The Lake Show

I know, a day late, and a dollar short – as the old saying goes – but LA’s impressive performance on Tuesday night, given the circumstances, warrant discussion. The circumstances – Gasol’s first game with the team and in the triangle offense, no Andrew Bynum, a season-low scoring performance from Kobe, and the middle of a prolonged road trip – enough excuses for a subpar outing.

The Lakers served notice the first week of the season, whitewashing the Suns in Phoenix without Lamar Odom. Most impressive was team passing, and the ability to run the offensive with Kobe, not necessarily through Kobe. It proved LA, at its best, had the right mix of role players and star players to compete with the best of the west.

Insert Pau Gasol, proven scorer. Tuesday night LA reaffirmed my belief to take them seriously in the Western Conference. When the offense clicks, they are the best passing team in the league. All night players passed up open 10 foot jumpers, made the extra pass to get a teammate a layup, or point blank opportunity in the paint.

They move the ball quickly and efficiently in the triangle. With Gasol, LA now has enough scoring weapons to drive opposing coaches crazy. Kobe and Gasol will play off each other. Try to double team, or converge when they get into the lane, Fischer, Radmonovic, and Vujavic, all shoot over 42% from beyond the arc – the Nets had a taste of that. Don’t forget the athleticism of Lamar Odom, who creates matchup problems, and can dominate the offensive glass.

Most important, Kobe only scored six points – slowed by a combination of Net defense, an injured pinky, and a decision to involve his teammates – and the Lakers still won going away. The Nets had no defensive answer for Gasol inside, nobody put a body on Odom, and the guard trio beat them with three point shooting, and dribble drives. While New Jersey has struggled defensively in those areas much of the season, they will not be the only team the Lakers leave in the rear view.

LA also plans another big acquisition after the trading deadline, a potentially healthy Andrew Bynum. Watch out West.

On the Nets front, Carter showed the offensive aggressiveness, dazzling with a thunderous dunk and a few highlight reel drives – reminiscent of the old VC. Despite 27 points, he still settled for too many long jumpers, shooting an underwhelming 10-26 from the field. Good to see him take initiative, now he needs to involve his teammates and improve his decision-making. Some possessions turned into one on one battles.

Again the Nets matched wits with a solid opponent for most of the game, as they did with Boston a few weeks back, before wilting down the stretch. Bad shots, lack of defensive intensity, for only a few minutes allowed the Lakers to take the lead into double digits and pull away late with a 21-9 run. It takes four quarters of focus – not three.