WMC 12/13: Mercy kill. (0-4)

It was huge that we got the win, it seemed that getting to .500 was impossible as every time we got close we lost a few.

TOs

wmc from tonight: turnovers...good lord...take care of the basketball. you're veterans.

devin harris deciding he's an outside shooter annoyed me quite a bit. guy's a terrible shooter; it's the only reason he hasn't been a star.

stealth wmc: i really didn't like the way the team chose to finish the game. i've said it all year: nash can't be a spectator at the end of games. they got lucky that smith basically bobbled a layup, or this was a nasty home loss marked by kobe iso ball that was, despite some amazing highlights, pretty ineffective on the whole. you could just see the air sucked out of nash and howard on offense when they realized they would no longer be involved in the game.

but hey, win's a win, i guess.

Still not playoff basketball...we make it in, one and done if we stick to this script.

A win is a win. GLad we're at .500 now, hope we beat OKC

JGC wrote:
Let's just get to the bottom of this instead of beating around the bush.

Is your assessment of this roster that, if healthy, it would be an elite team in the NBA? And by elite I mean, top 3?

If yes, then I can see why you would blame injuries. You have to understand that I do not share the perspective that this is an elite team that can only be slowed by injuries.

If I understand you correctly, I think you have it backwards. If this team were elite (top 3) when healthy, then I would expect injuries to knock them down to maybe around 5-6. If they are not elite when healthy (top 5-6), I would expect injuries to knock them down to 8 or below. And I think that is what is happening this season.

Injuries do matter. The Lakers are 11-5 since Blake returned, they were 19-25 prior to that. So just adding a real NBA backup PG instead of a couple of guys who probably shouldn't be in the league (Morris and Duhon), is making a big difference. With a health Gasol, I think they would have been 12-4 during that period.

League Pass you basterds!!! hanged with 1 min left

Pretty disgusted we didn't blow them out when we had the chance. A home game at this point in the season can't come down to this. It's like playing with fire, losing games like this can mean the difference between playoffs and no playoffs.

Big lead, lost it, built it back up...that felt so good. Then had to scratch and claw to win by a point. Way too many TOs. Way too many easy buckets allowed. I'm talking about the streaking layups and dunks moreso than the shooting clinic Harris put on in the third. Defensive rotations have to tighten up.

^yeah but Atlanta's a good team. I'm happy we beat them, close or blowout.

They ARE a good team. 33-24 coming into tonight, second in their division, and the 4th seed overall. I get all that. LA got the win, but it was frustrating how it happened.

ATL is good, Horford came in with 9 straight 20 point games, they were winning in Utah and other places on the road. Teague was averaging 16/8 after All star break. We beat a good team, it was ugly but we got the win.

I'm not too mad because developing that 16 point lead proves we're trying to find some kind of strength, also Atlanta is one of those speedy athletic teams we have trouble with and we played them pretty well. However it was typical turnover prone, complacent L.A. that almost lost us that game. I don't know why we still have to talk about turnovers with this team as if they haven't learned anything yet. THEY HAVE TO STOP THESE STUPID TURNOVERS because if we make the playoffs we're gonna get murdered. We're too old in the legs and not being able to secure the ball to prevent turnovers and fast breaks with these quick teams isn't good for us.

To me the only home losses acceptable at this point would be to teams like OKC or the Spurs. We can't lose home games even to just "good" teams. I know we didn't lose but this was as close to a loss as you can get. Very dangerous

A win but that's about all that can be said good about this one.

WMC: Turnovers obviously. I'll agree with abeer3 as well, I don't like Nash being a spectator for much of the last minutes.

Took a Herculean effort out of Kobe to get the win and he wasn't blameless as he had his share of turnovers. The refs did not give us seemingly any And One calls when Kobe especially was getting hacked on a lot of those drives. He was spectacular, and made them, but he also got hit. And that out of bands play where they reversed the call he got hit twice. Absurd.

Dwight looking to blame someone else when Horford schooled him also deserves mention. Doc Brown did in the D12 thread, but it makes my WMC, too.

Oh yeah, I am stoked about the win though!! Back to .500. Good. Winning at home, good.

10 more home games, with Chicago, Memphis, Golden State, San Antonio, and Houston among them. Assuming we win the other 5, winning 3 of these might get us there.

18 of 22 let's get to it boys

Coach Chris wrote:

JGC wrote:
Let's just get to the bottom of this instead of beating around the bush.

Is your assessment of this roster that, if healthy, it would be an elite team in the NBA? And by elite I mean, top 3?

If yes, then I can see why you would blame injuries. You have to understand that I do not share the perspective that this is an elite team that can only be slowed by injuries.

If I understand you correctly, I think you have it backwards. If this team were elite (top 3) when healthy, then I would expect injuries to knock them down to maybe around 5-6. If they are not elite when healthy (top 5-6), I would expect injuries to knock them down to 8 or below. And I think that is what is happening this season.

Injuries do matter. The Lakers are 11-5 since Blake returned, they were 19-25 prior to that. So just adding a real NBA backup PG instead of a couple of guys who probably shouldn't be in the league (Morris and Duhon), is making a big difference. With a health Gasol, I think they would have been 12-4 during that period.

You understand me correctly if you understood that I don't believe this team, as currently constructed and healthy or otherwise, is ELITE. And by elite I mean widely regarded as a top 2 or 3 team in the league if not better.

Agree about the injuries. However, it is my opinion that the injuries are simply exacerbating the real problem which is, that we aren't inherently elite.

Steve Blake has been nice, but let's not go overboard here and suggest he's been the reason. What difference did you see him make in the Portland and Charlotte victories?

Finally back to .500, but we only get to enjoy it for 2 days. Tuesday we go back to 1 game under, we're not beating OKC in their building unless Westbrook and Durant are out sick or injured and Ibaka is suspended.

**sigh** Sure wish we could beat OKC but that's not happening. Durant had 35 against the Clippers he might go for 50 on us. We don't have a answer for Russell btw. Once they go on a run their crowd gets loud and they push the lead even further. Plus they're too quick.

Jazzygirl205 wrote:**sigh** Sure wish we could beat OKC but that's not happening. Durant had 35 against the Clippers he might go for 50 on us. We don't have a answer for Russell btw. Once they go on a run their crowd gets loud and they push the lead even further. Plus they're too quick.

I'll never understand how fans call a loss before a game is played.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Jazzygirl205 wrote:**sigh** Sure wish we could beat OKC but that's not happening. Durant had 35 against the Clippers he might go for 50 on us. We don't have a answer for Russell btw. Once they go on a run their crowd gets loud and they push the lead even further. Plus they're too quick.

I'll never understand how fans call a loss before a game is played.

Because when was the last time we won in OKC? We're not in their league, we could barely beat Atlanta and the clippers destroyed us. We got OKC once this season, at home, and Durant and Westbrook had bad games on the same night, not happening again. If we win, great, of course I hope we do, but I'm not seeing it happening.

Weezy wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Jazzygirl205 wrote:**sigh** Sure wish we could beat OKC but that's not happening. Durant had 35 against the Clippers he might go for 50 on us. We don't have a answer for Russell btw. Once they go on a run their crowd gets loud and they push the lead even further. Plus they're too quick.

I'll never understand how fans call a loss before a game is played.

Because when was the last time we won in OKC? We're not in their league, we could barely beat Atlanta and the clippers destroyed us. We got OKC once this season, at home, and Durant and Westbrook had bad games on the same night, not happening again. If we win, great, of course I hope we do, but I'm not seeing it happening.

That's fair. I mean some fans have called it a season after the first few games. To each his (or her) own I guess. There was a discussion in here (LD) before about not fearing OKC. I'll be the fool and say I think we will win. What I really don't understand though is a great deal of posters call these game "losses" before we play. Then when we lose they are still pissed and cursing the team. If we win, then it is "eh, well we only barely won." I'll don't understand fandom like that and hopefully I never will. If we play our game we can win. If we let them play there's we can lose. I rather stand on the side of "we can do it" than the side of "yup, thats a loss." That's just me.

I'm just trying to be realistic. Most teams I think we can beat right now, but when we go into a game against Miami, OKC, San Antonio, and lately the Clippers and Memphis, I don't expect a win. I fear no teams other than those, not even Denver though they keep beating us, or teams with better records like Chicago, Indiana, New York or Brooklyn. We just do not match up well with there teams, their speed and athleticism is too much for us. We can hang with these teams for most of the game if we play smart and control the tempo, but in the end they pull away because they are just better, that's just how it goes sometimes. I do not expect a win Tuesday, I will be pleasantly surprised if we get one, not disappointed if we don't, because I think it's to much to ask to EXPECT a win in OKC. I'd love to be optimistic like I have been for most of my Lakers watching career, but with this particular Lakers team that's proven to be setting yourself up for disappointment and major letdown. So again, I expect us to beat most teams right now, this is not the team of earlier this season anymore, there are just a handful of teams I don't go in expecting to beat still, and considering we're 30-30 and out of the playoffs I don't think that's overly pessimistic or anything.