So how many time during that game did you just stop and ask yourself or anyone around you, “What is going? Where is this play all the time.” Its games like this that both encourage and frustrate me. This kind of team play and smothering defense is a capability of these Lakers. So the big question becomes, why this isn’t done every game.If you’re going to show everyone the kind of ball you can play you can’t be upset with fans when they expect that type of effort every night. Play like this is what makes Gilbert Arenas’s words of be patient ring pretty damn true.
Conversely, not to rain on this incredible win, but is this a one game anomaly or is this something this team intends to bring all the time? For everyone’s sake I hope this serves as a n example to the team and the nay saying fans that this team is capable of so much more.
Onto the good stuff…
The first couple of minutes started out for the Lakers as it usually does when they play the Suns. They come out a bit manic in anticipation of the Suns pushing the pace of the game beyond their capacity. However, this one straightened out quicker and cleaner than any other Suns game since the 3-1 lead the Lakers held over them a couple years ago in the first round. The reason it righted itself – defense.
This Laker team played flat-out smart defense last night. Better yet it was the perimeter defense that seemed to shore up more than it has in a long time. What I love to see was the stepped back D of the whole team. A lot of times recently when the Lakers played quicker teams, they would play every one of their guys on the perimeter far too close. It wouldn’t allow them any freedom of movement and more importantly it cut off any ability to recover. That wasn’t the case in this game. There was a noticeable cushion of room given to the Suns guards (and everyone else outside). When that first jab was given or if screens were set, the Lakers gave their selves room to operate. It was a more than welcome sight, one that had me smiling and breathing a sigh of relief knowing that somewhere deep down, they do get it.
Derek was just on offensively. I really can’t remember when he has gotten off to such a torrid start from mid-range. That alone took enough pressure off Kobe so he could move freely from weak to strong and along the 3 point line without doubles off the ball. The poise of having a veteran point guard ion the starting lineup is showing its benefits real early on already this year. The best part of Derek’s early (and entire) game was watching a Laker point guard not bite on every single fake or jab dribble Nash threw his way. For that matter Jordan was following the lead. Whether that’s something from Farmar that has been learned via Fisher or experience isn’t important. What was great to see was the Laker point guard core playing smartly on D.
I like having Ronny in the starting lineup. For the second game now, the guy is simply energy personified on the court. The best aspect he’s bringing on defense is this contesting every shot that comes down the lane. It’s been a long time since the Lakers have had a fearless player that doesn’t let easy buckets go unchallenged. It seems like a small item, but the end result of having someone clogging the lane is not only a stronger interior defense but one that will keep other teams from doing the waltz in the key they’ve been doing for the last couple of years. I’m sure when Lamar comes back Ronny will be part of the bench mob, but for now he’s doing a fantastic job in the middle. Offensively Ronny is making the hard cuts and rolls into low post that have been missing from the Lakers’ arsenal. It’s no accident as to the amount of alley-oop tosses and dunks Ronny’s getting. When you move your feet as well as he is from high post or outside to the baseline and a bit above, you’ll get free looks.
Are there still people around here and elsewhere that doesn’t appreciate the things Walton is doing? If so, I firmly believe you’re just not watching the games at all. Walton dropping down in to the post to act as the passing post is working out amazingly well. The vision Luke sees the court with from that spot paid off big time in this game. With his decent step back speed it allows the Lakers ‘ best passer to open up the mid-range game for everyone. Taking a small forward into the post offensively is also pulling a lot of foot speed off of the perimeter, making the long range shots easier to find or have better looks at.
That pass between the legs to Kobe for the dunk was a direct result of how Luke in the post can lead to nothing but good things.
Defensively, Luke is playing a quick smothering defense that I honestly didn’t think he was capable of. His spacing, splitting the difference between the high post and the perimeter where he’s often found, was picture-perfect this game.
The one guy on the Lakers that can change the game, aside from Kobe, is Radmanovic. You may laugh at the notion, but if Vladi is on his game, the entire Laker profile changes. That was shown tonight. A lot was due to the post play of Kobe and Luke, opening up the outside, but that won’t do much good unless you knock down the shots. Radmanovic is finally knocking down the shots. The trick is to get him doing this every game, not just once in a while or versus the big name teams. IF he’s on like he was on the Suns the whole court opens up for everyone, including himself.
Kwame hasn’t learned on big thing – head fakes. All the guy has to do is throw one stinkin’ fake someone’s way and he’d be shocked at not getting stuffed about every 3rd (or more than that this game) attempt. Defensively, the guy is playing strong planted defense. Sometimes, he’s almost too planted, but if he’s playing a low post threat it’s paying off at pushing players out of the lay-up zone and into the baby jumper area. A little more lateral mobility on defense would be sweet.
Where is that quick jump speed on that put-back he did in the 2nd quarter? That’s gotta be shown more.
If Andrew can use his length and be as aggressive as he was in garbage time of this game, his development will speed up significantly. The biggest problem Andrew has, and it does surface in most of the big match-ups is timidity. There’s no reason someone of his size and reach shouldn’t be clearing out the lane on defense without much effort. What I did love to see was Andrew using his length on offense as he did. Those couple of short flicked wrist/hook-ish shots over tall interior defense are exactly the type of thing that Andrew needs to cash in on.
Kobe played an incredibly good game. I completely understand Kobe’s frustration of being locked in the middle as far as his teammates go. If he doesn’t dish to them, he’s considered selfish. If he does dish to them and they miss shots, then he’s cried at for not controlling the game like he should have. In this game watching Kobe have implicit trust in his teammates was nothing but awesome to watch. A lot of it comes with everyone else cashing in on opportunities given to them, but even when a couple of misses were tossed up, there was no sulking or head dragging by Kobe.
Best of all, Kobe’s shot selection was spot on. There were no forced shots into the teeth of the defense this game, no 1 on 5 forces or ill-advised awkward jump shots. When Kobe got in trouble he was dishing off to teammates and moving.
The summer’s play for Kobe seems to have re-awakened his desire to play the lock down defense he became known for. I could barely count one time that Kobe was either beaten, screened out or off his man on the perimeter. Between that and the great spacing of the p[perimeter defense, the inside game was finally allowed to play 1 on 1 or at worst 1 on 2, rather than having to clean up every single mistake from the outside. The result was fewer fouls and stronger rebounding for the big men due to decreased lane traffic.
As a team, I loved seeing the Lakers push Phoenix to low percentage shots. They were giving space on the outside, and then closing the space on picked up dribbles or traps. When the passes came to the inside it was a calculate collapse to mid-range down to the low post. It was shutting out easy kicks to the4 perimeter and making lay-ups and easy dunks virtually impossible for the Suns.
One thing that may go unnoticed too was the great match=up work by Phil and his staff. It was a noticeably different rotation and Phil seemed to be adapting to the game at hand rather than an overall game plan that might not do well against everyone. I’d love to see that two small guard rotation of Fisher/Farmar or Farmar/Crittenton in the back court more. Speaking of Critt, it was good to see him get some minutes. I do believe that minutes should be drawn off of Sasha and thrown Javaris’ way.
So as the buzz of this win continues to hit, you have to ask whether this will become a habit or a fluke. If the Lakers concentrate on defense the way they have these first two games, it can easily become a habit. All this has been done without Odom now. It may take adjustment, but once Odom comes back into the fold, maybe, just maybe this team can show the desire to win (and contribute on a nightly basis) that everyone must bring to the table.
by Crucifido's Corner
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