Recap of Denver Game

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Now this is what Lakers fans have been looking for over the last couple weeks. The struggling purple and gold, playing their second game in two nights (technically, Minnesota is so bad that playing a game a night after beating them may not really count as a back-to-back, but putting that aside for a minute...) went into Denver and put together 48 minutes of solid hoops, enough for a 111-107 win Wednesday evening. Call it a Tale of Two Stars. Allen Iverson ran circles around the Lakers to the tune of 49 points through three quarters, while Kobe battled remnants of stomach flu, a bruised shoulder, and foul trouble, limiting him to only 13. That all changed in the fourth. When Kobe helped put the clamps on A.I. (special kudos to Trevor Ariza for his work in that area, too), then came alive offensively. 12 points over the final 12 minutes, helping L.A. take back the lead after momentarily losing it.</p>

But as the box will show, Kobe wasn't the only story for L.A. Three Lakers had 20+ points (Kobe, Vlad, Fisher), L.O. had 17/7/4, and Andrew Bynum, while he was kept quiet offensively, contributed with some massive defensive plays down the stretch. This, no doubt, was a true team win.</p>
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Less exciting, at least to Phil Jackson, is the new league rule that will for some nationally televised games have coaches wearing microphones and allow cameras into the locker room just before tip time. PJ doesn't like the Orwellian intrusion into the inner sanctum, it seems. Plus, he has to watch his language.</p>

Jackson, never afraid to take a little jab here and there at a player, took a jab here and there at a player.</p>

Jason Kidd wasn't around for New Jersey's loss Wednesday night to the Knicks, ostensibly because of migraine headaches. That, though, might simply have been a smokescreen in what was really a trade-me-or-extend-me protest. A strike, if you will. One in which he was clearly trying to send a message (Perhaps, "Send me to Cleveland."). Of course, whenever "Kidd" and "trade" are mentioned in the same sentence, the Lakers come up, too. But if he wouldn't do it last year, given Andrew Bynum's improvement this season, there's no way Mitch Kupchak will send him to Jersey now.</p>

Those of you who don't like John Hollinger might change your mind after reading this. Excellent news for the Lakers. Why even play the last sixty+ games?</p>

In case this feature created any confusion, perhaps it's time to clear it up. Andrew Bynum is not better than Kobe Bryant.</p>

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Source: LA Times Blog</p>

Great point about the balanced scoring last night. I don't expect Radman to drop 20 points every night, but I also don't expect Bynum to only go 1-1 from the field in 20+ minutes.</p>

I also prefer Mihm in the starting lineup to allow Bynum to run with the 2nd unit. The bench is a lot more potent when Bynum is on the floor with them. The second unit is built around having a post scorer and when Bynum wasn't on the floor with them they looked lost and blew several double digit leads in short time span.</p>

The first unit doesn't rely on Bynum at all, because Kobe can do all the scoring if necessary. The veterans on the 1st unit can improvise a lot better and don't rely on a post presence to create space or get shots off.</p>

I hope the Lakers keep these rotations and then replace Mihm with Kwame when he returns.</p>
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KobeTheLegend)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>

Any word on when Kwame will be back? And where has Turiaf been?</p>

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Kwame is out indefinitely, I'd estimate another week?</p>

Turiaf has been out with a concussion courtesy of Dwight Howard.</p>

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