Christmas came early this weekend in Lakerland… If a blowout in Phoenix wasn’t enough for you, then hopefully this one did the trick.
The Lakers played well the entire game against a great Utah team, but in the 4th quarter, the Lakers looked like world champions. The Lakers shot 56% for the game and scored 73 second half points against one of the best defenses in the league last year. The Lakers also had 29 assists on 43 made FGs!
This was a great game and really showed the potential of this team. But let’s not get too excited and think we don’t need Lamar back. Now, the bests of the night (it really sucks I limit it to 3, I think I could do 10 tonight):
Top 3 Laker performers:
1) To squeeze another Laker in, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar together are my number 1. They came in the third quarter and sparked the Lakers till the end. Farmar’s behind the back pass to Bynum summed up the night for these two. Bynum had 15 points on 6-7 shooting. He also had 9 boards and was a perfect 3-3 from the line. Farmar shot 5-8 and had 12 points to go with his 4 assists. He also hit a three as the quarter ended in the 3rd. Great game guys!
2) Kobe Bryant. 33 points, 13-19 FG’s, 5 rebs, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks (including one of his signature left handed dunk-blocking swats). Need I say more?
3) Luke Walton did the little things. He had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. That’s just what the Lakers needed tonight. He also played great defense throughout the night on AK47, holding him to only 14 points and 4 rebounds.
Lakers Smush of the Day (Note: STD denotes the Laker that played the poorest): While Fisher struggled in the beginning, his second half saved him from becoming the STD tonight.
Once again, Brian Cook earned the Lakers STD. He somehow found a way to turn the ball over twice in 6 minutes. Good thing he didn’t play 36 minutes! Phil saved us 12 turnovers by benching him after number 2! At least his minutes are going down game by game right?
Key play of the game: Farmar’s behind the back pass to Bynum in the 4th or Luke’s lob pass to Bynum for the and 1! You pick.
What to look for next game: Look for a good challenge. Don’t underestimate these Hornets. For the first time in a year, they are healthy and playing well. Tonight they beat Denver on the road and Lakers have struggled against them in the past.
Game is Tues night @ 7:30 PM (Let me know if you need tickets, I have some I am selling for cheap to TLN fans).
TLN’s Post-Game Thoughts: Lakers vs. Jazz
TLN’s Post-Game Thoughts: Lakers vs. Hornets
TLN’s Post-Game Report: Lakers vs. Jazz
TLN’s Post-Game Thoughts: Lakers vs. Suns
TLN’s Post-Game Report: Lakers vs. Bulls
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Hell yeah! Let’s keep the streak going!
Hey fatty what section? row? The Lakers have to maintain their focus!! Playing some great ball early in the season.
But, uh I think Kobe had more than 3 points. Ha.
how much are you sellin tickets and where is the seats at?
Good Job boys ..keep up the good work and keep Chris Paul quiet
sorry..they are sec 316 r 12…almost center court. selling for$20 each, face is $27
The more I see this up and coming Bynum, the more I want to see JO paired up with him. He can buy time for Bynum to develop defensively. Alas, not gonna happen. And the more I see Bynum improve, the more I’m frakin’ pissed Kwame has done absolutely nothing to improve his game.
Time for Odom to bring back that production he had early last year and in the playoffs and we have something once he comes back. Prove that star shaped haircut on your head is meaningful.
Good defense by the Los Angeles Lakers drama boys, if only we could patch up the difference, this will be a Los Angeles good season. They are running, switching in defense, rebounding see those efforts. We don’t have yet the Lakers team down.
[deleting unnecessary corporate advertisement]
I like slam dunks that take me to the hoop my favorite play is the ally-hoop,
I like the pic n roll,i like the given goal its basketball yo, yo lets go!
Go Lakers Go!!!
Maybe its just me but from reading Kobe’s reaction to the game:
“Andrew’s always a little big more reserved and a little bit more shy when he plays, but it looks like he’s starting to come out of his shell a little bit,” Bryant said. “I think having games like this, — particularly against a team like Utah that’s very physical — I think it helps out his confidence a lot.”
“Jordan’s always had that chip on his shoulder, and I’ve liked him from day one because of that,”
I mean maybe he’s just pulling off an act but sounds to me that he is starting to have faith in his supporting cast…. yes it may be just game 3 but if this clan can play on this level all season and keep getting better than who knows maybe Kobe will stay in the end!!!!
Two stats that stood out to me were:
+8 points in the paint
+8 rebounds.
These were two areas that killed us last year. I know its early and this is a young team but I hope they keep up the intensity particularly on the defensive end.
Steve Avery what is your contact info so I can buy those tickets from you?
ok whoever says kobe dont play D (ab4sure) you must not watch the lakers. he might actually win mvp and best defender this year!!! his defense is insane…
hey fatty email me about the tickets please….great game for the lakers…i wish it was midseason then we would have a good gauge of where they are as a team…it is SOOOOOO early.
lakersdynasty999@gmail.com
818 599 9559
oops ….i meant steve… email me about the tickets please
Great analysis. Those are 2 very important categories. Notice vs Houston we got outboarded. This is exactly why we need Lamar back. He helps control the boards and is a better defender in the paint than Luke.
Kobe’s D is unballievable!!
Those two plays, the recovery block and pass that led to a Luke fast break and the AK block could be the D plays of the year. I have a feeling we will see 1-2 of those a game.
Kobe is playing like he did for Team USA and yet he’s getting his points
If he keeps this up, for sure, Defensive player of the year. The guy is a terror on the perimeter.
MVP? Talk about that another day.
fatty, 3 games in kobe is the front runner for mvp.
Phantom; No offense to Kobe, I think hes the best individual talent in the game but, Id say KG is first in the MVP race (my early pick this year). 23, 13, 6 last night. 22, 20, 5 the game before. I know it was preseason but he had that huge triple-double the last game of preseason. I don’t see any reason why Garnett couldn’t average 23, 13, 6, and 2.5 blocks a game. Plus be second behind Kidd for most triple-doubles. I still wish we could have gotten him. KG and Kobe would have been the most intense duo in NBA history. I think those two guys play with more passion than any other players in the league.
hey steve, selling any tickets for games on friday through sunday anytime soon? preferably games at night?
if you are my email is lakerfan4ever901@gmail.com…thanks.
the reason i would give it to kobe right now is the D so far as been the best i have ever seen. the help defense he is givin has been awesome and he is still avergeing 31 points. i know its early but hands down he is the front runner. does anyone know if anyone has ever gotton the mvp and defensive player of the year in the same year?
kobe was, WITH OUT A DOUBT, number one for that game, he played so damn well.. farmar stepped up but he was no way number one, SORRY… you’re WRONG
Well, Kobe was Kobe. Farmar and Bynum exceeded expectations, I guess that is my logic. Kobe will have his share of #1’s just like Cook will have his share of my STD’s
“Cook will have his share of my STD’s”
That is a very funny phrase when taken out of context.
LOVIN THIS TEAM-BALL…IM GLAD D.FISH IS HERE…HE’S A GOD-SEND…WE SURELY NEEDED ANOTHER VET TO GO ALONG WITH KOBE TO HELP TEACH THESE YOUNG PLAYERS!!!!! THE 2 OF THEM ,WELL 3 OF THEM(PHIL) ARE CRACKING THE WHIP!!!!! AND IM SURE THEY ARE ALSO,FINALLY DEVELOPING A CLOSENESS LIKE A TEAM SHOULD HAVE!!!! WE NEED MAYBE 1 MORE REALLY GOOD VET PLAYER.IT DOESNT HAVE TO BE A SUPERSTAR,BUT JUST A WARRIOR TO GO ALONG WITH THIS TEAM AND I THINK WE COULD POSSIBLY GET SOMEWHERE!!!! IF OUR MAN KOBE CAN POLISH UP THESE GUYS…GET THEIR BUTTS INTO SHAPE AND GET RID OF “IM A LOSER” MENTALITY MAYBE,JUST MAYBE OUR MAN KOBE WILL THIS TIME GET THE MVP AWARD!!!!!KOBE,ITS TIME YOU SHOW EVERONE THAT YOU,YES YOU CAN MAKE EVERYONE AROUND YOU BETTER!!!! LAKERS ROCK!!!! IM SO EXCITED!!!!
Looks like Yoni might have been right!
after all the Lakers do have some talent other than Kobe, 33 points on 19 Shots!! unbelievable, 10 times better than 45 on 32 shots
Bynum, Turaif, Farmar, Fish, and Vlad are all looking great!
not to mention, Kwames improvement and Odoms absence.
Lakers will be a legitamite contender as long as they dodge injuries and Kobes ego!
I havent been so excited for the Lakers since they started 26-13 last year (lol, please lets not have a repeat of what happened after that!)
we need constinency and heart!
Go Lakers
See you all at the parade in june!
i wonder how many games they are going to win this season
We’re definately a better team than last year, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s a long season.
That Bynum jam in the 4th was crazy! The entire arena exploded when Drew brought it down.
i told everyone over the summer not to make any dumb trades and to hold on to Bynum. turns out i was right. the most impressive thing is that we’re playing at such a high level even w/o Lamar. imagine when he gets back…
Kobe for DPOTY and MVP??? he’s an absolute monster as always and his dropped weight is seemingly allowing him to penetrate easier than ever. that AK block was sick! Kobe was near flawless last night and got 33 points w/o ballhogging. i didn’t even know that was possible…
who’s up for MIP on this team? Bynum, Farmar, Vlad, or Ronny? tough one but i’d pick Vlad by a hair if his shots fall consistently. if not, Bynum or Farmar would be my pick. (sweet plays by Farmar. Bynum=2 nice assists and 8 defensive boards)
Farmar is finally showing up. i was laughed at for saying he could be a great PG but i guess his performance is doing all the talking for me. same with Bynum.
Luke out on the floor makes everything run silky smooth. i was critical of his contract extension but what he brings to this team mostly can’t be measured in stats. Fisher too. (Fisher went D-Wade and went 13-14 FTs with some good finishes and drew a charge on Derron)
Kwame/Bynum>Mihm, but Chris will be useful when our many injuries start striking. look for Turiaf/Kwame/Luke/LO/Fish/Mihm/Cook/Evans to get hurt. scary thing is that we’re already injured but putting out a great effort against these ’superior’ teams and PO contenders. (Kwame-good showing aside from that missed dunk)
our C/PG rotation is much improved and showing. we’ll kill teams with our new up-tempo version of the tri.
i expect Critt to get a lot of ‘DNPs’ this season and Sasha to get garbage mins.
cut Cook. (garbage)
now.
LA-LA-LA-LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!
yo but ive been thinkin we are not that far off of gettin under the salary cap… if we bust a trade with denver…. sending lamar, cook, and mihm out …for camby, najera, and klieza… with all the salaries expiring we get UNDER the cap by more than $4,974,892
we can sign elton brand in the off season, with the money we got… and we could sign and trade najera along with klieza… for maggette (he is opting out anyway, so they might as well get something for him.. we could throw in a pick, also)
line-up:
d-fish/farmar/javaris
kobe/sasha/coby
maggette/walton/v.rad
brand/turiaf
camby/bynum
i dont think brand is leaving the clips. they have built that team around him. i also dont want injury prone camby who forces up jumpers. lamar is a great complement to kobe. we just need his health
PHANTOM
Nov 5th, 2007 at 11:16 am
the reason i would give it to kobe right now is the D so far as been the best i have ever seen. the help defense he is givin has been awesome and he is still avergeing 31 points. i know its early but hands down he is the front runner. does anyone know if anyone has ever gotton the mvp and defensive player of the year in the same year?
Jordan won both mvp and defensive player of the year in 1988 for his efforts in the 1987-1988 season.
I really like Lamar. And I love the Lakers. And Lamar and the Lakers may be happy together but they are holding eachother back. The tri ain’t suited to Lamar. He needs to run free. Maybe this uptempo tri will bring out the best in him, but otherwise I think Lamar would do better with another team. Hate to say it, hate to see him leave. But the chemistry just isn’t there. I think its time to break up.
Another worthy read from Roland Lazenby.
http://lakernoise.com/2007/11/04/blood-on-the-horns-redux-will-phil-mend-the-lakers/
I like his blog he always has some interesting insights.
Does anyone know why Critt was not in uniform last night?
“Does anyone know why Critt was not in uniform last night?”
So Cook can get playing the playing time that he so deserves. DUH!!
I think you can only suit up 12. We are carrying the league max of 15 guys on the roster, so 3 have to be on the inactive list, or the injured reserve (I think they made some rule change about it, because you used to have to list them as injured which is nuts). Last night Critt, Coby, and Lamar were the ones. As lakerfan81 so wisely notes, why the hell isn’t Cook on the reserve?!?! He sucks.
I didn’t say ever, but he sure didn’t play it last year. He got 1st team defense on reputation, even the coaches realized that. It’s a new year and a new start.
Rather than the team playing more kobe’s way, it is kobe playing more with the team. That will get him the MVP award. They did a good job toward that end when the 2nd unit and other lakers have a pass it to the open man mentality. When kobe shoots more than 30 shots like in Houston they are more likely to lose, when he shoots less they are more likely to win and kobe will still score alot for eg. against the Jazz 33pts on 13-19 shooting. Plus he is playing defense this year. So he is looking more like an MVP candidate than ever before.
YEAH AB,KOBE HAS PLAYED GOOD DEFENSE FOR MOST OF HIS CAREER…BUT YOU CANT PLAY D WHEN YOU GOTTA CARRY THE TEAM(PUT UP POINTS) BECAUSE YOUR TEAM CANT SCORE!!!!! HE EARNED 1ST ALL TEAM…KOBE HAS WORKED HARD TO GET WHERE HE IS…DONT TAKE NOTHING FROM HIM!!!!
Say what you want about Kobe,this is what he wanted guys to do last year before Smush made his exodus.Now we know who real the real cancer was in the lockeroom.Get B.Cook out NOW and we can talk Contenders,FINALLY.
I wouldn’t say kobe didnt play D last year. Kobe always plays great defense. I think many people just overlook it because of his offense. The effort he puts in every night is insane. I wouldnt say he took a year off and won the honors based on rep.
Anyone want to make cutcook.com? ill be the first to join!
Well if Lamar plays you can say seeya round like risol to cook…that guy(std)..had better be on the IR list by tipoff
Hello webmaster…Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts..what a nice Saturday . Sasha Cohen
Hey!…Thanks for the nice read, keep up the interesting posts..what a nice Tuesday . Sasha Cohen