Since Kobe’s injury, the Laker’s future has been a little shaky. But the Lakers and Bryant stay confident that they won’t just make the playoffs but win a championship. Bryant stated, “There’s no reason we can’t do it. Everything resents in the playoffs.” Now with the injury Steve Nash, Bryant might want to think again with those words.
It’s hard to understand that the Lakers will be entering the playoffs, without Bryant and possibly without Nash, as confident as they’ve been all season. But confidence is what they felt after their 99-95 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to clinch the seventh see and a first round match up against the San Antonio Spurs; which begins on Sunday.
Mike D’Antoni envisioned a new team. They are finally playing defense with the kind of intensity that Dwight Howard hoped they would. The Lakers are playing inside-out and relying on their “bigs” as Pau Gasol and Howard have pleaded since November.
Howard and Gasol are taking control of the Lakers team and are headed towards the championship. Another new point in the Lakers game is the use of their bench. When Kobe was playing, they bench was only 2 deep, with subbing every once in a while. Now, the bench is actually being used! Jamison scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds on Wednesday and also contributing Darius Morris added 5 points and 2 assists. But the biggest Cinderella bench story is the new-found identity of Steve Blake who had 24 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Blake has had 47 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds, in the last two games.
Steve Blake:
It’s hard to understand that the Lakers will be entering the playoffs, without Bryant and possibly without Nash, as confident as they’ve been all season. But confidence is what they felt after their 99-95 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to clinch the seventh see and a first round match up against the San Antonio Spurs; which begins on Sunday.
Mike D’Antoni envisioned a new team. They are finally playing defense with the kind of intensity that Dwight Howard hoped they would. The Lakers are playing inside-out and relying on their “bigs” as Pau Gasol and Howard have pleaded since November.
Howard and Gasol are taking control of the Lakers team and are headed towards the championship. Another new point in the Lakers game is the use of their bench. When Kobe was playing, they bench was only 2 deep, with subbing every once in a while. Now, the bench is actually being used! Jamison scored 16 points and grabbed 4 rebounds on Wednesday and also contributing Darius Morris added 5 points and 2 assists. But the biggest Cinderella bench story is the new-found identity of Steve Blake who had 24 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Blake has had 47 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds, in the last two games.
Steve Blake:
“It’s been fun the last two games but it’s a total team effort. We feel really good on the defensive end in our game plan and how focused we are on that end of the floor. And offensively we’re throwing the ball into the post and letting those guys go to work. We throw some pick and rolls here and there and keep their defense off balance.”
D’Antoni loves watching his team develop and grow together with the little playing experience with Howard, Gasol, and Nash have had with only playing 22 games together. The team has been moving the ball more and getting everyone involved and actually working as a team. With Kobe on the court, his presence is over whelming to some teammates. D’Antoni states, “One of our problems is that everybody wanted to be the guy and we just couldn’t do that. Now other guys have stepped up and they’ve always been the guy wherever they’ve been.”
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