Nick Young and Jeremy Lin shoot 21% in Xmas Loss

Well, that didn’t take long. The dreamy narrative that the Lakers without Kobe Bryant are better than they are with him lasted about 48 hours. It goes something like this. The Lakers move the ball without Kobe hogging it for himself. Against the Bulls, the Lakers had 18 assists. Or, the Lakers play a freer game without Kobe hawking his teammates every move, they have more confidence. Jeremy Lin made two shots. Nick Young made one. Together, they shot 21%. Or, the Lakers are more active without Kobe, his usage rate depresses the team’s energy. The Lakers were outrebounded by 18.

Dec 25, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy (34) shoots the ball over Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

There is no substitution for talent and effort. Talented teams get beat when they don’t play hard which was what happened Tuesday night when the Warriors were throttled as they put forth a humiliating effort. But the Chicago Bulls, coached by Tom Thibodeau, will never run into that trap. His team did what the Warriors did not care to do. They contested 70% of the Lakers jump shots. They got strong contributions from their bench. And they destroyed the Lakers on the inside. The Bulls had 20 offensive rebounds.

Because the Lakers don’t contest shots, they don’t run the floor, their offense is haphazard and they don’t have finishers, they are easy prey for a team like the Bulls. On the bright side, the Lakers rarely turn the ball over which controls the other team’s fast breaks. Against the Bulls, the Lakers had 3 turnovers guarded by a quick and athletic back court. The problem is, the Lakers as a team, don’t make shots nor do they contest shots so the turnover statistic is pretty irrelevant.

Against the Bulls, the Lakers shot 39% and they allowed the Bulls to shoot 48%. That will get you blown out every time. Against the Bulls it was a 20 point loss.

It’s hard to be Kobe Bryant as Jeremy Lin and Nick Young are finding out. Jeremy Lin is shooting 32% these past nine games. Nick Young is shooting 39%. Kobe is always an easy and somewhat lazy excuse for everything that goes wrong and he deserves blame where it is due. But, accountability falls upon everyone’s shoulders.

That said, the Lakers who trailed by double digits found their way back into the game with a stirring third quarter effort of 30 points and reduced the lead to six going into the fourth quarter. But, we’ve seen this movie before. Jeremy Lin and Nick Young were destroyed defensively and couldn’t make shots. The Lakers scored 16 points in the quarter. The lead mushroomed to double digits and the Lakers were trounced on Christmas Day (again).

Pre-game, Pau Gasol admitted to nerves. The Lakers defined his career. But, once the game started his obvious advantages were startling. He had 23 points on 14 shots, shooting, 64% and grabbing 9 rebounds. His counterpart, Carlos Boozer, had a strong homecoming, 63% shooting and 14 points.

But, the Bulls had too much offensive talent from all areas of the floor. Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson all shot 50%. The Bulls, buoyed by the length of their two seven footers, were tougher in the paint. Kobe Bryant or no Kobe Bryant, the Bulls didn’t take this game lightly, neither did the Lakers. The Lakers played hard but playing hard won’t win them many games. The Lakers only hope is that their opponent loses interest. The Bulls didn’t. The Lakers lost their 20^th game of the season.

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