Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Boxscore
Stats: 38min 24pts (8-15, 3-4, 5-9) 3reb 6ast 1stl 2blk 3TO
Gay ( B ) -- invisible in the early going as it was the Cousins show with Ben and DC working off of him. Missed a three, got one blocked at the rim, mostly stayed out of the way. We were again playing...agitated though I think is the best word for it. Same thing as last game where you could just see the damage to team chemistry oncourt with guys trying hard, but being scattered. With Rudy he was a little chippy all night long, engaging with both Lakers and the refs. after he missed a little post move he clapped his hands at the ref and picked himself up another technical. Actually began to get going in this one as a passer before he did as a scorer, and if this passing thing sticks it really has a chance to change the path of the second half of Rudy's career. After Cuz left for his first blow came up with a real nice shovel assist on the move to Landry for a dunk. Picked up the activity level in the 2nd, beginning to get in the scoring column but still not looking entirely settled in, on defense in particular where he got victimized by a couple of shaky foul calls. Forced a really bad baseline shot in the final minute of the half that helped ensure we entered the break actually trailing the Lakers.. Picked up his game coming out of the halftime, immediately picked off a ball in the early 3rd, raced the other way, and somehow lost control as he went up for the open court dunk. Fortunately Ben was standing there to grab the board and finish it. Answered a ridiculous Kobe 30footer with a thunderous dunk of his own to help stem momentum, but missed the +1. Was getting into it with Kobe and seemed to fire him up. When Cousins returned the two of them immediately started working together as we came storming back. Then got into it with SwaggyP in the early 4th, as those two began to duel, including a 4pt play by Young that Rudy immediately answered back the other way with a three of his own. A little bad blood there too as Rudy got called for an overeager offensive foul trying to squash Young, and at the end of the game was dueling with Ben to see who could lower their grade more as he committed a silly foul fouling Young on another 3 pointer, apparently just because he simply did not want to give him anything, even with the game almost over. Nonetheless, he was making numerous good plays, including the three of his own that may have been the backbreaker, putting us up 9 with 2:10 to go. So, 24pts 3reb 6ast on +.500 shooting, including being the one guy hitting his threes...Rudy as 2nd weapon is not surprisingly back just as soon as we got our #1 weapon back. But this grade is still going to be held back a bit because the Lakers two big scorers who kept them in this played right across from our #2/#3 weapons and matched them all the way (albeit Kobe in ridiculously inefficient manner). --Brick
Stats: 25min 2pts (1-1, 0-0, 0-0) 5reb 0ast 0stl 1blk 0TO
Thompson ( C ) -- got off to the good start when he dropped the shoulder for a power move and dunk through the much skinnier Ed Davis. And then....well there really wasn't any completion to that thought. That was his contribution for the night. Davis replied by scoring over him the way, and while at least int he early going JT appeared active, it was that same overactive agitated energy I was mentioning with Rudy, and all it did was get him into ineffective foul trouble. Things didn't improve after half, and when the not much more effective Carl Landry or the effective at only one thing Reggie Evans replaced him, there was no falloff (although it should be noted that we heavily won JT's minutes (all with the 4 good starters), and did not so much with the other two). As has often become the story with latter day JT, without a star opponent to harass, just never became a factor on his own. --Brick
Stats: 37min 29pts (9-19, 0-0, 11-15) 14reb 2ast 2stl 3blk 2TO
Cousins ( A ) -- hard not to be proud of the big guy here, not just for the game, but for the attitude with which he approached the game. From wildly tempemental kid, he's now emerging as maybe the most mature voice in the franchise, and came out here again just determined to turn this thing, to get us back on track and beyond the "situation". The upside is that he came out with tremendous energy and activity again given that he is coming back from illness. The downside was that he was so active he was practically out of control early. Lots of swipes at balls and was lucky he did not get called. Was being sporadically doubled and tripled by the Lakers, but it barely bothered him. Splashed in a little facing jumper, then added a beautifil step through, move, then a drive through Hill. Just doing whatever he wanted. And when he returned to start the second his slamming into contact and getting to the line was virtually the only offense we had as the bench was again a bagel. Still looked physically weaker than he has been, and is noticeably lighter, which contrary to some strings of thought isn't always a good thing for a big man. You could see him having to really work at beating Hill inside on the glass, rather than being able to just casually overpower him and hold him off. But he was working very hard, he had multiple just basically hustle offensive board finishes, he drew a charge. He was a determined Boogie. Drew a charge. In the latter stages of the third, he and Rudy finally clicked together and poured it on as we mounted our comeback and finally started playing like a cohesive unit again -- up until that point even if we'd won you would have said it was one bad team beating another. He missed 2 FTs we could have used at the close of the 3rd, but when the Lakers came back down the other way smushed Sacre's last second attempt. Came through down the stretch as well, after a timeout in the midquarter scored on a post move, then next time down the floor slammed in for a drawn foul and hit both FTs. Came up with a good challenge on Hill on the next possession, made a beautiful pass out of the double to Collison curring to make the lead 8 again with 3:30 to go, and took two charges including a big one on Kobe at the 2:30 mark to get us the ball back up 6. Finished up with a beautiful up under and reverse dunk at the 1:15 mark, and just in general gave us the full on superstar center treatment in this one. Playing with great determination right now, but its too bad this Golden State matchup had to be on back to back. Would have loved to have seen him get a clean shot at Golden State sans Bogut. Anyway, you really can't ask for more than we're getting out of Boogie since coming back, both on and off the court. --Brick
Stats: 38min 23pts (10-18, 2-9, 1-2) 8reb 1ast 1stl 0blk 5TO
McLemore ( B ) -- Ben was well on his way to an A game tonight. He had the task of locking down an aging superstar, and was doing a pretty good job of it. He forced Kobe into lots of bad shots, and Kobe happily obliged by taking lots of bad shots. Ben was only credited woth one steal, but he forced at least four more turnovers by bodying Kobe up on the perimeter and staying down on pump fakes. On offense, he had a nice, efficient night, going 10 of 18 for 23 points. He didn't have a freat night from outside the arc, but finished some tough looks inside and had an exciting breakaway dunk over Kobe that made someone in the front office squeee a bit. Really, though, he got so many open looks because he was the safety valve when teams would double Gay or Cousins. He lost a full letter grade due to sloppiness down the stretch, but still a big positive for the night. --Hadlowe
Stats: 40min 19pts (7-13, 2-4, 3-5) 0reb 3ast 2stl 0blk 3TO
Collison ( B ) -- back into his more comfortable 3rd (or in this case even 4th) banana role, and really not having to match up with anybody. Early in the game threw up an excuse me 26ft three when the clock was running down and nobody was moving to get open, then darted in for a layup. Good ball movement let him hit that corner three he normally can hit. Back in and drew a charge after a couple of really aggressive Ben takes as the starters restored order. In the mid third slammed into Price fullspeed on the break and threw it up as he crashed to the floor, hitting the shot but laying on the floor for several minutes before getting up. Maybe he learned the drama angle from Kobe, because all he did after popping back up was hit the FT to complete the 3pt play, then follow that with a quick pullup. Most disappointing stretch might have been in the early 4th when we briefly went with a tinyball DC/McCallum backcourt, nad they proceeded to dart up and down the court chucking up long threes like idiots. Also leapt in the air on the baseline and threw the ball away for a tough turnover. Sometimes its possible to be too fast Left a better impression to close the game though as he made a smart cut at the 3:30 mark as his man left him to go double Cuz, Cuz saw it, DC cut, and Cuz hit him perfectly with the pass for the layup. Nicely executed. Was not a wondrous night, but like Rudy and Ben, an efficient one playing off of the big guy. And unlike Rudy and Ben, nobody he guarded did much of anything. --Brick
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