FInal Words on the Finals 2009

First, the Lakers deserved to win. Hate to say that, but the Lakers were simply a better team than the Magic. Better talent, better depth, better offense, better defense, better coaching. You name it.

Secondly, Kobe was the MVP by default. I don't think he played extremely well, and the championship was not won by him, but just because he's the best player in the winning team, he's the MVP. 32.4 PPG didn't pop any eyes, nor the 43% FG. Yes, 7.4 APG is certainly surprising, but let's get to that later. I mean, he didn't hit that much clutch shots. Alas, maybe except the blowout game 1, I can say that Kobe didn't won one game in the Finals. I agree with Bill Simmons, Kobe did NOT elevate his game to another level, nor has he changed a lot from last year.

Thirdly, the Lakers' supporting cast won the Finals. Pau Gasol, the so-called second banana, played it all out. He didn't have much touch (thanks to Kobe), but he hit a staggering 60% FG. Moreover, he played it tough to play good defense (which is underrated) against D-Howard. Derek Fisher simply saved the Lakers in Game 4 by staying clutch. Yes, he's slow and helpless in defense, but he just did what he does the best: shooting Js and initiating offense. Lamar Odom, against all odds, did not choke and played a pivotal role in helping the Lakers to win. His versatility, especially his defense, caused much trouble for the Magic, on both offense and defense. Andrew Bynum was still not the dominant big man people had expected him to be (at least not yet), but he did play with heart and his sheer presence in the paint at least partially slowed DH12.

But the huge factor is Trevor Ariza. IMHO, Kobe, Gasol, Fisher and Odom were basically doing whta everyone had expected them to do, and they were no better than what they were one year ago. But Ariza, he really transcended his game in the postseason. Reputed by his athleticism and defense, he had developed into a reliable 3-pt shooter (a la Rick Fox, Robert Horry mode) with a whopping 41.7% from the arc. Needless to say about his terrific defense (remember the clutch steals against the Nuggets?), but it's his ability to play inside-out that really rendered the Magic helpless. Ariza is a perfect player under the Lakers' system. It would be a grave mistake if the Lakers do not re-sign him (he can opt out of his contract this summer).

As for the Magic, well, they should have not regret. Look, they should have come to here in the first place. Imagine a heatlhy KG, or the Cavs with a long defender which could have got by trading away the expiring contract of Wally Szczerbiak. D-Howard was pathetically neutralized by the Lakers. Part of the reason is that he really has no low post move. Once again, it proves that a shooting team, even with a dominant big man like D12, could not win championship. The length, and to an extent their better defense, caused much trouble for the Magic's outside threats, namely Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee or Mickael Pietrus. The Cavs lost to the Magic because they did not have a second perimeter defender other than LBJ, but the Lakers got Kobe, Ariza and Odom to throw on Lewis and Turkoglu. Rookie Lee was simply overwhelmed, while Pietrus did play his best, only his best was not good enough to lead the Magic to a win. As I had said before, Rafer Alston shot the Magic out of the championship. Skip To My Lou simply is not a starting PG to win the championship.

Talking about PG, I must blame Stan Van Gundy. I think he simply played too much Jameer Nelson. Not that Alston is way better than Nelson, but from what I saw, Nelson was simply not ready. He's rusty, he looked tentative, and he's just out of sync. He's obviously still bothered by his shoulder injry, as his handle was extremely shaky. Maybe he did hit a few Js from outside, but as the PG, he failed to create open looks for teammates, and he was not able to break down the defense of the Lakers. But frankly, even for a 100% Nelson, which could burn Fisher with ease, the Magic would not be able to beat the Lakers.

Last but not least, I think the Lakers was lucky. First and foremost, thanks to the Grizzlies for the godsend Gasol. Secondly, thanks to the Magic for Ariza. Furthermore, they managed to stay healthy, while everybody else was having some not-so-minor injuries - Spurs' Ginobili, Celtics' KG, to name a few. Also, they were lucky to see the Magic, which had serious problem defending its paint. I wouldn't say the same about the Cavs, or the Celtics. They looked tentative during the season, only they were able to peak at the right time. Yes, that's because they have Phil Jackson. But strangely enough, though I said it before, I didn't see much triangle during the Finals, or the entire Playoffs. I think they really miss Tex Winter.

Looking ahead, the Lakers will be the team to beat. They still have Kobe, who is just 30, and they have the deepest roster in the League. That is, assuming that they keep Odom and Ariza. Yes, they need to address the aging issue of Fisher, but I see some potential in Shannon Brown. As always, it would be a challenge for the Lakers to repeat, and I would love to see what the Cavs would do this summer, knowing how desperate they are to convince LBJ to stay in Cleveland this year.

Yes, I'm still a Kobe-hater, and a Lakers-hater, and I much admit that I was just half-hearted when watching this Finals. I wish other teams, Magic, Cavs, Celtics, Spurs et al to come up with a better team next year and beat the Lakers.

BEAT L.A.!

NBA FInals Preview

Finals preview, let's break it down:

Guards: Fisher + Kobe + Shannon Brown + Farmar vs. Alston + Courtney Lee + Pietrus + Anthony Johnson

Adv: Lakers

Fisher is Lakers' weakest link, but arguably PG is also the weakest link in the Magic. Alston likely will have just 1 hot shooting night for every 3 poor shooting night. He will shoot the Magic to losses. Fisher is ultra slow but he's a much better shooter and facilitator than Alston. Brown will burn Anthony Johnson with his quickness.

Needless to say anything about Kobe. BTW, I never understand why people say Pietrus did a good job guarding LBJ. For goodness' sake LBJ averaged 38.5 PPG on 48.7% FG against the Magic. Yes he is LBJ, but the stats were still way higher than that against the Pistons and the Hawks. I don't see how Pietrus could stop Kobe.


Forwards: Ariza + Gasol + Odom + Luke Walton vs. Turkoglu + Rashard Lewis

Adv: Lakers

One of the Magic's main weapons is outside shooting ofTurkoglu and Lewis. While they took full advantage of the undersized Cavs to score, expect them to have more difficulty to score against Ariza and Odom. Kobe might spend some time guarding either of them too.

Another problem of the Magic is that they have basically ZERO depth at the forward position, whereas depth is exactly the forte of the Lakers. Ariza is young and athletic, Gasol will start at PF but finish at C, and Odom can play either SF or PF, and can play inside-outside. The Magic will get their hands full on such a 3-man rotation, not to mention the occasional contribution from Luke Walton.


C: Andrew Bynum + Gasol vs. Dwight Howard + Gotat

Adv: Magic x 2

I don't think I emphasize it enough, the advantage of Magic is HUGE. The red hot D12 is totally unstoppable right now. The worst nightmare for the Lakers? D12 is hitting his FTs lately. So the Lakers cannot throw out Josh Powell (and his 6 fouls-to-give) to do the "hack-the-superman" tactics.

On the other side, we have the "promising" Andrew Bynum, who is just a part-time here, averaging only 17 MPG this post season. He's so poor in defense that he was either in foul trouble or the coach simply benched him all the way. Against D12, Bynum will easily get fouled-out and/or DNP-CD. As for Gasol, well, we know he's soft and can't imagine how he could guard D12. Alas, how on earth could the Lakers slow down Dwight Howard if they couldn't even slow down Nene and K-Mart? But Gasol will score some in the mid-range against D12.

Coach: Phil Jackson vs. Stan Van Gundy

Adv: Even

OK, my personal preference aside, to be fair, SVG is a good coach who maximizes his team's performance. He's flexible and makes changes when necessary. I think he's a better coach than his bro, Jeff. He only talks too much. Yikes.

As for the Zen Master, well, frankly, I have serious reservation. It seems like since the retirement of assistant coach Tex Winter (the architect of the Triangle Offense), Phil is no longer the same. Many a time, he made questionable moves and he simply didn't have the midas touch on some key moments that he used to have. Worse, his team is super inconsistent and doesn't play first-class defense. So, maybe we should credit at least part of his past success to Tex Winter then?


Gameplays:

The greatest strengths of the Lakers are their versatility and depth. If the Lakers could share the ball like they did in Game 6 of the Conf. Finals, the Magic will have serious trouble guarding them. The Lakers can score in the paint, mid-range and even the 3s. Kobe, Odom and Gasol, all of them can score or pass, which makes them ultra difficult to guard. In addition, if the Lakers run fastbreaks, they can use their depth and athleticism to wear down the Magic. Last but not least, they have Kobe to bail them out in close games.

On the other hand, the Magic will continue their inside-out game play. They have huge advantage by posting up Howard against the soft frontcourt of the Lakers. If the Lakers decide to double-team him, this will generate tons of open looks for the Magic's shooting stars like Turk, Lewis, Lee and Pietrus. However, for one-on-one, the Magic's perimeter players are not that easy to score against Kobe, Ariza and Odom.

The wildcard? Lakers' defense.

Although people are saying that Nelson might return, but given his shoulder problem, his contribution will be limited, more a mental boost than anything. So he's not a wildcard. The wildcard is whether the Lakers can stay focused and stop the Magic. We have seen them played terrific defense before, when they were concentrated enough. If they can somehow control the damage of D12 (c'mon, you can't STOP him) and avoid open looks on the perimeter, the Lakers will beat the Magic with its versatility and depth. On the other hand, if they become lethargic in defense and try to out-score opponents, the Magic will prevail.

Prediction: Lakers in 6.

Conference Finals Preview

EAST

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic

8-0 so far. Well rested and full of energy, this year, nobody is hungrier than the Cavs. Excellent chemistry, playing with heart and hustle, tough rebounding and defending, peak at the right time, what to complain? Plus, an unstoppable LBJ. Have you seen all the crazy shots that LBJ hoisted and made recently? Suggest you hit youtube and you'll know how surreal things are right now. With LBJ drawing defenders, teammates are getting all the open looks . Without a doubt they are playing the best basketball right now.

Now, please stop all the “what if KG had been in uniform”questions, the Magic beat the defending champion and is right here, now and present. Forget the Celtics. The Magic win games by 3-pt shooting and defense. Nobody relies on outside shots more than the Magic, and they have enough shooters to get the job done. Meanwhile, they have DH12 dominating the paint.

For this series, LBJ will do it all, as usual. Driving to the hoop, hitting outside shots, setting up teammates, rebounding, defending opponents' ace, you name it. Expect him to post yet another round of 30-8-6 stats. I repeat, no one can stop LBJ right now. Meanwhile, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Gibson and Sczcerbiak will take turn to hit the open 3s. Big Z is a super efficient scorer who also rebounds well. I like the idea of starting Varejao instead of Big Ben. Varejao is the designated energy guy who is obviously more active and athletic than Big Ben, who is really washed out at this stage of his career. The Cavs will once again play suffocating defense and will have a huge advantage in rebounding.

I don't think DH12 will be very effective against the Cavs' tough defense, but he will get his share of double-double as usual. On the other hand, Magic's outside shooting will be a threat to the Cavs. LBJ may be able to contain either one of Turkoglu or Rashard Lewis, but they will have trouble stopping the other one. Either Varejao will take up Lewis, which will make Ilgauskas being exposed to play DH12 one-on-one, or Delonte West will take up the assignment to cover Turk, but will give up a lot of size. The Lee/ Pietrus combo is athletic as well. The worst nightmare for the Magic would be LBJ getting Dwight Howard into foul trouble.

To make it short, I don't think the Cavs would be able to sweep the Magic, but with LBJ playing like a superhuman, the Cavs should have no problem finishing them off.

Cavs in 6.


WEST

L.A. Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

After much drama, the Lakers advanced to the Conference Finals, just as expected since the very first day of the season. From the Rockets series, we learned that the Lakers are certainly not invincible. They could play with unacceptable lethargy. Don't blame Odom's minor injury, inconsistency has been their problem throughout the season. However, they are still the deepest team in the league. We saw them trashing the Rockets by 40 pts. And we saw them winning games just when needed, like Game 7. If just by watching Game 5 and 7, you will never understand why the series was pushed to 7 games. When they are focused and play hard, they dominated on both ends. But they were not able to play hard every night.

On the other side, we have the hottest team in the West. Thanks to the arrival of Billups, the Nuggets have transformed into a genuine elite team. Billups provides much needed leadership to the team. 'Melo has been shooting the lights out, while the entire team are full of fire and energy. In terms of chemistry and intensity, they are the exact opposite of the Lakers.

So what's the take? The Lakers can win at the frontcourt. Gasol should have no problem scoring down low. K-Mart is a thug, but don't mix that up with good defender. After surgeries on both knees, his defense rotation is slow and he doesn't have any lift. Nene flat out can't play D period. Odom and Ariza would take turn to score on 'Melo. Chris Anderson is a hustle guy who, well, hustles. OK, I don't count on Bynum, but Lakers would easily out-score and out-rebound the Nuggets.

For the Nuggets, 'Melo, assumed guarded by Kobe, will not score as easily as in the last two rounds, but he's so quick and versatile that it would be insane to expect him to score less than 25 PPG. Nene is a legitimate low post scorer. It would be interesting to see how the Lakers' bench to stop J.R. Smith's long range bomb. But the biggest advantage of the Nuggets is at PG. Chauncey Billups could score 30 pts by hitting his deadeye 3s, or get 12 assists by setting up teammates. If I were Phil Jackson, I will sacrifice the outside scoring and charge-taking of Fisher and start Jordan Farmar at PG. There's no chance that Fisher should be able to guard Billups. He's just too washed up. I would even play Shannon Brown ahead of Fisher . So if the Lakers has supreme advantage in the frontcourt and rebounding, they just give back the Nuggets the edge at PG and outside shooting.

So we come to Kobe. We have seen him taking less shots and scoring less this season Yes, with such a deep roster, he doesn't need to score 50 pts to win. He still scored all those tough shots (though I have been critical of his shot selection), and he can score 40 pts with ease. He could play tough defense (e.g. against 'Melo). But the problem is, I do not see a Black Mamba in Kobe. I do not see him showing the much needed killer instinct. Come to think about it, the Nuggets have no Artest or Battier to guard Kobe. It's clear that the Nuggets can only double-team Kobe, a strategy George Karl might not take due to the presence of many outside shooters in LA. On defense, Kobe is the one who can stop 'Melo. Simply put, this series is entirely on Kobe. It's for him to win. Or lose.

Lakers in 6. (Imagine David Stern checking the TV rating of Denver and LA, and then make a phone call to the refs to ensure that the Kobe-LBJ duel happen.

LA Lakers @Utah Jazz, Game 3, April 23, 2009

Scouting report

Utah Jazz

The Jazz set the game tone right at the start of the game. They played tough defense, aggressively harassing the Lakers, protecting the paint by roughing the Lakers’ big men, and controlling the board on both end. The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 55-40, which is one of the main reasons why they won the game.

On offense, they executed perfectly. I didn’t see them running their famous pick-n-rolls much, but rather they had some good ball and player movement, breaking down the Lakers’ substandard defense, generating open looks both on the perimeter AND in the paint.

More importantly, despite being undersized, they were able to grab tons of offensive rebounds. All of them hustled for second chance. Good attitude.

Overall, the Jazz managed to play the grind-it-out type of slow paced game, which is definitely to their advantage. They also executed perfectly in the clutch time and were able to hang on with the 2-pt lead.

Deron Williams did not have his A-game today. His shots were off, worse is his FTs, an uncharacteristic 7-for-12. Well, he did come around before it’s too late and hit a clutch shot to win the game. As usual, he had 9 dimes and did a good job running the offense.

Carlos Boozer is a beast on the boards, 22 rebounds, including 5 offensive ones. He also scored as required, 22 pts, which was mainly from mid-range Js.

Ronnie Brewer scored some (12 pts), but what he contributed the most is playing in-your-face defense on Kobe, who obviously had an off night. He is clearly the unsung hero in this game.

Andrei Kirilenko was promoted to starter. However, he’s not the guy to finish the game. He made some early damage, but was largely invisible in Q4.

Jarron Collins… hmm… 7 mins, 1 reb, 1 stl, 1 pt.

It is their bench that won the game. Trailed by 60-68 after three quarters, the Jazz bench began a rally early in Q4. Again, the Lakers’ defense slipped a bit, which allowed Kyle Korver, Matt Harpring and C.J. Miles to hit consecutive outside shots as the Jazz eventually took back the lead at 73-72 with 9 mins to go. Harpring scored 8 pts during the run.

Paul Millsap did not start but he played a pivotal role in the last quarter. He flat out controlled the glass while protecting the paint. He even blocked Kobe’s J once! Millsap is the reason why the Jazz did not miss Okur in Game 3.

Korver was horrible in three quarters, passing out open shots, or missing shots badly. He’s defense is worse as ever. Well, Korver redeemed himself late in the game by hitting a few timely jumpers when the game was on the line.


L.A. Lakers

Facing Jazz’s suffocating defense, the Lakers shot badly (36.8% FG). They always settled for outside shots. Gone are the precise ball movement, as the Lakers relied heavily on iso, but they were not able to take any advantage when they called iso plays for guys like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The Lakers clearly was not comfortable playing with such a slow-paced game.

Right at the start of the game, the Lakers showed better defense. They were aggressive, and were quick on double-teaming guys like Boozer. However, they soon returned their old self. Poor baseline rotation resulted in a wide-open lane, as the Jazz repeatedly found open men in the paint for some easy layups. Andrew Bynum was ultra slow in defense, while Gasol always stayed too high and forgot to box out. Can’t imagine how the Lakers would survive when Mehmet Okur comes back, whose outside scoring ability will pull the Lakers’ big man further away from the paint.

I repeat, defense wins championship. I have the feeling that whenever they were down, instead of stopping the Jazz, the Lakers always tried to outscore the opponents. Maybe they could beat teams like Utah with such strategy, they are not going to win it all the way playing like that.

The only time when Lakers showed satisfactory performance is at the start of the 2H. They focused on closing down the lane, denying passing lines and challenging shots. In the first 3 mins of Q3, the Jazz missed 3 FG and committed 2 TO. With better ball movement, Kobe, Gasol and Trevor Ariza were able to have more open looks and started to hit the shots as the Lakers took a 10-1 run to take back the lead 49-44. They were able to maintain the lead as Ariza and Gasol continued to make shots. Too bad they let the Jazz come back in Q4 and eventually lost the game by 2.

Kobe settled for outside shots, as always. He particularly liked to fire (and miss) those tough, fade away jump shots. When he became aggressive attacking the basket, it was effective. He either made the layups, drew the fouls, or somehow his teammates scored. The Lakers is much easier to score when Kobe is attacking the basket. I don’t know why he did not do it more often.

Gasol scored 20 pts but hit just 4 of 10 FTs. They were lost by 2 pts, so go figure. Also, Gasol was not able to play acceptable defense. He remained as a sfot player after the tough Jazz big men.

Ariza was guarded by AK47 and was not as effective as in Game 2. He did hit 2 3-pters in Q3 when the Lakers began to build up their lead.

Derek Fisher had a silent game. His shots is off, he did not do a good job in distributing the ball, and he was outplayed by D-Will.

Bynum is clearly not 100%. He was very immobile and super slow in lateral movement. Though he made a few low post moves and scores, his defense was so bad that he either left his man wide open, or committed stupid fouls. He took his seat at the bench after committing his 5th foul with 1.30 min left in Q3! His total PT? 7 mins!

To me, Lamar Odom was the best player in the team. Not only he scored 21 pts, but he is the only Laker that cared about defense. He had 14 reb, including 5 offensive rebounds, which helped the Lakers to stay in the game.


This is how the Jazz won the game:

- After Boozer made 2 FTs to help the Jazz to take a 82-80 lead, Kobe penetrated and made a perfect dish to Odom for an easy layup. 82-82 1.07 min
- Next possession, D-Will and Boozer executed a perfect pick n roll with Boozer finishing with a tough layup. 84-82 Jazz. 47 sec
- The Jazz doubled-teamed Kobe at the corner, forcing him to call a 20 sec timeout. 30 sec. After the TO, Kobe drove at the baseline, getting past 3 defenders and hit a layup. Game tied at 84-84. 28.9 sec
- Boozer post up Gasol, then made a power move, driving past Gasol for a thunderous dunk. 86-84 Jazz. 16.9 sec
- This time, Kobe and Gasol made a perfect pick-n-roll as Gasol had a wide open running dunk. Tied at 86-86. 11.7 sec.
- Winning play: Deron Williams dribbled at the top of the key, shaking off Fisher, with a not-so-pretty crossover, the made a fade away jumper over a stretched Gasol. 88-86 Jazz. 2.2 sec.
- Kobe missed a 30-ft 3-pter badly. Game Utah

As you see above, the Jazz executed flawlessly in the closing minutes, scoring in 4 consecutive plays. On the other side, Kobe stepped up to make clutch plays, either scoring or setting up teammates. But they were not able to stop D-Will and Boozer when it matters. It is an impressive win by the Jazz. Give props to coach Jerry Sloan, who was able to play the game they want, and made perfect execution at clutch time.

Let’s see if the Jazz could be able to ride on this win and get another game in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Boston Celtics @ LA Lakers, Thu, Dec 25, 2008

A brief scouting report:

Boston Celtics:

• Boston mainly relied on high screen pick-n-roll of Rondo and Perkins, and they were successful in generating open lanes for Rondo or back door passes to Perkins.


• Ray Allen still has the smoothest and quickest 3-pt shot in the league.


• Rondo got into early foul trouble. Eddie House or Tony Allen is not exactly the type of PG that pushes the ball and attack the basket. No wonder the Cs struggled early in Q2. That’s why even Rondo hit the 3rd foul with 6 mins left in Q2, Doc Rivers did not lift him off the court. Although not exactly The Fantastic Four, Rondo has been a very important player in the team.


• Rondo kept on finding open teammates to score in the low post, KG in particular. He was 6-for-6 and scored 12 pts in 1H.


• During a possession in 2H, there was a good hustle by Rondo, grabbing his own miss between two 7-footers, Gasol and Bynum, which turned out to be a 3 by PP to tie the game at 62.


• PP was quiet in 1H but took up the lead to score in 2H. Again, when PP's shots were off, he would lower his head and drive the lane, 80% of which would end up him going to the FT line.


• The bench is weak. Eddie House, Tony Allen, Glen Davis and Leon Powe was ineffective. I think they miss James Posey.


• Somehow, the Celtics failed to execute their famous suffocating defense. The Lakers kept on getting open looks in the perimeter. They even allowed a back-to-back 3-pter by Odom in Q4. OK, the Lakers made some perfect screen to get him open, but where’s the D?


• The worst is at the last 2 mins. The Cs focused too much on stopping Kobe, and played Gasol soft, who managed to score numerous clutch shots when the game was on the wire.

LA Lakers:

• The Lakers had a change of lineup for the Lakers, starting Luke Walton at SF, instead of Vladimir Radmanovic.


• The Lakers had some good basketball movement early on, as they managed to get open look after several passes.


• But there were some terrific defense loopholes. First, Bynum was confused in baseline rotation. The Lakers also had serious flaws in defending pick-n-roll, as the Speedy Rondo kept on getting to the rim and scored on layups.


• Poor in transition defense too.


• Lakers offense relied mainly on Kobe Bryant’s brilliance. Kobe was phenomenal tonight. This was helped by the fact that he was guarded by Ray Allen, who obviously couldn’t catch up with Kobe. Why didn’t the Cs double-team Kobe?


• Trevor Ariza is one of my favorite players. In one sequence in Q2, he hustled for a loose ball, threw the ball to the fast breaking Vujacic just when he was falling out of bound. Vjuacic his the shot. And 1! Another hustle play by Ariza in Q3, he stole the ball from the fast break Celtics, and managed to pass the ball to a teammate before falling out of bound. Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet Trevor "Mr. Hustle" Ariza!


• Fisher has been hitting some nice 3-pt this season. This game included.


• Lakers defense is getting better in 2H, aggressively double teaming PP and other Celtics. And instead of taking their advantage in the paint, the Celtics suddenly settled for outside shoot, which is not exactly their forte.


• Unlike in the past, Bynum remained on the court with 5 mins left. (usually it’s Odom finishing the games instead of him). You know my theory? I think Phil Jackson is trying to keep Bynum as a secret weapon. He wouldn’t use it on a daily basis, but to surprise people in critical games like this one, or in the playoffs.


• Bench difference is huge. Vujacic, Odom and Ariza easily outplay the Cs’ bench.

Here’s how the Lakers won the game:

• Gasol first hit a 20-ft J on the right wing. Next, Kobe dribbled for like 20 sec and then make a perfect lob pass to the rolling Gasol in the paint who made the running J. 85-81 Lakers. 2min left.


• After KG hit an open J. it’s Gasol again! Kobe dished to another rolling Gasol, this time he hit the leaning layups, got fouled, and hit the FTs. 88-83. 1.28 min. all 3 baskets were assisted by Kobe.


• Oh, Gasol again! This time, he blocked a 3-pt attempt by Ray Allen, which led to a breakaway dunk by Ariza. 90-83. 1 mins. Game over.

Verdict:

• Overall, the Lakers relied on outside shootings, while the Celtics managed to score in the paint with more success. But the Celtics failed to stop the Lakers, especially Gasol, who was aggressively attacking the basket. It is obvious that the Lakers are way more versatile in offense that the Celtics can no way match, that’s why the Celtics need to play top notch defense to beat the Lakers. They failed to do so terribly.


• As for the Lakers, seems like they managed to switch to their "A" game and come to the game focused with a killer instinct. They were able to play tough defense down the stretch and then execute on the other end to finish the Celtics. The stepping up of Gasol is somehwat surprising, but I think it's a very good development for the Lakers since they no longer rely on Kobe only at clutch time. At least for this game, they were the better team.

LA Lakers @ Miami Heat, Fri, Dec 19, 2008

A running diary:

First Quarter

• Game started, still see empty seats around. For Lakers in town? Against the red-hot Wade? That shows how bad business is right now.
  
• Wade played terrific defense on Kobe early on. The Heat forced the Lakers to commit turnover, followed by a fast break by the Heat, with Marion drawing fouls. The Lakers were 1-2 FG and 2 TO in the first two minutes. Phil Jackson called an early 20 sec timeout. That’s early.
  
• Things didn’t do better after the timeout, as the Lakers continued to miss shots and turn the ball over.
  
• The Heat looked sharp from the perimeter, Wade and Chalmers took turns to hit the 3s. But Kobe decided to take it personal, trying to make things happen all by himself. He scored back-to-back turnaround Js over Wade.
  
• The commentators were trying to imply that this is a battle between Wade and Kobe. I think that’s just how Kobe looks at it too, a duel between him and Wade.
  
• Wade tried to throw an alley-oop pass, but it was so off that it hit the top of the board! That’s probably the worst alley-oop pass I’ve ever seen. Then, the balls bounced hard off the board and ended up back in Mario Chalmers’ hands 25 ft from the basket.
  
• But the Heat were badly undersized.
  
• Jordan Farmar looked good, made a couple of nice backdoor passes for easy layup, include the one to Kobe for a buzzer beater reverse layup.
  
• Game tied at 26-26 at the end Q1.
  

Second Quarter

• Farmar continued his brilliant performance, drove past 3 defenders and scored on a tough layup. Moment later, he drained another 3. Wow.
  
• The second team of the Heat led by Beasley did ok on offense, but was helpless in defense failing to make any stops.
  
• Starters checking back in with 6 min to go.
  
• The Lakers were leading by a comfortable 6-8 pts but then Heat made a few stops, Mario Chalmers hitting a 3 and 2 FTs, and then the Lakers made some slow defense rotation which resulted in Marion made a wide open dunk to end the 1H.
  
• After the end of Q2, the game is tied at 46-46.
  

Intermission

• I’m not impressed by the Lakers. Yes, Kobe is the same old Kobe. He had 17 pts and 3 ast in 1H. But the team didn’t have good ball movement. And they turned the ball over (12 TOs in 1H). On defense, they failed to stop Wade and at the same time allowed Chalmers to have open looks from the arc. Anyway, they didn’t look like the best team in the league to me. Bynum completely disappeared in 1H. zero point, 2 reb, 1 ast and 2 TO.
  

Third Quarter

• Bynum finally scored his first goal. Drew foul, but did not make the FT.
  
• Another brilliant driving layup by Wade. This guy is really impressive. I think Kobe is going to do something to counter that soon.
  
• A great steal by Wade off Luke Walton, then he made the break-away dunk and fell to the floor. No foul called. Wade was furious and complaining, but I don’t think there is contact there. He just flopped.
  
• Game was tight as the Lakers did not play that well. Kobe dominated the ball too much. Don’t know why he always takes tough shots. Play some teamwork, man!
  
• Also, I don’t know why Phil Jackson didn’t take the clear size advantage and call for more low post plays. Obviously there’s no chance for the Heat to defend both Gasol and Bynum, right?
  
• Another back door pass to Marion for an easy layup. Bynum was called for his 4th foul. He has to sit again. Heat up by 3, 62-59.
  
• See? Another tough shot in the paint by Kobe. Yes, he made it. 62-61
  
• Another wide open mid J by Haslem, 65-61 Heat with 3 min to go in Q3. Phil Jackson has had enough and called a timeout.
  
• The Lakers didn’t play better after the timeout. They relied too much on individual plays, mainly by Kobe and Gasol. While Kobe forced tough shots, his teammates didn’t have the patience to pass the ball around, usually opted for shooting the ball after 1 or 2 passes, and they usually missed.
  
• On the other hand, the Lakers continued to let the Heat guards getting open looks. Just now, backup PG Daequan Cook made a couple of 3s and the Heat are now leading 72-63. 1 mins to go in 3Q.
  
• Oops, Marion is down, grabbing the back of his head. Obviously his head hit teammate Joel Anthony on their way down in a hustle defense play. Hope he’s fine.
  
• Oh, it’s clearly Wade’s night. Last minutes of Q3, Ariza almost stole the ball from Wade, but Wade was able to recover the ball and threw a “hail Mary” from 30 ft as the buzzer sounds. And the shot went it!
  
• Heat led by 75-63 after Q3.

Fourth Quarter

• The Heat actually played some very good defense, forcing the Lakers to commit an unusually huge number of TOs.
  
• OK, the Lakers fought back. A 7-0 run led by Vujacic (who scored 5 pts) and the lead is trimmed to 75-70. Without Kobe, no less.
  
• 5.15 to go. Kobe and Fisher is now checking back in.
  
• This is Kobe’s sequence: a dunk, a good defense on Wade to force a backcourt violation, a missed long J, after a basket by Wade, Kobe then forced a drive to the paint, almost lost the ball, and threw it to Bynum, who had no choice but throw up a missed shot as the shot clock expires. Perfect.
  
• Wo, Wade had a driving layup, and then a running J, as the Heat’s lead extended to 88-82 with 1.17 to go.
  
• Final sequence:
  
• Kobe made a left spin and scored a fadaway jumper over 2 defenders to pull within 86-88 with 41 sec to go.
  
• The Heat came out empty on the next possession.
  
• 20 sec left, Lakers possession. Kobe drove the lane, dished to Lamar Odom, whose running J was blocked by Joey Anthony. Odom got the ball back, threw up another shot, blocked again by Wade. Gasol got the offensive rebound but the ball was once again knocked out of bound by Wade. Superb defense!
  
• After each of Gasol and Wade making only 1 FT, the Heat maintained a 89-87 lead with 5 sec left. Lakers possession. Kobe started at half court, drove across the FT line with a back-the-back dribble, elevated and fired a fadaway over the long hand of Marion. The shot look good in the air, and ball went in, then out as the clock expire.
  
• Final score: 89-87 Heat.
  

BEAT L.A.!

• It’s really a duel between Wade (35 pts) and Kobe (28 pts). When Kobe scored many tough shots – in the traffic, with hands on his face – Wade would answer back with a tough shot of his own, or a long range J. Actually I don’t know whether it’s Kobe answering Wade, or Wade answering Kobe.
  
• The Lakers clearly are not at their best. Defense is the Lakers main problem, but then their offense is not smooth and does not have any chemistry. They turned the ball over too much. Kobe played selfishly this game, which is always not the good sign. I think Gasol and Bynum are under-utilized.
  
• On the other hand, for the Heat, it’s basically a Wade show tonight. The reason why I do not complain about the selfishness of Wade is that he was not forcing his way, instead he just took what the Lakers’ defense gave him. Moreover, the Heat need him to score 35 pts more than the Lakers need Kobe to score 28 pts. And the Heat overall played better defense than the Lakers.

LA Lakers @ Phoenix Suns, Thu, Nov 20, 2008

A reunion of Kobe, Shaq and the Zen Master. How could you miss it? Here's my running diary of the game:

First Quarter:

• Right out of the gate, the Suns decided to run, reminiscence of their old “ seven seconds or less” offense, and hitting 3s too. Raja Bell is hot.
• They were playing good defense on Kobe too. So far. I like their improved defense under Terry Porter.
• Amare’s mid-range Js are deadeye, almost automatic.
• A nice lob pass by Nash to Amare for a nice layup. And-1. 24-18 Suns. Timeout Lakers.
• Nash sat down, and immediately the offense stalled.
• Odom and Ariza led the 2nd unit to spark a 8-0 run and ended up leading 26-24 at the end of Q1
• Just noticed Phil Jax shaved all his beard and mustache. He looks young. As for Terry Porter, I haven’t seen him shown any expression on his face yet. Perfect poker face.

Second Quarter:

• now 2nd unit vs. 2nd unit. Diaw looks great, just had a great low post move and scored past Bynum, and on next possession a nice inside-out pass to Singletary for a wide open 3
• Grant Hill is still active. He made a driving layup and fouled. And-1. 34-33 Lakers.
• the defense by Lakers is good, a huge improvement from last year. They double team Shaq, are fast in rotation, pressurize the ball, forcing the Suns to commit TOs and shoot tough outside shots. Just like that, the Lakers pulled off a 46-39 lead with 2:30 to go. Timeout Suns.
• Shaq attack! He made a nice spin move and scored a layup over Gasol and fouled. And he made the FT!
• Kobe made a beautiful layup, then the Suns threw a touchdown pass to Grant Hill in the Lakers’ paint. Surrounded by 3 defenders, he pulled up for a tough shot at the buzzer, lots of contacts, missed but no whistle.
• Lakers leading 50-44 at the half.

Half Time:

• It's a TNT game. I should be able to watch the half time report by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson in the States. Too bad ESPN Star didn't show that here. So I ended up going to cook my lunch during half time.
  
• There are many suspicious non-calls. Many times the Suns players were obviously fouled but were not called. Isn’t there something called home court advantage?
• Nash hasn’t scored in the entire half. 0-3 FG. He had 7 ast though.

Third Quarter

• Terry Porter decided to focus the offense on Shaq, kept on dumping the rock to him in low post against Bynum. Shaq generated 5 pts and 1 ast to Matt Barnes in the first 3 min of action. Not bad.
• But the problem is Bynum and Kobe are also heating up., combining 9 pts.
• Another 3 by Radmanovic. He’s so far 4-4 from beyond the arc.
• Lakers’ D basically prevented the Suns to score in the paint, and the Suns are not connecting on the perimeter. Lakers by 12, 66-54. Timeout Suns.
• Finally Nash scored on a layup.
• Radmanovic hit ANOTHER 3. Now 5-5. Surreal.
• OK, Nash is getting more aggressive. He hit another floater.
• After Q3, Lakers led 80-67.

Fourth Quarter

• Actually the defense of the Lakers’ 2nd unit is even more impressive. They were all over the Suns on the wing, forcing a few TOs.
• Trevor Ariza is just phenomenal. Driving and hitting Js. I love this guy.
• 3-pter by Odom. 89-71. Lakers. Timeout Suns. The Suns have serious trouble stopping the Lakers. Doesn’t look good.
• 4.37 to go and trailing 81-96. the Suns is sitting Amare and Nash. What? I know they need to rest, but time is running short. Are they giving up?
• Matt Barnes had back problem, he’s wrapping an ice pack behind his back and they let him play like that! Ridiculously comical.
• OK, maybe the Refs don’t want to embarrass the game, they finally let Barnes go back to the locker room.
• 3.45 to go, the Lakers are getting their starters out. Game over.
• Some last effort by Grant Hill to pull within 10 pts with 2 mins to go. But nah they won’t get any closer.
• Got a chance to look at the rookie PG, Dragic. Well he got a good handle, but he looks lost, doesn’t have a clue where his teammates are, or where he’s going with the ball. His J is off too. Exactly how good this guy is? I wonder.

FINAL: Lakers 105-92 Suns

• Hate to say that, but the Lakers are better than the Suns on both offense and defense. The Lakers have way more offensive weapons than the Suns, and they have superior defense than the Suns. Kobe got so many help that he’s just cruising, almost effortlessly. On top of that, they have a deep bench with two elite players, Odom and Ariza who could start for any other team, not to mention the solid Vujacic and Farmar.
• Nash proved that his effectiveness is much lower playing at a slow pace. While Shaq has been impressive reviving his career and Amare being unstoppable, they don’t have enough wing players to beat the elite teams. Matt Barnes is solid but not good enough, though he can shoot some 3s.
• With the Amare-Shaq duo, the Suns should be able to go to the playoffs but unlikely to survive past 2nd round.
• However, the way the Lakers play, they look like the best team in the league. (Yike! I said such thing again! Hate that.) The only weakness about the Lakers is that they remain to be relatively soft. Big men Bynum and Gasol are not the tough guys that can intimidate opponents, that’s one big difference between the Celtics and the Lakers.