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Philippines, 26 Apr 2024 |
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NBA -- It's concern time for the Lakers, not panic By David Bernal PhilBoxing.com Sat, 27 Oct 2018  LOS ANGELES. With 11 seconds to go in the overtime thriller that was the Lakers-Spurs matchup on October 22, San Antonio inbounded the ball to Lamarcus Aldrige in the high post. Faking a hand-off to a sprinting DaMar DeRozan, Aldrige instead pivoted towards the inside as if to challenge a retreating Jonathan Williams, only to perform a second hand-off to a cutting Patty Mills who nailed what would be the winning mid-range jumper with 6 seconds left in the contest. While LeBron?s two missed free throws and subsequent errant game winning shot would ultimately draw much of the attention for the Lakers? loss, the initial defensive set may be much more emblematic of the issues LA faces in it?s quest to challenge the league?s top teams. While it came as little surprise that Greg Popovich was able to engineer a better than decent look for his squad in the situation?he is after all, the ATO GOAT?what was surprising, was the simplicity by which the Lakers were fooled. Having spent his first 38 minutes on the court in the same spot, Aldrige had oscillated between crisp passes to cutting players or faking dribble hand-offs as he attacked off balance defenders. Anticipating a similar play, Josh Hart attacked DeRozan following the inbounds pass, fighting over a screen to stay glued to his man, as Williams sagged into the paint to stymie the threat of an Alridge drive. As we now know all of this was a smokescreen however, as Mills darted out of the strong-side corner, momentarily catching the flat footed Lonzo Ball by surprise, and thus buying himself the half-second of space he needed to put San Antonio ahead. While the Lakers? athleticism and length is enough to snuff out a team?s first option on offense, it too often is prone to chasing the ball by the time the second and third ones develop, allowing opposing teams to rip through the jumbled mess that is LA?s resistance. Los Angeles? lack of defensive cohesiveness does not exist in a vacuum, but rather as a symptom of a larger identity crisis. Outfitted with an unorthodox roster of former stars and non-shooters, the Lakers? best hope for success lies in their ability to capitalize against other team?s mistakes. Unable to spread the floor, they hope their off-ball screens force defenders to lose track of their assignments in the quest for a lay-up; unsuccessful in pulling defenders out of the paint, they station their bigs to go after every offensive rebound to make the scoreboard math work by sheer volume of shots attempted; incapable of keeping up with the more talented offensive attacks of the league, they jump passing lanes to create breakaways that never give them the chance to get to their second option. While enough inefficiencies may exist for LA to compile wins over an 82-game season?as evidenced by their subsequent victories over the Suns and Nuggets?against the more disciplined teams of the league, the Lakers? keys to success are often turned against them. Their interior passes swallowed up by multiple defenders in the paint; their failed offensive rebounds leading to 4-on-5?s with their big left in the back-court; their blown steals leaving a man unguarded and the opposition in a position with which to attack. Juxtaposed against a team with an arguably lesser roster, the Spur?s win was significant in that showcased what might be Los Angeles? greatest flaw: give them enough time, and they may end beating themselves. Click here to view a list of other articles written by David Bernal.  |
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