Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

Why? Based on what exactly?

 

The rest of our role players finally showed up and we lead the whole game. Go figure.

 

Right: Someone not named “James” or “Davis” finally decided to show up.

Wrong: They waited until we were down 3-0 to do it.

 

Imagine if we didn't blow game 2

 

Right DLo and Reaves showed up

Wrong Ham is soooo stupid but may have saved his job by not being swept

 

What went Right: we finally won a game against these muthahs.

I kept expecting us to collapse mentally and get steamrolled, as usual. With 5:58 left D-Lo hits a long 3 to put us up 106-87: 19 point lead! I still felt a sense of foreboding, probably due to what a team at UCLA Psychiatric diagnosed as PTLSD: Post-Traumatic-Lakers-Stress-Disorder. Just kidding. But still...Jamaal makes an easy layup on a defensive breakdown to cut the lead to 8 with 1:47 left and I thought, "Why can't we just step on their throats?" But then AR made 4 FTs in the last minute: we won!

We...won?

Okay, it put off the Inevitable, but I was both shocked and relieved the Lakers got over that mental thing with DEN. Can they keep it up in DEN? 20,000 fans and 5,280 feet say no, but you never know. (We know.)

 

2009 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets Box Score, May 29, 2009
119-92

 

Was that the Trevor Ariza steal game?

Too bad, this series was a missed jamaal Murray game-winner away from being 2-2.

 

LOL.

I didn’t realize that was a thing.

I probably have that one too.

 

What sucks is playing Denver round 1. It can cause some overreaction. They've obviously had our number for a while now, but we've been in every single game with them. If we dodged them round 1 I think it's quite possible we could have been back in the WCF. Losing there again wouldn't cause the same panic after the season, IMO.

Obviously we need some upgrades, Lebron's future pending, but it really isn't as dire as it will ultimately be made out.

 

Right

• Role players actually showed up to play
• Darvin called a timeout at the correct time for once
• We staggered AD & LeBron correctly for once

Wrong

• Wish we would’ve stepped on their throat in the 4th a bit more (they cut it to single digits)
• Game 3
• Proves this team is reliable on players like D Lo and Reaves who just aren’t consistent enough

 

What …. over reaction HERE?? Never happen. Unless you mean the blow it up now, fire Pelinka, window is closed, trade AD and LeBron now while we can get something for them, and since the ring is the ONLY thing let’s watch a magnitudes less competitive brand of basketball from our team against the strong West and few beasts in the East ….. “Indefinitely” starting Next season (for all of us that actually care about the season too, not just a ring) and who knows “WHEN” that “puncher’s chance” (all ANY Good team ever has at the start of a long season with the odds and how injuries shake out that year) ….. ever rolls around again. But dammit do it NOW! We’re entitled Laker fans and these TWO top level players aren’t cutting it. We’ll get two more and by damn let’s start that hunt NEXT season! It wasn’t that hard last time.

 

Some can still want to prepare the future, which is coming very fast, while at the same time root for their Team.
Differences of opinion are what makes this site interesting.

 

What everyone forgets is that the NBA is like any other business, you have to make money. Lebron is like Meryl Streep or Harrison Ford. Box Office!!!! He sells tickets, win, lose or draw. Even if he doesn't win, everything he does at this point in his career is setting a record. Showing up for his games, is like showing up for Kobe's final 60 point performance. Everything Lebron does is for the ages. We are keeping Lebron and AD for as long as they want to be here, simply because the worst cases scenario is that they sell a huge amount of tickets and bring in advertising revenue.

Truth is, we need great players around them. That has been the difficult part, we have tried a whole ton of things to make it work and it has turned out to be a very difficult thing to accomplish. Salary cap completely hinders us to some degree. I do not blame Jeannie for not paying the cap fees to buy ONLY the VERY BEST players to fill out the roster. What has that done for the teams that have tried it??? How long can Balmer continue to pay his players what he does?? It is costing him millions of dollars and I know he is worth well over 100 billion dollars but it sure seems like blowing millions every single year, at the very least, has got to concern him. ??????? Maybe not, but it sure seems like a colossal waste of resources.

Truth is, we need to change the dynamics of the team. Maybe AD becomes the main offensive weapon, 1st/2nd option, while Lebron falls to co-2nd/3rd option. We sign another player who is a marquee bonafide 1st/2nd option. Kind of like Kareem did at the end of his career, while still being a playoff stud but taking a smaller role for the regular season. I am not sure Lebron could do that but if he is unwilling, then nobody who is that good, will sign with us because then they have to resign to being a 3rd option on a team whose 1st option is 40 years old and even though really good, probably not strong enough to carry you to a championship. ????

Personally, I think the Lakers will NEED to take a hit on their cap money. If Lebron will re-up a the max, do it, and then find a way to pay another max player and just pay fines until Lebron retires, then we lose his salary. I doubt AD will play until he is 40 anyhow. He is 31, I give him until 36. The dude plays through a ton of pain, his retirement years could be very difficult. Our next star, needs to be someone who can be our best player for a few years at least. Someone who can play along AD with success and be able to tolerate cooperating with Lebron for the next 3 years.

In the meantime, I still think this team is box office.

 

If that's your attitude I think it sounds logical and reasonable, and I hope we have a great, smart off season. Unless it's containing any of the "blow it up now, fire Pelinka, window is closed, trade AD and LeBron now" sentiments or you're a "the ring is the only thinger".... then yes my opinion differs and my focus is on hoping to have a team that can compete for a ring, if healthy. Otherwise why bother with watching the season, just tune in to the playoffs and see if you got lucky.

 

I actually have praised Rob’s moves since flushing Westbrick.
I’m of the thought of building around AD, as I’ve posted several times here over the past week.
I just think the LeBron/AD era has run its course because we have just seen these past two playoffs that they can’t get past Denver. I think they also would have no chance at beating Boston.
If DLo walks and we keep Ham, we will be a worse team next season, so if someone claims that moving on from LeBron is “blowing it up,” then they can place me in that camp.
Don’t worry though, Jeanie won’t let her cash cow walk out the door and LeBron will get his massive new contract. More Play-In good times ahead!

 

we were dangerously close to missing the play-in this year, and i expect both SA and houston to take steps forward next year. plus memphis will have its guys back. nothing is guaranteed in the west.

i'm not a pro-tanker most of the time, but if we didn't owe NO our pick, i'd be pushing to blow it up, tbh. we could play similarly and finish 12th next year. and there's really not a lot of hope for internal growth on our squad right now. rui didn't level up. reaves is reaves. lebron is declining. AD is AD. you'd be asking for christie to take a HUGE step, which is possible but not probable.

oh wait i'm in the game debrief thread...

umm, i'm glad we didn't get swept again and would find it pretty hilarious if we won game 5, if only bc f*** mike malone.

 

The main thing is to hold on to the dimension of victory, where Kobe Bryant was during his championship years and LeBron James was in 2020, in the last game against Denver, and believe that the Lakers can win today and shift the series against Denver to Los Angeles.