19 replies to this topic

[L.A.K.E.R]

Kobe's turnovers killed us, that can't be debated, but I feel like our offensive execution in the 4th quarter was another factor in this heartbreaker. 12 points through the entire 4th quarter, and we didn't even score our first point until the 8:22 mark. Then, we were held scoreless for the final 2:08 of the game. In other words, we had roughly half the quarter where we didn't score at all.

Each of our baskets in the 4th quarter, with the exception of Blake's 3 at the 7:51 mark, was late in the shot clock with 5 seconds or less remaining:

8:22 - Kobe Bryant Jump Shot (2 seconds left on the shot clock)
7:51 - Steve Blake 3 Pointer (12 seconds left on the shot clock)
7:27 - World Peace Free Throw (Made the 1st, missed the 2nd)
6:44 - Kobe Bryant Jump Shot (2 seconds left on the shot clock)
4:04 - Andrew Bynum Layup (5 seconds left on the shot clock)
2:08 - Andrew Bynum Turnaround shot (3 seconds left on the shot clock)

Total: 12 points

We had terrible offensive execution in the 4th and the turnovers were just backbreakers. I was worried early on in the game with how late the Lakers were getting into their offense. They were taking anywhere from 10-12 seconds before settling into their halfcourt set, which often led to Kobe or Bynum in isolation or, for some strange reason, Metta on an island by himself.

I mean, looking at our misses with under 4 minutes left in the game...

3:21 - Kobe Bryant 3 Pointer missed (3 seconds left on the shot clock)
2:37 - Andrew Bynum Turnaround Shot missed (7 seconds left on the shot clock)
1:01 - Kobe Bryant Turnaround Shot missed (3 seconds left on the shot clock)
0:36 - Kobe Bryant 3 Pointer missed (4 seconds left on the shot clock)

...it's obvious that our execution was atrocious late in the game. That's not even taking into consideration the turnovers that we had late that brought the Thunder rallying back.

Our defense looked pretty solid all night long, but we simply can't survive with this sort of offensive execution late in the game, especially not in this series. I was honestly surprised we even had the lead so late considering how difficult the shots were that we were being forced into.

We need to get into our offensive sets earlier and generate some movement off the ball. The Lakers looked completely stagnant in the 4th on the offensive end aside from that one play where we saw Kobe dish it to Pau who then made the quick interior pass to Bynum right at the rim. We shot 39% tonight as a team. Our defense was there, but our offense was not. For us to beat OKC, we need to play efficiently at both ends of the floor by denying them easy looks (which we did very well for most of the game) and still managing to generate offense on the other end.

I'm not going to throw in the towel on this team, crazier things have happened in the NBA, but things are looking pretty bleak right now. There are a lot of things that the Lakers still need to clean up if they want any shot at coming back in this series.

[Hollywood]

did anyone scre besides Blake and Hill from the bench?

[ツ]

did anyone scre besides Blake and Hill from the bench?

damn our bench is terrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrribleeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[____]

did anyone scre besides Blake and Hill from the bench?

Hill scored 6 and Blake scored 5. No one else off the bench scored more than zero as usual.

[L.A.K.E.R]

Nope. 11 total bench points, Blake had 5 and Hill had 6.

We also went 2-15 from beyond the arc tonight. Ouch.

[bfc1125roy]

The 4 in 1 out is not going to work. If we let Sessions loose and played more pick and roll style basketball, we'd probably stand a better chance. We played better than we did in Game 1 obviously, so I some level of optimism that we can make adjustments. However, last time we were down 0-2 in a series was against the Mavericks, and before that, Boston in 2008, and before that... the Suns in 2007. But I do remember the Spurs coming back from an 0-2 deficit a few years ago against I believe the Hornets, and taking a game 7 in New Orleans... so you never know.

Edited by bfc1125roy, May 16, 2012 - 09:15 PM.

[AFXTWIN]

I'd rather lose by 29 again, less painful

[LikeABosh]

Lol Jordan Farmar tweeted "Guess who would have made that 3 ptr"

[Vipe3773]

Lol Jordan Farmar tweeted "Guess who would have made that 3 ptr"

Wouldn't have been him. He wouldn't be on the floor @ that time

I'd rather lose by 29 again, less painful

Yep, this hurts

Edited by Vipe3773, May 16, 2012 - 09:28 PM.

[Windu]

Lol Jordan Farmar tweeted "Guess who would have made that 3 ptr"

d-leaguer

[LakersChamps243]

Wouldn't have been him. He wouldn't be on the floor @ that time

He meant fisher would've hit it

[UglyMoe]

The Lakers offense was horrendous in the second half. But then what else is new. The Thunder were ripe to be blown out in the 3rd quarter. The Lakers should have gone up by double digits in the 3rd to cushion the lead from the ineptitude of the bench to start the 4th. They held them to 12 in the 3rd, but only outscored them by 6. Honestly, though. when you shot 38% as a team and 13% from the 3 point line, you don't deserve to win a damn thing.

Edited by UglyMoe, May 16, 2012 - 09:39 PM.

[noknife]

The 4 in 1 out is not going to work. If we let Sessions loose and played more pick and roll style basketball, we'd probably stand a better chance. We played better than we did in Game 1 obviously, so I some level of optimism that we can make adjustments. However, last time we were down 0-2 in a series was against the Mavericks, and before that, Boston in 2008, and before that... the Suns in 2007. But I do remember the Spurs coming back from an 0-2 deficit a few years ago against I believe the Hornets, and taking a game 7 in New Orleans... so you never know.

Disagree. The only slim chance the Lakers have is to slow the game down. Letting sessions go crazy is a recipe for disaster.

[L.A.K.E.R]

Disagree. The only slim chance the Lakers have is to slow the game down. Letting sessions go crazy is a recipe for disaster.

Not necessarily. Sessions in a pick-and-roll scenario with the floor spread would give the Thunder some problems. They haven't been able to deal with it all season long and have gotten burned numerous times by speedy guards. From JJ Barea to Tony Parker, they've all had some measure of success against the Thunder. They are not a particularly great defensive team, nor do they have any standout defenders aside from Thabo Sefolosha.

We don't need to transform him into Chris Paul, but we do need to throw a different sort of look at the Thunder. We can't expect them to collapse if we keep feeding Bryant and Bynum, they have the personnel that can deal with both of them effectively. Perkins as a primary defender and Ibaka's help defense can hinder Bynum, while Sefolosha, Harden and Durant can split the defensive assignment on Bryant.

Clearly, our offense as it is right now (primarily Bynum/Bryant isolation), will not get it done.

[noknife]

Wrong again. Space the floor for what? Our guys CANNOT hit wide open shots. The inside game is all the Lakers have and they have to live with it for this season.

[Vipe3773]

He meant fisher would've hit it

I know we could have really used farmar's 3p% this yr

[L.A.K.E.R]

Wrong again. Space the floor for what? Our guys CANNOT hit wide open shots. The inside game is all the Lakers have and they have to live with it for this season.

Well then, we're going to die because our featured big man has tunnel vision while the other one believes he's some bizarro world Dirk Nowitzki. You can't pack the paint against a team featuring Serge Ibaka down low ready to swoop in and send shot attempts into the third row. With Pau being unwilling to simply post-up closer to the basket, Ibaka is free to roam and bring his elite help defense wherever it is needed. Andrew Bynum is as mechanical as they come when gathers himself up before making a shot attempt, and Ibaka will have a field day unless Pau wakes up and realizes that he could be legitimate factor for us inside.

The 4-out-1-in hasn't worked for us all season long. We've been a horrible offensive team all year long. Other teams know that the best way to deal with the Lakers is by sending quick, hard doubles at Andrew Bynum and to force the team into Kobe Bryant isolation when they can't get anything else going. We run the most elementary offense possible, and it does NOT generate easy looks for us on the offensive end. I can't count the number of times this season where we've wasted roughly half the shot clock in single isolation scenarios where nothing happened other than Bynum or Kobe pounding the ball before firing off a shot attempt.

For a pick-and-roll, you don't need shooters to drill looks from the outside, though it would be nice. Just their presence on the perimeter would be enough to drag the defenders away from the paint and open up the inside. A big cutting to the rim after setting the pick is enough to give the Thunder problems. Sessions turning the corner off a high pick is enough to cause the defense to collapse and create a look for someone else, be that a big man moving off the ball or a person spotting up. When the Thunder are spread throughout the floor, they can no longer jump into the passing lanes as easily to intercept passes and convert them into fastbreak opportunities. Run some off-ball action for Bryant, perhaps a screen or two to free him up for better position, and we'll be much better in the halfcourt. If our players start to hit their open jumpers, that would be great, but it's not necessary for this to be successful.

Again, it's not something the Lakers need to run all game long, but it is something that they should be using from time to time to jumpstart their offense. We've played the Thunder 5 times so far this year, they've picked up on our offense and know exactly what to do to neutralize its effectiveness.

[bfc1125roy]

Honestly at this point I'd rather they just run triangle sets. Everyone except McRoberts, Murphy, Hill, and Sessions knows them. The bench wouldn't be doing it anyways, and Sessions can try his best to learn. The spacing the triangle created is infinitely better than the we have now.

How many times have we thrown in into Bynum, he gets doubled, and we turn it over. Or MWP shooting long jumpers at the end of the shotclock. Out of our guards, Kobe's our best jumpshooter, and we know the defense will focus on him, so if they pack the paint we are

[Inverse]

If Mike Brown would only play Goudelock!!! What doesnt he understand?! He's our best [expletive]ing shooter. Its so aggravating knowing the answer to a lot of these problems is sitting on the bench yet Mike Browns ego is getting in the way of it, because Goudelock is supposedly in his dog house! Man WTF

[Majesty]

Nope. 11 total bench points, Blake had 5 and Hill had 6.

We also went 2-15 from beyond the arc tonight. Ouch.

The fact we had this game in the bag if not for turnovers despite only 11 bench points from us says a lot.

Though I miss the Barnes that could give us 10 a game

He's gone in the off season anyway.