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Guarding Carmelo Anthony

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 13, 2009
in Pre-Game
. Closed

58715395Other than Kobe Bryant, no one’s gotten off to a better - or easier - scoring start to the season than Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, who is not only averaging 30.2 points per game this season but opened the Western Conference Finals last year by scoring 39 and 34 points in Los Angeles

Oddly, he cooled off at home, managing just 21 and 15 points in Games 3 and 4 before closing out with 31 and 25 point games.

While L.A. used Trevor Ariza’s quickness, Kobe Bryant’s tenacity and Luke Walton’s size to give ‘Melo different looks, assistant coach Frank Hamblen said that ultimately it was a team approach they took with the former Syracuse National Champ.

“He’s really developed offensively,” said Hamblen. “He’s more disciplined, he tries to get to the free throw line - I think he’s getting there 11 times a game* right now - so everybody has to be aware. ‘I have my man and part of yours,’ that’s the way you have to do it against him.”
*Anthony has been to the line an average of 11.6 times per game, hitting 89-of-105 free throws (84.8 percent).

L.A. does get a prospective boost in dealing with Anthony with the presence of Ron Artest, as Phil Jackson explained.

“We don’t have to commit as many defenders to plugging the lane and doing that stuff,” said Jackson. “Hopefully Ron can kind of hold him in check. I don’t think anyone is going to hold him out (completely), but he’s going to be physical with him and he can take the physical punishment that Carmelo dishes out and he’ll give some back on his own. That’s a big part of it, Carmelo has outweighed our guy in that position by 30 or 40 pounds.”

Hamblen said that Anthony still has a height advantage over Artest, but like Jackson expects Artest to be able to physically stand up to Anthony.

“We’ll see if Ron’s our guy,” he concluded.

Lakers In the Rockies

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 13, 2009
in Pre-Game
. Closed

57555951Beating Phoenix by 19 points at home was impressive.

The Suns had come into the game leading the league in field goal percentage and points, yet managed just 36.5 percent against an L.A. team that dominated the paint despite not having its second-best player, Pau Gasol, for the eighth straight game.

“They are great, they are the world champs and there is a reason why they are the world champs,” said Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry. “Like I said I don’t know where their weakness is really. They are going to be a handful for whoever plays them.”

That, of course, shouldn’t be a surprise. The Lakers did win the title last season. But on Friday night in Denver, things shouldn’t come quite as easily as they did at STAPLES Center on Thursday. The Nuggets, after all, have a few things going for ‘em:

1) Revenge, especially since L.A. won Game 6 in their house to end Denver’s season while the Lakers went on to the title.
2) Size, in the form of Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen that shouldn’t allow the 78 points in the paint conceded by Phoenix.
3) Carmelo Anthony, second only to Kobe Bryant in scoring thus far (30.2 ppg to Bryant’s 33.0), playing at an extremely high level.
4) The altitude, as Phil Jackson explained: “Well, the first run I think is the one that takes it out of players. They get exhausted right away with that high altitude, light-headed lung burn. After that you can kind of settle in the second time out. You really move in better shape. The game has to be at level of tempo like we want to play at.”
5) The Lakers got to the team hotel at 3:34 a.m. local time.

Since the Nuggets rank fifth and L.A. eighth in points per game, it should be an entertaining game to watch, played at a high tempo (but not too high, says Jackson). One area to watch … the offensive glass, where L.A. ranks 5th and Denver ranks just 25th on the defensive boards.

You can tune in on ESPN at 7:30 p.m., or 710 ESPN radio to catch all the action yourself. Meanwhile, follow us on Twitter for live in-game updates: @LakersReporter and @Lakers.

Lakers Put Out Sun(s) in the Paint

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 12, 2009
in In-Game
. Closed

58900493Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.
The closer a given shot is to the basket, the better chance it has to go in.

Simple and common knowledge, right?

That’s why it was particularly impressive that Phoenix came into Thursday evening’s game at STAPLES Center leading the league in field goal percentage, because after all, they shoot a lot of jumpers. Yet in an 8-1 start to the season that was as hot as their nickname, Phoenix nailed 50.8 percent from the field (the only team in the league over 50 percent), including 47.4 percent from three (lava?).

58901363Of course, as Phil Jackson mentioned before the contest, that kind of shooting just doesn’t last forever (even if Steve Nash is creating better looks than Versace).

Boy, was that proven true from the opening tip against the purple and gold, when the Suns opened 4-for-18 (also known as 22 percent) and didn’t get much better, clanking and bricking to the 36.5 percent mark as L.A. dominated the game en route to its seventh win in eight tries.

There was a reason for that, as it were: L.A. scored 78 points in the paint. You know, near the hoop…

Sure enough, the Lakers barely took a shot that wasn’t within 10 feet of the hoop, scoring 20 of their first 26 points in the lane before cooling down just a little to settle for 60.9 percent shooting in the first quarter and 57.6 for the game.

No one was more responsible for that than Andrew Bynum, who was almost perfectly emblematic of L.A.’s efficient game in an impressive return from a two-game hiatus due to a strained elbow.

58900947Using his size advantage to terrific effect, Bynum offered a variety of dunks, layups and short jumpers to punish Phoenix in the paint. No, really, punish. He made 13-of-18 shots for 26 points, and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. He wasn’t bad on defense, either, swatting three shots and holding Amare Stoudemire to just eight points on 2-of-15 from the field.

“He played extremely well and he obviously had a matchup advantage with his length and his size. He used it extremely well,” said Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was nearly as efficient, operating out of the post once again to the tune of 13-of-21 shooting, meaning he and Bynum combined to knock down 66.7 percent of their shots. He finished with 29 points in 33 minutes, plus four assists and four boards.

“It feels very good. You have to get post position and really do your job. When the team tells you to come through, you have to come through and play hard and do the work inside,” said Bynum.

Teammates like Lamar Odom (eight points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, Josh Powell (14 point, seven boards, three assists), Jordan Farmar (eight assists) and Shannon Brown (10 points including an absurd dunk rounded out a terrific all-around effort.

There’d be little time for celebration, however, as the Lakers headed straight to the airport after postgame interviews to hop a flight to Denver, where they’ll face their Western Conference Finals opponent.

Until then, some numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
78 The ridiculous number of paint points for the Lakers, compared to 48 for Phoenix.

66.7 Percentage of shots made by Kobe Bryant (13-of-21) and Andrew Bynum (13-of-18).

45 Bench points for L.A., led by Josh Powell’s 14 and Shannon Brown’s 10.

42 Points for Phoenix’s starters.

38.9 The one poor area for L.A. on this night, coming from the free throw line. They made only 7-of-18 from the charity stripe for a season low percentage.

1 Public Enemy rank for Louis Amundson after his put-back layup got the Suns over 100 points in the final minute, erasing the fans’ shot at free tacos.

Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

Video: Lakers - Suns Pregame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 12, 2009
in Pre-Game and Video
. Closed

Phoenix has officially returned to seven-seconds-or-less basketball.

“They seem to have their swag back,” said assistant coach Brian Shaw. “They’re getting the ball up court, getting into early offense and shooting the heck out of the ball, especially from the three-point line.”

Playing the lead role in Phoenix’s show is Steve Nash, whom Shaw said is back “playing at an MVP level” in topping the NBA’s assist chart with 12.6 per night, not to mention 17.6 points. With newcomer Channing Frye playing “center” on the perimeter, Amare Stoudemire on the block and wings Grant Hill and Jason Richardson operating at Nash’s will, the Suns are leading the NBA in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and are second in assists.

Of course, it’s not like the Lakers can’t score. On the contrary, they’ve managed to average the eighth most points in the league despite the absence of offensive wizard Pau Gasol, and can do a bit of running and gunning themselves. Yet Shaw stressed that L.A. can’t get too wrapped up in how Phoenix wants to play, instead focusing on using its respective advantages (Andrew Bynum or Kobe Bryant in the post, for example).

For more on that, courtesy of Shaw, just click on the above video.

Western Conference Preview: Portland

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 10, 2009
in Preview
. Closed

Brandon RoyFor the final of our 14 Western Conference previews, we dialed up Jason Quick of the Oregonian to talk about the Portland Trail Blazers.

Quick offered insight regarding Andre Miller’s affect on the team and Brandon Roy in particular, discussed whether or not Portland can get enough scoring on the low block from LaMarcus Aldrige - who shoots a lot of jumpers - and Greg Oden, offered his best guess at the Blazers’ crunch-time lineup and more.

 
icon for podpress  Portland Trail Blazers [16:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Related: CLICK HERE to listen to any of the other Western previews.

A Chat with Marc Gasol

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 9, 2009
in Miscellaneous and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Marc GasolPrior to L.A.’s Friday night win over the Memphis Grizzlies, we spent a few moments with the younger half of what could end up being the most potent brother combination in NBA history (really … check the numbers).

Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies center and younger hermano of L.A.’s own Spaniard, told us about his close relationship with Pau, what it’s like playing against him and more:

MT: You’re averaging 17.6 points on 60 percent shooting along with 12.6 boards per game, good for fourth in the NBA. Anything in particular that helped you make such a leap from your rookie year?
Marc: Just trying to get better every day, pretty much. I’ve started strong, but it doesn’t really matter when your team is 1-4. We’re trying to win games, not just have me get better.

MT: Your brother Pau is constantly talking about you and obviously cares a great deal about your development. How would you describe your relationship?
Marc: We’re very close. We come from a small family, and we have always been very close just like we are with our little brother (Adria), our parents and our grandparents. We hang out all the time together and talk all the time on the phone, pretty much every day.

MT: Pau has told us before how much of an impact the 1992 Olympics had on him in terms of playing basketball as a youth, but you’re five years younger than Pau (Marc was born in 1985, Pau 1980).
Marc: I started playing when I was young, about six years old, because my parents played and Pau played and many of my classmates played. I always played with older kids and had a lot of fun.

55461777MT: Pau is one of the best players in the world. Some would say top 15 or 20, I think top 10 after his defensive improvements last season. Did you realize how good he could be growing up?
Marc: He achieved a lot of things that you didn’t think he would very fast. I think every time he had a challenge, he overcame it, and he plays above everybody’s expectations. He has no limit, and it’s something that we can not take for granted. He’s a winner, a competitor, and a great example for a lot of people.

MT: Do you talk to Pau about his hamstring?
Marc: He’s getting better, it’s just a muscle injury. You don’t want to carry that type of injury all season, you want to be ready to go, so the Lakers of course need him but they have a very deep bench.

MT: You won’t get to do it tonight, but what is it like playing against your brother?
Marc: On the court you don’t have any friends. You are trying to win. You’re trying to help your team, and that’s all that really matters. It doesn’t matter how many points you get or anything like that. I try and play my game against him and try to get him to be less effective, but he is a very effective player that always shoots a very high percentage. He knocks down the outside shot, can drive past you going to the basket, can post you up with his back to the basket … he has so many moves that you can’t just scout him. You have to try and be very physical.

MT: Did you mimic any of his moves growing up?
Marc: Yes of course. He is one of the most skilled players that plays close to the basket so of course you want to learn some moves that he does, but you have to make your own adjustments because you have a different body, a different way to play. I look at him and I also look at Tim Duncan or any other big names around the NBA, or from all-time.

MT: Can you give us an idea of what it’s like playing with Pau on the Spanish National Team, which won the European Championships for the first time last summer?
Marc: It’s easy to play with Pau. He’s obviously our leader, and he has been for so many years that we’re all very proud and happy to be on his team. It was tough for me because I was often on the bench, but anything to help our team win. He plays the five all the time … In Europe there isn’t much space in there without the defensive three second rule, so everybody sits in (the lane). It’s different.

MT: How is it going back to Spain with the growth of basketball that you and especially Pau have helped inspire?
Marc: That’s thanks to Pau. I think he made this sport very big (back home). He broke so many borders around Spain and Europe. Everyone back home is very proud of Pau.

Bryant Leads L.A. Past N.O.

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 8, 2009
in In-Game and Post-Game
. Closed

blog_091108kobebryant_headerWatch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

We used the title “No Gasol, No Bynum, No Problem!” when L.A. dusted Memphis on Friday evening, crediting L.A.’s impressive by-committee approach in a solid team effort.

Of course, Kobe Bryant’s 41 points didn’t hurt the cause. He’s pretty good.

Bryant’s scoring came so easily, we nearly forgot that he also dropped 41 points in two of the three Lakers wins prior to Friday, against Atlanta at home and then in Houston three nights later.

So while adorned in his Sunday white uniform against New Orleans, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see Bryant filling up the twine yet again for 26 points in the first half on 10-of-16 shooting, helping his squad to a 55-42 lead at halftime. He was scoring so readily that one wondered why New Orleans wasn’t sending a double-team his way … And sure enough, that’s what Byron Scott would do in the third quarter, turning Bryant into a ball mover as his teammates took over in the second half.

“We had a little easier time tonight than I had anticipated,” said Phil Jackson. “A lot of it due … Kobe’s 26 point first half, they really came out to double to take the ball out of his hands and we were able to get some three-point shots and make them.”

58866893The Lakers canned eight of their 12 threes in that second half, while Ron Artest and Lamar Odom combined for 17 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 points in 30 minutes of burn each. Shannon Brown and Luke Walton pitched in 26 total points, all but five of which came in the latter half as the Hornets struggled to find an answer.

“This was a game that we believed was going to be a really tough game,” said Bryant. “I think because of that, everybody’s antennae were up, everyone was extremely focused and ready to go.”

No one more than himself.

Sure, Bryant didn’t hit the 40-point mark for the fourth time in five nights (a surprise despite only 12 second half minutes), but his initial burst was more than enough. D.J. Mbenga was so enamored with Bryant’s play that the center said he almost wished he were on the bench, as he might be with a healthy team, so he could just sit there and watch Bryant. Instead, Mbenga put up his first career double-double, a 10-point, 12-rebound effort capped off with four blocks … Even if he had to focus more on protecting the paint than marveling at Kobe.

“Well nothing surprises me anymore,” said Phil Jackson. “So I’m honestly not surprised at all … (Bryant is) the kind of guy [where] it doesn’t matter if things are going well like that. He’s going to want the ball and make them have to come double team him, make them play him in a way … He’s been doing a good job.”

Though Bryant is as much a stranger to scoring binges as peanut butter is to jelly, last season he didn’t score 40 points until Dec. 20 at Orlando (41), and only did it four times for the entire regular campaign*. After seven games this season, he’s just a game away from matching that pace.
*Other three times: 40 at Utah on Jan. 2; 61 at New York on Feb.; 49 at Phoenix on March 1.

One simple explanation for Bryant’s burst of points (other than the fact that he’s the world’s best player) is the convergence of two things: he spent much of his offseason working on his post game, and the block is wide open for his use with Bynum and Gasol in street clothes.

58867046After the game, Bryant was asked how much of his offseason workouts focused on his low post game.

“More than usual,” he said. “I always concentrate on it, but more than usual.”

Not a shocker. By the way, ceding the block to either seven-footer when they return isn’t exactly the plan.

“They know I eat first,” said the Finals MVP. In other words, this isn’t just a temporary experiment.

Case in point: in the second quarter, Bryant so easily laid in and banked home respective shots on post ups of New Orleans shooting guard Devin Brown that Brown just sort of stopped and looked around, his face resembling the female lead of “Paranormal Activity” after the door of her bedroom door closed randomly in the middle of the night.

Brown wasn’t sure how to make it stop, but then again, who is?

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Year of college basketball played together at UCLA for Jordan Farmar and Hornets back up Darren Collison. Farmar’s five assists helped lead to 46 bench points for L.A.

4 Blocks for D.J. Mbenga, not to mention 12 rebounds to lead L.A. in both categories in relief of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

5 Free throws attempted by the Hornets in a first half dominated by the Lakers, showing how New Orleans largely settled for jump shots.

12 Three-pointers hit by the Lakers, eight of which came in the second half. Luke Walton and Shannon Brown nailed three apiece.

33.6 Kobe Bryant’s scoring average so far this year, tops in the NBA.

40 Points scored in STAPLES last January by Hornets forward David West in a Hornets’ win; L.A. held him to just 11 on Sunday.

Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

Lakers - Hornets Pregame

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 8, 2009
in Pre-Game, Preview and Video
. Closed

Assistant coach Jim Cleamons sat down with us after shootaround to talk about L.A.’s Sunday evening matchup with Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets, detailing how to go at the shifty point guard, the addition of Emeka Okafor and elements of the Hornets’ Princeton offense.

We also learned from Phil Jackson that Pau Gasol (hamstring) would be inactive for the sixth straight game, while Andrew Bynum (elbow) would be active but would very likely miss his second-straight contest.

Jackson went on to discuss the contributions of D.J. Mbenga and Josh Powell, the two reserves charged with picking up the collective slack left by L.A.’s two regular starters. He seemed impressed with Mbenga’s play, which has come despite a nagging injury around his hip/groin area, and credited another hard working offseason for Powell’s continued improvement.

Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. at STAPLES Center.

Gasol, Bynum Don’t Practice Saturday

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on November 7, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Neither of the Lakers nicked-up big men were on the court with their teammates as the team practiced Saturday afternoon in preparation for their game against the New Orleans Hornets Sunday night.

On Wednesday, Pau Gasol was cleared to resume on-court activities, and had been working out, but sat out today’s workout after feeling some residual pain in his hamstring according to head coach Phil Jackson.

“Last night (he) felt some residual pain and was concerned about it today, so he hasn’t been out on the court with us today,” said Jackson.

Andrew Bynum continued to receive therapy on his sprained right elbow.

As for either of them playing on Sunday, “Doesn’t look good right now but it’ll still be a game time decision,” said Jackson.

Both are officially being listed as doubtful.

After Sunday the Lakers enjoy a rare three day break before returning to action next Thursday against Phoenix. “I can’t see any reason why this should be that extended that it would go on past that time,” offered the head coach.

No Gasol? No Bynum? No Problem

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 6, 2009
in Post-Game
. Closed

58851788Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.

No Pau Gasol?

OK, it’s never good to miss one of the world’s best players, but L.A. had managed to go 4-1 without him heading into their sixth game of the season Friday night against Memphis.

No Andrew Bynum?

Less good, especially since Bynum was averaging 20.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in L.A.’s first five games, making him one of only three players in the league (Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman) on that pace.

But L.A. still had Kobe Bryant (he’s pretty good). Still had Lamar Odom … Ron Artest … Derek Fisher … Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga. Etc.

In other words, no problem.

58851622Bryant’s blood should have been checked for warmth after another 40-plus point effort, his third in six games this season after sinking 19-of-30 shots for 41. In the process, Bryant became the youngest player to 24,000 points and vaulted him past Allen Iverson for 16th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He was particularly effective from the low block, where the Finals MVP repeatedly caught entry passes and went to work on whomever Memphis sent at him. In fact, Bryant didn’t even attempt a single three-pointer, content to take what the Grizzlies were offering.

“What can I say,” wondered Phil Jackson. “This is a guy who sees a weakness in a team and exploits it. It was killer instinct.”

Meanwhile, Mbenga, L.A.’s third-string center who is best known around the team for being funny, owning a black belt, swatting shots and loving to pop jumpers in practice, showed a new element to the Lakers depth by grabbing nine rebounds* (a career high) and swatting two shots … in the first eight minutes. That helped the Lakers run out to a 17-10 lead, which they’d momentarily give up late in the second quarter before dominating the Grizzlies 38-24 in the third quarter to establish firm control of their fifth victory.
*Mbenga finished with a team-high 13 boards and four blocks.

“The way he started the game that strong gave us a dominant feel inside,” said Jackson. “So (Memphis) thought (they) could exploit it inside and it was the reverse.”

L.A. got a little (or a lot of) something from everyone who played, highlighted by another solid effort from Artest, who was very efficient offensively in going for 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting plus six boards and a team-high seven assists while providing his usual stanch defense. The Mbenga - Josh Powell combo combined to offer 18 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks, while Luke Walton was very effective in producing seven boards and seven assists in just 20 minutes.

58852357Powell continued what’s been a very effective effort off the bench this season, drawing praise from his head coach.

“He has been our most reliable substitute this year off the bench,” said Jackson. “He is shooting the ball well and he is much more comfortable playing this offense, he knows the niches he can find and our players know how to use him well too.”

Should we mention again that L.A. was missing one of the league’s best players and a 20-10 center?

That, of course, doesn’t mean that every Laker won’t be more than happy if Gasol, Bynum or both are able to play on Sunday against New Orleans. We’ll have to wait until then to find out.

In the meantime, some numbers:

POSTGAME NUMBERS
24,000 Point total Kobe Bryant reached for his career in the second quarter, the youngest in NBA history to do so. He also passed Allen Iverson, who scored eight points for Memphis, for 16th on the NBA’s All-Time scoring chart.

99 Time Bryant has scored at least 40 points in his career after his third 40-plus point effort in six Lakers games.

35 Assists for the Lakers, compared to just 13 from the Grizzlies for a whopping 22-dime difference. Three Lakers had at least seven helpers: Luke Walton, Ron Artest and Derek Fisher.

14 Scoring margin in the third quarter in L.A.’s favor, spurred by 15 points from Bryant and 11 from Artest, plus five each from Josh Powell and Derek Fisher.

12 Lakers edge on the glass (49-37), which included an 18-13 advantage on the offensive boards. Mbenga led the way with five offensive boards and eight defensive.

Watch Highlights, Get Stats & Read Quotes over at the LAKERS GAMEDAY PAGE.