LA Times: Luke was unaware of the clock

[Squirrel Boy]

LA Times Blog: Walton looked somewhere between dazed and shell shocked while talking to the media, beyond pissed at himself for not recognizing how little time was left on the clock when passing off that final shot. "I was hoping to get the shot off. I kind of fumbled the ball a little bit. I wasn't aware that the clock was as low as it was. As soon as I passed the ball to Kob, I knew that was a mistake. Unfortunately, it cost us pretty big." Walton also mentioned LeBron closing in fast as another reason for the reactiom, but hardly treated it as a valid catalyst. "In hindsight, I should have definitely just caught it and put something up. At least give us a chance."

No argument from his coach. Asked if Walton needed to take that shot, Phil immediately responded, "(he) has to. He's the open guy." Even while reminding that the game itself wasn't lost on that play (they'd blown a 9-point lead, Zydrunas Illgauskas getting four quick points after his missed and-one freebie went unsecured, leading to him getting another bucket, Kobe getting a late charge, weird sequences, etc.), but he definitely didn't offer much in the way of excuses for Big Red's son. Simply put, it was a shot Walton should have taken and he was very surprised when it failed to go.

The gaffe serves as a metaphor for the struggles Walton is enduring of late, a period where it's just not coming together. For example, today's game saw a Luke cobble together a nothing first half (1-5 shooting, two assists that came very early), only to redeem himself with a very good post halftime showing. 7 points, 3 dimes, 3 steals and a couple of terrific defensive plays. But that mental error basically overshadowed any progress in a lot of ways, adding to a list of games where Walton didn't give enough over the course of 48 minutes.

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblo ... .html#more

Well, to those who thought he had a high basketball IQ think again. I got pissed when he did that and solidified my hatred on him.

[Tommy Trojan]

WOW how could you know know the clock??? You just came out of a freaking time out

[dockingsched]

i don't think he meant he didn't know clock after the timeout. i'm pretty sure he meant he didn't realize the 9 seconds had all but expired by the time he got the ball.

[Dexmor]

He is sopposed to be super high bball IQ man also. I think he just greatly benefits from the triangle and being overused.
What scared me in that game was Kobe was stopped 2x by Lebron. I know Kobe is better then LJ and Kobe can't stop Lebron but Lebron shouldn't be able to stop Kobe. I know it was only 2 plays but he forced him into a fadeaway when he wanted to drive, the 3 didn't really bother me in that aspect but what did bother me is Farmar wasn't the second option to take the 3. Bad coaching, Farmar is our best 3 point shooter bottom line and when you need a 3 you go to your best or at least have him out on the court.

[garcia3]

man, i was like WTF when he didn't take the shot. Oh well, just a costly mistake.

Good game by both teams though, they had better luck than us.

[milesfides]

Either:

1. Walton was unfamiliar with crunch-time dynamics - very few have the internal clock that Kobe does (Kobe almost never makes a shot clock error)

2. Walton didn't have the confidence to take the shot

From what I saw yesterday, I think it was number 2. But Walton, like any other NBA player, wouldn't admit that fear. I think it would be highly unlikely that anybody could forget the clock - there was only 9 seconds left in the game and the Lakers took a timeout to set up a play.

In that high pressure situation, it was fight or flight, and Walton ran away.

I wouldn't bury him because of it. After all, there are only four guys who want to take that last second shot: Kobe, Fisher, Sasha, and Farmar.

Unfortunately, none of them got to shoot it.

[Air Bryant]

man, i was like WTF when he didn't take the shot. Oh well, just a costly mistake.

Good game by both teams though, they had better luck than us.

The sad thing is that it keeps happening and happening for the Cavs team...we're always on the wrong side of this "luck thing "and it seems like we always lose just by bit when playing against Cavs... Kobe must be pissed, just one more thing the media can use for "Lebron better than Kobe" thing. Unfortunately we didn't use Varejao's injury and Ilgauskas fouling out to our advantage. We never do, it seems.

[lakeshow248]

For me the game was decided on Cleveland's abilty to trap kobe better than the Lakers just single covering Lebron. For instance Kobe went to the base line and he had no where to go because of the clock and the pending smothering of him... Lebron was starting from the middle of the floor which gave him better opitions he could pass if they double one way or the other where as Kobe only had a pass to his left....

And when you got Kwame and his IQ guarding Z and when lebron gets doubled and passes to Z Kwame acts like he didnt' expect it like come on...the player wide open closest to the basket... it shouldn't be that hard to figure out... I don't think this game is close if Bynum plays in my opinion.....Lakers' get that 9 point lead and add to it....Kobe played great one of his best games all year.....

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

man, i was like WTF when he didn't take the shot. Oh well, just a costly mistake.

Good game by both teams though, they had better luck than us.

Better Luck= More calls

When they didnt get a shot if i just let out a big curse word and walked away. Id rather them shoot an air ball then not even get a shot off. Talk about frustrating. Phil should of drew up a way better way to get off a 3 point shot. What the hell was that?

[Squirrel Boy]

Luke sucks guys. Period.

This situation showed y'all why. It's not an excuse to say "I was unaware of the clock" when the team took a time out prior to that to set up the shot, and he supposedly has a "high basketball IQ". I dont wanna hear that crap again. Hes been sucking all season long.

[lakerlifer]

In all fairness to Luke WTF is Phil doing with him in the game at that point?

We have 9 seconds and nothing but a 3 will do...we should have a 3 point shooter at every spot on the floor:

Fisher
Farmar
Sasha
Kobe
Vlad Rad

With 9 seconds and down by 3 why would you not put those guys on the floor so that whoever is open when they double Kobe has a decent chance at hitting a 3.

Luke has struggled shooting as of late..Phil should know darn well he would not be very confident in that situation. IMHO

[8'sReverse]

Pass it up as the clock expires or shoot it as the clock expires... I'd choose the latter. Easy for me to say? Probably.

But I'll bet if Walton had shot it, we'd be talking about the coach's play instead of Walton missing it.

[shobe_81]

I think Luke should keep a clock in his head, by that I mean count the seconds down while you have the ball.

Or atleast that is what Kobe does, in closing seconds he has a separate clock in his mind and knows when to make the play. That also could be a reason why players might not pass the ball because they are concentrating on their own clock and when to shoot the ball.

[diturral]

luke sucks

[islander009]

Okay I really disliked PJ's call in the final minutes. cavs already knew that Kobe wanted the final shot, so the doubled him. The mistake was that we didnt throw out a couple more shooters in that final minute, so that the cavs had to worry about fish, farmar, sasha, hell even vlad. i feel that luke froze up with all that pressure because he is not one to just chuck up a three off the dribble.

[Tommy Trojan]

I think that loss should be blamed on Phil. Was that the only freaking play he can draw up??

[tnayrbrocks]

He is sopposed to be super high bball IQ man also. I think he just greatly benefits from the triangle and being overused.
What scared me in that game was Kobe was stopped 2x by Lebron. I know Kobe is better then LJ and Kobe can't stop Lebron but Lebron shouldn't be able to stop Kobe. I know it was only 2 plays but he forced him into a fadeaway when he wanted to drive, the 3 didn't really bother me in that aspect but what did bother me is Farmar wasn't the second option to take the 3. Bad coaching, Farmar is our best 3 point shooter bottom line and when you need a 3 you go to your best or at least have him out on the court.

People saying this has driven me crazy all day..WHEN DID LEBRON GUARD KOBE? if anything all i saw lebron do was help Hughes trap Kobe. did i see this wrong? If i am wrong please, let me know.

[semi-sentient]

If Kobe hadn't choked down the stretch none of this would have mattered.

[semi-sentient]

People saying this has driven me crazy all day..WHEN DID LEBRON GUARD KOBE? if anything all i saw lebron do was help Hughes trap Kobe. did i see this wrong? If i am wrong please, let me know.

LeBron guarded Kobe late in the game and his defense was excellent, to say the least. The passing of the torch is getting very close, if not already overdue.

[incontrol__]

Ehh.. Lebron's defense was very good, but he was very, very, very well backed up by the rest of his team.

Kobe on the other hand barely got any help when he was guarding Lebron.