Wow, that had all the makings of a game 3 disaster. Portland had guys stepping up, we had issues in places that usually lead to losses but in spite of it all the Lakers pulled out the win!
- Attacking the rim. Lakers missed 15 free throws (28-43)…still won! It was one of those nights where even AD had struggles at the stripe. , he only hit 50% (7-14). LeBron missed 5 and in fact every Laker that shot a free throw missed at least 1 free throw (except KCP, 2-2). We got to the line a ton though by attacking the rim, attacking the mismatch and staying in attack mode all game long.
- Coughing it up. We had turnover issues last night, especially LeBron (8!!!) but we overcame those by staying focused on driving the ball into the defense and forcing the issue at the rim. In all honesty, if you just looked at how the Lakers played in the stat sheet and didn’t see the score you might come away thinking we lost.
- The greatness of Anthony Davis. It’s no secret how up and down Davis has been in the Bubble. Here one game, gone for a few, hey he’s back, whoops-there he goes again… But for 2 games running he looks like the dominant version of Davis we got accustomed to in the regular, regular season. He was in beast-mode on defense (3 blocks and 2 steals), cleaned the glass (11 boards) and hit shots from everywhere inside the arc (0-2 from three, 9-16 from everywhere else) and he forced his way into 14 foul shots (we mentioned his waaaaay below average above, no need to harp on it).. The dude was unstoppable and is the singular reason I think we’ll win the series.
- LeBron James flirting with a quadruple-double!!! OK, one of those would have been 10 turnovers so not THAT exciting but the dude is locked in and focused. Shot great from three (4-8) grabbed one more board than Davis (12) and even shot and made more free throws (12-17). The last stat is good news for Laker fans and James himself, he had not been getting any love from the refs having to endure hits to the head, dudes all over his arms on his drives and the regular level of increased contact that is allowed in the context of his game. Hopefully we can bottle most of this performance (with the TO’s filtered out, please) and brew a batch of 14 more.
- Alex Caruso looking good. AC was a dynamic force once again. Asked to be the back up point guard it took Alex a few games to re-acclimate himself to that role, again. He’s looking like he’s finding the right mix, especially on offense where he was aggressive and accurate. His 7 assists were huge as they allowed James to focus more on his all around game and not just directing the offense. When Caruso plays like that, hitting the open shots given to him, finding his teammates for baskets in the flow and being his normal defensive ace self he helps to unlock the best versions of his teammates.
It was just one game, Dame looked like he was still adjusting to playing with a dislocated finger, Melo was off early but really caught fire after the first quarter, and CJ McCollum was only good, not great. For Portland to win those three have to be more efficient than they were (credit the Laker defense a little but they also missed a fair number of make-able buckets) and they need someone from their bench to contribute something. Gary Trent Jr. was the only guy off the bench who brought much game and the Lakers exposed his lack of size on LeBron all game long. Trent is game but there’s no question he’s out of his depth on that match up. I expect Portland to make some adjustments between now and Monday and that we won’t get quite so many favorable whistles, either. We’re a long way from moving on to the next round but this was a great effort.
Outstanding Fiver as usual, Jamie. Good thing Playoff LeBron and Playoff AD showed up because we couldn’t hit free throws or take care of the ball as you pointed out. Caruso and KCP played well and Green showed some signs of breaking out. Still wish AD would attack the rim more than taking those step back twos but glad he made them. If we continue to play this kind of defense, we’re going to be a tough out. Still need more minutes with AD at the five. Will have to start him against the Rockets. Happy Anniversary. You brought us luck.
Thanks, Jaime. This game reminds me of your boxing analogy from earlier in the season where you let your opponent throw punches at you until he gets tired and then you go to work and deliver the knockout.
When I watched the first half and saw how intensely the Blazers were shooting the ball in order to stymie and jump on the Lakers, I knew it was a matter of time before they got tired of outshooting themselves. The Blazers gave the Lakers fits, but the Lakers were able to sustain the blows despite a rash of turnovers and missed free throws. By the fourth quarter, the Blazers were visibly tired and gassed as the Lakers continued to rev up their bruising defense. They essentially rendered Lillard and Mccollum ineffective while letting Carmelo loose as he kept the score close, which would have otherwise been a blowout. Keep Lillard and CJ in check and let anybody else do the scoring. That works for me.
I thought it was just me, but I get worried whenever AD takes those long twos. It affects the rhythm of the game when he misses but they are a thing of beauty when they go in, and last night those long twos were back breakers. Glad Tom also noticed that. Looking forward to game 4.