Odom, Lakers look to get back on track

[Spurs Brazil]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AhXMpmG9z8k9aLlJPVtxqQKM0bYF?slug=ap-lakers-spurs&prov=ap&type=lgns

Odom, Lakers look to get back on track
By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 6 minutes ago
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Lamar Odom had a sleepless night after the Lakers’ Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Pau Gasol said it’s always hard to get shut eye after a tough loss and Derek Fisher said he slept “decent enough.”

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson wasn’t surprised.

“I like players to get their rest, there’s no doubt,” Jackson said Monday. “But any time you have a game of that importance and you don’t play well, you’re upset. It’s bothersome.”

Bothered might be an understatement for Odom.

“I got to the point where I couldn’t make a shot,” said Odom, who went 2-of-11 from the field and finished with seven points on Sunday. “But then I got to the free throw line and I wasn’t making free throws. That can’t happen.”

Odom, who hit just 3-of-8 from the foul line, wasn’t alone in his struggles in the 103-84 loss. Fisher scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting and Gasol fared somewhat better, going 7-of-18 for 15 points.

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“A little bit indecisive, not aggressive enough finishing,” Gasol said of his offensive performance. “I didn’t finish strong enough. I was just kind of floating a few shots and they weren’t going in.”

The Lakers hold a 2-1 advantage in the Western Conference finals. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday in San Antonio.

Jackson said he’s “comfortable we can get Lamar back on track.”

“Once it gets going bad for him, there’s a lot of times he can’t turn his game around in the course of the night,” Jackson said. “So that’s one of the things we keep talking about, finding a way to recapture your ball game even though things haven’t gone well for you early.”

While league MVP Kobe Bryant may be as close to a one-man team as there is— his four fourth-quarter 3-pointers got the Lakers as close as 12 late in Game 3 — more help from Odom, Gasol and Fisher could go a long way toward the Lakers stealing one in San Antonio.

“I don’t think they did anything differently,” Bryant said of Gasol and Odom’s shooting. “I think they just missed a lot that they usually normally make, so you just chalk it up.”

Jackson said Fisher simply needs more shots.

“We’ve got to get six, eight shots for him, in that kind of minutes where he has an opportunity to help us,” Jackson said.

Fisher and Odom also struggled in the Lakers’ come-from-behind Game 1 victory. Odom scored eight points on 3-of-12 shooting in the 89-85 win and Fisher had four points while going 1-of-9.

The Lakers shot nearly 43 percent (35-of-82) from the field in Game 3, but the Spurs hit 38-of-74 (51 percent), including 10 3-pointers.

Manu Ginobili hit five 3s and broke out of his shooting slump to lead San Antonio with 30 points off the bench. Bryant led the Lakers with 30.

“Making shots is part of it. And we did a better job of that,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They (Los Angeles) missed some shots that could have gone in without a doubt.”

Offense aside, Tim Duncan said the Spurs always return to their old standby: defense.


“We have to contain them, limit what they do,” Duncan said. “They have the best scorer in the league. He can get off in stretches. We have to be able to contain the rest of their team and understand that defense is what’s going to get us over the hump.”

Now it’s the Lakers trying to get over the hump of Sunday’s loss as they look for a Game 4 win—one Bryant said the Lakers want “in the worst way”— to set up the chance to eliminate the defending champions in five games.

Fisher said doing that requires both keeping the Game 3 loss close, and also letting go of it.

“I think you hold on to the fact that it’s very frustrating and very disappointing in the sense that we couldn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game,” Fisher said. “So you hold on to some of that frustration, some of that resentment that you have for the opponent. You keep that.

“But you let go of the fact that you lost a game. … You get past that part of it and you keep your focus on the things that will motivate you and help you to win the next game.”

[1Parker1]

Now it’s the Lakers trying to get over the hump of Sunday’s loss as they look for a Game 4 win—one Bryant said the Lakers want “in the worst way”— to set up the chance to eliminate the defending champions in five games

Spurs better come out ready and firing Game 4. Most important game of the season is on the line.

[DazedAndConfused]

Kobe will bring his A game every night. I don't worry about him.

It's Lamar and Gasol that need to step it up.

[Medvedenko]

The Lakers usually play well after a crappy loss. From what I've seen from Pau he usually plays well especially after a let down game. Lamar is the x factor as you really never know with him.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I don't know about Odom...don't know if you can count on him to have that mental toughness. He's the most aloof secondary guy in the league probably...

[DazedAndConfused]

Odom has been no more inconsistent than Ginobli. These two players seem to be the key to the series.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Odom has been no more inconsistent than Ginobli. These two players seem to be the key to the series.

:lmao they're completely different players

[Mamba24]

Odom has been no more inconsistent than Ginobli. These two players seem to be the key to the series. I agree. After the Game 3 loss in Utah, Lamar had a great game in Game 4, which was also a loss but he played outstanding. Manu is not a 30 point a night guy so I highly doubt he will be shooting the lights out as he did in Game 3. The Spurs better bring all they have tomorrow.....the Lakers too. This is gonna be an exciting game.

[DazedAndConfused]

:lmao they're completely different players

What's your point? When Odom plays well the Lakers win, when Gino plays well the Spurs win.

[Medvedenko]

:lmao they're completely different players

Well, of course they are different, however they are inconsistent and have yet to string the games they are capable of in this series. Manu has way more mental toughness though, however is not immune to shitty play.

[Emanuel20]

Odom has been no more inconsistent than Ginobli. These two players seem to be the key to the series.

Disagreed!
During the RS, manu was our main guy, I don't think Odem was option 1 anytime during the RS for you guys.

[Medvedenko]

I agree. After the Game 3 loss in Utah, Lamar had a great game in Game 4, which was also a loss but he played outstanding. Manu is not a 30 point a night guy so I highly doubt he will be shooting the lights out as he did in Game 3. The Spurs better bring all they have tomorrow.....the Lakers too. This is gonna be an exciting game.

Well, if we continue to gamble by playing Sasha and Vladdy on him he can very much get hot and score in bunches. I like Sasha's D, but he's at least another 2 years away from being a real solid defensive player.

[Emanuel20]

Well, if we continue to gamble by playing Sasha and Vladdy on him he can very much get hot and score in bunches. I like Sasha's D, but he's at least another 2 years away from being a real solid defensive player.

Two days ago, Sasha was "manu stopper" now he sucks!
:rollin

[boutons_]

Spurs are still standing on the edge of the abyss.

Going back to LA 1-3 is taunting fate.

2-2, we start over. Been there, won that.

We don't need to shoot 50%+ to beat the Lakers' mediocre defense.

We do need to keep the Lakers' well under 45%

Spurs' 3s must fall (sounds like a movie title)

[Medvedenko]

Two days ago, Sasha was "manu stopper" now he sucks!
:rollin

Please find the posts where I called Sasha the manu stopper, however he has done a decent job on him 2/3 games. However, a player of Manu's capability can elevate his game beyond good defense. Also, 2 days ago Manu was a liability and should of been glued to the bench.....this forum makes me laugh.

[Medvedenko]

Spurs are still standing on the edge of the abyss.

Going back to LA 1-3 is taunting fate.

2-2, we start over. Been there, won that.

We don't need to shoot 50%+ to beat the Lakers' mediocre defense.

We do need to keep the Lakers' well under 45%

Spurs' 3s must fall (sounds like a movie title)

I agree, the 3 ball must be hot for the Spurs to win.

[DazedAndConfused]

The Spurs are going to shoot lights out at home if the Lakers keep giving them uncontested looks.

Barry, Finley, Bowen, etc. got way too many open looks.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

What's your point? When Odom plays well the Lakers win, when Gino plays well the Spurs win.

My point was your simplistic comparison.
Manu was probably the most consistent Spur this season when we needed him to produce when losing wasn't an option. He stepped up when the other big two were hampered at different times of the season. Manu's scoring is streaky, but he never disappears, and is always there to pitch in with critical plays. He's hardly passive like Odom is, even when his shooting is off.

Odom is a uniquely skilled player, who gives the other team match up problems, but his mental edge and leadership is suspect. He IS passive when his shot isn't going, and has a history of deferring too much. I think when Gasol came the defenses were easier for him, so he flourished. Plus he wasn't hurt this year, unlike last year.
Basically when things are tough (our Spurs defense--the pressure of shouldering the scoring load with Kobe), he tends to withdraw a little.

[ElNono]

So Gasol doesn't need to bounce back? What about Fish? I kinda feel bad for Odom. I mean, I kind of knew he wasn't going to be as effective against the Spurs, since that's basically what has always happened to him when playing against us. But to me Gasoft is getting a bigger pass.

[Medvedenko]

So Gasol doesn't need to bounce back? What about Fish? I kinda feel bad for Odom. I mean, I kind of knew he wasn't going to be as effective against the Spurs, since that's basically what has always happened to him when playing against us. But to me Gasoft is getting a bigger pass.

Gasol needs to play better and he did miss a lot of open j's, but he's playing to soft against TD and needs to bang with him and not worry too much about fouls. Timmy will get his, but he needs to earn it. Just like when bowen plays Kobe, he makes Kobe earn it....hence only 6 ft's in 3 games for Kobe.....

[DazedAndConfused]

Gasol is being guarded by Tim Duncan. He has an excuse.

Odom is being guarded by slow ass Oberto and 90 year old Robert Horry. He has no excuses. He's just not playing smart enough.

[DazedAndConfused]

My point was your simplistic comparison.
Manu was probably the most consistent Spur this season when we needed him to produce when losing wasn't an option. He stepped up when the other big two were hampered at different times of the season. Manu's scoring is streaky, but he never disappears, and is always there to pitch in with critical plays. He's hardly passive like Odom is, even when his shooting is off.

Odom is a uniquely skilled player, who gives the other team match up problems, but his mental edge and leadership is suspect. He IS passive when his shot isn't going, and has a history of deferring too much. I think when Gasol came the defenses were easier for him, so he flourished. Plus he wasn't hurt this year, unlike last year.
Basically when things are tough (our Spurs defense--the pressure of shouldering the scoring load with Kobe), he tends to withdraw a little.

I wasn't comparing their skillsets you dumbshit. I was comparing their relative impact on this series.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Gasol is being guarded by Tim Duncan. He has an excuse.

Odom is being guarded by slow ass Oberto and 90 year old Robert Horry. He has no excuses. He's just not playing smart enough.

I saw Barry check Odom even. :lol

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I wasn't comparing their skillsets you dumbshit. I was comparing their relative impact on this series.

:lol

and their skill sets aren't pertinent to their team impact on the series?

I was commenting on your "inconsistency" logic.

[Commissioner Stern]

So Gasol doesn't need to bounce back? What about Fish? I kinda feel bad for Odom. I mean, I kind of knew he wasn't going to be as effective against the Spurs, since that's basically what has always happened to him when playing against us. But to me Gasoft is getting a bigger pass.

Gasoft gets the pass because he doesn't present the mismatch that Odom does. Gasoft gets Duncan, so you kinda' have to understand when Duncan Donuts outplays him.

But Odom being outplayed by Grandad Horry and Oberto? C'mon. It's only because the Lakers audience has seen Odom become a 20/20 monster himself, that it's difficult to understand why the inconsistency is still there.

[ElNono]

Gasol is being guarded by Tim Duncan. He has an excuse.

Odom is being guarded by slow ass Oberto and 90 year old Robert Horry. He has no excuses. He's just not playing smart enough.

I thought Gasol was on an even keel with Duncan. I remember you postng full game lines between the two and arguing he wasn't Duncan's bitch.
We also couldn't match up with Odom, since he was too fast to be guarded. He would just put the ball on the floor and go around Oberto for the easy basket.

But then again, maybe I'm expecting too much from you. After all, you're the same guy that claimed Shaq owned Duncan and was inside his head.

[PlayoffEx-static]

The Spurs are going to shoot lights out at home if the Lakers keep giving them uncontested looks.

Barry, Finley, Bowen, etc. got way too many open looks.

You have to pick your poison. You cannot both pack the lane to thwart Duncan and Parker AND play our shooters honestly. If you continue to pack the lane, 10 made 3s will not be unusual to see in any game.

[aka_USAPA]

Well, if we continue to gamble by playing Sasha and Vladdy on him he can very much get hot and score in bunches. I like Sasha's D, but he's at least another 2 years away from being a real solid defensive player.

Ariza will play more in Game 4. Another fresh, strong, quick, athletic defender. He will be one of the biggest adjustments.

[Medvedenko]

You have to pick your poison. You cannot both pack the lane to thwart Duncan and Parker AND play our shooters honestly. If you continue to pack the lane, 10 made 3s will not be unusual to see in any game.

You're right, that's why the spurs are successful, however what happened in game 2 was a more consorted effort by the laker wing players to get to the shooter which resulted in a lot of missed shots. I say live and die by the 3. I don't believe the Spurs can win this series relying on the 3 but need to pound it in and get the majority of the points in the paint.

[DazedAndConfused]

You have to pick your poison. You cannot both pack the lane to thwart Duncan and Parker AND play our shooters honestly. If you continue to pack the lane, 10 made 3s will not be unusual to see in any game.

Totally agree. But the Lakers can do a much better job of contesting those 3's. No excuse for those guys to be that blatantly wide open.

That's why SAS is so difficult to beat at home. Their shooters shoot very well from behind the arc, and that's usually enough of a push to get them over the hump.

[PlayoffEx-static]

Totally agree. But the Lakers can do a much better job of contesting those 3's. No excuse for those guys to be that blatantly wide open.

That's why SAS is so difficult to beat at home. Their shooters shoot very well from behind the arc, and that's usually enough of a push to get them over the hump.

If you play the shooters, well, Parker has one 40 point game and three 30 point outings this post season, so don't sleep on him, either.

Ariza is a long athletic defender, but realistically, he allows the Spurs to place a perimeter defender in one of your post players laps. His jumpshot is worse than Tony Parker, pre 2005.

[DazedAndConfused]

If you play the shooters, well, Parker has one 40 point game and three 30 point outings this post season, so don't sleep on him, either.

Ariza is a long athletic defender, but realistically, he allows the Spurs to place a perimeter defender in one of your post players laps. His jumpshot is worse than Tony Parker, pre 2005.

Parker and Duncan will probably continue to get 20ppg this entire series. The key is limiting Ginobli to 10-15 pts and making sure the other role players don't go bananas from 3pt land. 20-30 pts from Parker and Duncan is not enough to beat the Lakers. You need 20+ from each of the Big 3 and some good contributions from the role players.

[PlayoffEx-static]

Parker and Duncan will probably continue to get 20ppg this entire series. The key is limiting Ginobli to 10-15 pts and making sure the other role players don't go bananas from 3pt land. 20-30 pts from Parker and Duncan is not enough to beat the Lakers. You need 20+ from each of the Big 3 and some good contributions from the role players.

If you unpack the lane, Parker and Duncan may both go for 30. Finley is a statue, but both Barry and Ginobili can ball fake to get an escape dribble or two and get an easy 15 footer or a finish at the hoop. If you rotate to them, well, our 3 point shooters live off of the defense rotating.

The Spurs gave you too many easy defensive options by running heavy pick and roll in gms 1 and 2. The play that seemed to give you fits last game was when Duncan held the ball above the FT line and Parker or Ginobili worked back and forth without the ball looking for the seam. When they chose their side, Duncan would do a handoff as they ran by, and it was almost impossible to trap them. The defense rotated to them and a shooter was uncovered. Viola. If there was no rotation, they went to the rack.

[Mamba24]

Even if you get 20+ from Timmy, Manu and Parker that's still gonna be about 75 points...that ain't gonna be enough to beat L.A. Since Pau can't guard Duncan for shit, I expect Timmy to get his....Farmar and Fish did a decent job of defending Parker in Games 1 & 2, I don't know why they felt the need to drop off in Game 3. Putting Ariza's length on Manu will bother him...Sasha's long but he isn't as quick as Gino so that's a problem. The Lakers knew they had it bad when Oberto starting making shots. SMH.

[SPARKY]

If you unpack the lane, Parker and Duncan may both go for 30. Finley is a statue, but both Barry and Ginobili can ball fake to get an escape dribble or two and get an easy 15 footer or a finish at the hoop. If you rotate to them, well, our 3 point shooters live off of the defense rotating.

The Spurs gave you too many easy defensive options by running heavy pick and roll in gms 1 and 2. The play that seemed to give you fits last game was when Duncan held the ball above the FT line and Parker or Ginobili worked back and forth without the ball looking for the seam. When they chose their side, Duncan would do a handoff as they ran by, and it was almost impossible to trap them. The defense rotated to them and a shooter was uncovered. Viola. If there was no rotation, they went to the rack.


Pop just hid the easy button by replacing Vaughn with Barry at backup 1.

[Mamba24]

I wonder if Pop will resort to Hack-A-Odom tomorrow.

[SPARKY]

I wonder if Pop will resort to Hack-A-Odom tomorrow.

Probably not.

[DazedAndConfused]

If you unpack the lane, Parker and Duncan may both go for 30. Finley is a statue, but both Barry and Ginobili can ball fake to get an escape dribble or two and get an easy 15 footer or a finish at the hoop. If you rotate to them, well, our 3 point shooters live off of the defense rotating.

The Spurs gave you too many easy defensive options by running heavy pick and roll in gms 1 and 2. The play that seemed to give you fits last game was when Duncan held the ball above the FT line and Parker or Ginobili worked back and forth without the ball looking for the seam. When they chose their side, Duncan would do a handoff as they ran by, and it was almost impossible to trap them. The defense rotated to them and a shooter was uncovered. Viola. If there was no rotation, they went to the rack.

The Spurs didn't give ME anything. Popovich definitely freed up the offense and started going away from the TD/TP P&R that has been so successful this entire playoffs. The Lakers simply weren't ready for it, no reason to think they won't adjust in Game 4. You seriously underestimate Phil if you think he won't counter.

That being said, the offense is where the majority of LA's problems lie. The triangle options have been way oversimplified and SAS is starting to catch on to things and get a familiarity with how LA is running things. Phil will look to expand things and we will probably start seeing Kobe in the pinch post a little more like they did in Utah for Game 4.

[PlayoffEx-static]

The Spurs didn't give ME anything. Popovich definitely freed up the offense and started going away from the TD/TP P&R that has been so successful this entire playoffs. The Lakers simply weren't ready for it, no reason to think they won't adjust in Game 4. You seriously underestimate Phil if you think he won't counter.

That being said, the offense is where the majority of LA's problems lie. The triangle options have been way oversimplified and SAS is starting to catch on to things and get a familiarity with how LA is running things. Phil will look to expand things and we will probably start seeing Kobe in the pinch post a little more like they did in Utah for Game 4.

Don't be obtuse. "YOU" meant LA, and you knew it.

I expect adjustments, but the fact is that the adjustment we made for game 3 was more guard movement and cuts without the ball, and that's just flat harder to defend.

Oh, and SA isn't "starting" to catch on to the triangle. Our core of four have all played you at least three times in the playoffs plus probably close to 30 regular season games as a unit, and Horry knows it intimately from being on your team. Don't expect the pinch post to catch us off guard or anything. There's probably nothing that you can throw at Tim, Tony, Manu, Bruce, and Horry that they haven't seen before.

[DazedAndConfused]

Don't be obtuse. "YOU" meant LA, and you knew it.

I expect adjustments, but the fact is that the adjustment we made for game 3 was more guard movement and cuts without the ball, and that's just flat harder to defend.

Oh, and SA isn't "starting" to catch on to the triangle. Our core of four have all played you at least three times in the playoffs plus probably close to 30 regular season games as a unit, and Horry knows it intimately from being on your team. Don't expect the pinch post to catch us off guard or anything. There's probably nothing that you can throw at Tim, Tony, Manu, Bruce, and Horry that they haven't seen before.

Right because I'm sure they remember exactly how the triangle was run 4 years ago. LA's cast of characters is completely different and the triangle is actually being run a lot differently than it was when we had Shaq. If they were so familiar with it why did they lose two games in a row?

It really doesn't matter what we say, we aren't coaching or playing the game. Let's see how Game 4 pans out.