Wow... I was so scared when I saw the score early on, but Bynum and Odom came up huge, well, here's to being undefeated! heh.
I have no words to describe the feeling I have tonight. WHAT A GAME!!!!!!!! Bynum owned in the paint. Odom killed the entire team. I loved it. Now the only question is...Can we stay consistent? Odom definitley can not give in once Kobe comes back. And if Bynum continues to play like he did I dont see why he won't stay a starter. GO LAKERS!!!!
Whoa, great game. Odom, Bynum and Evans played really well. As Mook (I'll call you Mook) said, we had a lot of assists tonight. I just hope that when Kobe comes back, he doesn't change that.
And yet another TO, as Diaw gets the offensive foul, negating the Barbosa trey. Odom about to go to the line, but these are throwaway free throws. Makes em just for good measure though, adding to his statline. James Jones hits the trey to end the game. Now, my thoughts on the game: Wow, talk about a hell of a game for the Lakers. Bynum was an absolute stud for the Lakers tonight. 18/9/5 tonight I believe. The thing that sticks out the most are the 5 assists, as he made some really nice passes tonight. To say the least, he impressed me, and made me happy I picked him up in fantasy bball. Odom was flat out amazing. 34/13/6 tonight for Odom. He impressed me beyond any belief tonight. He showed everything off tonight. An inside outside game, rebounding, passing, everything. He dominated every facet of the game tonight. The only negative on his statline is the five TOs, but even then, he was so spectacular in everything else, it doesn't really matter. If he can play at this level (not necessarily 34/13/6 every night, but just consistency) all season, the Lakers are going to be a dangerous team. We just knocked off one of the elites in the West without Kobe, so imagine what things will be like when he's back. There were quite a few things that killed the Suns tonight. Firstly, points in the paint. The Lakers dominated that stat, killling them there by outscoring them 66-34. Walton, Odom, Bynum, everybody was getting what they wanted down there. The Suns couldn't stop anyone in the paint, and I think they're going to have that issue all season, regardless as to whether or not Stat is healthy. Next up was rebounding, something the Lakers again dominated in, outrebounding Phoenix 43-29. Odom and Bynum were each monsters on the boards, grabbing 13 and 9 respectively. Lastly, TOs hurt them about as much as anything else. 21 TOs for the Suns tonight that led to 25 fastbreak points, which was another category the Lakers beat them in. In general, there wasn't a category the Lakers didn't dominate in outside of FT% and 3PTs. They were all over the place tonight. They disrupted the passing lanes, getting 11 steals leading to all those FB points. They dominated the boards on both ends, grabbing 43 total, including 12 on the offensive end. They pounded the ball in the paint all night, something they needed to do to win, and they succeeded at it. The Suns had no answer for anyone in the paint tonight. All in all, I'm more than satisfied with this win. The Lakers showed they're capable of winning without Kobe and Odom showed me he can be a leader, at least for tonight. He dominated every facet of the game, as stated earlier. The Lakers were also rather good on defense after the first quarter. They only gave up 65 points after the first, which is only 22 per. Again, very happy with this win. Great way to start the season, and to do it without Kobe.
Nice recap Moo! Great night for your Bulls as well. My voice is gone after tonight's game. 1st Half I was cursing away, 2nd Half I was cheering the Lakers on after a 20 point comeback. A few other unsung heros tonight were Mo Evans Luke Walton. Once Mo came into the game, the defensive intensity picked up, and Mo was working hard on the offensive glass. He created a lot of second chance opportunities for the Lakers. Mo also caused havoc in the paint with aggressive back door cuts, and slashing down the middle when the Suns double teamed Bynum or Odom. Luke was as animal tonight in the post. He sealed off his defender and converted point blank baskets. The Suns had no answer for him defensively and Luke took his time to get off clean looks with those up and under shots. Lakers outrebounded the Suns 43-29 and we actually beat Phoenix in the assist to turnover ratio. Lakers 30 assists v. Phoenix 29, and Lakers 20 turnovers v. Phoenix 21. I'm so proud of Lamar Odom stepping into the leadership role tonight without Kobe out there. He made some timely 3 point baskets and took advantage of mismatches created by the Lakers ball movement. He must have juked Kurt Thomas at least 8 times tonight alone. Bynum was the inside force the Lakers needed to even have a chance in this game. I cannot believe how confident he was out there and the repitoire of offensive moves he showcased tonight. Left hand hook, right hand hook, 10 foot jumpshot, up and under reverse with the left. If he continues this type of production it's going to be tough for Kwame to win his job back.
I'm also gonna throw a little more out there. I was impressed by Farmar in the minimal time he spent on the court. He got a few nice layups, including two insanely difficult ones. The only gripe I have about his play was that stupid TO of his near the end. Rookie or not, you should always check the shot clock out of TOs. He didn't do it and cost his team the ball. Guarantee Phil (or Kurt, whoever is taking over practice tomorrow) will be all over him for that. For some reason, I don't think it's going to be happening again. Also, as Shape said Mo and Luke were studs tonight. I fully expect Evans to be starting in the next game, with Sasha being delegated to a bench role. Radman also didn't look too horrible. He found his stroke on a couple shots there in the 4th and wasn't forcing anything. He knew his shot wasn't there so just chose his spots to shoot. I think, once that wrist gets fully healed, we'll see the Vlade Radman that we shelled out the dough for. Even then though, with Luke playing the way he's been playing, it could be hard for him to get the starting job. Luke has been great so far and was phenomenal tonight. Beyond that, Phil loves him. He's probably the best passer on this team and has a knack for finding people. If he keeps shootin the ball well and attacking, he could keep that starting job.
I thought this game was iffy before it started given the circumstances, and it seemed doomed after the first period. But man they looked damn good. Great win, great performance from Bynum and Odom.
this is fantastic for the team to win, witout kobe, against the team that sent them out of the playoffs and seeing what bynum can do, im so happy man
<font size=""5"">HIGH 5 LAKER FANS!!!!</font> Wow...It got to a point where I was yelling, "just give the ball to Bynum!" my lord it was fun to watch everyone playing so well. The passing was great, the defense in the 2nd half was great, and Lamar Odom is...amazing. He has stepped into a leadership role. I was rooting for him mainly because of what he had gone through during the summer and I thought a good game from him would make me happy and him happy. I'm glad he played as well as he did. I liked Kobe on the bench talking to players, emcouraging them, helping them out. He is growing as a captain and teammate. I LOVE IT!
GREAT GAME to begin with! Bynum showed why we picked him. I was never impress with Bynum...up....until now. The guy is for REAL. He has a lot of potential to be the next great big man. The only thing I worry about Bynum is his condition. If he keeps up his work ethic, trying to improve game, there is no reason he wouldn't be a superstar someday. Lamar Odom was great tonight. It was to be expected from Odom after hearing Kobe was out for tonight. And Mo Evans, WOW, he is a STEAL. Is Joe Dumar on crack or is Mitch really a humble genius? A perfect fit for the Lakers.
Offensively, Bynum is already 3X's the player Kwame is ... that says a lot about the kid, and that says a lot about Kwame's skills. The lakers play another small ball team tomorrow but the real test for Bynum is when he starts playing against bigs his size... good win by the lakers
High Five Laker Fans!! As long as Odom can play with that intensity, we'll be a hard team to beat. I can only imagine how deadly we can be once Kobe, Brown,and Mihm get healthy. We'll have an awesome bench and great starting five.....
I admit I fell asleep half-way through the fourth quarter. lol. I guess I was too tired. But anyways, what a great night of basketball. First, the Bulls blow out Miami and Fat O'neal, then, the Lakers make a comeback win against Raja Bell and the Suns. *cheers*
charles barkley put it well when he said Lamar Odom is to good a player to only have a career high of 34 points. I hope Odom flourishes this season.
<font size=""4"">Postgame Analysis</font> courtesy of our friends at LG.net <div class="quote_poster">Quoting DancingBarry@LG:</div><div class="quote_post">Lights Out... Roll the film. The Lakers opened the season on the ropes, down by 19 points early and with Kobe watching from behind the bench. They played big, they played small, and they killed the Suns in the paint. Led by Lamar Odom, dropping a huge career-high 34-point, 13-board game, and Andrew Bynum owning the post with 18 points and 9 boards, they pounded the Suns in a 114-106 victory. Both LO and Drew collapsed the D time and time again. After a soft defensive first quarter, giving up 41 points, they buckled down. Maurice Evans and Jordan Farmar played some nice hustle minutes off the bench. The Lakers scored 66 points in the paint to the Suns 34. They also outscored the Suns on the break 25-20. The Lakers will have to keep their energy high for tomorrow's game against the Warriors. Both Kobe and Phil will not be available. Bynum is listed day to day now with a sprained right foot. Great... He looked decent enough after the incident. "I was kind of nervous a little bit out there in the beginning," Bynum said in the Press Enterprise, "but I kind settled in, realized that we played this team before and that I could be a beast down on the blocks because I've got a big size advantage against this team." </div> Read more: Player analysis <div class="quote_poster">Quoting PopcornMachine@LG:</div><div class="quote_post">A 29-9 1st quarter Suns run had the Lakers down by 19. But after 41 points on 77% shooting in the opening period, the Suns were held to 65 on 42% in the next three. The Lakers chipped the lead to 5 by the half, and used a 13-0 stretch in the 3rd to grab the lead and kept it. </div> Awesome GameFlow by PopcornMachine
