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Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron and AD stave off Rockets surge, 5 Lessons

By Ronald Agers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 06: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers react during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 06, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 06: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers react during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 06, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Frank Vogel devised a scheme for James Harden and exposed Russell Westbrook at the same time!

Sometimes when these reports are being prepared, the criticism can be strong enough that you pray that the coaches and players don’t have long memories. The Game 1 report about the coaching performance of Frank Vogel was one of those times.

Watching James Harden drop 25 points in the first half to open a playoff series can be frustrating without a double team in sight. Well, Vogel flipped the script and transferred that energy on the Rockets to open Game 2.

The Lakers opened their defensive playbook and threw multiple defensive looks at Houston.

  • The Lakers hit James Harden with double teams from all angles to constantly give him different looks and forced him to give up the ball.
  • They picked up both James Harden and Russell Westbrook, full court at times throwing the offense out of rhythm while adding zone defenses.
  • They played off Westbrook (Kind of like what opponents do to Rajon Rondo!) that led into bricked 3 point shots and turnovers.

All of those miscues ignited fast breaks.

Frank Vogel’s coaching challenge in the third quarter turned the game around when the referees called a charge on Rajon Rondo. Not only did he win the challenge, it did these three things.

  • Took away Rondo’s foul and put him on the line.
  • Russell Westbrook was charged with a loose ball foul that was his 5th of the game. 
  • LeBron finished the game blowing past him for buckets every time he was in front of him!

Now, did the Los Angeles Lakers play perfect defense? No. Eric Gordon will move up on the scouting report finishing with 24 points and P.J. Tucker shot 7-10 for 18 points.

However…this was a huge success for the Lakers. Why?

James Harden shot only 12 shots for the game. Six shots in each half. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook was hearing “BRICK” every time he shot putting up 15 shots. See the difference?

Frank Vogel did the same thing to James Harden as Mike D’Antoni did to AD and LeBron in Game 1. He dictated how he scored the basketball. Sure Harden got to the line, but it was not a big a factor thanks to Westbrook’s subpar play.

The Lakers used Russell Westbrook’s aggressiveness against the Rockets!

The next lesson is about the Lakers bench. They destroyed Houston in this game! Read on to see who showed up and showed out! 

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