Lakers Practice Report: 11/30/09

As Phil Jackson said after Monday’s practice, the team couldn’t ask for a much better situation than the one they’re currently in: lots of home games (17-of-21 to start the season); the confidence that only a championship can deliver; and the ability to get players healthy with the team’s outstanding depth.

The evidence being that in L.A.’s last six games they’ve outscored opponents 651-454, an average of nearly 18 more points per game.

“Defensively we feel like we’re in a position where we can really squeeze teams,” explained Kobe Bryant. “We’re a team that’s still getting better.”

Pau Gasol, certainly a crucial part of L.A.’s stellar play since returning against Chicago, added that the skill of his teammates allows him to focus on certain parts of the game such as defense that weren’t possible earlier in his career, and said he continues to feel a bit better with each game (the Lakers are 5-0 with the Spaniard in the lineup).

The schedule will get slightly tougher for the Lakers in the coming weeks, with two games against Utah, another matchup with Phoenix and a five-game road trip, but it’s a bit difficult to argue with the purple and gold’s recent results.

However ... Getting an outside perspective is always interesting, so we gathered a few quotes from some of L.A.’s recent opponents:

1) “I thought we had flurries when we played hard but this is a great, great basketball team. For a team like us we have to be perfect and they have to be a little bit imperfect for us to have a chance against a great team like that.” - Nets interim Head Coach Tom Barrise

2) “They are so long tough and athletic it is hard to get shots off them ... I guess playing against a team like this you cannot come out flat like we did. You have to have energy with the ball the full 48 minutes.”
- Nets center Brook Lopez

3) “I think, and it’s only my opinion, but I think they’re the best team in the league. I think until somebody proves otherwise, at this point they’re the best team in the league because of their depth and the weapons that they have.”
- Knicks center David Lee

4) “We played against the best team in basketball. We didn’t handle their physical toughness tonight ... They capitalized on every mistake, and that’s what they do. It’s a talented team and some of the best players in basketball ... They make winning basketball plays throughout the game for each other and now Lamar’s off the bench. I mean, it’s a special team.”
- Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks

5) “Lakers are a great team. It was tough. They have All-Stars, all along down the line. It’s hard when you just got one guy. We got down in the first quarter, it was tough to get back.”
- Thunder forward Jeff Green

6) “That’s the reason why they are the world champions. They have a really good team and now with Bynum back, I mean it is just tough match-ups all around. They have been kind of moving the ball and with Artest , I guess the big thing is that it kind of takes the pressure off of Kobe who is a great offensive player, but they just took us out of everything we tried to do.”
- Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry

The Lakers look to continue their run when the New Orleans Hornets come to town on Tuesday evening, heading into a Friday contest against Miami and Sunday hosting of the Phoenix Suns.