Game 2, Lakers Still Searching for that Complete Game: Quarter by Quarter Breakdown

Posted: April 23rd, 2009 | Author: Jeff Miller | Filed under: 2009 Playoffs, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Sasha Vujacic, Shannon Brown, Team, Trevor Ariza | 1 Comment »

 

A quick note on Game 1:  Our big three stepped up when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

• Kobe Bryant — 7 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 tos, on 3-5 from the field
• Pau Gasol — 8 pts, 2 reb, 1 blk, on 2-4 shooting, and he drew three fouls on the Jazz
• Lamar Odom — 4 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk on 2-3 shooting

*They combined for 19 of the 27 points to go along with eight rebounds on 58% from the field.

The Lakers have now beat the Utah Jazz 11 straight times in STAPLES Center. Utah is 28-82 all-time on the road in the playoffs. They were 15-26 on the road during the regular season; 2-19 vs teams with an above .500 record.

Does any of that matter? Some say you throw all those things out because the playoffs are a different animal. I think think it matters to a certain extent. Winning on the road in the playoffs is a combination of talent, first and foremost, perseverance, and mental fortitude. I think without Mehmet Okur — one of their top three players — it had to play into their minds a little, whether they could steal one in LA.

On to the analysis.

First Quarter

The first quarter was all about the Utah Jazz’s inability to take anything away from us on the offensive end. When they doubled Kobe, he found guys for wide open threes (we hit 4-5 in the quarter). This opened things up inside where we scored 12 of our 18 baskets in the paint.

Our dominance in the paint was obvious, scoring at will and controlling the boards (the Jazz had only two offensive rebounds in the quarter). This helped the Lakers get off to another great start. It was as if we were running a lay up line, first with Andrew Bynum, then Trevor Ariza, then Pau Gasol. Everyone got the ball inside. The Jazz were defenseless.

We hit 15 of our first 17 shots, including 12 straight (10 of those baskets in the paint). We were second in the league in points in the paint (46.3) during the regular season, so it should come as no surprise. Our bigs should continue to have their way inside vs Jarron Collins, Carlos Boozer, and Paul Millsap.

Our 18 of 21 shooting overall was the best opening quarter since the league started keeping track back in 1998.

I know I am not the only one who is loving the new and improved Ariza. His confidence is threw the roof. He started right where he left off. A couple of aggressive moves attacking the basket and he knocked down his open threes. He keeps this up throughout the playoffs and no one will be able to contain us. He is bringing another dimension.

It was also good to see an aggressive Derek Fisher, even if he missed his first baby jumper. We need him and he needs to look for his shot. It was a welcome sight to see him hit both of his threes to start the game off right.

Speaking of welcome sights, Bynum had a nice block of Deron Williams shot attempt. You can see that he has moments, but cannot yet sustain anything. He was very aggressive underneath because I think he realized he can score at will over Collins and really anyone they have. It will come.

We saw Kobe’s defensive strategy vs Ronnie Brewer. Sag off and clog up that lane so Deron has no where to go. Brewer did a good job of knocking down a couple open shots to start. We have yet to find a guard that can stay in front of Deron, and if Brewer is knocking down jumpers, Kobe cannot help as much. I see Brewer shooting well in Utah.

Interestingly enough, while Shannon Brown’s minutes have increased because of his perceived abilities on the defensive end, it is his offense that has been a welcome sight so far. I saw back to back plays where Williams blew by Brown and got Boozer and Brewer easy buckets.

He also found his stroke early, hitting three from behind the arc. He also finished the quarter with six assists, showing he can be a force.

This had the same feeling as the first game, which actually worried me. I remember thinking to myself, why can I not be satisfied with an 11 point lead only 10 minutes into the game? I feel like I demand way too much from our guys. This Jazz team is struggling, but they are not void of talent, so give them some credit from not letting this thing get completely out of control.

After watching this quarter, it is clear that if we continue with our effort and activity on defense, keep moving the ball, and score from all over the court, there is nothing this Jazz team can do to stop us.

Lakers 41, Jazz 29 — Lakers offense could not look better. 

Second Quarter

This quarter was about sustaining the energy. Sometimes when you get off to such a quick start, as we did, you tend to relax.

The second unit of Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, Odom, and Bynum knows that they needed to play hard and not give up the lead.

In order for this unit to have success, our guards need to apply high pressure, and get out and run whenever possible. When things slow up, run everything through the big fella.

They tried this, however Bynum still looked rusty. He fumbled the ball a couple of times and had his shot blocked twice. You would assume with Millsap on him (the guy is closer to 6′6 than his listed 6′8) that the Lakers second unit should be able to take advantage of the match up, but Bynum just didn’t have it.

The bench still managed to hold onto the lead, only shrinking from 12 to eight, thanks to Luke’s two dimes and Lamar’s two hoops. LO’s nice start was good to see – he hit his first five shots for 12 points in about nine minutes of play. There is no way to defend us when Lamar is as aggressive as he was.

A perfect example of the little things Luke does that go unnoticed was when Luke deflected the ball that ricocheted out of bounds off of Deron.

With Farmar’s minutes shrinking (only four minutes in each of the first two games), it makes me think he is not 100%. I know he has struggled the second half of the season, but not to the extent he losses all of his playing time to Shannon, who played in the back court with Kobe again in the second quarter. Then again, maybe it is less what Farmar is doing, and more of how Brown continues to amaze with his outside shooting.

Trevor’s outside shot looks amazing, but he showed he is more than just a spot up three point shooter. He threw in a couple of jab steps to back up his defender and then drained a three. Our boy has come a long way.

Focus for 48 minutes is something every team talks about, but for good reason. The Jazz got sloppy during a four minute stretch where they turned it over five times. 

The Lakers were not any better. As soon as Ariza hit a three to go up 20, we allowed the Jazz to go on a 9-0 run — with Deron’s hands all over that run — in the final 90 seconds of the half. Deron is clearly Utah’s sole game changer scoring seven of the last nine points for them. He also hit four threes in the first half alone.

(Sometimes I question the fans at the game. Last night, they booed not because we lost the game, but because we gave up one too many baskets that cost them free tacos. In the second quarter in Game 2, Fisher saved the ball and went flying into the stands. The only problem was, he threw it to the wrong end and Utah got a lay up. To my surprise, the fans cheered when Fish got up. It was a bad pass and horrible decision. Don’t cheer!)

While the defense and focus is still a work in progress (the Jazz did shoot 60% from the field), the offense if flowing. We had four guys in double figures to compliment Kobe’s nice stat line — 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Kobe’s ability to drive and kick will be the key in the second half. Continue to apply pressure. This series is about who can put more pressure on the opponents’ defense. We know Deron will keep probing, keep pushing. Kobe needs to do the same, especially with Ariza, Brown, and Fisher hitting outside shots, and with bigs Lamar, Pau, and Drew getting easy hoops inside off of penetration. We are a scary team when we want to be.

Third Quarter

It is hard to say if it is poor defense, or poor effort by the Jazz, but after six quarters, it does not look like they can stop us. Kenny Smith kept emphasizing at the half that the Jazz made no adjustments.

Our shooting was outstanding in the first half (63% from the field and 7-11 from three). Two other major factors:  Points in the paint (34-18 edge) and points off of turnovers (20-11).

With the Jazz finishing the quarter so well, you know Phil stressed the importance of the first five minutes more than ever.

So, how did we come out:  The Lakers first four possessions of the second half consisted of two missed jumpers and a pair of turnovers. On the other end, we let Korver beat us with two jumpers to extend their run to 14 straight.

I wrote about this before, but the Lakers are reverting back to their old self, giving up big run after big run. In the third quarter of Game 1 — where the Jazz outscored us 33-24 — we gave up a 9-0 run and a 9-2 run.

Fisher is the consament pro. He does not allow mistakes to get to him. He passed on a three and turned it over on one play, then got another look at a three and knew he could not pass that up — drained it.

Kobe came out of the gates a lot more aggressive and looking for his own jumper. I thought he needed to use that aggression to take it inside.

The Jazz tried to mix it up, bringing the double team on our bigs from all over the court, however, it did no good. After the Jazz cut it to seven, Gasol took over and scored the next nine points for the Lakers.

They say that the refs do not have that much control of the game. I disagree. There was a point where Kobe finally took it inside, got hit by Deron, but there was no call. The Jazz went back down, got it to Korver for an open three. The game was down to six points, instead of 11.

At this point, maybe half way through the quarter, I remember thinking to myself, having lost seven of 10 in Utah, I am a little worried about the way this quarter is going. I saw no passion from us. We were just going through the motions, similar to Game 1. Only this time, we had a six point lead instead of a double digit lead.

Kobe continued to stick with jump shots, which resulted in him going three for eight in the quarter.

However, he finally forced the issue and drew the foul on a strong drive inside. Then, Kobe being a fan of drama, nearly lost the ball, went back in, did a series of fakes and pivots. At this point, he knows he should pass it, but turns and hits the shot anyway with Brewer all over him, giving us some momentum.

It was the Kobe Bryant and Shannon Brown show in the final three minutes with Kobe scoring six points and an assist, and Brown adding an assist to Kobe and yet another three.

Brown seems to be turning into the right-spot-at-the-right-time kind of guy, picking up a loose ball and draining a three at the end that put the Lakers up 11 going into the fourth.

Lakers 89, Jazz 78 — Lakers finished the quarter off nicely. We tied the third 23-23, a big contrast to Game 1, where the Lakers lost the quarter 33-24.

Fourth Quarter

Unexpected stat of the day:  Trevor Ariza had eight assists through three quarters, showing again how good our ball movement was.

Wondering how much that game meant to Phil? He had Kobe in to start the fourth.

Kobe and Shannon scored 20 of 23 points for the Lakers starting with Kobe’s 16 footer at the 2:26 mark in the third and ending on Brown’s lay up with 7:39 left in the game. 12 points in only 14 minutes for Brown; talk about an unexpected X-factor.

I hate to say it but with Deron’s jumper looking so good, time to force him to drive where we can give some help…and just as I say that, he gets inside and a lay up for Millsap. Brown is far from a lockdown defender.

9:33 — Lakers send Kobe to the bench and bring in Luke who, in a little over four minutes, contributes with two points, three rebounds, and three assists.

Offensive rebounds were less of a deal in this game, however, the Lakers had four and the Jazz had six in the fourth quarter alone.

Just when you get ready to praise LO’s play, he makes a lazy pass and then fouls, sending Millsap to the line.

Midway through the fourth, the Lakers were still dominating the points in the paint, 44-28.

While the next few plays were not textbook from an offensive standpoint (turnovers and missed free throws), we made some defensive plays, and forced the Jazz into some bad decisions.

The key moment in the series was when Boozer laid it in capping a 9-2 run that cut the lead to three.

Lakers 109, Jazz 106.

At that point, it is a matter of who can execute and who has the resolve.

The turning point for the Jazz came on a sequence where Ariza stole the ball and ran a beautiful two-man fastbreak with Odom on the finishing end.

The next two minutes was not pretty for either team:

• Five turnovers — two by LA, three by Utah
• Three offensive rebounds by the Jazz, but it resulted in zero second chance points
• Two key missed jumpers — the first by Korver, but it was well contested; the second by Brewer who bricked an open baseline jumper
• Boozer got caught with a hand in Pau’s back on an offensive rebound, sending him to the line — but he missed both (Lakers 5-10 from the foul line in the quarter at that point)
• Gasol came up with two huge blocks, the second of which lead to a shot clock violation

In the end, the Lakers had too much. The games best closer sealed the deal — a 21 foot dagger by Kobe Bryant. Then, Kobe found Ariza who hit another big three to put the Lake Show up eight with 33 seconds to go.

Lakers 119, Jazz 109 — Lakers showed some resolve, now go to Utah up two games to none.

My Purple and Gold Nuggets

Anyone else notice Derek Fisher has been struggling with his shot as of late.

While his strongest month was December when he scored 12.5 ppg on nearly 50% shooting from the field. It dropped to 9.2 ppg and 46% from the field in March and 5 ppg in April, hitting only 16-52 shots (good for 31%). His minutes were down considerably, most likely resting him for the playoffs and getting Shannon Brown minutes to see if he could bring anything to the playoffs. He also hit only four of his last 27 three point attempts to end the year.

However, something underestimated by the vet is his insanely high assist to turnover ratio of 3.63 (good for fourth in the league behind only Jose Calderon, Jason Kidd, and Chris Paul). Or how about the fact he hit 120 threes on a shade under 40%, while only turning it over 72 times in 82 games. Just goes to show, he knows the system and is a spot on three point shooter, if he can shoot himself out of his slump.

For the record, he went 3-6 from the three point line tonight.

Ariza’s nice play in the first two games — including 13 points and a career high nine assists in Game 2 — is a good indicator of what makes Kobe Bryant so special; why he is so important to the success of this team and why he is this year’s MVP, in my estimation.

Think back to the fourth quarter. Korver was so worried about Kobe breaking down Utah’s best defender, Brewer, on a pick and roll situation, that he planted himself in the center of the court and force him to pass to a wide open Ariza. Thankfully he was ready for it and hit a clutch shot to seal the game (I did not know he had it in him).

Every team has to game plan so much for Kobe that they allow other quality players to get great looks. Utah is finding out that yes, Kobe has the best supporting cast of the other candidates (LeBron James and Dwyane Wade), however, it starts and ends with Kobe. He sets guys up to in the beginning, and knocks opponents out in the end. Give him credit for his growth and maturity. A few years ago, he would never have had enough trust to be able to make a pass like that to a guy like Ariza.

Maybe a bigger worry for the Jazz:  Can Deron play any better? He had 35 pts, 9 ast, 4 reb, 4 stl, 2 blk, and 6 threes in Game 2. Think about it, he was clearly the best player on the floor, and they got a 20/10 game from Boozer, but they still lost by 10.

The most important +/- stats for Game 2:  Bynum -3, Odom +6; Farmar -5, Brown +9. Hopefully, come Finals, Bynum and Farmar will be ready to contribute, especially Drew.

The Lakers outside shooting was white hot, going 11-20 from three (Ariza and Brown combining to go 5-6). I am telling you, if these guys keep this up, it’s over.

21 turnovers were far too many for the Lakers (after getting 17 in the first game). Even with the Jazz getting five more steals (13 overall) and one fewer turnover, the Lakers had 15 more points off of turnovers (34-19).

There was a much better effort on the defensive boards:  The Jazz had a 20-7 offensive rebound advantage in Game 1; only 9-7 in Game 2.

I thought there were two statements made at the end of the game:  One by Lamar Odom’s hard foul on Brewer (not dirty, just a nice, hard playoff foul), the other by the fans who chanted “Utah sucks” (classy I know). This was worlds better than the Game 1 chant of “we want tacos.” I think the fans realize it is time to focus on the game, not our stomachs.

I agree with Charles Barkley’s post game comments that the Lakers still are not playing with any urgency. In this game, we dominated the first quarter, and played even the rest of the way.

Things came way too easy for us in STAPLES Center, even if we had to fight to sustain our lead late in Game 2. 

I fully expect the Jazz to be the ones to deliver the “knockout punch” early in Utah. The question then becomes, how do the Lakers respond and will they dig themselves too big a hole to climb out of, similar to Utah in this game.

When you are already uber-confident, as the Lakers should be, it is tough to play with the urgency needed to win both games in Utah. You are already up 2-0 and you know you have Game 5 in LA.

However, just like we closed this team out in Game 6 last year, I believe we can make a similar statement tonight.

I want the Lakers to use Game 3 to make a statement. They need to come out focused and aggressive from the get go and dominate in Utah. This could be Kobe’s statement game in which he puts up 20 in the opening quarter, just to let the Jazz know there is no hope.

Stu Lantz talked about it toward the end of the season where we began a trend of losing big leads (the link to my article is above). This is a result of us lacking that killer instinct, which is ironic because that is exactly what separates Kobe from every other player in his generation. He is an assassin. I just wished it would rub off on the other guys.

Still, this team is ready. This team is poised. This team is hungry.

Game 3, in Utah, tonight on TNT at 10:30 pm EST.

Be ready, because I believe our boys will be.

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