The Good:- Hey, KG and PP played terribly.
Terribly. Sure, Gasol and Odom played terribly too, but they've been bad all series, especially Odom who has really been a non-factor. PP looked tired, KG needs to get his shot right, but I have confidence of that.
- The low block. This has been covered in a few posts, or so I've noticed. KG suddenly decided to try, got the ball down low and just powered by Gasol and looked like he would have exploded in sheer tenacity if he made the dunk. He did it a few more times, got looks going, got his game going and his jumper started to go down. Coincidence? I think not. And guess what heppened when Perk got it down there? It works. I feel his low-post game is underrated, when he gets time to gather himself and make a move his little jump hook and up and under are very effective.
- Eddie House. Doc finally saw the light and realised just who the answer is. Cassell needs to ride the pine from now on, I'm sick of him coming in and destroying our entire offense. Even when he dishes assists all he thinks about is trying to post up Farmar/Fisher. Eddie was out there hustling, no turnovers, a steal and two handy threes. And let me tell you, when he shoots I'm much more confident of it going in than whenever Cassell shoots.
- James Posey. Oh man. Aren't we glad we picked him up so many times now? This guy is huge. And he needs way more props. His defense is great, he hustles, he has a great feel for the game and does so many little things. We need more of him. He also seems to have a great chemistry with Eddie. Anyone else noticed that they help each other out a lot while they're on the floor? I think something we need to do is call for his offense more. He isn't just a three point marksman. He has good handles and can definately drive in for a layup/free throws. No question. He's vastly overlooked in that area.
- Ray Allen. That was possibly the quietest 25 points anyone will ever see. 5-7 from the 3pt line, he drove in and made some nice shots, he had a midrange shot going. He was back to his very best. Just sending dagger after dagger into LA. Keeping us in the game. Remember that big Vujacic three at the start of the fourth? Bam! Ray Ray replies. He was undercommented on in my opinion. He was huge. Throw in 5 boards, a block a steal and two assists (and a few more created buckets I reckon) and we have a very well rounded game for Jesus. However this leads us to my big point.
The Bad:- "The Man". Okay, so two of our big three are in the doldrums, KG has looked decent recently but is still shaky. Ray has been our best offensive player by a mile. It's the start of the fourth. So he should be continuing to shoot, stay on fire, build our lead...right? Nope. Let's give him three shots for the entirety of the fourth quarter! Three. Unbelievable. He had 22 points at the end of three. Why did Pierce take 14 shots and Ray only 13? Why did KG have 21? This guy needs more looks. He is not, and I repeat not, a third option. He is one of the (new) Big Three. He needs to ball in his hands, he needs to create, he needs to shoot. I'm disgusted that all these other players obviously struggling are getting more shots. Especially when Ray is being defended by Fisher and Vujacic.
- Minutes/Unsung Hero. We had three players with a positive +/- today. Feel like guessing them? Posey, House aaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddd The Beast Himself, Kendrick Perkins. He was in a bit of foul trouble, but where was he. If KG stays off the low block at least we have someone creating a presence in the paint and fighting for every rebound. The amount that he tips somewhere is amazing. I think Eddie had around the right minutes, he is a hustle player. I'd still love to see Tony get some minutes just to see what he could do defending Kobe and getting into the paint when Paul and co. are settling for jumpers, but he isn't termed the Turnover Machine for no reason. I feel that Posey needs more minutes. I think JVG mentioned this, but I also wouldn't be averse to a Ray/Pierce/Posey/KG/Perkins lineup. They can't pressure the ball, Ray has some handles, and Posey/Pierce and even KG (or even Perkins, remember that sick spin move?
) can take the ball down. Give Posey and KP more minutes!
- Fisher. This guy is the rich mans what we hoped Cassell would be. Bring the ball down, play some D, set up the offense, nail shots and use his veretanyness to get some easy FT's and fouls called. Unfortunately Cassell has shown no 'veteran canny' and instead looks for his own shot constantly. Fisher always seems to do the right thing and I can't help but to like him. I think he'll be very important to the Lakers.
The Ugly:- Rondo. Okay, he shot 50%. But it was the worst 50% of all time. It's not about him taking/passing up those jumpers when Kobe is playing off him. It's that he's taking shots when the Lakers want him to. Don't feel comfortable shooting there Rondo? Get to the baseline! If you're going to give up the ball, get to the baseline. It's your spot and Kobe is going to struggle to double anyone from the opposite wing. And you especially don't need to take long-range fade-a-ways. I'm sincerely hoping he gets his act together for the next game. He needs to stay positive. He needs to be proactive, not reactive. He's a young kid and I'm positive that he bounces back in a big way.
Well, I'm glad I got that off my chest. Now time to study for exams. This is all because I couldn't find my lucky hoodie obviously. And let's go Green!
Topic: The good, bad and ugly (Read 2082 times)