Don't look now, but the Lakers are playing much better basketball lately. They were able to eek out a road win on Super Bowl Sunday against the Detroit Pistons 98-97.
Sure there are still issues they need to correct (blowing double digit leads), but they now know how they want to play. They want a balanced offensive attack through ball movement/player movement, and they want to run when there's an opportunity. They also want to defend through communication and versatility. Even in the absence of Dwight Howard for the last two games, they have been able to do just that.
Earl Clark has been and was phenomenal in the game. He seems to be everywhere and do everything. He grabs rebounds, gets blocks, hits threes, and slashes to the hoop. Pau filled in for Dwight and looked like the Spaniard of 2010. If it weren't for a couple of Clark and Nash (uncharacteristically) misses a the charity strip, this game wouldn't even have been as close as it was.
Notables:
The Good:
- Consistent contribution from Clark
- Pau being the real Pau
- Jamison off the bench
- Synergy between Nash and Magic Mamba
The Bad:
- 4 missed clutch free throws
- Lacking interior defense (no Dwight)
- Don't like the Nash/Blake back court lineup (too small defensively)
- 18 point lead cut to 0 at one point
The Lakers now need to develop a killer instinct. With the adjustments they've made they can now build leads more efficiently. They have to learn to protect them and give teams no hope of coming back.
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