Lakers Ride Bynum to 2OT win in Memphis, 116-111
Sometimes I think that the Lakers have finally figured things out. Then I wonder. Yes, they went to Bynum last night. It looks like Mike Brown has figured that out. But Kobe still took his 25 shots and, while Andrew took 18 shots, equaling only his second highest total of the season, he did hit on 15 of them (twelve shots being dunks or layups). Rather dominating, wouldn’t you say? Marc Gasol, as good as he is, couldn’t stop Bynum, who is at least 25 pounds heavier. Nor, with the possible exception of Dwight Howard, can anyone else in the NBA.
So: Why only 18 shots? If Kobe took as few as 18 shots, people would wonder what the problem was. Why can’t Andrew take 25 shots and Kobe take 18 shots? Kobe only hit 11 of his 25 shots. Not bad, but 14 misses really hurts because the other team’s gonna get about 11 or 12 of those misses. All missed shots are turnovers, except for the few offensive rebounds teams get on a given night.
Why did it take until the 40th game of the season (against the Celtics) before the best offensive big man in the NBA was “allowed” to take the last shot in a close game? In this morning’s LA Times Bynum said, “They’re trusting me.” So that’s the “trust” issue that was bandied about but never addressed. Bynum felt that Kobe didn’t trust him. Now he does, meaning that sometimes Kobe will allow him to take the last shot? Or allow him to take more shots than Kobe?
You’d have thought that, by the end of regulation last night, Bynum’s dominance had been established. So how come Bynum didn’t even touch the ball until 1:25 was left in the first OT? The second OT was similar. There’s a certain condescension toward Bynum that inhibits his game. He doesn’t dig the lack of “trust.” I think that’s on Kobe. I could be way off but I doubt it.
Now that the Lakers have sort of figured it out, Bynum may be allowed to lead the Lakers to an NBA title, ironically transcending Kobe’s egomania, and feeding it at the same time by giving him his coveted sixth ring–as a byproduct not of Kobe’s greatness but of Bynum’s.
I think Kobe is inhibiting Pau’s game, too, but I ain’t got the energy for that one right now.
Other highlights include Pau’s eight assists, a few to Bynum that ended in dunks. Pau, the most underrated Laker, is a great passer, one of the best all-time among 7-footers. Has any other power forward had eight assists this year?
It’s not just that World Peace missed five 3-pointers, the problem is why the hell is World Peace taking five 3-point shots?
Steve Blake didn’t handle Mike Conley’s suffocating defense too well (no one in the league does) but he hit three of four 3-pointers and dished out five nifty assists.
Just to keep things in perspective, permit me to point out that not only was Zach Randolph out of the lineup again (he was also out the last time they played), Rudy Gay had a concussion in his previous game and was held out, and might miss more games. Thus, the Lakers faced the Grizz without their two best players and highest scorers.
And if Mike Conley hits his shot at the end of regulation, Memphis wins.
Then what do you say?