Thus far Kobe Bryant has not been Kobe Bryant.
Why not? Bryant's too classy, proud, competitive or something to lay the blame on the many injuries he has been playing with, but it's hard to discard the notion that he may not be healthy enough to play at his best. You have mave heard Jeff Van Gundy, in calling the games, talking now and again about Bryant's reduced ability to explode, which to my eyes has been a defining aspect of his performance thus far.
Why not? Bryant's too classy, proud, competitive or something to lay the blame on the many injuries he has been playing with, but it's hard to discard the notion that he may not be healthy enough to play at his best. You have mave heard Jeff Van Gundy, in calling the games, talking now and again about Bryant's reduced ability to explode, which to my eyes has been a defining aspect of his performance thus far.
n improving Kobe Bryant wasn't willing to take panic to the level of must-win, as teammate Andrew Bynum did, but did concede the Thunder has L.A. beat in one aspect of their game. He knows his elevation has been lacking because of the knee. He has shot only 38.4% this series, the most inaccurate he has been in the playoffs since shooting 38.2% as a rookie in nine postseason games in 1997. ... "Their speed is remarkable. We're obviously not as fast as they are, nowhere near." It starts with a more balanced offense and fewer outside shots. The Lakers averaged 26.5 three-point attempts per game in Oklahoma City, way too high for Coach Phil Jackson's liking.
All day, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson spent his Sunday afternoon and evening dissecting all that went wrong in the team's 110-89 Game 4 loss Saturday to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He compiled a detailed list for what would entail a long film study during Monday's practice, with several areas including the team's poor transition defense, the team's poor effort on loose balls, the team's poor shot selection, the free-throw disparity and the team's poor rebounding. Yet, with so many problems to fix with so little time, he insisted that very little should be taken away from the Game 4 loss.
""You have to let that one go down the drain, flush it down the toilet and let it go," Jackson said. "You don't have to bring it back up again and analyze it."
Nonetheless, those aforementioned problems aren't foreign to the Lakers. The Lakers are shooting 41.3% from the field and 29.2% from three-point range in their 2-2 series against the Thunder. OKC, led by guard Russell Westbrook, has overwhelmed the Lakers with a 72-17 edge in fast-break points. The Thunder has won the free-throw battle, 139-94, not because of favorable treatment but because it has played more aggressively on offense. And the Thunder has out-rebounded the Lakers 103-82 in the last two games.
Though the Lakers pledge to improve in all those areas Tuesday night in Game 5, the most egregious statistic involves the rebounding, namely because the Lakers have the size in Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to control the glass. It also seems astounding considering the Lakers outrebounded OKC in the first two games, 90-73. I took Jackson's advice in not dissecting Game 4 because some of the rebounding lapses (and any lapse for that matter) pointed to the Lakers giving up early than poor execution. Game 3 was a different story, and below the jump is a breakdown of all the missed offensive rebounds that resulted in the Thunder scoring in transition.
History
From the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers teams of the '40s and '50s to the "Showtime" era Magic Johnson teams of the late 1980s to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's dynasty of the early 21st century, one thing has been consistent about the Lakers: winning. The franchise has boasted a host of Hall of Famers and has compiled a string of championships which has scarcely been rivaled in the history of American sports
SPRINGFIELD, MA—The Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday that All-Star power forward and Los Angeles Lakers legend Karl Malone will be inducted into its hallowed halls this August. "It's an honor, it really is," said "The Mailman," whose well-documented tandem with all-time Laker great Gary Payton helped lead the team all the way to the Finals in 2004. "I never could have done this without my teammates." Malone, who averaged 13.2 points during his legendary run with the Lakers, heads a Hall of Fame class that also includes Portland Trail Blazers star Scottie Pippen.
