Grizzlies Rout Lakers, Send Series Back to L.A. for Game Six
The L.A. Lakers barely survived at home in game four versus the Memphis Grizzlies, and they provided little resistance on the road in game five, losing 116-99. If the Lakers and their fans assume that winning game six at home is a lock then they may be in for a very unpleasant surprise, because--despite the hype and the weird narratives that ignore evidence and common sense--the Lakers are the same team that they have been throughout the season: they do not consistently play hard or smart, which is why they needed to survive the Play-In Tournament to qualify for the playoffs.
The undersized Grizzlies--who are without the services of injured big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke--outscored the Lakers in the paint 56-48 while keeping the rebound battle nearly level (the Lakers won, 54-52). The 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points and tied for the team lead with 10 rebounds. Desmond Bane (33 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) and Ja Morant (31 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) outplayed the Lakers' two 75th Anniversary Team players: Anthony Davis did his part (31 points, game-high 19 rebounds), but LeBron James finished with just 15 points on 5-17 field goal shooting, along with 10 rebounds, five assists, and a game-high five turnovers. Instead of attacking the paint, James settled for three pointers and he shot just 1-9 from beyond the arc. James is 38 years old and cannot reasonably be expected to dominate every game, but when James is having an off game his highly-touted supporting cast must pick up the slack.
The Lakers have received a lot of praise regarding the three players who they acquired in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Here is how the "tremendous trio" did versus Memphis in game five:
D'Angelo Russell had 11 points on 4-11 field goal shooting, but he did dish out a game-high 10 assists. He is averaging 13.8 ppg on .367 field goal shooting (25-68) during this series.
Jarred Vanderbilt had seven points on 3-4 field goal shooting. He is averaging 6.8 ppg on .609 field goal shooting (14-23) during this series.
Malik Beasley had six points on 2-6 field goal shooting. He is averaging 3.2 ppg on .278 field goal shooting (5-18) in during this series.
Russell is an erratic, inconsistent offensive player who is a subpar defensive player. Vanderbilt is a scrappy defender whose offensive game mainly consists of picking up loose change in the paint. Beasley is barely in the rotation; in this game, he posted a plus/minus number of -23 in just 11 minutes.
The Lakers offered little defensive resistance in the first quarter, and they trailed 38-24 at the end of the first 12 minutes. As is often the case, the tone set in the first quarter presaged how the rest of the game would unfold.
Game six will be fascinating. The Lakers are consistently inconsistent, while the Grizzlies are young, impetuous and volatile. Will LeBron James have the necessary energy--and mindset--to attack the paint? Will Anthony Davis be a force in the paint? Will any of the highly touted role players acquired in exchange for Russell Westbrook have a meaningful impact? Will the undermanned and undersized Grizzlies scrap their way to a win and reclaim homecourt advantage?
Labels: Anthony Davis, Desmond Bane, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Memphis Grizzlies
posted by David Friedman @ 1:23 AM
4 Comments:
I'm a little confused. How are the Lakers the same team they were in the regular season if they were up 3-1 vs Memphis, and now 3-2? Yes, they barely made the playoffs. But yes, they finished the season 18-9, and now are outplaying Memphis, who would've highly likely been the #1 seed in the West if they were as healthy as Denver during the regular season. Though, they still finished only 2 games back with the #2 seed. Memphis very well may win this series still, but the Lakers have greatly improved over the last 1/3 of the season and in the playoffs so far. The Lakers are not a legit contender, so this series is telling us a lot more about who Memphis isn't, and that nobody in the West is really that great.
Anonymous:
The Lakers win when Davis and James attack the paint and defend the paint. The Lakers lose when Davis and James fail to do those things.
That was true throughout the regular season, and it is true now.
Blaming Westbrook for everything, talking about needing "lasers," and pretending that D'Angelo Russell is a superstar and Vanderbilt is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate are sideshow distractions.
Hopefully you are less confused now.
The Lakers are no different than any other team when their top 2 players struggle. Again, how are they the same team as in the regular season despite holding a preivous 3-1 advantage and currently a 3-2 advantage over Memphis? The series would be over in Memphis favor if the Lakers were the same team as they were in the regular season. The Lakers must be playing a tad bit harder and smarter in the playoffs.
Anonymous:
The mainstream media narrative surrounding the Lakers this season is that the Lakers struggled because (1) Westbrook is the worst basketball player ever (I am exaggerating only slightly) and (2) the Lakers need "lasers" (LeBron's term for great outside shooters). Thus, a notion arose that if the Lakers traded Westbrook for "lasers" the team would improve.
The reality, as I have documented in many articles, is that the Lakers struggle when Davis and James don't play in the paint, and they do better then Davis and James attack the paint. The narratives about Westbrook and "lasers" are sideshow distractions.
So, the Lakers now are the same team (in terms of overall quality) now that they were at the start of the season. The games that they won recently correlate with Davis and James attacking the paint, and they won those games even with Beasley being a non-factor, Vanderbilt being a scrappy role player and "D Lo" being "D Lo" (a low percentage shooter with bad shot selection and an allergic reaction to playing defense).
The Lakers have struggled to take a 3-2 lead against a Memphis team missing two of its best big men, and whose best player is playing one handed at times. Perhaps you are very impressed by what the Lakers have done. I am not so impressed by it, and I am even less impressed by the narratives attempting to explain the Lakers having a 3-2 lead against a banged up team.
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