Laker Gas Tank Hits 'E' in Memphis

by DexterFishmore on Feb 1, 2010 9:35 PM PST in Game Recaps Comment 28 comments

I'm still not sure how the Lakers even had a shot at the end. Most of the night they'd spent stacking the deck against themselves. They turned the ball over abundantly. They missed free throws. They didn't work the offense to get clean looks. They missed some more free throws.

It required generous bumbling on the part of the Memphis Grizzlies to turn it into a close game. With seven seconds left in the first quarter, Rudy Gay fired up a half-court prayer, apparently thinking... what? There were 0.7 seconds left? He missed, natch, and the Lakers got a free possession, which Kobe Bryant converted for three. The Grizz missed plenty of open Js throughout the night, and Mike Conley honked a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left in the game and Memphis up a deuce. That led to Kobe finding Ron Artest in the corner for a pretty decent long-ball that would've won the game, but it rimmed out. 95 to 93 was the final score.

C'est la guerre. But hey, at least Andrew Bynum didn't hurt himself. By this point, I think we've learned not to take that for granted.

This was another schedule loss, straight up. Yeah, it sucks to come so close and still get the L, but this was going to be a rough night no matter what. It was the last day of the eight-game death march, and the war in Boston wrapped up only 24 hours before. The Laker legs were tired, and it showed. Remember that long run of home games back in December? Tonight the bill came due.

Kobe was pretty much the only Laker who hadn't mentally returned to LA already. Ron had some decent moments but too many not-decent ones as well. Pau Gasol tooled on rookie Hasheem Thabeet but was otherwise MIA. Bynum was MIA from beginning to end. Kobe was left to drive the offense by his own self. He kicked ass for the most part but didn't get nearly enough help. What is this, 2006?

(As you're already aware, Kobe passed Jerry West to become the Lakers' all-time leading franchise scorer tonight. I'm guessing that doesn't make him feel any better about how this game came out. Still, tip o' the cap to the Mamba for hitting that milestone.)

There were four chief Laker probs tonight. Here they are, in ascending order of importance. Count along with me.

1. Turnovers! 16% of Lake Show possessions ended without a shot. This, a day after they turned it over on 18% of their possessions against the Celtics. Taking care of the rock has been a Laker strength all year, and they need to get back to it. Five of their 15 turnovers tonight were committed by Artest.

2. Free Throws! Ten misses in 27 attempts? Yuck. Eight of the 10 misses were by Kobe and Pau. LA made only 63% of their FTAs compared to a season average of 78%. They did get a tad lucky in that Memphis shot only 69% from the line, but the Grizz are only a 74% free-throw shooting team on the season. If both teams shoot their season averages tonight, that's a two-point swing in the Lakers' favor.

3. The Bench! What is this "bench" you speak of? Lamar Odom pulled in nine rebounds, which is nice, and Jordan Farmar was somehow credited with five assists, and that's the whole list of nice things to say about the reserves. They combined for 14 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Come on, fellas. You're not making it easy for me to defend you.

4. Offensive Rebounds! As in, there weren't nearly enough of them. The Lakers rebounded only 12% of their own misses (season average: 27%) and produced only seven second-chance points, none in the second half. That's on the big men. Drew, Pau and Lamar did OK on the defensive glass, but didn't battle hard enough for second and third shots. Gotta do better, dudes.

So the road trip comes to an end, with the Lakers having won five of the eight games. Any of the three losses could've swung the other way; the same could be said of one of the five wins. It could've gone better, it could've gone worse, but the Lakers return home healthier than they left and within sight of Cleveland in the standings. On Wednesday they host Charlotte in the always exciting Adam Morrison Bowl.

	Poss.	TO%	FTA/ FGA	FT%	3FGA/FGA	2PT%	3PT%	EFG	TS%	OReb Rate	DReb Rate	PPP
L.A.	94	16	0.37	63	0.27	49	40	51	55	12	74	0.99
Mem.	93	11	0.39	69	0.21	45	29	45	45	26	88	1.02

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Kobe scored 44 points tonight and surpassed Jerry West on the Lakers all-time scoring list. Ironically Jerry West wore #44.

by intuitive on Feb 1, 2010 9:42 PM PST reply actions

"He just keeps getting better and better and better. Just watching him play this year, I think this will be his greatest year ever. He will be the most valuable player in the league this year. He will be. His play has been that great. And to watch him do that year after year after year – that’s the thing that the average person does not understand, how difficult it is to prepare yourself to play every night, and knowing that ultimately, you’re going to make a team win. He’s going to make a team win. You take him off that team, they’d still be a good team because they’re talented up front, but they would lose their confidence. He brings confidence to the table through his play and his incredible desire. You don’t have to ask him to compete, and when I watch him play, I say to myself, ‘My God, here’s the second coming of Michael Jordan.’ He’s reached that status as a player."

For more: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/100201bryant_alltimescorer.html

by intuitive on Feb 1, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions

That quote was said by Jerry West on Kobe unparalleled will and consistency.

by intuitive on Feb 1, 2010 9:43 PM PST up reply actions

Kobe’s*

by intuitive on Feb 1, 2010 9:44 PM PST up reply actions

Is he trying to take back that "Lebron is better than Kobe" statement he gave last year lol

Nah, just kidding to the great Jerry West. I have tremendous respect for Jerry West. I think he’s might fave Laker besides Kobe.

It’s fitting that the person who does surpass Jerry West, he hand picked and gambled everything on a 17 year old out of high school.

It would have been nicer if Kobe had surpassed Jerry West in LA, but I suppose Jerry West managed Memphis once … so kinda full circle? Semi-circle?

Again, huge congrats to Kobe for the milestone. Next milestone is the 30,000 club right?

Lakers 2009 Road to Redemption: TREVOR, DEREK, LAMAR, PAU & KOBE.
Play the game of which Lakers reminds you of: TA - TI, Shannon Brown - Chris Brown, Pau Gasol - Jesus, Machine - Luis Scola/Russell Brand, PJ with mustache and beard - Colonel Sanders.

by PeanutButterSpread on Feb 1, 2010 9:51 PM PST up reply actions

I hope he wins MVP but why the hell everybody already gave the MVP to Lebron, i totally hate that, Kobe is better than Lebron but no apparently Lebron is already better than Jordan

The PuertoRican Kid

by Kobe:The Legend on Feb 3, 2010 6:34 PM PST up reply actions

A HUGE CONGRATS to Kobe, but ...

Kobe should demand an apology from every Laker not named Ron Artest. No, they should be begging to wait in line to apologize to him on their own volition.

Joking aside, I do feel indignant for him. It feels like 44 points wasted. A milestone wasted.

On a night where Kobe needed 44 points to beat the Grizzlies, the least the rest of the Lakers (tired or not) could have done for him was not let him pass Jerry West be in vain.

I wouldn’t be too upset with this loss since it was a “trap game” / “scheduled loss,” plus they just had a b2b against the Celtics in a game that came down to a very hard fought victory … but Kobe gave it his all to win this game and he had to pass Jerry West to give the Lakers a chance and that pisses me off.

Everyone knew Kobe wanted to break the record at Staples … but he broke it in Memphis … fine … but what’s not fine is that he had to do it to prevent the Lakers from losing and the Lakers still lost. Great freakin way to top poop on top of what should have been a sweet sweet milestone.

Ugh, I suppose the one silver lining I can find in this loss (besides Kobe being the all-time Laker leader in points) is Drew escaping the Memphis curse in one piece. YAY.

Trying very hard right now not to let the loss get in the way of Kobe’s tremendous achievement (it seemed like just yesterday he was a cheeky 17 year old announcing his intentions for the NBA) and now look at him. 31 and already the Lakers All-Time Leader in Points. Tremendous. Especially considering if you took out his rookie season and maybe even his sophomore season plus the 04-05 season when he was injured, Kobe’s technically achieved this feat in 11-12 seasons, which is pretty damn impressive, considering he surpassed the Logo himself and all the previous Laker greats.

by PeanutButterSpread on Feb 1, 2010 9:46 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

Oh and how lame to deny Phil to pass Pat Riley

because he’s gonna have to wait one more game to pass Pat Riley as the Laker’s most winning coach.

They play the Bobcats. The Lakers’ worst inexplicable nightmare.

by PeanutButterSpread on Feb 1, 2010 9:56 PM PST up reply actions

Isn't the explanation Larry Brown? He seems to have Phil figured out (2004 finals, anyone?)

by michal0501 on Feb 2, 2010 7:09 AM PST up reply actions

passing milestones seems to be a curse these days

dirk n duncan lost on their 20,000 mark, kobe lost on his 25,000 mark and this one too :(

by oxymor0n on Feb 2, 2010 4:21 AM PST up reply actions

Among all the talk of the Lakers bench sucking, we haven't talked enough about how bad Fisher is

I know it seems almost blasphemy to dog on D-Fish but man has he been sucking. his 1-6 performance tonight was no exception and his constant bad shots, jumpers that always rattle out, and getting beat time and time again on defense by quicker players or screens are making me call for an even more reduced role and definitely off the floor at the end of the game.

I think he can still start, but why hasn’t PJ given seriously thought for the end-of-the-game lineup to be Kobe, Artest, Odom, Gasol, and Bynum? Kobe or Lamar can bring the ball up and Kobe usually takes the opposing PG on defense when Fisher screws up anyway. I see no weaknesses with this lineup… so what’s stopping this from happening?

by MrChen on Feb 1, 2010 9:55 PM PST reply actions

The biggest reason Fish is out there at the end of the game

is experience and his ability to hit “clutch” threes.

by PeanutButterSpread on Feb 1, 2010 9:57 PM PST up reply actions

OK, fine

but a game like tonight’s is probably a win with a more productive player taking his minutes.

Twitter feed: @dexterfishmore

by DexterFishmore on Feb 1, 2010 10:42 PM PST up reply actions

He is the best the Lakers have as far as options

I have kept running it in my mind and can’t think of a player who makes 5 mil in the league who has the vet leadership and clutch experience like Fish does? Even the so called “elite” pg’s in the league can bring what he does.

"If you want to find the dumbest guy in the room just find the first guy to tell you how smart he is." - JG

by PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE on Feb 1, 2010 10:56 PM PST up reply actions

I agree Dex, but I was trying to see it from Phil's POV

It’s why he kept Fish in for Game 4 even though Fish was only 0-5 at that point in time (granted yes, Jordie and Shannon weren’t ready for crunch time last year and it was a Finals game) but I really do think Phil just keeps Fish out there because he:

a.) trusts Fish
b.) trusts Fish’s experience
c.) trusts Fish to be the only player besides Kobe with the kahonas to hit the game winning shot.

Otherwise than that, I guess maybe it’s also Fish’s veteran savvy? I dunno, this game, Jordie and Shannon didn’t play as well (although Jordie did have the highest +/- and assists of the team, his chuck happiness of a 2-7 (1 from 5 at the 3 pt range) awfulness just showcased a general meh showing from the PG position tonight.

Then again, with an exception of Kobe and Ron, everyone else was pretty pedestrian, which is understandable at the end of an 8 game road trip in 14 days, so this game is probably not a good indicator of why Phi likes keeping Fish in at the end of games.

by PeanutButterSpread on Feb 2, 2010 1:12 AM PST up reply actions

amen

by altree on Feb 1, 2010 10:50 PM PST up reply actions

FT shooting

could not watch the game but as I see it,had Kobe was 3 FT s more accurate which is to say his normal percentage,this game could have been won.8/14 is a rare line for him.He usually goes for 13/14 or 14/14.Could have been a 50 point game with a win.Anyways with tough back-to -back,5-3 record is not that bad for the Lake show.First loss for them when KB goes over 40 this season.Would have preferred him taking the last shot though.Credit to Grizz for denying that.

by meeer1171 on Feb 1, 2010 10:34 PM PST reply actions

Not down on this loss

Almost expected. The loss to Toronto was the hard one. All in all not a bad road trip; we did beat the Celtics…

Nice to see Kobe take over the Lakers scoring throne, it is well deserved.

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

by mrbarneydangles on Feb 1, 2010 10:54 PM PST reply actions

Couldn't watch this game due to school.

And for once, I’m thankful for it. Though it would have been nice to see Kobe go off for 44.

"That's a giant sig " - Ben R.

by Saurav A. Das on Feb 1, 2010 11:41 PM PST reply actions

I believe I owe rshinsec an explanation

If you’re reading this, rshinsec, you know what I’m trying to address. Your question is probably one that’s been on a lot of SSR bloggers’ minds for a few days, and I had better answer it before I start annoying anyone.

First of all, I used to be a Laker fan. Sort of. I would root for the Lakers when they weren’t playing the Cavs. I liked the Kobe-Shaq era, and it was nice to see Kobe’s Lakers return to prominence. I felt sorry for Kobe being picked on for not winning a ring without Shaq. But most important of all, the biggest villains for me used to be Dallas and San Antonio. So of course the Lakers were a great antithesis to those teams, and they could be depended on to beat either one. In 2008 and 2009, I couldn’t imagine a more delightful NBA Finals matchup than Cavs-Lakers. When the playoffs started, I would hang out on Silver Screen and Roll if the Lakers were in tight games. After all, this was the team I wanted to win the West, and I wanted to chat with people during close contests. And to me, it seemed like a good idea to make connections between the fans of the top two teams. We could engage in banter and boasts, trying to outdo one another.

But now the year is 2010. The Lakers are defending champions, and the top team in the West. The Cavs are the top team in the East. Less than two games separate the Lakers and the Cavs. Of course I root for the Lakers to lose…I’m a Cavs fan. If they’re in a close game, which they’ve been in during most of the games on this road trip, it gets my attention, because every game counts when our records are so close.

So in a way, I suppose have a sort of “love-hate” view towards the Lakers. I root against them in the regular season, but I root for them in the playoffs. After all, I still haven’t gotten the Cavs-Lakers match I wanted. In addition, I like this blog. It’s full of activity, and every post gets dozens, if not hundreds of comments. I’ve had plenty of exchanges in the threads with people like shaqfor3, altree, intuitive, Gils_Keloids, PURPLE AND GOLD FOR LIFE, lalball81, wondahbap, and BrittneyM, just to name a few. And I just like hanging out on rival blogs. I don’t hide the fact that I’m a Cavs fan. But I make sure not to troll, because I want to keep the connections I’ve made with other bloggers alive. I want to be a rival, but I want to be the kind that can have conversations with rivals outside of the game. So yes, I root against the Lakers in the thread, but I never intend to tease or upset anyone.

Anyway, that’s my deal.

by WaveOcean on Feb 2, 2010 1:34 AM PST reply actions 1 recs