Ball or Nuthin' » Lamar Odom

Dallas Convincingly Sweeps Los Angeles

T Lamont — Mon, 09 May 2011 04:00:57 +0000

This was certainly not what we expected.

The Oklahoma City Thunder? Perhaps. The San Antonio Spurs? OK, we’d buy that.

But I’d attest that there was absolutely no one (at least in their sane mind) who believed that the Dallas Mavericks would defeat, and even sweep, the Los Angeles Lakers – who, mind you, had the home court advantage in the series.

Breaking down the box scores would be virtually useless in determining the demise of the Lakers. The reasons that the Mavs are headed to the Western Conference Finals is three-fold:

1. Phil Jackson did nothing to illustrate what many believe – that he is a coaching mastermind. The Mavericks stole Game 1, after a meltdown of unusual proportions from a team with an NBA championship pedigree. L.A. also let Game 3 slip out of its grasp late in the final quarter. And in a game that would be declared a must-win by sheer definition, the Lakers were dominated from the opening tip in Game 4. Nowitzki consistently damaged Los Angeles, but Jackson did nothing out of the ordinary to slow down the big German. P.J. has to take the fall for not making adjustments to prevent Dallas from taking full advantage of their sole mismatch. The Lakers knew that the Mavs would also rely heavily upon its shooting, and Dallas did so without much resistance. Wide open looks seemed to be the theme, and there is absolutely no excuse for that when a team is down 0-3 in the series. So, Jackson needs to bear his part for the lack of preparation, adjustment and motivation of his team.

2. Too much finger-pointing caused the Lakers to crack at the seams. With every loss, there’s a theme – Who’s to blame? Was it Kobe Bryant not passing the ball? Or not being aggressive enough? Was Pau Gasol playing too soft once again? Did the Lakers pound the paint and get production from Andrew Bynum? Was Derek Fisher too slow and old at the point? Was Lamar Odom too inconsistent? Reporters fire many questions away at losing teams, and its imperative that the responses don’t insinuate that the team’s weakness lies within any one specific player. Phil and his team often entertain these questions far more often than they should, damaging team chemistry and focus.

The Lakers' self-critical nature may have curtailed their attempt at a three-peat.

3. What was the Black Mamba doing? Kobe Bryant had an expected stat line in the series opener, putting up 36 points on 29 shots. But after somehow letting the Mavs walk out of the Staples Center victorious, the media attention shifted to focus on the fact that Bryant had zero assists – and that the Lakers weren’t exploiting their obvious advantage in the paint. Game 2, Kobe came out and gave a concentrated effort to distribute the ball – in particular passing the rock into the post. Even after falling short in Game 2, Bryant played with the same passiveness when the series moved to Dallas. Today, Mamba showed some signs of life in the first quarter (13 points), but the Mavericks had shot the Lakers out of the building by halftime. It almost seemed as if Bryant was pulling a Gilbert Arenas – not shooting the ball to spite his coach and his naysayers – as if to say “look what happens when I’m not aggressive”. In addition to that, Bryant failed to save the Lakers with his usual array of late-game heroics that we’ve been accustomed to. Clearly, there was something bothering Mamba, and I’m not buying that it was strictly the Dallas defense.

Although, we’ve become used to witnessing nothing but success from the Lakers, there’s certainly no reason to blow up this team. Their core of Bryant, Gasol, Bynum and Odom remains one of the best in the league based on their combination of size, skill and experience. A few pieces to increase the team speed and quality depth would help put L.A. back where we’re used to seeing them.

But as for now, enjoy two more rounds of the NBA postseason without Jackson and the Mamba.

Lamar Odom Gets Big Gift for Minimal Role

T Lamont — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:04:37 +0000

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Khloe and Lamar need to pitch in to get a gift for the Finals MVP.

Less than a week ago, the Los Angeles Lakers won an NBA title. Lamar Odom is listed on the roster for the Los Angeles Lakers.

But Odom’s final round performance of 7 points and 6 rebounds per game could hardly be described as him actually “playing.”

Nevertheless, it pays to be in the spotlight. As compensation for Odom’s participation, his wfie, Khloe Kardashian, bought him a Rolls Royce Phantom worth more than $440,000.

The gift equates to more than $10,000 per point that the 6’10″ forward scored in this year’s NBA Finals. According to HoopsHype, Odom made $7.5 million for the 2009-10 season which would render him fully capable of funding his own gift – - but Kardashian insists that she purchased the gift on her own (through her Twitter account):

“People r so pathetic..Y would I give some1 a gift w/ their money? That’s lame. I actually make my own money. Shocking I know. Stop hating!”

If Kardashian was really smart, she’d buy Kobe a gift, too. He’s been Lamar’s meal ticket for the past several years.

That would also make him Khloe’s meal ticket.

Smothering Defense Leads L.A. Over Boston

T Lamont — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:03:49 +0000

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In Game 6, the Lakers didn’t even come close to breaking a sweat.

Los Angeles trounced the Boston Celtics, 89-67, to set up an epic Game 7 battle at the Staples Center on Thursday night.

Let’s take a look at why the Lakers won tonight, using T Lamont’s “Lakers Survival Guide” as a reference.

1. Put Bryant in a Bottle - The home team desperately needed to get some of Kobe’s teammates involved early and often, and they were able to do that in grand fashion. While the Boston bench has been applauded for its game-changing effect, it was L.A.’s reserve unit that pumped up the the atmosphere in Staples tonight. Eight points and ten boards for Lamar Odom. Eight points (including two three’s) for Sasha Vujacic. Four more points for Jordan Farmar. Four big points from Shannon Brown on two breathtaking, highlight-reel dunks.

What about the Boston bench you might ask? It didn’t score its first points until about nine minutes were left in regulation.

L.A. also got a couple of good performances from its starters not wearing #24 (Bryant finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in a little over three quarters of action). Pau Gasol was near triple-double status with a line of 17-13-9 (and 3 swats). Ron Artest had eight first quarter points and finished with 15.

2. Dictate the Tempo- The Lakers ran at every opportunity that was presented to them. By pushing the ball, it helped them improve upon their miserable Game 5 shooting (39% on Sunday). Los Angeles also extended its defensive pressure to force the Celtics to pick up their pace. In doing so, the Lakers were able to tip many passes and generally disrupt the Celtic offense. L.A.’s defensive effort was exemplary, holding the visiting team to 67 points on 34% field goal shooting. The 67 points represents the second lowest team total in NBA Finals history.

3. Take Away Pierce’s Mid-Range Game - L.A. took away just about all of Paul Pierce’s game. Pierce went 6-14 for 13 points. He had zero free throw attempts. Pierce never found a rhythm, and neither did the Celtics.

4. Start “The Goods”- Jackson still gave the starting nod to Artest at the small forward spot, and Ron-Ron played a great game. Lamar played 28 productive minutes for Los Angeles. With Andrew Bynum’s exit from the contest, Odom naturally played more of his minutes alongside Gasol in the frontcourt and his boardwork reflected that. But with his finesse game, Odom can play big in the paint, and he even contributed two rejections on the night.

Artest and Odom provided Bryant with the support that he needed to give the Lakers a Game 6 win.

Despite the lopsided outcome of Game 6, a tough, physical Game 7 will be played in two nights. And even though the game is going to be held on the floor of the stadium with some of the most boisterous fans in the NBA, I’d have to say that Game 7 is a complete wash.

Two big obstacles stand in each team’s path. And when I say big, I mean Andrew Bynum and Kendrick Perkins. Both bigs left the game with injuries, and the Finals’ participants will hold their collective breaths to see if their team can come into the classic showdown with their full roster in tact.

On one hand, you have the Lakers – who always play like world champions on their home court. On the other hand, the Celtics have demonstrated that they can play with more focus on the road than at home.

So, both teams will be in comfortable situations.

One thing is for certain: Whichever team comes out of Game 7 victoriously will have earned it.

Lakers’ Survival Guide: Game 6 – Keys To Victory

T Lamont — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:08:44 +0000

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Who really thought that we’d be trying to figure out who the Lakers could survive in Game 6?

Boston’s defense and complete team contributions have the Lakers’ backs up against the wall tonight.

After an awe-inspiring effort from Kobe Bryant left the Lakers short of winning on Sunday night, what does L.A. have to do tonight to force a Game 7?

1. Put Bryant in a Bottle- Most importantly, Phil Jackson has to control his superstar. The 2008-2009 NBA MVP will need to get lots of support from his teammates. And to do so, Bryant will have to take a step back and curtail his instincts to take over the game. Let’s face it – the other Lakers are nowhere near as talented as Bryant (not many are), and they cannot be expected to convert field goals without being in the flow of the game. Bryant exploits needs to be harnessed when all other options have been exhausted. So, Jackson needs to put the genie in the bottle and save his wishes until the game’s most critical moments.

2. Dictate the Tempo- Now that the Lakers are returning home, they should have an easier tim dictating the tempo of the game. L.A.’s Game 5 total of 86 points was the lowest in their 2010 playoff run. After their rough and tumble opening round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers found their rhythm and averaged 109 and 113 points per game in their following two series. They may not be able to duplicate that level of offensive success against the Celtics, but they desperately need to speed up the pace of the game to give them a legitimate shot at triple figures.

Kobe Bryant desperately needs to get his teammates involved.

3. Take Away Pierce’s Mid-Range Game- 2008 NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce woke up in Game 5. Pierce was an efficient assassin, shooting close to 60% (12-21, 27 points) and committing zero turnovers. Pierce feasted at his favorite spot on the floor. The Truth loves to handle the rock somewhere around the free throw / top of the key area. When playing there, he likes to comfortably execute his series of backdown dribbles followed by a spin in accordance with any contact made with the player defending him. Los Angeles has to keep him out of his comfort zone. Also, they need to turn Pierce into a passer. Pierce is not a bad passer, but if you’re the Lakers you want to do this because there’s only one knockdown shooter on Boston (Ray Allen). So, any resulting shot from any other Celtic would have a high probability of being a brick.

4. Start “The Goods”- Productive bench play is a big part of what makes the Celtics successful, but it is not critical. The Lakers simply need to get some production from someone other than #24. I think Lamar Odom – who plays remarkably better at home – could turn the tables in Los Angeles’ favor. Word has it that Odom has come down with the flu. But with Ron Artest proving that he is not capable of slowing down Pierce, starting “The Goods” could work out for the better for L.A. At 6’10″, Odom has the length (and quickness) to make things difficult for Pierce on the offensive end. But Odom is a much more versatile offensive threat of his own. His handle is magnificent for a player just a hair shorter than seven foot. He’s creative with the ball, crashes the boards well and has an above-average basketball IQ that often places him in the right place at the right time. Giving him the starting role should allow him to establish a rhythm that might make a big difference if the game hangs in the balance in the final quarter. And he’ll just have to worry about that flu later.

Suns Have No Defense For Lakers

T Lamont — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:12:46 +0000

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After two Western Conference Finals games, the Los Angeles Lakers have shot 57.8% from the field and have scored 252 points.

Game 2 proved that the Phoenix Suns have no hope of winning this series. Amid their 124-112 victory tonight, the Lakers demonstrated that they can get easy shots whenever they need to. L.A. placed seven players in double figures, and two others were merely five points from joining them (with 10 or more points).

The Suns got more than they could ask for from Jared Dudley, who came off the bench and hit 5-5 from three-point land. Grant Hill also showed signs of offensive life, particularly in the second half – ending the game with 23 on 10-16 shooting. Jason Richardson stepped up in this game, putting in work with 27 points, including 3 triples.

But Phoenix’s better performance withstanding, the Lakers were simply better. Pau Gasol was huge once again, scoring 29 points on some of the easiest shots ever seen in playoff history. Kobe Bryant was more than satisfied playing the role of facilitator, posting a career postseason high 13 assists to complement his 21 points. Lamar Odom continued his stellar play off the bench with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Artest bucketed 18 on some efficient shooting (6-9 FG, 3-6 three’s).

Ron Artest was able to capitalize on some open looks tonight.

In other words, things came easy for Los Angeles.

The Suns must put a lineup on the floor that is very unconventional. Their only possible chance – which I’m not even sure that there’s a possibility – is to play small and do their best to create some sort of advantage. Put Steve Nash and Goran Dragic in the backcourt together. Speed things up and see what happens. We’ve already seen that playing ‘mano-y-mano’ with the Lakers is not going to work.

Also, Phoenix has to, at the very least, find a way to confuse the champs on defense. Everything is working for L.A. As the Suns head home for Game 3, they’ll have to get in passing lanes, get hands on balls and just be aggressive defensively.

After all, playing a little defense may allow them to win one game in this series.