Crucifido’s Corner - Lakers vs. Heat

Excellent

Let me start it off by saying I absolutely love when teams show some real fire for a game. This was the first game since the 3-peat run that I have seen every Laker, down to the last guy off the bench, focused with their mind on the task at hand. We got to see a little preview of a team that doesn’t like to lose and lets it show in their play.

Andrew Bynum – I start it off with the kid because this game had (in my opinion) the play of the year – that shake and bake / finish on the side of the key putting Shaq on his heels. It was a great move to be sure from an 18 year old, but it wasn’t just the move that I saw. I saw a kid with some serious determination to show what he’s made of. It’s an unusual quality for a young player to go up against an intimidating force such as Shaq and not back down one iota. When Shaq got over on Bynum, he could have easily sauntered up the court with his tail tucked between his legs, but instead he darted to the post with fierce determination to show that he can’t be bullied. Few, if any players EVER show this in their career, let alone at such an incredibly early stage in it.

It wasn’t just the quick move to his post spot; it was also the vision of Kobe to recognize that Andrew needed the ball there and now. It was an immediate flash of trust in a kid that has nothing but the world in front of him. Every time I see Bynum on the floor, I realize more and more why the Laker brass considers him untouchable. (Also what great composure for Bynum to sluff off Shaq’s shove. That was some rare / impressive maturity.)

That play was what the Lakers need to be successful this year in a nutshell – determined and focused.

Kobe Bryant – Kobe is Kobe. There’s a reason the guy has no nickname, the name alone should say enough. On a giant stage such as this game, Kobe showed the poise, leadership, confidence, raw ability and desire it takes for not only his success but the team’s as well. For the last 3 or 4 games Kobe’s blatant on court leadership has been remarkable. For a guy that is supposedly the most selfish player in the league, he has been showing an immense amount of will to keep the motor running with everyone through thick and thin. Sure, it sounds like I’m gushing (and I am a bit), but if you watch Kobe stand up for his teammates, let them know when they do wrong, let them know when they do right and make an effort to keep everyone involved (lately) it is a noticeable improvement.

Another game with another flurry of amazingly composed finishing shots to push the game into the W column. I truly have nothing negative to say about his game tonight. It, like the team’s, was completely fixed on the task at hand. Win or lose, that is a great thing to see with such a young team.

Lamar Odom – Another night, another quiet (almost) triple-double from the guy everyone loves to ride. For 2 games in a row (count ‘em – 2) Lamar started aggressive and remained as such until the buzzer. There was a slight lapse in the 3rd quarter when it seemed Lamar was beginning to play the whistle. But to my surprise, and for the first time as a Laker, he got around it. This simple act of just playing your game despite imbalanced or balanced officiating is a big step. The guy wears his heart on his sleeve, at times he seems easy to break, but for Lamar it’s the bouncing back that matters most.

He had a couple moments when recognizing a weak baseline defense would have helped him. He reverted a bit to passive mode, when simple drop step or sidestep to the baseline would have freed up some much needed room mid-post. Other than that, he balanced his own shots with getting the offense moving as well as he has yet.

Chris Mihm – It’s a rough night going up against Shaq, but for the most part Chris did what you have to do versus the guy at this stage of his career. Once Shaq establishes position, you lean into him, let him bump you twice and then its hold the position and up with the arms. Chris didn’t lean forward or bring his arms down on Shaq’s elevation and for most of the game it kept Shaq out of rhythm and Chris on the court. There’s only so much you can do against a force as strong as Shaq. Fouling out wasn’t an unexpected result. The strong position play on the block is what I was looking for. For the time Chris was in he did all he could. Yet again he also played within his game. He wasn’t trying to block every shot that came near him and he was recognizing help defense far quicker than he had before.

Offensively, he was simply too passive. The size of Miami inside (with Alonzo and Shaq) seemed to push Chris out way too easily. That being said, when he was inside that sweet hook he’s been teasing with here and there was effective. He’s keeping strong once he can find a spot under the boards on rebounds too. Like I said, versus a team as inside heavy as Miami is, Chris did as much as one can do when expected to carry the brunt of the Laker inside game.

Kwame Brown – What rushes to everyone, I’m sure, is the 2 points. What some won’t see is the fact that Kwame made life for the Heat’s big guys work. There were no gimmes for the most part. With Shaq in the paint, you are forced to stay at home a little more often than you normally would, preventing some help defense. Fading off of Shaq to slide over and help an open lane leaves an even easier alley-oop or dunk for Shaq or Alonzo. However, there were times when Kwame needed to recognize a seam in the defense quicker.

Offensively, Kwame also seemed a bit “pushed out�? by Miami. Meaning, he was forced out of block position too easily for a guy of his size. It’s to be expected to a certain extent. For a guy of his size and strength he can’t let the league’s bigger middles push him around. He wasn’t in the mix with rebounds as he normally is and that hurt both his rebound stats along with the scoring line. Kwame is good at keeping active, tonight he seemed a step slow and a step intimidated.

Smush Parker - Give the guy a big stage game and he slides into the background doesn’t he? It’s something I guess Smush will have to get used to being a Laker. He looks taken aback sometimes in these marquis games. I don’t think he even attempted his first shot until well into the 1st quarter. For a guy that thrives on early success, he kind of put himself into this own hole to get out of.

But when the game was winding down, it was heartening to see Smush show no fear in taking a vitally important shot. The quiet play in big games is something some younger player struggle with. Not every player can immediately adapt to that kind of pressure situation. It’s not that Smush isn’t or can’t be an excellence under pressure kind of player (in fact his brash play sometimes proves the exact opposite), it’s simply a matter of Smush getting more and more of the big games under his belt. Within those big games, little tastes of success like the teardrop shot in the 4th will go a long way to keeping Smush’s game consistent.

Devean George – Quick and easy, I have three words for Devean’s last 5 games – solid, solid, solid. The guy is doing it all and doing it correctly. He’s turning into a consistent / potent weapon off the bench.

Luke Walton – You look at Luke’s stats and think the guy didn’t do much tonight. However, Luke is not a stat line type of player, nor do I think his career will pan out to be like that. His activity and knowledge are what’s key. There is rarely a time when Luke is either lost or stagnant. The guy, even when caught out of rhythm or in a broken play, has the natural ability to adapt to the situation. Like I always say, it’s this knowledge that leads Luke to have an impact on games that aren’t horribly evident.

I could go on for a while, as this was the game I’ve been waiting to see. There are times when you wonder if the heart of a winning team is within these guys. This Miami game tonight, proved that beneath the learning process (as klunky or pretty as it may be at times) lies a team that wants to and can succeed. So that extent, when the lethargic games come, I find it frustrating. I can (and probably never will) understand why players and/or teams don’t want to win at all times at all costs.

Yes the big lead was whittled away, but that will happen against good teams such as the Heat. They’re bound to surge a t some point. The important thing is the Lakers persisted, weathered the surge and were professional enough to take the win that they earned.

It’s encouraging to see flashes of that winning fire like tonight.

In a way these guys kind of screwed themselves with this win. Now we know for sure what they’re capable of, so this notion that this team can’t compete with playoff quality teams is fading fast. They can, the question is do they want to.

I think we got a glimpse of the answer tonight.

Veteran ClubLakers member crucifido writes nightly player analysis for each game of the Laker season.

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