Lakers at Rockets (11/7/13)

The Lakers got their first road win of the season, and they did it in dramatic fashion by beating the Rockets 99-98. In a game that was hyped by the NBA to be a battle of bad blood since Dwight Howard left LA for Houston the players were rather cordial to each other. The game was still exciting although sometimes for the wrong reasons.

The Lakers started off strong with a bevy of 3 point bombs raining down on the Rockets. They shot 11/14 from 3 in the first half which helped earn them as much as a 19 point lead. The defense of the second unit was excellent. With Farmar, Meeks, Henry, Johnson, and Hill in the lineup the Lakers were able to extend their defense and pressure the ball.

In the 3rd quarter Houston increased their defensive effort and got back in the game. The Lakers turned the ball over left and right. Houston actually took the lead after trailing for the most of the game with around 3 minutes to go. Coach D'Antoni resorted to the "Hack-a-Howard" tactic and it worked. Dwight clanked two clutch free throws which allowed for a 3 point dagger by Steve Blake with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Nightly Notables:

The Good:
-Red hot 3 point shooting in the first half
-Great ball movement
-Nice defense by the second unit

The Bad:
-Pau either looked really tired or uninterested. Either way he played bad
-Too many unnecessary turnovers
-Horrible execution on what should have been the final inbounds play. It almost cost them the game

No time to enjoy the win with a back to back tonight against the Pelicans at 5pm.  It was nice to stick it to Dwight though :P

Go Lakers!!!!

Lakers at Mavericks (11/5/13)

The Lakers have and a thought time even being competitive on the road this year. It's early, but they got blown out again this time in the big D as they fell to the Mavs 104-123.

Beside the obvious is missing #24, the Lakers suffer from a few key issues:

-Their starting back court is extremely short, slow, and old with Nash and Blake. Not only have they been unable to stop opponents from scoring, they also haven't been effective on the offensive end themselves.  Coach D'Antoni should make an adjustment to this lineup immediately.  I wouuld move Henry to shooting guard and bring in either Johnson or Young for the 3 spot. Adds length, youth, and athleticism.

-They have a lot of young players who don't know how to win on the road yet. This comes with experience.

-The Lakers need either a strong defensive anchor or a very strong team defense concept. Right now they are trying to have the latter but they're not close to reaching it yet.

Until the Lakers fix these problems they'll continue to struggle especially on the road. They play the Houston Rockets tonight at 6:30pm.

Lakers vs Hawks (11/3/13)

I wasn't able to catch this one, but the Lakers won a nail biter 105-103. Pau Gasol was able to save the day with 2 clutch free throws and a block of a game winning attempt by Kyle Korver. Check the link for Dancing Barry's review:

Dancing Barry's Thoughts and Smiley Ratings

The Lakers let a 21 point lead slip away in this. They've got to make better habits of keeping leads. Tonight they'll play the Mavericks on the road.

Lakers vs Spurs (11/1/13)

The Lakers had a chance but couldn't get over the hump, and they fell to the Spurs 85-91.  They jumped out to a 15 point lead in the first half. At that point Xavier Henry got injured on a drive to the basket which stopped the game for a few minutes. After the game resumed Mr. Momentum switched jerseys and Spurs got back in the game. The game remained close and was tied at 80-80 with about 2 minutes to go. From there the Lakers had no closer while Tony Parker did the dirty work for San Antonio.

Nightly Notables:

The Good:
-The Lakers got off to a great start defensively. They were active and getting into the passing lanes. Their offense was off but their defense gained them the 15 point lead.
-Jordan Hill brought instant energy when he finally got in the game in the fourth quarter. It changed the complexity of the game and he probably should have been inserted into the game earlier.

The Bad:
-The Lakers backcourt of Nash and Blake shot the ball poorly. Nash was finally aggressive on offense but he just couldn't make a shot.
-The Lakers gave up too many offensive rebounds
-In the final two minutes the Lakers had no one who could manufacture points. This is where Kobe is really missed. Ideally Nick Young could fill in here, but he has not played well to start this season.

The Lakers lost a winnable game. But they're figuring some things out and will hopefully improve. Coach D'Antoni is inserting Xavier Henry into the starting lineup today to see if that will be a good adjustment. I tend to like the adjustment because it makes the backcourt a little bigger.

The Lakers will play the Hawks tonight at 6:30pm.

Lakers at Warriors (10/30/13)

As fun as it was to watch the Lakers debut against the Clippers, it was equally painful to watch them get blown out by Golden State the very next night. They lost to the Warriors 94-125.

It was a back-to-back game, but it's way to early in the season for the tired legs excuse. The Lakers were simply outplayed by hot shooting Warriors squad that plays well in their building. Steve Nash was unavailable as the team tries to limit his minutes in back-to-back scenarios.  Klay Thompson, son of former Laker great Mychal Thompson, had a field day. He scored 38 points and just shot over the top of the shorter Lakers guards. It would have been nice to Kobe to guard him, or the Lakers might consider going with a bigger guard rotation to start the game next time.

Nightly Notables:

The Good:
-It was a good learning experience for the Lakers young guns. Those crowds and officials on the road aren't going to be as friendly as they would be at home.
-Jodie Meeks had a good first quarter. He sort of kept the team afloat in that period and finished with 14 points on 50% shooting.
-Xavier Henry stayed aggressive despite not getting calls in his favor

The Bad:
-Didn't match the Warriors intensity all night
-Allowed Klay Thompson to get good looks in rhythm. Once a player like that gets going it's hard to stop.
-Couldn't counter the Warriors ball pressure. You have to attack on ball pressure to beat it. You can't be passive

The Lakers will play again tonight at home against San Antonio. It's a brutal start to the season, but hey...welcome to the NBA.

Go Lakers!!!

Lakers vs Clippers (10/29/13)

Got 'em coach! The Lakers started off the 2013-2014 season with a bang by defeating the Clippers 116-103. Without much expectations the Lakers played loose and ran the floor all night long. They also seemed to play with a chip on their shoulder. Maybe that comes from being counted out...

Nightly Notables:

The Good:
-The Lakers ran their offense through Pau in the 1st quarter and he looked good doing it. Nice and confident. That was the Spaniard we were used to.
-The Lakers out rebounded the Clippers which led to many second chance points. Their hustle and effort showed up the most here.
-The young gun bench unit came up big and played the entire 4th quarter. They outscored the Clippers 41-24 in that quarter led by Farmar and Henry.

The Bad:
-Nash came up a little gimpy on 1 play, and still seems a step slower than usual.
-The Lakers D had a tough time with rotations in the starting unit
-Free throw shooting could have been better

It was only one game but after all the Lakers and their fans have been through since last season it was a highly enjoyable one. Especially when their bench outplayed the starters of a team that is projected to be a title contender. The Lakers won't have time to enjoy this as they play again tonight against the Warriors. Nash is not supposed to play back to backs, but her rested for most of the second half so he might be able to go tonight.

Go Lakers!!!

Preseason: Lakers vs Jazz (10/25/13)/Season Preview

In the final preseason game the Lakers bested the Jazz 111-106. The Lakers finished the preseason with a 4-4 record. That record won't impress many, and it absolutely doesn't mean much, but if you've been paying attention so far you'll see that this team has some promise.

Heading into the regular season tonight let's look at things we learned from these 8 practice games, and the question marks that still remain:

What we learned:

-Nick Young can score in bunches. Even better is the fact that he showed some ability to facilitate in the preseason. If his play remains at the level it has been, he's worth more than what the Lakers paid for him. He very well could stick around for next year and beyond.
-Pau and Kaman play well together. Their skill sets compliment each other and they weren't horrible defensively.
-The young guns can run run run. Farmar, Henry, Johnson, and Hill have been effective in a young athletic 2nd unit that runs D'antoni's offense nicely. Perhaps more impressive than that is the fact that they can extend their defense and put pressure on the ball with traps and presses.

What we want to know:
-When will Kobe return? (Looks like he's about 3 weeks to a month away at this point from reading reports and quotes from himself on how long it takes him to get in shape.)
-Is Steve Nash done? He has moments where he looks as sharp as ever. And then he has moments where it looks like his body can't do much more. The Lakers success this season depends largely on his health. Or else Farmar or Blake will have to elevate their games.
-Where does Kaman fit? Is he better served as a backup big to Pau, or as a frontcourt partner playing next to him?
-Which of abandoned young guns with a lot to prove will have a breakout year? Young, Farmar, Henry, Johnson, and Williams all have a lot to prove and are in contract years.

This year promises to be really fun. We have a team with a nice mix of vets and young players who seem to get along great. Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti recently stated this team had the most chemistry (locker room) of any team he's seen in his 30 years with the team. Just pray for health so that this team can reach its full potential.

So sit back and enjoy the ride! The Lakers till off tonight at 7:30pm and the Clippers.

LET'S GO LAKE SHOW!!!