The Lakers shot and played great in the first half last night against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 96-107 loss. The second half is where it all fell apart. Traditionally, the Lakers don't play well at the Rose Garden, but as the season goes on head coach Mike Brown will continue to get this group to develop a cognizant chemistry with the big guys down low.
Spacing on the court is key, and the Lakers looked like that part of the game plan had been perfected last night. But again, that was in the first half.
The Lakers are usually one of the top contenders in the NBA, but as of now, in the season's early stages, it looks like Portland and Oklahoma City are the new sheriffs out west.
Bynum was on top of his game throughout the night's loss, but there were times when he got the ball out of position and tried to do too much.
Dribbling from the top of the key and trying to cross-over his defender isn't the natural forte of Bynum. To be most effective, he needs to keep his back turned to the basket and make power moves. This way, he can be a force just as dominant as Shaq was for the Lakers.
With Gasol, things are different and open up more on the finesse end of the game. Gasol isn't soft; his moves are just too flowing and predictable for the high basketball IQ. He doesn't have to like banging with the big boys down low. But come crunch-time, Gasol better adapt and adjust.
Gasol goes for high-percentage and very cautious layups or delicate dunks. Neither are going to work against the NBA's best in the post, and that's exactly where Gasol and Bynum complement each other....
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
