Game 63: Los Angeles Clippers (43-19) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (48-13) - 3:30 PM ET

[TheNewEra]

The Morris game was just strange but I would have at least kept Bev OR Reggie in instead of Lou. Lou is NOT a PG and he literally loses the limited stamina he has being forced to play out of position. So head scratching.

Onto the next game. But the Lakers series will be a dogfight.

We became discombobulated in the 2nd half--actually worse in the 3rd quarter [minus-8] than the 4th, which we lost by 5. But Bev was not the answer--he had a BAD game and was most responsible for slowing the pace on us as the PG. You could have put Reggie in, but that's TWO new guys in at once in crunchtime, and I don't think that's such a great idea, especially since we were still hanging on by our fingernails in what was a 7-point game throughout the 4th.

Doc went with Morris in the 4th, and this WAS the time to experiment. We've got to see what he's got and where he fits in. Introducing another variable in Reggie, I dunno. When you lose, it's easy to say you should have zagged when you zigged. But Marcus is the guy we're counting on to be a difference-maker, not Reggie.


I'm really hoping Noah can bridge the gap between Zu and Trezz. I don't blame Zu for his minus-9--I think that was more a product of Bev and Marcus's bad games. But Trezz can and does turn things around when things are going south, something Zu just can't do and that's why Trezz is in. I'm hoping Noah can give us 5-10 really great minutes and we can put the 4th quarter center controversy to bed.

Bingo to the bold.

The simple answer was taking out Lou for Bev or Reggie. You could have had Bev AND Reggie since Morris was slumping. LOU IS NOT A POINT GUARD.

Morris will be fine... and if he isn't then someone needs to tell him you get 5 shots max a game and they're all corner 3's.

Noah isn't going to be playing whatsoever unless of injuries. Zu is just not an offensive threat whatsoever but a decent bigman in the post. His best games are those like the Rockets where it's a small ball lineup.


The Lakers are an incredibly tough team to figure out. Do I have hope Doc can?


Ehh, but if we just get Kawhi 30 touches a game in the playoffs we'll be fine. He's the best player in the league.

Harrell can’t stop bleeding of the interior defense that’s the point. You can only take so many charges when teams are constantly going at you because for one you are fatigued and two guys are scrambling on the perimeter.

Look at the link OG15 posted and you can see in the breakdown they are targeting the lane. This was beyond just another lakers thing it’s happen in other games that have been competitive.

You don’t need that many cooks in the kitchen at once and especially when none of them are providing the product enough.

[ClapForClippers]

Lakers fans breakdown of what helps them win:
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2020/3/9/21170900/los-angeles-lakers-vs-clippers-lebron-james-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-defense-adjustment

The basic gist is attack Lou Williams as much as possible because he sucks on defense. No doubt that helped them, but the Clipper shot 40/23 for the game.

Williams, Beverley, Morris and Green combined to shoot 5/28 FG (18%) and 1/12 3PT (8%). That's not likely to be achievable on a consistent basis, while George and Kawhi's shooting/scoring and efficiency production is something that can happen 4-5 times in a series, so that's a positive for LAC.

Losing to the Lakers gets people riled up, but expecting to go undefeated against the #1 seed is not that logical. In a 7 game series are we going to be mad every time we lose to them as if we are supposed to sweep them? I do get it though, both teams fully healthy, people wanted this to be a "statement game", etc, etc, but I promise, it will be okay.

From the review
That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots. The Lakers posted an offensive rating above 125 in that stretch, ballooning to a whopping 144.4 in the final five minutes. They scored 20 points on 16 total possessions, including 13 on their final eight. Those are terrific numbers prorated over a whole game, but they’re even better in a tight, half-court slugfest when scoring is supposed to be challenging.

Even the lakers fans get it. People trying to fight it that we need Lou in Harrell in there for scoring are missing the drop off because we don’t have the rim protection or stable perimeter defense. If they can target Lou and then glide into the rim uncontested then what the hell is the point of have Kawhi or PG even out there?


It’s not how you lose but the way you lose and the clippers still haven’t shown the ability to adjust

This is a LOU issue not a Montrez issue.

[Yogatti]

which is why I constantly praise Reggie and Morris's defense but ok loser.

SHOW ME THE PLAYS YOU MORON OR YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A

funny I don't see you praising trezz's defense yet you're acting like he's the MVP of the game. And your praising Morris' defense is hilarious since Lebron pretty much did what he wanted when Morris was on him. I thought esqtvd was bad, but you just replaced him as the worst poster on this board

are you stupid? I was talking about MORRIS AND REGGIE IN GENERAL NOT LAST GAME SPECIFICALLY.

The point being if you really think Zubac is a better option whatsoever to Montrez you are a moron. Zu is a role player who at most should get 12-14 minutes (which he does).

you don't know **** about basketball kid. Stop posting lmao

[ClapForClippers]

We became discombobulated in the 2nd half--actually worse in the 3rd quarter [minus-8] than the 4th, which we lost by 5. But Bev was not the answer--he had a BAD game and was most responsible for slowing the pace on us as the PG. You could have put Reggie in, but that's TWO new guys in at once in crunchtime, and I don't think that's such a great idea, especially since we were still hanging on by our fingernails in what was a 7-point game throughout the 4th.

Doc went with Morris in the 4th, and this WAS the time to experiment. We've got to see what he's got and where he fits in. Introducing another variable in Reggie, I dunno. When you lose, it's easy to say you should have zagged when you zigged. But Marcus is the guy we're counting on to be a difference-maker, not Reggie.


I'm really hoping Noah can bridge the gap between Zu and Trezz. I don't blame Zu for his minus-9--I think that was more a product of Bev and Marcus's bad games. But Trezz can and does turn things around when things are going south, something Zu just can't do and that's why Trezz is in. I'm hoping Noah can give us 5-10 really great minutes and we can put the 4th quarter center controversy to bed.

Bingo to the bold.

The simple answer was taking out Lou for Bev or Reggie. You could have had Bev AND Reggie since Morris was slumping. LOU IS NOT A POINT GUARD.

Morris will be fine... and if he isn't then someone needs to tell him you get 5 shots max a game and they're all corner 3's.

Noah isn't going to be playing whatsoever unless of injuries. Zu is just not an offensive threat whatsoever but a decent bigman in the post. His best games are those like the Rockets where it's a small ball lineup.


The Lakers are an incredibly tough team to figure out. Do I have hope Doc can?


Ehh, but if we just get Kawhi 30 touches a game in the playoffs we'll be fine. He's the best player in the league.

Harrell can’t stop bleeding of the interior defense that’s the point. You can only take so many charges when teams are constantly going at you because for one you are fatigued and two guys are scrambling on the perimeter.

Look at the link OG15 posted and you can see in the breakdown they are targeting the lane. This was beyond just another lakers thing it’s happen in other games that have been competitive.

You don’t need that many cooks in the kitchen at once and especially when none of them are providing the product enough.

So your answer is Zu who is a black hole on offense? You realize teams will just double up on Kawhi or PG then constantly leaving a wide open Zu?

I understand people's thinking if the Clippers had a player like Baynes or Gasol on the bench but Zubac is a role player with a limited offensive game. It's like people clamoring for McGruder to take Lou minutes bc Lou isn't playing well defensively.

[ClapForClippers]

funny I don't see you praising trezz's defense yet you're acting like he's the MVP of the game. And your praising Morris' defense is hilarious since Lebron pretty much did what he wanted when Morris was on him. I thought esqtvd was bad, but you just replaced him as the worst poster on this board

are you stupid? I was talking about MORRIS AND REGGIE IN GENERAL NOT LAST GAME SPECIFICALLY.

The point being if you really think Zubac is a better option whatsoever to Montrez you are a moron. Zu is a role player who at most should get 12-14 minutes (which he does).

you don't know **** about basketball kid. Stop posting lmao

And you've never played basketball in your entire life kid. Funny how keyboard nerds think they actually know the game like you pathetic soul

[Yogatti]

The defensive shortcomings of Williams and Harrell will be an issue for the Clippers at any point in the playoffs. They lost control of the game in the third quarter, when Doc Rivers went back to a Williams-Reggie Jackson backcourt with Harrell playing center. Rondo, who had a dismal game up to that point, starting running pick-and-roll with Davis down the Clippers’ throats. They went right at some combination of those three weak Clipper defenders time after time after time.

That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots.

That's what happened in the game, but idiots like you can't figure this out. Why bother show plays when you're too dumb to understand it

[TheNewEra]

Lakers fans breakdown of what helps them win:
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2020/3/9/21170900/los-angeles-lakers-vs-clippers-lebron-james-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-defense-adjustment

The basic gist is attack Lou Williams as much as possible because he sucks on defense. No doubt that helped them, but the Clipper shot 40/23 for the game.

Williams, Beverley, Morris and Green combined to shoot 5/28 FG (18%) and 1/12 3PT (8%). That's not likely to be achievable on a consistent basis, while George and Kawhi's shooting/scoring and efficiency production is something that can happen 4-5 times in a series, so that's a positive for LAC.

Losing to the Lakers gets people riled up, but expecting to go undefeated against the #1 seed is not that logical. In a 7 game series are we going to be mad every time we lose to them as if we are supposed to sweep them? I do get it though, both teams fully healthy, people wanted this to be a "statement game", etc, etc, but I promise, it will be okay.

From the review
That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots. The Lakers posted an offensive rating above 125 in that stretch, ballooning to a whopping 144.4 in the final five minutes. They scored 20 points on 16 total possessions, including 13 on their final eight. Those are terrific numbers prorated over a whole game, but they’re even better in a tight, half-court slugfest when scoring is supposed to be challenging.

Even the lakers fans get it. People trying to fight it that we need Lou in Harrell in there for scoring are missing the drop off because we don’t have the rim protection or stable perimeter defense. If they can target Lou and then glide into the rim uncontested then what the hell is the point of have Kawhi or PG even out there?


It’s not how you lose but the way you lose and the clippers still haven’t shown the ability to adjust

This is a LOU issue not a Montrez issue.

They are targeting Lou and not worried about the last line defense in Trez. Look at the clips they are lining Harrell up knowing they will get by him in the paint or he won’t have the energy to contest layups. Stats in the topic showed teams attack Harrell more in the paint and it was clearly the case with all the layups LAL got off.

You can stop some of the issues swapping in Beverly or Jackson but the issue is playing a player absurd consecutive minutes.

It’s not on Harrell don’t suspect him to ask to come out but the rotations have been foolish

[Yogatti]

are you stupid? I was talking about MORRIS AND REGGIE IN GENERAL NOT LAST GAME SPECIFICALLY.

The point being if you really think Zubac is a better option whatsoever to Montrez you are a moron. Zu is a role player who at most should get 12-14 minutes (which he does).

you don't know **** about basketball kid. Stop posting lmao

And you've never played basketball in your entire life kid. Funny how keyboard nerds think they actually know the game like you pathetic soul

idiot thinks him playing basketball in your little backyard means you're an expert. Hilarious

[ClapForClippers]

you don't know **** about basketball kid. Stop posting lmao

And you've never played basketball in your entire life kid. Funny how keyboard nerds think they actually know the game like you pathetic soul

idiot thinks him playing basketball in your little backyard means you're an expert. Hilarious

I bet you averaged 1.2 pts like Skip Bayless on the JV team

I will be shoving it in your face everytime Montrez makes great plays in the future, sad you can't even root for your own supposed team you fake fan

[ClapForClippers]

The defensive shortcomings of Williams and Harrell will be an issue for the Clippers at any point in the playoffs. They lost control of the game in the third quarter, when Doc Rivers went back to a Williams-Reggie Jackson backcourt with Harrell playing center. Rondo, who had a dismal game up to that point, starting running pick-and-roll with Davis down the Clippers’ throats. They went right at some combination of those three weak Clipper defenders time after time after time.

That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots.

That's what happened in the game, but idiots like you can't figure this out. Why bother show plays when you're too dumb to understand it

LOU WILLIAMS WAS THE ISSUE NOT MONTREZ. WAKE UP YOU BIASED LOSER

[Yogatti]

And you've never played basketball in your entire life kid. Funny how keyboard nerds think they actually know the game like you pathetic soul

idiot thinks him playing basketball in your little backyard means you're an expert. Hilarious

I bet you averaged 1.2 pts like Skip Bayless on the JV team

I will be shoving it in your face everytime Montrez makes great plays in the future, sad you can't even root for your own supposed team you fake fan

oh yeah, those great plays like him missing 4 or 5 freethrows in the 4th quarter or how Lebron and AD attacked the rim cause Harrell sucks on defense.

[TheNewEra]

Bingo to the bold.

The simple answer was taking out Lou for Bev or Reggie. You could have had Bev AND Reggie since Morris was slumping. LOU IS NOT A POINT GUARD.

Morris will be fine... and if he isn't then someone needs to tell him you get 5 shots max a game and they're all corner 3's.

Noah isn't going to be playing whatsoever unless of injuries. Zu is just not an offensive threat whatsoever but a decent bigman in the post. His best games are those like the Rockets where it's a small ball lineup.


The Lakers are an incredibly tough team to figure out. Do I have hope Doc can?


Ehh, but if we just get Kawhi 30 touches a game in the playoffs we'll be fine. He's the best player in the league.

Harrell can’t stop bleeding of the interior defense that’s the point. You can only take so many charges when teams are constantly going at you because for one you are fatigued and two guys are scrambling on the perimeter.

Look at the link OG15 posted and you can see in the breakdown they are targeting the lane. This was beyond just another lakers thing it’s happen in other games that have been competitive.

You don’t need that many cooks in the kitchen at once and especially when none of them are providing the product enough.

So your answer is Zu who is a black hole on offense? You realize teams will just double up on Kawhi or PG then constantly leaving a wide open Zu?

I understand people's thinking if the Clippers had a player like Baynes or Gasol on the bench but Zubac is a role player with a limited offensive game. It's like people clamoring for McGruder to take Lou minutes bc Lou isn't playing well defensively.

Black hole how?

You double one of the superstars it’s usually going to get someone else open. This action should produce ball movement which has been a issue of heavy isolation basketball late in tight games. Don’t have to finish with Zu or Green but you should allow Harrell time to recover if you want to play off his hustle play.

For whatever it’s worth Zu and Harrell ended up with the same offensive rating for the game.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202003080LAC.html

You only have one basketball having Kawhi and PG(only two shots) just be out there won’t work.

[ClapForClippers]

From the review
That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots. The Lakers posted an offensive rating above 125 in that stretch, ballooning to a whopping 144.4 in the final five minutes. They scored 20 points on 16 total possessions, including 13 on their final eight. Those are terrific numbers prorated over a whole game, but they’re even better in a tight, half-court slugfest when scoring is supposed to be challenging.

Even the lakers fans get it. People trying to fight it that we need Lou in Harrell in there for scoring are missing the drop off because we don’t have the rim protection or stable perimeter defense. If they can target Lou and then glide into the rim uncontested then what the hell is the point of have Kawhi or PG even out there?


It’s not how you lose but the way you lose and the clippers still haven’t shown the ability to adjust

This is a LOU issue not a Montrez issue.

They are targeting Lou and not worried about the last line defense in Trez. Look at the clips they are lining Harrell up knowing they will get by him in the paint or he won’t have the energy to contest layups. Stats in the topic showed teams attack Harrell more in the paint and it was clearly the case with all the layups LAL got off.

You can stop some of the issues swapping in Beverly or Jackson but the issue is playing a player absurd consecutive minutes.

It’s not on Harrell don’t suspect him to ask to come out but the rotations have been foolish

I agree the issues showed up the latter half of the game. And agreed it's a stamina issue bc of how many minutes Doc gives Trez.

But the idea that Montrez is a bad defender is ludicrous. For the majority of the games and most, he consistently contests layups and it's only when he is forced to play entire quarters where the issues show up.


The problem is Zu is so horrendous offensively, Doc doesn't trust him yet. So we have no other option. In games where we're leading and able to conserve more energy this won't be an issue.

Again, this is an offensive issue bc if Morris plays even slightly better, the pressure falls back on the Lakers.

People need to look at those Rockets/Nuggets games and find ways to blame Montrez lmao.

[ClapForClippers]

Harrell can’t stop bleeding of the interior defense that’s the point. You can only take so many charges when teams are constantly going at you because for one you are fatigued and two guys are scrambling on the perimeter.

Look at the link OG15 posted and you can see in the breakdown they are targeting the lane. This was beyond just another lakers thing it’s happen in other games that have been competitive.

You don’t need that many cooks in the kitchen at once and especially when none of them are providing the product enough.

So your answer is Zu who is a black hole on offense? You realize teams will just double up on Kawhi or PG then constantly leaving a wide open Zu?

I understand people's thinking if the Clippers had a player like Baynes or Gasol on the bench but Zubac is a role player with a limited offensive game. It's like people clamoring for McGruder to take Lou minutes bc Lou isn't playing well defensively.

Black hole how?

You double one of the superstars it’s usually going to get someone else open. This action should produce ball movement which has been a issue of heavy isolation basketball late in tight games. Don’t have to finish with Zu or Green but you should allow Harrell time to recover if you want to play off his hustle play.

For whatever it’s worth Zu and Harrell ended up with the same offensive rating for the game.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202003080LAC.html

You only have one basketball having Kawhi and PG(only two shots) just be out there won’t work.

I would actually like Green it, Id give you that.

And analytics don't show things like Harrell's lay up contests or put-backs to other players for rebounds etc.. he does all the little things, hence why he is so valued around the league and by his coaches and teammates.

[TheNewEra]

So your answer is Zu who is a black hole on offense? You realize teams will just double up on Kawhi or PG then constantly leaving a wide open Zu?

I understand people's thinking if the Clippers had a player like Baynes or Gasol on the bench but Zubac is a role player with a limited offensive game. It's like people clamoring for McGruder to take Lou minutes bc Lou isn't playing well defensively.

Black hole how?

You double one of the superstars it’s usually going to get someone else open. This action should produce ball movement which has been a issue of heavy isolation basketball late in tight games. Don’t have to finish with Zu or Green but you should allow Harrell time to recover if you want to play off his hustle play.

For whatever it’s worth Zu and Harrell ended up with the same offensive rating for the game.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202003080LAC.html

You only have one basketball having Kawhi and PG(only two shots) just be out there won’t work.

I would actually like Green it, Id give you that.

And analytics don't show things like Harrell's lay up contests or put-backs to other players for rebounds etc.. he does all the little things, hence why he is so valued around the league and by his coaches and teammates.

Either one but you have to remove Harrell from these insane stretches. With the health of the front court it never made sense for this to have ever been a thing.

Pretty sure they do and it’s been posted but ok. Oddly enough you respect Harrell doing the little things but don’t value the off and on ball screens, second chance opportunities, rim runs to collapse the defense and shot clocking threat of Zu to get any minutes late.

Regardless hopefully this can be fixed

[ClapForClippers]

Black hole how?

You double one of the superstars it’s usually going to get someone else open. This action should produce ball movement which has been a issue of heavy isolation basketball late in tight games. Don’t have to finish with Zu or Green but you should allow Harrell time to recover if you want to play off his hustle play.

For whatever it’s worth Zu and Harrell ended up with the same offensive rating for the game.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202003080LAC.html

You only have one basketball having Kawhi and PG(only two shots) just be out there won’t work.

I would actually like Green it, Id give you that.

And analytics don't show things like Harrell's lay up contests or put-backs to other players for rebounds etc.. he does all the little things, hence why he is so valued around the league and by his coaches and teammates.

Either one but you have to remove Harrell from these insane stretches. With the health of the front court it never made sense for this to have ever been a thing.

Pretty sure they do and it’s been posted but ok. Oddly enough you respect Harrell doing the little things but don’t value the off and on ball screens, second chance opportunities, rim runs to collapse the defense and shot clocking threat of Zu to get any minutes late.

Regardless hopefully this can be fixed

Zu is a great ball screener, but he has hands of stone. Also I can't tell you the number of times he's fumbled away easy offensive rebounds or easy passes made from others. His ability to convert in the post is also highly questionable. Having said that, he's made significant strides since last year and had a great game against Houston.


I'm not sure what you're getting towards, but the issue is not Zu playing more. No one respects him offensively in crunch time meaning the pressure is significantly on everyone else even more. Our issue last game was that Lou played horrible offensively which hopefully shouldn't be an issue moving forwards.


My solution is if Lou isn't all there, to swap him with Reggie Jackson and that team can work.


Things should be better after Golden State. Just a tough loss and obviously I see a lot of potential they could blow this against the Lakers in 7.

[ClapForClippers]

I would actually like Green it, Id give you that.

And analytics don't show things like Harrell's lay up contests or put-backs to other players for rebounds etc.. he does all the little things, hence why he is so valued around the league and by his coaches and teammates.

Either one but you have to remove Harrell from these insane stretches. With the health of the front court it never made sense for this to have ever been a thing.

Pretty sure they do and it’s been posted but ok. Oddly enough you respect Harrell doing the little things but don’t value the off and on ball screens, second chance opportunities, rim runs to collapse the defense and shot clocking threat of Zu to get any minutes late.

Regardless hopefully this can be fixed

Zu is a great ball screener, but he has hands of stone. Also I can't tell you the number of times he's fumbled away easy offensive rebounds or easy passes made from others. His ability to convert in the post is also highly questionable. Having said that, he's made significant strides since last year and had a great game against Houston.


I'm not sure what you're getting towards, but the issue is not Zu playing more. No one respects him offensively in crunch time meaning the pressure is significantly on everyone else even more. Our issue last game was that Lou played horrible offensively which hopefully shouldn't be an issue moving forwards.


My solution is if Lou isn't all there, to swap him with Reggie Jackson and that team can work.


Things should be better after Golden State. Just a tough loss and obviously I see a lot of potential they could blow this against the Lakers in 7.

*but at Zu's contract it's a reasonable deal that could potentially yield a much better center in the trade market next year

[og15]

Lakers fans breakdown of what helps them win:
https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2020/3/9/21170900/los-angeles-lakers-vs-clippers-lebron-james-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-defense-adjustment

The basic gist is attack Lou Williams as much as possible because he sucks on defense. No doubt that helped them, but the Clipper shot 40/23 for the game.

Williams, Beverley, Morris and Green combined to shoot 5/28 FG (18%) and 1/12 3PT (8%). That's not likely to be achievable on a consistent basis, while George and Kawhi's shooting/scoring and efficiency production is something that can happen 4-5 times in a series, so that's a positive for LAC.

Losing to the Lakers gets people riled up, but expecting to go undefeated against the #1 seed is not that logical. In a 7 game series are we going to be mad every time we lose to them as if we are supposed to sweep them? I do get it though, both teams fully healthy, people wanted this to be a "statement game", etc, etc, but I promise, it will be okay.

From the review
That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots. The Lakers posted an offensive rating above 125 in that stretch, ballooning to a whopping 144.4 in the final five minutes. They scored 20 points on 16 total possessions, including 13 on their final eight. Those are terrific numbers prorated over a whole game, but they’re even better in a tight, half-court slugfest when scoring is supposed to be challenging.

Even the lakers fans get it. People trying to fight it that we need Lou in Harrell in there for scoring are missing the drop off because we don’t have the rim protection or stable perimeter defense. If they can target Lou and then glide into the rim uncontested then what the hell is the point of have Kawhi or PG even out there?


It’s not how you lose but the way you lose and the clippers still haven’t shown the ability to adjust

At the least the good that comes from this is that a lot of coaches don't like to show certain strategies in the regular season just in case of a post-season matchup. Having a strategy in your pocket can get you an early game in a series that maybe you wouldn't get otherwise, and that can change the series for you.

Now we all know that Lou is exploitable, but teams don't always have a strategy to specifically isolate him and attack him. Okay, so now the Clippers know this is what the Lakers want to do, so what's the counter or adjustment? Well, now they can focus more on that before the post-season rolls around. The addition of Jackson could help here, he's not the scorer Williams is, but he is bigger and a better defender and a capable playmaker, and though this wasn't the intended reason for getting him, he might prove useful to help out in situations like this.

Still, let's step back and take a big picture view. Single game +/- should be used with a grain of salt when it comes to making definitive statements about "this player was good or bad in a game", but at the minimum it can tell you whether you lost when a player was on the floor or not. It isn't telling you if it was due to them, it was due to luck (opponent hot shooting or your hot shooting), etc, etc, but the Clippers were +6 when Lou Williams was on the floor for 28 mins. In the 4th, the Clippers were even (0) when Lou was on the floor. So while we can still say, yes, Lou is an exploitable defender, to say the game was lost, "because" of Lou being exploited is not the best conclusion because despite his exploit-ability, the overall time he was on the court was not a loss for the Clippers. So in the end, technically if the team had played even when Lou wasn't on the court, the game would have been a win, but the team was -15 when Lou wasn't even in the game, sooo....

The reason we are focusing on it is because it showed up a lot in the 4th quarter, but this was a 48 minute game, and the Clippers also scored 22 points in the 4th, their lowest scoring quarter of the game. They shot 6/17 FG in the 4th, 4/9 2PT and 2/8 3PT. That wasn't Lou's fault, he took 3 FGA in the 4th, he was 0/2 when it mattered then made a late three that didn't make any difference. The quarter the Lakers really punished the Clippers was the 3rd when they had 36 points. This is where the luck factor of +/- comes in, Lou played 5:55 in that quarter, the team was +1 in his minutes, now does that mean if he had played in the minutes the Lakers made the run, things would have been different? Not at all, but what it does say is that to conclude that "it was Lou's fault" is inaccurate.

[og15]

From the review
That’s what James and the Lakers ensured when it mattered most. From the eight-and-a-half minute mark of the fourth quarter until the final James three-point play to put them up 12 with 40 seconds left, the Lakers targeted Lou Williams and did everything in their power to ensure one of the three weaker Clipper defenders — Williams, Montrezl Harrell, or Marcus Morris — was ultimately the one contesting their shots. The Lakers posted an offensive rating above 125 in that stretch, ballooning to a whopping 144.4 in the final five minutes. They scored 20 points on 16 total possessions, including 13 on their final eight. Those are terrific numbers prorated over a whole game, but they’re even better in a tight, half-court slugfest when scoring is supposed to be challenging.

Even the lakers fans get it. People trying to fight it that we need Lou in Harrell in there for scoring are missing the drop off because we don’t have the rim protection or stable perimeter defense. If they can target Lou and then glide into the rim uncontested then what the hell is the point of have Kawhi or PG even out there?


It’s not how you lose but the way you lose and the clippers still haven’t shown the ability to adjust

This is a LOU issue not a Montrez issue.

They are targeting Lou and not worried about the last line defense in Trez. Look at the clips they are lining Harrell up knowing they will get by him in the paint or he won’t have the energy to contest layups. Stats in the topic showed teams attack Harrell more in the paint and it was clearly the case with all the layups LAL got off.

You can stop some of the issues swapping in Beverly or Jackson but the issue is playing a player absurd consecutive minutes.

It’s not on Harrell don’t suspect him to ask to come out but the rotations have been foolish

Just to discuss this part, the secondary problem we have, at least based on lineup data is that even if this is true, lineups with Lou/Zubac haven't worked out so well on either end of the floor IIRC. I haven't checked in a while. So at least based on the data we have so far this season, switching Harrell for Zubac isn't the solution, you just get different problems that so far have been yielding even worse results.

[esqtvd]

I would actually like Green it, Id give you that.

And analytics don't show things like Harrell's lay up contests or put-backs to other players for rebounds etc.. he does all the little things, hence why he is so valued around the league and by his coaches and teammates.

Either one but you have to remove Harrell from these insane stretches. With the health of the front court it never made sense for this to have ever been a thing.

Pretty sure they do and it’s been posted but ok. Oddly enough you respect Harrell doing the little things but don’t value the off and on ball screens, second chance opportunities, rim runs to collapse the defense and shot clocking threat of Zu to get any minutes late.

Regardless hopefully this can be fixed

Zu is a great ball screener, but he has hands of stone. Also I can't tell you the number of times he's fumbled away easy offensive rebounds or easy passes made from others. His ability to convert in the post is also highly questionable. Having said that, he's made significant strides since last year and had a great game against Houston.


I'm not sure what you're getting towards, but the issue is not Zu playing more. No one respects him offensively in crunch time meaning the pressure is significantly on everyone else even more. Our issue last game was that Lou played horrible offensively which hopefully shouldn't be an issue moving forwards.


My solution is if Lou isn't all there, to swap him with Reggie Jackson and that team can work.


Things should be better after Golden State. Just a tough loss and obviously I see a lot of potential they could blow this against the Lakers in 7.

A lot of the things suggested here would have taken place in a Game 7. But this was not a Game 7 and not coached like one. Morris WOULD have been yanked and probably Bev too, because they had the worst games.

Although I question Basketball Reference's ratings here--Zubac and Trezz had pretty much the same ratings [127 O-110 D] even though Trezz was only minus-3 in 34 minutes and Zubac was minus-9 in only 14, it once again shows Planet Zubac's obsession with the center position is misplaced.

Code: Select all

Starters   ORtg   DRtg   BPM*
Kawhi Leonard      130   117   7.3
Paul George      135   107   17.4
Marcus Morris      23   112   -12.9
Patrick Beverley   48   113   -7.2
Ivica Zubac      127   110   2.2
Montrezl Harrell   127   113   6.0
Lou Williams      77   116   -5.7
Reggie Jackson      101   115   -0.5
JaMychal Green      70   111   -7.2
Landry Shamet      29   120   -17.0

We didn't lose because of the center position.

And OK, Lou had a bad game but an offensive rating of 23? 48? Point your fingers there first. Nobody covered themselves in glory here. Nobody's performance jumped out screaming for more minutes. Yes, Reggie could have played some of Lou's minutes, but putting 2 brand-new Clippers out there in crunchtime vs the well-oiled Lakers team is still a chancy idea at best, and Reggie's numbers still sucked, just not as bad as Lou's.

It might be different if Reggie were the hot hand, but in the real world of actual human beings with feelings and egos, giving Lou--who's been a hero for this team--the benefit of the doubt over a guy who's been with the team only a couple weeks is good coaching, not bad.


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*Box Plus-Minus (BPM) is based on box score for evaluating basketball players' quality and contribution to the team from play-by-play regression. BPM takes box score stats from an individual and team level and tries estimate player performance relative to NBA average.