Okay, that’s not quite what he said…
The Lakers’ loss to Orlando on Sunday marks the first time since Pau Gasol’s arrival that the team has lost three straight games. After the game, Gasol discussed the lack of flow on offense, which could be construed as a knock on Kobe.
“We haven’t been playing with a good flow out there offensively and it takes a lot of people out of their rhythm,” Gasol said. “We need to figure out how to move the ball a lot more so there’s a flow out there, there’s a rhythm.”
When Gasol was pointedly asked if the offense was being bogged down by how many shots Bryant has been attempting, he answered, “I don’t know” at first, but then made the point he was trying to make regardless of whether he would be treading a little harshly on the guy who just hit back-to-back 22-footers with 26.4 seconds left and 12.9 seconds left in the fourth.
“Kobe’s a great player,” Gasol said. “We have to find balance as a team, as a unit out there. Kobe’s a great player and he’s probably the best offensive player out there. We understand that. … But at the same time, we need to find that balance and we need to find balance with our interior game developing … using it a little more and moving the ball and changing sides more, because that’s the triangle, that’s what it does. … We need to get focused on that a little more. To find that balance, to find that flow.”
Kobe’s M.O. is pretty much the same game to game. He starts out by looking to set up teammates and picking his spots to take shots. If the offense is rolling, he’ll continue to pass first until the situation warrants that he take over. If the offense is sputtering, he’ll generally look to start taking a lot of shots when the Lakers get down by 8-10 points, depending on how much time is left in the game.
Gasol went 8-13 in the game for 20 points, but he was physically overmatched by Dwight Howard on the block. He looked visibly frustrated throughout the second half, which could partly be due to his lack of post up opportunities on the offensive end.
The Lakers should be all right, but the lack of flow could be attributed to Ron Artest. He went 2-10 on the night and the ball tends to stop when it finds his hands. He’s only shooting 41.5% on the year, so when he’s in with the starters, he should probably be the fourth option. He is behind Kobe, Gasol and Andrew Bynum in shot attempts, but he’s far too close (9.8 to 10.6) to Bynum for my liking, especially considering Bynum has the highest points per shot (1.40) on the team.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
