Perk and KG: Do we know who their gonna guard?

[Woodstock Libertarian]

Ray and Kobe have a long-standing rivalry (http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/06/jesus-kobe-rivalry.html)

As for Posey, he's shut down Dirk in the playoffs, and defended Gasol well during the regular season. This isn't meant to pizz off Laker fans, but Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy, and that is the type of guy Posey defends best. I think it ticks off these 7 footers to be shut down by a guy 6'7" or 6'8". So they start pressing, which makes it even worse.

[droopdog7]

Regarding Allen on Kobe, my recollection is that Allen has always done a good job on Kobe for some reason.  I don't have any numbers to back it up but I just want to state that it is not as much of a mismatch as people think.

In head to head matchups, Kobe scores 23.6 ppg on 42.8% shooting, with 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists.  Ray scores 20.6 ppg on 43.4% shooting, with 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists.  Surprisingly, Ray has more steals and fewer personal fouls than Kobe in those matchups.

Link.

Wow, thanks.  So it seems that my recollection is not that far off.  Yet, the entire national media are looking at this like a complete mismatch.

[jhog3411]

I don't remember who guarded who during the regular season, but that's irrelevant because the Lakers now have Gasol.
The way I see it:
Ray guards Kobe
Rondo guards Fisher
Pierce guards Radmanovic
Perk guards Gasol
Garnett guards Odom

Then I think Garnett guards Gasol during the 4th quarter while Posey comes in and guards Odom in crunch time.  This will be much harder than stopping Lebron because Kobe's supporting cast can actually hit shots.  There's plenty to worry about who the Celts guard but they have just as many matchup problems.

[Cooldude5t5]

yeh i think perkins will guard Gasol because Odom is too quick for him. If Perkins covers Odom the Lakers will just run isolations for him and he will take Perk off the dribble. The team defense is more important against LA and their triangle offense. Garnett and Perk will float around the paint instead of playing man.

[BudweiserCeltic]

yeh i think perkins will guard Gasol because Odom is too quick for him. If Perkins covers Odom the Lakers will just run isolations for him and he will take Perk off the dribble. The team defense is more important against LA and their triangle offense. Garnett and Perk will float around the paint instead of playing man.

I don't think he'd take Perk easily off the dribble in an iso situation... Perk will have more trouble staying with him on off the ball movements, that's where the real mismatch comes in. But Odom trying to get by Perk is not as easy as people think. Again, ask Billups and everyone who has tried an iso on him throughout the playoffs... not many were successful at getting to the rim.

[MVP]

Perk will be on Pau Gasol and there's no question about it IMO. During the season, Perk always guards the big man who plays closer to the basket and KG guards the big man who plays further away...it doesn't matter who's the best big man of the two because both Perk and KG are excellent defenders. Even though Gasol is a good shooter, he doesn't move out much further then a 15 footer. If Perkins plays physical with Pau by pushing him away from the block and the refs don't call cheap fouls, I think Perk will do a very good job on Gasol.

KG will be on Odom. Odom is the worst shooter of their starting unit so it will let KG roam a little if Odom is standing on the 3-point line. Odom likes to drive hard to the basket but he isn't a great finisher. With KG contesting him, I see Odom missing a lot of shots around the basket.

[MLG5]

good info guys.

i dunno if people know this (i only recently found out) but apparently there is no love lost between kobe and ray ray. neither one likes the other for some reason...i'd love to know why...

as for the matchups, i have no idea. everyones got good ideas but nearly every matchup is flawed for both sides. it will be very interesting to see how each team matches up initially. i think it will be huge to see which team establishes themself first offensively. if either one starts a run early, the other team will be forced to adapt and go to their bench in the first quarter, which is earler than either team would like to. thus, i think the bench is gonna be a huge factor. james posey is a great asset to have here as he can cover nearly everyone of LA's starters (aside from maye gasol but since gasol is not so much a post-player, posey will be in a better position to guard him than say another guy gasol's size). the play of james posey will be huge.

[Vermont Green]

Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy....

According to 82games.com, 34% of Gasols attempts were "jump shots", 64% were "inside shots", and 53 shots were dunks (I guess that is the missing 2%) during his games with the Lakers.  Compare that to Garnett:  72% jump shots, 26% inside shots, 84 dunks.

There is a perception that Gasol is a perimeter player but I don't think that is the case statistically, at least since he has played with the Lakers.  If Perk is in the game, he will have to cover Pau.

I hope the Celtics play big and punish the Lakers down low in terms of rebounding and post up play.  Does anyone think Odom can cover KG posted up?  LAL will have to double and that will create all kinds of other openings for the Celtics.  If we go small we play to the Lakers strength and away from our strength.  We should make them adjust to us, not give in and adjust to them.

[Roy Hobbs]

Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy...

Not really.  65% of Gasol's shots with the Lakers have come from inside.  He's one of the better down-low scorers in the NBA (he shoots 66.2% from inside).  He's not quite Big Al down there, but he's not that far off.

KG, Dirk, and Rasheed are perimeter players.  Gasol has a fairly balanced inside-outside game.

EDIT:  Or, exactly what Vermont Green said.

[Woodstock Libertarian]

good info guys.

i dunno if people know this (i only recently found out) but apparently there is no love lost between kobe and ray ray. neither one likes the other for some reason...i'd love to know why...

Here's why:

http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/06/jesus-kobe-rivalry.html)

[Woodstock Libertarian]

Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy....

According to 82games.com, 34% of Gasols attempts were "jump shots", 64% were "inside shots", and 53 shots were dunks

Ok.

Fair enough.

He gets a lot of wide open dunks...with the Lakers.

Let's see if he gets the same looks against the Cs defense.

Gasol has a long history of coming up lame in the playoffs, just ask my brother the die-hard lakers fan.

Also keep in mind, the Ls looked like NBA killers before and after they played the Celtics twice this season. Not so much when they played the Celtics.

Until they show me they can beat the Cs with their seemingly effortless games against everyone else, I won't be impressed.

Until Gasol shows up and shows up in the post against the Cs, he's a perimeter guy to me.

And if I'm wrong and he's a low-post behometh?

We have this guy named perk to stick on him.

[fairweatherfan06]

good info guys.

i dunno if people know this (i only recently found out) but apparently there is no love lost between kobe and ray ray. neither one likes the other for some reason...i'd love to know why...

as for the matchups, i have no idea. everyones got good ideas but nearly every matchup is flawed for both sides. it will be very interesting to see how each team matches up initially. i think it will be huge to see which team establishes themself first offensively. if either one starts a run early, the other team will be forced to adapt and go to their bench in the first quarter, which is earler than either team would like to. thus, i think the bench is gonna be a huge factor. james posey is a great asset to have here as he can cover nearly everyone of LA's starters (aside from maye gasol but since gasol is not so much a post-player, posey will be in a better position to guard him than say another guy gasol's size). the play of james posey will be huge.

Here MLG5 from the other thread: The source of Kobe and Ray's animosity

(http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/06/jesus-kobe-rivalry.html)

[pslakerfan]

Ray and Kobe have a long-standing rivalry (http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/06/jesus-kobe-rivalry.html)

As for Posey, he's shut down Dirk in the playoffs, and defended Gasol well during the regular season. This isn't meant to pizz off Laker fans, but Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy, and that is the type of guy Posey defends best. I think it ticks off these 7 footers to be shut down by a guy 6'7" or 6'8". So they start pressing, which makes it even worse.

Pau is a perimeter guy?  I assume you mean he was at Memphis, cause he isn't even close to one with the Lakers.  His whole game now is passing out of the high post, cutting to the rim on pick and roll, and getting dunks on passes from Kobe (when Kobe can't get off a shot down low).  Very, very rare for him to do anything from the perimeter since he joined the Lakers.

[Woodstock Libertarian]

Ray and Kobe have a long-standing rivalry (http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2008/06/jesus-kobe-rivalry.html)

As for Posey, he's shut down Dirk in the playoffs, and defended Gasol well during the regular season. This isn't meant to pizz off Laker fans, but Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy, and that is the type of guy Posey defends best. I think it ticks off these 7 footers to be shut down by a guy 6'7" or 6'8". So they start pressing, which makes it even worse.

Pau is a perimeter guy?  I assume you mean he was at Memphis, cause he isn't even close to one with the Lakers.  His whole game now is passing out of the high post, cutting to the rim on pick and roll, and getting dunks on passes from Kobe (when Kobe can't get off a shot down low).  Very, very rare for him to do anything from the perimeter since he joined the Lakers.

We shall see.

The Lakers may beat the Cs. I'm providing no guarantees for the green.

I'm just saying that until the Lakers, gasol included, achieve their effortless baskets that lead to effortless wins against the Celtics, I won't be impressed.

[Vermont Green]

Gasol is pretty much a perimeter guy....

According to 82games.com, 34% of Gasols attempts were "jump shots", 64% were "inside shots", and 53 shots were dunks

Ok.

Fair enough.

He gets a lot of wide open dunks...with the Lakers.

Let's see if he gets the same looks against the Cs defense.

Gasol has a long history of coming up lame in the playoffs, just ask my brother the die-hard lakers fan.

Also keep in mind, the Ls looked like NBA killers before and after they played the Celtics twice this season. Not so much when they played the Celtics.

Until they show me they can beat the Cs with their seemingly effortless games against everyone else, I won't be impressed.

Until Gasol shows up and shows up in the post against the Cs, he's a perimeter guy to me.

And if I'm wrong and he's a low-post behometh?

We have this guy named perk to stick on him.

I am not trying to pick on you Woodstock Libertarian, just challenge the perception of Gasol being a perimeter player.  I think the Lakers will continue to deploy him down low and I agree that against our big guys, he is going to have a tough time, even PJ may be able to cover him.  That is why I went on to make the point that I think the Celtics need to "think big" and force the Lakers to respond instead of thinking small and playing the Lakers game (and this was not directed at anything you posted but to other posts).  No one on the Lakers after Kobe worries me offensively or defensively, including Pau.  If Pau tries to go back to the perimeter, the perimeter is going to be awfully crowded with Odom, Radmanovic, Kobe, and Fisher all on the perimeter.