Crucifido’s Corner: Lakers vs. Clippers (Game 79 4/10/08)

Crucifido's Corner - ClubLakers.com

The Playoffs Get Another Game Closer

Now that the embarrassment in Portland thankfully flitters into memory, the Lakers got back to the business of taking care of a team they should beat. The Lakers have a good little 4 game home stand going into the first round of the playoffs. That alone should get them getting into the rhythm of their game. The Clippers came into this one hobbled without Maggette and Kaman and the Lakers will take the win into the big match-up with New Orleans tomorrow.

Well it wasn’t so much of a pounce in the beginning but the Lakers got the win and more importantly, got to rest 4 out of 5 starters for a good part of the 4th.

Before everything else (and this is just a note in general), the Lakers have got to know that they have a target on their back. Not only because of the uniform and the history, but because they’re rising into one of the elite teams again. However, it looks like the Lakers are still mentally in the mid-level mindset. In order to grow and become the championship caliber team they can be, they have got to start realizing that they’re a coveted win for every team.

They’ve got to begin playing with a sense of purpose while knowing that every game against them is one of the biggest games of the year for the other team.

Meanwhile, the Lakers started this game not taking care of the ball at all. It was shortsighted passes, run outs without looking the ball into hands and a general look of sloppiness. The good thing was the containment of that sloppy play immediately in the 2nd quarter. But they best be careful coming into games like they did tonight.

Along with the ball handling sloughing off, the defensive rotation to the inside was again absent early on. They allowed the Clippers (without Maggette or Kaman), injured as well, to get 25 points in the 1st. Just another poor 1st quarter letting a team get confidence and rhythm against them. They’ve got to look to keep teams at 20 or under in the 1st every game. To play with the big dogs of the league the Lakers have to get back to those blazing 1st quarters they had during their 10 game win streak. Its not that they can’t do it either, the ability is there, it’s just a matter of the Lakers digging deep as soon as the ball is tipped, not waiting for the deficit to grow before they get motivated.

It may Pau’s feet or ankles, but every shot is coming off a touch short. The lift he gets to hit that baby 6-foot jumper or the tiny hook underneath isn’t getting there. If it is his feet he’s got to look to get deeper position in his initial post-up or on the reset. That deeper position will shorten his shot and give him more room for the kick out pass he does so well.

Defensively when the ball goes Pau has got to look to close space. A lot of times the shot inside was going up and Pau would keep where he was. Once that ball gets into the air Pau has to look to use his length to close out the rebounder on the strong or weak side. That’s a big part of why Lamar’s rebounding has improved so much, on the close-out. Pau has to do the same and keep his feet ready to move in post traffic. With Pau’s height, there were too many second shot grabs by the guys like Mobley. When Gasol did do just that in the second half, rebounds were falling into his hands with little work.

Sasha had some confidence tonight (though that’s nothing unusual). One sequence in the 2nd quarter around the 9 minute mark had him getting the ball up the court, jabbing inside then bringing it out for the 2 shot was good to see. The patience is getting there with him. Defensively he did a good job keeping in front of anyone that got switched his way. His focus was there as soon as he stepped onto the floor tonight.

You can see the difference Luke makes in the game, right? His hustle to his spots (with his now healthier feet) is a big help. He did a real good job getting the ball in, through and out of the high post, making the Clippers move their defense off kilter in rotations. His presence on the court is more than a mere box score; he keeps (and tonight kept) the Lakers in motion. Pass and move sets were on the money for Luke. He was getting the ball in any spot really, got it to the next available pass on swings, and then got to his next spot without hesitation. The four 3-pointers Luke tossed in were a real good sign that Luke’s game / health may be coming back into form.

You have to love seeing Radmanovic get into the groove at this time of year. He has truly gotten the hang of the Laker offense (finally). He was particularly good on the breaks tonight, pulling up on the 3-point line for the pass. If that wasn’t there he did real well moving along the baseline to pop out on the other side of the drive.

He had a great rebound for the pass to Gasol for the jam in the 2nd. That’s the thing about Vladi, he works from offense to defense - when his shot is going, everything else falls into place. Some of that everything was his good physical defensive play. He’s overmatched by guys like Thornton, but he did well in keeping right up against him wherever he went. There weren’t many wide-open runs or shots for Thornton while Vladi had him in his sights.

That was one heck of a block by Kobe in the 2nd. Kobe’s legs were under him tonight, but his energy seemed a little sapped at some points. The vintage hard cut to the hoop wasn’t there and when drives were open he turned them down in favor of range shots. He looked tired in this one, like he just couldn’t get himself going. I don’t think it’s a major worry, just a flat game.

There were just too many dang 3’s and long distance shots from Derek tonight. I know the foot kind of relegates him to that, but he was doing that to himself before the tear too. All I ask is that he takes a couple jabs into the high post every once in a while to push the defense back that little bit.

Lamar had some slick passes through the legs and behind the back, but overall was quiet this game. He played alright while Brand was in, but his aggressive rebounding wasn’t necessarily needed as the Clippers kept maybe one guy under the offensive boards for most of the game. Though it wasn’t needed, Odom did well in keeping active underneath, making his presence more than known as he grabbed his fair share of strong defensive boards.

Defensively the point guards of the Lakers are shading too drastically on the perimeter. Without the Laker big men being as mobile as they should be, the guards are giving up way too much space before penetration. They have to square up just a hair more to give that little bit of recovery time back to themselves and the inside defenders.

If you read any of these rants, you knew I was going to say something about it - the Lakers gave up another buzzer beater. They let Thornton waltz into the lane for a floater (#10 this year) at the end of the 1st half. There’s nothing else to say but the Lakers at some point have to play defense the entire quarter – hopefully. It seems like no big deal when it happens in games like this, but in the longer view, that lazy defense at the end of quarters could play a huge role in the playoffs – huge.

It wasn’t one to file under the year’s most intriguing games, but hey, it was a win. Right now, that’s all that matters. Now the Lakers run head on into this giant game tomorrow (or tonight depending on when/if you read this) looking to hopefully come out stronger at the start and get within a ½ game of the #1 spot.