<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>BOSTON - The Lakers have been a so-so defensive team all year. In the eyes of Kobe Bryant, that's just not going to cut it if the Lakers have aspirations of winning an NBA championship. Boston was the top defensive team league in the NBA during the regular season, allowing the second least amount of points (90.2), holding teams to the lowest field goal percentage (.419). The Lakers saw just how tough Boston's defense was in winning the NBA championship. "I think that if we're going to learn anything from this series is that we can't expect to win a championship focusing on the offensive end," Bryant said. "We have to be able to hold people down as well. We're pretty good at it, but I think we can be much better." Coach Phil Jackson said, "We have to get some players if we're going to come back and repeat, to have that kind of aggressiveness that we need."</div> Source: PE Enterprise
Well is Phil Jackson even going to practice defense? I remember Robert Horry saying a while back that the Lakers never even worked on defense in practices. All they did was triangle triangle triangle.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brian @ Jun 18 2008, 10:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well is Phil Jackson even going to practice defense? I remember Robert Horry saying a while back that the Lakers never even worked on defense in practices. All they did was triangle triangle triangle.</div> It's not a revelation that PJax doesn't put an emphasis on coaching defense. He also doesn't have much to work with on the current roster. Reggie Miller had the best advice for the two players who can actually make a difference by stepping up defensively. "Lamar Odom needs to spend an entire off season with Scottie Pippen watching game film and working on defensive technique." "Pau Gasol needs to spend 23 hours a day in the gym lifting weights." Defense is mostly about effort and you don't see any consistent effort from a majority of our players from quarter to quarter, let alone game to game. Our players refuse to position themselves to take a charge and always go for a weak shot block attempt or concede an uncontested layup when they get beat off the dribble. It's really pathetic to watch.
Why don't we just go out and hire a defensive coach, like Boston did this season? Get James Worthy or Michael Cooper. Maybe even Rick Fox?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hang Eleven @ Jun 19 2008, 02:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Seemed to me that the scheme of having Bryant lay off Rondo was rather brilliant, actually...</div> Idk about that. It might have been a better idea to put the best defensive player on the Lakers, Kobe, on the best offensive player on the Celtics, Peirce.
Well Phil Jackson tends to try to put Kobe on guys like that, whether Kobe guards Rondo, Bowen, or Brewer, guys that are lessed involved in the offense. Putting him on Pierce would not allow Kobe to put all his energy into offense.
Lakers are fine. Next year we will have Bynum back. No matter how good he is, he will be a huge addition just based on his size and length. I know people keep saying that we lost to Celtics with Bynum and now with Pau, but I am sure it will change with Bynum and Pau together. Can't wait till next year. I think Ariza will get more PT if he improves his jumper. I would not change a thing over the summer. Celtics still suck!
