Lakers at Denver 1/1/12 5PM PT

limeytech · Dec 31, 2011

Lakers at Denver 5PM PT 1/1/12

TV KCAL-TV

LINK http://www.firstrowsports.tv/sport/basketball.html

borat · Dec 31, 2011

I'm loving this short season. Games all the time.

limeytech · Dec 31, 2011

This one will be hard for us with all the games we have already played and no at high altitude.. But yes I love it too.. LOL

limeytech · Dec 31, 2011

Mike Trudell: Barnes will start tomorrow at SF. Brown likes his D, general intensity. 2 minutes ago

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1i9pyrk2u

BigDaddyKaine · Dec 31, 2011

borat said: ↑

I'm loving this short season. Games all the time.

It's Freaking awesome lol.
Seriously they should always have a tight schedule like this.
I hate when the Lakers have like a 5 of 6 day break.

limeytech · Dec 31, 2011

BigDaddyKaine said: ↑

It's Freaking awesome lol.
Seriously they should always have a tight schedule like this.
I hate when the Lakers have like a 5 of 6 day break.

LOL me too but we have played more games than anyone so far and we started off with the back to back to back then a couple of days off and one day off and know a back to back.. LOL

Zero Cool · Dec 31, 2011

yeah im actually digging this tight schedule. more games to watch overall haha

i think it would be helpful for the lakers, just to get them to gel faster

limeytech · Dec 31, 2011

Through 5 games the Lakers are in the top 5 in three major categories

#1 OPP: Opponent Field Goal Percentage. 37.7%
#4 OPP: Opponent Points Per Game. 85.3
#5 DIFF: Points Per Game Differential. 8.0

pope · Jan 1, 2012

expect this game to not be as close as yesterdays game. Artest will step up and so will blake. Also kobe will have a better game. I expect bynum to play well but not as well as today (today was an epic performance)

Rube · Jan 1, 2012

first new years since the breakup... kobe has probably been getting laid all weekend
no wonder his game is suffering

borat · Jan 1, 2012

Rube said: ↑

first new years since the breakup... kobe has probably been getting laid all weekend
no wonder his game is suffering

Yeah, the guy is finally free. I hope though he actually goes out now with the team. Knowing him though he'll still be on the DL.

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

Andrew Bynum had a stellar season debut in leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a victory over the Denver Nuggets in the opener of a home-and-home set.
He knows building on that performance won't be easy with the series shifting to Denver.
After closing out 2011 with three straight victories, the Lakers look to ring in the new year with a sweep of the Nuggets on Sunday night.
Bynum was a spectator for Los Angeles' first four games while serving a suspension for a flagrant foul against Dallas' J.J. Barea in Game 4 of last season's Western Conference semifinals. The 7-foot center returned to action Saturday against Denver and made an immediate impact, finishing with 29 points on 13 for 18 shooting and 13 rebounds in a 92-89 victory for the Lakers (3-2).
"They were looking for me a lot. I was a focal point early in the offense, so I knew the quicker I got down the court, the better it was," said Bynum, who made four of his first five shots and finished the first quarter with 10 points. "I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. I wanted to get it down low, and when I got it, I made shots."
Bynum also blocked two shots and the Nuggets, who were outrebounded 50-36, had no answer for slowing him down.
"His power around the basket -- we haven't seen it yet," Denver coach George Karl said. "We'll have to make some adjustments on him -- there's no question. They hurt us rebounding the ball and they hurt us with Bynum's power underneath the basket."
Although Denver was overpowered by Bynum, simply facing the Lakers at the Pepsi Center on New Year's Day could work in its favor. The Nuggets have won four of five meetings in Denver, and because Bynum's conditioning is not yet up to speed, the short turnaround and drastic change in elevation could impede his game
"I was winded like crazy. First game… I couldn't breathe in the first six minutes," Bynum said. "It's only going to be a little bit worse (Sunday) because of the altitude."
Despite Bynum's big game on Saturday, victory was still well within reach for the Nuggets (2-2).
The Lakers missed 22 of 24 shots from 3-point range, and Kobe Bryant was plagued by foul trouble and finished with a season-low 17 points. He averaged 27.8 points in the first four games despite playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist. The 13-time All-Star, however, did contribute Saturday with nine assists and 10 rebounds and scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
Denver also had several chances late to pull it out, but couldn't make a shot. Up 89-84 with 3:40 to play, the Nuggets missed their final seven field goal attempts and all three free throws. Danilo Gallinari blew an easy fast-break layup, Nene missed a dunk and Bynum and Paul Gasol each blocked layups.
Reserve forward Al Harrington led the Nuggets with 21 points on Saturday, while Ty Lawson, who averaged 22.3 points in the first three games, was held to nine.
"We get three layups and a couple of free throws in the last three minutes, and we miss all of them," Karl said. "Our offensive confidence is a little short right now. We're not making shots and we kind of have to build our confidence to get the momentum going the right way."

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=320101007

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

1) Back-to-back, high altitude style

Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images
Rocky's lungs may even be burning this early in the season.

A trip to Denver's thin air can trip up a team collectively in game shape and sporting fresh legs, and there's no denying conditioning remains an issue for the Lakers. In particular, for the bigs. Andrew Bynum made no bones about being exhausted after his debut on Saturday, and he'll be playing his first back-to-back of the season. Pau Gasol looked dead-legged defensively on several second half possession against the Nuggets, especially when closing out on Al Harrington at the three-point line. The Lakers will have about 24 hours to acclimate themselves to the lack of local oxygen against a squad that lives to run guests out of their building. There won't be much time to make the physical and mental adjustments.

Having said this, I do wonder if this particular advantage will be quite as strong for the Nuggets as in years past. After all, they were saddled with same compressed training camp as everyone else, are on a back-to-back, and have only played one home game so far. It actually wouldn't shock me if several Nuggets also appeared to be sucking wind.

But that's George Karl's problem, not the Lakers', and doesn't alleviate entirely whatever problems they still may experience.

2) Turnovers

The Lakers turned the ball over 19 times against the Nuggets, who turned those gaffes into 23 points. Cut down the mistakes, and a three-point victory likely gets pushed to double digits rather easily. One or two more possessions giving away the rock, however, and the Lakers may be sitting below .500 once again. It's imperative not to play with fire again, especially against a team so deadly in transition. The Lakers lucked out with the Nuggets missing a few shots at the rim Saturday on transition opportunities. I wouldn't count on that same good fortune two days in a row.

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
Kobe shot the ball poorly from deep against Denver, and had a LOT of company.

And speaking of fast break opportunities for the Nuggets...

3) Three point shooting

The Lakers' 22 missed three-pointers against Denver weren't problematic simply because they represented empty possessions and horrific efficiency. Long missed shots create long rebounds, the type a team like Denver lives to snatch, then sprint to the other side of the court. Again, you simply cannot allow the Nuggets the chance to capitalize in the open court.

Where this gets tricky, however, is the Lakers' shot selection on three's wasn't all that bad. A few may have been forced, and a few were put up to beat the block, but by and large, these were clean, wide open looks. The kind of shots NBA players with legitimate deep range are supposed to take. Of course, NBA players are also supposed to make those shots as well. And therein lies the rub.

The Lakers can't pass these shots up altogether, especially if they're going to create the necessary space for Gasol, Bynum, Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace to do damage in the lane and on the elbow. The addition of Jason Kapono and Troy Murphy, plus some theoretically improved marksmanship from a more comfortable Steve Blake, should improve last season's middling clip. But over five games, albeit a very small sample size, they've actually been worse. It's too early to panic over these numbers, but definitely not too early to pick up the proficiency.

4) No backsliding from Metta World Peace

After three consecutive games wreaking havoc as bench boss and silencing those concerned a brutal 2011 season signaled the beginning of the end of his usefulness, Metta turned in a pretty lousy game. A goose egg littered the scoring column, the result of eight missed shots in as many tries. He also turned the ball over four times against just one assist. And if you're one of them metric eggheads who likes the fancy +/- stat, MWP was -10, the lowest of any Laker. That's not to say Metta was necessarily the worst Laker on the court, but I do think this figure accurately reflects his overall ineffectiveness.

Recent games have featured his stamp. This one? Not so much.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/US Presswire
After a few strong performances, Metta World Peace appeared out of sorts against Denver.
To my eye, the biggest issue may have been an inordinate amount of time spent along the perimeter. At his best this season, MWP's been a beast in the paint, bullying defenders in single coverage and kicking out when the double arrives. At his worst last season, he mostly floated around the arc, unsure of what to do when he saw the ball, other than take more outside shots than preferable. Against Denver, one three-pointer was hucked to avoid a 24-second violation, but Metta nonetheless spent an inordinate amount of time gunning from outside, which kept him from the spots where he does more damage as a passer. He also got greedy after his monster dunk against Utah and tried to take another drink from that fountain again. The result? A lefty clang.

He and Mike Brown have expressed excitement at the concept of MWP taking residence on the block this season. MWP strayed outside his neighborhood Saturday afternoon, and the results weren't as pretty. In every sense imaginable, it's best for Metta to stay in his lane.

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/25390/lakers-at-nuggets-what-to-watch

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

Links for game
http://www.firstrowsports.tv/watch/100517/1/watch-denver-nuggets-vs-los-angeles-lakers.html
http://www.vipbox.tv/watch/25542/1/los-angeles-lakers--vs--denver-nuggets-live-stream-online.html

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

I think they will pay more attention to Bynum tonight so our 3's had better start falling in the basket
If they shrink the floor kobe could go off on them..LOL

LAdiablo · Jan 1, 2012

looking forward to another defensive effort under senor brown

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

Kobe playing badly throwing up airballs

LAdiablo · Jan 1, 2012

sloppy passing too

limeytech · Jan 1, 2012

McBob playing great

LAdiablo · Jan 1, 2012

what a glorious neck tat birdman. what does that say freebird? lmao no one will ever mistake you for anything other than white trash now.

Log in or Sign up

Lakers at Denver 1/1/12 5PM PT

limeytech DSP Legend

borat DSP Regular

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

BigDaddyKaine DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

Zero Cool Well-Known Member

limeytech DSP Legend

pope Active Member

Rube DSP Regular

borat DSP Regular

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Lakers at Denver 1/1/12 5PM PT

limeytech DSP Legend

borat DSP Regular

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

BigDaddyKaine DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

Zero Cool Well-Known Member

limeytech DSP Legend

pope Active Member

Rube DSP Regular

borat DSP Regular

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

limeytech DSP Legend

LAdiablo DSP Legend

Share This Page

Useful Searches