The Lakers got the win 104-88 tonight, and it started with their defense. In fact, I liked their defense so much I'm not even going to talk about their offense. Ok maybe I'll talk about the offense a little bit because it was good too :).
Since the Cavs game on Sunday, the Lakers have decided to have Kobe match-up with the opposing team's best guard. It worked on Sunday, and it worked again tonight. With the way the rules are, it's almost impossible to stop elite NBA point guards. But what Kobe is doing defensively is nearly just as effective. He is picking up them up full court in an attempt to get the ball out of their hands. He may be slower than them, but his length gives them trouble as well. The Lakers also bring a second defender into the driving lane, choosing to leave a player open. The opposing PG almost has no choice but to give the ball up to the open man since it's the right "basketball play." However once they do, that forces the player who receives the pass to then become the facilitator (provided the defense rotates quickly), which they are normally not comfortable with. Put simply, it disrupts their offense. The results: Jennings shot 4-14 from the floor. And like Coach D'Antoni mentioned it even seems to gets Kobe more wired up for offense if you can believe that. The downside is it creates mis-matches for the Lakers as well. Tonight Nash had to guard M'bah a Moute who is around 6'8". However Dwight is always ready in the help position. Credit the Lakers' defense for the win tonight. Lots of effort, hustle, and communication defensively. It should also be noted Earl Clarke did a great job making Monta Ellis work for everything.
On offense the Lakers shared the basketball well. Went inside early and often. Dwight and Kobe both had 31 points shooting 78% and 63% respectively. In the first half the Lakers had 14 assists on 15 made baskets. They had 30 total assists for the game. That's what Coach D'Antoni's offense should look like.
The only thing I'm worried about now is what the defense will look like when Pau returns. He is a better overall player than Clarke, but his diminished athleticism due to injury and age make Clarke the better defensive fit. The Lakers rotations won't be nearly as quick. I think the best bet is to Bring Pau in off the bench. It gives the Lakers a legit 6th man, and a put Pau in the post where he is most effective. We'll see what Coach D'Antoni decides.
Notables:
The Good:
- Doberman style team defense
- Offensive execution
- Good job by Steve, Earl, and Kobe guarding out of position
- Dwight great all around game
- Only 8 turnovers
The Bad:
- Gave up too many offensive rebounds
- Sometimes the Lakers took bad early 3's without anyone in rebounding position
- Bench lull at the end of the 1st quarter let the Buck back in the game
The defending champs come in to Staples on Thursday. Let's see what the Lakers can do against them...
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