Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

Lakers return home to beat CLE 116-97. We just leaped over nemesis SAC for the 8th seed in the West and when I try to game out how the variables could turn out, with 4-5 games left, I get dizzy, frankly.

This was crucial, as we have the rested T-Wolves coming in a BTB and it's gonna be really rough, even though we're home.

Great win against a Cavs team that had a better record than us. Held 'em under 100, which gets me all hopped-up and back to believing we are that IST team and everything else was "it's a long season." Years from now Lebron James might say something about getting a feel for how good your team really is, then pacing yourself and turning it up to 10 for the playoffs. Maybe.

What went Right: We won every quarter: by 3,6,3,7. Held 'em under 100. Oh, did I already say we held 'em under 100? Aight. But we did...
Hold 'em under 100.

When we were up 16 in the 2nd and CLE cut it to 5, we quickly pushed it back to 9 by halftime. I thought that if we gave up a lead there, it would be a dismal sign. It was not.

Anthony Davis: 22/13/4 with 3 steals and SIX BLOCKS. EM vee Pea! Em vee Pea! (DPotY!)

D-Lo and TP: 10 for 17 from 3.

Old Man: 24/12 and he's taking what the defense is giving him, meaning, hey, come out on me and I drive around you instead of attempting a 3. Bron's and AR's 3s haven't been going down lately, but both of 'em will hit in the playins/offs. We all got treated to a classic Mr. Chase-Down block, too. Hope the cameraman who took the brunt isn't concussed.

Re: 3s: We all just hope D-Lo continues to hit come the Second Season...Get ready to show the world, D-Lo!

We got 28 from the bench. Does anyone know why Cam still isn't getting any mins? Is he still physically sore? Mentally sore?

Is it just me or is Spencer off the bench a very good defensive player while starting Spencer becomes an offensive threat? I'll take the defense; we seem to have the offense covered. Great work on D, Dinwiddie!

Honorable Mention thing that went Right: Jarrett Allen's Artis Gilmore throwback 'fro. I dig that classic look. I mean, he's no Coby White but then no one is.

 

Another win...

The Lakers have the 2nd best record in the NBA since Feb 1st(21-8). I don't consider us to be an underdog, in any of our remaining games. The train is rolling full steam ahead!

 

‘Bout damn time’ they finally flipped the switch.

I’ve been flipping over furniture and flipping birds and flipping channels. Flipping the switch is better.

 

I just like to flip you off

 

Good we are rolling and Darvin is making use of a 9 man rotation well. DLO superb again, LeBron and AD playing great. Hayes is playing well and Prince too. Austin still in slump from 3 but made his usual assortment of heady superlative plays doing other things and has continued his stepped up D. Rui is a stud. He, LeBron and AD are huge physically against most lineups.

Bad …. waaaay too many turnovers.

 

like this?

Spoiler: Or this?

 

Didn’t the snowflake mods here used to not allow those?

 

If you have to play the Lakers and you're desperate for a win, "accidentally" rake or elbow AD in the face, and preferably across at least one eye. Then you're good to go.

Being facetious here, but my gawd. Enough is enough.

Lakers lose to a MIN team that put up 79 points in the first half. Every thing they put up either swished or bounced softly on the rim once or twice and went in.

MIN 127
Laker 117

But we were without Lebron and in the 1st Q a replay of the last GSW game, when AD got raked in the eye, it swelled up, our D went in the crapper and we lost.

Naz Reid was 6 for 8 from long, 31/11.

We came back from 20 down to cut it to 5, but not having AD just wrecked us. D-Lo couldn't hit from 3. 1 for 7 and 5 for 19 for the game, but there was nothing wrong with his dimes. Rui, Dinwiddie and Jaxson gave us good games.

If AD doesn't get hurt we win this game, I think. Until AD's injury, we looked really good against this MIN team, who might finish #1 seed in the West. I thought MIN bounced back after a hellacious offensive game in PHO and we were without AD and Lebron. Oddly, I feel pretty good about how we played, all things considered.

We just need to win our last 3 games of the year now.

If I had a hotline to AD I'd implore him to meet with Cap in the off-season about wearing goggles. We lost 2 games because he took shots to the eye that caused his eye to swell up and close. If he doesn't get those eye injuries we arguably have 2 more wins, which, in our current situation, is a LOT of extra wins.

 

No LeBron and AD generally equals a loss

 

Yeah, getting hit in the face totally isn’t a foul, sometimes.

 

tough loss, this is the problem of playing GS in the play-in, they can have these shooting-the-lights-out games that you can't do much about, especially if we end up playing them in SF.

 

Welp I wouldn't expect to play them without AD. And I don't expect Rui and D'Angelo to go 10-32 from the field again..Hopefully at least

 

i won't even be mad if they lose in the play in because it'll mean ham will be fired

not like they're beating denver anyways

 

This was a My Dog Died downer of a game. I feel cheated by not having AD for 7 1/2 of the last 8 quarters against GSW.

Then the Warriors hit what? 55 3s?

I thought Gabe and Taurean were really bad.

Just: horrific. Sorry to add to anyone else's depression over the Lakers. Gawd I hate GSW.

 

Sick LeBron and no AD also not a winning formula

 

Ham isn't the structural problem , Jeanie Buss is .

Have to make the most of every opportunity given Bron's age and mileage , Ham or no Ham

 

Meaning what? You want her to sell the team? Get over it not happening. Structural problem as in the team Rob put together this year that we were over the moon with, save for the mythical Big (Biyombo?) we could have had that wanted to come here rather than wait for more money elsewhere? Ham happened … again. And s*** happened with the injuries to role players that Ham wasn’t a good enough coach, with that roster, to overcome. Let alone “not” add to them with the whack things he does as a coach TOO often.