Game Debrief: What Went Right And What Went Wrong?

I have a bad feeling, hope I am wrong.

 

Lakers shooting came back to earth .

Didn't like the doubles on Sengun .

Biggest mistake imo is JJ not matching DA's minutes with Sengun ones

 

It actually doesn’t really matter to me if we get past Houston.
Without Luka, there’s no way we beat OKC and the refs next series.
One player I would consider trading Austin for(which isn’t happening for many reasons) is Amen Thompson.
The problems that existed day one of training camp still exist.
Hopefully some will be addressed this summer.

 

This is a really tough loss

It gives the Rockets confidence going into the next game

Lakers start to question themselves

Shot 26% from the 3 line

AR came back, but was only 4-16 from the field

This next game will show what we are made of

It's a must win game

No ifs, ands or buts

 

Will be tough to beat OKC...

Smart+Kennard need to play lights out and score 35-40 combined.

Reaves needs to be able to carry the offense with leBron on the bench.

Trying to be optimistic here but barring an injury to OKC's starter(s), this is probably going to be OKC in 5 without Luka.

 

Huge underdogs in this entire series and we got the win. Great job by the whole team but the old man and the podcaster coach really shined in this series.

I’ll worry about the next series next week.

No one believed in this squad and they got it done. Great series.

 

It was more believable with KD out, though.

Rockets offense without KD have been horrible.

 

Came out with the necessary energy. Moved well and hit shots out the gate. Good job JJ

Bron did his thing.

Rui couldn't miss.

Marcus was fantastic defensively. Ayton was also very good against Sengun.

I thought Jax and Jake had great energy when they came in together in the 1st half.

Austin's getting better, healthier and more comfortable. Baby steps there.

 

Old man carried us through this series. He deserves his flowers. No matter what happens next round, this was a great effort.

 

We’re playing with house money now. To get out the first round without Luka and mostly AR was beautiful.

 

Rui is better than some of you think. I mean, if we could get a top 5 defensive forward who can guard 1-5, while scoring 15-20 ppg, then I would consider trading him, but dang, he was huge in this game tonight and without him, we don't win. Awesome game tonight. And AR did pretty dang good too!! Solid. This was one of those knock them down and drag them across the finish line kind of games. Proud of this team.

Anyone who says the Lakers cannot play defense can eat my pooop!!!! Gutsy game. Hammered those idiots who went over media and claimed they were better than us in almost every area!! F them, they lost.

 

Lakers have ninety nine problems but 3pt shooting is not 1 of them.

 

Didn't see this coming to that level... Still, wish he'd just be a better rebounder. His defense has been quite good, actually.

 

The run-up to this game had me really nervous, because of Game 5 and looking flat, at home, in a close-out, needed to win that and get the rest, etc.

When we were able to get out and run we separated from them. HOU's fast breaks were almost non-existent. Lakers got back on defense as well as they ever have this season. The 9-0 Laker run to start the 2nd and go up 30-18 was really cool, but I was still nervous. Hey, I just watched ORL melt down under pressure, at home.

Lebron drives coast-to-coast off an Amen miss: 38-19!

Udoka in stiff competition with Kawhi for Ogre Face no smile constant scowl. Also he kinda dissed us to the press after we were up 3-0, so sorry, this guys' on my Major D-Bag list. Hope he gets fired but he probably won't.

INTENSE D played by both teams in the first half. Love that brand of hoops. Lakers up 49-31 at half. Lakers go on the road for a closeout game and hold the opponent to 31 by halftime. Freakin' jit rawks. The last 2 mins were strong. Rui was amazing. But the Old Man was something else. Talk about bringin' it.

Just before the 2nd half began they cut to a very short interview with Rui and Cassidy Hubbarth. I can barely understand Rui. He doesn't like to be interviewed, and we know why. Still, I love Rui.

Lakers get the ball to start the 3rd, and Lebron hits one of his 17-foot fallaway unguardable shots: Lakers by 20.

8:31 left in the 3rd: Lebron hits DA in the paint, layup and foul. He misses the FT: Lakers by 21. In a low-scoring, tight defensive battle the missed FTs drive me up a tree. Just as I'm thinking that, Lebron gets fouled and hits 'em both. 60-37. Still a bit nervous though...

Lebron gets free for a breakaway slam, but Jabari meets him and makes a fantastic block; Lebron goes sprawling out of bounds, some fans immediately react and I thought Lebron had a serious injury. He gets up, smiling.

Ayton gets into the paint, he has a guy on him with another coming over, hits Rui near the sideline for another 3: Lakers up 25 with a little over 18 mins left in the game.

AR starts to look like himself again with high screen/roll layups. Man, we needed that.

Marcus takes his 3rd charge of the game. Lakers transition defense still looks really good. 71-55 at the start of the 4th Q.

Rui opens up the 4th with another 3: 74-55. And yet I'm not able to calm down and convince myself we got this. (I know, I know, OKC is waiting, but I take life moment by moment. Sometimes.)

2 mins into the 4th, HOU begins to look like they're in desperation time: guys taking and missing 3s and there's no one to rebound for them. One 'n done. I start to relax.

Rui hits a turnaround from the corner of the key, top, near the paint: 81-53 Lakers with 7:20 left. I'm starting to feel my brain issue little hits of dopamine.

HOU has 53 with just over 7 mins left in the game. I frikkin' LOVE good defense!

Marcus swishes a 3: 86-62 with 5:30 left, and it looked - and felt - like a dagger to HOU's neck. The crowd is almost completely out of it. Good. One of the worst fan-groups in the NBA. (Exhibit A: did you see the band of jagoffs behind Lebron when he was being interviewed after the game? Like a bunch of extras from Idiocracy.)

Hey, Udoka? Why the continued scowl? Can't you see the beauty in this game? What's wrong, bro?

Lakers empty their bench, HOU keeps their starters in. At one point a Laker misses a shot, and Thiero throws down a dunk from way high off the miss; the ball hit the court so hard CalTech says it registered on their seismograph in Pasadena.

For not having our two top scorers for most of the series, it was really great play by the Lakers, overall. Will we win another in this next round? I'll worry about that on Sunday.

 

I agree but still. The pundits still were loudly and proudly stating we were going to lose last night and we weren’t favored in the game.

Plus, not having Luka is worse for us.

 

Well...we had "vastly inferior talent" according to some folks around here.

 

Yea. The only way we beat OKC is with Luka, and we will not have Luka. If we have Luka and play the kind of defense we did against HOU I think we have a chance to knock out OKC. But it's academic: we won't have Luka. And OKC is vastly better than HOU. I hope OKC takes us lightly and we win Game 1. Keep worrying about SA, OKC! Look past us.

Man...

 

Agreed. I also think Game 1 is our best chance to sneak out a win. Going to be tough to put it mildly.

 

we did; which is why it was amazing we won.