Shaq's jersey retirement? Check. Huge game with playoff race implications? Check. All the pressure in the world. This was a game with the classic Hollywood drama story lines, and the Lakers responded with 101-81 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers didn't wait to get going in this one. They jumped on the Mavs early and opened up a 15 point lead by halftime. They did so by going in to Dwight early and often. They got him looks off of screen/rolls, post isolations, and put backs. The defense was great too. Rotations were quick when Dwight stepped over to stop dribble penetration. This was key to shutting down Dallas' offense, and thus they were limited to just isolation opportunities.
When Dallas did isolate Dirk, Earl Clark gave him fits. Over the last 3 games Nowitzki had been averaging 29 points on 62% shooting. Not tonight. He was held to shooting 4 for 13 and only scored 11 points. Earl made him work for everything he got. Clark wound up with 5 blocks on the night. I think Dirk will be seeing Earl in his nightmares. Pau also guarded Dirk extremely well. Both players did exactly what you should do defensively against him: stay in his grill and contest his shots without fouling.
The Lakers 15 point lead at halftime was cut to 5 points late in 3rd when their offense got stagnant, and turnovers compounded the issue. Uncle Earl went to work again. He got fouled on an and-1 drive to the hoop. He missed the free throw, but Pau tipped the rebound out to Kobe to swung it to Clark for the 3 ball. The Lakers got a stop and then Earl dished it to Jamison for the layup to cap a 7-0 run which put the Lakers in control for good. Dallas did make another run though in the 4th. They were down 10 with what was seemingly going to be an easy dunk for their center Brandon Wright. That's when the Mamba erased Dallas' momentum with a timely block. Dallas then tried the Hack-a-Howard technique to get back in the game. It back fired big time as Dwight wound up hitting 5 free throws in a row during the stretch.
The Lakers annihilated Dallas on the boards 57-37. That was the game right there.
Notables:
The Good:
- The defense. It was active and executed well.
- Earl Clark with 17 points, 12 boards, and 5 blocks
- Vino with a triple double. 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists
- Dwight & Pau controlled the middle with a combine 38 points, 22 rebounds, and 7 assists
- Blake and Meeks combined to shoot 42% from 3
The Bad:
- Need to cut down on turnovers
- Can't have those droughts where the offense gets stagnant
Shaq's jersey retirement was special. From hearing chants of "We want Phil!" to Shaq's classic "Can youuuu dig iiiiitttttt??!!!", it was fun to relive the memories of the 3-peat Lakers. One fan described the atmosphere as electric. The Lakers will need more of that over the final 7 games as the battle the Jazz for the final playoff spot. They play Memphis at Staples on Friday.
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