The first time I saw this stretch, this was without question the most pivotal week for the Purple and Gold. Three teams that are above .500 and in playoff contention. Two of them that are among the elite teams in the NBA. The Lakers have had an impressive resurgence after nearly six years of turmoil. But many critics have been skeptical that they could beat some of the better teams in the league. Three marquee games with a playoff berth on the line. It's the LakeShow's time to shine!
03/03: vs. Philadelphia 107-120 [W] (47-13)
Philly fans will have their excuses, pointing to the fact that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons didn't play this game. There shouldn't be any excuses for the Lakers to lose against the 76ers without their top two stars. It certainly almost looked like that with the way this game started. They were losing to an injury-ridden Sixers squad with Shake Milton, Glenn Robinson III, and yes, Furkan Korkmaz of all people as their top players. Even Frank Vogel admitted the team looked sluggish to start that he took a timeout to give the team a pep talk. After that, the Lakers came storming back, especially in that 2nd quarter. I said this before and I'll say this again: Anthony Davis is a man among boys. Yes, no Embiid to matchup against him, but Davis did what he had to do: 37 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and a couple of razzle dazzle highlights that quarter. The gloves came off in that 2nd quarter for the purple and gold. You had AD and KCP throwing it down like it's a dunk contest. You had LeBron shooting from near half court...again and blocking the final shot in the 2nd quarter almost on the opposite end of the court. The Lakers took care of business against the hapless 76ers who have not won on the road for nine straight games. It would've been more impressive if the Sixers had their full roster. But, a W is a W regardless.
03/06: vs. Milwaukee 103-113 [W] (48-13)
Arguably the NBA's heavyweight fight this season. The last time these two teams met, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks creamed the Lakers in "Cream City." With playoff implications on the line, the results should be different. The Lakers won this game despite shooting a woeful 20% from three-point land. The defense and trips to the free throw line is what kept them alive this game. From Avery Bradley drawing offensive fouls to Alex Caruso swiping the ball off of a Bucks' player out of bounds. Despite Giannis' big game of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists, he got shut down with LeBron and AD taking turns defending him. And that's the way it should be: the best players on the team locking down the opposition's best player. The Lakers drew more fouls by attacking the Bucks' interior defense. From the graphics, Lakers had 19 more free throw attempts than the Bucks did
Defensively, the Toronto Raptors formulated the blueprint: you stop Antetokounmpo, the Bucks offense stops flowing. Jeff Van Gundy brought out an interesting point Friday: Giannis is not accustomed to playing extended minutes in the 4th because Milwaukee had games in the bag before that period. But because the Lakers hung close behind big performances by the King and the Brow this game, that kept the Greek Freak on the floor. This was a statement win from the Lakers and LeBron showed people he deserves MVP consideration with 37 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals and shutting down Antetokounmpo in crunch time. AD showed he deserves some Defensive Player of the Year (DOPY) consideration with 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks and despite drawing some foul trouble, he played good defense against Giannis down the stretch and came up with a key block on Khris Middleton when the Bucks looked to push. Not only did the Lakers win big, but they clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2013. The last few postseasons were entertaining, but felt weird without the Lakers involved. The Purple (and Gold) rain returns to the the postseason after a 7-year drought!
03/08: @ LA Clippers 112-103 [W] (49-13)
By the end of last year, we had to put up with Clipper fans as they rightfully have bragging rights when the Clippers beat the Lakers not only once, but twice. It was mortifying indeed. To make matters worse, the Clippers marketing department created a marketing campaign to take a shot at the Lakers once more called: "Real LA." This marketing campaign was targeted to have the Clippers be LA's team of not just for the Hollywood celebrities and personalities (like the Lakers), but also the blue collar demographic of LA. I need Nipsey Hussle's "Last Time I Checc'd" right about now. I get it the Clippers have an identity with a roster who have heart, hustle, and grind. But, you're telling me the Lakers don't appeal to the blue collar people LA? Get out of here with that notion! You'll see people in the gritty parts of LA outside of Hollywood sport Laker gear. The Clippers are trying so hard to integrate themselves into the LA culture and identity. It's laughable.
Which comes to my attention, the Lakers need to get this game to slap the Clippers and their fans back to reality. After an impressive win against the best team in the NBA, the Bucks the other night, they need to get one again to put the league on notice. Round 3 for these two teams was as advertised. Both teams were chippy. Although I don't like the fact that the refs didn't call one tech on the Clippers when they were complaining all game long! But Avery Bradley and Danny Green get techs when they barely complain about the refs. Speaking of Avery Bradley, he had himself a big game with 24 points and connecting on 6 three pointers. He was averaging 20+ points for a couple games some time ago, but he hasn't had a lot of touches since then. And it was good to see him do some damage offensively because he was the X-factor and the reason why the Lakers kept hanging around. Kuzma, KCP, and Markieff Morris didn't quite fill up the stats sheet, but boy did they play well defensively. Kuz lead the team with 10 boards and played some really tough defense.
The 2nd half was when the Lakers took complete control of the game. They said LeBron was scared of PG and moreso Kawhi. Despite 7-17 shooting, LeBron James shredded the stifling Clippers defense by attacking and getting to the foul line. And just like when he drew the assignment of defending Giannis Friday, he did so matching up against Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi was held in check for the most part of the game. The 4th quarter, the Lakers drew fouls early on to put themselves in the bonus early. Even though the Clippers took more free throws, they missed some down the stretch, especially when Montrezl Harrell went to the line. He's a handful, but it's a win when he misses some free throws as he's a 65% FT shooter. Anthony Davis lead all scorers with 30 points. AD and LeBron exorcised some demons against the Clippers. You recall the first game when they were held to two points in the 4th quarter. This game, they took over when it mattered the most and helped the Lakers win a pivotal matchup. Forget all the talk that the Lakers can't beat good teams! They proved themselves this weekend. This is playoff mode!
Showing posts with label Philadelphia 76ers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philadelphia 76ers. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2020
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup: All-Star Week Edition
*Some NSFW language*
With all the trade drama unfolding before the All-Star weekend, all I can say is I'm glad the NBA moved the trade deadline before All-Star weekend so that all this don't clout what should be a fun week for the league, its superstars, its players, and above all, the fans. With teams making moves for a playoff run and a run for the championship, one that stands above all was the shitstorm that went down in the Big Easy surrounding Anthony Davis and the Pelicans' trade dilemma. I've seen this shit way too many times since the fall of the glorious Purple and Gold after the 2012-13 season. Star players use the Lakers as a bargaining chip that if their demands aren't met, they'll bolt their team to play for the Purple and Gold.
And despite all them smoke and mirrors, nothing happens. The Anthony Davis trade saga has been added to the long list of failed recruitment of a superstar on the Lakers' part. Well, with the exception of LeBron, but even LeBron is an elephant in the room that other superstars don't want to deal with it.
It turns out that the Pelicans' played with our emotions of Anthony Davis coming to LA. The trade was nothing more but a ploy to destroy the morale of the Lakers and create a rift among King James and the Laker youngins. It was evident considering how Dell Demps never answered any of Rob Pelinka's calls to discuss a deal. Or the fact that he actually listened to Gregg Popovich's advice not to give the Lakers any life. This isn't the first time the New Orleans Pelicans showed the middle finger to the Lakers. Remember the deal in 2011 that would've sent Chris Paul to the Lakers? This time, the NBA wasn't involved in vetoing the deal. The Pelicans did this to the Lakers on their OWN volition. Smells like negotiating in bad faith doesn't it?
But as I look at it more clearly, it shows a weakness of the Lakers that has plagued them for quite some time now: they can't groom their own superstars. They're more inclined to pry away superstars from other teams, but not develop their own. This is a statement of fact: you shoot for the sure-thing rather than on potential. That is the Lakers' mentality and who can blame them? Lakers fans have had it of 6 years of organizational ineptitude and want this team to get back into championship form right away. That in itself is a good thing and a bad thing. The Lakers were content on growing their young core. But in order to please the King, they have to scrap that. I've addressed this like four years ago? It dates back to the dilemma in Kobe's later years. The Lakers put themselves in a limbo of building for the future and winning now. You must commit to one or the other and not have a balance of both. And it seems that the Lakers have not learned from their history with the hole they're in now.
But enough of my rant. A.D. or no A.D., the Lakers have a season to finish up. And they have a steep hill to climb if they want to return to glory. Keep in mind, I merged this week with last week's because the Lakers only had one game to play this week and it was off to the All-Star weekend. Here is a special Lakers' Weekly Roundup - NBA All-Star Week Edition!
02/05: @ Indiana 94-136 [L] (27-27)
HIGHLIGHTS
This is the same Pacers team that just lost Victor Oladipo for the season. And the Lakers still get their ass kicked. To bring out some advance LeBron stats: this is the worst loss by any LeBron-lead team in history! There's my ESPN impression for the day with non-stop LeBron coverage. There's not much to gauge from this ugly loss. The Pacers were on fire from beyond the arc. The Pacers 2nd unit also brought their A-game on this. And to add insult to injury, the Pacers fans brought their troll game on, chanting "LeBron's gonna trade you" to Ingram or that McGee was "not worth trading." I wanted to do a "Days of Our Steelers-esque" segment with this loss, but I'd be stealing from UrinatingTree. This loss definitely created more tension in the internal civil war that was LeBron vs. the Lakers
Trades for Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala
The NBA's "Hunger Games" has come to past at on Thursday, 3:00 PST. Despite the foiled Anthony Davis deal, the Lakers weren't going to stop making moves to get turn this team into a championship team. The Lakers deal Svi Mykhailiuk to the Pistons for Reggie Bullock and they acquired Mike Muscala from the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley. These are moves championship teams aspire to make indeed. Seriously? There are two purposes when NBA teams make trades: 1) to free up some cap space or accumulate some draft capital 2) get a quality player in return with either 1 or 2 years left on his contract that could help the team to get where they want to be which is postseason or the finals. What the hell kind of moves were these? The Lakers get a guy who's pretty much Jodie Meeks with hair and another stretch 5 in Muscala. Truly Zubac was a sacrifice to up his trade value by breaking out during this stretch of the season and send him packing for another stretch 5 who may not see significant playing time. Isn't that the reason why they grabbed Wagner in this year's draft? These moves were definite head-scratchers. Perhaps the Bullock trade was justifiable. The Lakers need as many shooters as they can. Inconsistency will once again play a major issue.
Team LeBron Assembly
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo held their respective drafts for their All-Star teams last Thursday. Let's get a look at LeBron's roster. Such names include: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, etc. Notice a pattern here? This is not just picking an All-Star team. This is LeBron's sales pitch to get these players to come play for him in LA. Only hindrance is the salary cap.
02/07: @ Boston 129-128 [W] (28-27)
HIGHLIGHTS
Forget the records. Forget which team is better at the moment. Forget that the Lakers just got blown out the other night by 42 freakin' points. This is the Lakers and Celtics we are talking about. The NBA's best rivalry right here. Don't be surprise if this comes down to the wire like all games do whenever the Lakers play at the TD Garden as of late. But the Celtics got a off to a hot start, leading as many as 13 at the half. Just like in Indiana, the Lakers' morale is broken with all the trade rumors and they could never recover. But a light shined upon the Purple and Gold as the King rode to battle on Kuz Control. The Lakers caught fire late lead by James and Kuzma. Final seconds ticked. No timeouts. The Celtics took the lead off a Kyrie Irving layup. Let's be honest, the Lakers rarely get it done in the final seconds with the ball in their hands nowadays. *Rondo hits game-winner* YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! RONDO BABY!!!!!! SCREW YOU CELTICS!!!!! WE'RE BACK!!!!!! Poetic justice indeed as Rondo comes back to Boston to break the hearts of his former-team. Let's be honest, the Lakers needed this win to boost the morale of the team. As the saying goes, winning cures all and what better way to bounce back against a perennial rival. Take notes Dodgers and Rams on how to beat a team from Boston.
02/10: @ Philadelphia 120-143 [L] (28-28)
HIGHLIGHTS
To ease all wounds sustained from the trade drama, Magic Johnson decided to fly over to the team and "hug-it-out." Everybody get in a circle, sing "Kumbaya" or whatever. Let's put this behind and start playing as a team again. However the Philadelphia 76ers could care less about the trade drama getting in the Lakers feelings. KuzMania ran wild for the Lakers in the first quarter. But, that was the only positive as the 76ers commenced the ass-whooping process. Lead by their new Big 4 with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, Philly Philly took care of some business. After an inspiring win, the Lakers outside Kyle Kuzma fell flatter than LeBron James' defense on a Ben Simmons dunk this game. And also, why the hell did Luke Walton thought it was a good idea to insert Reggie Bullock into the starting lineup immediately? To quote Rob Pelinka "teams should fear the Lakers in the playoffs." Well, there goes that statement after this blowout loss. It was just one game Rob. Just one game.
02/12: @ Atlanta 113-117 [L] (28-29)
HIGHLIGHTS
Rewind back to December of 2018, the Lakers despite having the superior talent were taken to the limit against a Hawks team that's in rebuilding mode. The difference was a game-saving block by Tyson Chandler to win it for the Lakers. That seemed like eons ago when the Lakers were among the Top 5 teams in the West. The Lakers play the Hawks and my goodness are they playing down to their level again. This team isn't even that good and yet you still stoop down to their level. The 4th quarter was as bad as NBA basketball can get as both teams missed shots and were playing sloppy basketball down the stretch. But, this one will go down as a gut-wrencher. You're playing for your playoff lives and you lose to the Hawks among all teams. Shame. Shame. Shame. Hello sub .500 my old friend.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps Fired
Karma works in mysterious ways. Prior to All-Star Weekend, the Pelicans announced that they've parted ways with longtime GM Dell Demps. The major factor of course was how he handled the Anthony Davis trade saga. And now AD is hurt. Well, that part is unpredictable. You can never predict when an injury might occur. But it was at that moment Demps should've known he f'd up. Could've had the entire Lakers roster. Then again, the Lakers are glad to have their roster in tact and not have to deal with the "Bayou Shitshow" anymore.
With all the trade drama unfolding before the All-Star weekend, all I can say is I'm glad the NBA moved the trade deadline before All-Star weekend so that all this don't clout what should be a fun week for the league, its superstars, its players, and above all, the fans. With teams making moves for a playoff run and a run for the championship, one that stands above all was the shitstorm that went down in the Big Easy surrounding Anthony Davis and the Pelicans' trade dilemma. I've seen this shit way too many times since the fall of the glorious Purple and Gold after the 2012-13 season. Star players use the Lakers as a bargaining chip that if their demands aren't met, they'll bolt their team to play for the Purple and Gold.
And despite all them smoke and mirrors, nothing happens. The Anthony Davis trade saga has been added to the long list of failed recruitment of a superstar on the Lakers' part. Well, with the exception of LeBron, but even LeBron is an elephant in the room that other superstars don't want to deal with it.
It turns out that the Pelicans' played with our emotions of Anthony Davis coming to LA. The trade was nothing more but a ploy to destroy the morale of the Lakers and create a rift among King James and the Laker youngins. It was evident considering how Dell Demps never answered any of Rob Pelinka's calls to discuss a deal. Or the fact that he actually listened to Gregg Popovich's advice not to give the Lakers any life. This isn't the first time the New Orleans Pelicans showed the middle finger to the Lakers. Remember the deal in 2011 that would've sent Chris Paul to the Lakers? This time, the NBA wasn't involved in vetoing the deal. The Pelicans did this to the Lakers on their OWN volition. Smells like negotiating in bad faith doesn't it?
But as I look at it more clearly, it shows a weakness of the Lakers that has plagued them for quite some time now: they can't groom their own superstars. They're more inclined to pry away superstars from other teams, but not develop their own. This is a statement of fact: you shoot for the sure-thing rather than on potential. That is the Lakers' mentality and who can blame them? Lakers fans have had it of 6 years of organizational ineptitude and want this team to get back into championship form right away. That in itself is a good thing and a bad thing. The Lakers were content on growing their young core. But in order to please the King, they have to scrap that. I've addressed this like four years ago? It dates back to the dilemma in Kobe's later years. The Lakers put themselves in a limbo of building for the future and winning now. You must commit to one or the other and not have a balance of both. And it seems that the Lakers have not learned from their history with the hole they're in now.
But enough of my rant. A.D. or no A.D., the Lakers have a season to finish up. And they have a steep hill to climb if they want to return to glory. Keep in mind, I merged this week with last week's because the Lakers only had one game to play this week and it was off to the All-Star weekend. Here is a special Lakers' Weekly Roundup - NBA All-Star Week Edition!
02/05: @ Indiana 94-136 [L] (27-27)
HIGHLIGHTS
This is the same Pacers team that just lost Victor Oladipo for the season. And the Lakers still get their ass kicked. To bring out some advance LeBron stats: this is the worst loss by any LeBron-lead team in history! There's my ESPN impression for the day with non-stop LeBron coverage. There's not much to gauge from this ugly loss. The Pacers were on fire from beyond the arc. The Pacers 2nd unit also brought their A-game on this. And to add insult to injury, the Pacers fans brought their troll game on, chanting "LeBron's gonna trade you" to Ingram or that McGee was "not worth trading." I wanted to do a "Days of Our Steelers-esque" segment with this loss, but I'd be stealing from UrinatingTree. This loss definitely created more tension in the internal civil war that was LeBron vs. the Lakers
Trades for Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala
The NBA's "Hunger Games" has come to past at on Thursday, 3:00 PST. Despite the foiled Anthony Davis deal, the Lakers weren't going to stop making moves to get turn this team into a championship team. The Lakers deal Svi Mykhailiuk to the Pistons for Reggie Bullock and they acquired Mike Muscala from the Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Michael Beasley. These are moves championship teams aspire to make indeed. Seriously? There are two purposes when NBA teams make trades: 1) to free up some cap space or accumulate some draft capital 2) get a quality player in return with either 1 or 2 years left on his contract that could help the team to get where they want to be which is postseason or the finals. What the hell kind of moves were these? The Lakers get a guy who's pretty much Jodie Meeks with hair and another stretch 5 in Muscala. Truly Zubac was a sacrifice to up his trade value by breaking out during this stretch of the season and send him packing for another stretch 5 who may not see significant playing time. Isn't that the reason why they grabbed Wagner in this year's draft? These moves were definite head-scratchers. Perhaps the Bullock trade was justifiable. The Lakers need as many shooters as they can. Inconsistency will once again play a major issue.
Team LeBron Assembly
LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo held their respective drafts for their All-Star teams last Thursday. Let's get a look at LeBron's roster. Such names include: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ben Simmons, etc. Notice a pattern here? This is not just picking an All-Star team. This is LeBron's sales pitch to get these players to come play for him in LA. Only hindrance is the salary cap.
02/07: @ Boston 129-128 [W] (28-27)
HIGHLIGHTS
Forget the records. Forget which team is better at the moment. Forget that the Lakers just got blown out the other night by 42 freakin' points. This is the Lakers and Celtics we are talking about. The NBA's best rivalry right here. Don't be surprise if this comes down to the wire like all games do whenever the Lakers play at the TD Garden as of late. But the Celtics got a off to a hot start, leading as many as 13 at the half. Just like in Indiana, the Lakers' morale is broken with all the trade rumors and they could never recover. But a light shined upon the Purple and Gold as the King rode to battle on Kuz Control. The Lakers caught fire late lead by James and Kuzma. Final seconds ticked. No timeouts. The Celtics took the lead off a Kyrie Irving layup. Let's be honest, the Lakers rarely get it done in the final seconds with the ball in their hands nowadays. *Rondo hits game-winner* YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! RONDO BABY!!!!!! SCREW YOU CELTICS!!!!! WE'RE BACK!!!!!! Poetic justice indeed as Rondo comes back to Boston to break the hearts of his former-team. Let's be honest, the Lakers needed this win to boost the morale of the team. As the saying goes, winning cures all and what better way to bounce back against a perennial rival. Take notes Dodgers and Rams on how to beat a team from Boston.
02/10: @ Philadelphia 120-143 [L] (28-28)
HIGHLIGHTS
To ease all wounds sustained from the trade drama, Magic Johnson decided to fly over to the team and "hug-it-out." Everybody get in a circle, sing "Kumbaya" or whatever. Let's put this behind and start playing as a team again. However the Philadelphia 76ers could care less about the trade drama getting in the Lakers feelings. KuzMania ran wild for the Lakers in the first quarter. But, that was the only positive as the 76ers commenced the ass-whooping process. Lead by their new Big 4 with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, Philly Philly took care of some business. After an inspiring win, the Lakers outside Kyle Kuzma fell flatter than LeBron James' defense on a Ben Simmons dunk this game. And also, why the hell did Luke Walton thought it was a good idea to insert Reggie Bullock into the starting lineup immediately? To quote Rob Pelinka "teams should fear the Lakers in the playoffs." Well, there goes that statement after this blowout loss. It was just one game Rob. Just one game.
02/12: @ Atlanta 113-117 [L] (28-29)
HIGHLIGHTS
Rewind back to December of 2018, the Lakers despite having the superior talent were taken to the limit against a Hawks team that's in rebuilding mode. The difference was a game-saving block by Tyson Chandler to win it for the Lakers. That seemed like eons ago when the Lakers were among the Top 5 teams in the West. The Lakers play the Hawks and my goodness are they playing down to their level again. This team isn't even that good and yet you still stoop down to their level. The 4th quarter was as bad as NBA basketball can get as both teams missed shots and were playing sloppy basketball down the stretch. But, this one will go down as a gut-wrencher. You're playing for your playoff lives and you lose to the Hawks among all teams. Shame. Shame. Shame. Hello sub .500 my old friend.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps Fired
Karma works in mysterious ways. Prior to All-Star Weekend, the Pelicans announced that they've parted ways with longtime GM Dell Demps. The major factor of course was how he handled the Anthony Davis trade saga. And now AD is hurt. Well, that part is unpredictable. You can never predict when an injury might occur. But it was at that moment Demps should've known he f'd up. Could've had the entire Lakers roster. Then again, the Lakers are glad to have their roster in tact and not have to deal with the "Bayou Shitshow" anymore.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Lakers Weekly Roundup (02/03): Hell Week 1
The past week was dedicated to the buzz in downtown Atlanta as it built up to Super Bowl Sunday. But like always, the NBA just has to find its way to steal the thunder of the NFL and make headlines. Such that the NBA trade deadline is near. One blockbuster trade after another, the Lakers' quest for Anthony Davis continues to dominate headlines. The Lakers made competitive offers by giving up the entire roster outside of LeBron to get AD. But the Pelicans front office wouldn't budge due to outside sources telling them not to give him to the Lakers. Hmmm, why aren't they fined for tampering? There's no question, it is deal or no deal for Purple and Gold Royalty down to the final few days before the deadline. Especially it comes at a crucial time when they face their toughest stretch yet that blocks them from returning to glory. As trade talks swirl for now, the Lakers take center stage in this week's Weekly Roundup.
01/29: vs. Philadelphia 121-105 [L] (26-25)
HIGHLIGHTS
Talk about a breakout performance from Brandon Ingram as he exploded on this game with 36 points on 16-20 shooting. Good stuff B.I. But, that is irrelevant considering Philly's "Trust the Process" movement moved in and took what they wanted in LA. LakeShow's Delicious Turnovers were in business early on this game as the Lakers murdered themselves to death by their own turnovers to start. The 76ers were definitely the best customers for the night as they capitalized for points off turnovers. If it helps us sleep at night, the 76ers manhandled the Warriors at Oracle on Thursday.
01/31: @ LA Clippers 123-120 (OT) [W] (27-25)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers are one more loss away from being at .500 and they are a few games back behind the Clippers for the 8th spot in the West. And still there's no sight of LeBron nearing a return as he's also ruled out for this-*sees headline that LeBron is back.* Never mind, it's the return of the King baby! "LeBron ex Machina" is going to come save the day and lead the Lakers back into contention! The Lakers get another big boost with the return of KuzMania! They're just missing Zo, but this team is good enough to compete at the least. We have LeBron back! Back in December, the Clippers beat a LeBron-less Lakers. Now, it's time to pay them back and show them who's the real LA team! The Lakers ballooned the lead in the 2nd half. Only to watch it squander in front of their faces. Ah even with King James' return, it's good to see that some things don't change, such as the Lakers blowing a big lead in the 4th quarter and heading into OT. Both teams tried to hand each other W's at the end of regulation, but they pulled the trigger on each other a little too soon with some boneheaded plays off timeouts. Fortunately, the Clippers showed that they are still the Clippers as their top free throw shooters miss some key free throws down the stretch and Tobias Harris threw up some bricks. Even at near full strength, the Lakers are in deep trouble if they teams like the Clippers hang around. This is why we can't have nice things.
02/02: @ Golden State 101-115 [L] (27-26)
HIGHLIGHTS
Before we dive into this game, LeBron James was healthy scratch for this. The reason? Load Management? That's the actual DNP for LeBron. Gregg Popovich did this a few years ago when he gave Tim Duncan a DNP because he's "old." But, load management? Why? Is it because simply saying "DNP - Rest" too mainstream? Understandably so, LeBron came back after significant time off. And they played until overtime the previous night against the Lakers. So that urged the Lakers' coaching staff to monitor him to ensure he gets back to 100%. Abandoned by the King yet again, the Lakers arrive to Oakland to challenge the Golden State gods in the Trial of Oracle. The Lakers fought valiantly, eventually building an 11 point lead in the third quarter against the Golden State gods. Even better, Steph, the god of Rainbow Threes lost his touch. Rarely do we see that. All was going well until the DeMarcus, the Emotional Lesbian god struck KuzMania in holy baptism. Thus, the Golden State gods decided they had enough and disposed of the Lakers easily in the fourth quarter. At least we can cling onto the fact that the Lakers blew the Golden State gods out by 27 on Christmas Day, which is still the largest margin of victory by either team head-to-head this season.
01/29: vs. Philadelphia 121-105 [L] (26-25)
HIGHLIGHTS
Talk about a breakout performance from Brandon Ingram as he exploded on this game with 36 points on 16-20 shooting. Good stuff B.I. But, that is irrelevant considering Philly's "Trust the Process" movement moved in and took what they wanted in LA. LakeShow's Delicious Turnovers were in business early on this game as the Lakers murdered themselves to death by their own turnovers to start. The 76ers were definitely the best customers for the night as they capitalized for points off turnovers. If it helps us sleep at night, the 76ers manhandled the Warriors at Oracle on Thursday.
01/31: @ LA Clippers 123-120 (OT) [W] (27-25)
HIGHLIGHTS
The Lakers are one more loss away from being at .500 and they are a few games back behind the Clippers for the 8th spot in the West. And still there's no sight of LeBron nearing a return as he's also ruled out for this-*sees headline that LeBron is back.* Never mind, it's the return of the King baby! "LeBron ex Machina" is going to come save the day and lead the Lakers back into contention! The Lakers get another big boost with the return of KuzMania! They're just missing Zo, but this team is good enough to compete at the least. We have LeBron back! Back in December, the Clippers beat a LeBron-less Lakers. Now, it's time to pay them back and show them who's the real LA team! The Lakers ballooned the lead in the 2nd half. Only to watch it squander in front of their faces. Ah even with King James' return, it's good to see that some things don't change, such as the Lakers blowing a big lead in the 4th quarter and heading into OT. Both teams tried to hand each other W's at the end of regulation, but they pulled the trigger on each other a little too soon with some boneheaded plays off timeouts. Fortunately, the Clippers showed that they are still the Clippers as their top free throw shooters miss some key free throws down the stretch and Tobias Harris threw up some bricks. Even at near full strength, the Lakers are in deep trouble if they teams like the Clippers hang around. This is why we can't have nice things.
02/02: @ Golden State 101-115 [L] (27-26)
HIGHLIGHTS
Before we dive into this game, LeBron James was healthy scratch for this. The reason? Load Management? That's the actual DNP for LeBron. Gregg Popovich did this a few years ago when he gave Tim Duncan a DNP because he's "old." But, load management? Why? Is it because simply saying "DNP - Rest" too mainstream? Understandably so, LeBron came back after significant time off. And they played until overtime the previous night against the Lakers. So that urged the Lakers' coaching staff to monitor him to ensure he gets back to 100%. Abandoned by the King yet again, the Lakers arrive to Oakland to challenge the Golden State gods in the Trial of Oracle. The Lakers fought valiantly, eventually building an 11 point lead in the third quarter against the Golden State gods. Even better, Steph, the god of Rainbow Threes lost his touch. Rarely do we see that. All was going well until the DeMarcus, the Emotional Lesbian god struck KuzMania in holy baptism. Thus, the Golden State gods decided they had enough and disposed of the Lakers easily in the fourth quarter. At least we can cling onto the fact that the Lakers blew the Golden State gods out by 27 on Christmas Day, which is still the largest margin of victory by either team head-to-head this season.
Friday, December 8, 2017
Brandon Ingram Hits Game Winner Over Philly
*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*
Brandon Ingram lead all Lakers in scoring with 21 points to go with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, including the game-winning shot to give the Lakers the 107-104 win over the 76ers in a thriller between two up-and-coming teams. Lonzo Ball recorded a near triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, KCP added 13 points, Brook Lopez added 11 points, and Larry Nance Jr. also added 11 points to go with 7 rebounds. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson were co-scoring leaders for the 2nd unit as both players added 16 points off the bench.
Final Score: @ Philadelphia 107-104 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171207/LALPHI#/recap
Next Game: @ Charlotte (12/09)
Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*
Based on the headline, you know what the headline is going to be about. Brandon Ingram with a early career-defining moment, coming through for the Lakers with a clutch 3-pointer. Before, we discuss how the play went down, the Lakers almost blew another game where they had the lead. The finish in the 4th quarter where the Sixers came storming back behind Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, it looked like the Lakers were gonna have a complete meltdown. They hit 50% of their free throws last night, they've been a problem this season. Kyle Kuzma was limited to just 3 points. Kuz was due for an off game, it was a matter of time. Of course, they had no answer for The Process. Embiid dropped 33 points. But, the Lakers kept their composure when things weren't going right. The final seconds of the game, Lonzo pulled up from three with a lot of time left in the final seconds. It's a big risk for a two-for-one in the situation because of that "what if" scenario. What if the Sixers milked the clock and executed the perfect play for a high percentage shot? And on the other end, what if the Lakers didn't execute and would eventually lose the game? But, luckily it worked in the Lakers' favor. Julius Randle did a nice job on keeping his body in front Embiid to force him into a tough layup. Ball grabs the rebound. In about the 10 second mark, the Sixers' defense could've dared Zo to shoot from three because they knew he's not a good shooter. But, Zo did the right thing in being aggressive to the cup to draw the defense to him. He then kicks it out to Ingram. Keep in mind, Ingram is not that good of a three-point shooter...yet. But, Ball did a nice job of drawing the Sixers to him so that they don't close out on B.I. Ingram settles for the high-percentage 3-pointer and drills it to silence the Philly crowd. Ball gets the credit for making that play happen by penetrating to the basket and clamping down the defense. Ingram gets the credit for coming through in that very moment. It wasn't too long ago where Ingram was the go-to-guy for a potential game-winner against the Warriors. So, he was in that stage before. Only this time, he finally managed to come through and give the Lakers a road win outside of the two games at Phoenix.
Brandon Ingram lead all Lakers in scoring with 21 points to go with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, including the game-winning shot to give the Lakers the 107-104 win over the 76ers in a thriller between two up-and-coming teams. Lonzo Ball recorded a near triple-double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, KCP added 13 points, Brook Lopez added 11 points, and Larry Nance Jr. also added 11 points to go with 7 rebounds. Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson were co-scoring leaders for the 2nd unit as both players added 16 points off the bench.
Final Score: @ Philadelphia 107-104 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171207/LALPHI#/recap
Next Game: @ Charlotte (12/09)
Highlights: *Courtesy of Rapid Highlights*
Based on the headline, you know what the headline is going to be about. Brandon Ingram with a early career-defining moment, coming through for the Lakers with a clutch 3-pointer. Before, we discuss how the play went down, the Lakers almost blew another game where they had the lead. The finish in the 4th quarter where the Sixers came storming back behind Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, it looked like the Lakers were gonna have a complete meltdown. They hit 50% of their free throws last night, they've been a problem this season. Kyle Kuzma was limited to just 3 points. Kuz was due for an off game, it was a matter of time. Of course, they had no answer for The Process. Embiid dropped 33 points. But, the Lakers kept their composure when things weren't going right. The final seconds of the game, Lonzo pulled up from three with a lot of time left in the final seconds. It's a big risk for a two-for-one in the situation because of that "what if" scenario. What if the Sixers milked the clock and executed the perfect play for a high percentage shot? And on the other end, what if the Lakers didn't execute and would eventually lose the game? But, luckily it worked in the Lakers' favor. Julius Randle did a nice job on keeping his body in front Embiid to force him into a tough layup. Ball grabs the rebound. In about the 10 second mark, the Sixers' defense could've dared Zo to shoot from three because they knew he's not a good shooter. But, Zo did the right thing in being aggressive to the cup to draw the defense to him. He then kicks it out to Ingram. Keep in mind, Ingram is not that good of a three-point shooter...yet. But, Ball did a nice job of drawing the Sixers to him so that they don't close out on B.I. Ingram settles for the high-percentage 3-pointer and drills it to silence the Philly crowd. Ball gets the credit for making that play happen by penetrating to the basket and clamping down the defense. Ingram gets the credit for coming through in that very moment. It wasn't too long ago where Ingram was the go-to-guy for a potential game-winner against the Warriors. So, he was in that stage before. Only this time, he finally managed to come through and give the Lakers a road win outside of the two games at Phoenix.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Lakers Could Not Stop the Process
Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Philadelphia 76ers where the Lakers competed down to the wire behind big games from Ingram, Kuzma, and Clarkson. But, the Lakers found no answer for Joel Embiid and his 46 point performance as the Sixers beat the Lakers 115-109.
As an NBA fan, this was a very good battle to see between two young teams with bright outlooks and the young talent showed out tonight. Unfortunately, as a Laker fan, the Lakers lost this one. It began with the bad start in the 1st quarter. The Lakers let Philly run over them, which is uncharacteristic for a team that has improved defensively. But, they tightened up and played their game and they scratched and clawed back in. It's just that they couldn't stop Joel Embiid down the stretch. He's just that good. It's a sign of relief that he's setting an example that the big man game in the NBA is not extinct just yet. That's where I gotta tip my hat to the Sixers.
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Brandon Ingram, 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 11-18 shooting. B.I. was dead quiet in the last three road games the Lakers had on their 4-game trip. Tonight was one way to get out of the funk. The biggest thing to take away from this game was that he was on target on a majority of his jump shots. Whether tonight was flukey remains in question, but he looked confident taking those shots. Not to mention, in terms of attacking the basket, he was going hard at Embiid. That too should be a huge confidence booster that B.I. can take on anyone anchoring the inside defensively.
Jordan Clarkson, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals. Clarkson followed through after his 25 point performance Monday night in Phoenix, notching another 20 point performance and stuffing the stat sheet. This was one of the games where I saw Clarkson playing hard. He was being aggressive and hustling out there on the floor. We gotta see more of these kinds of games from Clarkson.
Kyle Kuzma, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 9-18 shooting. Kuzma could've had the highlight of the game had he connected on the posterizing dunk on Embiid in the 2nd quarter of this game. But, he did make a sweet baby hook shot over Embiid as compensation late in the 4th. Nonetheless, Kuz strung together another stellar game scoring-wise in his rookie year. He will have his bad shooting nights like he had in Boston and Phoenix, but he'll stuff the stats sheet anyway he can.
Andrew Bogut, 6 points, 10 rebounds. Between, Bogut, Lopez, and Randle, I would say Bogut did a better job at trying to slow down Joel Embiid tonight. And as you see in his stats, he was active in the boards. Most of his points came off of him securing offensive rebounds. A small positive for the Lakers tonight.
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Stopping the Process. This is also the main headline in this post game recap. The Lakers found no answer for Joel Embiid's 46 point performance tonight. He and Simmons did most of their damage inside the paint, but Embiid dealt the heavier blows to the Laker defense. The thing that makes Embiid a nightmare to D up on is that not only can he dominate on the inside, but he's just as effective on the outside. He can hit shots on top of the key and from beyond the arc. And he's got a good array of foot work. He outclassed, Bogut, Lopez, and Randle. Randle in particular received most of the abuse from the Process. The Lakers went small ball to try and slow him down, but Embiid just kept eating down low, muscling his way in and drawing contact.
Lonzo Ball, 2 points, 1-9 shooting, 0-6 three point shooting. We can expect that Ball, in some games, will look like a deer in the headlights or a pedestrian. He made some strides in the last two games, particularly against Milwaukee where he found his outside shot. Tonight, he tried to get going by shooting a couple of three-pointers to get himself going. There's nothing wrong with continuing to shoot, but I made this comment when Zo' missed his last three-point attempt: if he wants to pick up his scoring, he has to attack the basket. That's his game right now. Mark Jackson also made that point during the game as Zo' was missing threes at point blank range. The silver lining is that I'm sure Ball's gonna learn from this. The growing pains continue and we gotta stay patient.
MVP
Tonight was an excellent bounce-back game from Ingram, scoring 20+ points and shooting at an efficient percentage. Biggest plus was that he found the stroke in his jump shot tonight and still was aggressive going to the basket. We've been waiting for that kind of Kevin Durant-esque performance from him.
Conclusion
One thing that we can take away from this game is that the Sixers have established their young core and are gonna eventually build around them. The Lakers are closely behind. The young core just has to continue to make strides in their development. But, they are competing game-by-game. And there's nothing bad we can say about that. Not much more to say about this game. It just looks like the Sixers are ready to take the next step in their rebuilding process. The next nationally televised game, Lakers take a trip to Sacramento to take on the Kings next Wednesday night. Are we finally gonna see Lonzo Ball vs. De'Aaron Fox on the NBA scale after their epic UCLA-Kentucky duels last year? We just gotta hope that both stay healthy between now and that game. I'll see you guys for that. It's back to Quick Fact Check and Commentary posts on Laker games between now and next Wednesday. I'll see you guys later.
11/15: Rising Stars - LAKERS vs. Sixers 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion
Second half of the Lakers-Sixers matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.
Q4
PHI 115 LAL 109
Trust the process indeed for the 76ers. The Lakers gave them everything they got down the stretch. But, Joel Embiid man. The Sixers gotta consider taking the wheels off because he's an absolute monster. He killed the Lakers down the stretch and Julius Randle had no answer for him defensively. Lopez and Bogut guarded him too, but it didn't matter. Nonetheless, this was a great battle between two young teams. But in the end, the Process was too much for the Lakers to stop. Stay tuned for the full recap.
Q3
PHI 83 LAL 84
This has been a recurring theme so far for the Lakers. They are fighting out there! Again, just when the Sixers were about to pull away with Embiid and Simmons carrying the team, the Lakers respond with a run of their own by playing good defense and pushing the ball. Brandon Ingram is making shots out there while being aggressive. This is one of his best shooting games in his career. Meanwhile, it's the opposite of Lonzo Ball. He has to play his game in being aggressive. The settling for three's won't cut it. But luckily, the Lakers are hanging in there. This is going to be a strong fight to the finish for both these young teams in the 4th quarter.
11/15: Rising Stars - LAKERS vs. Philadelphia 76ers 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion
A battle between two young, up and coming teams. Welcome in to the first half of the Lakers-76ers matchup. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.
Q2
PHI 58 LAL 54
The good thing here is that the Lakers are hanging around whenever the Sixers look like they are about to pull away. They've dug themselves out of the 18-7 hole to trail as little as four heading into the 2nd half. Though LA made some bad passes and had some defensive lapses to start, Philly missed a lot of high percentage looks and also being the young team that they are, they turned the ball over. Combined with the spark of the Laker bench lead by Randle and Clarkson, all played a factor in the Lakers getting back into this game. But, they gotta do something to contain Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They are killing the Lakers with Simmons attacking the basket and Embiid lurking around the post and they've connected on a lot of them tonight. Though this is centered around Simmons vs. Ball, we can't forget that Simmons and Ingram were the top two picks in the same draft class. I'd say they're neck-and-neck with B.I. having the biggest edge in scoring. B.I. specifically is off to a terrific start with 15 points and shooting an efficient 6-10 from the field (*stats courtesy of Yahoo Sports*). The Lakers have overcome a possible big deficit. They have to stick with their identity in locking down defensively and being aggressive and pushing the tempo against this Sixers team. They also have to be much smarter with the ball movement. The 2nd half will open up shortly.
Q1
PHI 29 LAL 26
What did I say in the comments when the Lakers find themselves in a hole? They have a tendency to step up and make a run. I'm gonna be honest though. The Lakers looked really flat to start the game. They turned the ball over. Defensively, they were allowing the Sixers easy layups and that's what got the Sixers the big lead early. But then, Walton inserts the bench mob lead by Randle and Clarkson and provided instant energy to pull the Lakers within three. With that lineup, they played much better on both sides of the ball.
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