Written by: Josh Surdin
This week the Lakers got back to what they needed to, basics. Pound the ball inside and feed the bigs. The trio of Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol put great numbers all week long, culminating in a historic blowout last night against Cleveland. This is what the Lakers should be, and need to be doing. This team is built around Kobe Bryant and his talents in the back court, but is blessed with the size and length of the front court.
The times when the Lakers seem to struggle this season is when for some reason or another, they go away from the big men down low. During the Shaq and Kobe era, they used the inside outside game to near perfection. Whether it was Glenn Rice, Rick Fox, Robert Horry or Kobe on the perimeter, the Lakers used the inside-outside game to their advantage.
Going ahead, the Lakers need to continue the trend of going to the big men on the block. This formula has landed them in three straight NBA Finals, winning two of them. The only finals appearance that this core group of Lakers lost was in the 2007–08 season due to Andrew Bynum going down for the season with his knee injury. Since the three big men have started playing together, the Lakers are 179-67 winning a staggering 72% of their games.
Next: The Length of the Los Angeles Frontcourt
This year both Gasol and Bynum (in his limited time on the court) are both shooting over 52% from the field, and 74% from the free throw line. Lamar Odom is a respectable 46% from the field, and 69% from the free throw line. With numbers like that, why would the Lakers chose to overlook their front court considering that starting ball down low in the half court also works within the confines of the triangle offense.
Any one of these three players can be the facilitator for the Triangle offense figuring that the system’s most important feature is the sideline triangle created between the center who stands at the low post; the forward at the wing, and the guard at the corner. By doing this, any one of these three players frees up Kobe and allows him to work his one on one game with his defender out on the wing.
We have seen just how potent/efficient the Lakers offense can be when the ball starts down low, and now at this point of they have all three of their weapons back up and running. Gasol is an effective scorer as a power forward in the post and at midrange; whereas Bynum is more of a traditional back to the basket style of center. Odom’s game makes it difficult for opposing teams to defend due to his foot speed relative to his size which allows him to run the fast break and finish effectively.
With those types of weapons and their various styles of play the Lakers should realize that utilizing them to their fullest potential has led them to having the best record in the Western Conference for three consecutive years. Hopefully after a dominant night in the post like tonight, they will realize just how potent getting back to basics can be.