Fancap: Disneyland’s Revenge

While the Orlando Magic got the best of us the first time around this season, we had our revenge.  Last night really showed me what the Lakers are made of and what makes this team so special.  They used the lessons they learned in last year’s playoffs that defense and rebounding will win you games when your offense falters, and showed the country in the process that Andrew Bynum can play with the big boys.

It’s been said a lot lately but bears mentioning again that Bynum is playing out of his mind right now.  He is the difference maker more than anyone else on the team, including Kobe.  Ironically, he isn’t doing anything that he hasn’t done before, or that the coaches have told him to do in the past. The difference is Bynum buys into their game plan now.

I think that Andrew focused on offense because that is where he saw tangible results. Yes, the NBA keeps track of rebounds and blocks, but it is hard to measure altered shots, energy and defense in general.  He thought that his energy level on both ends of the court depended on lots of touches and a fast start out of the gate.

What Andrew Bynum has learned and therefore proven over this 10-1 post-All Star Break run is that his defense does have tangible results: in the win column.  Good defense leads to good offense for the whole team, and as Bynum said himself, “My goal right now is to anchor the defense.” It is telling that the one game we lost was the game that Andrew had the fewest rebounds and impact in the paint. When he is on fire, the Lakers are unstoppable.

It was mentioned that Andrew gets fired up to play big time centers like Dwight Howard, and it was apparent last night.  He was demonstrative all night, on and off the court.  One of the first sequences of the game was a put back dunk off of a Pau Gasol miss, and you could see how fired up Andrew was. He had 6 points, 11 rebounds (6 of them offensive boards) and 3 blocks in the first quarter alone!

Bynum chased down balls, bodied up against Howard and snatched a career high-tying 18 rebounds for the night.  If it wasn’t for his effort on the boards, the Lakers would have been in dire straights by halftime; their shooting was poor, but they were kept alive by second chance opportunities and a lack of turnovers coupled with a high number of turnovers by Orlando.

Next: The Amazing Fish

Dwight Howard was no slouch, amassing a double double but with nine of his own turnovers to go with it.  A lot of the turnovers could be contributed to the activity level on the Lakers’ defensive end; he had the ball stripped by Derek Fisher in the 3^rd quarter, which lead to a fast break layup by Ron Artest.

Derek Fisher had a fantastic game as well; he had a couple of steals that led to either free throws or easy Lakers baskets.  He also didn’t settle on the perimeter for his patented rainbow shots, but drove in the paint to gain 3 point plays of another variety.  It was his 480^th straight game played, and he had as much energy and hustle tonight as I’ve ever seen.  His mental and physical toughness is unmatched, and is one of the reasons he is such a great leader for this team.

One of the best plays of the game was Derek fighting for a batted around ball, securing it, and running up court to make a twisting, practically backwards layup! It highlighted his activity on both ends of the court and was indicative of the team and the game as a whole.  He even took a legitimate charge from Dwight Howard, which is no mean feat and was definitely not one of his famous flops.

Next: Iron Man

While he cannot boast of consecutive games played quite like his co-captain can, Kobe Bryant is no slouch in that department.  He was a game-time decision for the contest against the Magic due to the wicked ankle sprain he suffered in Saturday night’s game against Dallas.  Kobe called it the worst he had ever felt and genuinely thought it might have been broken.  Luckily for all concerned, it wasn’t and he stepped on the court last night just like we knew he would.

Kobe takes too much pride in playing through pain to miss unnecessary games. I would call it stubbornness as well, if not for the fact that I know he will sit when it’s truly in his best interest (like he did for five games last year).  He was slow offensively in the first half and had more than one unlucky bounce, but he looked like the same old Kobe nonetheless.  He moved with agility, kept pace defensively, boxed out, cut across the floor, and even took a hard charge of his own before hitting a jumper to give the Lakers their first lead of the game. It was clear that he wasn’t attacking the basket as much as normal, but that is to be expected.

ESPN the Magazine had a great NBA preview issue, with each team modeled after a Marvel comic book.  The cover consisted of LeBron James as Captain America (debatable), Kevin Durant as Thor (god of thunder) and Kobe Bryant as Iron Man, which I find very apropos.  The “real” Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. was actually at the game last night as well! Love it.

Next: Killer Bench

The Renegades/ Killers B’s/ Bench Mob or whatever is their nom de plume of choice played at a sustained high level all night and actually built a huge lead in the 4^th quarter instead of squandering it like they are apt to do.  In the first half, there was a sequence of fantastic plays showcasing the Lakers’ athleticism and commitment.

Lamar Odom had a great move running the length of the court for a layup and then hitting a pull up jumper on the ensuing possession.  Next up was Shannon Brown, chasing from behind to swat a monster block out of bounds. Matt Barnes got in on the action by jumping the lane and almost coming up with a steal.

The fourth quarter only got better: Steve Blake came up with a turnover, ran the floor into the paint and kicked out to Shannon for a three. Andrew grabbed yet another rebound, which led to a three by Barnes.  Matt followed that up with great pressure D at half court with Lamar to force Orlando’s 17^th turnover. When the Lakers couldn’t capitalize, Matt gave them another chance with a block/steal sequence ending in a high flying Shannon Brown layup.  The bench outscored Orlando’s 24-15 but more than that was the sustained effort and the pulsating energy they brought to the court.

While the shooting was poor in the first half especially, L.A. showed grit and determination and battled back with a mixture of great defense, keeping the ball alive, and taking care of the ball.  Pau led the Lakers with 21 points and 5 players ended in double figures. The team also had 20 assists and only 4 turnovers, while making Orlando their latest defensive victim: the Magic were held to 84 points.  Gasol and Bynum were both fantastic against Dwight Howard and proved yet again why our bigs are so valuable and so imperative to our continued success.  They are the game changers and can control whether we will flourish or flounder come playoff time.

The Lakers are a second half team in more ways than one; they lose games and win games in the second half, and they turn up the intensity and focus in the second half of the season.  When asked why the Lakers’ play was so improved, Pau Gasol responded simply, “It’s getting close to the end.”  They have been amazing for the past few weeks and look like they will only get better.  I’m really excited and anxious for April to arrive!