There are often times I don’t mind being wrong. My prediction that the Lakers would continue their streak of game 1 losses is one of those times. A balanced attack and a mix of old school and new school looks fueled the win. Let’s dig in.
- Old School line up was back in action. As promised Frank Vogel used his bigs in a fairly traditional way. JaVale McGee started and ended the game, Dwight Howard played in between. Of the two Howard was, by far, the more effective. His +14 led all bench players on either team, he helped get and keep Jokic in foul trouble, and he played with that focus and team spirit we grew accustomed to earlier in the regular season. Frank deployed Howard perfectly to start the 3rd in place of JaVale further showing us all his ability to adjust and adapt is a key strength for this Laker team. Denver had no answer for Dwight last night.
- New School look. In a move that made me chuckle based off the convo LakerTom and I has in the preview podcast 2 nights ago where he predicted the minutes for Howard or McGee would come when Mason Plumlee was on the floor Vogel had a different look he wanted to use. We went smaller than ever. The first time Plumlee saw aviation he was matched up against either Kuzma, Morris or LeBron and the “5” because those were the tallest players in the floor. No Davis, Howard or McGee. It marked some of Morris and Kuzma’s mIt’s impactful minutes as Markieff canned 3-4 treys ( for the game, I think only 2 came in that stretch…) and Kuzma exploited the slow-to-get-back transition D of the Nuggets a few times in the confusion after scores.
- LeBron was pissed. He may have only scored 15 points but he nearly matched that number with 12 dimes creating far more points than he scored. Head in a swivel LeBron found shooters, moved the ball and had his usual solid, all-around game on the day he came up second to Giannis in the MVP race. Difference being Giannis is in Athens, Greece chilling at home.
- Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo have some mojo. During the regular season it wasn’t odd to find one or more Lakerholics openly wondering why Rondo played so much. In the playoffs we’re not only seeing why the Lakers re-signed Rondo after a couple of injury-plagued and mostly ineffective seasons. He and Davis play extremely well together, akin to James and Caruso. Rondo finds AD in his sweet spots, hits him for epic lobs and uses him as a decoy to get his own buckets. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
- Smart basketball. When we get smart, easy buckets like the 2 leak out layups Kuzma got after scores, the line basket Alex Caruso scores on a driving layup he was basically unguarded on and the wide open dunk Dwight had for his first basket we’re a tough team to beat. Couple that with the aggression we went to the basket with (resulting in 37 free throw attempts), the foul trouble we put just about the entire Nugget team in, and the 16 turnovers we forced (11 by the starters) we are a tough basketball team to beat. If the Nuggets can’t find a way to change that narrative the series is gong to be a slog for them.
All in all I’m not reading a whole lot into this win. The Laker took advantage of their rest and the tired legs of Denver by relentlessly pushing the pace of the game. That’s an advantage that will slowly slip away as the series stretches on. But one thing will not: we have the superior talent so we need to avoid what Boston has done and fail to execute, especially down the stretch. Great opening to what promises to be a fun series.
Go Lakers.
Aloha Jamie
Nice write up as usual. While I wasn’t expecting a blow out, I wasn’t surprised by the win and how we won. I feel a little vindicated, at least for one game. A while back while we were waiting to see who we would play, I posted that if we play Denver, I would start Howard. Of course Tom came back with all the reasons this was a bad idea. I was sad. Lol.
But I remembered the season series and that Dwight did the same thing he did to the Joker yesterday. The Joker is not fast and Dwight can pick him up at the 3 point line. He had only averaged 2 3’s a game against us the the regular season and none last night. There are not many bangers left in the NBA and the Joker is not use to physical play. Dwight held his ground and the Joker wasn’t able to back him down. The biggest thing is, the Lakers didn’t have to send a lot of double teams at him and that led to him only getting 2 assists. The analytics from the season series was skewed because the Joker had a plus 12 in the game that Lebron missed but was a net minus 21 in the other 3 games. While analytics are important, sometimes the old fashion eye test is as important and what I saw in the season series led me to believe that Dwight was the right call. I don’t see a lot of adjustments that Denver can make, they just need to be better at what they do.
You have to hand it to Rob, this roster is the most versatile in the NBA. We can play jumbo ball when we need to and even when we play small, we are tall. It also helps that our bigs are pretty mobile.
Denver will have some moments in this series. If they proven one thing, it’s that they are resilient. But I believe the Lakers will wear them down. Still thinking Lakers in 5.
Thanks Michael, you know I love the big man in the NBA. I think it’s a mistake to think they can’t do this or that. If people want to point to the Houston aeries my counter is “Dwight didn’t even get a chance to show if he could hang or not, McGee, either.” But I’m also not too big on myself to say that going “small” was a huge factor in how quickly. D effectively we won that series.
The truth is that there a lot of ways to win a basketball game. there isnt one sure-fire way and it’s the coaches job to suss out what advantages they can. Frank has done that brilliiantly in the playoffs. obviously helps having AD and LBJ.
I expect to see about the same amount of Dwight, maybe more if McGee has another rough first quarter. McGee doesn’t have the footspeed to keep in front of Nicola who has a whole bucket full of moves and counter-moves.
All in all its shaping up to be a really fun series.
Great point, Michael. Totally agree with your take.
Excellent Fiver, Jamie.
Liked your old school and new school ‘things.’ Dwight was great and really got under Nikola’s skin while still keeping his cool. JaVale did not impress. Only reason he finished was garbage time. I thought it was another telling moment when Frank went to Dwight to start the second half after JaVale’s poor start. Got no problem with him starting Dwight over JaVale going forward. I think we’re starting to see how our big ball and small ball lineups are going to be going forward. Howard and Morris playing well. I could never support going big with JaVale but Dwight, playing like he is, brings another dimension to the big ball case. And I did love Frank going small against Plumlee. Starting to have a world of confidence in Frank’s judgment and decisions.
LeBron is right to be pissed although we all know he’ll grasp at whatever’s out there to get himself up for a big game. But the voters always move the goal posts to support whomever they want to win the award and only 16 votes for LeBron shows what a sham the MVP award is, just like the DPOY award going to a player who didn’t really post great defensive stats but was best player on team with best defensive stats. Never matter, LeBron and AD will win the trophy and flip the bird to those writers.
Rajon may be the best lob passer in the league. His rapport with both Anthony and Dwight was impeccable last night. Anybody who ain’t on the Playoff Rondo train should turn in their Lakers fandom at this point. When you look at what everybody expected from Rondo and Howard when the playoffs started and compare that with what those two guys have done, wow! They were the inspiration for my article. We have the best playmaker-big man combo in the league in LeBron and AD, both All-NBA First Team. But our wild card the next 7 games could be the veteran point guard-center combo we have in future HOFers Rajon and Dwight.
Smart basketball powered by savvy coaching and selfless team chemistry is definitely the advantage that’s got us to where we are now, just 7 games away from winning that Celtics tying 17th NBA championship. I understand your personal reluctance to want to deny the glass filling up but watch out because you might get drenched with the overflow. The Lakers Four Horsemen can smell the barn, the Bucks and Clippers are in Cancun, and the finish line is in sight. Lakers going all the way and without losing more than one game in any series.
Thanks LT, I have a feeling that if McGee has a great game like Dwight did he’d be a Horseman, too.
Rondo played about how I expect him to. I dont think theres a huge difference between playoff or regular season Rondo, maybe. little extra focus. But I’m all for whatever gets the W.
Damn, I just wrote a long response to you that somehow disappeared when I tried to correct it. Anyway, here’s the short response.
McGee a Horsemen? LMAO. The link is future HOFers, Jamie. Please take a few minutes and look at McGee’s stats the second half of the season, in the bubble, and so far in the playoffs. I would be surprised and disappointed if Frank didn’t start Dwight over JaVale tomorrow. And the only reason JaVale got back in the game was garbage time.
And take a look at Rondo’s stats for the 2020 and 2018 playoffs compared to regular season. There is a huge difference. Don’t know why you can’t accept or see that. Playoff Rondo has been a huge difference maker for Lakers in these playoffs compared to regular season Rondo. You must be drinking Gerald’s Kool-aid. He’s actually why your big ball worked last night. SMH.
I think the difference is Rondo gambles a lot less in the post season than in the regular season, like lots of players he locks in better against an opponent knowing what to expect, what his role his, etc. If that’s the criteria for ‘playoff’ status there’s a huge number of players that applies to.
Thanks, Jamie. The Lakers started the game in the first half a little bit relaxed as if to feel the best punch the Nuggets could throw at them in the early going before dismantling them in the second half. The Nuggets look like they may be running out of magic this time around, and fatigue might not be their best friend. The Lakers are simply too much to handle. Not that they can’t be challenged, but they never felt threatened. That’s why I completely agree with Michael about the versatility of the Lakers, their size, and the nightmare matchup they would present to the Nuggets, especially on how Dwight’s role might impact the series. He showed up big, was disruptive, and was the unsung hero. He certainly knows how to get in an opponent’s head just like he did when he stood with the whole Nuggets team hurdled up at half court.
Everybody played well and that was a great win to start the series. LeBron and AD did their thing, KCP and Caruso did their damage, Danny Green hustled and Markieff Morris was his usual efficient and consistent player. Rondo was always locked in. Man, I love that shot he made from behind the backboard. That was insane. It kind of reminds me of the same kind of shot Kobe made several years ago, which remains one of my favorite Kobe shots. Good to see two Lakers make that kind of shot.
The one player that keeps impressing me, however, is Kyle Kuzma. He had another solid game and was doing everything right. Sometimes I wouldn’t even notice he is in the game until he comes out of nowhere and does little things so well that it leaves me in awe. He is definitely playing very stable and under control within the system with a team-first approach. He has improved immensely since the Bubble started.
Thanks for all the comments here. Looking forward to game 2.