Was it the defense by Orlando or was it simply the Lakers not hitting their perimeter shots that held them to 75 points shooting 39%?
KBE: The Magic have never been that good defensively and today was no different. The Lakers were just off from the word go on Sunday as they were sluggish and noticeably worn out from the four games on the road.
If the Lakers weren’t coming off four straight games on the road, this game would have ended much differently.
TPGB: Yeah, I thought that the Lakers' outside shooting were out of rhythm for anyone other than Kobe. Steve Blake and Derek Fisher missed a lot of open shots that they normally convert, but Fish's shooting has been off for several games now. Shannon Brown forced some shots and passed up on a couple of opportunities that he should've capitalized on, but Shannon is still learning how to read situations and how to read the defense better. But I thought the one guy the Lakers really needed to step up but didn't was Pau Gasol.
11 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 4 rebounds are not All-Star numbers. He's never looked so lethargic out there on this road trip like he did against Orlando. That was the White Swan that we saw. There's just something about facing either strong or physical guys that seem to intimidate Pau. What I don't understand, however, is he doesn't push himself to snap out of it mentally. It's not like this is the first time he's ever played against Howard.
But you're right, the Magic defense had very little to do with this loss. I thought it was their 3-point shooting (8-of-10) and rebounding (46-34) that really made the difference.
What were the high-points for the Lakers? Low-points?
KBE: The only high-point to come out of this loss to the Magic is that Andrew Bynum might actually be starting to come around. If the big kid can somehow stay healthy and actually get some quality minutes, the Lakers center could start to prove that he is the future of this franchise.
As for the low-points, there were quite a few starting with the team’s perimeter shooting. No one on the Lakers shot well against the Magic and it wasn’t because the defense forced them into bad shots.
The fatigue factor was at work here as no matter what the Lakers did they just couldn’t hit their shots and as a result finished the game with just 75 points. Along with the poor shooting, the Lakers interior defense just fell apart as Dwight Howard just did whatever he wanted to in the paint.
Not only did the Magic dominate a much bigger Lakers squad on the boards (46-34), but this game was over heading into the fourth as the Lakers basically threw in the towel and started to rest their starters.
TPGB: Yup, I thought the Lakers looked like they ran out of energy in the 4th quarter. It's quite difficult to maintain your momentum on a long road trip like this when there's a lot of travelling involved. I'm not trying to make excuses for the Lakers, but the human body can only take as much travel time before fatigue sets in.
But I do agree with you about Bynum as being the high-point of this game for the Lakers. Coming into this matchup, Bynum's production versus the more mobile, athletic Howard was the one I was looking forward to because of the type of test Dwight poses for Andrew. He's the type of player that you really have to be on your toes to keep him off the glass and keep him in front of you while making sure you do your job as the last line of defense for your team without getting into foul trouble.
Andrew not only did what he was supposed to do, he also showed how much trouble he can give Howard on both offense and defense. Can't wait for the rematch on March 14th!
Follow the link to: Lakers-Magic Q&A Part 3
Previous Post: Lakers-Magic Q&A Part 1
Check out Ezra at: The Purple and Gold Blog
Follow The Purple and Gold Blog on Twitter: TP&G Blog
Follow Kobe Bryant Examiner on Twitter: KobeExaminer
Comments