Adjustments for Game 6

[MAMBAEMD]

This is a critical issue that I've been thinking about constantly since the end of Game 5.
It may need to be merged with a Game Thread. I'm sorry if I'm jumping the gun.

It is obvious to me that if we go into Game 6 with the same defensive game plan as Game 5, we'll be done.

What defensive (or offensive) adjustments should the Lakers coaching staff be thinking about implementing?
It is kind of late to be doing anything too complicated but they have to do something.

I think they have to take the ball out of Pierce's hands, probably by double teaming him. Once he has the ball at the top of the key or even near mid court, he and KG just play the pick and roll game with the other 3 players moving around into open spots. They just spread the floor wider and wider disrupting the Lakers defensive flow (not too good to begin with). That's how guys like House, Allen, and Posey get those open looks.

Obviously our rotations have been weak as well.

Other suggestions?

[Squirrel Boy]

I completely agree.

Another main part of the Celtics' success against us is Pierce.

He is the team. He is the only person on the team with the ability to slash and dash. If we shut him down, the Celtics are done.

Ray Allen and KG are good because of Pierce's penetration. Ray can't do that. He's just an overpriced bona fide long range shooter that is on the wrong side of 30 now.

[That Nicka]

Keep making KG a jumpshooter... We have played excellent defense on him the entire series.. He is only shooting 40%

Less pt for Radman. More for Ariza and Luke... And I still think we should try Odom on Pierce at times

Farmar/Fisher backcourt seemed to work pretty well down the strech.

If Perkins doesnt play again then we will have a mismatch in the post with whoever KG is not guarding... Whether is PJ Brown or Leon Powe, Pau and Lamar can abuse either one of those guys... Also keep attacking the basket if Perkins is out because KG cant be a roamer and if we attack him he can get into foul trouble

Thats all I got

[lakeshow248]

Some good points that seem obivious to many fans. For me it starts when Kobe sits for the first time, they put in a team of Farmar, Sasha, Mihm, Odom and Luke I think it was last night and me for one I wasn't impressed. Farmar of the 5 in the only one that can get his own shot IMO. I think Gasol or Kobe has to be on the floor at all times. If kobe is in he is creating shots and room for all his teammates especially Odom and Vlad. For me I like the running of the offensive thing as much as anyone but the way the Celtics play in your face D, the Lakers have to be more assertive and get into offense faster. One way of doing that, when kobe is sitting, is going to Gasol right away on the block--he only took ten shots last game and made seven. Pau has to be more selfish and just take it too the rim--good things will happen and have when he goes strong.

On the defensive side of course Pierce has to be doubled, you can't give Luke or Vlad the one-on-one assignment to guard him period. The funny thing is they crowd him to his chest and he beats them easliy and the rotation is horrible each time--to the tune of 19 free throw attempts last game. They have to double hard make him give it up and just run different looks. For me that is only way Vlad or Luke has a chance. I think you double 50 percent or more and rest of time play off him a bit make him take some long jumpers, if he is hot w/ the jumper then you just double hard, make him give it up. Ariza has lateral quickness to stay in front of Pierce I think but he has too play off him not in his chest, when any of the players guarding Pierce get that close he just pushes them off and blows by, Ariza if he played off him and let him shoot then you would elimante half his fts.

Even when kobe is on Pierce and they go pick and roll w/ KG I think someone got to step in and take a charge on Pierce like come on guys one time--they ran pick and roll or Pierce iso w/ luke and vlad what 15 times and no one took charge one time please God--step in their.

Other things that I did like from game 5 was D Fish putting in on the floor and getting to the rim, I thought he played smart. Gasol and Odom were both strong due to attention on Kobe. I just think Pau has to get more than 10 shots and that he has to just go one-on-one just put pressure on--with high percentage back dwn from 6 feet and in. Like I remember the Shaq days and Phil would just say toss it into him and let him work. I know Pau is no where near Shaq but I just wish when kobe is out that Phil would toss it into Pau like 4 possesions in a row and he go strong or if double came it would open something else up.

Something else that I thought was a nice adjustment was putting Fish and Farmar out together gave them another threat of going off the dribble unlike Sasha who just takes jumpers. Of course they have to match up w/ a small lineup w/ Fish guarding Allen and Farmar guarding House or Rondo but it worked.

In order to do all this is gonna have to come from the coaches and what they tell the players to do. Some one got to take charge on pick and roll, they should play off Pierce and dbl him just different looks--Pierce is in rythum and Lakers don't do anything to change that, unlike Kobe who gets tons of different looks on every possesion.

I wont mind seeing Newble on Pierce for a bit a differnt look w/ the same type frame as Paul and a guy who wouldn't mind hitting Pierce w/ a hard foul of which I dont' think I've seen one on him all series and he has been at the line what 50 times.

Most of all I think Pau, Kobe, Fish, Odom and Farmar have to get near the same amount of fts that Boston gets and they have to make them of course. And that comes w/ Pau posting more one on one hard moves, Kobe maybe coming of baseline screens, making the Defence work not just Kobe handling ball in the middle, Fish doing what he did last game just going to hole and protecting the ball--the fouls will come cause Boston loves to challange everything, and Farmar same thing just go str8 dwn the middle.

[milesfides]

On offense:

Run some plays. Wasn't the last game a bit painful to watch?

Kobe can't get to the basket with 5 guys intent on stopping him. The triangle offense will succeed only as much as the outside shooters hit their shots, which is too inconsistent to rely upon. We need to force action towards the post as much as possible, and we need to get Kobe free with some screens, just as Pierce and Allen do.

Run more high pick and rolls with Kobe and Gasol. The slip screens (Kobe to Gasol) worked well early in the series, I'm not sure why they don't do it anymore. If Pau's defender stays true to Pau, then Kobe can drive.

Instead, they keep running this play, albeit fairly successfully: Kobe passes to Pau in the high post; Pau immediately passes to Odom, who dives into the post for the high percentage shot.

But the Lakers don't mix it up. If one thing goes well in one game, they keep doing that one play for the rest of the game. That's pretty stupid, since the Celtics will eventually adjust. We need to constantly mix it up.


Defense:

Guard the high pick and roll. Damn. Pau, do NOT jump out on the screen. Pierce will simply cross over and drive to the basket. Sag, take away the drive, and if Paul Pierce takes that pull up jumper, he takes it. If he makes it, tip your hat. If he makes it again, then adjust. But giving Pierce an open lane is just stupid.

Kobe must stay out of foul trouble. He has the most responsibility defensively. He must be a rover on defense when Rondo's in the game. He's the designated help man, but when Pierce has it going, he must stop Pierce. He has to shift gears very quickly and effectively.

Radmanovic must take some responsibility on defense. If he doesn't, we must take him out. This is the Finals. Phil must have him on a short leash. This might be the biggest and most significant adjustment - remove Radmanovic and replace him with Sasha or Ariza.

*One possible change-up might be to put Ariza not on Pierce, but on Rondo, and have Ariza be the help defender. Ariza is better in the passing lanes, and his length helps him as a help defender. He can't stay in front of Pierce anyways, and he's not a defensive stopper, despite what some people have made him out to be. On offense, Ariza actually has made perimeter shots, so what's the downside?

Thus, Odom continues to battle Perkins or PJ Brown, Pau tries to prevent KG from getting post action, Kobe prevents Pierce from waltzing to a billion points with Radmanovic or Walton guarding him, Fisher chases Ray Allen and challenges his shots, and Ariza cheats off Rondo, doubles KG, helps out on Pierce, etc.

Bench Battle:

When Posey is in the game, do NOT help off him. His man needs to stick on him, period.

Attack House and Cassell on the defensive end. Must exploit their weaknesses.

Farmar must bring it. Bring the energy, bring the aggressiveness. This isn't an adjustment from Game 5, but he must continue his play. And then some.

Sasha needs to bounce back from Game 4 and 5. Can't shoot 1-9 or 2-10 in the Finals. He's GOT to show some mental toughness and hit some freaking shots. He must break out of his slump big-time, because he was a big factor in helping us win, and was a big factor in helping us lose. He's got to be on the plus side - he shoots the ball enough times where it significantly impacts our win/loss.

Turiaf - where the hell are you buddy? A big man off our bench MUST contribute some game, and it's already Game 6. We need his energy in the worst way.

Coaching:

Doc Rivers has quietly impressed me with his in-game adjustments. Using Leon Powe as a wrecking ball as we didn't put a body on him. Trusting in Eddie House to hit that big shot in Game 4. Milking the high pick and roll. Punishing Radmanovic and Walton by putting the ball in Pierce's hands and surrounding him with shooters.

Phil Jackson has been uneven. Having Kobe on Rondo was an excellent move. Mihm was a nice though but terribly managed; Phil left him out to dry, and our lead dissipated. He needs to counteract Rivers' moves better, quicker, and have his guys prepared. Van Gundy couldn't help but gleefully point out how the Lakers' players made the same defensive mistakes over and over. Having the ball in Kobe's hands and no movement in the last few games is a bailout. He needs to set up plays to create easier shots, for both Kobe and his teammates. It's inexcusable for Phil to simply rely on his offense and his star player with such few adjustments.

Anyways, hopefully we do see some adjustments tomorrow, because one or two adjustments could win the game.

[MAMBAEMD]

^Great points.
I hope the Lakers are listening to you guys.

Another issue was that we had a lot of stupid fouls putting them at the line early and often. They were shooting in the penalty with 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Cut down on the dumb fouls, guys. You're giving them freebees.

[Erik Eleven]

OFFENSE:
Set up Kobe and Pau for that high pick and roll on the weakside, set up the triangle strong side with Odom posting up KG in the paint. Besides that, off the ball movement must increase and happen at a much higher pace. No more standing still, please.

DEFENSE:
Like miles said, let Ariza roam in the role that Kobe has had so Kobe can attach himself to Rondo, forcing their playmaking to halt. I really hope he finally gives Ariza some minutes. He should get half of Radman's minutes, in my opinion.

COACHING:
So far, Phil has adjusted to Doc. Doc has been the aggressor, Phil the punching bag. Let's turn that around in this game. Running the Kobe-Pow pick and roll on the weak side will force them to spread their offense. That'll give Odom and Pau some room to operate in the paint. What else can you do to force Doc to react to you, Phil (not vice versa)? Do it!

MENTAL ASPECT:
The Lakers still haven't been sharp for 48 minutes in any of these games, but they need to if they want to win this game. Judging by interviews I've seen with PP and Doc, the Celtics think the trophy is theirs already. KG doesn't, but they do. Exploit that weakness. Forcing a game seven would definitely plant some doubt and maybe even some internal bickering.

BENCH:
Our bench need to play like they do at home, probably even better. That's a tall order. They need to outplay the Celtics bench on the road for us to win this game. So far, they haven't been able to play like grown up men on the road. Let's see them Balzacs drop. Stop being such kids. It's the Finals. You're in it. Make your mark!

FUNDAMENTALS:
Take care of the fundamentals — lose balls, rebounds, free throws, boxing out, rotating, not doubling on Rondo (Pau), using the full shot clock swinging the ball around, creating passing lanes, spacing. If they can execute the fundamentals better than the Cs, this could be a win.

[creepystan]

Everyone has covered this pretty well, so I'll keep it short. Pressure the ball full court when Rondo is on the bench. Whether it's House/Cassell/Allen none has the quickness or handle like Rondo.
More Ariza and Farmar (penetrating to the rim) and more Farmar/Fisher backcourt pairings.
/less Vlad
//no Luke
///limit Sasha (fouls too much under duress) unless the 3-ball is dropping.

[hermes]

if perkins doesn't go, then gasol and odom need to be active early down low and get KG into foul trouble, try to shut down allen and do what we can on pierce

and try to avoid having one of the role players having a big game

[Kilroy]

Our D has obviously got to improve...

But I see a lot of people suggesting that it's the coaching staff that needs to adjust... I think it falls on the players for this series...

Phil's sub patterns are wierd because he's trying to find a working combination out there. He's tried just about every back-court combination available to him at one time or another. The players just aren't getting it done.

Brian Shaw, Tex Winter, Kurt Rambis, and even Phil all preach defense, it just seems like the players we have aren't suited to playing it. Odom, Gasol, and Radman aren't known as being terribly effective on D. I even think Fisher has been playing above his head on D so far.

Right now, the single biggest adjustment we need to make has to do with learning how to be the most aggressive team the Celtics have ever faced. We need to realize we are a lazy pass away from elimination and start playing like it. We need to fight for every loose ball. We need to attack the basket on every posetion and we need to contest every drive... Not just every shot... Every time a player makes a move with or without the ball, we need to have a body on them. And that body has got to be all fists, elboes, and knees.

It's been proven by various teams in these playoffs that Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG can be taken out of their game if they are man-handled. It's time to match their intensity, Posey's willingness to put his body on the line, and lay hands on us.

It's time for the Lakers to realise that they are a wounded and cornered Wolverine... And start playing like it.