Post Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets–Game 6

                                                                                                          119  92                                                                                                                                           

With a dazzling combination of outside shooting, dunks and hook shots, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in route to a 119-92 victory culminating in their 2nd straight trip to the NBA Finals. Leading the way with his leadership and playmaking was none other than 07-08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. Bryant might have had his best all around game in this series as he scored 35 pts while adding 10 assists and 6 rebounds. Power forward Pau Gasol added 20, 12 and 6 while Trevor Ariza continued his great postseason run with 17 pts on 7-9 shooting from the field. And for the first time all postseason, Lamar Odom showed up in back-to-back games as he led the Laker bench with 20 pts and 8 boards. All this led to the Lakers playing their best and most complete game of the series as they held the Nuggets at bay from start to finish.

Turning Point of the Game: Kobe Bryant scored 11 points in a decisive 21-7 Laker run over the final 6:37 of the second period that turned a one point defecit into a 53-40 halftime lead. The run took the buzz out of the Nugget fans and frankly took the air out of the Nuggets, who did not respond to the adversity of being down double digits in an elimination game. Denver began to throw up wild jump shots and played without poise while Kobe and his teammates steadily increased their lead to 18, then 21, and finally 27 points late in the 4th.

Player of the Game: For the second straight game, this title goes to Kobe, who was unstoppable all game. He could have scored 50 if he wanted to, but instead looked  for his teammates all night resulting in 10 assists for Bryant. The Lakers had five players score in double figures including four who had 17 pts or more. When the Lakers have this much balance in their scoring, no one will be able to beat them. Kobe’s unselfishness was evident from the start and he finished  12-20 from the field with 2 baskets from behind the arc and 9-9 shooting from the foul line. The Lakers had a ridiculous  plus 31 point differential when Bryant was on the court, which summarizes his night up well.

Key Stat from Game 6: Coming into Game 6, the Lakers had shot a modest 74% from the free throw line in the series against Denver. Well on Friday Night at the Pepsi Center, LA shot a perfect 24-24 from the foul line. Championship teams must shoot well from the line and the Lakers proved they are a very good free throw shooting team, led by Kobe, who is making over 90% of his free throws in the NBA playoffs. Also, LA was hitting on just 33% of its 3pt. attempts vs. Denver but in Game 6, they knocked down 9-16, good for 56.3%

One more thing. Denver should be proud of the way they played throughout the entire 2008-2009 season. They finally won a playoff series and reached the conference finals for the first time since 1995. But they will regret their lack of poise late in games in the series against LA and they did not play smart on numerous occasions. They had too many stupid fouls and technicals and took many bad shots a recipe for defeat against a confident, experienced Laker team. But expect Denver to retool and be in the hunt next year.

Post-Game Analysis: Nuggets @ Lakers – Game 5

 

94 – 103

 

 

The Lakers showed why they are a championship caliber team when they dispatched the Nuggets in the 4th quarter and won 103-94 in game 5 to move within a win of reaching the NBA Finals for the second straight year. Kobe Bryant led the way with his unselfish play, scoring 22 pts on just 13 shots while grabbing 5 boards and handing out 8 assists (and 7 turnovers). Carmelo Anthony was the top scorer for the Nuggets as he had 31 pts. The key to the Lakers win in game 5 was their 21-3 run spanning the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter after they fell behind by seven. This turned the seven point defecit (73-66) into an 87-76 lead with 8:11 to play. The Nuggets missed 11 straight shots over this span.

Turning Point of the Game: The turning point of last night’s game should be pretty obvious if you watched the game last night. With 4:20 to play in the 3rd and Denver leading by 5, Chauncey Billups pumped faked at the 3pt. line and tried to lean into Shannon Brown to draw a foul. But Brown did a nice job of avoiding the contact and Billups was forced to change course in midair, throwing an errant pass right to Pau Gasol at the foul line. Gasol led the 3 on 1 fastbreak with Brown on his right and Trevor Ariza on his left while Billups  sulked and let Brown run by him to create the 3 0n 1 instead of a 3 on 2. Gasol flipped the ball to Brown who took two steps and jammed over the outstretched arm of Chris “Birdman” Andersen.

With the dunk, the little used Brown got the crowd involved, inspired  his teammates and boosted the energy and moral  of a Laker team that had been outplayed up until that point. And to add to his excitement, Brown earned himself the #4 play on SportsCenters top ten plays of the day, as well as a poster with his dunk on the Birdman (I can’t wait to see what that looks like).

Karl’s Yellow Streak Underlines The Fact That He Has No Guts

After last night’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.  There’s no denying that the Denver  Nuggets’ coach George Karl really is the liability for the team as a whole.  Instead of trying to accentuate what needs to be done by his team in trying to win this series. 

Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets and the Lakers' Lamar Odom contest a loose ball during the game . picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Tom Scott

What has been uttered from the lips of Karl has been nothing but platitudes and a list of complaints that stretch for miles.  And in no way will change the outcome of what has transpired already.

If anything this clearly shows Karl for what he really is.  And that’s a coach who appears to be way in over his head when it comes to coaching a team in the postseason.  Albeit that he’d had measured success in previous stops.  Most notably in his stay with the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics.  And as we know what has since befallen that franchise.  As they’ve since become the Oklahoma  City Thunder.

Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers takes the ball downcourt against the Denver Nuggets during game 5 of the Western Conference Finals played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles , Calfornia . picture appears courtesy of nbae/ getty images/ Andrew D Bernstein

 For three quarters the Nuggets were able to remain competitive with the Lakers before succumbing to a 103-94 loss in a pivotal game 5.  But if anything showed that the team’s heart may no longer be in this series.  Then the actions of Karl and his addressing of the press in the postgame conference was clearly indicative of this.

Rather than suggesting where he felt the team went wrong in terms of their overall play.  He was more concerned with the fact of the officiating and the fact that his team wasn’t getting their fair share of the calls.  The question I would ask of Karl is, since when did he expect there to be any semblance of consistency when to comes to the officiating in the NBA postseason?  We’ve continuously see the inconsistencies not only in the postseason, but also in the regular season itself.  And it’s not about to change anytime soon.  The vagaries of the game being what they are.  And the mere fact that even NBA Commissioner Stern feels that his officials are above reproach.

Post Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets – Game 4

 

 

101 – 120

 

 

For the first time in this exciting, dramatic Western Conference Finals, the team that led after the first quarter was able to end up on top as the Denver Nuggets throughly outplayed the Los Angeles Lakers en route to a 120-101 win in game 4. Denver was on top from the start, leading for all but one minute in a thrashing of the defending western champions. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 34 pts on just 10-26 shooting while Pau Gasol added 21 pts and 10 rebounds. The second seeded Nuggets received 24 pts each from Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith to offset a poor night from Carmelo Anthony who was held to 3-16 shooting from the field.

The Lakers did not listen to our keys to the game as they came out sluggish, while the Nuggets came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 7 point lead only to see the Lakers cut the defecit to 3 after one quarter. But Denver responded, led mostly by its bench as J.R. Smith (9pts and 4 assists in 2nd quarter) and Linas Kleiza (7pts in the quarter) combined to lead the Nuggets on a 17-7 run and take a 39-26 lead midway through the 2nd quarter. Kobe Bryant’s 19 first half points allowed LA to stay within striking distance as Kobe repeatedly got to the line and knocked down his jumpers. The key to the Nuggets’ first half success was its passing, which led to easy baskets and open jump shots. J.R. Smith was effective in driving the ball into the interior of the Laker defense, causing LA’s bigs to step up to stop him. This left Nene open underneath for an easy slam and led to a Linas Kleiza wide open 3 pointer.

Denver also did an excellent job of contesting every shot by Kobe Bryant. Kobe took multiple shots falling away with a hand in his face so give credit to the Nuggets for executing their game plan. They also dominated the boards, outrebounding LA 58-40 including 20 offensive rebounds which led to tons of extra possessions.

Pre-Game Analysis: Lakers @ Nuggets – Game 4

The Lakers took care of business in game 3, taking a 2-1 lead in the series behind a very efficient 41 points from Kobe Bryant and aided by another horrible inbound pass from the Nuggets late in the game. Now LA looks to take a commanding 3-1 lead and a chance to close out the series at home on Wednesday. The Nuggets will do everything in their power to guarentee themselves another game in Denver by evening up the series 2-2.

Keys to the game:

 

1.    First things first, the Lakers must have a sense of urgency from the opening tip. Too many times this year, we’ve seen the Lakers take it easy and relax when their backs are not up against the wall. Well here we are they are up 2-1 and have recaptured home court; are we going to see a hungry team wanting to put a choke hold on the Nuggets with a 3-1 lead, or are we going to see complacency because they can “afford” to lose this game.

2.    Pau Gasol needs to get the ball early and often. Late in the fourth quarter of game 3 Gasol was an absolute force on the block. The Nugget defenders are active and athletic, but they are simply not big enough or skilled enough to contain Gasol. If the Lakers continue to exploit this matchup Kobe will not have to try and do everything to keep his team in the game.

3.    Speaking of Kobe, did you see how dead tired he was at the end of the game? He could not even stand upright when he was being interviewed. The Lakers reserves really need to step it up; Trevor Ariza has joined the party, now it’s time for the likes of Vujacic, Walton, Odom etc. to help out. I’m not sure how long Kobe can keep going at this strenuous pace without contributions from everyone. If they can step it up like they did in the regular season, Kobe will get some much needed rest on the bench.

 

Lakers Make It All Seem So Easy With An Assist From K-Mart and ‘Melo

Did I miss something here?  But how the hell can a team like the Denver Nuggets let a game like this slip away, even if it is to the Los Angeles Lakers, especially in the way they did?

Kobe Bryant shoots over the head of the Nuggets' J.R. Smith during game 3 of the Western Conference Finals played at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Lakers would go on to defeat their conference foes, 103-97 and take a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series. Picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Andrew D. Bernstein

 

But pardom me for saything this, but if the Nuggets have any intentions of derailing the Lakers title hopes, then they will have to be more disciplined and have the tenacity to play for an entire 48 minutes.  With both Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthonyfouling out.  Game three and perhaps the series has now been handed tot he Lakers and become theirs’ for the taking.

 

A win at Denver now places the Lakers up 2-1 in the series.  And with another commanding performance by Kobe Bryantto lead the team.  One now has to ask what mush the Nuggets do in order to reassert themselves back into this series?  If nothing else a win of game 4 in Denver would go a long way in reaffirming that and no doubt calm the nerves of the Nuggets’ fans en masse’.  However much of that’d be predicted upon the Nuggets playing with some emotion and above all, discipline.

 

Bryant speaks with coach Phil Jackson and his assistant Kurt Rambis during an interval of game 3 played at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Picture appears courtesy of nbae/ getty images/ Andrew D Bernstein

A 103-97 winfor the Lakers and a solid 41 pointcontribution by Bryant has all but made this series on appearance seem a one way traffic scene, as Bryant goes so do the Lakers.  But what has even become more apparent is that the Lakers’ bench once again became a none factor in this game.  And once again Andrew Bynumhas been about as relevant as a fly on an elephants’ rear end.  And as we know an insect such as a fly tends to like the smell of something rather rancid.  Shall we allude to that very fact concerning Bynum’s game during the postseason?  Someone’s got to say it!

 

Lakers-Nuggets WCF Preview

This is a comprehensive look at the Western Conference Finals: 

Lakers Overview:

Much has been said about these Lakers.  They are most certainly one of the most talented teams in the league, but they are also incredibly inconsistent. One night they win by 40, the next they lose by 14. In the first round against the Jazz, they had an issue with blowing big leads and letting the Jazz get back into the game, but that problem did not manifest itself against the Rockets.

The Lakers cruised to a five-game series victory over Utah, but things got tough against Houston, as they struggled to contain point guard Aaron Brooks and had trouble at times with the Rockets physicality. The Lakers level of inconsistency really showed itself in this series, and it was more than likely the sole reason seven games were played. Even with their problems, the Lakers are a tough team to beat. They have the best player in the game in Kobe Bryant, two excellent big men in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and a host of very solid role players.