Having not defeated the Miami Heat (28-9) since they acquired LeBron James in the summer of 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers (23-14) were finally able to get a win on Sunday afternoon, scrapping their way to a 93-83 victory.
With forward Chris Bosh out due to a death in his family, the Lakers were just too much too handle.
Kobe Bryant, who donned a protective mask for the third straight game after suffering a broken nose and mild concussion resulting from a hard foul by Dwyane Wade, got off to a hot start. Bryant (who started the game 5-5 from the field) put up 18 points in the first quarter, as he and Andrew Bynum helped the Lakers lead going into the second, 28-20
In the second quarter, with the second unit on the floor, rookie Andrew Goudelock continued his solid offensive play, knocking down a couple of three-pointers. Andrew Bynum continued to play well offensively and defensively, as did Metta World Peace. By halftime, Bynum had eight points and seven rebounds, and World Peace scored nine points as the Lakers were up, 50-38.
LeBron James began to take control of the game in the third quarter, helping the Heat cut the lead to just two points. However, the Lakers were able to finish the quarter off strong and push the lead back to nine, 71-62. After one play, LeBron James appeared to push Lakers’ reserve Troy Murphy, which seemed to fire up Pau Gasol, who uncharacteristically came to the aid of his teammate. Gasol and James battled in the post throughout the game.
With the stage set for an intense fourth quarter, Metta World Peace continued his strong play, harassing LeBron James and the rest of the Heat’s offense, and hitting timely shots as well. A frustrated Dwyane Wade fouled out halfway through the fourth, and the Black Mamba came out aggressive once again, making sure the Heat had no chance of coming back.
On a sunny Southern California day that reached 80-plus-degree weather, the Lakers found a way to beat the Heat.
Bryant finished with 33 points (on 14-23 shooting from the field), three rebounds, and one assist, while Metta World Peace provided a very solid all-around game, tallying 17 points (on 6-10 shooting, 2-4 from three), seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Andrew Bynum, who played exceptional defense throughout the whole game, had 16 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots, and two assists, while Pau Gasol provided 11 points, 10 rebounds (five offensive), and four assists. Andrew Goudelock scored seven points in nine minutes, and Derek Fisher scored four. Steve Blake had just three points, but dished out six assists, while Troy Murphy was scoreless, but blocked three shots, grabbed two rebounds and handed out two assists. Matt Barnes saw a limited role yesterday, playing just ten minutes and scoring just two points.
For the Heat, LeBron James led the way with 25 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks. Dwyane Wade struggled offensively (7-17 from the field) and had 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals but also had five turnovers. As for the rest of the starters, Mario Chalmers scored 15 points, Joel Anthony had seven, but Udonis Haslem was scoreless in 20 minutes. Shane Battier, known for his solid defense, scored seven points, but was unable to bother Kobe Bryant, who was his main target in 32 minutes of play. Mike Miller had six points, and no other Heat player had more than three points.
Now, let’s break down the victory.
Next Page: The Breakdown
Let’s analyze a few aspects of yesterday’s 93-83 victory over the Heat.
Kobe Bryant – The “Masked Mamba” has been on a mission all season, but looks rejuvenated after getting some rest during All-Star weekend. After receiving a broken nose and concussion via Dwyane Wade, Bryant appears to have snapped into a zone; a zone usually seen in the playoffs for Kobe. Since the broken nose, Bryant has scored 31, 38, and 33 points, respectively; all victories. However, the efficiency in which he shot yesterday is remarkable. Bryant shot 61 percent against a very solid defensive team; a team featuring three exceptional defenders in James, Wade, and Battier.
Normally, a team with Miami’s capabilities (and Miami itself) makes it extremely tough on Bryant and forces him into taking bad shots or having to pass out of harsh double teams. Kobe faced some tough defense, no doubt, but he seemingly rose above it and still managed to score. This is a testament to his incomparable skill set, as well as the health of his legs. More importantly, it is a testament of his will and desire to be the best. He recently stated that he has never had a worthy rival in his era, and wanted to send a message that two possible rivals in James and Wade don’t hold a candle to what he’s accomplished and continues to achieve.
Metta World Peace – World Peace must have had another conversation with his psychiatrist, because he played exceptionally well in a huge game. Metta was seemingly everywhere, doing everything. Whether it was poking a ball loose from an opponent, leaking out in front of the defense for an easy basket, or hitting a timely three-pointer, World Peace prevailed. Not only this, but he did it against LeBron James, and truly bothered James on offense. LeBron still managed 25 points, but was hounded by Metta every step of the way. When asked about containing James, Metta replied “I’m going to answer this as honest as possible, but I’m one of the best defensive players ever.” It is safe to say that LeBron James isn’t fond of World Peace.
Metta has played well as of late, and appears to have found his shot and defensive rhythm. His timing in the offensive system has come around as well, as he is hitting open shots, dishing out assists, and cutting to the basket at the right times. Perhaps he was a bit out of shape during the first half of the first season as Mike Brown declared, but so far in the second half of the season, World Peace looks well conditioned. It takes a lot out of a player to play active and effective defense on a superstar and contribute points on offense, so hopefully World Peace can exhibit some kind of consistency going forward. He received 38 minutes Sunday because of his exceptional play, compared to an average of 23 minutes on the season. It will be interesting to see how the minutes at the small forward position are distributed going forward. Right now, everything seems to be clicking for World Peace.
Inside Presence – With Chris Bosh out yesterday, the Lakers’ big men dominated the Heat, mainly on defense. Gasol seemed bothered by James’ physical defense, but still managed to play inspired basketball and disrupt the undersized Heat’s front line. Andrew Bynum, who didn’t have to worry about his 6’9″ counterpart on defense, was able to seemingly take a swat at every shot that was put up by the Heat anywhere near the basket. As a result, he ended up with four blocked shots, but that stat doesn’t begin to tell the story of how tough he made it for the opposing players. Additionally, Bynum led the Lakers in minutes played for the second straight game, logging 40 minutes. This is a great sign for the Lakers as Bynum appears as healthy and durable as he as ever been.
The combined length of Bynum and Gasol helped hold Miami to just 37 percent shooting from the field. However, although the Lakers as a whole out-rebounded the Heat 44-35, they also gave up five more offensive rebounds (18-13). Although Chris Bosh isn’t a dominant defensive force, he does create match-up problems and tends to be highly productive against the Lakers. Offensively, he allows Wade and James to engage in pick-and-rolls, and also move without the ball more fluidly. Additionally, he creates spacing for Miami, as he has a solid outside jump shot. In future match-ups with the Heat, the Lakers, and especially Pau Gasol, will have to really concentrate on containing Bosh.
Road Trip/Bench – The Lakers have an upcoming three-game road trip, and are scheduled to visit Detroit, Washington, and Minnesota. The first two teams have horrible records (12-26 and 8-28, respectively) and Minnesota is even at 19-19. The trip should be a solid test for the Lakers, who have been pathetic on the road thus far (6-12). It will be especially important for the bench, who seemingly plays much worse on the road. Yesterday, the bench scored just 12 points, but it was slightly excusable because of shortened minutes (especially for Barnes). Blake played 29 minutes and scored just three points, but also had six assists. Murphy played 20 minutes and was scoreless, but played solid defense and was +10 in the “+/-” column (the highest on the team).
Rotations often shorten in the playoffs, and yesterday’s game had the intensity and style of a playoff game. However, in order for the Lakers to be effective on the road, the bench must contribute. Obviously, it is mental, as the bench responds better to the supportive home crowd. Hopefully the quality of their opponents–or lack thereof–on the upcoming road trip will enable the reserves to play big minutes, and play well. If they can gain some confidence on the road, it will be a huge boost for the Lakers going forward.
The Lakers were able to pull off a huge win at home behind the heroics of Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace yesterday afternoon. Now that they have proven they can beat one of best teams on their home floor, it is time to see if they can proverbially turn the corner and put together a string of solid road wins. So far, the Lakers have looked sharp post All-Star break. This upcoming road trip will be a small test to see if they have truly improved overall.