Lakers 111 , Jazz 104
Needless to say game 5 was very sloppy. The Lakers have definitely played better before. They didn’t seem to have much of a purpose on the offensive end. There were a few possessions in the 4th quarter when they went to Vlad Radmanovic in the post and things like that. The defense also seemed questionable. Players like Matt Harpring and Ronnie Brewer got too many easy buckets. Those types of role players should not get much of anything on your home court. I thought overall they played bad enough to lose this game. I think they are lucky to come away with a win.
Things I Disliked
I did not like the overall team offense or defense. Sasha shot horribly from the field, missed way to many three point shots to be called the “machine”. Jordan Farmar was still outplayed and looked confused out there. Lakers were out rebounded AGAIN! And the thing I disliked the most was the fact that Kobe Bryant only had 10 FG attempts. It’s the best player in the world. Good back or bad back, you need to give him at least 18-20 shot attempts a night. Even worse was the fact that there were many possessions in the 4th where Kobe didn’t even touch the rock. That can’t happen.
Things I Liked
You gotta love the defensive intensity that Derek Fisher brought tonight. He played Deron Williams as good as you can play him. In this series, it appears that Derek Fisher is the Wild card. When he’s out of the game, the Lakers struggle. Lamar Odom’s game was nice again. He’s been terrific all playoffs. He is truly the Lakers 2nd best player, not Gasol. Even though Kobe only shot the ball 10 times, he still found a way to get 26 points.
