I liked what I saw for the most part today. We played with a lot of energy most of the game however, I didn't like the fact that we had issues closing them out. That's one thing we still need to work on if we're going to get to that elite level. All the great teams in the NBA know how to close a team out, and we're still working on that. Lamar, first and foremost, was amazing. Ever since Gasol came over, he's been playing his best basketball. He's been consistent and efficient in his performances, and his performance tonight really helped with Gasol having a bit of an off game. Speaking of Pau, you can tell he's still working on the tri. He has been very good for us, but inconsistent. He's gone for what, 24, 12, 30 and now 13 today? In general, he had an ok performance, but he's going to have to find some consistency soon. Regardless of that, his presence is felt even if he's not having a good game because of all the attention he demands in the post. Both Kobe and Lamar are playing very good and efficient since he came here, so even if he's not filling the stat line, he's still serving a purpose for us. The last thing that's worth mentioning here for me was our bench. Vujacic, for the most part, was very good again today. He got off to a hot start and really sparked us in the 2nd. However, I have 2 issues with his game today. First and foremost, he kept chucking it when he was cold. I'm ok with him launching at will when it's going, but after a 4/4 start, he went 1/6 after that. Secondly, stop launch two pointers that are a foot inside the arc. Step outside or come further in. There's no point in launching a two pointer that long. Farmar was also somewhat productive, although he had the Vujacic issue. He was forcing it when his shot was clearly not there. I was also pleased with Luke as he was able to hit it from the outside today and score 9pts, all of treys. In general, it was a solid win for us today. As I stated, the main thing we lacked today was that killer instinct. We didn't kick them while they were down, we actually lent them a helping hand in getting back up and into the game. If we're going to find a way to the Finals, we have to start closing teams out, especially ones that are 9-40.
