The Hawks flight plan lands them at Staples

Coming off a stunning loss from the Spurs the Lakers are still trying to find their identity. They still have something to prove to the world and themselves as they face the new look Hawks. Al Horfofd is the only remaining Hawk from the ATL team that had high hopes of going deep in the playoffs the last couple of years. He's joined by Kyle Korver the 3 point assassin or as I call him " The vampire Ashton Kutcher", Paul Milsap who I've hated since his Utah days because he's just that good, and  a handful of other guys I don't know from Adam.
Early Sunday afternoon we get word that the X Factor is getting the start in place of Nick Young. Coach D is  showing lots of faith in X due to his play in the preseason and recent surges of energy. There is always a  risk with switching starters. But, he thinks Swaggy P can be more of an asset coming of the bench while battling some shooting woes these last few games.

The game gets underway and X drives for a layup to put the Lakers on the board. The defense looks a little slow unlike the Spurs game, but the offense is clicking on all cylinders. Pau Gasol host a 3 from the arc which is becoming quite common as of late. Players are gonna have to start coming out on him and respecting that jumper! At the 6min Mark Sawggy P checks in with a pull up deuce looking like he hadn't missed a beat. The Lakers are on fire! They go on a 21-7 run with 4min to go in the quarter. The Steve's have 8 assists between them. The ball movement is great....wait..is that...Elton Brand?????? He's still alive?? Moving on..the Lakers end the quarter leading by 11. Pau again leads the way with 7 points and 6 boards on top of 7 fast break points.

Swaggy P gets to start the 2nd quarter along with the Caveman and the Lakers pick up right where they left off. But Kaman picked up his 3rd foul with 10:58 to go and has to sit. Insert  Mr Energy...The Garbage Man..Jordan Hill!!! The Lakers are running on all cylinders. Hill is crashing the boards on both ends. Swaggy P even has a few assists and Meeks is lighting it up from the outside. Again our defense isn't as solid as the previous game, but we are so on fire the lead has stretched to 17. True to form Korver hits a three to end the half and we head to the lockeroom up by 13. Young has 9points and 3 assists in 11minutes. Our guards have 13 assists and no turnovers! We are shooting 53% from the field and 66% from behind the arc. Al Horford leads the ALT with 10/10. X and Pau both have 9. Both teams are pretty even on the boards. If the Lakers can keep this pace they are on track for an easy win.
Pau opens the quarter with a slam dunk over two Hawks!!! Yes you read that right:Pau.

But our third quarter woes continue and the defense continue use to slip. Our offensee is cooling off a bit as we go down to 49% from the field. But Wesley Johnson is coming alive and has his hand on every defensive possession.

Kaman is back in and he's racking up assists to follow Nash who has 11! I think he had his Suns jersey on under his uniform for luck.

The lead had gotten down to two but the Lakers are relentless. By the end of the third the bench true to form had 40points, 19 rebounds,and 10 assists. We lead by 12 shooting 50% from the field and from beyond the arc. 12 more minutes of the same and we are home free......
The 4th and final period gets underway and the Hawks come out with tons of energy. We look sleepy and open the period with two quick turnovers. Korver has heated up from three and has a smooth 16 points. Who would EVER leave him open?? The Lakers are making shots but the Hawks are remaining dangerously close. The Lakers just can't seem to pull away. The very next play the 30 year old rookie from Germany, Schroeder goes on for a layup and Dantoni is pissed! The lead is down to 7!! With 9:42 left Kaman picks up his 5th foul and in comes the backboard assassin Jordan Hill. He comes in and makes a quick layup giving the Lakers a spark.  This dude needs to be playing at least 15-20 minutes a game. Nonetheless ALT won't go away. They are now on a 14-4 run are are the closest they've been all  night with 7:09 to go they are only down 5. Shawn Williams and Wesley Johnson both have 5 fouls and before I could finish writing that stat Williams fouls Milsap for and " And 1." It's now a two point game with 3:26 to go. X drives to the basket and draws the foul. He sinks them both to put us up4 with 2:10 to go. Pau duplicates that same play and steps to the line. I said to myself I said " Self, believe in Pau at the line. He knows we need this win self." But true to form Pau " make one miss one Gasol" does just that. We're up by 5. One the other end Teague blows right thru the lane for a layup! Pau who must be channelling his inner  Kobe is in take over mode. He bricks a layup but the clean up man Jordan Hill commands the board, draws the foul, and sinks BOTH free throws.

That folks would prove to be one of the best plays of  the game...But no celebrating yet. Korver pulls up from what seemed to be the scorers table and drains a 3!!!! This dude is PERFECT from three tonite and you leave him open down the stretch???? He's the Hawks Reggie Miller!!! Why would Blake rotate to Martin and leave him open???? Uggggggggggg I feel like I'm gonna be sick. On Atlanta's next possession they get a silly back court violation much needed for the Lakers. We need all the help we can get. X pulls up for a jumper but we come up empty. On the other end Milsap hits a jumper to tie the score with 30secs left!!!! At that moment my inner being is in the corner rocking back and forth singing Deborah Coxs " How did youuuuuu get here???"....We had this game in the bag! I can't Believe we are tied!!!!! Lakers ball. Pau is still feelin himself and misses a jumper but Jordan Hill cleans the glass and dishes back to Nash. That play could also be the one that sealed our fate. Nash dishes back to Pau who heads to the lane with a dribble drive only to be met by Milsap who tries to draw the foul. Pau looses  the ball falling on top of Milsap and Jordan Hill recovers for the layup! The crowd goes wild but the whistle blows: no basket. The refs now meet mid court to discuss the previous play. Was Milsap in the restricted area before Pau arrived? We're his feet set? It could go either way. If he gets the call the Hawks have the ball and it could be over. Everyone  is on pins and needles as we watch the replay about 50 times. His feet clearly were not set but the refs are in control and they make the game go however they want....especially if you're playing the Heat..ok that's another blog, where was I? Yes...the Jeopardy theme song is playing in my head as we are still awaiting the verdict.... Blocking foul is called and Pau goes to the line with 6.0 to play. I'm thinking come on Pau...the basketball gods could not be this cruel. We neeeeeeeeeeeeeed this win....We neeeeeeeeeeeeeed BOTH these free throws. Show me why you are a 4time All Star....he steps to the line..does his trademark blow in the hands.....and SINKS. THEM.BOTH. Put your kids to sleep because PG16 is in the building!!!!!!!!!! Lakers up by two. ATL inbounds the ball and we all know who it's going too. Stevie Wonder can see they are setting up Korver for the win. He looses Blake for the 56th time tonite and pulls up for the three....But up in the sky..it's a bird..it's a plane....no..it's the Spaniard!!!! Pau meets him In the air for the block and this one is in the books!

It was an ugly win, but I'll take it and I'm sure Dantoni and the bunch are with me. The only stat that shows in the column is the W. We fought for it tooth and nail and when it mattered most we pulled through. This team is  just like Novocaine....give it time.....it will work. See you Tuesday!!!

Here come the Spurs.....

Awwwww the San Antonio Spurs..Greg Pops Golden Corale..Timmy D's cowboys...around these parts they've  been  known as our playoff rivals since the early 2000s. But both these teams looked a little different tonite. Tim Duncan ( chest contusion) and Kobe Bryant ( chink in his super hero armor) were both sidelined. Neither one of them have missed a game together since 1996!. Xavier Henry was only 4 years old! Ok Ill get to him later. The Lakers limp into this game after being demolished by Golden State on Wednesday. No, they didn't look like the team who throttled the self proclaimed " Best team in LA" in the season opener. They didn't have the same energy on either end of the floor. The were dug into an awful w hole and just couldn't recover. Add that to the fact that Clay Thompson played like an All Star. But these young Lakers are still learning each other, the system, and how to overcome adversity. But, as Dantoni told his team  this is not a marathon its a long season. Put that behind you and have confidence going into he next one.
 Well I'm sure when news got out that The Big Fundamentals would be sidelined the Lakers let out a sigh of relief. I know I did. The Spurs could still pose a challenge having arguably the best coach in the league, one of the best point guards in the league, and the number one bench warmer ( Kenny Smith voice) GINOOOOOBBLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! So this could still be an uphill battle. One way you can hurt the Spurs is to keep Tony P out of the paint. He can hit that pull up jumper if he has too but that's not where he is  most deadly. He can beat you off the dribble like the best of them.
 
The Lakers look like they have left their Golden State woes behind them in the first quarter. The Spaniard put the Lakers on the board with a 3 from the top of the key. Steve Nash started tonite ( DNPCD on Wed) and looked like he hadn't missed a step. He was slashing, dishing, cutting, and shooting, but his shot just wasn't falling. Our other veteran leader however was on fire. Pau had fluidity in his jumper and he was feeling it. I would've liked him to go to the post more but who am I? The thing that stood out the most was our defense. The Lakers defensive rotations look great. Although Tony P had the majority of the points, we had the other Spurs pretty much contained. The Lakers led by 7 to end the first. Aside from Pau we werent shooting very well, but had the lead because of our defensive efforts.

Dantoni sends some subs in and  The X Factor ( artist formally known as Xavier Henry) pics up two quick fouls. Nevertheless the Lakers get hot while the defense remains steady. We start he quarter off with an 8-0 run. But that would soon change. At the 8:32 mark of the quart X drives to the basket and upon falling bangs his head on the knee of Wesly Johnson. He lays on the floor for  a few seconds only to get up and leave a pool of blood. As MVP Gary Vitti runs on the court X is having trouble steadying himself, obviously woozy from the blow. They immediately get him a towel but to no avail. No mater what they try to do the blood wont stop. Towel after towel gets thrown to the side while workers work feverishly to clean the floor. Gary is trying to stop the flow mainly because if he cant shoot free throws he cant return to the game. So McGuyver Vitti get some black gauze and wraps it around his head like the mummy so he can see long enough to step to the line. Looking like Queen James he knocks down both free throws with he swag of a hurt Kobe Bryant and runs to the locker room for treatment.

 http://youtu.be/SWBnk0R5rXM

With the Lakers looking on as their budding star is being attended too the energy seeps out of the building. The Spurs gain confidence and the Lakers have no air left in their lungs. The lead is cut to 4 with 5:14 left in the half bringing them to a whooping 58% shooting! Kawai Leonard is near a double double, Tony Parker is explosive as usual, and Tiago Splinter is heating up as well. They end the half on a 23-9 run and are down by only one.On a good note the Lakers are 9-10 from the line where they have struggled in the last two games. Pau leads the Lakers with 11 points and 7 rebounds.We are still shooting better ( 42%) than the Spurs ( 36%), but they are out rebounding us by 8...where is Jordan Hill???. The Lakers as a team have only 4 turnovers and 5 blocks. Kurt Rambis is definitely earning his paycheck.

As usual the 3rd quarter starts slow and both teams are trading baskets, but neither can get a good rhythm going.The Spurs go up by 3 as TP gets his 20th point with 3:57 to go in the quarter. Not sure why the Lakers keep jacking up shots but they've put up 20 3 point shots so far! Take the ball inside fellas!. Where is Jordan Hill ( did I say that already?) Dantoni then brings the Bench Mob back in...without JHill (*face palm*)...But the defense is tightening up and Meeks hits a lay up off of the fast break and puts us within 2. The energy looks like its coming back.The guys on Laker Tv must have been in my head  because after the quarter, sideline reporter Mike Trudell asked coach about Jordan Hill being MIA.. According to Trudel, the coaching staff is still trying to work out the rotations. They wana get a feel of how to play him, Pau, and the Caveman together. Having many options is a good problem to have though. We have players that are pretty versatile so its just finding the right formula.

The 4th and final quarter gets underway and..wait..is it true? Could it be...(*wipes eyes*)...Folks we have a  Jordan Hill sighting!!
Sure as my blood is purple and gold Jordan Hill gets an assist  to Wesly Johnson for a 3. Going back the other way he fouls Diaw hard sending him to the line. This guy brings INSTANT energy! Hes everywhere. This ignites the team and everyone seems to have a little pep in their step. Wesly Johnson ( who had the block of the game by the way) is heating up offensively as he shoots a 3 to bring the Lakers within 3, bringing his total to 12. The Lakers pull within 1 with 7:15 to go. The Spurs have no answer for Jordan Hill. Since hes been in he already has 4 points, 2 assists, and 2 boards.They have to foul him to avoid put-back layups.Just like that the score is tied with 3:27 to go. Wesly Johnson's ties up Leonard with 2:18 on the clock but Spurs control the jump ball and TP hits a jumper. The lakers bring it back down and the Spaniard takes it to the rack to draw the foul. In drew Pau ( make one miss one) Gasol fashion he hits one of two. As the Spurs bring it back down TP find Boris Diaw at he top of the key and he drains a 3...and that pretty much sums it up.
 
 We are down by 4 with 1:25 left and Tiago Splitter although well defended makes a layup. Down by 6 Meeks takes it to the hole to bring us within 4 with 20 secs left. Do we go for the 3 or do we drive to the hole to get the bucket and the foul. Nights like this the presence of the Mamba is greatly missed. We all know who would get he ball and how it would go in. But, with him watching on the sidelines we had to make other arrangements. Although I don't trust our outside shooters enough to win the game, I know Pop is too smart of a coach to have his guys foul someone goin to the rack, so it looks like we will try for the 3. The ball is inbounded to Meeks who does some dribbling, some looking, some passing, some knitting, some crossword puzzles, and whatever the heck else he wanted to do...but pullin up for a 3 wasn't one of them. Instead, he gets the ball stolen and the Spurs make a lay up on the other in. Stick a for in us because were done.
This win wasn't really a bad one for me. The spurs are a great veteran team with the best coach in basketball and they have a knack for winning down the stretch. Pau ends with 20/19/2, and the Lakers as a team had 20 2nd chance points to the Spurs 8. But it wasn't enough. Ginobli has 20 points
 and the Frenchman TP ends with 24 shooting 67% from the feild!!! Containing him is way easier said then done.
During the post game Dantoni admitted he is still working on rotations.  He may look to putting the caveman back in with he first unit, but him and Pau play together as good as him and Hill. But its a marathon. We have 79 more games to go and we will come up with  a winning formula."  My boy John Ireland asked Farmer what he felt led to the loss. " The 2nd unit needs to come in with more energy, and Ill take on that responsibility of making sure we are ready."
This was a winnable game for us. That phrase was repeated throughout the night. But it just seemed when X went down the team went down as well. When asked how he felt, he said " I have a massive headache, but that no excuse as to why I didn't play well." My kind of guy.
I think we have yet to see what this team can do. They have tons of potential. They just have to learn how to play together, trust each other, and weather the storm when they get behind in the ball game. But, with the help of our veteran leaders, the 3 time defensive coach Kurt Rambis, the hunger of these young guys, and the Staples Center sized chip on Kobe's shoulder when he comes back......this is literally only the beginning. Fasten your seat belts cuz its gonna be a bumpy ride.