Lakers Stumble on Florida Two-Step
Heat 98, Lakers 87
Don’t let the score make you think that this game was ever close. Despite not having to face Dwyane Wade, the Lakers were never in it despite a late mini-run. But this loss didn’t run true to form, i.e., Kobe didn’t take more than twice as many shots as Pau and Bynum. No, this loss was a little different.
Kobe took 21 shots, which is about right for a guy who leads the league in scoring. The big difference was that Pau Gasol took 19 shots, the most he’s taken this season. He hit 11 of them, including a 3-pointer and an assortment of shots around the hoop that look easy but aren’t, and he went 3-3 from the foul line for 26 points. That gives you an idea of what Gasol can do on a nightly basis, given the right amount of shots.
Bynum got 15 points and 12 rebounds but only shot 13 times and missed a lot of close ones. He went 3-4 from the line. He needs to shoot more (16-18 times or more) and get to the line more. Of his 12 rebounds, only one was on the offensive glass. That’s ridiculous.
Kobe played 41 minutes in a game that was a blowout, despite the relatively close final score. Mike Brown should have also rested Pau and Bynum (who both logged 37 minutes) and gone for the win in Orlando tomorrow. Instead, he overused all three in a lost cause, leaving the team in lousy shape for the Magic.
Mike Brown has said he doesn’t know how he can play Kobe fewer minutes. Really? Permit me to suggest sitting him down.
The Lakers got two assists from the point guard position—29 minutes for Fisher, 18 minutes for Darius Morris. Two. One each. Whole game, point guards, two assists. You’re thinking that they probably compensated by scoring a fair amount of points. Nah. Just two. Between them. Two points, two assists, whole game, 47+ minutes.
Not only is that unusual—in the NBA there’s rarely that big a hole at point guard—but it points to the heart of the problem. A dynamic point guard would get the ball to the Big Three. Kobe could just be the high-scoring off-guard and not worry about everything else. Getting Chris Paul could’ve made that happen. Getting Steve Nash could still make that happen. Trading deadline is March 15. Why not now? Otherwise, it falls to Kobe to get off his trip, whatever the hell it is, and use his basketball smarts to figure out how to win another title with what he’s got. One thing he’s got that no one else in the league has—not even close–is a Twin Towers that no one can stop if exploited properly. It comes down to this: Pau and Bynum have to each score about as much as Kobe. And they have to take roughly the same amount of shots. In other words, it has to be a true Big Three like it is in Miami. All three of those guys—James, Wade and Bosh–are shooting a lot and all three are scoring a lot. Simple model to follow. Kobe, Pau and Bynum—the Big Three. You want another championship? That’s the ticket.
Without a new point guard, it’s up to Kobe in a way that it hasn’t ever been before.
Magic 92, Lakers 80
For the second straight night, the Lakers stunk up the court and got killed despite the seemingly close final score. And the funny thing is that, except for the opponents’ 3-point shooting which was clearly superior, the overall stats—shooting percentages, assists, rebounds, etc.–were about the same as their opponents in both games.
The Lakers offense is like a Rube Goldberg machine—complex when it needs to be simple. As in, Phase One: Pound the ball down low to Bynum and make Dwight Howard foul him, and Phase Two: Get the ball to Pau Gasol and let him work against the smaller guys guarding him. When you can’t do those two things, then Kobe should shoot. Am I going’ too fast for ya?
Kobe had a great night, as usual, with 30 points and eight rebounds but, as usual, to his team’s detriment, and his own as well. He shouldn’t ever play 44 minutes as he did last night (especially after playing 41 minutes the night before). Have I mentioned that he’s also got a serious wrist injury?
Bynum took six shots. Enough said?
Gasol played 40 minutes and has been averaging close to 40 for the last few games. If Mike Brown is trying to burn out Kobe and Pau, he’s doin’ a great job. Pau took too many long distance shots last night, which explains his 4-12 from the field and one offensive rebound.
Matt Barnes: In his last four games, his field goal shooting is 1-6, 1-5, 1-6 and 1-4. I’d try starting Devin Ebanks again.