What Laker Should Get More PT?

Per 36 Minutes

*The idea is you take a players’ stats and average it out over 36 minutes to get an idea of what their production might be if you gave them starters minutes.

I think the rotation will go as follows:  Andrew Bynum should start again this year while Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar will go back and forth over who gets the bulk of the backup point guard minutes. I also see Brown severely limiting Sasha Vujacic’s playing time and Luke Walton should get the reserve small forward duties. That leaves Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga as more of an insurance policy in case one of our bigs go down. Meanwhile, Adam Morrison, the former #3 overall pick a few years ago, is the wild card. We still need to surround Kobe Bryant with shooters, so let’s see if Sasha and Adam pick up the slack. The Lake Show is looking at a strong nine man rotation for the 2009-2010 season.

This could be the return of the bench mob!

Andrew Bynum

17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.2 bpg

If Drew was able to stay out of foul trouble, you can see how effective he can be. Even though he is maybe the third or fourth option on offense, he still puts up what amounts to 18 points per night. His 10 boards and two blocks are really what you want to see him focus on next year. The offense will come through put backs and ally oops, but it’s nice to know he does have a number of good post moves in his arsenal. He will still be part of the big three (big men) and I’m sure they will all take turns on offense. I see him getting back to his pre-injury self next year and let’s pray he has a full, healthy season.

Unless he really advances, Lamar Odom still needs time, so I don’t see more than 30-32 minutes.

Jordan Farmar

12.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.5 3pg

This will be the most interesting battle in training camp. The more I look at it, the less I think that either Brown or Farmar will take Fisher’s spot in the starting lineup, even though I predicted Farmar would even before last season. But, who will be his main backup? I think Jordan is certainly the more traditional point guard, who wants to penetrate and create opportunities for others, but he just needs to build up more consistency.

This could be the year he takes over backup duties and plays 20-25 minutes a night.

Shannon Brown

15.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 3pg (in 18 gms w/Lakers)

To me, he stands as the one guy who should without question get more playing time next year, depending on his improvement in the off-season. The triangle offense takes years to learn, but he still managed playing time to end the season last year without much knowledge of the offense, so you can see what might happen if he actually picks it up in training camp. I think the three-headed monster that is our point guard situation might not be ideal to the three players involved (including Derek Fisher and Farmar), but if they accept it, they can focus on going all out while they are in and really cause problems for opponents. Who knows, maybe each guy will pick up full court all game long.

At the very least he will split time backing up the point and Kobe Bryant, possibly playing 12-15 minutes per game.

Luke Walton

10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1 spg

You either love him or you hate him. The classic “system” player. Well guess what, the $4.8m man is in the perfect system. The triangle calls for bright players who can pass, shoot, and play multiple positions. Say what you will about Luke (like whether he deserved a 6 year, $30m contract two season ago), but the guy can play, and fits in well when surrounded by talent. Anyone that doubts his production — and I think he has more value outside of his stats — realize his 10/5/5 in 36 minutes puts him up there with any other seventh or eighth man in any one’s rotation…and he might be our 10th guy.

20 minutes per game is more than enough.

Sasha Vujacic

12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.1 spg, 2.3 3pg

Me being a shooter, I can attest to how tough it is to get any kind of rhythm when you are playing limited minutes a night and Sasha only got 16 mpg last year. It is difficult to tell where The Machine goes from here. Do we chalk last season up to an off year (39% from the field, 36% from three), or did he play exceptionally well at the right time (45% from the field, 44% from three the year before, his contract year; he also hit 31 threes in 21 playoff games that year)? I think Brown might get more minutes backing up Kobe, just to make room for him, which will only put more pressure on the foreign gunner to produce in limited minutes.

8-12 minutes until he proves he just had an off year.

Josh Powell

12.8 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 bpg

It’s funny how everyone passes over a guy like Powell, but goes crazy over a guy like Brandon Bass. Powell’s numbers are very comparable to Bass’ per 36 minutes (15.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.3 bpg) only Powell will cost the Lakers a little under a million dollars next season, while some team will be willing to dump the full mid-level on Bass in the range of $5.8m. Powell can rebound, play serviceable defense and has a killer pick and pop game out to 20 feet.

15 minutes is his limit.

Didier Mbenga

12.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2 spg, 4.8 bpg

You can see right away that Mbenga stands out for his defense. He is not in for very long stretches, so maybe that is why he goes all out and gets steals and blocks. If he got more time, it is safe to say he would not be able to sustain the pace he plays at, plus, he gets a lot of fouls, so I doubt he would ever be able to average five blocks per game. However, in short spans, he is a great back up.

He can give you a solid 5-10 minutes per game.

Adam Morrison

8.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg (in only 8 gms w/Lakers)

You know there is not enough minutes to go around and Mr. Gonzaga might be the odd man out. Unless his outside shooting really improves, he picks up the triangle real quick, and he dispels the slow white guy can’t guard anyone myth, then I don’t see him getting much time.

5-8 minutes could be earned; if not just to see what he’s got.

Thug Life

So, in light of the past 48 hours, I have decided to scrap parts four and five of my series, Busy Off-Season.

I was all ready to put together an article showing how the Lakers needed a gritty veteran big man. Despite winning a championship last year, we were missing that tough minded individual. A thug if you will; or at least an enforcer. Never did it occur to me that this would come in the form of Ron Artest.

While there are certain inherent risks when signing a guy like Artest — will he charge after a guy in STAPLES for giving him a funny look — you certainly can’t deny the man’s talent. Only a few seasons ago, he was playing in Indiana and moved his way into the MVP race with his all-out play on both ends of the court. Everyone talks about how versatile Lamar Odom is, but have you seen this guy?!?

At only 29 years of age, and still in his prime — having never really had a contract to match his skills — he chose to sign with the champs for the mid-level exception, which is enough proof for me to think that he wants to go to a winning situation and make it work. I realize this is not a good year to expect a huge contract and that is more what forced Ron into this situation, but now that he is here, I want to believe that his only concern will be to win a ring. He is older and wiser and has come a long way since his Detroit ROCK City days.

The two proposed mid-level deals that I mentioned before are:  Three years, $18.5m, or five years, $33.5m. This will not affect the Lakers ability to re-sign Lamar Odom, however, since he is our free agent and we own his Bird-Rights; meaning we can sign him for whatever it takes, regardless of whether we are over the cap. (Everything you would ever want to know about the NBA’s salary cap can be found here, including Bird rights and soft cap).

With the news that Ron Artest will for all intensive purposes be a Laker come July 8th, the Lake Show will get the best perimeter defender who is built like a tank. At 6′7, 260 lbs Artest is a force to be reckoned with and he’s got a mean streak to go with it (and we’ll take it). The one thing you know he will bring every night is an intensity and a great desire to win.

For all his ‘problems,’ playing on the court has never been the issue. He averaged 17.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 3.3 apg, as well as 1.5 spg and a career high 2.2 3pg, shooting 40% from behind the arc in his lone season in Houston last year. He is a unique talent, a rare specimen of brute force and skill. Not only does he outweigh Al Horford by 15 pounds, he can defend everyone from Tony Parker to Kobe Bryant to dare I say he could put up one heck of a fight bodying up Shaquille O’Neal.

As far as the rift on the court you saw last season between Ron and Kobe, I think it was more due to competitive juices (and Ron wanting to get under his skin). I don’t see them being a problem together. Even with all the trash talking and elbows flying, there is a mutual respect you could see between the two. Besides, I think Kobe and Phil Jackson will be able to control Ron’s antics off the court and on the court he’ll be just fine. You figure Dennis Rodman was much more difficult and distracting than Artest, so I think it will be child’s play for Phil next year.

My Uncle was actually the one to break the news to me the other day when he heard it on LA’s sport talk and he immediately questioned me about Ron Ron’s shot selection. It’s true, he has never had the best selection, and never really shot a great percentage from the field (42% for his career; only shot above 45% in a season once). However, what I saw last year, especially in the playoffs, and especially after Yao Ming got hurt, he became the number one option. At that point, he proved he is not the type of player that can carry a team and I think he felt he had to do too much, thus the poor shots. Luckily for the Lakers and Artest, he won’t be expected to be the number one, or even number two option thanks to Kobe and Pau Gasol.

I still want to recognize the fact that things can go one of two ways:  Either he focuses less on scoring and more on defense, accepting his role, or he can’t handle all the attention that Kobe and Pau and even Lamar Odom will get and ends up shooting way too many shots because he is not getting enough. While he only played in a few games last year with Yao and Tracy McGrady — the clear cut one and two guy — at least he showed he could step back and fit in.

I was the first to say the most important thing the Lakers need to do this off-season is sign Trevor Ariza, and while I hate to see him go, I am glad the Lakers resisted over paying for him. I thought based on where Ariza is at in his young career, as well as the poor economy and few teams with the money to spend or want to spend, that he would end up with a four year, $20m contract. The Lakers were willing to give him a five year, $33.5m contract and he felt like that was a slap in the face. For everything Ariza does, it is the things he doesn’t do (no handle, can’t create his own shot, not a lock down defender) that make me think he wasn’t worth any more. Then you factor in the fact that he needs a player like Kobe to get him good looks to be effective, and he is only worth the mid-level.

Besides, Artest is 10 times the player than Ariza is now and showed that, while he has worlds of talent, he can also just be one of the guys. In 27 games in which Artest played third fiddle to Yao and McGrady, he averaged 14.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 2.8 apg. He also shot 38.6% from the field in those games versus 40.1% on the season. He may have scored three fewer points per game, but took fewer shots, as you would expect. The team still was 17-10 (.629) and could have been much better if guys stayed healthy and got more time to gel together on the court. I have no worries whether Artest can make it work on the court.

My concerns, if any, are over his health. His teammate from last year, McGrady, is the one known to be brittle, but Ron has actually never played an 82 game season in his 10 years in the league. He has only played 70+ in four seasons (although two others he played in 69 games). He has missed an average of 21.6 games per year. Okay, so 72 of those games were due to his year long suspension, so really he has missed an average of 14 games a year due to injury. I think that’s just more a result of his physical play, and being in his prime, I’m not too concerned (plus the Lakers can always fill in his spot with Luke Walton for a short period of time).

The amazing thing is that Artest will fit into the triangle perfectly. He can bring the ball up, distribute, create for others or himself, post up, step out and hit the three (did I mention he hit more than two a game last year and shot it 40%). Best of all, Kobe will never have to defend the other team’s best player. And if we do face a team like the Spurs in the playoffs, we can put Artest on Richard Jefferson and Kobe on Manu Ginobili (or visa versa) and shut those two down.

There could not have been a more important signing and I am going to go out on a limb here:  The team the Lakers will put on the floor next year will without question be the most talented team ever assembled…at least on paper. Factor in Kobe (30), Artest (29), Gasol (28), and Lamar (29) are all in their prime. If Andrew Bynum stays healthy and continues to improve, that will just be icing on the cake!

As long as the Lakers re-sign Odom to something reasonable ($8m a year), this team will most certainly have a three to four year window to win that many rings, even with the rest of the league improving.

I want to leave you with a good point made by ESPNs Ric Bucher. While everyone will agree that the Lakers may not have won without Ariza — and the fact that he is young and only going to get better — this swap for Artest is certainly a better move for the team in the short term. The Lakers don’t have to wait for Ariza to get better, they can now rely on a ‘chiseled-vet’ and a known commodity.

Master of Zen vs Master of Panic

Phil Jackson is known for his calm, under control during pressure style, while Stan Van Gundy has been highly criticized for his crazy outbursts and overreactions to just about everything the team does, big or small.

The match ups will be huge in this series. You knew I was going to comment on them at some point in time.

• Andrew Bynum has the size to stay with Dwight Howard and keep him as far away from the rim as possible. If he stays out of foul trouble, he also has the talent to keep Superman preoccupied and maybe use up some of his energy trying to defend our young big. More important, keeping him occupied should stop him from roaming and creating havoc. Fouls will certainly be a problem for both big men.

• Pau Gasol will find it tough defending Rashard Lewis’ potent inside/outside game. Lamar Odom is a much better match up — he has the quickness to stay with him on the outside and the size to keep him off the block. Odom can also post Lewis up, take him off the dribble, and should be a beast on the offensive boards since Rashard isn’t a strong rebounder (6.1 rpg in the playoffs). The same can be said of Gasol on the offensive end.

• Hedo Turkoglu will probably be responsible to help off of Trevor Ariza on defense, which means the same open looks he’s been getting will still be there for him and he better continue to take advantage — he has hit 30 of his 60 three point attempts, so far. The key to Orlando’s offense, especially in the fourth quarter, is Hedo. They have made it this far without him shooting very well (he’s only hit 41% of his shots from the field in the playoffs). He is much more than just a stand still shooter; he is vital to their cause as he sets the table for everyone and is their only creator, ever since Jameer Nelson got injured. However, he is no Carmelo Anthony and I see Ariza’s size, athleticism, and length causing him lots of problems. He will continue to get steals (Hedo is turning it over 2.6 times a game, while Ariza is averaging 1.5 spg) and should be long enough to challenge  the 6′10 Hedo’s every shot.

• Kobe Bryant will be the roamer on D again. He will force the rookie, Courtney Lee, to make shots, hoping the bright lights and playing versus Kobe will be too much for the young guy to handle, although he has performed very well so far (8.8 ppg on 45% shooting). I have seen a lot of Lee this year and I really like his game. He can do a multitude of things well like stroke the three, work his mid-range game, get inside the paint, and plays solid defense. Still, he is a rookie and it is Kobe. Now, helping off of Mickael Pietrus might be a bad idea, especially the corners (he is shooting 39% from three, including 17-36 threes vs Cleveland). He has scored in double figures off the bench in eight straight games, 12 of the 19 games so far, and Orlando has an 8-4 record when he does. He single handedly outscored the entire Cleveland bench last series, so watch out. He did well against LeBron (don’t let the 40 a night he was dropping on him fool you, it could have just as easily been 50 a night), but I think Kobe is a much touger guard and Pietrus has always been foul prone (3.67 fpg vs LeBron). That means Kobe needs to be very aggressive challenging both the rookie and Pietrus.

• Thank goodness Jameer Nelson is out! He killed us during the regular season — 27.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, 5 rpg on 59% from the field and hit 7-12 from three — and is the type of small, quick, penetrate and dish kind of point guard who kills us year in and year out. While Rafer Alston was a great pick up when Nelson went down and has played solid during the postseason so far, he is far too eratic to be relied upon (38% shooting overall in the playoffs; 39% from three vs Phili, 28% vs Boston, and 38% vs Cleveland). Speaking of unreliable, I know I’m not the only one who is still waiting for Derek Fisher to turn things around. He has been to the Finals and is a career 41% three point shooter during the playoffs. Before everyone calls for Shannon Brown to start over him, ask yourself:  Would you rather start a guy who has played 24,684 minutes or 919 career minutes? While Fish might not be the opening day starter next year, he will start and should continue to get most of the point guard minutes. At least he knows the offense as well as anyone, puts himself in the right spots, and is a threat and does space the floor, even if he is shooting only 36% from the field and 24% from the 3-pt line. Brown is effective, but only because he plays in spurts. I trust the Zen Master to be doing everything he can to pull as much as he can out of his three-headed PG monster. They all bring something different and it’s got us this far. I figure the Magic will be helping off of Fish all series long and he needs to punish them for it. Pau Gasol and Kobe will get him tons of open jumpers every game and he can’t keep shooting as poor as he has (when he hits a game winner, you will all be marvelling at my genius).

• The benches will be important. Orlando uses an eight-man rotation with Anthony Johnson, Pietrus, and Marcin Gortat coming off the bench. Gortat brings size, energy, and toughness and does a great job in only 11.4 mpg. After last series, everyone knows about their best kept secret, Pietrus. Johnson is a solid vet who ocassionally hits threes, does nothing fancy, but is still effective. Our bench is all flash…and hopefully some substance. I always say I care less about them hitting shots (although it does help when Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic can actually hit a shot and stretch the court like they are supposed to, which will in turn increase their intensity on defense), but better to just play aggressive and up tempo because there is no way old man Johnson can stay with Jordan. Also, when the second unit gets the ball in to Gasol, who usually plays heavy minutes with the second unit, their life becomes so much easier. Not to mention, Lamar, the X-factor, who paces the bench with his all around play.

I feel the guys will come out focused tonight and set the ton for the series. Both teams provide match up problems, it will be the coach who makes the best adjustments that will come out on top. I like our chances with PJ at the helm.

Time to Step Up, Lamar Odom

I know this term gets thrown around a lot, but I figured what the heck.

Lamar Odom is the X-Factor.

Role players are so vital to the cause. As such, I wanted to rank the importance of our role players, the guys that will have the largest impact on the outcome of the Finals.

1. Lamar Odom – Mr. Versatile.
2. Trevor Ariza – Creates havoc on D.
3. Andrew Bynum – Can’t teach size, something we will need versus Dwight Howard.
4. Derek Fisher/Jordan Farmar/Shannon Brown – The 3-headed monster, with each guy bringing something different:  Heart, speed, and hunger.
5. Sasha Vujacic/Luke Walton – One solid game from each could be the difference in any one game.

Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain had Happy Hairston; Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had Michael Cooper; Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had Robert Horry; Kobe and Pau Gasol…well, I think most of us are hoping that 10 years from now, we can look back on this season and say those two were able to win it all because of Lamar Odom.

His performance in Games 5 and 6 versus Denver last series was insipring. The numbers might suggest that we do not need him to win (averaged only 8/9 vs the Rockets), but I would argue his good play goes beyond simply making things easier for us; he is what will push us over the top versus the Magic.

Everyone will focus on the points he scored (19 and 20), but it was his high activity level that resulted in those points and led him to be a force on defense (four blocks in Game 5). I think he also took it personal, the rebounding pounding we took in Game 4. He grabbed 14 and eight rebounds in Games 5 and 6 off the bench, helping us cut the rebounding difference from -18 in Game 4 to -1 in Game 5 and +11 in Game 6.

I thought Phil Jackson said it best in an interview during Game 5 when he said that Lamar is so versatile and can affect the game in so many ways that he needs to be active and stay out of foul trouble, so that he can have a positive effect on games, like he did to end the series. We all know, if he plays like he can, we are unstoppable. He is a nightmare match up for anyone, but can be especially tough for Rashard Lewis. LO can defend him out to the 3-point line and will not get beat by him in the post. Plus, Odom has a huge rebounding advantage and if he stays aggressive on offense, maybe he can tire Rashard out a little, so those threes in the fourth quarter will be tougher to knock down.

I know he struggled in the two games versus the Magic during the regular season (the game in Orlando he was awful as he went 1-7 from the field with four points and six fouls; the game in LA was better as he put up 17/9/3 and only had two fouls), but, to me, if there ever was a series for him to take over, this was it. The nice thing about him coming off the bench, is that you do not need him to dominate every single game. If he can pull out two or three top performances, which we all know he can easily do – say 15/10 with great defense — we won’t lose.

Lamar Odom

1st Rd 17.8 ppg 11.0 rpg

2nd Rd 8.3 ppg 8.9 rpg

3rd Rd 11.5 ppg 9.0 rpg

• In the first four games vs the Nuggets, he only averaged 7.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg; in the last two wins, he averaged 19.5 ppg and 11 rpg.
• We are 4-1 in the playoffs when he has a double-double.
• We are 8-2 when he scores in double figures.
• This league is about making shots:  In wins, he is shooting 55% from the field, 57% from three, and 65% from the foul line; in losses, he is only shooting 45% from the field, 33% from three, and 44% from the foul line.
• The biggest factor for Lamar:  He is averaging only 2.3 fouls in wins; 4.3 fouls in losses. He needs to be on the floor to be effective.
• As a side note, he played very well versus the Celtics in the Finals last year, averaging 13.5 ppg, 9 rpg, 3 apg, 1 bpg, on 52% from the field.

I expect big things from The Candy Man (and I don’t mean Michael Olowokandi).

Is There Something Magic in the Air

People have been doubting the Orlando Magic all season long. Believe me, I’m currently living out here and have heard it all.

Quite the opposite with the Lakers who have been favorites ever since they got blown out at the end of last year.

My fiance, Noelle, came to me before Game 1 of the Orlando/Cleveland series and told me she was sick of LeBron James. It’s LeBron this and LeBron that. All you ever hear these days is how great LeBron is. The media and the league have taken promoting LeBron way too far. ESPN finally got in line with what I have been feeling the past few days, which is it’s one thing to debate Kobe Bryant and LeBron; it’s a whole other thing to start talking him up as the best ever.

Sure he won MVP (something that was handed to him before the season started), and he took a horrible team to the Finals only to get swept by the Spurs. He is currently on the verge of not even making it to the Finals this year. I think we need to hold off on the G.O.A.T. accolades before he actually does something. Let him win a championship first. Better yet, let him finish his career before we start ranking him on the all-time list. Remember Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway got off to amazing starts as well, only to see their careers derailed by injury. You just never know.

But, I digress.

So, not only was my fiance sick of LeBron, she was also excited to see a Lakers/Magic Finals. Now, I knew Orlando would give the Cavs a lot more trouble than anyone — with the exception of Noelle and Charles Barkley — was giving them credit for, but to say that I saw them going up 3-1 or even moving on, I cannot admit that much.

Now that we are on our way to the Finals, I think it’s time to do two things: 1) Acknowledge my fiance’s foresight, and 2) warn the Lakers.

The Magic are a scary bunch and match up very well with our Lakers, even better than the Cavs. You hear it all the time that this league is all about match ups, which is why the Lakers were desperate for a tough power forward during the Shaquille O’Neal days to match up with the Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki’s of the West; the same reason Pau Gasol was brought in; and the reason why I worry a little about the Orlando Magic.

All year long, my “Best in the NBA” series has chronicled the strength of the top five teams in the league and the Magic held up surprisingly well, especially versus the other top teams in the league, often leading the way in a number of categories.

They have the best inside/outside game thanks to the Beast, Dwight Howard, and can surround him with four shooters at all times. Strangely enough, they are a very good defensive team as well, and it starts on the inside with the Defensive Player of the Year.

They have the size to match our bigs, although I think if Andrew Bynum can stay out of foul trouble that would put Rashard Lewis on Pau who can then go to work. I also realize that Lewis can then turn it around on Pau, just like he has been doing against Anderson Varejao and like he did versus Glenn “Big Baby” Davis.

I did want to acknowledge the Orlando Magic fans, who I have been very impressed with. They actually came to work with jerseys and people were talking about their team in the hallways. The local media — both TV and papers — have been all over the action. They even had a “Support the Magic” day at work and of course you know I wore my Lakers shirt. A guy stopped me in the hall and asked ‘why you wearing that shirt.’ I just smiled and told him I bleed purple and gold. Then I cut him off in the parking lot! Still, who knew Orlando could get into sports like this.

Keys to Beating the Magic

Efficient Offense — Run the offense, keep turnovers low, knock down shots. When the offense is running smooth, we can get back on defense. Against Orlando, misses and turnovers will lead to wide open threes in transition.

Focus on Defense – We know who we are, and a strong defensive team we are not. That does not mean that we cannot win games with our defense. The last two wins versus the Nuggets, we managed to play active, aggressive defense and force the Nuggets through stretches of poor shooting, which allowed us to go on big runs. However, playing great defense for 23 seconds and missing an assignment will lead to open threes for Orlando. Consistent D all game long is necessary or you will fall pray to their 3-point barrages.

3-Point Shooting – While we lost our best shooter, Vladimir Radmanovic, early on, the rest of our shooters have been struggling. Sasha Vujacic is in a huge slump and is only a fraction of The Machine we saw light it up last post-season, Derek Fisher’s shot has fallen off the deep end, and I am still not sure if Trevor Ariza’s hot shooting will continue. Meanwhile, the Magic have four shooters in the starting lineup to go along with a number of guys coming off the bench. They were the second best 3-point shooting team during the regular season, hitting 9.7 per game, while we were middle of the pack (14th) during the regular season with 6.8 makes per game. We still continually get beat by the 3-ball and ranked 20th in the league (7 per game) and the Magic only gave up 5.5 per game (second). While we won’t outscore them from the 3-point line, we can certainly keep a hand in their face and make things difficult.

I still cannot imagine the Magic winning a championship and although they swept us during the regular season, I think we have the advantage in three areas: 1) Phil Jackson and Kobe, 2) Jameer Nelson, the Laker Killer, is out, and 3) offensive rebounding. Dwight might be the best rebounder, but Pau and Lamar Odom can go to work on the offensive glass and abuse Rashard.

It will be a fun game tonight and Laker fans will be scouting out the next opponent.

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

Do the Lakers Have the Will to Win it All?

I wrote an article back in April that says it all: The Lakers Need an Edge.

Game 4 was as tough a game to watch, and only because we had no effort for the first three quarters.

Now, the Rockets are tough. They proved that with their physicality in the first three games.

I know this, you know this, the whole league knows this. In case the Lakers still did not know, the Rockets went out in Game 4 to make sure everyone on the team was aware.

Mission accomplished.

And the Lakers; we did not respond well at all.

I talked about Game 3 being a statement game. Well, whatever momentum I thought we had after the so-called “statement” that I thought we made with the Game 3 victory, no longer exists thanks to that poor performance in Game 4.

Lack of intensity. Lack of energy. Lack of effort.

We simply did not care.

Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Dikembe Mutombo were out, not to mention starter at the beginning of the year, Rafer Alston, who was traded and a second year player thrust into his spot who happens to be as close to six feet tall as I am to playing in the NBA (not close for those keeping track).

Rockets are done, right?

Maybe that thought is okay to enter into a fans head, but certainly not a players. Nothing is more dangerous to a team who goes into a big game overconfident. Especially on the road.

The Orlando Magic ended the Sixers season in Philadelphia without starters Dwight Howard (suspension) and rookie Courtney Lee (injury) only a week or so earlier.

Heck, we just won a game on the road without our starting point guard, Derek Fisher (suspension) only a couple of days earlier.

The good news is, we did a great job all year making sure we stayed focus, even versus the lesser opponents.

The only.500 or sub-.500 teams we lost to at home during the regular season were to Philadelphia and the Charlotte Bobcats.

Did we play down to our competition last night?

Without question.

Now, I am not panicking and trying to say we blew the series. Far from it. But, if we still think we can win it all with that kind of attitude — the kind attitude where we think we can take games off or that wins will simply be handed to us — we have another thing coming to us, and can expect a long off-season for players and fans alike.

Maybe the loss of Lamar might actually benefit us. My uncle brought up an interesting concept of actually starting either Sasha Vujacic or Shannon Brown, moving Kobe to the 3 and Trevor Ariza to the 4. You figure we would still have Jordan Faramar and one of the other two guards to bring off the bench, as well as Andrew Bynum. Since the Rockets obviously play faster with their new lineup, why not match them and beat them at their own game.

I also think starting Josh Powell might help counter the rebounding edge they had (43-37 in Game 4). You also might remember Powell got the start for a suspended Odom earlier in the year in Houston where he pitched in 17 points on 8-14 from the field and nine rebounds and hit some big jumpers in the fourth to help get the win.

In that Lakers Need an Edge article, I pointed out four deficiencies of our team that still hold true: 1) Weak interior defense, 2) poor pick and roll D, 3) struggle to generate offense with Kobe on the bench, and 4) inability to sustain early leads.

So far, the Rocket’s point guards Brooks and Kyle Lowry have shown a great ability at getting in the paint and either scoring or dishing to open players, we obviously don’t defend the pick and rolls well, the bench has yet to do much damage in the series, and we showed we can blow big leads all throughout the series vs the Jazz.

I also talked about the “statement” Lamar made in the Portland game when he stood up for his teammate, which was similar to Fisher’s statement.

Maybe this team can shed our “soft” label, not with a “statement” play (Fisher’s elbow), rather by a statement win.

Win games and everything else falls into place.

The most important thing is to come out with effort right from the start in Game 5.

Whoever Phil Jackson decides to start, I think it should be the one most likely to bring high energy from the opening tip. If you ask me, I think that should be Sasha, who along with Ariza, can help put a lot of pressure on the ball handler Aaron Brooks from the get go.

Whatever happens, the keys to victory will be effort, finding a way to stay in front of Brooks (career high 34 points in Game 4), and finding someone willing to attach himself to Shane Battier’s hip (15 points in the first three games of the series; 23 points in Game 4 on 5-10 from the three point line).

We do that, and we have a good chance of regaining our lead on the Rockets and hopefully fulfilling my prediction of the Lakers winning in six games.

A professor once told me that you will get knocked down at some point, and it is not about how bad it hurts, but how quickly you pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and get back out there.

The Lakers had all day today to deal with that loss, and I hope it hurt.

Now it is time to forget about it and re-focus.

Most of all, show some pride fellas.

Laker Pride!

Lakers Fourth Quarter Performers

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom have been the most reliable so far in the playoffs.

Outside of that, there has not been much. I am hopeful that Derek Fisher can pick things up now that he does not have to defend Deron Williams all game, and if Trevor Ariza can keep up his splendid play, that will be a plus.

The playoff rotation should run eight deep. Jordan Farmar seems to be on the outside looking in (eight minutes only vs the Jazz), Andrew Bynum is still trying to find his way, Luke Walton is hurt, Shannon Brown is still new to the system, Sasha Vujacic is struggling with his shot (6-29 overall in the series), and Josh Powell is not figured to play a big role.

So, who will emerge as our crunch time performers and who will become our eight man rotation?

To end games, I think it is clear that it will be Fish, Kobe, Ariza, LO, and Pau. If Sasha can find his shot I think he can be a key player down the stretch of games because of his pressure defense.

Now for the good stuff. I compiled all the Lakers stats during the fourth quarter of their first round series vs the Utah Jazz, and have it displayed in a nice and neat package, just for you.

Kobe Bryant

Mr. Fourth Quarter scored 6.6 ppg, but only shot 38% during the fourth quarters of the Utah series. He was also only 1-6 from the three point line. If you stretched his numbers out over a 48 minute period, his averages would look like this:  26.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4 apg, 0.8 spg, 5.6 tpg.

The first two games, he had 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists on 6-11 from the field; the last three games, he had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and only shot 5-18 from the field. I expect a much better performance vs the Rockets in the second round (remember back to the win in Houston in March, when we played without Lamar Odom and Kobe had for 18 of his 37 in the final period).

Pau Gasol

He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter during the five games vs Utah on 44% from the field, and only 47% from the free throw line.

His best performance was in Game 1 (8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 2-4 from the field, 4-4 from the foul line) and Game 2 (4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2-4 from the field).

Lamar Odom

He was pretty dominant in the first round vs the Jazz. In the fourth quarter of those games, he averaged 4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and had as many blocks as turnovers (two), all while shooting 63%.

He certainly did not shy away from the big moment. In Game 1, during the fourth quarter, he put up 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block on 2-3 from the field.

Andrew Bynum

Maybe the most disappointing part of the first round — and biggest story so far for the Lakers – was Bynum’s inability to find playing time. Whether it was due to fouls (five fouls in seven minutes in Game 3), or due to Phil Jackson (Bynum lost his starting job to LO in Game 4 and only managed 17 minutes in the last two games).

He did nothing in the first four fourth quarters, but in Game 5, he at least had 2 points and 4 rebounds (2 offensive). He had as many fouls as rebounds (five) in the five fourth quarters combined.

For the series, he played only 67 minutes, scored 25 points on 23 shots, had 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, 9 turnovers, and 16 fouls (more fouls than rebounds). The Lakers will need more from the big guy if we are to win a ring.

Trevor Ariza

In the fourth quarter during the series vs the Jazz, Ariza shot the ball extremely well. He had 13 fourth quarter points, hit 4-7 field goals, and 3-6 threes, proving he can hit big shots in big games. He also had three steals to only one turnover. I was impressed with his play in the first round.

Derek Fisher

He has all kinds of playoff experience (he is now 11-0 in the first round in his career). He only hit 1-3 field goals, including a three in Game 4. He also contributed two steals in Game 2 and hit 5-6 free throws in the close out game.

In the first series, it typically was Brown who got the first six or seven minutes, while Fisher came in to finish the last five or six minutes of the game. The only exception was Game 3, when Fisher came in at the 8:30 mark in the fourth when we were down by a point. It is going to be interesting to find out who (if any) stands out from the point guard position this next series.

Shannon Brown

He has now completely taken over for Jordan Farmar and found a role playing in the first five to seven minutes to start the fourth quarters. He scored a total of 13 fourth quarter points during the series vs Utah. He hit 5-8 (63%) and only had one turnover in five fourth quarters.

Sasha Vujacic

Sasha was only 1-8 from the three point line in the fourth quarter of the five games vs the Jazz. To think, he used to finish games for us last year…

Luke Walton

It looks like he will miss Game 1 vs the Rockets on Monday due to a partial torn ligament in his ankle.

However, I did want to point out that before he got hurt, his best performance in the fourth quarter vs the Jazz was in Game 2 when he came in and gave us the spark we needed. He had 2 points, 3 rebounds (1 offensive), 3 assists, hitting his only shot. I cannot stress how important it is to have a guy that can play both forward positions, can bring the ball up, run the offense, pass the ball as well as anyone on the team, and take advantage of smaller guys in the post. I have always loved his versatility and high basketball IQ. He just makes things happen out there.

In four games, he is averaging:

4.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1 spg, 41% shooting.

I cannot wait until he is back in the rotation.

Game 5, Lakers Survive a Late Scare & Prepare for Round 2: Quarter by Quarter Breakdown

In a close out game, you never know what to expect.

Utah was 10-14 in elimination games going into Game 5.

The Lakers were 64-44 in close out games all-time.

Over the first four games, Kobe Bryant in the three wins:  29.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg on 56% shooting.

Kobe in the only loss:  18 points, 6 rebounds, on 5-24 from the field.

The Lakers had 12 more points in the paint going into Game 5.

First Quarter

Mehmet Okur, who did nothing in his first game back, you could tell looked a lot better. He had a couple of drives inside and was able to knock down a three.

The Lakers began the game actually running the offense, moving the ball and got a number of good looks.

With Luke Walton being out indefinitely after spraining his ankle in Game 4, I was interested in seeing how Trevor Ariza’s ankle looked. He showed he was just fine after chasing down Deron Williams and rejecting his layup attempt. About a minute later, he followed up a missed shot with a ferocious tip-dunk.

I think he is fine.

Neither team looked nervous and showed good energy and even shot the ball well (Utah 55% in the quarter).

Ariza ended the first with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Lakers 26, Jazz 26 — The only thing that stuck out, other than Ariza, was the Lakers turnovers (6) that resulted in seven easy points for the Jazz.

Second Quarter

The Lakers started big with back to back threes by Lamar Odom and Kobe. The run was 14-3 and gave the Lakers a 40-29 lead. During that stretch Kobe scoring eight in a row for the Lakers.

Sasha Vujacic has been inconsistent at best during the series, but what I do like is that he never gets dismayed by a miss. He hit two threes in the first seven minutes he was in.

I was impressed most with our defense. Utah had only four points in the first five minutes of the quarter, shooting only 1-7 from the field.

Lakers 40, Jazz 30.

We were impressive on the boards, which kept Carlos Boozer out of the game. He was 1-5 shooting to start the game, with four points and only three rebounds.

The Lakers had a 6-0 offensive rebounding edge; Utah did not grab their first one until the five minute mark of the second quarter.

Lamar was the main culprit, scoring 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in the first half, but most important, he held Boozer in check.

Trevor had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first half, proving his ankle is just fine.

Kobe ended the quarter with an amazingly athletic play. After nearly turning the ball over, grabbing the loose ball, looked up at the shot clock on the other side, before turning 180 degrees in the air for a ridiculous fade away as he fell to the ground.

Lakers 56, Jazz 43 — The Lakers outscored the Jazz 30 to 17 and went in feeling good about themselves.

Third Quarter

The Lakers shot 6-12 from three in the first half, held Utah to only 40% shooting, a rebound edge of 28-15, and outscored them in the paint 22-14.

The oh-so-important first five minutes went in our favor, outscoring the Jazz 11-5.

Odom was aggressive and it paid off with four points and two assists. The first was a strong offensive rebound and quick pass to Gasol for a dunk, then a kick out to Ariza for three — who I am glad took the shot after missing one to start the quarter.

Lakers defense held the Jazz to no field goals and 0-8 from the field in a four minute stretch going back to the end of the first half. Utah shot 55% in the first 12 minutes, but only 25% in the next 17.5 minutes.

The Jazz did what they always do, which is fight back. After Boozer laid it in to cut the lead to 15, the Lakers responded with a 7-0 run of their own after two steals by Sasha, leading to some easy buckets and the largest lead (22)

Gasol had a very quite 15 points on 6-12 from the field.

Lakers 82, Jazz 63 — The Lakers were rolling on defense and offense, outscoring the Jazz 56 to 37 since the first quarter. 

Fourth Quarter

The only goal for the quarter:  Hustle, and don’t blow a 19 point lead.

I love Phil Jackson’s assessment of his guys waiting for Kobe to go off in the beginning of the game:  ”Sometimes they (Kobe’s teammates) like to suck that thumb a little too long.” Classic.

Kobe hit a three only 30 seconds into the fourth, now having hit an astonishing 25 of his last 38 shots going back to Game 4.

The Lakers still had a 20 point lead after Andrew Bynum knocked down a pair of free throws, three and a half minutes into the quarter.

Then it all fell apart.

Paul Millsap had 14 points in the fourth quarter, 11 in a row that sparked a 13-0 run. The lead was cut to seven with 4:50 remaining in the game.

It was difficult to tell if this was another example of the LakeShow giving up yet another lead, or if this was more of an example of why it is so difficult to close a team out.

When a team gets backed into a corner, they fight and scrap for their dear lives.

Kobe was able to nail a fade away to slow the bleeding — the first field goal in four and a half minutes for the Lakers.

Korver completed a 16-2 run by hitting a wide open three – 11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 threes on 4-7 from the field in the quarter — and got the Jazz to as close as they would get, six points.

Nine minutes into the final period, the Jazz were shooting a blistering 61% while the Lakers struggled shooting only 31%, and were outscored 26-13.

The Jazz simply could not complete the comeback, missing opportunity after opportunity inside. The calls were certainly not going in their favor either, and it eventually got to Jerry Sloan who earned himself an early shower with about a minute to go.

Not that I am complaining, but Okur should not have been in to finish the game. He just couldn’t go.

At one point, he passed up a three, put the ball on the floor and forced an off balanced shot. The Lakers grabbed the rebound, pushed it, and found Lamar open for a dunk after outrunning Okur.

Lakers up nine with 1:30 left — 98-89.

I counted four missed layups (at least) by the Jazz down the stretch.

The best play of the quarter began with beautiful ball movement after Utah trapped Kobe, he got it to Lamar, who sent a bullet to Ariza underneath, who gave a nice bounce pass to Gasol who got fouled. This is what Phil was complaining about earlier in the quarter — the ball was getting stuck on one side and we were making it easy for the Jazz to defend us and get back in the game.

And of course, the player of the game, Lamar Odom, sealed the deal with a monster jam over Okur.

Game. Set. Match.

Lakers 107, Jazz 96 — Jazz made one heck of a late run, sparked by Ronnie Price, Millsap, and Korver. Lakers show their grit with a grind it out win. Bring on Round 2.

Purple and Gold Nuggets

Everyone knows I have been warning about this Lakers team. Not to nitpick this team that beat a talented Jazz team in five games, but it even happened in Game 5.

The Lakers gave up big leads in each game:  

• Game 1, 22 point lead cut to 9
• Game 2, 20 point lead cut to 3
• Game 3, 13 point lead (in the fourth) turned into 2 point victory for the Jazz
• Game 4, 24 point lead cut to 14
• Game 5, 22 point lead cut to 6

I cannot give enough credit to Lamar Odom — 26 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk, 2 threes on 10-15 from the field and a +17 while on the court. AND, he held Boozer to 10 pts, 9 reb, only 1 offensive rebound and 3-8 shooting.

Kobe had 31 points on 10-21 shooting (finshed the game hitting only one for his last five), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 threes, 4 steals, 1 block and how about a +18 while on the court.

The Lakers big three combined for 74 points, 28 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, 4 blocks, on 26-49 field goals and 5-8 threes.

Trevor shot 4-6 from the field, 2-4 from three with 12 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, and 2 blk.

The bench got outscored 40-12.

Best thing we did all night:  Somehow held Deron to 5 points and zero assists in the second half. He shot 4-12 overall, had 4 turnovers, and a team low -16 while on the court.

We won the rebounding battle 50-43; offensive rebounds were 15 to 12 in our favor; we took 8 more free throws (35-27); scored nine more points from the three point line. The only thing we seemingly lost (other than the fourth quarter, 33-25) was the turnover battle, 16-10 in favor of the Jazz, and they scored 15 points off turnovers to our 9. And our defense held them to 40% shooting for the game.

Shannon Brown scored only 2 points on 1-5 from the field in Game 5 (he did add three rebounds and two assists). However, he scored 8.5 ppg over the first four games and shot 58% from the field and hit 6-7 threes.

For the record, I was right. Craig Sager reported early in the second half that Mitch Kupchak scouted Brown in college at Michigan State and nearly drafted him ahead of Jordan Farmar because he thought he would have a future in the league some day. After being an afterthought in the mid-season trade with Charlotte, he has proved to be a valuable commodity, who may even help get us to the promised land.

The Lakers are 4-0 vs the Rockets this season. While they do match up very well with us — a big man in Yao Ming, who causes problems for everyone, and two top notch perimeter defenders in Ron Artest and Shane Battier to harass Kobe — we did hold them to 89.8 ppg on only 28% from the three point line.

I think we match up very well vs either Houston or Portland, because neither will be able to expose our weak point guards (no offense to Derek Fisher, but he has been playing okay at best). Steve Blake for the Blazers and Aaron Brooks for the Rockets do not exactly strike fear into the heart of their opponents.

The Lakers get a much needed break, and how long depends on whether the Rockets finish their series in five or if the Blazers can fight their way back in to the series with a win at home. A couple ankles need to heal and I still feel like Bynum could use some rest. Maybe he can look at tape and re-evaluate where he stands on the team.

We will need him when it is all said and done. I will keep saying it until proved right…or wrong…

Game 4, Kobe Bryant & Bench Pile it on in Utah: Quarter by Quarter Breakdown

It sucks that when the Lakers were presented with their first test of the 2009 playoffs (Game 3), we did not come through.

I know the saying is that a series does not begin until the road team wins, but with the Lakers such heavy favorites to make the Finals, I fully expected us to find a way to win Game 3, especially after we tied it at 76 in the fourth. But, we allowed the Jazz — mostly Carlos Boozer — to bully us and push us around, reminiscent of our match up with Boston in the Finals last year.

Pau Gasol was criticized for his “soft” play in the Finals, and I have to tell you, he was most disappointing to me in Game 3. The 80 percenter missed six of his 10 free throws and allowed Boozer to grab 22 rebounds to his 9.

We even let Paul Millsap — a great rebounder in his own right — grab 14.

When you go through a game that had 97 combined misses and 20 missed free throws, you would imagine rebounding might be important.

They outrebounded us by eight in Game 1, which we were able to overcome thanks to our 56% shooting. In Game 2, the rebounding was even at 30, with both teams shooting very well — only the Lakers topped their 50% shooting with 60%. Game 3 was a different story. We somehow managed to shoot 37% by the end, but got out-rebounded 55-40, clearly costing us the win.

I talked about it in the beginning of my Game 3 analysis, that the Jazz held an advantage over the Lakers in the first two games in made free throws, offensive rebounds, steals and turnovers. In Game 3, we had a slight edge in three of the four categories. We grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to the Jazz’s 14, to go along with two more steals (7-5) and six less turnovers (9-16). The Jazz did hit 18 free throws to our 16.

What was the problem this time?

We simply could not hit a shot, going 32-87 (37%).

How would we fair in Game 4?

First Quarter

This quarter was all about Kobe Bryant.

Nothing felt forced. The key was, he actually hit shots.

Whatever he went through after that horrible outing in Game 3 brought out the best in Kobe.

He certainly was looking for his shot early, scoring the first seven points for the Lakers. Over the next two and a half minutes, his teammates missed five outside shots and the Jazz went on an 11-2 run, sparked by a couple of offensive rebounds that got the crowd energized and into the game.

Kobe cooled the run a little with a 16-footer. He was 4-4 from the field to start the game.

At this point, half way into the quarter, it was the Jazz 14, Kobe 11.

Derek Fisher missed two wide open jumpers and Trevor Ariza chipped in with a nice brick from 23-feet straight out.

Luke Walton made his presence felt immediately with two points, an assist to Andrew Bynum for his only two points of the game, and a steal.

Kobe finished the quarter with 13 points on 6-8 shooting; the rest of the team combined for a measly seven points on 2-10 from the field.

Lakers 20, Jazz 25 — Kobe came out like an assassin, hitting five jumpers early on while the rest of the guys struggled.

Second Quarter

Jerry Sloan obviously knows how important it is not to fall behind three games to one going back to LA, so he quickly sent in three of his starters at the start of the quarter — Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur.

The Jazz’s largest lead was seven at 34-27.

Then the Lakers bench finally came to life, hitting from all over the perimeter, and on the road no less.

A total of three threes dropped within a minute that sparked a huge run for the Lakers.

First, a drive and kick by Sasha Vujacic to Luke for three; then, a missed jumper by the Jazz allowed Sasha to find an open three in transition; lastly, Pau Gasol was able to post up and find Shannon Brown for another three.

Timeout Utah. Lakers up 36-34.

The Lakers would not let up, outscoring the Jazz 20-2 in a little under five minutes, thanks to 12 points from the bench.

Fisher may have started the game 0-2, but he finished the half hitting three straight outside shots.

Just when you think the Lakers learned their lesson, they lose their focus and their aggression, which allows the Jazz to cut a 13 point lead down to seven by halftime.

It started at the 1:14 mark. 1) Four Lakers stand pointing at one another after Paul Millsap got a dunk. 2) Boozer got a putback after a missed free throw. 3) Deron caught an inbounds pass from Boozer and laid it in, uncontested. 4) Finally, Luke tried to heave a pass to mid-court, was intercepted by Deron, who took it the distance and finished over Luke, and one.

Lakers 60, Jazz 53 — An all too familiar ending destroyed a big lead, but at least the Lakers bench came through, knocking down four threes to pull ahead.

Third Quarter

The Lakers shot 58% in the first half.

Kobe was 10-13.

Deron and Boozer played superb in the first half.

17 points and seven assists on 4-7 from the field for Deron; 14 points, eight rebounds on 6-8 shooting for Boozer.

The Lakers began the quarter hitting five shots in a row (10 straight going back to the first half).

It was Kobe Bryant who put on yet another show, hitting four straight jumpers, all from 17 feet out in the first four minutes.

He did most of his damage in bunches. He had 13 points in the first seven minutes of the game; 11 more in the final six minutes of the first half; and 10 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter.

For anyone wondering why Luke Walton plays, just check out his third quarter. In a four minute span, he had two layups, three rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Boozer alert:  15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists with three minutes to go in the third.

However, the Lakers did do a good job of containing both Boozer and Deron in the quarter.

Boozer only had two points while Deron shot 1-5 and had two points and two assists.

Some of this is due to the fact Sloan put Deron on Kobe, who was desperate to find someone to slow him down. With so much energy being wasted, Deron did not appear to have anything left in the tank for the offensive end.

The Lakers were able to get inside and get to the free throw line, going 8-10 in the quarter; Utah struggled and shot 2-6 from the foul line.

We played some inspired defense and outscored the Jazz 24-12 in the first 10 minutes of the quarter.

Lamar Odom did his part with another strong rebounding effort — 12 so far.

The thing I enjoyed most about Kobe up to this point, was his demeanor. The announcers mentioned that they noticed it before the game during shoot around. There was no smiles for #24; it was all business. He had an icy cold expression on his face after every made basket.

Lakers 88, Jazz 69 — Since falling behind 25-20 after the first quarter, we outscored the Jazz 68-44, taking a commanding lead into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

I am sure everyone was thinking the same thing I was:  Will the Lakers have another let down?

Not today my friends.

Kobe Bryant started the fourth, a clear sign that Phil Jackson was not messing around.

Brown was in and was very effective slashing and hustling, and contributing a tip in after his own miss.

Sasha missed his first two threes early in the quarter, but kept his aggressiveness, which eventually paid off when he drained a three that gave us our biggest lead of the game, 94-71.

We missed our first five threes, but then went 6-9.

At this point, Utah was in a drought, scoring only 21 points in the first 16 minutes of the second half.

Credit our defense for pushing them further and further out on the perimeter. Sloan made that same comment between quarters saying that his guys were taking shots he would rather not see, but it was LA who was forcing them into those shots.

Trevor was not very effective in his 28 minutes, but did provide a little spark in the fourth. In typical Ariza fashion when he picked Boozer’s pocket clean, ran down the court and drained a three from the corner, putting us up 19. He ended the game with 5 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, and 1 three.

Lamar followed that up with a block on Andrei Kirilenko and a tip in at the other end.

The Jazz still continued to fight and got within 13 with 90 seconds remaining, before Derek Fisher laid the hammer with a 23-foot bomb that splashed in, silencing the crowd. 

Want to know what a building sounds like when everyone knows that this will be the last time you get to see your team the rest of the year? Just go back on your tivo to the five minute mark in the fourth. Silence truly is golden!

Lakers 108, Jazz 94 — This was the game I was begging for in Game 3; the statement game where we cut out their hearts and stomp on it right in front of the home crowd. Better late than never. A big thanks goes out to Mr. Kobe Bryant.

Purple and Gold Nuggets

This game was a perfect blend of a bit of bench play, and a whole lot of Kobe Bryant.

The bench was outstanding:

Shannon Brown in 20 minutes — 10 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 three, 3-5 from the field, +8 while on the floor

Luke Walton in 18 minutes — 9 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 1 three, 3-6 from the field, +4 while on the floor

Sasha Vujacic in 17 minutes — 9 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 3 threes, 3-9 from the field, +9 while on the floor

Kobe hit a ton of jumpers, including seven between 15 and 19 feet out; six between 20 and 22 feet; and one 25-foot three pointer. He did add two layups and was 16-24 overall, including 5-5 from the free throw line for an incredibly efficient 38 points.

Some trouble areas for us have been free throws, offensive rebounds, steals, and turnovers.

In Game 4, the Jazz shot 32 free throws to our 28, but the missed 10 again. They grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to our eight, but we out-rebounded them 46-39 overall, thanks to 15 for Odom and 10 for Gasol. Steals were about even, 12 for the Jazz, 11 for the Lakers. We had 14 turnovers to their 13.

The major difference in this game was our offense. We shot 52% and held the Jazz to 44%. We hit eight threes and they only hit four. They did move the ball around a lot more, while we stuck to more one on ones, thanks to Kobe’s hot game (27-19 lead in assists).

Lamar Odom chipped in with a smooth 10 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, and 2 blk. He is now averaging 16 ppg, 10 rpg, 2 apg, 1.25 bpg on a blistering 61% from the field in 36 mpg off the bench (with of course the start in Game 4).

I ask again, what more can the Jazz do? They struggle to slow our offense down and got contributions from Deron (23/13), Boozer (23/16), and their bench (12 points for Korver), but lost by 14.

As long as we do not beat ourselves, like we did in Game 3, I look forward to us closing this team out Monday night in STAPLES Center.