With nine games left in the regular season, the Lakers look to finish strong and hold onto the third seed in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Last week did not pan out exactly the way the Lakers had hoped after they won their first two games. The week began with a close four-point victory over Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets when Kobe Bryant knocked down a huge three-point basket to put the Lakers up four with under 10 seconds to play. The Lakers blew a 17-point lead, and despite Andrew Bynum sitting out this game with a sore left ankle sprain suffered in Sunday’s game versus the Golden State Warriors, the lack of focus late in games for the Lakers is a concerning factor.
Tuesday against the Nets was not the only game the Lakers blew a large lead in as they faced the Clippers the following night for a Lakers road game, and gave up the lead for the first time late in the fourth quarter. The Lakers jumped out quickly against the Clippers and grabbed a 15-point lead early in the first. The Lakers did score 92 points after three quarters, but what was not as positive was they gave up a three-point basket at the end of the third that sparked the Clippers run. The Lakers won 113-108 and won the season series two games to one, giving the Lakers a two game advantage over the Clippers in the Pacific Division.
Kobe Bryant started the game missing his first three attempts, but caught fire soon after hitting his next eight straight shots. He finished the game with 31 points but was not the game’s leading scorer. That title went to Andrew Bynum, who had a monstrous game with 36 points and 13-20 shooting and 10-12 from the free throw line. He was too tall, too strong, and simply too good for anyone on the Clippers to defend. The problem the Lakers had in the fourth was not giving Bynum the ball more. When a player is dominating the way he was, the ball should have gone through him every offensive possession like it used to with Shaquille O’Neal.
The Lakers were off Thursday but back at it Friday and Saturday. Friday they were home against the Houston Rockets, but fell short 112-107. They did give up an 11-point lead, but never had a strong grip on the game. Andrew Bynum’s immaturity got him in trouble again as he was ejected from the game within the first minute of the fourth quarter after talking some trash to the Rockets bench. The lead changed six times after that moment, but the Lakers could never regain control after Matt Barnes tied the game at 99 with 2.5 minutes to go on his three-point shot. Luis Scola was unstoppable, hitting 10 of his 25 in the fourth quarter, and Goran Dragic lit the Lakers up with 26 points and 11 assists.
Saturday night the Kobe-less (shin injury) Lakers flew to Phoenix to battle the Suns. This was never much of a game as the Suns controlled the tempo of the game and got open looks at will. Former Laker Shannon Brown scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter alone, and former NBA All-Star and Suns bench player Michael Redd scored 17 of his 20 in the second quarter. If there was any good news to take from this game it was the shooting of Pau Gasol, and for the second straight game Metta World Peace had 19-plus points. Gasol had 30 points on 14-25 shooting and 13 rebounds, while Metta backed up his 23-point performance (season high) against Houston, with a 19-point effort against the Suns. The last two games, Metta has finally been taking advantage of his size and scoring in the post. If he continues to do this throughout the playoffs, he will average over 15 points per game, and make the Lakers very difficult to beat.
Next Page: The Week Ahead
Last week the Lakers went 2-2 in a span where they could have won all four, but that week is behind them and it is time to look ahead. It will be a tough stretch, the Lakers head to New Orleans on Monday and San Antonio on Wednesday, before returning home to face the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and Dallas on Sunday.
Although the Hornets are a bottom league team and seem to give the Lakers more then they can handle whenever they meet. The Lakers need to be focused in this game and not look ahead to the game against the Spurs Wednesday night.
Wednesday night the Lakers finally face the San Antonio Spurs for the first time all season. The Spurs recently passed the Oklahoma City Thunder for best record in the Western Conference. Led by coach Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have flown under the radar all year despite their ability to win game after game. They have five players averaging over 10 points per game, and are anchored by their big three, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan. This is a game that is winnable for the Lakers, as they seem to match up evenly with the Spurs. Newly acquired Laker Ramon Sessions should be able to slow down Parker, or at least go stride for stride with him if he does not play timid. Kobe and Manu kill every team they face, and Pau and Duncan are very similar players, but Pau has the slight edge by being slightly younger and quicker. Andrew Bynum is far superior to any of the Spurs centers or Duncan, and new Spurs swingman Stephen Jackson is a deadly streaky shooter who Metta World Peace will have to play close attention to. However, the edge goes to the Spurs in this game because of their bench. If the Lakers are to win this game, they will have to get strong play from their bench players, or it will be a long night.
The next two games for the Lakers are at home versus the number seven and eight seeds in the West. First up are the Nuggets from Denver, who have slipped a little since the last time the Lakers have played them. Like the Lakers, the Nuggets have a new/old face on the team as Wilson Chandler has returned after his season in China. This is a team that likes to get out in the open court trying to score quick, easy fast break points. Point guard Ty Lawson sets the tempo as he looks to push the ball off every missed or made shot. He does not let teams relax after their offensive possession. The Lakers must get back on defense quickly when Lawson is in the game to disallow any easy fast break points.
Sunday the Lakers face the Dallas Mavericks, who are eight seed in the west, for the last time in the regular season. The Lakers have won all three games thus far versus Dallas by playing strong defense, controlling the rebounds, and having good ball movement on offense. Dallas is one of the few teams that double-teams Bynum in the post the second he touches the ball, so Bynum must be patient and not get frustrated by the little amount of shots he attempts. He must also be smart by allowing the double-team to come, and making the correct pass out of it. Then the Lakers must swing the ball and either hit the open man around the perimeter, or drive to the basket getting lay-ups or get sent to the foul line.
This is a tough week for the Lakers as they face three teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and because they struggle against the Hornets. Andrew Bynum needs to keep his composure because when he gets ejected from games, the Lakers have a tough time. Most of all, they have to stop giving up big leads. They play so well to go up by 15 points, and then just lose focus to find themselves in a dogfight. If they continue to allow teams back in the game, they will lose against the better teams, and especially in the playoffs.