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Lakers handle Suns: Five thoughts
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AP Photo/Matt York
Another game and another win for the Los Angeles Lakers, who brought their record to 9-1 with a 105-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers remain undefeated on the road and looked like a well-oiled machine (not to be confused with this well-oiled Machine). Here are my five thoughts:
No Kobe beef. Despite the media's best efforts, there was once again no drama between Shaq and Kobe. They hugged and gave each other daps before the opening tip and each went on to play the game. But just in case you're hungering for some beef, take a look at the OC Register's photo history of the Shaq-Kobe saga.
Vlad the Impaler. The Lakers were happy to see Vladimir Radmanovic throwing daggers from the three-point line. The 6-10 power forward knocked down five threes and helped extend the defense for Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum inside. Any questions about why Radmo was starting instead of Trevor Ariza were answered tonight.
Shaq is back. The Big Aristotle has been rejuvinated this season in Phoenix since Terry Porter has insisted on getting him more touches in the half-court set. I'm not sure about how it's working for the Suns, but Shaq is thriving in the new system. He might be a couple (hundred) pounds heavier, but on occasion Shaq demonstrated the quickness and tenacity he had in his MVP season of 1999-2000.
Gasol at point guard? In the third quarter, Pau Gasol picked up a loose ball and, rather than passing the ball to a guard, decided to run the fast break. Just past the half court line he threw a behind-the-back bounce pass to Derek Fisher who knocked down a fast-break three-pointer. Conventional? No. Showtime? Absolutely. Gasol finished with a season-high nine assists, making his bid to take over for Fisher as starting point guard.
Will the real Kobe please stand up? I wanted to hold off on this until the last possible moment, but I think it's time to ask: What is going on with Kobe Bryant? Another horrible shooting night (8-23, 1-5 threes) has to cause some concerns for the Lakers. It looks like Kobe is working so hard on getting his teammates involved that he's out of rhythm when he finally decides to score. He's not going to his bread-and-butter baseline fadeaway as much, and he's launching ill-advised three-pointers more often than he should be. I'm sure it's only a matter of time, but if Kobe can get it going soon this team has a chance to be very special.
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