Game Analysis: Suns @ Lakers

Key Laker players:

Andrew Bynum. He posted a career-high of 28 points on 11/13 shooting, with 12 rebounds. Don't forget that he's only 20 years old. Can anybody recollect the last time, a 20 year old center was this dominant? Obviously he still needs improvement on defense, but his offensive abilities are way beyond his years. Going toe-to-toe with Amare Stoudamire is no easy task. He catches impossible alley-oops with his tremendous wingspan, is one of the leading offensive rebounders in the game (he had 8 this game), and passes excellent through a double team. Another notable stat is that he's second in total dunks, and gets 98% of his points in the paint.

Derek Fisher. He's playing arguably some of his best basketball. He finished with 19 points on 7/15 shooting. He has one of the most reliable jump shots in the league. People forget he was the third leading scorer during LA's championship run. He is a stabilizing force both on and off the court. One can make the case that he has lead by example for this young Lakers squad. The confidence and poise of this veteran is seemingly rubbing off.

Kobe Bryant. He forced the Lakers' front office to make personnel changes. When it counts, he does it. He had a monster game with 38 points on 12/20 shooting and 7 assists in this game. With the opposition now having to worry about the other Laker players on the court, his game is more potent than ever. His elevation is the best it's been in years, making people forget that he completed knee surgery before this season. The difference between this season and previous ones is that his teammates are now making their shots, which means he'll be more generous about passing the ball. He had 7 assists in the game.

Trevor Ariza. The undoubted catalyst of this revived Laker team. Started this game. Attacks the rim with reckless abandon. He put a monster dunk over Grant Hill in transition that rocked the crowd. His individual defense and anticipation is excellent. Jackson is so confident in his defensive abilities that during this game, he was seen guarding several bigs, including Shawn Marion, Brian Skinner, and Amare Stoudamire. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes an all-NBA defensive team in the coming years with increased minutes.

Lamar Odom. Unselfish as ever. He didn't have his best shooting night in this game only converting 6/18, but he still has the ability to create his own shots when the Laker offense gets stagnant. A reliable defensive rebounder, and definitely not afraid to dive for loose balls. He can fill the lanes as well as shoot the three ball.

Team Breakdown: Dallas Mavericks

Observations from the December 18 ESPN broadcast of Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks.






















Offense

Talent: Same personnel. Same offensive firepower. Individually, still one of the most talented squads in the league. Josh Howard and Jason Terry are off to good starts, averaging 21.9 and 16.4 ppg, with both stars shooting close to 50% from the field. Dirk is making a conscious effort to post up more. Devin Harris is lightning quick to the rack, but still needs a more reliable jumper.

Quality of Shots: Not so good. A lot of shots are forced. They still don't have a consistent low-post threat. Dirk is drifting in and out of the low block, and the other players are just standing around, waiting for him to be the man. During most of the game, the Mavs were dominating individually, but in the closing minutes of the game, their lack of a fluid offense was exposed, as the Suns stormed back from a 14 point deficit to close to one. The quality of shots seemed to drop significantly, especially without a go-to guy.

Defense

Individual: Not as menacing as in the prior season. Terry, Howard, and Harris were swarming opponents on the perimeter - making it difficult to get open looks or to make the entry pass into the post. So far this season, that same intensity is lacking. Phoenix's high-throttled offense got to the cup way too easily in this game.

Team: The reason the Mavs were so good last year was because their defensive rotation was outstanding. Along with applying pressure on the perimeter, they would converge in the paint when necessary. This year, they're giving up 98 points on average to the opposition. Consequently, this leads to closer games (point differential is 9th, at +3.53).

Prognosis

To say that they were humbled in their 1st round elimination to the Warriors last season would be an understatement. If Dallas can figure out the right balance of including more of Dirk in the post, without making the offense stagnant (like they did in this game), they should be able to execute better. Most importantly, the collaborative and fiery spirit that characterized last season's 67 regular season wins, is still lacking at both ends of the court. If Avery can get his mojo back, and get the players to understand the team game more, they'll be back in full force. Until then, one can only hope that they'll gain steam as the season progresses just like last year.

Young Ones continue Laker Heritage

Los Angeles - On Sunday, just like how the storm clouds dispersed after several days of rain- the retro unis of the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly seemed as bright as the Southern California sunshine.

The forecast was warm with patches of clouds. The outcome - sunshine with clear blue skies.

In a Heritage Week match-up, the Lakers hosted the Golden State Warriors in front of a packed Staples Center crowd. The Lakers had beat the Warriors in its past 8 meetings. The result of this game was to continue that trend of purple and gold dominance.

The home team pulled out all stops as 7 Lakers scored in double digits and beat the Warriors, 123-113. They extended their win streak against Golden State to 9.

In the first quarter, Baron Davis did what Baron Davis does best - pushing the tempo and unloading from distance. He along with Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis put the Warriors in a good position, scoring 59 at the half and putting them well on track for their league-best of 110 points per game.

But the Lakers seemed content with playing along at this breakneck speed. They would score 60 points by halftime, with a dazzling array of plays from Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar, the core players part of the second youngest team in the league.

The story of the game was Bynum, who established his presence in the paint early on - overpowering the Warriors, and scoring 20 points which tied his career best. He also finished with 11 boards and 5 blocks.

The Warriors proved once again their knack for the fast break and the three point shot, but only converted 8 of 33 taken from beyond the arc. They seemed to lose steam in the second half, as the Lakers' defense applied pressure on the perimeter, forcing the Warriors into tough shots.

Another bright spot for the Lakers was the impressive play from newly acquired small forward, Trevor Ariza. He got significant minutes as Luke Walton did not play due to his recovering injury. He showed flashes of brilliance at both ends, wowing the crowd with his tremendous leaping ability and almost completing a monster dunk on the baseline.

In the fourth, the Warriors were still unrelenting in their offense, but were over-matched on this particular night, as Kobe Bryant's clutch jumpers, Lamar Odom's passing, Derek Fisher's timely three pointers, and Ronny Turiaf's strong post moves, opened up the lead for good.

After the next couple days of rest, the Lakers will be put to the test, as they go to San Antonio to play the defending champion Spurs who own the league's second best record and are 12-0 at home thus far in the season.