Sun 4/18 - Lakers vs Thunder - Game 1 - Predictions/Comments

^Once OKC started fronting him, we stopped entering the ball into the post. We need to correct this.

This was not a pretty game, but here's what I think --

this is how you play in the playoffs. It's slower, it's a grind. You play good defense, which will result in a W. Which is exactly how we played... tough, physical D, and it's obvious we're much better. I like that. If we're ready defensively, we should make the Finals.

gonitype123 wrote:

TT24 wrote:

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:This is going to be an ugly series with bad shooting percentages. All I know is we're not going to win many games against teams with better offense with the way we're playing. Our supposed "best" player hasn't shot above 40% in 4 games. Doesn't bode well for us at all.

Yeah. I bet he's doing it intentionally too.

yup damn that kobe

Kobe shooting below 40 percent is clearly on him. He should have gotten the surgery back in December and this wouldn't be a problem now. Everyone told him to get it done and it was his decision not to do it. Now that decision is killing us.

revgen wrote:^Once OKC started fronting him, we stopped entering the ball into the post. We need to correct this.

Yep. Make the adjustment, Phil.

lakers_09tv wrote:Kobe shooting below 40 percent is clearly on him. He should have gotten the surgery back in December and this wouldn't be a problem now. Everyone told him to get it done and it was his decision not to do it. Now that decision is killing us.

So what's the point in worrying about it now? What's done is done.

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:Who cares? If Kobe isn't good enough to get the job done anymore then that's all there is to it. I don't care if it's because of injuries or because of age. We were able to survive this game because of our defense but there's no way Durant has back to back 7-24 games. With Kobe? Oh there's a very good chance he'll go 6-19 in the next game.

Kobe's still the best player we have. He'll know what to do, and so will the rest of the team.

Always have the combo of Kobe/Ron on Durant/Westbrook

karacha wrote:This was not a pretty game, but here's what I think --

this is how you play in the playoffs. It's slower, it's a grind. You play good defense, which will result in a W. Which is exactly how we played... tough, physical D, and it's obvious we're much better. I like that. If we're ready defensively, we should make the Finals.

Spot on, karacha. Defense wins championships.

Murdock wrote:kobe is horrible seriously

You're a garbage fan...seriously.

revgen wrote:^Once OKC started fronting him, we stopped entering the ball into the post. We need to correct this.

Yup. It's a simple adjustment, but guys on the perimter are such poor post entry passers, they don't want to risk the lob pass.

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:

TT24 wrote:

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:This is going to be an ugly series with bad shooting percentages. All I know is we're not going to win many games against teams with better offense with the way we're playing. Our supposed "best" player hasn't shot above 40% in 4 games. Doesn't bode well for us at all.

Yeah. I bet he's doing it intentionally too.

Who cares? If Kobe isn't good enough to get the job done anymore then that's all there is to it. I don't care if it's because of injuries or because of age. We were able to survive this game because of our defense but there's no way Durant has back to back 7-24 games. With Kobe? Oh there's a very good chance he'll go 6-19 in the next game.

And if we win, then I don't care. Kobe wasn't the only one who shot bad. If we stop relying on a beat up player so much, maybe he doesn't have to take 21 shots, or feel like he has to do everything. The team as a whole needs to step up, not just one player. We've seen in the past where players had to score, score, score, and where has that got them? LeBron, lost in ECF; Wade, all the time; Kobe, in the past and even now sometimes. It may be just me, but I thought Kobe played well all around, but just didn't shoot well. I don't care if he doesn't shoot well, I just want a win.

Wow. I'm surprised my prediction was so close.I predicted a win by seven and LA won by eight. Anyway i thought the Lakers played a excellent game defensively but struggled in the second half offensively. Kobe just can't find a rhythm out there.Good to see Drew effective again.

Hey guys, I wasn't able to catch the game.
but good thing we won.

mamatheregoesthatman wrote:

revgen wrote:^Once OKC started fronting him, we stopped entering the ball into the post. We need to correct this.

Yep. Make the adjustment, Phil.

What you are saying isn't true because there was no surgery involved. You are babbling without knowing a fact. He was told to sit out for 6-8 weeks but chose not to because Vitti admittedly said it shouldn't get any worse and be manageable pain. The staff didn't foresee his knuckles swelling up as well like they have done.
----
Anyway, what I noticed was that OKC changed how they played the game and we went away from our most effective option, which was Kobe in the post.

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8480/fiveinthebox.png

That is 5 Thunder players with a foot in the lane and that is how the second half went. They dared not only the 3pt shot but the long 2 ball as well.

Also, the team didn't get a 10+ point lead by simply pounding it in the paint with Pau and Drew both on the floor:

The lead was 4 points when Bynum went out in the first quarter, and then here is what happened to get the "big lead"...
Gasol Dunk : Made (4 PTS) Assist: Odom (1 AST)
Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Fisher 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Bryant (1 AST)
Artest 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Gasol (2 AST)
Bryant Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
27-13 to end the 1st quarter...

2nd quarter:
Brown Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Artest (1 AST)
Bryant Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)
Gasol Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)
Gasol Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)
Bryant 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Bynum Slam Dunk : Made (6 PTS) Assist: Gasol (3 AST)

The most we can site about our post play is the spurt that broke the game a part was Kobe posting up and making the plays without Drew and Pau on the floor at the same time, not that Pau and Drew together killed OKC on the offensive end as much as they did on the defensive end.

kray28 wrote:

Murdock wrote:kobe is horrible seriously

You're a garbage fan...seriously.

i am one of the biggiest fan but i can say when he plays bad, does bad judgements and such things ... it's call objectivity which you lack as i've seen many times

mamatheregoesthatman wrote:

lakers_09tv wrote:Kobe shooting below 40 percent is clearly on him. He should have gotten the surgery back in December and this wouldn't be a problem now. Everyone told him to get it done and it was his decision not to do it. Now that decision is killing us.

So what's the point in worrying about it now? What's done is done.

adjust the game .. be more of faciliator, not trying to shoot from bad angles .. fadeaway etc. ... shoot from what Defense gives and not from what you want becuase he can't do it as of now ... wait for what Offense produces .... if nothing, make the offense but not through shooting fadeaways which aren't falling for 4 games in a row now which is just like turnover ... faciliate...

I love the Kobe version when we played the Suns in 06 where Phil made them watch "The Inside Man." He was awesome the first four games in that series. Kobe made Kwame look like a monster until of course the rape accusation destroyed Brown and turned him back into a little kitty.

We need that Kobe back he has tremendous big men now unlike before. We would destroy teams if Kobe plays the right way.

can't wait for game 2!!!

KareemTheGreat33 wrote:I love the Kobe version when we played the Suns in 06 where Phil made them watch "The Inside Man." He was awesome the first four games in that series. Kobe made Kwame look like a monster until of course the rape accusation destroyed Brown and turned him back into a little kitty.

We need that Kobe back he has tremendous big men now unlike before. We would destroy teams if Kobe plays the right way.

exactly ...

RenePerezz wrote:can't wait for game 2!!!

Post in the Gameday thread about Game 2 then. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist.)