Aloha,
We definitely looked like a team on the back end of a back to back. And we’re playing a bad team that we probably were overlooking. Which you can’t do in the NBA. We pulled it out with a 11-0 burst in about a minute.
It was great to see AD out there. He looked a bit rusty but 21, 12 and 4 blocks in 26 minutes is something most centers would love to do.
LeBron was tired. 20 points on 20 shots. But he went into play maker mode with 11 assists. Still wished he wouldn’t take a lot of 3’s. 1-6. Russ was 0-3. That’s 11%. The rest of the team shot 37%. Wish others got more of those 3’s.
Loved Russ throwing Collins to the ground. Obviously he remembered the last game when Collins bloodied him with a flagrant 2.
Rui looked really good for not even having a practice. 12 points, 6 boards and a team high +17 in just 22 minutes. He was a little nervous at first but he settled in and he looks like he really will help this team.
Shout out to PatBev. 18 points. His offense carried the team early.
Dennis’s offense can be inconsistent but he is always locked in on defense. 4 steals, 2 blocks and a +15.
I really like Max. He is becoming a good defender, especially for a 19 year old. He can knock down a 3 as well.
Interesting thing in the standings. The Lakers are only 3 games behind the Pels. They have lost 6 in a row and Zion is not even going to be re-evaluated. For two more weeks. It would be crazy if we caught them. Even if we don’t catch them the more they lose the better our pick will be.
Aloha, Michael.
At this point in time, we need every win we can get. Team looked like a team that hasn’t played much together and we can probably expect some of that to continue right through the trade deadline. We still have to re-integrate Lonnie and Austin too plus maybe one or two players from trades or buyouts. It’s likely to take us some time to settle down once the roster has been set.
LeBron was out of sorts from the get go, missing bunnies, throwing terrible passes. He’s seemed irritated that last few days. Those shots of him on the bench while Russ and Dennis were going at it was not a good look. He could also just be beat from having to carry the team and pissed that the front office hasn’t pulled off anything game changing. Rui is going to be a big help but we still need a big upgrade in the backcourt to contend.
It’s ironic but I think Pat has redeemed a great deal of the value he lost as a player and trading chip the first half of the season. Raining threes and irritating opposing players is his game so hopefully his value has gone up as his play has improved. There are definitely teams that could use his defensive impact as could the Lakers but we need his $13M contract more than him.
I’m also loving Christie. He’s got a much higher upside than Caruso and Reaves because of his age and athleticism. Ham has to make sure to keep him in the rotation once the roster is set. We need to continue to develop him and he should be as close to untouchable as any role player can be to a James and Davis team.
This 5-game road trip should tell us a lot about this team’s chances to win #18. I wish we had more time and some continuity but we’re just going to have learn how to play together on the fly because how much help we get may depend on how many of these 5 games we can win. Looking good considering we could be dead in the water and instead we’re alive and kicking.
LBJ is waaaay ahead of father-time, but it is a competition of sorts. Back to back games is tough when you do everything LBJ does. I can barely mow the front lawn, let alone the back too, same day, whew!
Man, that’s probably the comment of the day, DJ. That’s just too funny. But I get it.
Thanks for the post, Michael. What I found missing in the comments is the status of Gabriel with the addition Hachimura. There is no way Ham can’t find him minutes given how hard he’s been playing and all the intangibles he brings to the table on a nightly basis. We can’t just keep him out of the rotation all of a sudden. That seems like a good problem to have but one that should not be ignore. What do you all think?