Postgame recap Preseason style

There was something about last night’s game that I couldn’t put my finger on, but I didn’t want to watch it.  Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten to the point where I feel like I know all I need to about how the teams look and therefore get nothing out of watching them play in games that don’t count.  Maybe preseason basketball is best enjoyed when separated out instead of for the 4th time in 6 nights.  Maybe I just need a little more variety than playing the same team for the 3rd time in 6 games.  Who knows, but I was not enjoying last night’s game as much as I normally do. 

 

That said, there were a few things that stood out to me

 

-Bynum was good again.  Actually, this didn’t stand out at all.  He’s been good the whole preseason, in part because he’s the only member of the power 5 that is a) comfortable in the offense and b) trying.

 

-Kobe scored the team high, because he wanted to.  Clearly, Stephen Jackson’s comments didn’t miss Kobe’s ear, so he decided to send a bit of a message.  If this were a real game, we might be talking about how Kobe took Jackson for 50.

 

-More than ever, I want a Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown back court combo at least some of the time.  Those two love nothing better than to fly.  They are quick, they can trap effectively, cause turnovers, and the two of them on the fast break (as long as Farmar’s the one running it) is a guaranteed bucket with a good chance for a highlight quality finish.  One can dish, and the other can finish.  It’s a perfect match.  Throw some Lamar in there and it is a lineup that excites me quite a bit.  I don’t know how the coaching staff can really make it work, because it seems to me that Sasha is likely to be the first guard off the bench (and I don’t disagree with that), but, even for a short period, I think Farmar and Brown need to see time together. 

 

-If we can’t have both, give me Farmar please.  He’s not a great fit in the triangle, but he’s back to his shot-creating best form right now, so he does the best job at getting the ball into teammate’s hands with the opportunity to score.  I love Brown, and if you had to pick between him and Farmar for a guy to play with the starters, it would be Brown in a heartbeat.  But the 2nd unit needs someone to create shots, and Farmar is the best man for the job.

 

-The Lakers just keep winning these games.  The games don’t matter, and we all know that.  But you can’t help but think to yourself, "That’s the Lakers 2nd and 3rd unit against the other teams’ 2nd unit with a couple starters, and we’re still winning games."  Granted, we might have the worst strength of schedule in preseason history so far, but its nice to see the team win, even as Jackson is responding to an opposing team’s run in the 4th quarter by bringing in Thomas Kelati.

 

-It’ll be nice to see a game against a halfway decent team as the Lakers play back to back against the Nuggets on Thursday and Friday to wrap things up for the preseason.