Crucifido’s Corner - Lakers vs. Clippers (Game 16)

Team Play Wins The Day

Alright, off the bat, let’s get the crying and moaning out of the way.

There must be something about the purple and gold uniform that could make Marc Price, John Stockton or Michael Jordan come in and shoot 60% from the free throw line. It always kills me when the Lakers decide that they’re going to make things tough on themselves by missing the easiest shot this side of a dunk. The thing is that most the guys’ rhythm is there, they just aren’t following through with their motion to finish the shot. There’s a lot of short-arming, slum-shouldered shooting from the elbows rather than the knees. It’s not the worst thing in the world, when the rest of your game is working, but at some point the free throw glitches are going to kick them in the butt in a tight game. Best to just nip this thing now, before it becomes a worse habit by playoff time.

And lastly, in my mini-rants – the almighty and very ugly U.F.T.O.’s showed up again. No, no, not something alien, rather something all too common with the Lakers this year – unforced turnovers. Its one thing to get the ball stolen or even have 1 or 2 needles turnovers a game, but when you’re best ball-handler is walking off with 7 turnovers; you have to be a bit concerned. Tonight, luckily, the Clippers were inept at taking advantage of those turnovers and they really didn’t punish the Lakers that much. This won’t happen every night.

There will be nights (just like with free throws) that these kinds of things will cost the Lakers a game (or more) in the race that is the Western Conference. Considering just how tight the race for playoff positioning in the West looks like it’s going to be this year, 2 or 3 games could mean the difference between home court advantage in the first round (something the Lakers are showing a knack for defending really well) or going on the road to start a series.

Sure, I know the playoffs are a long way away right now, but habits form early in seasons. Right now both of these seemingly little things are becoming commonplace. I’m not looking for 100% free throwing or no turnovers in a game, but the Lakers should be setting a goal of at least 75% free throwing and 12 turnovers per game as a goal. They’re both easily attainable and should be worked on as of the next game.

O.K., enough complaining – this game tonight was one of the better team Laker wins we’ve gotten to see in a while.

The strongest part of the win was on the defensive end. Just as in a couple games previous this year, the Lakers rotation and recovery was on the money for the majority of this game. When people were making their cuts through the key and coming off screens (mid-range especially) holes were being covered immediately. A lot of it was due to a concerted effort by everyone on the court to keep their eyes on their man rather than on an eventual play or cut. Simple concentration prevented the Clippers from running a lot of high pick and pops and curls into the key.

One of the main reasons for the solid defensive effort tonight - and yes this is the first time I will say it (but hopefully not the last), Smush played decent defense. By decent, I mean the best defense he’s played so far this year.

Smush – By this time everyone realizes that Smush isn’t and more than likely won’t be a defensive stopper. So really I don’t expect him to stifle every point guard that waltzes by him. All I ask is that he observes the fundamental rule of defense – keep your man in front of you. Playing against Sam Cassell (a slower guard to be sure) he had the perfect opportunity to show that he could do just that – and he did. Aside from two instances when he funneled Sam to the weak side defense, he did an exceptional job of staying in front of Sam all night. He maintained a wide stance as well, letting him move laterally a bit quicker than he normally does. There was some definite focus in his defense tonight. I venture to say tonight was the first game this year he let footwork lead his play. Then low and behold Smush used the momentum from his defense to spark his offensive game. It was one of the more assertive Parker performances in a long while. He was following shots (as was most of the Laker team – something I find myself screaming at the t.v. all the time) His aggressiveness into the paint was putting the Clipper defense on its heels. It was pushing guards into the paint, leaving mid-range jumpers open and taking focus away from baseline cuts and/or the Laker bigs in the low post. Suffice to say (to nobody’s surprise) the point guard’s play led the pace for the whole team. Tonight Smush played more like a point guard than he has in quite a while.

Kwame – A lot of critical emphasis is put upon Kwame’s finishing of shots, as well as it should be. It’s not necessary for Kwame to go on an absolute scoring tear every night, but it is required that Kwame make enough of the easier shots to garner consideration of coverage from the other team. Right now, its getting to where Kwame works himself into great position gets the ball but doesn’t finish. Thus, only one defender typically comes over to get the rebound or put a body on Kwame in the post. He isn’t attracting that one extra man off of a cuter or a potential rebounder that can open up the second chance points much more. He’s being somewhat hesitant in his offensive moves. He should know what he can or cannot do within a half second of getting the ball. It’s not a ton to ask, the guy can do it as he’s shown before.

That being said, there’s a whole lot Kwame is getting right these days. Kwame is learning how to keep in motion off the ball. Whether it’s a lesson he’s learning from watching the other Laker players off the ball move or if he’s finally grasping his own ability, it’s a welcome sight. This better footwork is allowing him to play defense feet first and hands second (something I pointed out last article as an essential part of defense). What I love on defense is the flash he’s pulling off up top. I talked about it a couple games ago too. I like that Kwame is flashing at a guard up top at the beginning of a set to force action a bit. He may not get the steal every time, but what he’s doing every time is making the opposing guards move out of their offensive system. If only for a tiny bit of time, it’s making opponent’s plays run jagged. He’s recovering so well off of that flash and help situations that it’s allowing other Laker defenders to stay at home rather than collapse inside to cover up mistakes, subsequently leaving all jump shots wide open. Yet another good thing Kwame has learned is how not to bite on head fakes before a dribble has been picked up.

These reasons alone are why Kwame is getting the starting nod over Bynum.

Andrew – One on one Andrew was doing a good job defending Kaman and taking right to him on offense. There were too many doubles on Kaman (or anyone Andrew was guarding) tonight. When the double team came Andrew looked to take a step off of his man and almost letting the double team guy take the brunt of the post play. If Andrew wants to defend someone by himself (and sometimes I think he can handle a player without relying on help). To this effect, Andrew needs to be more vocal. This applies to not only on defense but offensively too. He gets a good position a lot of times only to be passed over for a long range shot. If he feels he has position on his man, Andrew should be more insistent. It’s something that comes with age in your game and confidence in that game from others, but right now the onus falls on Andrew to show that he wants the ball and that he has confidence in what he can do.

Lamar – Another night, another smooth game for Odom. If he can cut back on the needless reaching fouls, it would be fantastic. A lot of times he’ll get caught reaching once he’s been beaten or screened out or worse, he’ll reach in on a player when they’re 2 steps in front of him in the lane. Other than that type of foul, Lamar is playing well. In fact, I think he plays so seamlessly into the offense, that a lot of people feel he isn’t doing any work out on the court. This season (tonight again too) he’s taking charge when needed. If Kobe is off the court, he’s playing the leadership role to a T. If Kobe is on the court he’s getting to his spots with great ease and making the most of those situations. People speak of consistency with Lamar (and though he’s getting better he has a couple more steps to go in that department), but when he shows that consistency nobody gives him props. Right now, he’s playing the second fiddle role with perfection.

Radmanovic – How great was it to see Vlad break out of his shell a tiny bit tonight? Above everyone else, this is the guy that can truly take this Laker team from the first to second gear in a hurry. Lately, he’s been playing unexpectedly good help defense, really getting after rebound position and helping well on the perimeter. He’s been taking to the rack for easy attempts to open up his game, but the shot just hasn’t fallen. A lot of it is due to the hand injury, but more is due to him finding the spots he can produce from via motion off the ball. For some players it isn’t the easiest offense to find your role in. I think Vlad may be one of those guys, but it looked as if tonight he was getting to where he needs to be for the Lakers to really tap into the vast potential of their bench.

Kobe – Though subdued, it was another great outing for him. He’s really learning the balance between when he needs to dominate the ball and when he needs to get others involved. The only gripe about Kobe right now is that he seems to be forcing the ball into incredibly difficult situations, when he doesn’t have to. He has to restrain from driving into traffic by passing and cutting or looking to drive and kick. Too many times, he’s getting himself into trouble in the lane only to throw up a circus shot in desperation. Just another thing that isn’t an unsolvable problem, but it does need to be noted and taken care of. Ti freezes the other Lakers too much, putting them into the pass and watch Kobe mode that does great for Kobe’s scoring average, but nothing for the win/loss column.
Three last things – When you have a lead, don’t sit back on it. Keep building that lead without remorse. Continue putting a hand up in shooters’ faces. It may not seem to stop shots but it does affect a shot. When you box out well, don’t forget to grab the rebound. Don’t’ box out and look for another guy to get the board. Second chance points will happen, but don’t let them happen because of careless mistakes.

Well, I tried to keep it concise, but it looks like I’ve gone on and on again.

There’s just a lot of stuff going on with this team right now. This is obviously the biggest growth year we’ve seen from the post 3-peat Lakers and its exciting to watch. There’s still a distinct feeling that this team hasn’t really even tapped into what they can do yet. They still seem to be getting used to each other and what they can all do as a unit. That right there is what leads me to believe that this Lakers squad is capable of going on some big runs.

The trust and confidence in each other is taking big strides right now. I think the fact that Phil had confidence enough to put that Kobe and Lamar-less team on the floor for a run there proves that a bit. (Man was that a great run or what!?)

You have to love watching these guys support each other on the court and on the bench. There are a lot of smiles and a lot of looks that show that these guys truly enjoy playing the game not only individually, but as a team.

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

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