Lakers D Steps Up Late (4.9.12)

The Lakers defeated the Hornets 93-91 this past Monday. A win like this should be no cause for celebration, even with Kobe Bryant sitting on the bench with a boot on his foot and shin. However, there actually was something noteworthy about the win, the Lakers closed out the game with stifling defense. Losing 73-81 with 6:30 left in the game, the Lakers went into lockdown mode and finished the game strong. During a pregame interview, Pau Gasol stated, "We need to stick to our principles in the defensive half court." The Lakers were able to do this in the final six minutes and it led to their win.

After a slow start by both teams, things started to pick up a little bit. Devin Ebanks made some great hustle plays, at one point diving through Marco Belinelli's legs to get a loose ball at half court and call timeout. Pleased, Mike Brown promptly hustled to mid court and gave Ebanks a high five and some nice recognition for his effort. Ebanks ended the quarter going 2-3 for 6 points, with all of his points coming on attacks to the rim. In Kobe's absence, Ebanks has stepped up nicely and Mike Brown seems impressed with the young guy. Speaking of Kobe, while dressed in a suave suit with one fresh Nike kick on one foot and a boot on the other, Kobe acted as an assistant coach throughout the night. He could be seen on the bench giving tips to the guys, talking in the huddle during timeouts, and even standing next to Mike Brown and watching the action during key plays. I'll touch upon this a little more later. The Lakers came out and established Pau in the post as the main feature of the offense. Pau went 3-4 for 6 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. Pau hit a jumper, a putback, and an up and under leaner. He also hit Ebanks on a nice curl for a layup. Pau's presence was felt early and often. The opposite could be said of Bynum. Bynum went 0-3 for 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. However, Bynum was doubled early and often, and he did a pretty good job of kicking out to the open wings. The Lakers finished the quarter up 21-19. 

In the second quarter, Pau seemed to forget about his pregame sentiments. The second 12 minutes became the Carl Landry show. Although undersized, Landry torched Pau and Bynum on multiple occasions. Landry went 4-5 for 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist in the quarter. Landry consistently hit mid range jumpers as Pau and Bynum sagged off of him. When he did put it on the floor, Landry got to the rim and drew fouls. Consistently hitting the 10ft jumper from the mid block, Pau was egregious in his numerous moments of giving Landry space for the open jumper. The second quarter was not Pau's finest play. Besides giving up points to Landry, Pau shot 3-8 for 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Drew was also pretty nonexistent, other than one frustration foul. Drew went 2-4 for 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Andrew's foul came with a minute left in the half. After Sessions drove strong to the rim and missed his layup, Bynum gathered the offensive rebound on the near block. Bynum gathered himself and slowly went up for a putback, but the ball was stripped as he went up. Chris Kaman got away with pushing Bynum in the side as Bynum went up, but this happened as Bynum was bobbling the ball. Drew regained possession and took a dribble from under the basket toward the far block. Drew then threw up a desperation turnaround shot that came nowhere close to going in. Feeling that he had been fouled, Drew ran back on D and wrapped up Greivis Vasquez just behind the near wing 3 point line. Bynum obviously committed a frustration foul and he let his displeasure be known with the refs. Although the foul was pretty dumb, it was, in a sense, progress for Bynum. Rather than yelling at the refs and getting a technical, Bynum took a meaningless foul and was able to check his emotions. Now if Drew does this with 4 fouls late in the fourth quarter, then there will be hell to pay, but at this stage in the game, it wasn't that big of a deal. With Pau hitting a buzzer beating jumper from the top of the key, the Lakers went into half up 44-43.

The third quarter was pretty ugly for the Lakers. The Lakers were outscored 29-21 in the quarter and they had some disappointing defensive lapses. In the final four minutes of the quarter, Carl Landry checked in and continued his nice play, going 2-2 for 4 points, with 1 assist and 1 rebound. The Hornets hit some huge threes off of kick outs and high screens, shooting 3-4 from downtown in the quarter. The bigs didn't show on high screens as the guards went under, leaving Vasquez and Belinelli twice for open 3's. Belinelli also hit a huge 3 to beat the shot clock after a drive and kick. Pau had another rough quarter, going 1-4 for 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. Bynum got himself started a bit, going 3-7 for 7 points and 3 rebounds. The real star of the quarter was Ramon Sessions. Ramon went 2-3 for 8 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound. Sessions attacked the rim strong and had one highlight worthy dunk. With just over 5 minutes left in the quarter, Sessions dribbled up the court to just behind the top of the 3. Sessions decided not to use Pau's pick on the right and instead he used a nice hesitation dribble to freeze his man. Sessions then exploded with acceleration and went straight to the rack. Sessions went up with two hands and dunked the ball in Kaman's face as Kaman was late on his rotation and stuck under the rim. Sessions also closed out the quarter with a savvy play. With 33 seconds left in the quarter, Sessions let the ball roll all the way to his basket at the top of the 3. New Orleans should have pressured him and made him pick it up, but Sessions got away with it and was able to produce a 2 for 1 opportunity to close the quarter. Sessions quickly picked up the ball at the top of the 3 and he crossed his man from right to left and then back to his right. Sessions got into the lane and finished with a running floater off of the glass. The 2 for 1 opportunity almost worked perfectly, as Barnes was able to drive and kick to an open Blake at the end of the quarter, but Steve missed the open wing jumper. After allowing Greivis Vasquez to go 3-4 for 9 points and 5 assists in the quarter, the Lakers entered the fourth down 65-72. 

After allowing the Hornets to stretch the lead to 79-71 with 8:45 left to play, the Lakers finally returned to their defensive principles from earlier in the season. The Hornets went 5-18 from that point on and the Lakers played some great defense. The Lakers came up with 5 huge blocks in this span, with Pau getting 2, Drew 1, Barnes 1, and MWP 1. Pau came up with the biggest block of the night with just under two minutes left in the game and the score tied 86-86. Vasquez used a pick from Kaman on the near top side to drive to the near mid wing. Vasquez hit the rolling Kaman in the middle of the lane. Metta World Peace rotated from the far side to step right in front of Kaman in the lane. Metta's presence allowed just enough time for Pau to slide over from the near block and swat Kaman's good look at the basket. Bynum recovered the ball, and Sessions pushed up the far wing. Sessions swung the ball to Metta at the top of the 3. Metta hit Pau at the near elbow and waited. Marco Belinelli left Metta to double Pau, so Pau dribbled out from the elbow to the near wing. With 4 seconds on the shot clock, Pau swung the ball back to Metta at the top of the 3. Marco tripped as Pau passed it and Metta knocked down the wide open 3. The Lakers came up with two more stops and sealed the deal with the same exact play they used against New Jersey for Kobe to hit the game winning 3. During the timeout before the play, Kobe was seen talking to Pau. He gave him a lot of pointers, and he seemed to indicate that the ball would be going over Pau's head during the talk, implying that Pau would be setting a down screen. With Metta as the inbounder, Bynum set up on the near block, Blake on the far block, Pau at the near top key, and Sessions at the far elbow. Blake started the set by cutting across from the far block to the near corner. Sessions came to set a cross screen as he cut to the near block and picked Bynum's man. Bynum rolled around from the near block to the far block, and he chipped Sessions man in the process. Pau then came down from the top and laid a down screen on Sessions man (Vasquez) at the near mid elbow as Sessions popped up to the near side top 3. Metta threw a perfect pass and Sessions knocked down the clutch 3. 

Sessions' 3 put the Lakers up 92-86 and should have sealed the deal. However, New Orleans came down and hit a 3 of their own as Vasquez used a flare screen on the near wing to cut to the mid corner. Bynum was late on the closeout and Vasquez hit the 3, cutting the lead to just 3 points. Pau was immediately fouled and he missed the second free throw. During the free throws, the cameras caught Kobe on the sideline standing next to Mike Brown as if he was the assistant coach. It was pretty entertaining to see Kobe so engaged and it served as a reminder of how injured stars should interact with their teammates. New Orleans then came out looking for a 3, but the Lakers played some great defense. Vasquez caught the ball at the far wing and looked to swing the ball to Belinelli, who was curling from the far block up to the near wing. However, Metta rode Belinelli's outside hip, effectively denying the pass and making it impossible for Kaman to get a good pick on him at the top of the key. Vasquez had no choice but to hit Kaman at the top of the key. Kaman drove left and finished with the lefty runner as Bynum gave up the concession 2. This put the score at 93-91 with 1.2 seconds left. 

All the Lakers had to do following the concession basket was inbound the ball; however, this would prove to be a rather mind-blowing event. Mike Brown called timeout to advance the ball to half court. They set up Metta as the inbounder on the near side, with Pau at the near elbow, Blake at the far corner, Sessions at the far mid wing, and Barnes in the backcourt far corner. The choice to have Barnes so far from the action was obviously meant to open the court up for one of the other three Lakers to catch the ball in space; however, Metta seemed intent on throwing the ball to Barnes. Barnes' man, Smith, seemed confused by the setup and he roamed from half court to the far wing and finally all the way to the far corner. During this time, Metta anxiously asked for the ball on numerous occasions. For some reason, the ref waited a while to give Metta the ball. Metta had already tipped his hand, yet once he got the ball, he motioned for Barnes to cut to the near corner. Metta then proceeded to throw the ball in toward the Hornets rim in his own backcourt before Barnes began moving. Jason Smith nearly came up with the steal. Luckily Barnes was able to beat him to the ball and gather it at the near block. If Smith did steal that pass, he would have had an 8ft jumper to tie the game with the smaller Barnes on him. Fortunately, Barnes got there just in time and was able to run out the clock. This play left Stu Lantz stupefied, as Stu proclaimed, "That was the worst play I have ever seen in basketball." Stu repeated this line multiple times and was clearly bothered by the horrible decision. The Lakers almost blew the game, but a little bit of luck allowed them to pull out the win.

Despite the crazy ending, the Lakers were able to win the game because of their defensive prowess and offensive clutchness. Five different Lakers scored in the final 3 minutes of play with the game on the line. Bynum had a reverse layup, Blake had a running bank shot in the lane, Metta had the open 3, Sessions hit the 3 off the inbound, and Pau made a free throw. Usually crunch time is Kobe time, however, multiple guys stepped up and made huge plays. These contributions are important and will serve the team well in the future, especially come playoff time. Hitting big shots always boosts confidence and it's nice to know that these guys can step up and make big plays. Although barely beating New Orleans is nothing to get too excited about, it is important to recognize the defensive effort and strong close at the end. The Lakers need to play that fourth quarter brand of defense all game from here on out. They can't wait until the end of the game to finally turn on the defensive switch. Doing so against good teams will cost them wins. For now though, let's just celebrate the win. Pau, Drew, and Ramon came up big and led the way. Pau went 10-21 for 25 points, with 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 huge blocks; a great all around game. Drew went 7-17 for 18 points, with 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Ramon finished an efficient 5-9 for 17 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. These are great contributions to some buy time while Kobe is out due to injury. 

Phoenix Just Too Hot (4.7.12)

The Los Angeles Lakers gave up 125 points this past Saturday to the Pheonix Suns. 125! The Suns had 99 by the end of the third quarter! This came after Mike Brown called out the team for their lack of defensive rotations against the Houston Rockets. Kobe Bryant missed the game due to a painful shin injury that had been bugging him for a couple of games. Obviously Kobe's presence means a lot, as he has averaged 38 points per game this season against Pheonix; however, Kobe's absence still provided no excuse for their lackluster defensive performance.

The Lakers gave up numerous open looks off of transition looks, drive and kicks, and not showing on screen and rolls. The Suns capitalized and knocked down these open jumpers on a regular basis. Obviously, any team featuring Steve Nash is going to get open looks due to his great ability to run the pick and roll and drive and kick. However, Nash wasn't even the best player on the floor that night. His 13 points and 11 assists were nice, but it was the role players that really buried the Lakers. Shannon Brown led the way with 24 points on 9-19 shooting, going 4-8 from downtown. In the third quarter, Shannon went 8-12 for 20 points, and shot 4-6 from 3. Simply put, he was on fire. At one point, Shannon pulled up for a 3 during a one on five situation in transition; of course, he swished it. The Lakers struggled to play any semblance of defense and the Suns bench absolutely destroyed them, scoring 58 points compared to the Lakers measly 10 points off of the bench. Shannon's output didn't even count for the bench points because he started for the injured Grant Hill. Michael Redd and Sebastian Telfair gave the Lakers problems all night, especially in the second quarter. In the second, Redd went 6-11 for 17 points, hitting 2-4 from downtown. Telfair matched Redd's productivity, shooting 5-7 for 13 points, hitting 2-2 from 3, and dishing out 4 assists. These second quarter outbursts allowed the Suns to erase a 32-24 deficit at the end of the first and stretch their lead to 5 points by outscoring the Lakers 38-25 in the second. After numerous defensive breakdowns throughout the second, Sebastian Telfair closed the half with an and one layup. After Bynum hit a nice baseline turnaround bank on the far block, both he and Pau were late getting back down the court. Telfair got the ball on the near side with four seconds left in the half and he raced up the court, got into the middle, and finished with a layup on the far side of the lane while being fouled. With no big man help, Ebanks had no chance of stopping Telfair in the open court at full speed.

The Lakers followed up their horrible second quarter by giving up 37 points in the third. Shannon Brown showed the Lakers why they should have spent some money on him this past offseason. Although he is a streaky shooter, Shannon is a legitimate shooting guard. The Lakers don't have a single shooting guard other than Kobe. Saturday's game highlighted their 2guard deficiency. Other than one beautiful tip in, Shannon scored everything outside of 18ft. His stroke was wet and he splashed the ball through the net on pull ups, step backs, off of picks, and off of drive and kicks. After Shannon hit his one on five pull-up 3, the cameras cut to Kobe on the bench grimacing. Kobe loves Shannon like a little brother, but he sure didn't enjoy watching Shannon light up the Lakers.

The Lakers actually had a nice run to start the fourth quarter. They got the deficit down to just 12 with 8 minutes to play. Then came a horrible stretch of play that allowed the Suns to decidedly put the game away. Barnes threw a bad pass as he drove down the near side baseline to the rim. The ball bounced off of Pau's leg and out of bounds. Following that, MWP ripped the ball from Morris at the far corner. Steve Blake pushed the ball up the far side in transition and kicked it to Barnes in the far corner for a wide open 3. Barnes bricked it. The Suns came down and ran a pick and roll to perfection with Telfair and Morris at the near wing. Telfair dribbled toward the top of the 3 and hit the rolling Morris for a finish at the rim. Morris was fouled, but he made both free throws. Then Steve Blake traveled after picking up his dribble at the far elbow and shuffling his feet while pivoting. The Suns came down and Telfair hit Lopez for an alley oop dunk, stretching the lead to 16. The Suns never looked back. Michael Redd buried two 3's with just over a minute left just to rub in the beat down. The Suns won, 125-105.

The Lakers lack of effort on defense was disappointing. Although Michael Redd and Shannon Brown were unstoppable for different stretches in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, there is no excuse for the Lakers' repeated breakdowns throughout the rest of the game. The guards went under picks on the pick and roll, the bigs didn't flash out to help on the pick and roll. The Lakers gave up repeated penetration in the middle for drive and kick opportunities. It just seemed like the Lakers didn't know what their responsibilities were.

One bright note for the game was the play of Devin Ebanks. Ebanks has played a total of 4 minutes since the beginning of February; however, he came in and showed the coaching staff that he has been professional in his preparation. Ebanks went 6-11 for 12 points and 4 rebounds. All of his rebounds were offensive rebounds. He got a number of easy putbacks by crashing the glass and he ran the floor well in transition for some easy layups. Overall, Ebanks showed that he was in shape and ready to play with some energy in his 32 minutes of burn. If Kobe's shin requires some more healing time, Ebanks will be called upon to play with energy, and he may have even earned some more playing time even if Kobe does play. Props to the youngster.

Bynum, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (4.6.12)

Bynum ejected vs the Rockets. Again!
(Courtesy Fox Sports West Prime Ticket, NBA)

Andrew Bynum's career has always seemed to be like a Tomb Raider puzzle that can only be cracked by taking one step forward and two steps back. It seems like every time Bynum makes progress, he follows it with regression.

Remember the 07/08 season? That was Bynum's third year in the league and he was starting to come into his own. He averaged a double double that season, with 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Add in his 2.1 blocks and .636 field goal percentage and it was clear, Bynum was becoming a force. Do you remember how Bynum ended that season? Bynum dislocated his left kneecap as he landed awkwardly on Lamar Odom's foot while going for a rebound. The Lakers were 26-11 at that point due to Bynum's awesome breakout year. Just two weeks later the Lakers pulled off the trade for Pau Gasol. Pau was great, but the lack of Bynum's physical presence cost the Lakers a championship against the Boston Celtics.

With that in mind, guess what happened in 08/09? In a game that I attended, Bynum set his career high with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks against the Clippers. Bynum looked great and well on his way to becoming the breakout star that he showed glimpses of the previous season. But of course it didn't last. Once again, almost exactly a year later and against the same opponent, Bynum sprained his right knee as Kobe fell into him while going for a layup. It was later confirmed that he tore his ACL. Bynum came back late in the season, but he was never the same. Pau Gasol came up huge in the finals as he was able to check Dwight Howard. The Lakers won the championship, but Bynum only played 17 minutes a game during that postseason.

Bynum followed up that campaign with a solid 09/10 season. Bynum averaged 15.0 points, and 8.3 rebounds, with .570 percent shooting per game. Bynum stayed healthy the entire regular season. Then came the first round and Bynum tore his meniscus against the Thunder in game 6 of the first round. Bynum fought through the pain and continued playing for the rest of the playoffs with a knee brace. However, his numbers considerably dipped. His minutes went from 30.4 in the regular season to 24.4. His points and boards slipped to 8.6 and 6.9. Obviously the injury impacted him, but this time the Celtics lost their big man, Kendrick Perkins, and the Lakers were able to overcome them in a huge game 7 victory to win back to back championships.

Following the championship, Bynum attended the World Cup in South Africa and enjoyed a personal vacation. Due to his delay on the surgery, Bynum ended up missing the first two months of the regular season in 10/11. Bynum gave the Lakers an advance notice of his knee complications just hours before training camp began instead of weeks in advance. Bynum played his worst statistical season since his second year, regressing to just 11.3 points and 9.4 boards on .574 shooting. Bynum also foreshadowed his penchant for cheap shots by absolutely destroying Michael Beasley with a forearm flagrant that sent Beasley flying. Bynum upped his numbers in the playoffs with 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and .543 shooting, but he will be remembered for his dirty flagrant foul on J.J. Barea. Bynum clocked the diminutive Barea with a forearm to the exposed ribs of Barea as the Lakers were getting blown out in the deciding game of the series sweep.

One step forward, two steps back. Lakers fans will always wonder, "When is Andrew Bynum going to get hurt?" Bynum has been relatively healthy this season and he has definitely improved his game. It could be said that Bynum has taken multiple steps forward this year. Drew made his first All-Star Game this year and is averaging a double double with 18.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and .583 field goal percentage. This is absolutely Bynum's breakout year. He hasn't suffered a considerable injury (sprained ankles are common), and he is now a star on the team. With Lamar Odom out of town, Drew is more important to the Lakers than he has ever been. If Bynum doesn't play well, the Lakers don't win ballgames, plain and simple. The Lakers depend on their big 3 of Kobe, Pau, and Drew more than any other team in the league. Ramon Sessions has provided a nice spark, but it's still all about the big 3.

Now the question surrounding Drew regards his mental health. Although Bynum's play has been near dominant at times, his erratic behavior has been disappointing. Bynum has made numerous questionable decisions this season. His 3 point attempt against the Golden State Warriors definitely raised some eyebrows, but it was his lack of maturity following that play that really caught the attention of the Lakers brass. Bynum was fined by the organization for his continued immature behavior. Bynum skipped meetings, didn't join the team in huddles, warmed up on his own, vowed to take more 3 pointers, and just seemed to show a total lack of regard for the team's well being.

Fast forward to tonight's game against the Houston Rockets. Entering the fourth quarter, Bynum continually used his height and weight to his advantage. Bynum had 19 points on 6-11 shooting with 7 rebounds. However, Bynum just wasn't all there tonight. Bynum had 5 turnovers and he seemed more interested in talking smack against his opponents than punishing them with his play. The Rockets do not have a single person that can stop Bynum. Samuel Dalembert is decent, but Bynum can manhandle him. Unfortunately, Bynum let the Rockets get into his head. With just over a minute to go in the third quarter, Bynum took a rather innocent foul from Dalembert. Bynum blew by Dalembert on the near block and went up for the layup. Dalembert came from behind and tried to make a play on the ball and he fouled Bynum. The attempted block was a good basketball play, nothing like Bynum's previous transgressions, however Bynum took offense to the play and began talking smack to Dalembert and he had to be restrained by his teammates. Bynum lost his cool for no apparent reason and was given a technical foul by the referees. There was nothing dirty about the play. The Lakers headed into the fourth down 84-81. Just minutes after his last technical, Bynum got another one. On the first offensive play of the quarter, Bynum made a nice move on the far block as he spun baseline and finished with a lefty hook. Knowing he had a technical, Bynum began to yap his mouth at the Rockets bench right after the bucket. Bynum taunted the Rockets as he jogged back down the floor and he was immediately assigned his second technical foul. Two technicals yielded him an ejection from the game. Bynum knew that he had a technical in the first place. His decision to so blatantly taunt the Rockets was unacceptable. The Lakers ended up finishing the quarter with 7-25 shooting as they lost 112-107. Even more bizarre is the fact that Bynum cost the Lakers a win against the Rockets just two weeks ago for the same exact reason. He was ejected late in the third quarter of that game and the Lakers were pounded on the glass during that final period, losing 107-104. Bynum obviously didn't learn his lesson that game.

Andrew Bynum needs to grow up. His immaturity is beginning to become alarming. Gone are the days of Kobe in the absolute prime of his career and Lamar Odom being the sixth man of the year. The Lakers need Andrew Bynum to be on the court making big plays. For all of his talent, Bynum's attitude is beginning to overshadow him. To open the post game press conference, Mike Brown brought up the Lakers lack of defensive mentality and weak side help. These may have been veiled shots at Bynum's defensive rotations, but they are also true to the Lakers as a whole. He then mentioned that the Lakers seem more interested in outscoring teams, and that in order for the Lakers to win, they need to get back to their solid defensive efforts. Once done with the opening statement, Brown was questioned about Bynum for the next several minutes. Brown stated, "We talked to him when he went back out there at the start of the quarter and we told him, 'Hey you have one technical, don't pick up your second.'" Brown continued, "Yeah, I'm disappointed because we told him, 'You got one technical, don't pick up your second,' you know, and he acknowledged us and he went out there and picked up his second when I thought he could have helped us win the ballgame." Mike Brown essentially called Bynum out right there. Brown let everyone know that Bynum was aware of the situation and that he decided to make the wrong decision just moments after that discussion. Brown continued, "Watching that tonight was concerning, from the standpoint that again, we discussed it right before he went out there, and he acknowledged us, and it happened anyway, and when you have that, that is concerning." Brown's use of the word "concerning" is alarming. It indicates a lack of trust. It shows just how much Andrew Bynum needs to grow. Bynum needs to be a reliable presence on this Lakers team for them to be able to do anything this year.

Bynum's actions are reminiscent of a teenager rebelling against his parents. However, Bynum is not a teenager, he is a multimillionaire athlete that gets paid to play the game of basketball. For Bynum to directly acknowledge the situation, to indicate his understanding, it just strikes me as an act of rebellion. What else can explain it? The moment was baffling. Bynum was caught so red handed. Why not let your play do the talking for you? Get the win, and let them know how unstoppable you are. Instead, Bynum's histrionics got him thrown out. The moment was actually comical to the Rockets bench, as Marcus Camby and others just waved goodbye to Bynum. Brown later stated, "He left his teammates out there [...] It's not right." Think about Kobe Bryant. Kobe plays through everything. Tonight he played with a sore shin. Imagine how much pain there must be every time Kobe jumps and lands on the ground. Just running can be a pain with a bad shin. For Kobe to come out and suit up and then watch his big man get ejected in the critical fourth quarter, he must feel cheated. Bynum cost the Lakers another win with his complete disregard for his own team and the standards of basketball. Even more baffling is the fact that this came right after the most impressive game of his career. One game after dismantling the Clippers with an arsenal of moves that no other center, not even Dwight Howard, can pull off, Bynum followed it with a stupid fourth quarter ejection.

One step forward, two steps back. The story of Andrew Bynum. Unlike Lara Croft, this puzzle doesn't get solved by moving backward. Andrew needs to get his act together and be more professional. Bynum will be due for a huge payday soon. He is going to make $16 million next season, but after that he will be a free agent. If Bynum continues this trend of bizarre behavior, will the Lakers be so willing to dish out $20 million plus for the troubled star? Such an investment could prove quite worthy, or absolutely disastrous. Hopefully it's the former and Drew begins to only move forward.

Stan Van Blows Up The Season (4.5.12)

Stan Van Gundy just sent in his resignation. After months, actually years, of dealing with the Dwight Howard debacle, Stan Van made management's choice much easier this coming offseason with his revelations to the press that Dwight Howard has gone to management and asked for him to be fired. Stan and Dwight have had their dust ups in the past, but they have also been a very successful tandem. They have been a perennial 50 win team since 2007 and they even made a trip to the finals in 2009.

Stan Van Gundy's timing could not be worse. His statements came with just weeks left in the season and with the Magic on a five game losing streak. Falling from the 3rd seed in the East to the 6th seed in a week, Stan dropped this bomb, "I was told it was true by people in our management." Stan is referring to the constant rumors regarding Dwight's desire for him to be fired. With Dwight holding all of Orlando hostage up until his decision to terminate his early opt out this coming offseason, it is surprising that Stan finally lost his head at this point in time. Stan Van kept the Magic together despite the obvious detachment of Howard for most of the season. For Stan to come out and confirm Dwight's pleas, it seems the roles have switched. Now it is Stan who is detached and he seems ready to part at any time, stating this tidbit, "It's 12:02 right now. If they want to fire me at 12:05, I'll go home and find something to do. I'll have a good day." Stan just seems done with Dwight. With his contract up at the end of the season, Stan does not want to have to kiss Dwight's ass in order to get an extension.

Stan also seems to have split the locker room, with some players in his camp and others in Dwight's camp. With high hopes for the postseason, the Magic seem done. The Orlando Magic are the only team that can can beat Miami to represent the East. Miami simply has no answer for Dwight. Some think Chicago can topple Miami, but Chicago can be bottled up. Lebron James can check Derrick Rose and make him pretty much useless. When Rose isn't in control, the Bulls just aren't that good. I know Chicago has had a nice run recently with Rose out of the lineup, but come playoff time, that won't happen. Dwight is the only answer to the Heat. He is a dominant post presence that must be doubled. The Heat have no size and Dwight could actually average a 20/20 against them. Once Miami caves in and decides to double Dwight, that will play right into the Magic's strength, as they love to kick out to open shooters for 3's. However, with the most recent events occurring, the Magic certainly will not be playing their best ball. Hours after Stan's revelation, Dwight posted one of his worst games against the Knicks, scoring just 8 points with 8 rebounds and 5 turnovers. Dwight did not score a single point until he got a gimme dunk at the end of the third quarter. His lackadaisical defense was horrid and Charles Barkley bluntly stated that the Magic quit as Orlando was blown out 96-80.

Although Stan's comments are coming at an odd time, he may have just saved Orlando from having an awkward offseason. The Magic front office now know that they need to search for a new coach, and nobody will be asking Dwight about his "desire" for Stan to remain the coach. The media now knows that Stan will be gone, thus there will be no need to bug the players for comments regarding their coach and his next contract. Stan dealt with a circus all season, and now he can't wait to get out of it. He knows that he will be Dwight Howard's coach for maybe a month and a half longer, and that's it. Stan ensured that he will not have to deal with the circus involving Dwight's next contract. If this season was any indication, Dwight obviously does not know what he wants to do. He wavered back and forth all year regarding the decision to sign an extension with Orlando, and then he put off the ordeal for one year by terminating his ETO. All of these problems will pop up once again next season and Stan seems to be bailing.

Ironically, Stan's step down will make life even harder on Dwight Howard, not easier. Orlando will have to install a new system next year and I doubt that they will be as good with their current lineup. Stan gets a lot out of his system. The Magic are a limited team. They are one of the few NBA teams that depend wholly upon one player. Everything goes through Dwight for their inside out game. The last successful team to play like this was the Houston Rockets of the mid 90's with Hakeem Olajuwon. Dwight is no Hakeem. Now if Dwight leaves, he will be known as a traitor and a player that ran out a great coach. Dwight's only chance for success in Orlando will be to resign early in the season and rebuild with a new coach, a new system, and some new players. With Stan in the rearview, the Magic will probably struggle to begin next season, and that may push Dwight even closer to leaving. Even more apparent is that Dwight will receive a huge backlash if he leaves.

Those hurt the most by this revelation will not be Dwight, Stan, or the organization. It will be Orlando Magic fans. They will most likely lose out on their best coach and their best player. With the playoffs rolling around it can't be fun to root for a team that is divided between player and coach. Orlando loves Dwight, but he may be running out of charm. He has been testing Orlando's patience for a year now, and it is only going to get worse. Even worse, imagine if the Magic somehow succeed this postseason. What if they were to magically represent the East in the finals, or even win the finals! Stan would have to be resigned. Dwight would have to answer numerous questions regarding his affinity for the coach. Dwight would have to lie and say that he and Stan get along just fine. Dwight's request for Stan's removal will never be forgotten. It will always linger. The only way to get away from it is a split. Stan made his choice. He's ready to leave. Now all that has to happen is for the Magic to bow out in the playoffs and move along.

Battle LA (4.4.12)

Blake Griffin flies over Pau Gasol.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Last night's "Battle in Los Angeles" did not include aliens flying down from space and pissing off the old timer, Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, but it did include Blake Griffin flying through Pau Gasol, not once, but twice. Blake Griffin threw down a thunderous tip dunk over Pau to give the Clippers their first basket of the night. As Randy Foye shot from the near corner, the ball bounced up nice and high, just in front of the rim, and Blake took a running start from the far elbow and flew in the air, catching the ball with two hands and slamming the ball through the net as he rode Pau Gasol's back on the way down. However, this was only just the beginning. Blake's next dunk is what set off the Lakers and turned this intracity game into a masterpiece. The intensity meter jumped through the roof and the crowd couldn't decide who they wanted to win. Although the game was a Clippers home game, the crowd seemed to side with whoever was hot at the time. With two teams to cheer for, and numerous highlights, Staples Center was rocking. However, just as the grizzled veteran, SSgt. Michael Nantz, prevailed, destroying numerous aliens and reclaiming Los Angeles, so would the wiser, battle tested Lakers.

Kobe Bryant understood how big this game was and he came out guns blazing. The Clippers are an up and coming team tugging for the heart of Los Angeles, but Kobe showed them all why this is still the Black Mamba's town. With just a game and a half lead on the Clippers for the Pacific division title, Kobe came out red hot. After missing his first 3 shots in the opening three minutes, all within 13ft, Kobe made his next 7 in a row in the first quarter. Andrew Bynum also came out to play, and boy did he play well. Following his one game off due to the basketball gods punishing his erratic behavior with an ankle injury, Bynum came out and played the most impressive game of his young career. Andrew Bynum absolutely destroyed DeAndre Jordan. DeAndre is one of the best defenders in the league, but Bynum, even with a sore ankle, made DJ seem like a stationary traffic cone. Bynum brought out the full offensive arsenal and was able to get any shot he wanted at any time. Up and unders, left hooks, right hooks, reverse layups, fade aways, jumpers, dunks, Bynum did it all and there was nothing DJ could do to stop it.

Bynum's first bucket was a gimme, and it highlighted his lack of full mobility, making Bynum's night even more impressive. Sessions ran a pick and roll with Pau, moving from the near wing to the middle. Pau rolled nearside as Sessions turned the corner and got into the lane. Sessions dumped the ball to Drew, who caught the ball at the far block, took one dribble to gather himself, and finished with a reverse on the near block to avoid the double of DJ and Blake Griffin. Bynum normally would have just slammed this down, but his gimpy ankle took away his explosion, making him resort to fundamental basketball. Bynum's next bucket was a nice and one, as he leaked out after contesting a Chris Paul jumper and Sessions threw the outlet pass. Bynum finished the layup as Foye desperately tried to foul him but couldn't wrap him up.

At the 6:41 mark, with the Lakers up 14-8, it became Kobe time. With Sessions at the far wing, Kobe received the entry at the far mid baseline. With his back to the basket, Kobe spun baseline and stepped back for a 13ft jumper to beat the shot clock. Kobe's next bucket came as Sessions brought the ball up the near side. As Sessions circled around the perimeter to the top of the key, Kobe used a pick from Pau at the near wing and circled baseline to the far block. Sessions threw the entry and Kobe went up strong and finished the and one bucket 4ft from the basket. Kobe then caught DJ sleeping as he set up Bynum for an easy bucket. Kobe was in iso on the near mid wing. He caught the ball, faced up, and jabbed right. As DJ stared at Kobe making his jab, Bynum moved from the far block and slipped under DJ, sealing him on his back and Kobe fed Drew the ball right under the rim. Bynum took one bounce and finished with reverse layup. Kobe was not done by any means. The next possession Kobe was in iso at the top of the key. He caught the ball and faced up, slightly jabbed right twice to rock Butler on his heels and shot the 20ft straight ahead jumper. Swish. After a tipped ball on the next possession, Kobe caught the inbounds pass at the far mid corner wing. Bynum came from the far block to set a pick for Kobe, but no pick was necessary. Bynum slipped the pick as DJ doubled Kobe. Kobe fired the 3 pointer to beat the clock and it was money. At this point, Kobe and Bynum accounted for 19 of the 24 Lakers points.

Caron Butler seemed to respond with his own buckets every time Kobe scored. Being former teammates, and best friends, Caron had a flash back and had his best game since the All Star break, topping 20 for the first time since that span in just the first half. Bynum and Kobe kept coming though. Bynum caught an iso on the near block. He immediately pivoted with his left to turn baseline. With his right foot stepping out wide to the baseline, Bynum simultaneously swung the ball through from the left to the right and he jabbed. After rocking DJ right, Bynum quickly took one dribble to the left, got in the lane, and pulled up for an 11ft jumper. DJ looked helpless. Kobe responded on the next possession. Kobe isolated on the near block against Nick Young. He caught the ball with his back to the basket, dribbled once while backing down, and shimmied, shaking from his left, toward the baseline, and back to his right for the fadeaway. Of course the 13ft jumper was cash money. Kobe's next bucket came off of a loose ball. Corralling the ball just inside the free throw line, Kobe was headed the opposite way of his own bucket. Kobe decided to just get the ball, take one dribble back, and hop back past the free throw line. Kobe shot a fading jumper and the ball softly hit the front rim and bounced off the backboard and in.

Kobe and Bynum in that first quarter reminded me of Kobe and Shaq. They were just dominant. Every possession ran through them and they were an unstoppable tandem. Kobe finished the quarter 7-10 for 16 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. Bynum finished 5-9 for 11 points and 5 rebounds. The Lakers led 34-29.

In the second quarter the Clippers sent double teams to Kobe on multiple occasions and they even switched in and out of a 2/3 zone in order to slow the Mamba down. Kobe only took one shot, making it, and he tallied up two more assists in his 5:28 of play. Bynum also slowed down, going 3-3 for six points in the same stretch. With excellent ball movement, the Lakers were able to overcome the doubles and get good looks, outscoring the Clippers 29-26 and heading into the half up 63-55.

To start the third, the cameras showed Vinny Del Negro getting up in DeAndre Jordan's grill and pounding his chest in an effort to pump up the big man. Vinny's motivational tactic would prove useless. The third once again belonged to Drew and Kobe. On the first defensive play of the quarter, Drew swatted a DJ dunk attempt. The Lakers also began to utilize the 1-2 pick and roll. With Sessions at the near wing, Kobe came from the far side and set a pick on CP3 at the near wing. Foye did not help on Sessions because he didn't want to leave Kobe, and Kobe took CP3 out of the play with his pick. Sessions turned the corner and drove straight down the lane for an easy layup. The very next play, the Lakers ran the same set. Once again Foye didn't show, and this time Sessions stopped at the top of the 3 and swished it as Chris Paul went under Kobe's pick. Following that, Kobe went into iso at the near mid wing. He caught the ball and held it with his back to the basket as he surveyed the floor for 3 seconds. With his back still to the basket, Kobe took one dribble to the right to attack the middle. Foye jumped on his top side, so Kobe spun back baseline and pumped. Foye bit on the pump and jumped right into Kobe as Kobe waited for the contact to shoot the jumper. Kobe swished the 18ft jumper and sank the free throw. Then the Lakers displayed a full set regarding the 1-2 pick and roll. With Sessions on the near wing, Kobe came from the far elbow, set the pick, and rolled to the far block. This time CP3 fought through the pick, so Sessions continued to dribble right to the top of the 3 point line. Sessions swung the ball to Pau at the far elbow, and Pau looked to send the ball to Kobe on the far block. The Clippers denied the entry, so Kobe curled up and took the handoff from Pau at the far elbow. As Pau's man doubled Kobe at the elbow, Pau slipped to the far block and Kobe immediately hit him. Pau caught the ball and shot a flat footed 3ft shot off the glass. Pau comically stood there, shooting without jumping, as DJ rotated from the weak side and jumped as high as he could to block the shot. Assist, Kobe. At this point, the score was 73-61 Lakers, with 8:53 in the third.

Blake Mozgovs/Perkinizes Pau Gasol.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Pau takes a forearm to the face.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Then came the boom. Caron Butler had the ball in the near corner. Blake came from the far side to set a pick and roll to the near side. Kobe was taken out on the pick and Caron took two dribbles toward the top of the key. Bynum flashed up to help on Caron and Pau stood at the weak side far block. Butler threw a perfect bounce pass to the rolling Griffin and Blake caught the ball just outside the lane and exploded. Blake extended his forearm and elbow into Pau's neck and threw down a vicious dunk as Pau fell to the ground. Blake then stood over Pau and gave him a stare down. The crowd roared, absolutely going nuts. Pau got up and yelled at the officials for letting Blake extend his arm and throw him down. Blake missed the and one free throw, but CP3 got the offensive board and kicked the ball to Randy Foye in the far corner. Foye then drove baseline and finished with a beautiful reverse layup right by Pau. These two consecutive plays could be featured on those "Wanna Get Away" ads for the airlines. Blake crashing down on Pau absolutely upped the intensity. The game felt like a bitter high school rivalry playing for the DVL championship in the last game of the season. Kobe immediately came down on the next play and checked Blake as he set a hard screen. Kobe popped him and got called for an offensive foul. However, the message was sent. Kobe stuck up for Pau and let Blake Griffin and the rest of the Clippers know that he would not be taking any shit.

The Lakers took a timeout just to regather their emotions. Kobe took control of the huddle and talked to Pau, telling him, "Calm down. Don't worry about it, come back and get these guys on the floor." Following that play, Andrew and Kobe scored every single point but one for the rest of the quarter, scoring 18 points in the final seven minutes. Bynum went 3-6 for 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 blocks and Kobe went 2-3 for 6 points, 1 assist, and 3 rebounds. The one point that didn't come from Drew or Kobe came from Pau. After Bynum got switched onto CP3, he blocked his shot at the far wing. Ramon pushed the ball up and hit Bynum on the far block as Bynum leaked out after the block. Bynum then dished to the trailing Pau who was sprinting down the middle of the floor. Pau caught the ball in the lane and as he went up for the dunk, Blake pushed Pau in the back. Pau missed the dunk and flew into the camera men, falling onto them. Bynum immediately got in Blake's face and called him out for the dirty play. Pau got up and angrily told Blake to make a play on the ball. The blood sure was boiling. Then Kobe rocked the joint. With Sessions pushing up the near side, Bynum set a pick on the outside for him at the 3 point line. Sessions continued driving outside towards the baseline and Bynum rolled to the near block. Ramon stopped at the near mid wing and kicked the ball out to the trailing Bryant at the nearside top of the 3 point line. Kobe swished the 3 and held his form. While the ball was in the air, Blake and Pau got tangled up under the rim and a double foul was called. The basket counted and the crowd began to thunderously chant "MVP, MVP!" So much for the game being a Clippers home game. Clipper Nation and their "Rise" campaign rose up to serenade Kobe with 3:32 left in the third and the Lakers up 84-73. Bynum closed out the quarter and sent the Lakers into the fourth up 92-81.

The Clippers immediately closed the gap to start the fourth. Nick Young got hot, hitting 3's, fade aways, and dunking the ball. After a leak out and huge dunk from Bynum, in which he stared down the Clippers bench, the Clippers took a timeout, allowing Kobe to check back in with 7:11 to play and up 98-93. The Clippers and Lakers began trading buckets with huge play after huge play. Pau even got some retribution on Blake midway through the fourth with a nice block and some fine words.

Kobe hits a tough jumper.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Kobe mirrors his previous shot to seal the deal.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Then Kobe made the two biggest shots of the game. Losing 103-104, Kobe caught the ball at the far wing with six seconds on the shot clock. With Vinny Del Negro right behind him yelling for the double to come, Kobe faced up and swung the ball through from left to right as he dribbled away from the late double by Eric Bledsoe. Attacking to the baseline, Kobe stopped and faded into the corner. The 20ft fade was absolutely beautiful and it put the Lakers up 105-104 with 3:01 to play. Kobe followed that shot with an even bigger one to put the Lakers up by four with 24 seconds to play. Kobe and Sessions looked to run the pick and roll again. Kobe came from the baseline to the nearside to set the pick at the near elbow. Sessions dribbled to the near wing and Foye switched with Butler, sticking to Kobe. Butler followed Sessions as Ramon reversed direction and and began to dribble toward the top of the 3 point line. Sessions then lobbed the entry to Kobe as Kobe sealed Foye on his backside. Catching the ball at the near wing and spinning to face the basket, Kobe rocked with a jab right and took one dribble left to the baseline. Kobe puled up in the near corner and drained the 21ft jumper with Foye's hand in his face. This swish almost exactly mirrored Kobe's previous shot and it sealed the deal. The Lakers finished the game and won 113-108. Kobe went 2-3 in the fourth for those final four points. Bynum went 2-2 for 7 points. Kobe finished with an efficient 31 points on 13-19 shooting with 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Bynum came up with an even better line, going 13-20 for 36 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Bryant celebrates the moment.
(Courtesy KCAL 9, NBA)

Overall, it was the battle tested team that prevailed. The Clippers had 4 turnovers in the final two minutes. They clanked numerous shots and Kobe closed the game. Just like the badass Michael Nantz in Battle: LA, the grizzled veteran brought home the victory. Bynum had his most impressive game of the year, bringing out all the stops and showing just how big a difference there is between the two LA centers. For the fourth consecutive game, Bryant hit the biggest shot at the end of the game. Winning the season series against the Clippers and ending their six game winning streak, the Lakers put a nice cushion on their Pacific division title hopes. The intensity of the game was almost unparalleled. It seemed like a fight could break out at any moment. Pau Gasol and Blake Griffin got into numerous spats. Each team took some cheap shots at the other. The atmosphere was playoff like. If these teams somehow meet in the Western Conference Finals (the only way they can meet in the playoffs), the city of Los Angeles and the entire basketball world will be in for a treat. Lakers/Clippers looks to be a huge rivalry for the next few seasons. With the city of LA up for grabs, the Lakers currently have the upper hand and they don't seem like they will lose it any time soon.

Kobe Does It Again (4.3.12)

The Los Angeles Lakers played great in the first half against the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night. They raced out to a 58-45 lead by the half and their ball movement was excellent. In the first half the Lakers made 25 baskets and 18 of those baskets came off of assists. However, the Lakers fell into their all too normal routine of letting teams come back. Fortunately, Kobe Bryant was able to provide the biggest shot of the game for the third straight game, as he hit a magical 26ft game winning 3 pointer.

The coaches gave a collective statement as they headed into the tunnel to end the first half, they stated, "We are impressed by the ball movement and selfless play." This statement understates the beauty of the first half. Gone were the isolations, and instead sets were executed to perfection. I am not sure why the Lakers ran so many beautiful sets, but they sure did look good. This may have to deal with the fact that Bynum was unable to play, thus opening up the floor a bit. Bynum's absence allowed Pau to be able to roam the block and stretch to the elbows and corners, thus preventing the lane from always being clogged by at least one big man.

The next five paragraphs will examine some some great sets that the Lakers ran and executed with perfection. Skip ahead if you want.

Kobe Bryant excelled off the ball, reminiscent of his Team USA Olympics performance. The first play of the game, the Lakers ran a set that I haven't seen all year. Kobe moved from the near baseline to the far block as McRoberts picked his man. Kobe faked the curl up to the far elbow and swung back through to the near side, setting a back pick on McRoberts man on the near block as McRoberts circled around to the far block. As Kobe set the pick for McRoberts, Pau came down from the top of the key to the near block and screened Kobe's man as Kobe curled up to the mid wing. Sessions dribbled the ball at the far wing this entire set and he swung it to Kobe just as Kobe came off of Pau's pick. Kobe caught the ball and shot the 21ft jumper from the wing. Swish. Perfect execution. This was one of the best basketball plays I have ever seen. The Lakers as a collective whole were sharp.

Kobe's next bucket came off of another set. Kobe jogged from the far wing and circled to the near block as Sessions brought the ball up the near side. Sessions passed the ball to the trailing Pau at the top of the 3 point line. As soon as Sessions passed the ball, McRoberts came over and picked Kobe's man on the near block, allowing Kobe to curl from the near baseline to the far block. Pau immediately caught the ball at the top and sent a perfect entry pass to Kobe on the far block. Kobe caught the entry and went up for a layup while sealing off the trailing Gerald Wallace. Beautiful.

On another one, Sessions brought the ball up the far side. Kobe acted like he was going to iso on the far elbow. Kobe then swung around, set a pick on Pau's man at the top of the key, and continued curling to the far baseline. Pau moved from the key to the top far wing to set a pick on Ramon's man 30 feet from the basket. Petro, Pau's man, flashed up high to double Ramon on the pick and roll but he was late due to Kobe's previous pick on him. Ramon got around Petro and drove middle, leaving Gerald Wallace in a one on two defensive situation in the middle of the lane. As Ramon came off the screen, Pau rolled to the rim on the far side and Kobe continued moving to the near baseline. McRoberts cut from the near mid wing down to the baseline to set a pick on Kobe's man as Kobe slid from the near baseline up to the near wing. This left Humphries, who was guarding McRoberts, in a horrible spot. Humphries had to cover the rolling Pau as Wallace had to cover Ramon and McRoberts. This left Kobe wide open for the 19ft jumper. Sessions got into the lane and kicked it to Kobe for the splash.

The Lakers then pulled out this little ditty. Sessions walked up the court far middle. Pau ran down the middle and set a back pick on Barnes' man, allowing Barnes to curl from the middle baseline to the near elbow. Pau then set another back screen on Kobe's man, allowing Kobe to make the same curl as Barnes, moving from baseline to the near elbow. Sessions swung the ball to Kobe at the near elbow while Barnes continued his curl to the far corner. Kobe caught the ball, pump faked and got two guys in the air. He quickly pivoted and dribbled to his left to attack the rim. Kobe jumped in the air for a possible runner but instead kicked the ball to an open Barnes in the far corner. McRoberts, positioned on the far block, immediately screened his own man, Humphries. This forced Deron Williams to leave Sessions at the far wing and close out on Barnes in the far corner. Barnes caught the ball and immediately pump faked a pass to Sessions at the far wing. DWill bit on the fake and got out of position. This left Humphries in a one on two defensive situation. Barnes quickly took one dribble to the baseline and Humphries closed out on him, leaving McRoberts at the mid block. As soon as Humphries committed, Barnes sent a bounce pass to the rolling McRoberts. McRoberts caught the pass and laid it in.

On another one, Kobe inbounded the ball to Blake at the top of the key. Kobe then cut from near block to the baseline to set a pick on Barnes' man as Barnes curled from the far block to the near side. As Barnes curled, Murphy came from the near elbow to set a pick as Kobe moved from the middle baseline to the near side mid wing. Humphries left Murphy to shadow Kobe at the mid wing. With Humphries shadowing the top side middle and Gerald Green coming off the pick to recover to Kobe, Kobe caught the pass from Blake and immediately jumped to shoot the ball. Green bit on the closeout and Kobe immediately passed in the air to Murphy on the near baseline 4ft from the basket. Murphy caught the pass, took one dribble into the key and laid the ball in. Murphy actually tried to dunk the ball, but it slipped out of his hand. Luckily he was so wide open and right in front of the rim that this fumble didn't matter.

The amount of motion, picks, curls, back screens, and quick thinking on these sets gave the Lakers plenty of great opportunities.

Josh McRoberts with the buzzer beater.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

However, the highlight of the night, besides Kobe's game winner, came from Josh McRoberts. Leading 30-23 with 4 seconds left in the first quarter, Sessions inbounded the ball to Josh just in front of half court. Josh was probably supposed to just give it right back to Sessions so that Sessions could have a full sprint going down the middle. However, Josh's man over pursued him and Josh instinctively caught the ball facing the opposing basket and spun right to attack the Lakers' basket. Josh dribbled up the middle of the court with his man trailing his backside. Sessions' man caught up to Josh right around the 3 point line and went for the steal. Josh immediately pulled off a nice behind the back dribble, going from his left to the right. However, this dribble caused Josh to run into his original defender. Josh bounced off the big man and almost lost the ball, but he was able to get his hand on it and spin back from right to left. After performing a spin move that probably surprised him for such ball handling skills, Josh knew he had to shoot to beat the buzzer. In one fluid motion Josh pulled off the spin and threw up a 19ft fadeaway. His lefty form looked pretty sweet, and Josh rattled the ball off the back iron and in. All of the Lakers had a huge smile and Stu Lantz stated, "Are you kidding me! Are you serious!" Bill McDonald jokingly interjected, "That is the truth!" Stu continued, "You can't be serious! You must be delirious!" McRoberts walked off the court with a huge smile and all of the Lakers were laughing as they huddled up to prepare for the 2nd quarter.

Fast forward to the half. The Lakers continued their excellent ball movement and Kobe and Pau were dominant. Almost all of Kobe's points came off of sets. Kobe finished the half 5-9 for 12 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Pau was spectacular, finishing, 9-13 for 18 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 turnover. Ramon was also impressive, 4-6 for 12 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 turnovers.

The 3rd quarter provided a couple more sets and some highlights. Kobe got one wide open 3 with 1 second left on the shot clock after the Lakers played hot potato with the rock and made the Nets run all over the floor for the entire set. As Kobe swished the shot, Pau Gasol got a little chippy with Kris Humphries and Pau shoved Kris in the back. Pau then got in Kris' face and said some words. Pau ended up with a technical foul. This marked the downfall of Pau for the night. He was never the same. On the very next defensive play, Pau had the ball roll off of his hand and arm to go out of bounds as he lost control of the rebound. Following that he had a wide open jumper on the near baseline that he missed. Then he bobbled a beautiful pass from Kobe on a fast break that surely would have led to a dunk. Pau ended up going 2-7 for the rest of the game, only scoring 4 points. However, he kept going hard on the boards, picking up 8 in the second half.

Kobe had a great play in the third as he split a double team. Kobe caught a swing pass at the near mid wing from McRoberts on the far baseline. Kris Humphries got caught on a switch and he ran out to close out on Kobe. Kobe slightly pumped, jabbed right and swung the ball back through to the left. Kobe jabbed right again, pump faked and got Kris in the air. Once Kris jumped, Deron Williams left Ramon at the top and came over to double Kobe. With Kris in the air, DWill coming from his left, and 3 seconds on the shot clock, Kobe took one dribble right, pumped again, and got Kris in the air again. With DWill on his backside, Kobe pivoted in, bringing his right foot inside of the flying Humphries. Kobe split the double and shot a 13ft leaning in jumper. Swish. Stu Lantz promptly stated, "If there's anybody that splits defenders and hits jump shots better than Kobe, I wanna see him."

After killing the Nets all game, Avery Johnson decided to take matters into his own hand to stop Kobe. After getting an offensive rebound, Sessions backed out to the top of the key and swung the ball to Kobe at the far wing. Avery Johnson immediately stepped on the court, just 2 feet behind Kobe and began waving his arms and yelling. His gesticulations were rather comical, but the point was heeded. New Jersey immediately doubled Kobe. Kobe swung to back to Ramon and the Lakers came up short on the possession as Pau missed a 1ft turnaround.

Leading 78-66 to start the 4th, the Lakers were in command. Unfortunately, the Lakers perpetuated their year long trend and gave up their big lead. Kobe entered the game with 7:00 to go and with the Lakers up 82-73. New Jersey doubled Kobe on every single touch he had from that point on. The Lakers completely failed to capitalize, going 2-9 with 2 turnovers, as the Nets tied the game at 86 after Deron Williams hit a huge 3 with 1:29 to play. In this five and a half minute stretch, the Nets went on a 15-4 run. The Lakers defense wasn't especially bad, however, they just couldn't score and the Nets kept playing hard. Deron Williams made numerous huge plays and gave the Nets a chance to win. However, Kobe was not going to let this happen. After Williams huge 3, the Lakers came down and Sessions passed to Metta World Peace at the far elbow. Metta faced up and jabbed right. Kobe ran over from the far corner and received a handoff from Metta. Metta immediately cut to the far elbow, but his man, Gerald Wallace, disregarded him and stayed with Kobe. Kobe took the handoff with his back to the basket and began to pivot with his left leg to turn to the middle. Noticing Wallace in the way and with Green on his back, Kobe reverse pivoted back to the right side and took one dribble in the middle of the pivot. Kobe picked the dribble up in the middle of a step back and he launched a fallaway 22ft jumper from the far wing to beat the double. The shot went in and Kobe walked down the court with a huge smile on his face. Jack Black and Ashton Kutcher were shown courtside, and they were totally in awe and freaking out with excitement. Gerald Wallace was able to attack the rim on the next possession and draw a foul. Wallace missed the first but made the second, making the score 88-87 with 58 seconds left in the game. The Lakers followed that up with an absolutely horrible possession. New Jersey went into a 2/3 zone and even doubled Kobe 40ft from the basket. Open looks were available for Sessions but he passed them up and decided to further run out the clock. Kobe was able to set up Sessions for a buzzer beating 3 in the near corner but Sessions missed. Pau got the offensive rebound and kicked out to Barnes who immediately sent it to Kobe. New Jersey doubled Kobe just inside mid court, almost 45ft away! Kobe swung it to Sessions again, and this time Sessions took it to the rim. Sessions got lucky as he jumped and got caught in the air. Ramon threw an errant pass to Barnes in the lane, but the ball bounced off New Jersey.

Bryant shoots over the outstretched arm of Wallace.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

Kobe holds his form and waits for the ball to drop.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

With 10.8 on the game clock and 2.3 on the shot clock, Stu Lantz wisely stated, "If your Avery Johnson, you say to your team, 'Don't let Kobe catch the ball. If someone else beats us with a shot, so be it, but don't let it be number 24.'" The Lakers came out in a box set with Barnes inbounding on the near side baseline. Pau started at the far elbow, Murphy at the near elbow, Sessions on the near block, and Kobe in the middle of the key right in front of the rim. Kobe came up and cross screened Murphy's man as Murphy cut to the middle of the lane. Sessions turned around and came up to the elbow to set a down screen so that Kobe could curl to the corner. Kobe faked going to the corner with a step out, and Sessions cut to the far block. After faking outside, Kobe began to drift back and Pau came over from the far elbow and cross screened Kobe's man at the near elbow. Pau's pick took out Gerald Wallace, and Kris Humphries didn't realize that he needed to switch out to Kobe. Kobe drifted to the top of the 3 point line and he put both of his arms out wide, imploring for the ball. Barnes noticed the wide open Kobe and he passed it in. Kobe caught the ball and shot the 26ft 3 pointer from the top. Kobe held his form the entire time as the ball went on a wild ride. The ball hit back iron, dropped halfway down before hitting the front inside of the rim and popping out. The ball then traveled into the air and bounced off the backboard, landing on the front rim, jumping to the back rim and bouncing straight up. The ball bounced one more time off of the back rim and finally dropped through the net. Kobe had a huge grin and he made a hand gun with his thumb up and pointer out. Kobe shot the gun and winked. Lakers up 91-87 with 10 seconds. Deron Williams would miss a 3 and the Lakers won the game.

Although the game was unnecessarily close, the Lakers prevailed. For the third straight game Kobe hit a game winner. Kobe finished 10-16 for 24 points. The Nets effectively thwarted the wonderful ball movement of the first half by switching in and out of a 2/3 zone. They also doubled Kobe for the entire 4th quarter on every touch he had. Hopefully next time the Lakers will knock down those open jumpers when Kobe is doubled. However, knowing that Kobe can always close a game is reassuring. This game may have been an aberration due to Bynum's absence, but the Lakers showed that they can get creative with their offensive sets. Big ups to Mike Brown. It's nice to know that Brown has some awesome sets that will definitely come in handy come playoff time. With Brown's sets and Kobe's greatness, the Lakers should be poised for success.

Kobe Lights Up The Warriors (4.1.12)

Kobe Bryant can thank the undermanned Golden State Warriors for allowing him to get his stroke back. After a disastrous 3-21 performance the previous day, Kobe rode the momentum of his clutch game winning 3 into the Warriors game.

Great players tend to come out very aggressive after bad games. The "killer" mentality of high level athletes allows these players to push past the boundaries and reach deep within for that extra level of performance. Kobe Bryant is a great player. Kobe Bryant has a "killer" mentality on the basketball court. Kobe Bryant killed the Warriors, dropping 40 points on a super efficient 16-28 shooting touch. After shooting short on almost all of his jumpers against the Hornets, Kobe mentioned after the game that "Fatigue might have something to do with it." Second in the NBA in minutes played in his sixteenth season, a compacted hectic season due to the lockout, I'd say fatigue had a lot to do with it. As I mentioned in my previous post, Kobe shot many of those shots in rhythm and within the flow of the offense. The fact that he didn't make those good looks and shot short highlighted his lack of elevation on his jumper due to tired legs. Kobe went 1-8 from downtown that night, his only make the game winner. However, Golden State presented Kobe with a prime opponent to get his stroke back.

The Warriors came in undermanned, dressing just 8 players for the game. Due to their lack of depth, the Warriors played a 2-3 zone for most of the game. Kobe wisely avoided the temptation to jack up open 3 pointers against this zone and he consistently moved into closer open spaces for high quality looks. Kobe started the game hot, going 3-4 in the first 3 minutes. He finished the quarter 6-11 for 13 points. His longest attempt of the quarter was a 21ft jumper. Kobe wisely shortened his attack zone and was able to efficiently produce buckets against the 2-3 zone. With Andrew Bynum rolling his ankle late in the quarter, Kobe knew that he would have to have a big game to carry the Lakers to victory. The Lakers led 27-26 after the first 12 minutes.

Kobe sat the first six minutes of the second quarter. This stretch was his sloppiest play of the game. Kobe had 2 of his 3 turnovers during this stretch. Both were probably not his fault. During his first one, Kobe was in isolation on the near elbow. Kobe was doubled, so he dribbled out 30 feet from the basket. He looked to pass the ball, but Troy Murphy was late flashing to the free throw line near elbow and Murphy's man was tipped the ball from behind and Golden State ran off for the fast break layup. The next turnover was a ticky-tack offensive foul. Kobe was establishing position on the far elbow and Dorrell Wright gave him a good push in the back, moving Kobe about 2 feet out of his desired position. Wright then had his hands on Kobe's waist, and Kobe slapped Wright's wrist. The refs called the foul and Kobe walked back in disgust. This moment was rather comical. Kobe finished the quarter 2-4 with 2 turnovers and 1 assist, putting him at 8-15 for 17 points and 3 assists at the half.

Kobe picked up his momentum in the third quarter. Kobe shot 5-8 for 12 points and dished out 2 assists. After sufficiently feeling good about his jumper, Kobe attempted his first 3 pointer with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Kobe swished it. Kobe had one spectacular play that became the theme of the night. Pau was in isolation on the far block and Kobe cut from the near corner into the middle of the lane. Kobe pinned his man and caught Pau's entry with one hand because his other hand was desperately being held down by Klay Thompson. Kobe caught the ball and threw the shot up over his shoulder, almost like a hook shot. The ball went in and Kobe finished the and one with his free throw. The play was evident of Kobe's night; attack the basket and get good close looks. The third quarter also contained one more highlight that must be written about. Kobe was in iso at the top of the key. He attacked with one dribble and pulled midrange. Kobe missed, but McRoberts got the offensive rebound. Josh kicked it out to Blake at the top of the key, and Blake swung it to Pau in the far corner. Pau was open for a second, but he held the ball. The crowd then urged him to shoot the 3. Pau did a fake crossover, dribbling in then out and he shot the 3 with the Warrior's hand in his face. Of course Pau missed the shot, but no one really seemed to mind. The shot was not really much different than Bynum's ill fated 3 point attempt. Both were bad attempts and both were early in the shot clock. However, Pau has a history of hitting that corner 3 and he definitely had the backing of the crowd. Bynum's attempt pretty much came out of nowhere, surprising everyone; whereas Pau's attempt was a good look to begin with, but took too long and turned into a crowd pleasing jack up. To be fair, Pau was subbed the next dead ball, but this was probably Mike Brown's normal rotation and not a yank. The Lakers beat up the Warriors in the third, outscoring them 32-22 and Kobe finished the quarter with 29 points.

Vintage Kobe jabs to create space for his huge 3.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

Kobe drains the 3 in McGuire's face.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

Kobe sat to start the fourth. He left the game with the Lakers up 13, but by the time he came back in, the lead had been squandered and it was just a 7 point game, 95-88. Kobe did what he tends to do, he closed the game out. Kobe had one scary play, as he was wrapped up by Nate Robinson as he began to elevate for a dunk on the break. Luckily Kobe jumped off of two feet, allowing him to keep his balance and not take a huge tumble. Kobe shot 3-5 in the quarter, with two of those makes being 3's. He scored 11 in the fourth, putting him at 40 on the night. His first 3 of the quarter was an intelligent basketball play. Kobe noticed his man in the key for help defense while Kobe was on the near baseline. Kobe motioned for Murphy to set him a flare screen, and Kobe popped to the corner. Pau saw the play happening as he held the ball at the far elbow and he swung it to Kobe. Kobe nailed it, putting the Lakers up by 10 with 4 minutes to play. Kobe's next big play was his next 3 pointer. With the score at 112-109 with 1:39 to play, Kobe held the ball at the far wing. He was immediately doubled and he dribbled out to about 35 feet. He passed it to Murphy who appropriately flashed to the far elbow open space. Kobe looked for the give and go, cutting to the basket, but he was covered well and Murphy kicked it out to Sessions at the top of the key. Kobe cut back to the far wing and Sessions swung the ball right back to him. Kobe caught the ball, jabbed right and pulled up, swishing the 3 and putting the Lakers up 115-109.

McGuire and Jefferson chase Kobe, leaving MWP open.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

Metta World Peace catches and shoots the open 3.
(Courtesy Fox Sports West, NBA)

That 3 point shot would be Kobe's final points of the night, but he might as well have gotten 3 more. After Richard Jefferson hit a 3 to match Kobe, the score was at 115-112 with 1:21 to go. The Lakers ran a basic motion offense set, looking for Kobe to get a 3. Surprisingly the Warriors decided to play man during this set. Both of the bigs sets picks on the block as Kobe ran from the far wing and circled down and up to the near wing. Metta World Peace did the same thing, circling from the near wing to the far wing. As Kobe came off of the first pick, both his man and World Peace's man decided to chase Kobe, leaving Metta World Peace to run free. Metta got to the far wing and promptly caught the pass from Sessions and drilled the game sealing 3. Kobe's hot hand all night allowed Metta to get a wide open look with a minute left in the game. The Lakers made one more basket and finished out the game 120-112.

After getting into a nice flow and hitting numerous close to midrange shots, Kobe finished the game with big 3's, shooting them with great confidence and rhythm. Kobe wisely got himself hot with good looks early in the game and his stroke stayed with him at the end. Kobe's legs did not seem to mind so much during the game, but Kobe didn't rely on them nearly as much. Abandoning the three ball until he was fully comfortable with it, Kobe played the old man's game and finished with a young man's touch.

The Black Mamba struck again.