Alright welcome in to the full recap, finally, on the game between the Lakers and the Warriors where Stephen Curry put on quite a spectacle against the Lake Show helping the Warriors clinch a playoff spot over the Lakers 112-95 and they beat the Lakers at Staples for the first time since the Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, etc. era.
First off, I do apologize for putting this full recap on late, by the time I finish this, it'll probably be 12 midnight already, damn Internet problems causing this delay. So I'll make this as quick as possible. The Lakers have given up over 100 points in a dozen games already this season, it's really hard to keep count. At this point, it just doesn't matter already because the Lakers are already set for a top pick.
The Positives
Nick Young 25 points, 10-20 shooting. If I were Mitch Kupchak, I would keep Young for next season since he's been a reliable part of the bench. I didn't like early in the game that he was jacking up shots, particularly on the three ball and he was on my negatives watch list due to that. 2nd half though, Swaggy P somewhat redeemed himself, hitting his strides to give the Lakers some life for a rally, but obviously it wasn't enough, so he deserves top performer status this game.
Ryan Kelly 14 points, 11 rebounds, 5-11 shooting. Like I said in my Q-by-Q reaction 1st quarter, Ryan Kelly has stood out to me, not just no longer a spot up shooter, but he can attack the basket inside and post up to earn his shots. Hands down, Kelly is gonna be a big time experiment along with Sacre to develop as long they are both under contract with the Lakers because they have the potential to be Mitch's diamonds in the rough.
Wesley Johnson 8 points, 4-8 shooting. For the minutes he's given, Wes' inside jump shot looked slick and polished tonight. He's not going to give you those kind of nights on a day-to-day basis, but he earned a positive this game.
The Negatives
Jodie Meeks, 10 points, 2-12 shooting. Take away the free throws he's earned for the points, Meeks was ice cold this game, even for a solid free throw shooter, he missed a couple key ones to help the Lakers keep reeling to make the game tight. Arguably one of Meeks' disappointing performances this season.
Point guard play. Kendall Marshall and Jordan Farmar combined, 16 points, 6-18 shooting, 3-11 beyond the arc, 7 assists. At this point, I can already see that maybe Kendall Marshall is not the long term answer for the Lakers' point guard position. He's gone back down for quite a while. As for Farmar, awful shooting night for him and he played out of control committing 4 turnovers.
Steph Curry containment. For Warriors' fans, he's the story this game, 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. There's no denying that he's fun to watch and all-around he played a hell of a game, but the Lakers, a couple times this game showed they were slouching on Curry a lot. At times, they leave Curry open, you can't do that and they were not fighting hard enough to get through screens. Klay Thompson had an off night this game, but if Curry goes off there are two scenarios: 1) The opposing is lucky enough to win because the rest of the Warriors are playing mediocre 2) He did just enough to help the Warriors pull away. He can score at will, but at the same time, he's unselfish and the Lakers didn't account for him as a scorer, passer, and defender this game.
Conclusion
Overall, not much to react to about this game. It is what it is. Hopefully the Lakers can pull an upset on Sunday against the Grizzlies. I mean it's the last home game of the season for the Lakers on Sunday, then they go to Utah and San Antonio for their last two games, at least they should give the fans something positive to hang their head around after this debacle of a season. The game is also on NBA TV, so I'll see you guys for that game on Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment