Lakers Eliminated by Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers are now out of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Like what happened last season, the Lakers have been eliminated from contention in the Western Conference semi-finals. But in stark  contrast the Dallas Mavericks' verteran savvy in 2011, it was the youth and energy of the Oklahoma City Thunder that the Lakers in.

Kobe Bryant did his best "back-against-the-wall" scoring performances with 42 points in Game 5, but it was clearly wasn't enough. Pau Gasol was more aggressive and scrapped inside the paint to get boards, but that also wasn't enough.

Not enough for sure-- definitely not against this version of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers needed to execute for 48 minutes to have a chance in this series, not 45 or 46. There were breaks that would have swung the series completely in the Lakers favor, but faulty late-game execution led to its early exit in the playoffs.

I'm sure there will be plenty of soul-searching happening in the off-season for the Lakers and fans all over are looking for something to optimistic about, but right now for, it's easy to look at what just happened: another fruitless Lakers season.


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Odds Not in Lakers' Favor

Down 1-3, the odds are not looking good for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The last time the Lakers were down 1-3, they succumbed to the Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. If you ask me, this version of the Lakers team has yet to show a fight when down that deep. In this Western Semi-Final against the much improved Oklahoma City Thunder, I foresee a similar ending in the 2008 Finals.

Even in the NBA, only a few teams have recovered from a 1-3 series deficit, with the Lakers being a victim of the Phoenix Suns in 2006, when the Suns climbed out of a 1-3 hole behind Steve Nash.

If you ask the oddsmakers, the Lakers are not in good shape. The current line for the Lakers is 9/1, or 10%. That's pretty low, considering there are eight teams in the second round of the NBA playoffs. If you think about it, if all teams had equal chance to win the crown, the odds of one team winning is 12.5%

In any case, the quest for the franchise's 17th championship and Kobe Bryant's sixth ring is likely to end in the next few days.


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Lakers Squander Game 2 vs. Thunder

Seven points. Two minutes.

Usually, when those two are said in the same sentence, it usually means the winning team preserved the lead and kept the loser at bay.

However, Game 2 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Western Conference Semi-Finals, it was not the usual ending. The bad thing is that the Lakers were the ones that squandered the lead in the final two minutes and ended up in a 0-2 hole against the up-and-coming Thunder.

It's easy why people are already writing the Lakers off-- they have failed to execute in Games 1 and 2, with the latter game the more crucial as the team has struggled to win on the road all season.

Can the Lakers still even the series after the stops at Los Angeles?


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Lakers Get Blasted by Thunder in Game 1

Somewhere in Oklahoma City, Derek Fisher is smiling.

In Game 1 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder,  the Lakers lost in humbling fashion to a team that's well-rested and very eager to exact revenge-- Fisher included.

Derek Fisher was sent packing to Houston during the trade deadline and was moved to OKC soon after. Fisher played quality minutes behind Russell Westbrook, who played almost flawlessly in the initial game. With the Lakers failing to stop the perimeter play of the Thunder, and their seemingly fatigued performance, the outcome was pretty much expected as early as the first half ended.

Can the Lakers even the series in Game 2?

I think so, but this has to do with more perfect execution on the defensive side, such as:

• Preventing Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook open looks 15 feet from the rim
• Disrupting the Thunder's offensive flow (forcing 4 turnovers won't cut it)
• Better face up defense without giving too many free throws (The Lakers gave up 24 free throw attempts)

I can make this list longer but the bottomline is defending better in Game 2.

Otherwise, Fisher may end up getting Championship Ring #6 ahead of former teammate Kobe Bryant.


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Lakers On the Verge of An Epic Playoff Meltdown

WTF, Lakers?

Just last week ago, the Hoops world was already anticipating a massive matchup between you and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, you're just one loss away from repeating the 2006 playoff debacle where you squandered a 3-1 series lead.

What the heck happened to your defense? In Games 5 and 6, you let the Denver Nuggets score an average of 107.5 points on 49% shooting. (And people say playoff basketball is more grind it out).

Ugh, this is really a frustrating time to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan.


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Lakers Fail to Close Out Nuggets in Game 5

OK, fine. I was wrong.

I predicted a 4-1 series win for the Los Angeles Lakers, but JaVale Mcgee and Andre Miller of the Denver Nuggets had a different idea of how the first reound series would go.

A furious fourth quarter rally and Kobe Bryant's 43 points weren't enough to lift the Lakers in their fifth game against Nuggets, losing 102-99 in Los Angeles.

McGee and Miller punished the Lakers inside with drives and dunks in the fourth quarter, even pushing the Nuggets' lead to 15 in the 8-minute mark. As I watched the game, I was really frustrated how the Lakers failed to get key stops, particualrly preventing Miller from going to the hoop, in the final quarter. Miller scored 10 of his 24 points in that stretch.

And get me going about Andrew Bynum's statement about "easy" close-out games:

"Close-out games are actually kind of easy," Bynum said. "Teams tend to fold if you come out and play hard in the beginning, so we want to come out and establish an early lead and protect it."

Sheesh.


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Dagger 3's Sink Nuggets in Game 4

The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from a terrible playoff loss to win Game 4 with the help from a couple of key three-pointers in the final minute.

Laker point guards Steve Blake and Ramon Sessions both hit dagger three's that eventually made the difference in the tightly contested Game 4. That game saw several lead changes throughout and neither team controlled till the final stretch.

Apart from the point guard duo, the Lakers also got quality minutes from power forward Jordan Hill, who got double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) off the bench.

The Lakers' bench picked up some its scoring after finishing 26 points for the game. This is a big improvement since the subs averaged 13 points in the previous three games.

Game 5 will swing back to Los Angeles where the Lakers will look to advanced to the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.


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Lakers Fail in Game 3 against Nuggets

Argh, I knew it.

I had an inkling that the Los Angeles Lakers would drop Game 3 of their first-round NBA playoff match-up against the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers were vulnerable in Denver in the regular season and I was somewhat anticipating some sort of struggle in the series swing to the Mile High City. I've even blogged about what the Lakers should do to win Game 3, but things didn't pan out-- the Lakers lost 99-84.

Let me revisit those three keys I mentioned:

• Avoid the speed trap - Honestly, I think the game was lost in the first quarter. The Lakers gave up 30 points to their 14 points and let the Nuggets run like madmen. By the time second quarter rolled in, the Lakers found themselves in a 41-17 hole and were never able to catch up.
• Take care of the ball - You know who took care of the ball? The Denver Nuggets. They only had 5 turnovers for the game and forced the Lakers to 15 turnovers.
• Bynum bash - Andrew Bynum finished with 18 points, but in the critical first half, he had ZERO. 'Nuff said.

I wasn't expecting a sweep, but I do expect the Lakers to learn from this game and win Games 4 and 5.


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Keys to a Lakers Win on Game 3

After pretty good performances in Games 1 and 2, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to go up 3-0 against the Denver Nuggets in their first round playoff series.

If the Lakers are to put the Nugs on the brink, here are some points I think are needed to make that happen:

• Avoid the speed trap - It's no secret: the Nuggets are at their best when they run with the ball and give everyone a chance to score in transition. Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson is starting to play better and slash through the Lakers' defense. The Lakers must put the brakes on Lawson (and the whole Denver team, for that matter) by playing more grind-it-out hoops.
• Take care of the ball - What feeds the Denver fast attack? Turnovers. The Lakers were extra sloppy with the ball against the Nuggets and if they can avoid turning the ball over, this will limit the Nuggets' opportunities in running.
• Bynum bash - In the regular season, the Lakers leading scorer against the Nuggets was Andrew Bynum. It's crucial to keep the big guy involved in the offense and keep him committed to playing heavy D.

The Lakers are up 2-0 and if they can keep focus and not get too relaxed, Game 3 will be a cinch.


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Andrew Bynum Swats Nuggets in Game 1

The BIG story for Game 1 for the Los Angeles Lakers' win against the Denver Nuggets was Andrew Bynum.

Bynum recorded a rare triple double: 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocks. It was the last statistic that really made the difference for the team. Bynum altered plenty of shots (I read in ESPN that Bynum affected around 20+ shots in the game) and was a factor in slowing down the fast-paced Denver offense.

Think about it for a moment: the Nuggets close to 48% field goal percentage in the regular season and in Game 1, they only shot 35%. The main reason for that would be Bynum's affected shot attempts (whether blocked or made the shooter alter his shot).

If the Bynum keeps this up, this is going to be a short series.


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Lessons from Derrick Rose's Season Ending Injury

After the first few games of the NBA playoffs, one thing is on my mind: playoff strategy in giving playing time to NBA superstars.

The NBA is a business and it has the responsibility for giving the basketball fans what they want-- and that is a competitive game with the superstars on them. Teams, therefore, should do their best to win games (*cough*Bobcats Tank*cough*). If that means putting the team's best players and stars on the floor during the games, especially in the playoffs.

In the case of the Chicago Bulls, coach Tom Thibideau insisted on playing Derrick Rose in the final minutes of their series opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, even though the game was going into Chicago's favor. In the final minute of the game, Rose tore his ACL and would be out for the rest of the post-season.

We all know tickets prices for the Los Angeles Lakers are some of the most expensive in the NBA and it gets harder to buy tickets when the playoffs come. (If you're looking to find floor seats to the Lakers, good luck-- they're all probably sold out.) So you'd expect the team, particularly Lakers coach Mike Brown to maximize Kobe Bryant to playoff victory.

In the NBA's shortened season, that is going to dangerous territory.

Kobe missed seven games late in the regular season and I think the Lakers should be cautious in playing him 38-40 minutes a game in the playoffs. The better move looks like relying on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol on the post (like giving them around 30+ field goal attempts per game) and giving Kobe around 32-35 minutes per game.

I'm not saying the Lakers should stifle Kobe, but rather save enough of his energy to go deep in the playoffs. NBA folks know the conditioning regimen that Kobe is going through, but 16 seasons and over 1,300 games (regular and post-season) should get folks scared a bit.


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Lakers to Face Nuggets in First Round

So it's confirmed: the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

If you ask me, this is good news for the Lakers.

In my first round playoffs preview, I predicted that the Lakers would win the first round if they went up against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers have the size, but the Nuggets will counter with a faster pace and precision shooting.

However, we all knw that NBA offenses tahe a dip in the post-season and the Nuggets are poised to face roadblocks in the paint with the Lakers bigs.

Bottomline: The Lakers are favored, but should be wary of surprises the Nuggets will throw at them.


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Lakers 2012 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview

It's hard to believe that the 2012 NBA Playoffs is already next week. It's probably because of the compressed 66-game season and the Los Angeles Lakers have only had their first Metta World Peace incident just last week.

The Lakers are sitting comfortably at third place in the Western Conference, following the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The team was able to finalize their seeding in their win against the Thunder last week (the infamouse World Peace elbow game).

The Lakers' first round opponent is still to be determined as the Denver Nuggets and the Dallas Mavericks have yet to lock-up their respective playoff positions. So for this 2012 NBA Playoffs first round preview for the Lakers, I'll take a look at both potential opponents.

Denver Nuggets

The Lakers have a 3-1 advantage over the Nuggets in their regular season match-up and this is looks good for the Lakers on paper.

The Nuggets don't have the size to go up against the Lakers' frontline tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and it doesn't help that the Nugs sent Nene to the Washington Wizards last February for the less intimidating Javale McGee.

Nuggets forwards Danilo Gallinari and Al Harrington will get minutes trying to stretch the floor (Harrington has averaged 20+ in the teams' last two meetings), and they may fare even better with World Peace suspended for six games in the playoffs.

But what the Lakers need to worry more about is the Nuggets backcourt. Ty Lawson and Andre Miller have run circles around the Lakers' point guards and this means Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake have to step up their games.

The Nuggets have the NBA's best-scoring offense and team assists per game, and this means that they play at a fast rate and share the ball. Personally, I these metrics will take a hit in the playoffs as I foresee the Lakers to tighten the screws on defense come playoff time.

Prediction: Lakers in 5

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have to demonstrate their championship mettle this season against the Lakers (the Mavs were swept by the Lakers in the regular season). This bodes very well for the the Lakers.

The players that killed the Lakers last season (J.J. Barea and Tyson Chandler) have left the Mavericks and this will put a lot more weight on the shoulders of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry to lead the Mavs.

Unfortunately for the Mavs trio, it will be an uphill climb, which is more like scaling a high wall. The Lakers will use their size advantage to frustrate their optential opponents and clog the lanes to prevent the slashing to the hoop. The only chance the Mavs have is if their outside shooting floats in the 50% range.

I am not the only one who thinks the Dallas Mavericks will not repeat as NBA champs this season and I think the Lakers will avenge their defeat, should the two teams meet in the first round.

Prediction: Lakers in 6


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Time to Shelve Kobe?

As of this writing, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has missed the team's last six games to rest his injured shin. During that stretch, the Lakers have won four, with those games coming from a winning streak.

Now the big question: Should the Lakers shelve Kobe for the rest of the season? I say "YES," with a blaring megaphone.

Apart from the obvious rest Kobe gets with this move (Kobe is averaging 38.4 minutes per game), it gives the rest of the Lakers to step up and gather confidence going into the playoffs. Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, and Pau Gasol have notably stepped up their games in Kobe's absence and it even gave long-time bench regular Devin Ebanks some burn.

However, coach Mike Brown must keep in mind the risk of resting Kobe for too long-- it may create an imbalance where the team members need to figure out their roles again once Kobe takes 30% of the team's shots and 38 minutes of PT.

Another factor is playoff positioning. The Lakers are just a half-game ahead of their Staples Center co-tenants and getting third seed in the NBA's Western Conference would be major, since it avoids the dangerous Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

That said, I still think Kobe should hang up till the last day of the regular season. His fresh legs would be more important in propelling the Lakers in the playoffs.


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Lakers Still Looking for Consistency

After the dealine trades that saw the Los Angeles Lakers changing their backcourt dramatically, the team has yet to go on a dominating tear.

Since the March 15 deadline, the team has won as much as it lost. There were good wins immediately after the Ramon Sessions acquisition, but frustrating losses to the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies undermine any progress.

It's not that the team is in such a bad shape. They haven't defended their home court well, they go on a stupor after great stretches, and outside shooting is still an afterthought.

One thing I've observed though is that the improved play at a faster pace. With Sessions, the Lakers hav done better at running the break and attacking defenses in the half court.

With playoff picture slowly taking shape, the Lakers better figure out how to beat teams more convincingly. Otherwise, this will be another wasted season.

Ramon Sessions: Point Guard Problem Solver?

New Laker Ramon Sessions was pretty OK in his team debut:  7 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds. This solid stat line came off a 19-minute stint off the bench.

But one important stat to look at is his +/- number for that game: +8. That number is the second highest for a Laker (after Andrew Bynum with +15).

This is very encouraging, considering that the Lakers won by 5 points, which is quite slim. Sessions demonstrated what people thought he could bring to the lumbering Lakers offense: forays to the hoop, finding the right guys (although he did have 3 turnovers), and putting pressure on the opponents guards.

It's easy to say that the Sessions pick-up is a godsend to the Lakers-- the team has been abused by spitfire point guards in the past and the inability to break down defenses with guard penetrations has caused the team some problems. But let's stop and think about it.

What the Lakers lost in Derek Fisher are the obvious intangibles: taking charges, making clutch baskets, and leadership in the locker room. These magnify one glaring thing Sessions doesn't have: Experience. It also is important to note that Sessions has yet to play in a playoff game in his young career and for a Los Angeles Lakers team that's jockeying for a Top 3 spot in the Western Conference, this could be a potential issue.

I'll tell the Laker faithful to have guarded optimism about Ramon Sessions. He's a quick fix, but I hope he'll shine in the Playoffs.


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Did the Deadline Trades Make the Lakers Better?

So much for standing pat.

I know what you're thinking Laker Faithful: Did the NBA trade deadline deals make the team better? I see the trades as a mixed bag of positives and negatives.

On one hand, the perennial problem of weak point guard play has been addressed: Ramon Sessions was nabbed by the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Christian Ayenga, for Luke Walton and a draft pick. This is clearly a short to medium term solution to help the franchise get its 17th championship (and Kobe Bryant's sixth ring).

Sessions brings good pick and roll skills, good ball-handling, and aggressive forays into the hoop that can break down defenses. Ayenga is still raw but superb athlete, which is quite similar to where Devin Ebanks is. It's no accident that Ayenga will be sent to the D-League (where Ebanks spent some time early in the season).

From a financial point of view, the deal is good because the team was able to shed Walton's albatross of a contract. Perhaps this is Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's way of saying "mea culpa" to the Lakers after nixing the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers?

But the deadline didn't come without a price: Lakers fan favorite Derek Fisher was sent to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.

This feels like an end of an era because Walton and Fisher were part of the Lakers' success in the past decade. Fisher's legacy in the Lakers lore is pretty much set, but I hoped he would finish his career in purple and gold.

With the deals, the Lakers' depth chart looks like this:

• PG - Ramon Sessions, Steve Blake, Darius Morris
• SG - Kobe Bryant, Andrew Goudelock
• SF - Metta World Peace, Matt Barnes, Devin Ebanks, Christian Ayenga
• PF - Pau Gasol, Troy Murphy, Josh McRoberts
• C - Andrew Bynum, Jordan Hill

If you ask me, the only problematic area left is the Small Forward position. I guess Michael Beasly would have helped there.

But that's a different story.


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Should the Lakers Stand Pat? Absolutely!

With the hoopla surrounding the 2012 NBA All-Star Game to be over in the next 24 hours, it's a good time to look at the Los Angeles Lakers in the season's midpoint.

As the team's roster stands, a lot of people from experts (ESPN.com) to oddsmakers (online sportsbook click here) pick the Lakers as reaching the play-offs, but a second-round finish at best. A championship is quite a reach, considering the play of the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder (which kicked the Lakers' butts before the All-Star break).

Now the big question is what kind of roster tweak should the team make, if at all? Many folks (including myself) still think that the core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum can compete to reclaim the NBA championship, but there are a lot of voices that echo the opposite: The Lakers must make a deal.

But come on people, what deal out there makes sense? The team obviously can't get a player the same value for, say, Pau Gasol and there are very few players in the Lakers roster that other team wants. Players outside of the Lakers' Big 3 are either too old or too raw.

Dwight Howard would be a great addition to the team, but the team put itself in a bad trading position after Gasol's performance dipped and traded away Lamar Odom.

Here's my message to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak: Don't pull the trigger. Give this team some time to come together under Mike Brown's system.


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Why I'm Not Yet Sold on Jeremy Lin

The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a defeat at the tail-end of a back-to-back against the New York Knick.

The main culprit? Big Apple's latest hoop darling: #17 Jeremy Lin.

Lin scored a career-high 38 points and dished out 7 assists to lead the Knicks to the their fourth straight win and hand the Lakers their third loss in four games. In the four Knick wins, Lin started at point guard.

I think Lin is skilled and has NBA-level talent, to call him as Basketball's Next Big Thing? I'm not so sure about that. I have four reasons to be skeptical about "Linsanity":

• Point guards have been the Lakers' weakness - In the last 15 years, point guards have made careers by abusing the Lakers and this season is no different. The current Lakers roster is not constructed to bottle up slashing point guards. I'll join the "Linsanity" after Lin goes up against Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Tony Parker and lights them up.
• Too small a sample - Lin belongs to the NBA for sure, I don't doubt that. But what I'm skeptical about is how people are crowning him as New York hoops' messiah. People are jumping the gun the praise because the Knicks desperately needs a distraction from its sub-.500 winning record.
• Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are still inactive - One of the key reasons Lin got so many shot attempts (18.5 per game since he started) is because two of the Knicks starters were out of commission. The pair take up about 40% of the team's shot attempts and 50% of the team's free throw attempts. Once the duo comes back into action, I see Lin's attempts going back to earthly portions.
• D'Antoni needs to keep his job - Prior to the winning streak, the Knicks were spiraling into the NBA Draft lottery and the Madison Square Garden faithful were asking for the axing of coach Mike D'Antoni. But then two things happened: D'Antoni shuffled his line-up and the Knicks began to win. Had the Knicks kept losing despite Lin in the line-up, all this hoopla wouldn't be happening.

I'm not dissing Lin, I just think he's not proven yet. But one thing's for sure, people have taken notice, including the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

In the post game interview after the loss to the Knicks, Bryant said, "Enjoy it, they'll receive judgment next season."

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2012 NBA All-Star Line-ups: My Predictions

Although the season is only a couple of months old, we already have the starting line-ups of the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. (Of course we have to thank the 2011 NBA lockout and the condensed 66-game season for that).

And this brings us to an annual tradition of Big Lakers Fan: predicting the All-Star line-ups!

I had pretty mediocre success rate last year-- I only got 18 out of 24 after the initial announcement of the All-Star reserves. It's now harder to predict the reserves because of the limited action on the court, but I'll do my best.

Here are my predictions for the 2012 NBA All-Star line-up (Starters are written in bold)

West All-Stars:

1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (G)
2. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers (G)
3. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers (C)
4. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers (F)
5. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder (F)
6. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (G)
7. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (G)
8. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers (F/C)
9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (F)
10. Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz (F)
11. Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets (G)
12. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves (F)

East All-Stars:

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls (G)
2. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat (G)
3. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic (C)
4. LeBron James, Miami Heat (F)
5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks (F)
6. Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers (G/F)
7. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics (G/F)
8. Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks (G)
9. Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers (C)
10. Chris Bosh, Miami Heat, (F/C)
11. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics (G)
12. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers (F)

The line-ups have been historically peppered with questionable selections, and mine is not different. I think coaches will reward the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Indiana Pacers with at least an All-Star. And as much as I think Chris Bosh is not deserving, I don't think there's a big man in the Eastern Conference that merits my nod of approval.


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