One of the biggest advantages the Los Angeles Lakers have had over their opponents throughout the season and into the playoffs has been free throws. No team got to the free throw line more than the Lakers during the regular season and the aggression and physicality they play with is something head coach Darvin Ham pushes for.
So far in this second round playoff series with the Golden State Warriors, that has remained the case as the Lakers have shot nearly twice as many free throws than their opponent. But in a crucial Game 5, the two teams each shot 15 free throws and Ham had no explanation as to why the Lakers’ attempts were so much lower than usual.
“I mean, we played the same way we always play,” Ham said after the Lakers’ 121-106 loss. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s a foul anymore.”
Physicality definitely picks up in the postseason and officials do tend to let some things go a bit more and let the players play. Even still, there seemed to be a lot of contact in the paint that was let go, and it is easy to wonder whether the words of Warriors coach Steve Kerr played a role.
After Game 4, Kerr spoke to the media about his belief that the Lakers were being rewarded for flopping, something Dennis Schroder wasn’t fond of. And Ham made it clear that the Lakers as a team don’t teach flopping and aren’t going to start.
“We play a physical brand of basketball. We don’t teach flopping, we don’t teach head snaps,” Ham added. “You see Bron, he’s got a thousand scratches on his arms, same with AD, same with Austin Reaves, same with Lonnie Walker. It’s unfortunate that it comes to that, but we hadn’t done it all year, and we’re damn sure not going to start now, looking for a third party to dive in and help us.
“We’re just going to coach our team, just going to play the way we play, a physical, forceful brand of basketball and just let the chips fall where they may.”
The Lakers’ style has gotten them to this point in the season and Ham doesn’t plan on changing that now. Whether the whistle is different in Game 6 remains to be seen, but clearly the Lakers’ plan of attack will remain the same.
Dennis Schroder responds to Steve Kerr’s comments about Lakers flopping
Kerr was unhappy with some calls made against his team in the Lakers’ Game 4 win, believing the Lakers were flopping and being rewarded. But Schroder fought back against that.
Schroder first pointed out that the Warriors’ reliance on 3-pointers will usually lead to fewer free throws. The Lakers’ point guard then added that players exaggerate contact because if they don’t, the officials will usually ignore it, which would ultimately put them in a disadvantage.
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