Lakers-Rox Game 1: Tempo-Free Boxscore Breakdown

by DexterFishmore on May 5, 2009 1:05 AM PDT

Ugly was in the air tonight. From the gushing wound on Shane Battier's forehead, to endless three-point brickage by the Lakers, to the commercials for Domino's terrifying bread bowl pastas, there was plenty to displease the eye and roil the digestive tract. The tempo-free numbers, I'm here to inform you, are no exception. Take a look after the jump, if you think your stomach is up to the challenge. I disclaim all responsibility for any resulting nausea, vomiting or internal bleeding.

Each team had the ball for 95 possessions tonight, a figure that almost exactly splits the difference between the Lakers' and Rockets' regular-season averages. I was surprised not to have come up with a pace in the 80s, as watching in realtime the game certainly felt like a slow, sludgy affair. Admittedly, the count is inflated by the end of the 4th quarter, when the Lakers were trying to foul their way to a comeback.

The per-possession numbers for each team:

Turnover rate: Lakers - 14%, Rockets - 19%.
FTA/FGA: Lakers - 0.22, Rockets - 0.40 (ouch).
Effective field goal percentage: Lakers - 45%, Rockets - 51%.
True shooting percentage: Lakers - 48% (oy), Rockets - 58%.
Offensive rebounding rate: Lakers - 28%, Rockets - 24%.
Defensive rebounding rate: Lakers - 76%, Rockets - 72%.
Points per possession: Lakers - 0.97 (grrr), Rockets - 1.05.

A main cause of our misery lurks in the true shooting numbers above. The Rockets posted a nice 58% true shooting figure on the strength of a 25-for-29 performance from the line. Powered by 16 missed threes and 12-of-19 free throw shooting, the Lakers punished the rims to the tune of 48% true shooting, a figure that if sustained over the regular season would land you four percentage points behind the league-worst Clippers.

Rye will be here in the morning with a full Game One damage assessment. In the meantime, a tip o' my cap to Yao for getting back into action after an apparently painful knee injury. Paul Pierce is incredulous that you did so without the help of a magical wheelchair.

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I just hope Houston doesn’t come out with some ridiculous outlier game in Game 2 that the Lakers can’t do anything about. The kind of game that if the Lakers won Game 1, would not be a big deal. I am a worry wart.

by Gils_Keloids on May 5, 2009 1:12 AM PDT reply actions

Worry, me?

I for one, the ever gullible Lakers optimist, thought that this game would be a blowout. Unfortunately for me and everyone else, these Lakers like their drama and demand the divine attention of a diva. But for however badly we played, we were still in it. If we force the Rockets to become a jump shooting team, we win hands down. Force the issue and make them defend us, by punishing them in the post. Make Brooks a defender and his offense will suffer. Clear the paint so that Kobe has room to isolate his man and the wings have clear cuts to the hoop. If we can somehow manage to pull Yao out of the paint, that leaves Scola as the solitary defender in the middle. It looked like the 405 at rush hour out there tonight with absolutely no room to operate.

dEDGE - Lakers Commentary

by dEDGE on May 5, 2009 1:33 AM PDT reply actions

Dont even trip

I think. err correct that. i know, our Lakers are one of the few teams that could bury themselves and climb back out of the hole and make it seem like nothing ever happened.

it’s a wee bit annoying how a lot of people are counting out the Lakers from this series already.

I think people are just way too die hard and bitter.

It’s going to be a long week and a half. I’ll hold my breath.
But I’ll be damned if Rockets Fans don’t hold their breath much, much longer than i would.

Call me bitter about the loss.
Talk all your crap.
But most of the people talking crap against the Lakers were rooting for this team, the past 12 years your team didn’t make it past the 1st round.

by Three2ThreeLakerFan on May 5, 2009 3:38 AM PDT reply actions

Who's counting them out?

I think the Lakers are the better team.

But the better team doesn’t always win, and this gives the Rockets some margin for error, and the Lakers very little.

But they can do it! Will they? That’s why they play the games!

by Gils_Keloids on May 5, 2009 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Agreed

I will worry with you. After the game 1 loss, it showed which team was more cohesive and more dedicated to one another.

I’ve been debating this with my friends and we really need Game 2 (no shit, Sherlock) or else… well let’s not go there. It’s not like we have Horry, Shaq, and Fox still in the lineup to have something to fall back on.

Gils, did you think Game 1 was a prelude of things to come or the “statistical abberation” that is flying around the bloggospheres?

Also, I’m curious about this: they say that whoever wins Game 1 wins 80% of the time (the series). But usually it’s the home team that wins so that distorts that % a bit. What happens when the away team steals Game 1? Are the percentages the same?

by hertagnism on May 5, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Hmm I think I saw some stats there

Over at Truehoop.

And I’m leaning toward 70% “statistical aberration” mixed with 30% “solid Houston Defense”.

2-18 From 3 pointers? Even if they hit 3 more, that’s 9 points for you math majors. Yes, Houston missed threes also, but the Lakers’ statistical performance was more deviant from their average performance than Houston’s.

by Gils_Keloids on May 5, 2009 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions