Lakerholics

The Los Angeles Lakers shut down the Portland Blazers’ Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum but they’ll face an infinitely more daunting challenge slowing down Houston Rockets’ superstars James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

Not only did the Rockets beat the Lakers two of the three times they met during the regular season but their small ball approach could be a challenge for a Los Angeles team that starts a traditional back-to-the-basket center. The outcome of the series could depend whether Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel to is willing to adjust his starters and rotations to the Rockets’ style of play or whether he wants to stay the course and stick with his usual lineups.

While Vogel has been reluctant all year to change his starting lineups, he’s acknowledged Houston’s small ball style could necessitate some changes. Here are four adjustments the Lakers need to make to beat the Rockets:

1. Start Anthony Davis at Center.

The Lakers need to go small to match up with the Rockets, who are going to start five players under 6′ 7″ and run a five-out offense with all five players behind the 3-point line to spread the defense and eliminate rim protection. That makes McGee and Howard, who averaged 33.6 minutes in the three games against the Rockets, liabilities. The Lakers need to counter Houston’s small ball lineup by starting Davis at the five and Kuzma at the four.

The Lakers need to resist the temptation to try to defeat the Rockets with their usual starting lineup and rotations. Houston can’t be forced play a different style because they’ve set their roster to only be able to play small. McGee or Howard defending 3-point shooters on the perimeter can’t work defensively and makes it hard for the Lakers’ to match threes offensively. The only solution is to play Anthony Davis and Markieff Morris at the five.

Thinking you can counter the Rockets’ 3-point shooting by pounding the ball inside on offense plays right into their hands. 3 points are greater than 2. The Lakers need to adjust their lineups and go small to beat the Rockets.

2. Double Team James Harden.

The Lakers would be wise to deploy the double team tactics that worked against Damian Lillard against James Harden to limit his shots and force him to give up the ball. Containing Harden is a key to beating the Rockets. The Lakers double teamed Harden in the team’s three previous meetings and held him to just 29.0 points per game vs. 34.3 for season and 32.0% from deep vs. 35.5% for season while forcing 6.3 turnovers per game.

The big question is how the Lakers defend the other four Rockets’ players. Rather than having everybody scramble to rotate after doubling Harden, the Lakers should consider playing a 2-1-2 zone to keep AD in the middle. Once you double Harden, you’re already playing 4 against 3 so it makes sense to try and eliminate high percentage layups and corner threes and force more lower percentage mid-range twos and above-the-break threes.

Turning the Harden double team into a zone is the kind of out-of-the-box move a coach like Nick Nurse would embrace. It would make life easier for the players not doubling and could be sprinkled in to surprise the Rockets.

3. Make and Take More Threes.

The Rockets’ goal is to transform the game into a 3-point shooting contest and create a mathematical mismatch by hoisting 50 to 60 threes, making 20 to 25 of them, and outscoring their opponents from deep by 20 to 30 points. So far in the playoffs, the Rockets have made 19.2 of 52.8 threes taken per game while the Thunder have only made 11.2 of 37.2 threes taken per game. That’s a differential of 8 more threes and 24 more points per game.

Meanwhile, the Lakers so far have made only 12.0 of the 35.0 threes taken per game in the playoffs, which means there’s no way they’re going to win the series against the Rockets unless they they take a lot more 3-point shots. The Rockets won two of the three regular season games the teams played by averaging 10 more threes for 30 more points per game. The Lakers must cut that differential at least in half to defeat the Rockets and win this series.

That means, if the Rockets are going to take 50 to 60 threes per game, then the Lakers need to take at least 40 to 50 threes per game to keep pace and keep the 3-point differential to no more than 5 made threes and 15 points.

4. Unleash LeBron and AD from Deep.

For the Lakers to beat the Rockets, LeBron and AD need take and make their 3-point shots, which they didn’t do versus the Rockets in the regular season where James was just 3 for 15 on threes and Davis didn’t attempt a three. Without LeBron and AD taking and making their share of threes, there is no way the Lakers can keep pace with the Rockets who are going to launch 50 to 60 threes and drain 20 to 25 of them for a 20 to 30 point differential.

The good news is James and Davis have dramatically improved their 3-point shooting in the playoffs. LeBron is second on the team with 13 makes on 28 takes for 46.4% while Davis is fourth with 7 makes on 18 takes for 38.9%. The Lakers are going to need LeBron and AD to be even more aggressive and efficient from deep if they want to beat the Rockets. They can’t afford to be outscored by 20 points from deep if they want to win the series.

The Lakers need to run plays to get LeBron and AD more wide open threes. They should take advantage of pick-and-pops for Davis at the top of the key and have LeBron take the open threes when defenders go under screens.

In many ways, this series will be a repeat of the Lakers’ first round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers. The media will portray the Rockets as a deadly landmine waiting to blow up the Lakers and predict a 7-game series. But the Rockets have no answer for LeBron James and Anthony Davis whereas the Lakers’ defense has the tools to slow down James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers just need to make and take enough threes.

The Rockets will be a tougher challenge because of their style of play but the Lakers will win the series in 5 games. Houston doesn’t have the offense to beat the Lakers’ defense or the defense to stop the Lakers’ offense.

While the Lakers have what may be the best defense in the NBA playoffs, their offense is prone to struggling, especially when their shooters are not hitting from deep and teams are packing the paint to limit their superstars.

The Lakers’ offense needs a third superstar who’s a guard, a center who can stretch the floor, and a coaching staff who can create an offensive scheme to better empower superstar forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Making savvy moves to accomplish these three goals during the coming offseason should be the Lakers’ top priority. Here are three exciting moves they should make to upgrade their offense to match their elite defense:

1. Re-sign DeMarcus Cousins

Despite evidence the Lakers’ best lineup is with Anthony Davis at the five, the Lakers don’t appear interested in making that their starting or primary lineup at this time since Davis continues to prefer to play power forward.

The dilemma the Lakers face is the two centers they currently rely upon are both traditional back-to-the-basket defensive centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, who tend to clog up the paint and hurt offensive spacing. Because Vogel’s a strong believer great defense starts inside-out with rim protection, any Lakers’ stretch five center will need to be able defensively to hold his ground in the post as well as be a legit threat as a 3-point shooter.

Re-signing DeMarcus Cousins is the logical answer to finding a center who can space the floor as well as defend in the low post. Cousins experience playing alongside Anthony Davis in New Orleans make the ideal choice. Before his Achilles injury two years ago, Boogie was on pace to become the first center in NBA history to take over 500 and make close to 200 threes, which was why the Lakers originally signed him at the start of last season.

NBA observers expect Dwight Howard to leave the Lakers in free agency this offseason and DeMarcus Cousins to be re-signed as his replacement. Re-signing Boogie would be the first step to upgrading the Lakers’ offense.

2. Trade for Victor Oladipo

The Pacers’ poor performance in the NBA playoffs has resulted in the firing of head coach Nate McMillan and rumors the team should trade 28-year old All-Star guard Victor Oladipo before he becomes a free agent next season.

The arguments to trade Oladipo include concerns about the small market Pacers’ financial ability to retain him in free agency and worries regarding his health and fit with a team that played better without him than with him. Right now, the Pacers are not able to offer Victor an extension for more than 20% more than the $21 million he is going to be paid next season, which means they would have to wait until next season if they want to keep him.

Waiting to try and sign Oladipo to a max contract two offseasons from now raises the risk of losing him for nothing, which the Pacers cannot afford to do. That’s why everybody expects them to look to trade him this offseason. Oladipo will also have the same leverage Anthony Davis used to force his way to the Lakers by threatening not to re-sign if the Pacers don’t trade him to a team he prefers, which could open the door for the Lakers to get him.

LeBron should follow Kawhi’s example with PG and meet with Victor and convince him to demand a trade to the Lakers for Kuzma, Green, and a pick. It would be an opportunity for Victor to win a ring with LeBron and AD.

3. Hire Alvin Gentry

There’s no question Frank Vogel’s a great defensive coach and has done a fantastic job coaching LeBron James and Anthony Davis and positioned the Lakers to have a great chance at winning their 17th NBA championship.

But the Lakers’ offense has not been as dominating as their defense despite having two top-five superstars. The offense relies too heavily on isolation plays for their superstars and lacks the elite spacing of a modern offense. The front office and the difficulty of building a championship roster with limited cap space and trade assets are partially responsible but the coaching staff also deserves blame for the team’s static and dated offensive schemes.

The New Orleans Pelicans’ firing of head coach Alvin Gentry could give the Lakers the perfect opportunity to upgrade their coaching staff with one of the brightest and most respected offensive minds in today’s NBA game. Before his stint as Pelicans’ head coach, Gentry was the lead assistant under Steve Kerr at Golden State and the architect responsible for transforming the Warriors’ offense into a legendary championship juggernaut.

Vogel likes having former head coaches on his staff and we’re likely to have a vacancy. Frank needs an offensive coordinator to innovate that side of the game and Alvin Gentry would be the perfect candidate for the position.

There will surely be changes to the Lakers’ roster next season whether or not they win the championship. Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo all have player options. Dwight Howard, Markieff Morris, Dion Waiters, Jared Dudley, and two-way players Devontae Cacok and Kostas Antetokounmpo will all be free agents. There’s rumors the Lakers could lose Bradley and Howard to free agency.

While the Lakers won’t have cap space, they will have a $9 million MLE, which they could use to sign a veteran point guard like Goran Dragic, who would be the perfect replacement if Avery Bradley opted out of his contract. An upgraded Lakers’ starting lineup next season of Goran Dragic, Victor Oladipo, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins backed by Rondo, Caruso, KCP, Morris, and McGee would be championship caliber.

With the pandemic forcing teams to cut expenses, a rich local television contract, and an ownership committed to winning, the Lakers should have opportunities next season to upgrade their offense to match their defense.

It was quintessential LeBron James taking control of the chaotic boycott created by the Milwaukee Bucks’ players and threatening to take his ball and go home to pressure the NBA to do more to support racial justice.

To begin with, I find it impossible to believe LeBron James really wanted to cancel the playoffs despite how angry and disappointed he may have been with the lack of progress and support for the Black Live Matter movement. Remember LeBron’s first comment after the Milwaukee players announced their decision to boycott their game with Orlando was an Instagram post reminding everyone the playoffs were “BOYCOTTED NOT POSTPONED.”

No disrespect to his commitment to Black Lives Matter as we all know how hard LeBron has fought for justice, education, and opportunity for the black community but he’s also on a mission to win his fourth NBA championship. As Kevin Ding reported, LeBron’s mission has always been two-fold: “Play the game at a high level. Bring a championship back to L.A., hopefully. And continue to push the envelope on creating change for my people.”

These are not mutually exclusive goals. In fact, they’re synchronized goals that are best accomplished synergistically. The more successful LeBron is as a pro basketball player, the more power he has to lobby for social change. LeBron’s also smart enough to understand the source of his social power is his standing as one of the greatest players in league history and the NBA playoffs are his best platform and opportunity to wield that power.

The behind-the-scenes reporting is LeBron and players from other NBA teams were blindsided and infuriated by the decision of the Bucks’ players because they acted alone, without notice to, or in concert with other teams. LeBron’s informal vote to cancel the playoffs and decision to walk out of the meeting was to send a message to players who didn’t understand the stakes and pressure the NBA for more support in the fight against racial injustice.

The media reports about how the ensuing meetings and discussions were able to convince LeBron to change his stance and support continuing the playoffs are laughable and naïve and insult his social savvy and intelligence. More than any superstar in sports, LeBron understands how to use his platform as the face of the NBA to lobby for and force social change. LeBron was playing chess while the rest of the players were playing checkers.

The morning after LeBron walked out, the players had a meeting and came to a unanimous decision to move forward with the playoffs. That evening they discussed their decision on a group team call with the league owners. Per Taylor Rooks: “Lebron was the last player to speak on the call and delivered a strong, thoughtful message to the owners that the work has to continue, and the owners have to truly dedicate to advancing this cause.”

Why LeBron grabbed the mike at the end of that meeting was to remind the NBA the viability of the playoffs depends on his and the Lakers participation and the league needs to step up to the plate and do more for racial justice. From Taylor Rooks this morning: “The NBA and NBPA took major steps toward tangible change and social justice. That is the most important part of these two days. Progression and the advancement of equality.”

This morning, the NBA and NBPA announced three new measures designed to support social justice and racial equality: (1) A social justice coalition to promote access to voting, civic engagement, and meaningful police and criminal justice reform. (2) A commitment to work to convert NBA arenas and facilities into safe in-person voting locations. (3) An program with NBA partners to provide advertising spots during each game to promote voting.

It’s not a coincidence the new measures announced by the NBA align with goals of the Voting Rights Group LeBron James and other black athletes and entertainers created to protect and promote African-American voting rights. LeBron James, Chris Paul, and players pushing for social change know legitimate progress on racial justice, education, and opportunity issues is totally dependent on black Americans voting in the November election.

LeBron is now taking flack from Stephen A. Smith and some of the younger players for acting like he was a king and taking over the boycott to push his agenda but that’s what great leaders do when chaos offers opportunity.

The NBA playoffs will resume Saturday after what amounts to a three-day strike by NBA players protesting inaction by the state of Wisconsin and the city of Kenosha to address police brutality after the shooting of Jacob Blake.

After several heated meetings and threats of boycotting the NBA playoffs, the players decided their best course of action would be to continue to play and take advantage of the power of their platform to press for racial justice. The players understood boycotting the season would not only deprive them of the platform they currently have to fight against racial injustice but could also cost millions in revenue and lead to possible cancellation of the CBA.

While critics will write off the boycott as players simply choosing profit over principle, others will recognize the importance of the players’ actions as another step in the growing resurgence in a new national social conscience. Like the ‘Me, Too’ and ‘Cancel Culture’ movements, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and the NBA players’ strike to support it are part of a long overdue and outsized wave of social phenomena the likes of which we’ve never before seen.

The decision by the NBA players to resume the playoffs means the games will continue until mid-September, which means the players will have almost two months to use their platform to shine a light on racial injustice. The strike will refocus attention on racial injustice issues and give players the leverage to find new ways to keep the media and public engaged and promote the changes and reforms that need to be implemented.

The players made the right decision to resume the playoffs and keep their platform to fight for real justice and change alive. Abandoning the bubble in anger and frustration would only have harmed the causes they support. While legitimate reform will still take time and racism may never be totally eradicated, the pace and demand for change is exponentially accelerating with the ultimate day of reckoning coming when we vote on November 3rd.

The NBA players have set an example of social action and responsibility players from other professional sports leagues must embrace and emulate. What’s at stake is nothing less than the heart and soul of America.

The stars aligned for the Lakers last night as an angry LeBron lamented the shooting of Jacob Blake, a proud Anthony Davis came out en fuego, and the team donned Black Mamba jerseys to honor Kobe and Gigi with a big win.

It was a night of unimaginable joy and pain as the Lakers demolished the Blazers 135–115 on 8/24 with Kobe and Gigi Bryant smiling down from above while America mourned another blatant incident of racial injustice. As LeBron sadly lamented after the game: “Having two boys of my own and me being an African American in America and to see what continues to happen with the police brutality towards my kind … it’s very troubling.”

The mixed emotions were on raw display as the Lakers took a 24–8 lead over the Blazers midway through the first quarter. “When I looked up there and seen 24–8, I was like, ‘OK, this is a [sign]. He’s here in the building.’” Yet, after the game, LeBron’s made abundantly clear his mind was on more than just basketball and winning the game: “I got half my brain locked in on the playoffs and the other half on how the hell I can help black people.””

Watching LeBron channel that joy and anger into a 30-point, 10-assist marvelous masterpiece of a game where he shot 10 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc while playing just 28 minutes was truly special. The mental focus and discipline, the physical effort and talent, and the laser precision and execution at 35-years old is something we’ve never seen in the NBA before. LeBron is rewriting the rules of what the GOAT means.

Then there’s LeBron’s co-superstar Anthony Davis, who played just 18 minutes last night before leaving with back spasms with the Lakers leading the Blazers by 91–53. Seriously, 18 minutes with a plus/minus of +37? Together, LeBron and AD are the best superstar duo in the league and Davis the King’s best co-star ever: “AD is one of those unicorns and he does things that some of my other great teammates are not capable of doing.”

Their synergy and symbiosis as superstar teammates is unmatched. Davis challenged James to join him on the NBA All-Defensive team while no NBA duo has ever created more assists than the James to Davis connection has. Here’s AD after the Lakers’ Game 1 loss: “I didn’t feel like I performed to the level that I needed to. He let me have my moment and kind of get on myself. And then he talked to me and said I was fine. He said it was one game.”

Indeed, Anthony bounced back with a vengeance the next three games, posting 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals in 29.2 minutes per game and shooting 61.7% from the field and 42.9% from deep. His contributions at both ends of the court for the last three games have been exceptional and legitimately MVP caliber: team-best 131.7 offensive rating, team-best 86.6 defensive rating, and team-best 45.2 net rating.

What LeBron James and Anthony Davis were able to do with last night’s dominating performance on 8/24, the day that will forever be Kobe Bryant day, was to showcase how they’ve totally embraced ‘Mamba Mentality.’ There was no taking the pedal off the metal and giving the Blazers an opportunity to get back in the game and the series. Instead, we saw the stone cold killer instinct that always made Kobe Bryant such a feared foe.

But it’s not just the Lakers’ superstars who are clicking on all cylinders and playing with Mamba Mentality. It’s suddenly the entire Lakers’ team that’s not only playing lock-down defense but also shooting lights out from deep. The Lakers shut down the Blazers’ high-powered defense the last three games and now have the #1 defensive rating in the playoffs. They’ve also come alive from deep and are shooting a league 7th best 38.3%.

While the Rockets and Clippers, their next expected foes, are struggling, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers seem to have harnessed the power of Mamba Mentality to pursue their 17th NBA championship.