Steady Rolling

by DexterFishmore on Dec 1, 2009 10:44 PM PST in Game Recaps Comment 29 comments

It's good to be the Los Angeles Lakers right now.

The competition continues to unimpress, but gone, it appears, are the days when we had to worry about dropping a game like this. This Lakers team sees an inferior opponent and chokes them out fast. Against the Chris Paul-less New Orleans Hornets tonight, L.A. ran out to a 21-point lead in the second quarter, grooving on the smooth inside stylings of Andrew Bynum, and used the cushion to give the starters yet another restful second half. The final score was 110 to 99.

Phil Jackson let the garbage-time unit play almost the entire fourth quarter, with predictably unsexy results. The lead got down to 10 with about two minutes remaining, but the starters weren't called back into active duty. After the game, Phil said of this decision:

I was going to suffer the consequences tonight. One way or the other, [the reserves] have got to take responsibility for how they play.

The Hornets never got closer than nine, however, and Jordan Farmar kept the world safe for tacos with a last-second block of a Darren Collison layup.

The Lakers have now won seven in a row, all by double digits, but snapped their streak of holding opponents under a point per possession. Their record is 14-3, the NBA's best. Next up are the Miami Heat on Friday night in what I believe will be the Lakers' 53rd consecutive home game.

	Poss.	TO%	FTA/ FGA	FT%	EFG%	TS%	Off Reb%	Def Reb%	PPP
L.A.	97	18	0.45	85	56	63	14	76	1.13
N.O.	98	15	0.17	87	50	53	24	86	1.01

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I'll save Timbo some time

With “The View from the Other Side” New Orleans Edition:

So … how ’bout them Saints?!!

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gils_Keloids on Dec 1, 2009 10:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Haha!

The Lakers "Too big, too strong, too long, too good."

by olf on Dec 2, 2009 6:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

With the win tonight,

Lakers are sole owners of the best record in the NBA.

Far cry from that UGLY losing streak!

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Dec 1, 2009 10:47 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Also,

Anyone notice Farmar chew into Vujacic for that turnover he had with a little over a minute left? Game was already decided, but you gotta like that passion from Farmar.

Seems like the team is turning on Sasha. His situation is like Vlad Rad 2.0, only even more horribly overpaid.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Dec 1, 2009 10:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Missed that.

Interesting. There was also that recent locker-room exchange between Sasha and Lamar.

by DexterFishmore on Dec 1, 2009 10:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Good

Farmar has had some attitude issues in the past so this is a welcome sight. Looks like Sasha is at an all time low. Tiff with Lamar the other day and now getting chewed out by Farmar. Even Morrison is hitting more shots than Sasha right now. OUCH

Lamar = Laker for Life...Go Pads...Go Bolts

by mrbarneydangles on Dec 1, 2009 11:27 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Luke, use the force and come back. We need a good passer and post man on this horrific second unit. We have a bunch of chuckers and DJ Mbenga.

Luke, you are our only hope.

by 81 Witness on Dec 1, 2009 11:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

luke will be on the bench in the garbage-iest of garbage time

Sasha, ammo, Mbenga, Powell, and Farmar/Brown

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Dec 1, 2009 11:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I could see Phil sitting any combination of Farmar/Brown/Morrison

To have Luke on the floor in garbage time.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Dec 1, 2009 11:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Morrison? really?

Looking back, I can see him actually sitting brown or farmar and having sasha at the point, and Ammo at the 2 but I can’t see PJ benching Ammo over Luke given Luke’s value to the team and his injury prone career.

so yes, maybe Sasha, Ammo, Luke, Mbenga, Powell…but I don’t think I’ve ever seen that lineup.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Dec 1, 2009 11:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hilarity

From Eric Pincus’s Twitter feed:

no one in the hornets locker room would admit to knowing about the taco giveaway at staples

by DexterFishmore on Dec 1, 2009 11:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

yea right

collison lived in LA last year. i bet he was the mastermind behind not wanting to give tacos, too!

by Nostance on Dec 2, 2009 12:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately missed the game

Although from the box score, it looks like I missed nothing more than a rehash of the last few games. A few questions then:

1) I assume the bench sucked as usual; how did Farmar perform? He seems to be on a noticeable groove the last few games.

2) Was Drew simply utterly dominant (missed only one shot) or did he have the occasional defensive lapse (Okafor had a decent game)?

3) Who did Artest abuse for his fairly efficient shooting night?

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Dec 1, 2009 11:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

1) Farmar was good. He seems to be emerging as the clear-cut 7th man.

2) On offense, Drew could get whatever he wanted against Okafor, but he didn’t have his best game defensively. He made a couple assignment mistakes early, but cleaned it up in the second half.

3) Most of Ron’s makes, if I recall, came from open looks when his man (Posey, Songaila) sagged off to help on Kobe or Bynum. As you see from the numbers, he had a good night knocking them down.

by DexterFishmore on Dec 1, 2009 11:26 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Good on Farmar

Because that will give us essentially a nine-man rotation when Walton comes back, which is just about right come playoffs.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Dec 2, 2009 12:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think we need to distinguish between our rotation players and our literal "bench"

Cause overall I thought Brown, Farmar, and LO had a good night. Brown didn’t shoot well but he was active defensively and posted a +7 on the night.

The pine-riders played crap as usual though.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

by Justin N. on Dec 1, 2009 11:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, my definition of "bench"

Extends to Odom, Farmar, Brown, Walton, and maybe Powell.

I don’t have high hopes for Sasha, Morrison, or Mbenga.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Dec 1, 2009 11:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

actually AMMO wasn't awful tonight

I think sometimes he could be useful.

by Madz on Dec 1, 2009 11:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Morrison always looks like he just woke up

by stephens on Dec 2, 2009 12:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

i always thought he looks like a pedo

by suzie-q on Dec 2, 2009 3:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

His defense is always too much of a liability

He simply has zero athleticism whatsoever and doesn’t have an awesome shooting stroke to offset that.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

by Ben R on Dec 2, 2009 12:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yea, his defense is still a liability

i’d even rather have “quick-foul” sasha over him…

i actually think the main problem with the bench is too many defensive lapses. they take quick jumpers and don’t put their mind in to defend after the miss

by Nostance on Dec 2, 2009 12:28 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that's right

When they were mixed in with a few starters, Farmar and Brown were just fine. It’s when you throw them out there together with Morrison, Powell and either Vujacic and DJ that things get ugly. And it’s not like we’d ever see that lineup in a close game that matters.

by DexterFishmore on Dec 1, 2009 11:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs