The No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks started the day by losing to the Orlando Magic, and the No. 1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers ended the day by losing to the No. 8 seeded Portland Trail Blazers. It is the very first time since 2003 in which both No. 1 seeds lost their openers, and in the Lakers case, it came down to an absence of depth. LeBron James scored 23 points, pulled in 17 rebounds and dished out 15 assists while Anthony Davis poured in 28 points of his own, but the Lakers function players shot 4-of-22 from 3-point range.
Portlands function players werent fantastic either, however Damian Lillards 34 points were enough to lead them to a triumph. The Lakers will have to go back to the drawing board if they desire to prevent such a humiliation.
1. Its time to repair the rotation.
The Lakers were outscored by nine points in JaVale McGees 13 minutes on the floor. They lost the game by 7 points. That isnt a coincidence. The Lakers were outscored during McGees minutes in all 7 of his looks in the bubble. In Orlando, they have actually now been outscored by 66 points in his 121 minutes on the floor. Theyve outscored opponents by 26 points in the minutes theyve played without him..
This isnt brain surgery. Due to the fact that theyre beginning the wrong lineup, the Lakers are beginning every video game down a number of points. Theyre worsening the issue by sending that very same lineup out there at the start of the third quarter. The version of the starting lineup that included Avery Bradley outscored challengers by 12.6 points per 100 ownerships throughout the routine season. The variation with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was outscored by 1.2 points per 100 belongings. The McGee-Caldwell-Pope-James-Davis-Danny Green fivesome does not work..
At a minimum, McGee requires to be excised from the rotation completely. Whether that means playing Markieff Morris at center more or hoping Dwight Howard can avoid nasty trouble is another matter, however there simply isnt any proof to recommend that JaVale can add to winning in the postseason. Theres a factor he was a benchwarmer for the Warriors. The Caldwell-Pope circumstance is more complex. They need to play him, and his numbers, on balance, have been much better as a starter. But playing with the mixes is important. Alex Caruso is worthy of an appearance as the 5th starter. Kyle Kuzmas place in the first 5 must be obvious..
This isnt March anymore. These games count. Frank Vogel cant manage to fritter them away by playing the incorrect players. The Lakers are better than the Blazers. That much ought to be apparent. They simply have to utilize the best lineups to prove it..
2. LeBron was terrific … however in the wrong methods.
Its difficult to argue with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists. LeBron was great on defense.
The Lakers scored 93 points against a defense that has actually allowed an average of 123 points over its past six outings. Yes, shooting was the main factor for that, and the Lakers will probably hit more than 5 of their 32 long balls in Game 2.
For all of the excellent things LeBron performed in Game 1, he didnt do what weve seen him perform in the playoffs time and time again: rating. Regardless of drawing incredible matchups in Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr., James was figured out to play overall group basketball. What the Lakers need is something closer to the LeBron of 2018..
In Game 1 of that postseason run against the Indiana Pacers, James scored 24 points en route to a triple-double … but the Cavaliers lost. He came out and scored 46 in Game 2, a win, and end up averaging 34.6 points per game through the rest of the Eastern Conference playoffs. LeBron is going to have to do something like that for the Lakers to win the title if no other Laker is going to develop shots. Its cliche, however he has to be more like Michael Jordan and less like Magic Johnson. His lineup requires it..
3. The Blazers got away with playing 2.
Wenyen Gabriel started at power forward for the Blazers however got into early nasty problem. The Blazers did something that couple of 2020 teams would ever think about: they played their 2 centers together. It was a look they experimented with a bit previous to the playoffs, but without much success.
They survived those minutes in Game 1 by crashing the boards and safeguarding the rim. The Lakers missed the open shots the Blazers produced with their two-big lineups, and while it might not be sustainable, Portland may not have much of an option but to go back to those groups till Zach Collins is healthy enough to return. The entire business falls apart if the Lakers begin making shots, however up until they do?
The No. 1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks started the day by losing to the Orlando Magic, and the No. 1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers ended the day by losing to the No. 8 seeded Portland Trail Blazers. LeBron James scored 23 points, pulled in 17 rebounds and dished out 15 helps while Anthony Davis poured in 28 points of his own, however the Lakers function players shot 4-of-22 from 3-point range. The Lakers were outscored by 9 points in JaVale McGees 13 minutes on the flooring. The Lakers are beginning every game down several points due to the fact that theyre starting the incorrect lineup. The Lakers scored 93 points against a defense that has permitted an average of 123 points over its past six getaways.
