Kobe is Hungry, is Anyone Else?

Clearly, Kobe has been as focused as ever, especially versus Denver. The problem is, does anyone else on the Lakers want to win as bad?

What was most disappointing about Game 4 was our effort. You don’t get out-rebounded by 18, give up 20 offensive rebounds, only force six turnovers, and send a team to the line 49 times without coming out of it with some major concerns.

The rebounding alone goes to show that they wanted it more. They were the aggressors (free throws back me up), and they went out and took that game from us.

Should we — the fans — be concerned?

Or, was it just a case of one team desperate not to go down three games to one in a series? We saw what happens when Denver’s backs are to the wall, now my biggest concern is not Game 5, rather Game 6 and Game 7 (if there is one). We want to put their backs to the wall again, and winning tomorrow night will do just that. The next time we have a chance to put them away for good, will anyone, other than Kobe, step up to the challenge?

I am not yet ready to say that our guys are not hungry (we didn’t lose last year for nothing, I would hope). If we do not come out hyped in each of the next two games, we will without question see another Game 7.

So what have our guys done in the playoffs so far?

The Good

• Kobe Bryant is averaging 29.8 ppg on 46% shooting.
• Pau Gasol is averaging 18.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, and nearly 2 bpg, on 57% from the field.
• Lamar Odom is averaging 11.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg on 57% shooting.
• Trevor Ariza is averaging 11 ppg, 2.6 apg, and has 27 made 3s and 25 steals in 16 games, while shooting 54% from the field and 50% from 3.
• Our 3-pt shooting has actually been very good: we have four guys shooting above 40% — Odom (11 makes, 45.8%), Ariza (27 makes, 50%), Brown (12 makes, 50%), Farmar (11 makes, 40.7%).

The Bad

• Andrew Bynum is averaging only 6.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg in 17 mpg and has more fouls (49) than field goals (41).
• Derek Fisher is averaging 6.9 ppg on a petrid 34% from the field and 23% from the 3-pt line, even though he is averaging 27 mpg.
• Sasha Vujacic is averaging only 14 mpg and scoring only 3.7 ppg on 27% shooting and 32% from the 3-pt line and has as many turnovers as assists (9).
• Our free throw shooting, outside of Kobe, is simply not good. Farmar (71%), Gasol (68%), Bynum (68%), Walton (67%), Odom (57%), Ariza (56%), Vujacic (1-2 in 218 minutes).

The Point Guards

I know my friends make fun of me for using ESPN’s PER rating because they think it’s a bunch of nerdy stats that says nothing about players. I beg to differ. A perfect example are the three Laker point guards who are mixed in the shuffle this postseason:  Fisher, Farmar, and Brown.

The quick run down on PER: Player Efficiency Rating is a measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15. In layman’s terms, all you have to know is that it factors a bunch of stats and spits out a number, and that 15.0 is the league average. So, if Ariza were to have a PER of 15.1 in the playoffs (which he actually is) then what it is saying is that he is playing like an average player. More examples: Kobe has a PER of 26.9, Gasol has a 21.3 PER, and LeBron’s PER is a blistering 40.9 (I’m sure ESPN’s John Hollinger, creator of PER, would probably tell us that is the best ever).

Fisher is truly struggling and only has a PER of 6.7; Farmar, who isn’t getting much playing time thanks to match ups and lack of confidence (honestly, can anyone else think of a better reason why Phil Jackson wouldn’t play him more?) has a PER of 14.8, and Brown has a solid PER of 13.1.

Also, the player’s assist percentage (estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on the floor) is interesting. Farmar is tops with 24.4% (even higher then Kobe’s 22.1%), Fisher is at 12.6% (even Ariza is at 13.6%), while Brown is only at 8%.

It bothers me that Sasha, who was great for us last year and even closed out games because of his defense and shooting, and Fisher are getting so much playing time when their PER are the two lowest on the team. I understand that Farmar has his problems on defense, but at least he is knocking down shots and creating others for his teammates. I love Fish, and he will continue to get the minutes vs Chauncey Billups, but I would like to see more PT for Farmar come Finals; whether it is against Mo Williams or Rafer Alston.

Kobe Bryant

Finally, no article is complete without a complete breakdown of the games greatest closer.

vs Utah

27.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.2 3pg, 2.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 3.8 tpg, 47% fg, 35% 3-pt, 90% ft, 21 fga, 3.4 3pa, 7.8 fta

vs Houston

24.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.6 3pg, 2.2 spg, 1.8 bpg, 1.4 tpg, 42% fg, 36% 3-pt, 87% ft, 21 fga, 4.4 3pa, 6.0 fta

vs Denver

36.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.0 3pg, 1.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 1.3 tpg, 46% fg, 36% 3-pt, 92% ft, 25 fga, 5.5 3pa, 13.3 fta

Wins

31.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.7 3pg, 1.9 spg, 0.9 bpg, 2.6 tpg, 50% fg, 46% 3-pt, 89% ft, 22 fga, 3.7 3pa, 8.8 fta

Losses

27.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.3 3pg, 1.8 spg, 0.7 bpg, 1.5 tpg, 39% fg, 24% 3-pt, 89% ft, 24 fga, 5.7 3pa, 7.7 fta

Home

29.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.4 3pg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg, 2.9 tpg, 49% fg, 37% 3-pt, 88% ft, 21 fga, 3.9 3pa, 8.1 fta

Away

30.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.7 3pg, 2.0 spg, 0.9 bpg, 1.3 tpg, 42% fg, 33% 3-pt, 87% ft, 24 fga, 5.1 3pa, 8.7 fta