Our 3-pt percentage

I don't mind us shooting a high number of 3s if that's what the defense is giving us. This is the kind of team where we'll blow out teams, and we'll also get blown out from time to time when the shots don't fall.

Roos does have a good point about FTs--we'll see more games like the Indiana game in the playoffs (yes, ref jobbing and all), so we just gotta hope to make them when they count and not be so lackadaisical. Maybe put in Hill and Jamison every time Howard hits the FT line.

Ref jobbing? We're #1 in the league at getting to the line aren't we?

dj vitus wrote:I don't mind us shooting a high number of 3s if that's what the defense is giving us. This is the kind of team where we'll blow out teams, and we'll also get blown out from time to time when the shots don't fall.

Roos does have a good point about FTs--we'll see more games like the Indiana game in the playoffs (yes, ref jobbing and all), so we just gotta hope to make them when they count and not be so lackadaisical. Maybe put in Hill and Jamison every time Howard hits the FT line.

We need to fix our turnovers as well.... we are near the worst in the league. Conventional wisdom says that getting our point guards back should help that but that position hasn't been turning it over at a high rate.

Missed free throws are essentially a turnover or lost possession so to exacerbate those things that don't seem to be changing with lower percentage shots will make for "all or nothing" games.... as you said... blow outs each way.

A positive in our favor is the core of this team has played in knock down drag out playoff games and knows a little about performing in that environment.

JGC wrote:Ref jobbing? We're #1 in the league at getting to the line aren't we?

Yeah, well people foul us on purpose because they can't stop Kobe and Dwight, plus Dwight misses free throws. Doesn't have much to do with getting jobbed.

I was specifically referring to Joey Crawford's horrendous blocking call. Stuff like that will continue to happen, especially in the playoffs, so we have to overcome them by making our FTs, or just playing that much better than our opponents.

dj vitus wrote:

JGC wrote:Ref jobbing? We're #1 in the league at getting to the line aren't we?

Yeah, well people foul us on purpose because they can't stop Kobe and Dwight, plus Dwight misses free throws. Doesn't have much to do with getting jobbed.

I was specifically referring to Joey Crawford's horrendous blocking call. Stuff like that will continue to happen, especially in the playoffs, so we have to overcome them by making our FTs, or just playing that much better than our opponents.

Crawford's call was horrendous. Do you watch other non-Laker games though? Terrible calls happen in every single game. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever watched any NBA game in my life, where a poor call wasn't made. In every game, there is a charge that should have been called a block, a foul called when the wasn't one. So EVERY team has to overcome poor officiating, really.

JGC wrote:

dj vitus wrote:

JGC wrote:Ref jobbing? We're #1 in the league at getting to the line aren't we?

Yeah, well people foul us on purpose because they can't stop Kobe and Dwight, plus Dwight misses free throws. Doesn't have much to do with getting jobbed.

I was specifically referring to Joey Crawford's horrendous blocking call. Stuff like that will continue to happen, especially in the playoffs, so we have to overcome them by making our FTs, or just playing that much better than our opponents.

Crawford's call was horrendous. Do you watch other non-Laker games though? Terrible calls happen in every single game. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever watched any NBA game in my life, where a poor call wasn't made. In every game, there is a charge that should have been called a block, a foul called when the wasn't one. So EVERY team has to overcome poor officiating, really.

Yeah, you are definitely right. Though sometimes it seems like the Lakers get the short end of the stick more often than not. Or maybe I'm just a homer.

^^anyone with over 1000 posts here is the very definition of homer....

dj vitus wrote:

JGC wrote:

dj vitus wrote:

JGC wrote:Ref jobbing? We're #1 in the league at getting to the line aren't we?

Yeah, well people foul us on purpose because they can't stop Kobe and Dwight, plus Dwight misses free throws. Doesn't have much to do with getting jobbed.

I was specifically referring to Joey Crawford's horrendous blocking call. Stuff like that will continue to happen, especially in the playoffs, so we have to overcome them by making our FTs, or just playing that much better than our opponents.

Crawford's call was horrendous. Do you watch other non-Laker games though? Terrible calls happen in every single game. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever watched any NBA game in my life, where a poor call wasn't made. In every game, there is a charge that should have been called a block, a foul called when the wasn't one. So EVERY team has to overcome poor officiating, really.

Yeah, you are definitely right. Though sometimes it seems like the Lakers get the short end of the stick more often than not. Or maybe I'm just a homer.

Well, I'd say that when you're a fan, the bad calls just seem really bad when they're made against your team. No one ever seems to gripe as much when the bad call goes in our favor.

But Crawford is notorious for getting too emotionally involved. And not just against the Lakers Ever see what he did to Duncan?

3pt % won't be a big concern during the playoffs ... the two biggest concerns we will have down the stretch are Nash matador D and Dwight building commercial centers at the line ...

wcsoldier81 wrote:3pt % won't be a big concern during the playoffs ... the two biggest concerns we will have down the stretch are Nash matador D and Dwight building commercial centers at the line ...

I definitely agree about Dwight. I do think Nash's defense is a little bit overexaggerated. Not saying he's an adequate defender by any stretch but, I actually think that Nash is a pretty good help defender. His man defense though leaves much to be desired.

Even still, playing defense is a team concept IMO. No one person can shut down an offensive juggernaut. No one is staying in front of Russell Westbrook. Good defensive teams have poor defenders in their lineups and can still play good defense. If we're relying on individual defense to slow opponents down, then, we're in trouble anyway.

Unfortunately, there is no way around D12's FT woes.

wcsoldier81 wrote:3pt % won't be a big concern during the playoffs ... the two biggest concerns we will have down the stretch are Nash matador D and Dwight building commercial centers at the line ...

If we could win titles with Derek Fisher I'm pretty Nash's defense won't be an issue, especially when you consider Dwight regaining his DOPY form. As for Dwight's FT I don't see him improving much in that area and it's going to become a similar situation like when we had Shaq. Like Phil said in his books, every free throw Shaq made was considered to be an "extra" point.

The only way for Dwight to improve his FT shooting is to shoot underhanded. Better arc, better spin and control. Once you get it, it's difficult to miss your FTs.

karacha wrote:The only way for Dwight to improve his FT shooting is to shoot underhanded. Better arc, better spin and control. Once you get it, it's difficult to miss your FTs.

Or he could just dunk them.

I suggested that too, but... he's not listening to me.

Damnit Dwight!

XXIV wrote:

wcsoldier81 wrote:3pt % won't be a big concern during the playoffs ... the two biggest concerns we will have down the stretch are Nash matador D and Dwight building commercial centers at the line ...

If we could win titles with Derek Fisher I'm pretty Nash's defense won't be an issue, especially when you consider Dwight regaining his DOPY form. As for Dwight's FT I don't see him improving much in that area and it's going to become a similar situation like when we had Shaq. Like Phil said in his books, every free throw Shaq made was considered to be an "extra" point.

Free throws are an extra point, but Dwight needs to be hitting at a rate that he did before he hired that dumb shooting coach last season. He needs to go back to the high 50s. Sub 50% is unacceptable, and it's only going to hurt us in the long run.

7th now