Here are a few aspects of Sunday’s 103-88 playoff victory we will analyze:
Rebounds – The Lakers took care of the boards, out-rebounding the Nuggets 52-46. Although only two players had double digits in rebounding (Andrew Bynum and Jordan Hill), six players had five or more rebounds; meaning they collectively hit the glass.
Defense – The defense, led by Andrew Bynum, was on point today. When Andrew Bynum is playing defense the way he was earlier today, the rest of the team has a sense of comfort knowing the beast down low has their back, and they are able to play defense more liberally. Today, they played solid defense but also didn’t gamble too much just because they had a guy like Bynum blocking everything in the lane; Matt Barnes was one beneficiary of this, as he stole the ball four times.
The Lakers had started off the season as a very strong defensive team, but let up a bit after their offense began to pick up. This was fine, because they knew any time they were faced with adversity, it would be their defense that would bail them out. In turn, the offense picked up, but they still were able to shut teams down when they needed to. Now, in the playoffs, they know that they must hang their respective hats on their defense; Andrew Bynum is perhaps the most aware.
Much like the Lakers, Bynum would have a stretch of strong defensive games, but then seemingly take nights off and put up big offensive numbers instead. Right now, however, he knows that his biggest impact will come at the defensive end and proved he is ready to step it up now that the real season has begun.
When the Lakers are playing active defense, they are probably the best defensive team in the Western Conference, which is a huge plus. They definitely have the best lane protection in the league right now as well, which is going to be a huge advantage going forward.
Andrew Bynum – Andrew Bynum made history as he notched a triple-double consisting of 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabaar’s Laker playoff record of nine blocks and tied the all-time playoff record at 10 (Hakeem Olajuwon and Mark Eaton being the only other two players to block 10 shots in the post-season). He was also the first Laker to record a triple-double in the playoffs since Magic Johnson did it in the 1991 NBA Finals. Bynum was extremely aggressive defensively, and was an absolute nightmare for the Denver Nuggets.
He stated after the game that he realizes his biggest impact will be on the defensive end, noting that his team won by 15 points as a result of it. If he can keep up this level of defensive play, he will pose a huge problem for every team left in the playoffs, especially those that rely on post play and/or attacking the basket. That includes most of the teams in the post-season.
Bynum took just seven shots against the Nuggets compared with his 13.3 attempts per game during the regular season. He didn’t need to score much because his teammates were doing an effective job of it, but it will be interesting to see if/when he will be featured more in the offense. Right now, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ramon Sessions appear to be the ones running the offense, and taking the most shots; and they are doing an effective job of both. When those three have the ball, they each possess exceptional play-making abilities which helps the overall ball movement.
At some point in the playoffs, however, the Lakers will need to consistently go to a player who can create offense down the stretch of a ballgame. Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum all have those abilities. Bynum has proven he can be a go-to-guy down the stretch, and get off quality shots as he goes to work in the post. It is inevitable that he will have to get back to scoring more when outside shots aren’t falling and/or defenses are focusing in on Kobe, Gasol, and Sessions and really putting pressure on some of those passes. For now though, against this team, his defense will be the most valued, and he appears to understand that.
Pau Gasol – Speaking of Pau Gasol, he quietly had an exceptional game of his own, scoring 13 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out eight assists. Towards the end of the season, we constantly lauded Gasol for his exceptional play in several editions of “The Breakdown.” Today, he started off the playoffs the same way he ended the regular season–with a solid all around performance. Like Bynum, Gasol will also inevitably be called on to isolate and produce offense for the Lakers in the form of scoring.
Gasol, at this point in his career, is more capable of passing out of double-teams and reading defenses than Bynum. He has more weapons offensively as well, and has been put into many pressure situations down the stretch of playoff games before. There is no doubt that Bynum will get his opportunities and possesses a myriad of post moves himself, but Gasol has all the tricks in his bag from passing, shooting mid-range shots, posting up, dropping in hook shots, and as of this season, hitting three-point shots as well.
When Gasol is aggressive offensively, the Lakers go from a good team to a great team. Right now, Gasol is playing excellent team ball and is fully engaged, which is a great sign. Although he is playing exceptionally well right now, he knows he will have to have a few monster games by the time it’s all said and done. The good sign for Lakers fans is that he looks poised to do just that, and is playing great selfless basketball in the meantime. In the process, he may even end up leading this team in assists per game for the duration of the playoffs, which is just unheard of for a forward/center.
Gasol is going to be a huge key for the Lakers if they want to throw another parade down Figueroa Street this summer, and we hope that fans realize just how great he is and how well he is playing.
Jordan Hill – Jordan Hill was thrown into the rotation just a week ago, and has proven he can be a solid player. Today, he recorded a double-double (1o points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks). There is no doubt that he is still learning the offense and defensive schemes, but he could be a huge factor for the Lakers going forward. If he can provide consistency behind Bynum and Gasol, he will be extremely valuable for this playoff run. So far, he appears to be a forward who shows on pick-and-rolls on defense, and sets solid screens on offense. He has made the most of his minutes, and must continue to progress. Perhaps Mike Brown had been waiting since the trade to bring him out as a secret weapon.
Ramon Sessions – Sessions made his post-season debut, and performed quite well. He looked for his shot, dropped in a couple of three-pointers, and dished out five assists in the process. With so many playoff veterans around him, the learning process should be relatively easy for him. Add in the best closer in the game (the Black Mamba, of course) and two dominant big men, Sessions’ responsibility won’t be as high as it would on any other team. For him, as long as he plays his game and just plays seamlessly, he should do just fine. For his first playoff appearance, he did exceptionally well.
Devin Ebanks – Devin Ebanks had a very solid game for the Lakers, scoring 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting and also had a few nice defensively plays. The only benefit of Metta World Peace’s suspension is that Ebanks is going to get some valuable minutes in meaningful games. Mike Brown didn’t play him much in the second half, but he will likely receive crunch time minutes at some point in this series. He’s played well so far, and with the increased confidence from this, as well as the increased confidence Mike Brown will have in him, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to expect Ebanks to get some minutes even when World Peace returns. Right now, he’s giving the Lakers a different type of option, and so far it’s been mutually beneficial.
Steve Blake/Matt Barnes – Steve Blake was on fire in the first quarter, and then didn’t attempt many more shots after that. He was called upon, and stepped up, much like he did last Sunday against Oklahoma City. The offense shifted to other players as the game went on, but when Blake is out there he should look to be aggressive as it will help everyone else on the team. He still ended up with a solid game, adding four assists to those quick nine points.
As for Matt Barnes, he didn’t have a Matt Barnes type of game exactly. We can only assume how much that ankle injury is bothering him, but on many plays he looked like he was moving around fluidly. Perhaps it’s affecting his shot (he was 1-6 from the field), but he still managed six rebounds and had four steals. Where we will truly be able to tell if the injury is bothering him will be in his rebounding, particularly his offensive rebounding. Although he averages 1.5 offensive rebounds per game, we often see games from Barnes in which he crashes the glass for upwards of five or so offensive rebounds. If we stop seeing this from him, we will know something is bothering him. Additionally, when he stops cutting to the basket, we may have a problem. He likely just had an off game, but these are a few things to monitor in Game 2.
Kobe Bryant – We almost weren’t going to even mention Kobe Bryant, and this is just a testament of how much everyone (including this author) takes the Black Mamba for granted. Kobe started off the game horribly offensively, but finally got it going in the fourth quarter. He was a huge reason that the Lakers were able to put the proverbial nail in the coffin during the fourth quarter. He made sure there would be no comeback stories or even talk of how the Lakers let another fourth quarter lead slip. The Black Mamba came out and performed just as everyone expected him to play–in playoff mode. The guy is a true professional and a playoff warrior. His mentality rubs off on the rest of the guys and is the reason the Lakers have a competitive edge most of the time.
All in all, the Lakers started off the playoffs with a great team win. One down, fifteen to go.