**LA LAKERS THREAD** Sitting on 17! 2023-2024 offseason begins

[DLF]

Beauty of a 7 game series is that if you are truly good, you’re gonna win the series. Can’t get lucky 4 times in 7.

Let’s see how it all goes. It’s possible we do everything we can and lose in 5 6 or 7. If so, then we weren’t good enough to beat the nuggets (which would make sense given our records).

series aren’t won in game 1 (see Sixers series). Remember when dubs fans were saying “man if Poole made that 3 in game 1?”). Ya so what? Nothing would change bc it was clear after 6 games we were the better team). If our second half was real, we will be going into game 5 either up 3-1 or tied 2-2. If not then maybe we just aren’t at that level yet…you know what? That’s ok. 6 months ago we were unwatchable

 

[essential1]

All of this to say what?

Go back to the original 5 they started the playoffs. with. Or ride with Rui in for Vando if you want more offense.

They targeted Schroder and Reaves the entire first half.
(No DLo’s first half wasn’t good before anybody makes the comment)

AD got pummeled by Jokic, but it is what it is. Expected to a degree. But AD recouped by providing on the offensive end as much as anyone could ask for.

The end of 3rd / 4th quarter run was a team letting off the gas + 2-3 shots they got in the first half not falling in the 4th. Not some harbinger for ah yeah. Schroder will fix it.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Can't let Jokic come close to having that many rebounds and assists the rest of the series

 

[drewsone]

Can't let Jokic come close to having that many rebounds and assists the rest of the series

yup this is it
either he beats you as a scorer OR as the passer/rebounder
not both cuz that means their role players are going off as well as him

cant be both great scoring and the dominant rebs/ast cuz then he just impacting every facet of the game on the floor at too high a level and too easily

we was playing defense like the suns most the game

 

[tupac003]

Go back to the original 5 they started the playoffs. with. Or ride with Rui in for Vando if you want more offense.

They targeted Schroder and Reaves the entire first half.
(No DLo’s first half wasn’t good before anybody makes the comment)

AD got pummeled by Jokic, but it is what it is. Expected to a degree. But AD recouped by providing on the offensive end as much as anyone could ask for.

The end of 3rd / 4th quarter run was a team letting off the gas + 2-3 shots they got in the first half not falling in the 4th. Not some harbinger for ah yeah. Schroder will fix it.

Pummeled?

I don't know what game you watched...but they both gave each other the business.

The difference in the game is pretty simple. The effort in the 1st half was absolute trash and we got killed on the boards. A lot of those boards came when AD was defending the paint and guys just didn't box out or the small line up.

Once Rui came in it allowed AD to grab more boards and roam freely on defense.

It's not all on D.lo but its very hard to defend his effort on defense as well as a horrible shooting night.

But I don't care about D.lo I care about the team getting the win.

Hopefully whatever Denver does to adjust Rui on Joker doesn't work and we pull out game two.

 

[essential1]

3rd quarter.
75. Double screen by Jokic on Bron and KCP on AD. Bron struggles to get around the screen. KCP sets the screen on the wrong side. DLo is the low man. 3 for Murray.
78. Dennis on Murray. Jokic sets the screen. Then sets another screen. Dennis tried to go under first. Then decided to go over wide open 3.
80. Jokic backs AD. Fadeaway 2. AD put a good fight on this one.
82. Reaves on MPJ. AD on Murray. Jokic comes running down the floor. Murray blocks AD from running to pick him up. Schroder left to try to pick him up weak side wing. Didn’t really contest it. Easy 2.
84. DLo falls asleep on KCP. Jokic makes an incredible pass to KCP. Easy layup.
86. AD on Jokic. Jokic drives. Reaves helps off his man. MPJ wide open 3 in the corner.
88. DLo allows KCP to drive. Bumps him. Doesn’t contest. One legged runner
90. Dennis on KCP. Jokic sets the screen. KCP turns the corner. AD tried to go for the steal (jab stepped at KCP) instead of contest it. Open mid range.
93. Schroder and AD poorly navigate a downside screen by MPJ. Open 3 for Jokic.
96. Jokic in the post. AD guarding. Schroder helps with his guy right in front of Jokic. Jokic shovels it to KCP. Open 3.
99. Nuggets run a beautiful play of multiple screens on AD. Bron. And DLo. DLo poorly navigated the screen. KCP 3.
101. Vando pressuring Bruce Brown all the way at half court. Brown gets passed him. Easy dunk. No contest from Lonnie or AD. Vando also punched Lonnie in the **** on this play.
103. Broken play. Jokic does a Dirk turnaround over AD.
106. Circus shot by Jokic

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

What is this guy doing

 

[essential1]

Every single scoring play run by the Nuggets for 3 quarters.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

Every single scoring play run by the Nuggets for 3 quarters.

Ok?

 

[tupac003]

Every single scoring play run by the Nuggets for 3 quarters.

I don't think we need it....

Most of us watched the game...

 

[drewsone]

alot of the stuff that needs to be cleaned up defensively is nuance and effort

but simply put man
win the boards win the game and the series
def gotta try to run them off the 3pt line a little tho

less drop on murray as well hes too good of a 3 level scorer

 

[pmatic]

One of the best shooters in the draft. Been mocked to the Lakers in a few mock drafts.

 

[essential1]

Simple fixes based on what the Nuggets looked to do and how they scored. It’s the number 1 offense. Versus the number 1 defense.

The number 1 defense was DLo/Reaves/Bron/Vando/AD

They only moved Schroder in the lineup because Warriors went small and it was too clunky for LA. Nuggets are not that. If Nuggets run small with reserves, then go ahead and match it. But there’s a long track record of 3 guard lineups that look like **** this season. Especially when the other team isn’t playing small. The first half was a lot of MPJ shooting over Reaves. And Murray navigating around Schroder with his size.

Not to mention the rebounding issues a 3 guard lineup causes.

Throw Rui or Vando on Jokic. AD on Gordon. Bron on MPJ. Then put DLo or Reaves on Murray (no preference) Have Rui blitz the 1/5 screen. AD hangs back and forces Gordon to be a shooter. If Gordon cuts. Then team needs to rotate weak side. Which will likely fall on Bron more than likely.

On offense. Going Schroder if it’s with Vando is too poor of an offense to try to match Denver. Denver is going to score, Lakers need spacing to score.
Schroder and Rui puts a ton of pressure on Rui to be a perfect player on offense while battling on defense. And if he’s battling Jokic at the 4. He’s going to get gassed early. And hope he can find the scoring burst later in the game.


The final part is. Nuggets are running a ton of screens. A ton of off ball movement.
That’s something that the Lakers could and should look to do. It doesn’t have to be a 2 man game offense.

 

[DLF]

 

[DLF]

I don’t believe in moral victories. “Oh we lost but we were so close. They ain’t make difficult threes again”


Well we shot 40+% from 3 and 50+% from the field. Shot 23-36 from 3 and most. Every game is it’s own organism.

Warriors did that last series “yea we lost game 4 but look at our shot quality! Lakers are in trouble”

 

[pmatic]

Saw some folks on my Twitter touting the Lakers won the last three quarters 101-95 then remembered the Grizzlies fans did the same thing after game three.

 

[(*Fin)]

If D’Lo ain’t hitting his open shots, he’s useless like he was last night. No effort on the boards, lazy and terrible on defense. He basically sheep dropped in a Tigers’ exhibit out there on defense, especially in transition.

If he ain’t gonna be handling the ball much this series because KCP and Bruce got him in phone booth, and he’s not hitting them spot up 3s, should Ham just look at TBJ, at least TBJ will crash the boards and play some damn defense. Got some size for the switches and should offer more on the defensive end.

 

[MVP]

No moral victories but there were tactical things they can definitely use going forward. They can get anything they want on offense vs Denver, just gotta clean up the boards. Feeling good about Game 2.

 

[BIG LEEMELONE]

I think/hope the bad game plus talk of getting benched wakes him up game 2. Also Denver is one of the worst transition defenses in the playoffs and they were able to hustle back and build a wall more often than not when the Lakers tried to run. If Denver can do it not sure why the Lakers can't

 

[essential1]

Most run lineups in the playoffs.

If you us the DLo/AR/Bron/Vando/AD starting lineup. Which is +4.2 and the most run lineup.

Schroder in for Vando. 10 points better on offense. 14.6 points worse on defense. +0.5

Same amount of minutes (27).
Rui for Vando 45.6 points better in offense. 13 points better on offense. +56.7
Rui & Schroder for DLo/Vando 11.6 points better for on offense. 19 points better on defense. +34.7

Schroder for DLo 20.2 points worse on offense. 20.8 points better on defense. +4.7

 

[drewsone]

yeah offensively they getting the most consistently high quality shots all playoffs
looks pretty easy too

just try to get them off the 3pt line like vs gsw

and clean the glass
win the boards win the series

 

[tupac003]

 

[drewsone]

yeah offensively they getting the most consistently high quality shots all playoffs
looks pretty easy too

just try to get them off the 3pt line like vs gsw

and clean the glass
win the boards win the series

rui in all of our best lineups not a coincidence

 

[tupac003]

Oops.

 

[DLF]

rui in all of our best lineups not a coincidence

But plays the least