"We just like to stay like this. It's a good disease."

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Much was made of the notion that Kobe's two favorite teams were in the building tonight, but if Sunday's 106-75 Lakers romp over Chicago is any indication, 24 is better off staying local. After a slow, grindy, inartistic first half- basically two typical quarters of of Bulls hoop- after which the purple and gold found themselves down 46-45, the Lakers cranked up the energy on both ends, and ripped the Bulls out of their comfort zone in the second. LAL opened up the third with a 15-2 run, keyed by nine points from Bryant and a couple hoops from D-Fish, and by the end of the quarter had turned that one point deficit into a 15 point lead. Considering that the Lakers held Chicago to 14 points over Q3, it's fair to say the lead felt safe heading into the fourth.</p>

The Lakers didn't let up on the gas in the fourth (better safe than sorry), laying the wood on Chicago to the tune of 31-18 over the final 12. That explains how guys like Jo Noah (who has about as well developed an offensive game as I do) and Aaron Gray found their way onto the court for Chicago, and Sasha's six minutes of run, as well.</p>

The evening's only bad news was a first quarter injury to Kwame Brown, who hurt his left knee and ankle after landing on Ben Wallace in a pileup underneath the Chicago basket. Talking to Kwame after the game (scroll down for the audio), he said the knee definitely feels worse than the ankle, which the latter of which might have been helped by the brace he's been wearing. He won't make the trip, because the Lakers don't want the knee to swell on a flight. So at the very least, Kwame's out for the next three games. X-rays were negative, and he'll likely have an MRI once the swelling on both joints goes down.</p>

Click below the jump for the breakdown.</p>
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The Good:</p>

Not to sound like a broken record, but once again...</p>
<ul>[*]Jordan Farmar. Coming off the bench, JF kicked in with 14 points and a very impressive eight dimes. And, as has become his custom, Farmar brought energy and aggressiveness to an occasionally lethargic Lakers attack. More and more, he's not only pushing pace but also playing in control, attacking the basket when an opening is available, setting up a teammate when it's not. Of course, his strong game was just one aspect of...
[*]Incredibly strong production from the bench. Six Lakers finished the game in double figures. Five didn't start the game. All told, the reserves accounted for 73 of L.A.'s 106 points. Even removing Andrew Bynum's 14 from that line- he essentially played starters minutes after entering for Kwame at the 3:32 mark of the first- it's still an amazing night for the bench. Record setting, in fact. Given their success as a unit, it will be interesting to see how PJ divvies up the minutes with Kwame out. I asked him about that after the game, and he indicated that the rhythm they've developed as a group isn't necessarily something he wants to mess with.
[*]Luke Walton. After a string of subpar efforts, Luke put a good one together Sunday. 10 points, five boards, four dimes, and only one TO. More than that, he had a much better flow to his game, and didn't force much. Granted, it's easy to look comfortable when your team outscores the opponent 61-32 in the second half, but nonetheless it was an encouraging night for him.[/list]

The Bad:</p>
<ul>[*]Kwame's injury. This hurts on a few levels. First, they'll obviously miss Kwame's interior D. He's their best one-on-one post defender, and provides a service that can't quite be duplicated by anyone else on the roster. Should he be out for an extended period, the Lakers will likely feel the absence. Not just because of what Kwame brings, but also how losing him changes the rotation. Does PJ move Drew to the first unit and risk changing the chemistry of the second? Does he insert Chris Mihm, who isn't the defender Brown is? And an injured Kwame means more minutes for guys like Cook and Vlad Rad (among others), weaker defenders who can be exposed in longer stretches.[/list]
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The Bulls are a pretty weak offensive team. And it's not that the guys are guaranteed to fall apart against more potent attacks, but when Kwame's out, it does take away matchup options for PJ.</p>
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<ul>[*]Turnovers. The Lakers gave the ball away eight times in the first quarter, on their way to 21 for the game. They've had a very disturbing tendency to start games sloppier than your average 17 year old stoner. It's something they need to shore up.
[*]D-Fish on quick guards. Not that we should be surprised, but once again Derek Fisher struggled to stay with Ben Gordon on the perimeter. Granted, not a lot of guys can stick Gordon (or Tony Parker, or Chris Paul...) one-on-one, but it's something to watch when the Lakers match up with some of the league's water buggier guards. We've seen what penetration can do to this bunch (and Jackson's postgame interviews).
[*]Defense. Just kidding. Mostly wanted to see if you read this far.[/list]

Turning Point:</p>
<ul>[*]The Third Quarter. L.A. came out hot in the third, and laid the wood on Chicago. A one point deficit quickly morphed into a 12 point lead. From that point on, the game was essentially over.[/list]

Potentially Worrisome Things:</p>
<ul>[*]Chris Mihm. He played the "Box of Chocolates" type game. From one possession to the next, nobody was quite sure what they were going to get over his near 13 minutes of play. There were strong moments for sure, but Mihm said after the game that there are situations in which he still feels a step slow. He's not, nor will he ever be, a beast underneath. But if Mihm is going to get more run in the absence of Kwame, he'll need to get right in a hurry. The ankle still seems to be limiting him, especially defensively, and there is obvious rust that needs to be knocked off. Don't expect him to suddenly look 100%, just because he's set to get more minutes. Still, Mihm was good on the glass (seven boards, five offensive) and managed to get to the line eight times. [/list]

Audio: Interesting stuff from Phil, discussing how they'll move forward with Kwame on the shelf. Also some discussion from Jackson about how he's adjusted the offense for Farmar, and why. And obviously, a lot of praise for the reserves all around. </p>
<ul>[*]Kwame Brown: Download kwame_brown_11.18 postCHI.mp3
[*]Phil Jackson: Download phil_jackson_11.18 postCHI.mp3
[*]Chris Mihm: Download chris_mihm_11.18 postCHI.mp3
[*]Luke Walton: Download luke_walton_11.18 postCHI.mp3
[*]Jordan Farmar: Download jordan_farmar_11.18 postCHI.mp3[/list]

BK</p>

If tonight's performance by the bench strikes you as rarefied production, you ain't fooling yourself. The 73 bench points were the most racked since April 24th, 1988 vs. Golden State, when the reserves combined for 84. And the last time five pine players (in this case, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Chris Mihm, Vlad Radmanovic and Luke Walton) scored in double figures was in March of 1985 against Cleveland. None too shabby, for those who like their assessments presented in understated fashion.

Here's a little copy from Lamar Odom and Vlad Radmanovic after the game.

Lamar Odom</p>

On not probably having Kwame Brown for a while
"Yeah, but we've got guys that can step in and play. I think we showed that tonight. Vlad and Luke coming off the bench and hopefully we'll have Ronny (Turiaf) back. We'll be alright."

On how much it helps the starters on a physical level if the bench can keep playing like this.
"It helps tremendously. It really helps Kobe and myself. Luke, the last couple years played a lot of minutes. Kobe has been playing deep in the playoffs for years now. When these guys can step up, it's hard to cover twelve guys."

On the bench players being more confident this season than last.
"Everyone's confident and ready to play at any given time. These guys know they can play. They got better as well. Everyone's confident. That's the big difference."

On the boost coming from the bench
"They're playing great. We need them to continue it and I think they will. They're confident. If you watch any of their practices, you can tell that. They really try to go at the first unit. And on some days, they've outplayed us. It's very important, especially when you're talking about the log haul of the season. You scout so many teams and they only talk about one or two guys. If you've got the best bench in the NBA, it helps your chances of winning."</p>

Is Odom coming out and declaring the Lakers' bench the best?
"They're definitely one of them. If they keep doing what they did today on a consistent basis, I'm gonna jump off the ledge and say "yeah." Those are my guys and I definitely support them. And one thing. Luke was starting. Jordan's playing big minutes. Brian Cook. All of these guys were in the starting lineup in their career and I think it helps."</p>

On whether the bench's collectively increased confidence comes from more experience or truly realizing how capable they are?
"Both. I think it's a combination."

Vlad Radmanovic</p>

On how rare it is for the bench to outscore the starters by such a sizable margin (73-33).
"It doesn't happen often, but I think we have a pretty good group of guys this year. The starting unit is good and the unit coming off the bench is pretty much as good as the starting unit. So we're just trying to keep an up tempo game when we come in and a lot of guys have done a great job of that.</p>

On the difference between the first and second half of the game.
"I think we got caught in their rhythm in the first half. It was a slow game, a lot of fouling. And in the second half, we just got more up and and down."</p>

I asked Vlad about the difference between last season's bench (a typically erratic group) and the group thus far kicking ass on a consistent basis. "We got a lot tougher this year," said the Former Cat Stevens. "The bench mob is really serious this year." About three seconds passed before Vlad started cracking up. "I have to laugh," fessed up Radmanovic. "You take it seriously." I guess I had my "serious reporter face" on (and I can only imagine what an uptight jackass that probably makes me look like). But all kidding aside, Vlad does see a difference. "Guys improved during the sumer and have a lot more confidence. Jordan (Farmar) is playing great at this point of the year and he's giving us a lot of energy. I asked if Farmar's energy was contagious and got one of the better lines of this still-young season.

"It is. We just like to stay like this. It's a good disease."</div></p>

Source: LA Times Blog</p>

The second unit is taking on a persona of its own this season. I love the way our bench mob is playing. Apparently they feel there is good as the 1st unit and have been beating the first unit in practices.</p>

Kwame will miss at least 3 games, but the good news is Ronny Turiaf will be back for our next game against the Pacers!</p>