Before every home game, we sit down with whatever Lakers assistant coach is in charge of preparing that evening’s scouting report.
In this case, before Tuesday’s contest against the Knicks, we spent some time speaking with Jim Cleamons; Clem explained that the Lakers need to “bring basketball sneakers, not track shoes” when facing a Knicks’ team that loves to get up and down the floor. In other words, the Lakers coaches don’t want their players to be baited into New York’s style of taking quick shots, in the process neglecting L.A.’s size advantage on the block.
However, while the Knicks rank third in the NBA in scoring, the Lakers are first - which speaks to L.A.’s offensive efficiency. Indeed, the notable statistical difference between the teams comes not on offense, but defense, where the Knicks rank 27th and the Lakers 14th. New York scores 104.91 points per game and gives up 106.95, while L.A. scores 108.04 and give up 97.34.
To explain this in better detail, here’s a link to the Cleamons interview:
Cleamons on the Knicks
