Author Archive for Mike Trudell

Lakers Hold Practice In Orlando

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 6, 2010
in Practice News
. Closed

59174164The Lakers held practice at Rollins College in Orlando on Saturday afternoon in preparation for Sunday’s showdown with the Magic, returning to the city in which they secured the franchise’s 15th championship with consecutive wins in Games 4 and 5 of he 2009 NBA Finals.

While specific preparation for the Magic took place since the team won’t hold shootaround in the morning due to the 11:30 a.m. Pacific tip, Phil Jackson said that the team also spent some time discussing how to get back to its defensive principles.

After consecutive road losses to Miami and Charlotte, Jackson addressed a team conversation in which Kobe Bryant, among other players, was vocal.

“We’re just working with some principles that right now have escaped us as far as what we consider good defense,” said Jackson. “We’re working with those principles, and (Bryant) interjected and brought up a notion of determination.”

Bryant declined to relay to the media his message to his teammates, but when pressed further by assembled media members, Jackson elaborated.

“(There is) a willfulness that you have to have in this game, and there is also flexibility,” explained the head coach. “Willfulness carries the day about 80 percent of the time. There’s strategy, and then there is getting the job done.

“I opened it up for how we’re going to solve some of the problems we have, basically penetration off screen roll, which has been a nemesis and is for most teams.”

57658078Screen-roll defense will certainly be a factor against the Magic, who have multiple players capable of excelling in pick-and-roll sets, such as Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter and Dwight Howard. While Nelson missed last season’s Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland and wasn’t himself in the Finals, Carter was the key offseason addition, joining Orlando in place of Hedo Turkoglu.

“Vince can essentially do the same things as Hedo did in terms of creating for others,” said Bryant. “Obviously Hedo is 6-9*, but Vince has his strengths too.”
*Carter is 6-6.

With an added hope that Carter can handle some of the playmaking role particularly in fourth quarters, Orlando is not lacking for motivation to return to the Finals, no matter how hard it is to make it back.

“Not many teams come back again after they lose in the Finals,” said Jackson. “It’s very hard because the disappointment is so great. In all the years I coached with the Bulls there was only one that came back and that was Utah. But, you can use it as an impetus too. I think Orlando has made changes and they’ve looked really good at times. I think they’re still there, still one of the teams.”

The Lakers certainly expect nothing less than Orlando’s A game in their first trip back to Amway Arena, where a hungry team and its crowd surely await.

MAGIC RIGHT THERE WITH CLEVELAND
I asked Phil Jackson why Orlando, despite beating Cleveland - with whom they match up very well - in the Eastern Finals last year even without Jameer Nelson, hasn’t gotten anywhere near the 2010 Finals buzz as the Cavs, and if he has additional respect for the Magic. Here’s what Phil said:

It’s who comes into these playoffs (after) these last 20 games playing well and in good health, and have all their weapons available to them that’s going to make the difference. I think (Orlando) has the ability to beat Cleveland. They know that, and Cleveland’s been trying to find personnel to match that, and did so with the trades they made at the All-Star break. They’re trying to arm themselves for the possibility.

Lakers 83, Bobcats 98: Running Diary

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 5, 2010
in Post-Game and Running Diary
. Closed

59812315Lakers - Bobcats Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers - Bobcats contest in Charlotte while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked to come back from a tough OT loss to Miami the night before.

Inactives
Lakers: Sasha Vujacic (shoulder)
Bobcats: Alexis Ajinca, Nazr Mohammed

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Bobcats: Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Theo Ratliff

Pregame Podcasts with Radio PXP for Both Teams
Stepping in for Spero Dedes for L.A.’s play-by-play on radio is regular sideline reporter John Ireland, who spent some time with us to offer details: CLICK HERE. We also caught up with Bobcats play-by-play voice Scott Lauer to go over the matchup: CLICK HERE.

59812348First Quarter
8:12 Artest has been thieving so much of late, they’ve had to notify arena security. With six steals against Denver and five each against Indiana and Miami, Artest matched a feat that L.A. hadn’t seen since 1981, when a guy named Magic Johnson pulled off at least five steals in three straight. Ron opened the game against Charlotte by picking Boris Diaw’s pocket and finishing a layup at the other end for a 13-8 Lakers lead.

2:57 The Lakers looked good early, getting seven points each from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to take a 20-13 lead … but then L.A. inexplicably started missing easy shots at the rim, though both Gasol and Bryant felt they were fouled on respective attempts. The Bobcats, however, used those opportunities to get into transition, and quickly rolled off an 8-0 run to take a 1-point lead.

1:17 Bynum capped a good first quarter by drawing a foul at the rim and hitting 1-of-2 free throws for the final point of the quarter, giving L.A. a 26-23 lead and himself eight points with seven rebounds. The coaching staff wasn’t particularly pleased, however, when Shannon Brown and Artest took respective jump shots relatively early in the shot clock instead of going back inside to Bynum or Lamar Odom.

Second Quarter
8:28 The opening to the second quarter was on the poor, to quite poor, side for L.A. Charlotte managed an 11-3 run, including three consecutive layups that produced a 34-29 lead into a time out, bringing Bryant and Gasol back onto the floor out of a time out. During the time out, the Bobcats ran a promotion featuring guys in those huge sumo wrestler suits playing tic-tac-toe, and one kid immediately made a ridiculous play by failing to block an obvious winning spot. Why do people not know how to play tic-tac-toe?

4:30 Eleven. That’s how many turnovers the Lakers amassed in the first 15 minutes of action. They average just over 13 turnovers per 48 minutes on the season. Charlotte, however, was only able to take advantage to the tune of a 38-32 lead.

1:20 Remember against the Rockets early in the Western Conference Semi’s when Kobe passed it to himself off the glass and finished a ridiculous layup over Yao Ming? He pulled that trick again, getting a layup when it seemed he’d have no good option for a shot. The possession before, Bryant had up-faked four times before nailing a fadeaway, the two shots reminding us that Bryant can always get a clean look at the basket one way or another. His buckets, however, were answered, and the ‘Cats took a 49-43 lead into the break.

59812399Third Quarter
8:54 Charlotte put on somewhat of a bizarre halftime show featuring a collection of random dances and song performances … then the Lakers came out as if they were participating in the acts instead of playing basketball, conceding a 10-0 run to start the quarter while turning the ball over three more times. All of a sudden, the home team was up 59-43, the visitors looking nothing like the Lakers. The bright side at that point? Lots of time remained in the game, and L.A. could play no worse.

3:28 After hitting 1-of-2 free throws, Bynum nailed an open 17-foot jumper to bring L.A. within 10 moments after back-to-back Bryant jumpers cut into a 14-point lead. Signs of fight had begun to eminate from the Lakers, but two end-of-shot-clock threes from Charlotte nearly erased the progress the team was making.

1:00 Farmar’s three-pointer preceded a pretty passing play between Gasol and Odom resulting in Lamar’s one-handed dunk, producing a 5-0 run to end the third quarter and get the Lakers to within 12 at 75-63.

Fourth Quarter
12:00 Any time the Nature Boy Ric Flair comes out to pump up the crowd, it can’t hurt. Not sure who got more excited … Charlotte’s fan base, or Lakers radio analyst Mychal Thompson (a massive wrestling fan and fellow University of Minnesota alum). And while Bryant hit the first shot of the fourth, the ‘Cats responded with three straight buckets to push the lead back to 17, matching their high for the night.

6:00 Bryant tried to lead a final comeback by example with his defense, crowding Felton to the point that the former North Carolina guard pushed off. However, the Lakers couldn’t put offense and defense together, as Brown pulled up early in the shot clock for a jumper and missed badly. With that sore thumb, he’d hit only 1-of-7 field goals to that point (and Artest, also nursing a hurt thumb, was only 1-of-9), and the Lakers couldn’t cut into the lead.

3:00 The game all but over, L.A. was only fighting to avoid losing by more than 13, the most it had ever lost by in six all-time losses to Charlotte … but the lead ended up at 15 when the buzzer sounded, 98-83.

A game L.A. would surely like to forget, but has to think about tomorrow heading into Sunday’s NBA Finals rematch against Orlando, when the Lakers look to avoid losing three straight for the first time since acquiring Pau Gasol.

Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
38 Points in the paint for L.A., which got only 11 from Pau Gasol and 14 from Andrew Bynum (a total of just 10 after the first quarter), plus eight off the bench from Lamar Odom. They combined to shoot 11-of-29 from the field.

26 Points from Kobe Bryant to lead the Lakers and all scorers on 9-of-21 shooting and 8-of-9 free throws.

20 Turnovers for the Lakers, resulting in 24 Bobcats points.

15 Margin of victory for Charlotte, its largest ever against Los Angeles (previous was 13).

3 Game losing streak the Lakers hope to avoid in Sunday against Orlando. L.A. has yet to lose three straight games since acquiring Pau Gasol back in February of 2008.

John Ireland Pinch Hits on Play-by-Play

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 5, 2010
in Podcast and Preview
. Closed

081022blog_irelandWith regular 710 ESPN radio play-by-play man Spero Dedes out for one game, sideline reporter John Ireland is stepping in to handle pxp duties for L.A.’s Friday evening game against Charlotte.

Ireland, the co-host of ESPN’s “Mason and Ireland Show” who also handles TV sideline duties for KCAL, joined us from his hotel room in Charlotte to look ahead to the game.

Dedes will be covering NCAA basketball on CBS on Saturday morning, but will return for Sunday’s game against Orlando.

Here’s the audio with Ireland:

 
icon for podpress  John Ireland PXP Podcast [9:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Lakers - Bobcats Podcast Preview

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 5, 2010
in Podcast, Pre-Game and Preview
. Closed

57096331After falling to the Bobcats in both regular season games in 2008-09 to make Charlotte one of only two teams the Lakers did not beat (Orlando), L.A. managed a 99-97 victory at STAPLES Center on Feb. 3 of this season.

They have their chance for a season sweep of their own on Friday night in North Carolina on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough overtime loss on Thursday to the Heat. A win would also even the all-time series between the franchises at 6-6; since it’s currently 5-6, Charlotte is one of only two organizations (Boston) against which the Lakers have a losing record.

Kobe Bryant, who went off for 39 points in Miami, is averaging 31.2 points in 10 career games against Charlotte, with a high-game of 58 points coming in a triple-overtime contest on Dec. 29, 2006.

The Bobcats are led by the wing duo of Gerald Wallace, the first all-star in Bobcats history, and Stephen Jackson, who was acquired from Golden State early in the season. Wallace actually missed Charlotte’s loss in L.A. with a hamstring strain, but will start on Friday.

For a full preview, we dialed up Bobcats radio play-by-play voice Scott Lauer:

 
icon for podpress  Bobcats Podcast Preview [11:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Lakers 111, Heat 114: Running Diary

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 4, 2010
in Running Diary
. Closed

59799461Lakers - Heat Gameday Page
We took a look at the Lakers - Heat contest in Miami while it was happening, entering a thought or three each quarter as the Lakers looked for their fourth consecutive win.

Inactives
Lakers: Sasha Vujacic (shoulder)
Heat: James Jones

Starters
Lakers: Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Gasol and Bynum
Heat: Carlos Arroyo, Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, Michael Beasley, Jermaine O’Neal

Pregame Injury Update - Shannon Brown
Brown took a few moments to describe his newly injured right thumb: CLICK HERE.

59799371First Quarter
7:55 If you watched the Lakers defeat Denver on Sunday, it was a familiar sight when early in Miami Kobe Bryant brought a double-team to the right block, then swung the ball to the weak side for a wide-open Derek Fisher three-pointer, which swished through to knot the score at nine. In unrelated news, Miami’s introductory video looked like it was produced in the 1970’s, for some reason, with each player wearing strange outfits amidst weird bubble letters (just so you know).

6:26 Fisher capped a nice opening stretch by nailing his third straight shot for a team-high seven points, giving the Lakers a 13-10 edge. That Fisher was taking shots was related to L.A.’s struggle to get the ball inside, as Miami is one of the league’s better teams at denying entry passes to the post. Phil Jackson said the key was good ball movement from side to side within the triangle scheme, which can sometimes take a bit of time in terms of adjusting within the game.

0:07.3 Though he started slowly from the field (1-of-4) and the line (2-of-4), Bryant hit his last two shots of the second at the rim, including his hang-in-the-air-through-the-lane-and-use-the-glass (like in the 2009 NBA Finals) trick to score the final basket of the first to put L.A. up 27-26. The Lakers shot 63.2 percent from the field, but turned the ball over six times for 11 Heat points.

Second Quarter
9:58 With Bryant and Gasol on the bench, Odom began to look for his shot to open the second, connecting on consecutive jumpers as Udonis Haslem played him to drive. Earlier today, Odom was (as always) in the team hotel weight room earlier in the day with his personal trainer getting a work out in, which he says helps keep his body feeling strong and energized during games. Bryant is a well-known game day workout fiend, while Josh Powell lifts before the game at the arena.

3:02 Because of Wade’s penetration, Bryant slipped off his man - Quentin Richardson - just a bit to help, and that’s all the space Q needed to hit his third three-pointer of the game for a team-high 11 points, bringing Miami within a point of the Lakers. In other Q news, does anyone else wish he still had Darius Miles around for the two-fist-on-head bit?

1:28 After playing just six minutes in the first quarter due to foul trouble, Andrew Bynum made up for it in the second, grabbing all nine of his rebounds, including four offensive that helped earn his 10 points. Gasol and Artest added buckets for the Lakers to close the half, earning a 47-44 on 50 percent shooting with 10 turnovers.

59799405Third Quarter
8:57 Michael Beasley, last year’s No. 2 overall pick after Derrick Rose, had a nasty put-back dunk on Gasol, then immediately drew a technical foul for taunting the Spaniard. To follow up, Beasley stared at the jumbotron for a full 25 seconds until they showed the replay.

4:27 Richardson continued to kill the Lakers from the three-point line, nailing back-to-back triples - his fifth and sixth of the game - to reach 22 points and give the Heat a 67-63 lead. Three more, and Q would tie Chauncey Billups and his nine threes against L.A. for the opponent season high.

0:10.2 Dorrell Wright closed the third quarter with a baseline jam off Wade’s pretty pass, giving the Heat a 74-68 lead heading into the final quarter. Bryant was up to 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Artest, Bynum and Fisher were also in double figures.

Fourth Quarter
10:25 Wright hit a three in the corner and Arroyo a pull-up jumper in transition to give the Heat their biggest lead, at nine, as the home team was just the latest to save their best game in a long time for the Lakers. Miami had dropped four straight games before squeaking by Golden State’s D-League filled squad, but was responding to a big crowd - not the norm in South Beach - in a big way.

7:54 The Lakers bench put forth a key 7-2 stretch, featuring two monster dunks from Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar’s three, two of the plays coming off Odom assists. Brown’s first dunk may have won him the Slam Dunk Contest, as he exploded off the baseline, double-pumped and finished with two hands. Just all nasty and fierce, and L.A. was within four at 83-79.

3:12 The team’s respective superstars hit threes on back-to-back possessions, first Wade, then Kobe, as Miami retained a 92-87 lead as the clock grew as an enemy to L.A. Then, after an impressive push from L.A., featuring a Fisher three and Kobe’s pull-up jumper plus some solid defense, Bryant drew a shooting foul on Richardson and sank both free throws to put L.A. up 97-96. That happened fast.

0:03.3 Yet it paled in comparison to Bryant’s game-tying jumper in the lane from about 17 feet over Wade, which answered Richardson’s seventh three-pointer of the game that had made it 99-97 seven seconds prior to that. Miami had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Wade’s double-clutch jumper was well short, thanks to the defensive pursuit of both Odom and Artest. Time for some overtime, L.A.’s first extra session since Dec. 26 at Sacramento. Generally, Kobe just wins it in regulation.

Overtime
3:17 I think Kobe found his shooting touch. He followed that regulation J with back-to-back jumpers over Wade and Richardson, respectively, to put L.A. up 103-101. He’d hit once again a minute later, but Miami kept matching as the game was tied at 105.

0:37.3 L.A. got a big driving hoop from Odom to tie things at 107, but Wade alley-ooped to O’Neal for a layup that put Miami back on top. But then Odom, after just missing a three, stole the ball and fed Farmar for a layup that preceded Haslem’s open jumper to make it 111-109 Heat. Quite an entertaining final stanza, to say the least.

0:18.7 The latest biggest play of the game came as O’Neal stepped in front of a driving Bryant to draw a charge, getting possession back for Miami, which got two free throws from Arroyo to go up four. Bryant missed a three on the ensuing possession, Arroyo added 1-of-2 free throws with 0:06.2 to play, and the Lakers had been beaten in overtime for the first time in five games.

Up next is a Friday night contest in Charlotte, but until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
7 Three-pointers hit by Miami’s Quentin Richardson, all in the first three quarters, for 21 of his 25 points, including the dagger that put the Heat up 99-97 with 11.1 to play. Chauncey Billups’ nine threes on Feb. 5 was the most against L.A. this season.

10 Missed free throws by the Lakers (15-of-25), while Miami made 21-of-25.

14 Points for Derek Fisher in one of his better games of late, including a late three-pointer that keyed L.A.’s late comeback.

18 Of Kobe Bryant’s 39 points that came in the fourth quarter and overtime.

22 Combined points from Andrew Bynum (12) and Pau Gasol (10), a number which will rarely get it done for the Lakers.

Shannon Brown Thumb Update

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 4, 2010
in Injury News and Shannon Brown
. Closed

Shannon Brown offered an update on his sprained right thumb prior to Thursday’s game in Miami that he suffered while blocking a Dahntay Jones shot against Indiana on Tuesday.

“I didn’t know how it bent or how it stretched out of place, I just knew I blocked the shot and my thumb started throbbing,” he said. “It does (affect me), when I’m dribbling, shooting and all that. But it’s fine, it’s not going to change my activity out there.”

“It should be all right,” added Phil Jackson. “He has a sprain, but he’ll be OK.”

Brown said that he was glad that he blocked the shot clean and wasn’t called for a foul on the play, which would have been a “double whammy.”

Brown also knew that he had comfort in numbers, since Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest have also suffered varying finger injuries throughout the season.

Lakers - Heat Preview

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 4, 2010
in Preview
. Closed

56394036VIDEO SCOUTING REPORT
Assistant coach Jim Cleamons joined us yesterday back in L.A. to preview the team’s three-game road trip, starting with Thursday night’s contest in Miami. After the video (below), Cleamons added that the Lakers will look to improve their post entry passes, a problem in the team’s first match up when the Heat fronted the post, try to expose Miami’s more-frequently-used-of-late zone defense and limit Dwyane Wade’s penetration.

LAKERS - HEAT CONNECTIONS
The Lakers PR staff provides a good deal of information in the Game Notes for each game of the season, including a connections page that details the playing history of Miami and L.A. Here are some of the more interesting notes:

- The Lakers lead their season series with Miami 1-0 after defeating the Heat earlier this season (12/4/09) on a Kobe Bryant one-foot, running, bank-shot three from the top, left side of the arc as the buzzer sounded.

- The Lakers will be looking for their second sweep of the Heat in the last three years, having taken the 2007-08 series 2-0 and splitting last season’s series 1-1. This will be the 44th meeting between the two franchises with the Lakers holding a 29-14 all-time lead.

The Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings with the Heat but have won 5-of-their-last-6 overall. In Miami, the Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 games after Bryant’s jumper to tie the game rattled in and out at the buzzer in their last trip to AmericaAirlines Arena (12/19/08).

- Lakers forward Lamar Odom played one season for the Heat, averaging 17.1 points and 9.7 rebounds in 80 games. Following that season, Odom was acquired from the Heat by the Lakers along with Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a future first round draft pick in exchange for Shaquille O’Neal.

- Heat guard Dwyane Wade played alongside Kobe Bryant on the gold medal winning US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Heat guard/forward Quentin Richardson played three seasons alongside Lakers forward Lamar Odom with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2000-03 while Lakers forward Ron Artest played from 2002-06 with Heat center Jermaine O’Neal in Indiana. Heat guard/forward Yakhouba Diawara, a native of Paris, France, played locally at Pepperdine University from 2003-05.

HEAT QUICK HITTERS
From Miami’s Game Notes:
- Miami has limited its opponents to just 44-158 shooting (.278) from three-point range the last eight games.

- Miami is 20-0 when holding opponents to under 90 points and 16-0 when holding opponents under 40.0 percent shooting from the field. The Heat is also 28-5 when leading at the half.

- Dwyane Wade recorded his sixth 30/10 game this season with 35 points and 12 assists on 3/2 vs. Golden State, Miami’s last game; Carlos Arroyo scored a season-high 14 points on 3/2 vs. the Warriors, and tied season-highs in rebounds (five) and steals (two); Jermaine O’Neal’s 14 points on 3/2 vs. GSW marked the sixth consecutive game he has scored in double-figures; Over his last 11 games, Dorell Wright has shot 50.0 percent (32-64) from the field and 44.0 percent (11-25) from three-point range;

(Quick) Lakers Injury Update

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 3, 2010
in Injury News
. Closed

To make sure you’re all updated on the most current Lakers injury information, here’s the latest list from the team’s game notes, including each player’s status for Thursday’s game in Miami:

▪ Shannon Brown (sprained right thumb) is probable.
▪ Kobe Bryant (avulsion fracture, right index finger) is probable.
▪ Sasha Vujacic (sprained right shoulder) is out.
▪ Luke Walton (pinched nerve, back) is out indefinitely.

The newest of the injuries is Brown’s sprained right thumb, suffered on Tuesday evening in L.A.’s win over Indiana when Brown blocked the shot of Dahntay Jones.

Lakers Cruise Past Pacers, 122-99

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 2, 2010
in Post-Game
. Closed

59782993The Pacers tried to go big, they tried to go small, but it ultimately didn’t matter as the Lakers rolled to a 122-99 victory, the 10th straight year L.A. has beaten Indiana in Los Angeles.

“They’re the ultimate test period,” said Pacers coach Jim O’Brien. “It doesn’t matter what lineup that you put out there when you play the World Champions … you know you’re going to be tested at every spot.”

Indy hung around in the first half, trailing by just six at halftime before L.A. burst out of the halftime gates with a 38-17 third quarter, dealing quite easily with whatever personnel Indiana had on the floor.

“It looked like (we) got something back in the third quarter, came up with some steals and shot some balls,” said Phil Jackson. “They made things happen on the offensive end. It was a good win for us.”

While O’Brien started Hibbert, he played only 21 minutes, as the Pacers played small for most of the game with forward Troy Murphy at the center spot. Rewind back to L.A.’s 118-96 victory in Indianapolis in January, when Andrew Bynum destroyed such a small Pacers lineup, making his first four shots to put L.A. up 18-8. In the second half of that game, the Pacers started Hibbert and played him a fair amount in sum (28 minutes), but the Lakers still outscored Indy 33-22 in the third quarter to put the game on ice. Bynum finished with a season high 27 points.

59783012Though he needed to play just 26 minutes as Phil Jackson rested his starters in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Bynum operated with ease yet again, making 6-of-8 shots for 16 points. Pau Gasol added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and the Lakers edged Indy 56-44 in the paint.

“Their length (is tough),” O’Brien explained. “They had 20 offensive rebounds* in Indiana, they murdered us on the glass. They murder a lot of people on the glass. They’re big and long and the triangle offense is one that gives you constantly good weakside rebounding. They just have all the ingredients.”
*L.A. had only 10 offensive boards on Tuesday in part due to 51.7 percent shooting and 24 free throw attempts.

Indy’s unconventional style helped keep things close early, as the Pacers took 14 three-pointers (making seven) in the first half in part by taking advantage of Murphy’s - who hit two threes - presence on the perimeter.

“They play a style of ball that is unique,” said Phil Jackson. “They really don’t start out in the low post. Our defense is generated off what normal NBA teams would run. We kind of load up our players, overload the sideline and make teams swing it, but this is a team we can’t play that normal type of defense against.”

But in the second half, the Lakers upped their intensity on D and absolutely stormed the Pacers in the third quarter, outscoring the visitors 38-17 in the period keyed by the individual play of Ron Artest. L.A.’s starting small forward holding his past six individual matchups under their average, completely neutralized Danny Granger, holding the 23.0 ppg scorer to just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting for the game, and came up with five steals in the third quarter alone.

“His defense was very good,” said Jackson, who added that the Lakers are better adjusting as a team to what Artest can do individually.

59782985Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant attacked the rim (10 of his 24 points), Bynum dunked (two hammers), Derek Fisher hit his third three and Pau Gasol hit the glass (five boards in the period). Then Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown came in and flew around on defense, forcing turnovers and finishing at the other end for 11 total points.

“They’re big, they’re strong, they have great inside-outside game and one of the great scorers in the game,” said O’Brien. “They’re a terrific basketball team.”

The Purple and Gold pushed their lead to as many as 32 early in the fourth quarter and had each starter on the pine with 8:25 to go in the period, the bench content to seal a 122-99 victory thanks primarily to 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from Farmar and 12 points from Shannon Brown.

Up next is a tough three-game trek through the South East, starting with a Thursday evening contest in Miami against the Heat.

Until then, your numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
5 Steals in the third quarter by Ron Artest, a game after he notched six thefts against Denver. Artest also held Indiana’s leading scorer Danny Granger (23.0 ppg) to just nine points on 2-of-9 shooting.

14 Free throws made by Kobe Bryant, who began attacking the basket after struggling with his jumper early, missing his first five shots. He finished with 24 points on 5-of-14 shooting.

19 Points off the bench from Jordan Farmar, who was hot in making 8-of-10 shots including 3-of-4 from three-point range.

38 Points scored by L.A. in a big third quarter in which they allowed only 17 points to the Pacers to break the game wide open.

122 Points scored in the game for the Lakers, including 71 combined in the second and third quarter.

Artest Going Streaking … On Defense

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on March 1, 2010
in Practice News and Ron Artest
. Closed

59764689

Phil Jackson needed just one word to describe Ron Artest’s effort against Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets after L.A.’s 95-89 win on Sunday: “remarkable.”

High praise from Caesar, indeed.

In our postgame wrap of the Lakers win, we detailed Artest’s performance:

Sparking that defense was the terrific individual effort from Ron Artest, who was draped so close to Carmelo Anthony all night that ‘Melo may as well have worn cologne named “Ron Ron.” Anthony made only 7-of-19 field goal attempts, turned the ball over eight times and fouled out while trying to create space from Artest late in the fourth quarter. Artest tied a season high with six steals, and even went off for 17 points himself (’Melo had 21) thanks in part to four 3-pointers, plus four boards and four assists.

Not bad.

“It was just about playing decent and a lot of effort,” explained Artest. “(Anthony) is definitely one of the better players in the NBA, but when I am hungry I don’t really worry about the offensive players even if they have a good game. I know that if I am doing my job, we should be OK.”

Artest, citing improved conditioning due to his trimming more than 10 pounds (and counting) off his frame, also pointed out that he’s held the last six individual offensive players he’s faced since the All-Star break below their respective averages, which is a constant goal for the Queens, New York, native.

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