Don’t look now but the Lakers are in deep trouble. Poor shooting does in the defending champs as the Mavericks take full control of the series as it heads back to Dallas.
The End Of The Lakers? The End Of The Lakers.
But it’s kind of perfect. Or at least, it makes perfect sense given what we know about this Lakers team. All year long they’ve gone back and forth between “freakishly dialed in” and “totally checked out.” It just so happens they hit the second phase again at the worst time possible.
Then someone else chimed in to chide me for doubting L.A. “Oh, come on. We go through this every year with the Lakers. They’ll be fine. They’ll beat the Mavs, they’ll beat OKC in one of those great seven game series, and then they can beat the Heat.” And hey, they still might!
Read Article >Kobe Bryant Struggling To Create Easy Shots For Himself In Lakers Vs. Mavericks Series
The basketball stats web site HoopData uncovered a critical statistic that explains a lot of why the Lakers have struggled in this series.
There are a lot of reasons for this statistic. Maybe Bryant is passive. Maybe Bryant, in his advanced age, simply isn’t capable of getting to the basket anymore. Maybe the Lakers’ poor outside shooting is allowing the Mavericks to clog the lane without fear of repercussions. Maybe Bryant is trying to get his big men going.
Read Article >Magic Johnson On Lakers Vs. Mavericks: ‘Their Chances Are Slim’
Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles are in trouble against the Dallas Mavericks. Kobe might think, “Everybody’s tripping,” but... Include Magic Johnson in the “tripping” category, I guess.
As he tweeted Wednesday night:
Read Article >Mavericks Enjoying Surprising 2-0 Series Lead On Lakers
The Mavericks are up 2-0 in their Western Conference Semifinals series against the defending NBA champion Lakers, and our Mavs Moneyball still can’t believe it, from the J.J. Barea Revival Tour to the all-encompassing offensive domination.
Mavs Moneyball also has a comprehensive roundup of Game 2 postgame quotes that include Phil Jackson saying, of his struggling team: “I plan on flogging them tomorrow.”
Read Article >Andrew Bynum Says Lakers Have ‘Trust Issues’ After Game 2 Loss To Mavericks
The Lakers are already in an 0-2 hole against the Mavericks in their Western Conference Semifinals series, with a two-game trip to Dallas looming. Now is not the ideal time for Andrew Bynum to be airing his thoughts about the Lakers’ “trust issues.”
Bynum could be leveling that criticism at anyone in purple in gold, but, really, the overwhelmingly likely target is Kobe Bryant. Bryant has taken 49 shots in the first two games of this series, making just 23, while dishing three assists, all in Game 2. (Bynum has taken 19 shots and made 11, for comparison.)
Read Article >Lakers Vs. Mavericks, Final Score: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Take Surprising 2-0 Series Lead With Victory
However, the Lakers played a bad game. The Mavericks didn’t play a great one, but they just played a little better and, more importantly, shot a little better (42%).
The series now heads to Dallas where Mark Cuban and the Maverick fans are waiting to give Kobe and Phil a piece of their minds. Lakers fans, gird your loins.
Read Article >Lakers Vs. Mavericks, Game 2: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Leads Los Angeles 51-49 At Halftime
The Lakers are actually shooting extremely well (48%), it’s just that the Mavericks are shooting even better (50%). The Mavs are also aided in the three-point shooting realm as they have four and the Lakers have none.
Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Mavericks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.
Read Article >Lakers Vs. Mavericks, Game 2: Kobe Bryant, Clutch Or Not, Should Be Worried About Dirk Nowitzki
That’s why the Lakers ought to worry. Dallas is good.
The Lakers’ own miscues in the closing minute -- a turnover by Kobe, a turnover by Pau, a bad foul by Pau, a bricked game-winner by Kobe -- are snowflakes; while Kobe is prone to thinking he has a God mode to turn on in the final minutes, and while that doesn’t exist and instead results in a predictable Lakers attack in crunch time best defended by making everyone watch Bryant and prep for the rebound, L.A. can and do win close games. Repeat the final 20 seconds of Game 1 -- Lakers up two with the ball -- a hundred times, and the Lakers come away with 90 or more wins. That was an odd finish, and that which makes things odd is rarity.
Read Article >Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 2 Adjustments: Attack Dirk Nowitzki, Don’t Use Pau Gasol To Defend Him
Each day, we are going to preview the night’s NBA Playoffs action by looking at the adjustments that can be made by the losing team and showing what they can do to win.
One way to try and make Dirk Nowitzki less effective on the offensive end is to attack him when he is playing defense. Whoever is covering Nowitzki when he is on offense should have an advantage when they are on offense. The problem with the Lakers is that they didn’t try to take advantage of this mismatch enough
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