Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

Great win to go into Toronto without Luka and have the team step up

Even though we lost the 3rd 40-33 we find a way to win

Shows the character of the team

AR was on fire and on a different level that only a handful of players can reach

Support cast was solid

DA 17 pts 8 reb 2 stl

Jake 14 pts 7 reb 2 stl 1 blk

Smith 12 pts 2 reb 2 stl

Adou in 10 minutes 4pts 1 reb 1 ast

 

The scouting staff we had was very good at finding under rated players to fit in like AR, Smith and Adou

Hopefully the revamped staff can continue along those lines

Very important to fill the team with cost effective support players

 

I needed to see his effort in a Lakers uni.
He’s by far exceeded my expectations and totally changed the trajectory of his career. Good on him.

 

Lakers were never in the game this season in Boston, losing 126-105. It wasn't that close.

What went Right: Tumbleweeds blowing through a dusty Old West mining town, long abandoned. No horses, no one even at the Miss Evie's saloon/whorehouse, where you'd think...never mind. Word is Black Max and his gang were here a few months ago. Max one of those dudes who can hit a tossed 50 cent piece shooting off the hip.
A dead, dusty, dessicated town of nothin.'

(Nick Smith can score? JJ Laravia hustles his a** off? AR scores 36 despite BOS doubling him with Luka and Bron out?)

What went Wrong: our defense is really bad. Despite the good record. There was one time, in the 4th, we forced a shot clock violation. That was about it. I'm not sure if our bad D led to 24 made 3s by BOS, but we all saw guys so open at the arc there was no one within 15 feet of them.

This game was a Reality Sandwich. Gimme a Top 5 Defensive Team any day. We are currently #15 in the NBA. And it effing blows, man.

 

I turned it off after the first. Did Vando play?

 

He did not, which was why, sometime during the 3rd Q I posted JJ's Vando non-playing quote from 3 days ago.

I actually thought of stopping watching when it was 46-19 with about 10 mins left in the 2nd, but I just couldn't, in case they somehow came back. AR got clobbered, doubled, swarmed, but he still bounced back and got 36. BOS made 24 3s, which was insane.

 

I liked our effort in the 3rd. We should've packed it in. Writing was on the wall, we had no chance in this game. But we tried in the 3rd. Only problem was Brown came out hot and C Bags made 3 after 3 after 3 from the most random players to ever step foot in Boston.

Also Cassell must be very proud of his son. Walsh killed it as a 3 & D'er tonight. I was irritated when they landed him in the draft. This is why.


Austin needed legs to get the 50 we needed from him tonight. Didn't have them and was being hounded all night.

Needed at least 20 from DA. One of the rare ones where the opposing C bested him.

Proud of Laravia and Thiero's effort on the backside of that 3rd.

Hey Gabe, you hear Nick's footsteps yet?

 

Am completely unaware of Sam's kid. Sounds like might have some skill? Is he on the roster or on a 2-way? Hopefully he doesn't have the ET phone home look to him like Pops. Didn't really see the game, just periodic stuff up on flat panels while having a family dinner in our favorite Mexican restaurant. What I did see of AR's drives to the hoop and footwork and aggressiveness getting there continues to amaze me. What a BALLER!!

 

Yikes we got blown out in the 1st 39-17 and never recovered

Rui gets 7 rebounds which we've all been waiting to see, but to no avail

AR showed up with 36 pts 3 reb 8 ast

Gabe 18 pts

Nick Smith again with a nice game 13 pts 2 reb 2 stl 1 blk

Max in 16 minutes got 0 pts and 1 reb

How can your stats look so bad when you're that big?

Lick your wounds and move on to the next game

 

We're still waiting on the Maury episode but he's the love child of Cassell (who's on their bench to keep tabs on him) and Popeye Jones

 

Whew! Lakers beat 76ers in PHI 112-108 in a nail-biter. Luka is back and a tad rusty and yet a trip-dub over 39 mins: 31/15/11. Hookah was 9 for 24 from the field.

Rui and Ayton were a combined 14 of 19 from the field, which was crucial.

AR had an all-time lousy shooting night: 3 for 16: 11 points. He did get to the rack on a play, to be met with a barricade of 76ers, and he tossed a no-look, behind the head pass to Rui in the corner for a 3, and it was very Doncic-like. Still: AR couldn't throw a pea in the ocean and it almost cost us the game, but (What Went Right) a certain 40 year old Action Hero showed up and saved our entire side of bacon:

Lebron James: 3 weeks away from his 41st birthday: 34 mins: 29 points on 12 of 17 shooting, 4 of 6 from long, 7 boards, 6 dimes, a theft, a block, only 2 turnovers. I remember he had a bad stretch a couple years ago when he "finally" looked his age. He proved me wrong. Same thing last year: I was ready for the post-mortem on hsi career after a string of Lebron totally looking 39. He bounced back and made me look bad again, bless him. Lately he's been looking almost like a 40 year old dude who should step aside, then a game like this.

As PHI cut it to 100-98 Lakers very late, Luka dishes to the Old Man, who hits a 22 footer: Lakers up 4 with 4:25 left. Drummond dunks: back to 2. Lebron hits a 3 with 3:43 left: back up 5. Maxey misses, AR misses, Grimes hits a 3: back to a 2 point game with just under 3 mins left. AR misses, Maxey misses, Luka misses. Ayton gets a steal off Maxey, Luka throws the ball out of bounds. Still a 2 point game with 1:40 left. Embiid hits an 18 footer to tie it at 105 with 90 secs left.

Luka dishes to Lebron, who hits a 28 footer to put us back up 3 with 72 secs left. HUGE! Embiid misses, Edgecombe misses at point-blank, a tip-in: 46 secs left after AR gets the rebound. They milk it down to 27 when Lebron hits a 20 footer to put us back up 5. EFFING HUMONGOUS!

Anyway: I don't need to tell ya, y'all saw it.

Every time it looked like we'd get separation PHI cut it to 2, felt like. King James showed up for this one, and it was good.

Needed the win, got it. AR's teammates stepped up, especially the starters. We got 10 points, total, from the bench.

We can all safely ("no worries") expect AR back against the Spurs, at the Crypt, Wed night. I'm callin' BANK on it.

 

We get a much needed win

Win the dreaded 3rd Q 34-24

Role players

Rui 17 pts more importantly 6 reb good to see

DA 14 pts 12 reb 2 ast 1 stl 1 blk

Hayes 3 pts but 5 reb and 3 blk