Some post-game thoughts (Lakers edition)

This one pretty much sucked so I'll keep it brief...

• I guess the Lakers were bound to win in Portland eventually, but it's too bad it had to happen on a night where Kobe didn't play and Bynum left after 10 minutes.  This game was ripe for the taking and the Blazers just didn't show up, at least after the 1st quarter.  


• For about a quarter and a half, the Blazers' shots were falling.  Aldridge and Howard were hitting their mid-range shots.  Rudy and Batum each hit a couple threes, and it looked like the Blazers were poised to win the game going away.  But then everyone went cold, about as cold as I've ever seen them be collectively.  And no one seemed to have any idea how to even get a shot attempt in the paint.  The Blazers finished the game with only 22 points in the paint (compared to 48 for LA).  And a number of those came in scrub time.  


• That should be a real cause for concern for the Blazers.  With the talent on this team, they should be finding ways to get easier shots.  There needs to be more movement on offense, more off-ball picks and cuts to the hoop.  For long stretches of this game, the Blazers had one horrible possession after another where guys would pass the ball around the three point line only to settle for a contested perimeter jump shot just before the shot clock sounded. 


• It also didn't help that no one could get a rebound.  The Blazers had only two offensive rebounds the whole night and lost the overall battle on the boards 47 to 30.  Considering Andrew Bynum only played for 10 minutes (and pulled down only one rebound in that time), the Blazers really had no excuse.   They were just out-hustled.  Lamar Odom should not have 22 rebounds in a game.  Ever. 


• One thing that surprised me was McMillan's decision to play Jerryd Bayless so few minutes.  It's true that his outside shooting was off, but he was playing aggressively and no one else really was.  Bayless was the only guy even trying to get to the line (which he did for six free throws).  Everyone else was settling for jumpers.  


• The one bright spot tonight was Dante Cunningham, who had yet another solid game.  He had 8 points and 5 rebounds (plus a block, an assist, and a steal) in 21 minutes of play.  As usual, his defense was impressive.


• This was one of those games where the shots just weren't falling for anyone (at least after the 1st quarter), so I don't want to read too much into it.  But night's like this also show how dependent the Blazers are on guys hitting their perimeter shots.  When they're not going in, it can get ugly fast.