you watch? For the novelty of seeing a team whose locker room cancer is actually roaming the sidelines in a suit.

Los Angeles Lakers, Silver Screen and Roll: "Hate Leads to Suffering; Or, How I Learned to Stop Suffering and Appreciate the Los Angeles Lakers." I'm not sure when I stopped hating the Lake Show, but it's a relatively recent phenomenon. There's just too much good basketball happening when they're on the court. Kobe Bryant is the pre-eminent basketball technician in the league right now. Pau Gasol might be the most sophisticated power forward in the NBA. Andrew Bynum is morphing from man-child to man with each passing minute on the court. Lamar Odom is the Ghost of Earl Clark Future and Ron Artest has gone from dangerously crazy to lovably eccentric with a change in area code. Oh, and that guy on the sidelines has 12 rings (2 as a player... haters) to legitimize any complaints of "Fakerism." For weaknesses, Derek Fisher is showing his age and then some and that bench is the basketball equivalent of Russian Roulette (there's about a 1 in 6 chance they will cost the Lakers the game). But you know, watch for the hate. It feels good, doesn't it, young Skywalker?

Memphis Grizzlies, Straight Outta Vancouver: Because Allen Iverson is must-watch basketball! Watch these guys so that 2 years from now you can say you were there when... Rudy Gay announced his presence with authority, O.J. Mayo came into his own, Zach Randolph quietly resucitated his career, Marc Gasol began working his way out of Pau's shadow, Jamaal Tinsley was brought into stabilize (!) a team's roster, and Hasheem Thabeet began fading into obscurity. It's kinda like watching the X-Files before the X-Files was cool (and that also started in Canada!).

Miami Heat, Peninsula is Mightier: Because if you don't watch, Dwyane Wade will throw himself at you and you WILL be called for a foul. While it's easy to mock Wade's penchant for reckless drives and refs tendencies to bail him out, it's impossible to argue that he's not a hardwood hurricane when this team needs him to be. Without Wade, this team's win total is somewhere in the 30s, but with him, they're a dangerous playoff foe... which isn't to say there isn't some talent around him. Udonis Haslem defines "unsung hero" outside of Miami-Dade County. Jermaine O'Neal and Quentin "P90X" Richardson are both having mini-renaissances this season and youngsters Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley provide inconsistent if effective support to their leading man. But mostly, it's all about Wade being a force of nature that you can watch from the comfort of your home without worrying about losing your home in the process.

To be continued....

LA 108, Chicago 93: Recapping Lakers-Bulls, Pau Gasol Style

Josh Tucker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:31 -0000

by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

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Welcome back, Pau Gasol.

Thanks for stopping by, Pau Gasol.

So glad you're back, Pau Gasol.

It's true; sometimes, this Lakers team can be so ridiculously talented that when a guy like Gasol sits out the first eleven games of the season, you can almost forget just how much you miss him. Almost.

When things don't quite seem to fit, you think to yourself that this team is far, far too talented not to be destroying everybody they meet. But things look awkward, not quite right. Something is wrong; what's the problem?

And then he comes back, and life is easy and grand and beautiful, with everything in its right place, and you remember. Not that he's good — you were never that forgetful. But you remember just how good he is, and everything he does for this team.

Thank you, Pau Gasol.

Remember the part about how Gasol hasn't played in several weeks, and therefore could be kinda rusty? You know how sometimes, when coming back from injury, big men like Bynum need some time to find their timing again? Not an issue for Pau Gasol.

Gasol played nine minutes in first quarter, shooting 4-5 in the period for 10 points, along with four rebounds, two of them offensive. The Lakers jumped out to a quick 25-19 lead, and the rest of the game followed suit, with the Lakers winning the first three quarters by a steady average of six points, and playing the Bulls evenly in a final period that was nothing more than a formality. Just like that, Pau Gasol was back.

Rusty, he was not. He scored 24 points while taking only 15 shots, connecting on almost two thirds of them (nine). Talk about efficiency. At the same time, his timing was good enough for 13 rebounds, including seven offensive.

Fatigue may have been a factor—he said he was "looking forward to the first timeout," and was glad for the longer timeouts of nationally televised games—but if so, it didn't show in the amount or quality of the minutes he played. Phil Jackson had said prior to the game that he would be happy with 25 minutes from Gasol; instead, Gasol gave him a full 35. And if he was tired, he fooled me. He ran the floor, was often one of the first down on offense, and got back quickly back on defense. He challenged shots, fought hard for rebounds, played solid defense. Sure, he may have been thoroughly winded when it was all over, but he certainly didn't play like a guy who couldn't catch his breath.

Meanwhile, Gasol's presence had a positive ripple effect throughout the entire Lakers roster. As Kenny "The Jet" Smith pointed out in the TNT postgame show, Gasol's return put everyone back in their natural positions. It also bolstered the bench, allowing Lamar Odom to return to his role as sixth man and bench leader and anchor. Gasol's presence also enabled Jackson to use more mixed lineups — two bench players with three starters, or three bench players with two starters, instead of simply swapping out entire five-man starting and replacement units.

Andrew Bynum had a quiet night, with "only" 11 points and eight rebounds, but don't be fooled. J.A. Adande is wrong when he says that Gasol's return negatively affected Bynum's production. In reality, it was poor shooting and a minor injury that resulted in a lower point total for our budding young center. A sprained ankle caused him to play only 24:16; meanwhile, he took 12 shots, which is only two fewer than his average for the year, and pretty consistent with his average over the last three games (12.6).

I don't know about you, but the fact that he got off 12 shots and pulled down eight rebounds while playing 13.5 fewer minutes than usual because of that ankle doesn't say to me that Gasol's presence is hindering Bynum's production. If anything, it was a simple off night that resulted in a lower point total for Bynum, as he missed several shots he usually makes. In his previous nine games, Bynum has shot the ball at a rate of 59.1%. Had he shot that well on his 12 shots tonight, he'd have had 15 points. Then, if we compensate for his shortened minutes, we find that, had he played his usual minutes, he would have scored 23 points on the night.

While Andrew's minutes may go down a bit overall, even when he's not tweaking his ankle, I think it's safe to say that Gasol's presence on the court had nothing at all to do with Bynum's lessened production. Assuming he still plays 32-35 minutes, I see no reason why Bynum can't continue to be a 20/10 guy, or something close to it.

Kobe Bryant struggled with his shot, but I got the impression (as did several others) that he's simply adjusting to the changes in dynamics with Gasol back on the court. He's spent 11 games working out of the post and in the paint, and now he's back to spending a bit more time on the perimeter. He'll probably still get a few more inside touches than he did last year, and obviously it shouldn't take long for him to adjust back to a balance of perimeter and post play, but last night, it seemed a simple case of readjustment. His shots were good ones, for the most part, and several of them barely rimmed out.

On the other hand, the rest of his game was quite good. In addition to 21 points, he had nine rebounds, eight assists, and only one turnover. While I could care less about the assists—it's an incomplete and misleading statistic—I did like his passing and his approach to the game overall. It's not necessarily that he had more of a passing mentality, and less of a shooting one; it's simply that in the past 11 games, this team has needed him to score first and foremost. With Gasol back and not missing a beat, that need was immediately less pronounced, freeing Kobe up to play a more rounded game, and he did just that.

I have to talk about Ron Artest. I can't be excited enough about this guy. First, let's talk overall. How fortunate are the Lakers to have a guy like Ron Artest, who has been the top dog on his team for most of his career, to essentially play the role of defensive specialist? I'll answer that for you: very. Loul Deng came into the game averaging 17.4 points per game on 46.1% shooting from the field. Ron Artest simply shut him down, and it didn't even seem like a big deal. 3-11 shooting for Deng, for a grand total of six whopping points. He was a non-factor for the game, and that was Artest's doing.

But it's more than that. This is a guy whose actions (and just plain craziness), for most of his career, have demanded attention. It was impossible not to notice Artest. With the Lakers, so far, you could almost miss him if you weren't paying attention. And understand me here; this is a very good thing. You're not noticing him disrupting the offense. You're not noticing him jacking up bad shots (well, aside from not one, but two straight backwards, over-the-head layup attempts, last night). You're not noticing him shooting poor percentages and taking the Lakers out of their game offensively. You're not noticing him being a disruption off the court, or picking up technical fouls and threatening to fly off the handle on it.

And if you're busy watching Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Andrew Bynum, you might not be noticing him making plays, passing, setting up teammates, defending, rebounding, deferring, and making virtually all of the right decisions. You might not be noticing him putting in constant effort, never relaxing or playing lazy. And you might not notice him making life in general easier for Kobe Bryant and everyone else around him.

Oh, and by the way, lost in Pau Gasol's return and Kobe Bryant's rebounding and distributing against the Bulls were Artest's 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and only one turnover. He made half of his three-point attempts (2-4) and his only free throw (woo!). And while he took 13 shots to score 15 points, that line is deceptive, since he had four offensive rebounds. As you may recall from Dex's intro lesson on advanced statistics, possessions with one or more offensive rebounds still only count as a single possession for the Lakers. And since three of those four offensive rebounds were on his own misses, it turns out that he actually scored 15 points on only 10 offensive possessions, or 1.5 points per possession. And that is very efficient basketball.

Shoutouts to Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom, both of whom shot well from the field (Fish 5-5, Odom 4-7) and from long distance (Fish 2-2, Odom 2-4), adding a couple assists each. Odom also chipped in with 8 rebounds, one of four Lakers to collect at least 8 boards. Jordan Farmar also played fairly well overall, making good decisions even while the rim wasn't kind to him, and adding a couple assists and three steals to his eight points in 20 minutes.

Overall, the stats confirm what our eyes told us, that the Lakers dominated the Bulls on both ends of the court. They scored 1.09 points per possession while holding the Bulls to 0.96 points per possession. They controlled the offensive and defensive boards, rebounding 28% of their misses while allowing the Bulls to rebound only 21.7% of theirs. The Lakers had nine turnovers in the first half, but brought things under control with only three in the second, committing 12 turnovers overall to the Bulls' 15.

My favorite things from a team perspective, however, were the points in the paint and the game flow chart. In the former, the Lakers held a 60-40 advantage, scoring 55.6% of their points in the paint. Borat say, very nice! The game flow chart, meanwhile, shows a consistent effort from start to finish from the Lakers, and that's something I like. Rather than coming out flat and then building up to take back control, or starting strong and then letting the Bulls back in before gritting out the win, the Lakers steadily outperformed the Bulls from beginning to end. Hell, even a garbage time lineup featuring Adam Morrison, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell (who is solid, but not when he shares the court with Mbenga), and Sasha "The Broken Beyond Repair Machine" Vujabric managed to more or less keep pace with the Bulls.

Not everything was perfect for the Lakers, but the signs were very promising. The passing was well-intended, but at times sloppy and imprecise. This will improve as the Lakers grow more comfortable with their current lineup, and as Ron Artest becomes more comfortable in the triangle and playing with Gasol. Things were sloppy at times, but don't underestimate the balancing and spacing effect Gasol has on the entire offense. As these guys get more comfortable with each other, and with Gasol in the mix, I expect the passing to become crisp and precise, a true thing of beauty, and the offense overall to begin running at a level we have not yet seen this year.

And that's what tonight's game was: A thoroughly enjoyable display, a strong reminder of the countless things Gasol does for this team, and a promise of how good these Lakers—already one of the best teams in the league even without Gasol—can be now that he's back. As Timbo said in last night's game thread, what the Lakers with Gasol aren't additively better than they were without him, they are exponentially better. Expect the various power rankings to start changing in the Lakers favor.

Game Recap: So much for veteran leadership

C.A. Clark — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:54 -0000

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Just before the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets took the court for last night's NBA contest, we were all reminded of a glorious truth: The Lakers are the NBA Champions. Our reminder was the joy of getting to watch the final piece to that championship puzzle being given the bounty such an endeavor deserves. Trevor Ariza received his championship ring, delivered by Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, and a standing ovation from the Staples Center faithful, a fitting end to Ariza's time in LA, which nobody wanted to see end so quickly.

There should have been one more person as part of that presentation, Phil Jackson. Then, the triangle of veteran leadership credited with bringing the championship back to Los Angeles would have been complete. These three people played an extremely influential role on last year's championship. PJ was the brains, Kobe was the will, and Fisher was the voice, the inspiration, and finally, the wedge that broke through the last remaining obstacles. All three have varying degrees of a legacy that will last forever.

I bring this up because a team usually counts on their veterans to do the right thing. These are the guys who have been there before. These are the guys who know exactly what to do, who shouldn't be flummoxed by anything. These three are the reasons why LA raised a banner this season. They are also the reasons why the Lakers lost last night's game against Houston. Our veterans ruined any chance the Lakers had to win.

I've been down this road before. I've criticized PJ in the past for many, many things, only to see him lead the team to success in the end. I've gotten on Kobe for poor shot selection, only to see him make all the right moves when it counts. I've killed Fisher for every aspect of his game, only to see him come through in the clutch time and time again. Only a foolish man continues to give credence to arguments which have been proven false in the past. I'm not a fool, so I won't be traveling that road again. You'll find no criticisms from me. But I can't analyze the game without looking at the decisions made by these legends, by our veterans. I may not be a fool, but I sure am confused.

Before we get into everything else, a very quick recap of what happened in the game. The Lakers jumped out to a very quick start, followed by the inevitable crash back down to earth. The Rockets out worked the Lakers all night, because that's what the Rockets do. The bench still sucks, and for many reasons that I'm about to discuss, the Lakers were failed by the very people the team looks to to guide them through these tough games. Here's how.

Kobe Bryant lost this game. He lost it by taking a staggering number of difficult shots. He shot 25% from the field. He scored less points than he took shots, even with going to the free throw line 10 times. He failed to adjust to the fact that Houston was prepared for him every step of the way. An extremely wise man had this to say in previewing the game:

A word of caution to those expecting Bryant to walk all over Battier again: Battier, more than any other player in the league, is a great defender because of his preparation. He studies what his opponent does, analyzes their tendencies, and figures out precisely what course of action will lead them to the least efficiency. The first Rockets-Lakers tilt was Battier's first experience with "post-Kobe", and there weren't a whole lot of games for Battier to analyze Bryant's new offensive weaponry. Now, Battier has a bit more first-hand experience, so at the very least, he will have a better game plan to try to contain Bryant in the post than he had in the first game.

Nail head, meet hammer. The Rockets had a much better idea of what to expect from Bryant tonight, and it was clear from the opening tip. Kobe struggled to get clean looks all night long, and instead of trying to figure out how the Rockets were keyed into him, and how it could be exploited, Bryant instead continued to be aggressive. But his aggressiveness was not success. Truth be told, I'm not too concerned with the shooting numbers. Sure, Kobe took some bad shots, but he also took some shots that he's been nailing in the past week. He got to the rim more than a few times, missing layups that are normally easier than breathing for him. But I am concerned with the mindset.

No, I'm not talking about the selfish chucker mindset. I'm talking about the invincible, "there are no consequences, only basketball" mindset that led to all those missed shots. When Kobe misses contested jumpers, he could just be having an off night. When Kobe's missing layups, it's clear something is wrong. That something is a strained groin. Kobe played the entire 2nd half looking like he wouldn't be able to use a stair climber. He came in to a game that was all but over in the 4th and limped around like a horse that needed to be put down. Kobe is completely incapable of coming out of a game due to injury, and tonight, it hurt his team. It hurt his team because, the way he was moving, Shannon Brown would have been an upgrade over what Kobe was bringing to the court. But much more importantly, he hurt his team because he was playing through an injury that can and will get worse if you play through it. He's been diagnosed with the same injury that Pau has, except to a different muscle. I love Kobe's will, his determination to play through pain and leave it all on the floor. But if he follows through on his promise not to miss time with this injury, it may well do a lot more harm than good.

Derek Fisher lost this game. Fisher's play last night was simply appalling. He constantly got beat by his man, Aaron Brooks, who had a career high 33 points on 23 shots. Actually, that's not true. In order to consistently get beat by a man, you have to be consistently guarding that man. Fisher instead chose to double down on players who were far less of a threat than Brooks was. In the pivotal 2nd half, Fisher was nowhere near Brooks on a number of occasions, leading to many wide open threes or close outs which were forced to be way too fast, allowing Brooks to go right by Fisher without even the token resistance he normally provides.

But, as I've said before, I can live with Fisher's defense, because it's not going anywhere (get it?). What I can't live with was Fisher's shot selection. Let me clue you in to what his shot selection entailed. Step 1: "Do I have the ball?" Step 2: If yes to step 1, shoot it. Andrew Bynum scored 21 points on 12 shots. Whenever Bynum got the ball, the Rockets had no answer for him, because if you take any two Rockets players, and have one sit on the other's shoulders, Bynum will still be taller and bigger than the two. And yet he only took 12 shots. Fisher took 13. How many points did Fisher score? 7. Fisher's shot selection in this game was inexcusable. Shots early in the shot clock, shots that were not open, shots that did not come within the context of the offense, shots that no one in their right mind thought would go in. People with Fisher's experience should know better than to do what he did tonight.

Phil Jackson lost this game. There are many things that Phil Jackson does differently than any other coach. The merits of these differences are often difficult to see. And those differences were on full display. Not calling a timeout when it would appear to be desperately needed to stem the tide? Check. Rotations that don't seem to have any rhyme or reason to them? Check. Not doing anything to rein in Fisher's poor shot choices, like say, giving his minutes to a more athletic and capable backup? Check. My biggest concern with Phil's decisions was the lineup he sent out for the start of the 4th quarter. The Lakers were down 7. Not an insurmountable lead, but also nothing to laugh at. So PJ decides that it would be a good time to throw out a lineup of Bynum, Artest, Farmar, Vujacic, and ... Adam Morrison. Now, apparently Luke Walton was hurt (and if anybody is unclear about Walton being a decent player that the Lakers need, this lineup should cure you of that), but if Adam Morrison is playing in a game that is on the line, well, that game will no longer be on the line. Stu freaking Lantz knew that lineup was a bad idea. And it wasn't even necessary. They weren't using the lineup to rest Artest. Artest was playing the PF spot. The Lakers could easily have played Josh Powell at the 4 and Artest at the 3. Powell wasn't exactly earning a max contract or anything, but it would be difficult to provide less than Morrison does. Surprising no one, the 7 point lead quickly became 12, and the Lakers never threatened again. But that's not even the strangest part of Phil's decision.

We've seen this before from Phil. He's willing to risk losing a game if it means he can put his players into a certain type of situation and see how they respond. This was just such a scenario. He wanted to test his bench. They failed. Lakers lose. No big deal to Phil. What I want to know is, why, in the name of all that is holy, do you play a rotation like that, clearly risking the outcome of the game, and then put in your injured super star to try and win the game with a bum leg that can be made worse by putting forth the effort necessary to try to win the game? That's what makes no sense to me. If Phil had thrown out the junk rotation, let the Rockets build up a big lead, and then just kept on with it, I would be OK. That's just PJ being PJ. But Phil put the Lakers in a position where winning the game was a very unlikely probability, and then re-entered Kobe into the game to try and win it, possibly making Kobe's injury even worse. By the end of the game, Kobe was going straight to the locker room, with visible pain attached to any movement. PJ threw the game away, and then risked throwing Kobe's season away on an already lost cause.

You may remember the part where I said I'm not criticizing. And really, I'm not, though I understand your confusion. The truth is, these veterans are who they are, and they wouldn't be champions if they weren't. Kobe will try to play through anything, no matter how adversely it affects his performance or his future health. Fisher will get beat on defense, and will also go through periods where he struggles with his shot, and responds by taking more shots. PJ has no regard for regular season games, or bench player's confidences, and will play what ever rotations he thinks will better prepare the team for the 2nd season, even now. These people win championships. They are veterans, and the unquestioned leaders of this team. They lost last night's game, but they don't care about it. And in the end, neither should you.

In Soviet Russia, Nuggets Serve You

DexterFishmore — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:00:36 -0000

We can draw a pretty straight line between the Los Angeles Lakers' Thursday night rout of the Phoenix Suns and their Friday night rout by the Denver Nuggets. The two games are diagnostic equivalents. Both contests pitted Western Conference contenders against each other. In both games the visiting team was on the tail end of a back-to-back, having played at home the night before. In both games the host team treated its guests as disposable chew-toys.

So if you want to enshrine the Lakers' performance on Thursday night as a show of dominance, you have to do the same for the Nuggets. Or, if you want to write off the Lakers' faceplant in Denver as a forgivable sign of fatigue and ultimately sans meaning, you have to give Phoenix the same benefit of the doubt. There's no having it both ways ‘round here.

Me, I'm checking the box next to "meaningless." Playing on the road having traveled the night before is a tough gig that made both the Suns and Lakers look worse than they are. Almost as tough a gig, in fact, as writing about all the ways the Lakers sucked yesterday!

Like many Friday nights that end in humiliation, last night began with so much promise. The Lakers showed up for their date with their shoes shined, their breath fresh and a lightly applied coat of Drakkar Noir (the scent of kings!). No one would guess they'd been out late getting hammered on Patron the night before and were mere hours away from yakking all over themselves.

Four possessions into the game, the Lakers led 8-0. That was the high point of the evening. Quickly the Nuggets gathered themselves and began to outplay the Lakes. Forceful defense kept Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum from finding their preferred post-up spots, and on O a dedication to attacking the hoop kept sending Denver to the free-throw line. The Nuggets led by only four at half, but cracks in the Laker edifice were showing. It wasn't the same efficient unit that had just finished brutalizing the Suns.

Even early in the game, the Nuggies weren't allowing Kobe to get into an offensive flow. Arron Afflalo, who drew the defensive assignment, played Kobe as well as anybody has this year, and Denver brought help with occasional double-teams. The variety of the looks seemed to throw El Mamba off kilter a bit. Not that he was getting loads of amazing help from his teammates or anything.

Bynum had a decent game overall, but the Nugget bigs were more up to the task of guarding him than were the Phoenix welterweights. Lamar Odom had a nicely active first half, and Ron Artest hit a couple threes to help keep it close. But Derek Fisher couldn't get it rolling, repeatedly banging front rim - stop giggling! - on makeable looks, and the bench of course did nothing. On D the Laker rotations were slow, and the whole operation looked sloggy. Denver perimeter weapons Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Ty Lawson were having their way.

The third period was an utter shitstorm, a grotesque carnival of substandard hoopage. In 22 possessions the Lakers scored eight points. Eight. If you spent the quarter counting Laker points on your fingers, you wouldn't even have needed them all. (Unless you've been involved in a horrible lawnmover incident.) It was the worst quarter the Lakers have played since... I don't know, sometime last year. Possibly since Game Six in Boston.

The Laker collapse read to me as a product of fatigue and altitude. There was no fuel to fight for inside position. Every trip down seemed to end in a turnover or flat outside J. There was no resolve to interfere with Denver cutters or keep them off the offensive glass. Phil Jackson couldn't be troubled to call a timeout, even when the Nugs rang up 10 straight out of the locker room. It was a failure of the Lakers operating system from top to bottom.

By the end of the third, a Nugget layup drill had broken out, and it was all garbagio time from there. Kobe, Lamar and Ron sat out the fourth entirely. By the time the Denver stat-padding reached a merciful end, the score was 105-79. The Lakers allowed 1.14 points per possession, which is bad, but scored only 0.86 PPP, which is way, way worse. You typically don't see offenses this impotent unless they're in Minnesota or Charlotte.

It's almost as if the Lakers needed another player out there last night. Something in a power forward, perhaps... seven feet tall would be good. Someone who could take the scoring pressure off Kobe and Bynum, and help toughen up defense in the paint. Yeah, with a couple All-Star Games under his belt. The Prophecy does speak of such a creature....

Aw, who am I kidding? We'll never find a player like that. Everyone knows they're made up, like unicorns and girls who'll talk to me.

Wouldn't it be nice, though?

Back-to-Back Preview: Lakers vs. Suns & Nuggets

Josh Tucker — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:47:29 -0000

Whew! Three days off is too damn long, but if you haven't yet looked ahead on the schedule, then I have good news for you. Not only do the Lakers play tonight, but they play tomorrow night, as well! It's been a slow start to the week, but you'll get your Lakers fix to end it.

For the Lakers, however, this presents a pretty stiff challenge. Not only do they begin a back-to-back tonight, but their opponents in said mini-gauntlet are the (other) two best teams in the West. Phoenix is 8-1 and the only team to have beaten Boston; Denver, meanwhile, won it's first five games before stumbling twice in a row, to two very good teams, and are now 6-3. The Lakers are 6-1, and haven't gotten there without some struggles on their own.

After the jump, a full preview of both games.

Before we jump into these two matchups, however, I want to point out a couple of funny quirks in the current NBA schedule and standings. As far as the schedule goes, this week is a bizarre mix of very good matchups on overlapping back-to-back games.

The Suns and Cavaliers both played yesterday, and both in compelling matchups — the Cavs in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Magic, and the Suns against a non-threatening Hornets team, but one that, nonetheless, does still boast Chris Paul at the point. Today, those two teams play again, and again the matchups are compelling: the Cavs play the 6-1 Heat, and the Suns play our Lakers.

In tonight's game, it's almost as if the Suns pass the back-to-back baton to the Lakers, who go on to play the 6-3 Nuggets tomorrow night, yet another compelling matchup between two of the best teams in the West. That's three straight days of some pretty great basketball.

Also, check out the standings. The Celtics and Suns lead their respective conferences at 8-1. Then, in each conference you've got three teams sitting around 6-1 to 6-3, and in both conferences, this group includes last year's conference champion (Miami, Atlanta, and Orlando in the East, and LA, Denver, and Portland in the West). Finally, in both conference, the fourth through eighth seeds are rounded out by teams at around the 5-3 or 4-4 mark (Milwaukee's 4-2 looks a lot like 5-3, since they've just played fewer games than anyone else), and in each conference, this group includes a supposed championship contender (Cavs in the East, Spurs in the West). Yeah, I know it's early, but I can't recall the last time the two conferences appeared so symmetrical. Okay, enough of that, let's get into the games.

The Lakers Coming In

6-1, 2nd in West, 105.6 ORtg, 98.9 DRtg, 95.0 Pace

Safe to say that things are looking a little better for the Lakers these days. Their season opener against the always deplorable Clippers was less impressive than it should have been, and the bludgeoning they suffered at the hands of the Mavericks in the very next game was inexcusable.

Overtime wins in Oklahoma City and Houston were much closer than they should have been against teams of significantly inferior talent level, but good games nonetheless. First, it wasn't entirely unimpressive for the Lakers to win two overtime games back to back, both of them away. Yes, both games were close because the Lakers didn't play up to par and failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities to put the game away. Nonetheless, they were good experiences for the Lakers, who now have some confidence in their ability to win close games in difficult situations. Although it's far too early to call, they may have also learned a bit of humility along the way, too.

It's my opinion that most of the Lakers' early struggles have been the result of championship hangover. They were playing like a team with an entitlement mentality, as though they thought wins were guaranteed because they were the NBA Champions and the best team in the league. With one big loss and three closer-than-they-should-have-been wins under their collective belt, maybe, just maybe, this team is realizing that they need to come out and play hard, or the other team is going to steal that win. Their last two games, blowout wins over Memphis and New Orleans, might show some of that; on the other hand, they came against two terrible teams.

So far, Ron Artest has been a huge asset, as Forum Blue & Gold explains. If early indications mean anything (no, not much), the Lakers' gamble at the SF position seems to be a smashing success. For the details, just jump over to FB&G's post.

Pau Gasol is still "day-to-Christmas" and will not be playing in either of these games, so we're not going to go there. Andrew Bynum is back, and there's always potential for post-injury rust, but it was a minor injury and he only missed a couple games, so there's pretty good reason to expect him to return without missing a beat.

Statistically, the Lakers have the 12th best offense and the tenth best defense in the league. Since our last double header, both ratings have improved: ORtg has increased from 102.3 to 105.6 and DRtg has decreased (a good thing) from 101.9 to 98.9. They're excellent offensive rebounders (2nd), and terrible defensive rebounders (29th). Overall, however, the Lakers have been looking better recently than they did to start the season, and with Kobe dominating and Bynum already back, there's a lot to feel good about.

Thursday: Phoenix Suns

8-1, 1st in West, 112.5 ORtg, 106.3 DRtg, 99.6 Pace

I'll be honest with you: I'm really not quite sure how to evaluate these Suns. Are they just good, or is it possible that, out of nowhere, they are a legitimately great team? Could they be championship contenders? Frankly, it's too soon to say, and I haven't seen enough of them. Free time is a limited commodity in the Tucker household, and most of it belongs to the Lakers; what's left is distributed between the other contenders, and going into the season, the Suns did not fit into that category.

Here's what we know. By the admission of their own bloggers, the Suns suck at the latter half of back-to-backs. This comes as no surprise, since their starters are likely only a few moments longer for this world than the Celtics. On the other hand, their victory over the Hornets last night was such a thorough one that only two Suns logged 30+ minutes, and none more than 34. Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, and Jason Richardson all tallied in the mid- to low-twenties in minutes, with Nash in particular playing only 23 (though he still managed double digit assists). So how will the Suns do in this particular "to-back"? Hard to say, really.

The good news, either way, is that the Lakers have had plenty of rest. This means not only that they should come in fresh and with plenty of energy in store, but also that Andrew Bynum has had the time he needed to heal from his injury. He will suit up for tonight's game, and appears to be just fine. Phil Jackson said that he tweaked the elbow several times in practice (by which he means that it absorbed contact of some form), and it didn't give him any problems, so there's no reason to think that he's coming back sooner than he should.

A couple things stand out about Phoenix. First, they have returned in large degree to their old ways. Their not as fast as the their counterparts from earlier in this decade, but they are fast (99.6 possessions per game, 3rd overall). They spread the floor, let Steve Nash go to work, run the pick-and-roll, and shoot the three ball like it's going out of style. That last point, in particular, is a particularly disturbing one. To date, the Suns have made 47.4% of their three-pointers, and they're taking them at a rate of 23.9 per game. The Lakers, meanwhile, tend to be pretty weak in covering the long bomb, to the great dismay of many commenters here at SS&R. If the Lakers don't wise up and respect the Suns' distance game, this could be a recipe for disaster.

All of which brings me to Channing Frye, the Suns center. Well, sort of. That's where he suits up, at least, but that's not really where he plays. Frye is averaging 11 shots per game this year, but only 9% of his shots are shots "at the rim" (i.e., low post), and only 12% of his total shots come from within 10 feet. On the other hand, he is averaging 6.3 three-point attempts per game ... and hitting at a clip of 44.4%. This could be a challenge for Bynum, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Phil Jackson put Odom on Frye so that Bynum can cover Stoudamire. This will mean some pretty high expectations for Bynum to be better defensively than he has been of late, as Amare is shooting 57.3% from the field and averaging 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

On the other hand, Grant Hill and Jason Richardson should have a hard time guarding Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest, and against the Suns' smaller lineup, Bynum should be able to play the part of low post bully pretty effectively (assuming his injury hasn't thrown off his timing). In fact, the Lakers should be able to impose their will in the post, overall, and that's a Good Thing. On the other hand, the Lakers' small ball has looked pretty damn good these last couple games, with both Gasol and Bynum out, so if Bynum needs a game or two to get back into the swing of things, the Lakers could go small and let Kobe go to work in the post.

The thing to know about these Suns is that they're deeper than they were before, and while still not exactly a good defensive team, they're not as dismally bad as they have been in the past (20th overall). Most importantly, their offense is not to be underestimated; at this point, it is a well-oiled, high-powered machine. Not only is their Offensive Rating of 112.5 points per 100 possessions (or 1.125 points per possession) good for 2nd best in the league, but they are the only team yet to hang 100 points on the stingy Celtics — and also the only team to beat them. Underestimate the Suns offense at your own peril.

Tonight, if the Lakers have any sense, the focus for the game should be on defense. This Lakers team has the personnel and the ability to be incredibly good on the defensive end of the court ... when they so choose. Tonight, they must choose to do so. Against an okay-but-not-great Suns defense, their offense will come, and if they play great D, it will only make scoring that much easier. The key to beating this Suns team is on defense, and specifically — as it always has been — the plan is always the same old, easier said than done task of containing Steve Nash. Make him a scorer. He'll score well — he's shooting 54.3% from the field and 50% from three — but a one -man show is always better than letting the entire team get involved offensively the way this team is capable of.

Before tonight's game, head over and check out a very honest and realistic preview by our sister blog, Bright Side Of The Sun. As they point out, "If the Suns beat the Lakers tonight it will feel really good, I'll give you that, but it will not mean that we are better than them. Not yet." Their thoughts on the game are quite good, very down to earth, and will give you an even better sense of what to expect from the Suns tonight.

Friday: Denver Nuggets

6-3, 3rd in West, 108.5 ORtg, 104.5 DRtg, 98.5 Pace

Let's stick with the honesty theme, shall we? You know this Nuggets team. They haven't really made any changes since we met last May, and we've seen them 10 times in the last year. We're better than they are, but they can certainly beat us, blah blah, enough said.

Okay, we'll say a little more. They jumped out to a tremendous start this year, also winning their first five games, though the competition was middling at best. Carmelo Anthony has been an MVP candidate from minute one, and before we all realized what the Suns were up to, the Nuggets looked like they would be hard to beat in the battle for Second in the West. They have since lost to good opponents in Miami and Atlanta, and while those losses were somewhat justifiable, the severity of those losses was not. They come in tomorrow having just lost again last night, only this time, it was to the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite what you might think, the Bucks are 4-2 and currently 5th in the East, so it's not as bad as it sounds, but even so, a Nuggets team that fancies itself best in the West and thinks it has as good a chance as anyone at beating the Lakers should be beating the Bucks.

To me, the key to beating the Nuggets is, and has been for several years now, their role players. By that, I mean everyone but Carmelo and Chauncey Billups. Only Golden State suits up a more combustible group of players. Thanks to guys like Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and Chris "I Refuse to Use his Stupid Nickname" Andersen, the Nuggets roster is essentially the anti-Spurs: a volatile, unstable bunch of classless thugs. (Note to Denver fans: Please don't take it personally; I like Chauncey and Melo a lot, and wish the (2nd) best for them, but part of that means you guys need to dump guys like Kenyon Martin, whose constant CRAP undermines all the good basketball work your team does.) Too often when faced with adversity (as playing against the future or defending champions can be), this team talks itself out of the game, and falls apart at the seams. Fortunately for the Lakers, this is an achilles heel they can attack.

Expect, as always, a fair amount of trash talk. This has always been true, but expect it even more now, since (a) this is a Western Conference Finals re-match, and (b) the Lakers have added Ron Artest to the mix. Trash talk favors the Lakers, who, with Kobe at the helm, play well and rise to the occasion in a talkative game atmosphere; the Nuggets need to learn to keep their mouths shut for their own good. Don't be too worried if you see Ron Artest getting into it a little with Nuggets players. A little bit of that is good, and trust Kobe and Lamar Odom to keep things from going too far.

In basketball terms, the thing to know about the Nuggets is that they get to the line better than any other team in basketball. This has been true for several years now, and it didn't change with the departure of Allen "Little Baby" Iverson. (Man, I am in a trash talking mood myself! Must be these Nuggets...) They attempt 33.7 free throws per game (as compared to 23.0 for the Lakers), but more importantly, they earn 0.42 free throws per field goal attempt. That means they shoot one free throw for every 2.4 shots they take, and they are first in the NBA in that statistical category. By contrast, the Lakers attempt 23.0 free throws per game, and 0.271 free throws per field goal attempt. That means they shoot one free throw for every 3.7 shots they take, and that puts them at 24th in the league in that category.

Once again, they face a pretty potent offense, ringing in at 6th in the NBA so far. However, Odom and Walton have had success guarding Melo in the past, and Ron Artest exists just for opponents like this. While Artest has shined in virtually every other area, including a whole handfully that nobody but nobody foresaw, this will really be the first time we get to see him take the big (both figuratively and literally) assignments that should earn him his paycheck. Everything else he does is gravy for us (and apparently, we're going to need more mashed potatoes, because he's dishing out a lot of gravy); he's here to s hut down guys like Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, and LeBron James. Expect him to be dialed in defensively for this game, and if I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on Ron Ron in that matchup.

Defensively, we also match up pretty well with Billups. He's a big, strong point guard, but then, so is Derek Fisher. Billups is no Steve Nash or Aaron Brooks, and those are the guys that Fish really struggles with. We played Billups pretty well in the WCF, and while he hasn't been any kind of defensive ace for a long time, Fisher's defense this year could be worse.

Offensively, the Nuggets are low-middle of the pack, and the Lakers shouldn't have a problem scoring on them. As usual, they have no answer for Kobe, and if Kobe continues to go often to the post and be so very efficient in his post game, then Denver's defense will be in trouble. Lamar Odom and Kenyon Martin have already built up some tension, going at each other in the preseason, which should make it that much easier for the Lakers to get under their skin. Gasol did well against Denver in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see if an Andrew Bynum that has been scoring quite well can step into that void at the center position. If he plays even a modicum of defense on the other end, he should get the advantage over Nene, who can score a bit but is no offensive juggernaut.

This game is in Denver, which means that after tonight's game, the Lakers pack up and get on a plane, and then play tomorrow. Back-to-back games are hard enough when you're at home, and having to travel won't be fun for the Lakers. That said, they've already done it and won once this year, and having Bynum back will give the Lakers at least a little bit of breathing room. This will be a test for them, but 96 hours of rest leading up to tonight's Phoenix matchup should have them as prepared as they can be sans Pau.

Once again — and get used to this, because it should basically be the mantra against the top teams — the easiest way for the Lakers to beat this Nuggets team is by playing defense. Good defense, but more importantly, good clean defense. Keep them off of the charity stripe, and they'll struggle. More importantly, keep them off of the charity stripe, and they'll quickly start whining and complaining. And for a team so prone to self-destruction, that's exactly what we want.

We'll update this post with a link to our sister blog Denver Stiffs' preview, when they put one up.

Lakers-Hornets Preview

DexterFishmore — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:00:35 -0000

Remember when the New Orleans Hornets were the next big thing? It wasn't that long ago, although to a Hornets fan it must seem like the Carter administration.

In the spring of 2008, the Hornets challenged the Los Angeles Lakers for best record in the Western Conference. They fell one game short of the conference's top seed, and then one game short of meeting the Lakers in the conference finals. With a seemingly young core of Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, David West and Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets appeared on the verge of securing a more or less permanent seat on the NBA Security Council.

I say seemingly, though, because within that core group only Paul was really on the upswing of his career. And sure enough, last season involved some textbook-quality regression to the mean. Paul remained awesome, but West's play slipped a touch and Chandler and Peja missed substantial time with injuries. The Hornets tumbled to seventh in the conference and got roundhouse-kicked out of the first round by the Denver Nuggets.

On Sunday night they arrive at Staples with a 2-4 record and looking not terribly formidable. There's no more telling indicator of their decline than this: the Hornets are the only team in the NBA to have lost to the New York Knicks. And when someone's losing to the Knicks, I assume they're either butt-awful or point-shaving. The two aren't mutually exclusive, I suppose.

On the other hand, one of New Orleans' wins came against the Dallas team that blasted the Lakers, so they have that going for them. Let's go to the numbers, with the usual caveat about small, early-season sample sizes:

	Hornets	Lakers
Net Points Per Game	-6.3 (25th)	+3.5 (11th)
Pace	93.5 (22nd)	95.4 (15th)
Offensive Rating	105.2 (12th)	104.6 (14th)
Defensive Rating	109.9 (28th)	99.6 (9th)

(For those unfamiliar with the above terms, Pace means average number of possessions per 48 minutes. Offensive Rating is the number of points scored per 100 possessions. Defensive Rating is the number of points allowed per 100 possessions. League rankings are in parentheses.)

Like the Grizzlies team the Lakers just faced, the Hornets have been decent on offense and an utter catastrophe on defense. Their strength has been their shooting, or rather Chris Paul's shooting. He's been unreal in the first six games, making 62% of his two-point attempts, 72% of his three-point attempts and 87% of his free throws. Solve Paul, and you've solved the Hornets.

It would help if anyone had any clue how to do that. Paul is a point guard of surgical brilliance. With the ball in his hands, which is almost always, he goes wherever he wants to go, and he's a master when it comes to passing out of the pick-and-roll and drive-and-dish. Laker fans who watched the Houston game last week will recall how Aaron Brooks repeatedly sliced into the lane and found the Rocket big men for easy hoops. Well, Paul makes Aaron Brooks look like Smush Parker, and he makes Smush look like you and me.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who have the size to make Paul's forays into the paint less inviting, won't play tonight. DJ Mbenga has similar size and even better shot-blocking facility, but he'll need to play with discipline and stay out of foul trouble. The Lakers will also need some plan to slow Paul on the perimeter, before he gets a head of steam en route to the basket.

I'd argue that Derek Fisher hasn't been that bad on D this year. He got torched by Brooks, but I thought he did a respectable job guarding Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. That said, asking Fish to guard Paul has the potential to be a complete, NC 17-rated horror show. It thus wouldn't surprise me to see Kobe Bryant draw the assignment at times. New Orleans has the worst set of shooting guards in the league - according to our sister blog At The Hive, someone named Devin Brown will start at the 2 tonight - so Phil could easily dial up that defensive switch.

(Devin Brown, by the way, could be the worst player to start an NBA game this year. I do not exaggerate.)

The central problem for the Hornets is the gaping void of roster talent after Paul. David West and Emeka Okafor (the latter obtained in a trade that sent Chandler to Charlotte) are above average for their positions, but they're not quite All Star-caliber, and everyone else is either a has-been or never-gonna-be. Peja isn't anything like the threat he was during the LA-Sacramento holy wars. He can still hit threes but does nothing else on the court except be old.

Will the Lakers need another 40-point Kobe explosion to win this one? If the bench plays as well as it did against Memphis or nearly so, and if Ron Artest continues his stellar work on both ends of the floor, the answer is no. Even down Bynum and Gasol, the Lakers have enough talent and system to get to 6-1.

But if the reserves fumble around incompetently as they've been known to do from time to time, or if Paul runs wild for 40 minutes, things could definitely turn sour.

In conclusion, how cool is it that New Orleans has an actual place called the Voodoo Spiritual Temple? If I ever get married that's where it's going to be.

Kobe Enjoys Shanking the Rockets

DexterFishmore — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:15:19 -0000

There was never any hope that last night's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets was going to be pretty. For the Lakers it was part two of a back-to-back on the road. Their best player was ill and had played 46 minutes the night before. Their second best player had played zero minutes the night before, not to mention the nine games before that, because of a hamstring requiring attention from a multinational team of doctors. The Lakers entered the game tired, shorthanded and far from the comforts of home.

And the Rockets... well, unpretty is just how they play. They stretched LA to seven games in last year's playoffs with punishing defense and a grinding pace, and for all the talk of their up-tempo, post-Yao persona, slow and grinding is still their best shot at competing with talent-rich NBA superpowers. Throw in the weird, ambient bitterness on both sides over the Ariza-Artest thing, and the Magic 8-Ball clearly pointed to Slow-Motion Hammer Fight as the likely outcome.

But who says hammer fights can't be fun! They're especially good times* when you're not the one getting the final crack across the face.

(* = SS&R doesn't actually endorse literal hammer fights. Please, kids, stick with your fists.)

Even with expectations in check, there was plenty in last night's game to drive Laker fans to narcotic usage. The offense in the first half was stuperous, lacking in purpose and ball movement. Possession after possession ended with a long, challenged two-point attempt. Kobe Bryant had all kinds of energy, possibly finding an extra gear in the company of supposed nemesis Shane Battier, but no other Laker really distinguished himself.

Wait, scratch that: Josh Powell distinguished himself. Seriously, Josh Powell! He had seven points in the first half, including a shockingly natural-looking three bomb. As Chris observed in the comment thread, Powell appears to be developing a Robert Horry-ish skill set. Stay tuned.

The Lakers, to their credit, avoided a repeat of the turnover orgy we saw against Oklahoma City on Tuesday. After turning the rock over on 25% of their possessions against the Thunder, the Lakers did so on only 9% of their possessions last night. Yay! Improvement is good.

On defense there were successes and failures. Artest continued his string of superb lockdown efforts by hounding Ariza into a terrible (5 for 21) shooting performance. Less enjoyably, Aaron Brooks tortured the Laker D with the drive-and-dish, repeatedly setting up Carl Landry (20 points on 9-for-12 shooting) and Chuck Freaking Hayes (14 on 7-for-9), who's one of the worst offensive players in the NBA.

Also, Houston got assloads of offensive rebounds all night long. This was annoying.

The scoring picked up in the third quarter. Lamar Odom found his outside stroke, while Brooks, Ariza and The Odious Luis Scola spearheaded the Houston attack. Scola, I must point out, throws elbows around like he's a child molester passing out candy. I counted three egregious instances of such, resulting in one offensive foul, one truly absurd defensive foul and one no-call. I do not like Luis Scola, and I don't care who knows it.

In the fourth, shit got really weird. Against the Laker bench the Rockets built a seven-point lead to open the quarter, at which point Kobe came back in and activated his MVP Settings. With an array of baseline turnarounds and step-throughs, he abused Battier to the point where by the final few possessions and with the game in the balance, the Rockets started running a second defender at him. This appeared to be a fatal mistake when Kobe found Artest for a wide open, top-of-the-key bomb that put the Lakers ahead by three with 30 seconds to play.

On the ensuing possession, Ariza had his moment. A jump ball landed in his mitts at the three-point line near the right elbow, and he smoothly drained it for the tie. This was the first of two examples of poor Laker endgame execution. With a three-point lead, they should have fouled Ariza and sent him to the line for two freebies, instead of allowing the look that tied up the game.

The second late-game FUBAR came when the Lakers brought the ball back up the court with 14 seconds left. Kobe handled the rock - so far, so good - but rather than flattening out into the usual 1-4 isolation set, Bynum left the baseline to set a high screen. This succeeded only in drawing another defender onto Kobe and thus mucking up the whole shebang. The ball got fumbled out of bounds, and regulation ended with a hopeless long-distance lob attempt. Overtime, bitches!

The back-and-forth continued in the extra period, with Kobe trading hoops with Brooks and motherf-cking Chuck Hayes. Scola and Hayes eventually fouled out, Bynum made some clutch throws in the final minute, and Derek Fisher came up with a huge strip of Ariza with seconds left to seal the un point victory. The Lakers are now 4-1.

Unforch, they're once again staring at the possibility of life without Bynum. On the final Laker possession of overtime, he was on the receiving end of a hard foul that appears to have sprained his elbow. At the time I'm writing this, early morning in LA, not much more is known about the extent of his injury, other than that he was "very sore" while getting dressed in the locker room. Please pray to your diety of preference that it's not serious.

(Or whatever, sacrifice a virgin if that's appropriate for your faith. I'm serious about this. Another extended Bynum outage is not what my life needs right now.)

But that's depressing, so let me end on a happier note. Kobe, it must be said, is making an early statement in the MVP race. In a slow, arduous game, he rang up 41 points in pretty efficient fashion against one of the best defenders around. And he did so, with apologies for repeating myself, having played 46 minutes the night previous. And while sick. And without his second offensive option to draw defensive heat away from him. And on the road dammit it was all extremely difficult.

A grand performance, it was. Grand every step of the way. Let us all bow our heads in respect.

	Poss.	TO%	FTA/ FGA	FT%	EFG%	TS%	Off Reb%	Def Reb%	PPP
Lakers	95	9	0.30	71	45	49	33	61	1.08
Rox	95	21	0.28	71	49	53	39	67	1.07

(H/T Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times for the Bynum report.)