Well…at least they’re wins. Not much great to say about the game against OKC. We won being the best of the superlatives. Lets dig in and look ahead. Maybe playing a tougher opponent will act as a beacon in the fog for the Lakers general lackluster play of late.
- Gonna kick this off with a tip of the cap to the Thunder. They played us tough in every game this season, we swept them (as we ought) and in the doing the plucky squad from Oklahoma earned the respect of none other than the King himself. James had praise for how well the Thunder are coached, how hard they play and in Horford they have a solid vet to help this talented and raw team of youngsters take the step in a season or two to playoff contention. They suited up 8 players and it still took OT for us to win. To me that says as much about their talent and skill as it does about our inability to play with energy consistently.
- 41. The much too high number of minutes LeBron James played. Even had we not played OT the 36 he would have played would have felt high after the double OT win against the Pistons followed by the OT win against OKC on Monday. In the name of the playoffs and by Adam Silver’s glasses, let’s get that number under The Captain’s jersey #, 33.
- How long do we stick with KCP in the starting line up? Whether it be Matthews or THT who replaces him I am more and more of the opinion that Kentavious needs to get his ankles right. He’s not moving with ease, tweaked his ankle again on the first play of the game and in general looks nothing like the clutch playoff performer we saw a few months ago. I’ll never use his corporate fast food inspired moniker, professional athletes (hell, professionals in general) deserve better than that. I’d rest him the week leading up to the ASB. Give him two weeks to get treatment, get the ankle right and recalibrate for the second half of the season. In my opinion we should start THT, see what he can do but in reality it would more likely be Wes Matthews. Either one would work for me. We’ll need Caldwell-Pope in the playoffs, we have options to cover for his absence during the regular season.
- You are who you are. I’m coming to a peaceful play where I accept, or at least don’t overtly gripe, about the Lakers turnovers. James averages 3.5 for his career, he’s at 3.7 this season. THT is learning and is going to cough it up. I’ve had the longstanding opinion that KCP is good for one wholly unforced turnover/game and the Lakers are getting every team’s best effort on D. All of that equals turnovers to the tune of 14.4 turnovers per game. Good for 5th most in the NBA. What I am not going to abide and will overtly gripe about, however, is the complete and utter lack of paint defense we have. This isn’t such a big deal in the regular season. I think it could end up being a major weak spot in the playoffs when teams look to force even more action in the paint. If you’re going to cough it up a lot you have to counter by forcing stingier shots.
- We’re witnessing the best overall season of basketball by Kyle Kuzma. Some may disagre, point to the fact that his scoring has dipped in each season he’s been in the NBA. For my part, I can’t say enough about how impressive I think Kyle is playing these days. He’s rebounding with toughness and focus to add to the better defense and team play on offense he’s added in the last couple seasons. He starts well called upon to do so but still excels in his role off the bench. He’s filling in and supporting his superstars which is all you can ever ask a role guy to do.
We’re coming to the end of the 1st half of the NBA season. Below are my predictions for the remaining eleven (sorry Gerald, but I’m in full Admiral Akbar mode these days):
| Fri, Feb 12 | vsMemphis W | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 14 | @Denver L | 7:00 PM |
| Tue, Feb 16 | @Minnesota …W? Nope, L | 5:00 PM |
| Thu, Feb 18 | vsBrooklyn W | 7:00 PM |
| Sat, Feb 20 | vsMiami L | 5:30 PM |
| Mon, Feb 22 | vsWashington W | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 24 | @Utah L | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Feb 26 | vsPortland W | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 28 | vsGolden State W | 5:00 PM |
| Tue, Mar 2 | vsPhoenix W | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Mar 3 | @Sacramento W | 7:00 PM |
7-5. I think we’ll sputter to the finish line because we looked utterly gassed these days. Hopefully they’ll do better than my pessimistic take. A lot depends on when/if we get Anthony Davis back for any of these games. I think he’ll sit tonight to be (hopefully) fully healthy for Denver. Go Lakers.
You pretty much call a spade a spade, Jamie. Three overtimes in a row? That is very much undesirable, but did the Lakers benefit from those three wins? I would say yes, if you take away the heavy legs they obviously would end up having going forward.
With Anthony Davis and Caruso out of the lineup, the Lakers were forced to make adjustments on the fly. Therefore, sloppiness is to be expected.
But there is also a good side to winning ugly games no matter how undesirable. These three overtime wins have taught the Lakers how to build their resolve and mettle as champions. That’s what makes a champion, and as such, I will take those wins.
We are on the same page with the turnover issue. Losing the battle in the paint is also becoming a glaring issue. KCP, even though is an iron man in my book, I would prefer to see him rest that ankle. It’s a long season. As for Kuzma, I am really enjoying his journey to becoming a great all-round role player. He’s been a revelation this season. Tremendous growth so far.
Finally, while LeBron has been diligent and determined to do whatever it takes to make sure the team gels chemistry wise, those heavy minutes are really a concern. I would sit him for a few games and let Schroeder and some other backups fill in. But, so far he is showing a desire to do whatever it takes to put the Lakers in a position to win. Great write up, Jaime.