January 21st, 2010 by Chase

I’m talking about back up guards for the Los Angeles Lakers Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. After watching the Lakers bench dismantle the Orlando Magic on MLK day, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing with the Lakers bench. They actually played like they were supposed to. That is by providing energy and a spark off the bench led by guards Farmar and Brown. Farmar had 11 points off the bench and an added energy on the defensive end, while Shannon Brown chipped in with a season-high and team-high 22 points.

It all started with Shannon Brown coming in midway through the second quarter. Shannon within just a couple minutes of playing time hit a few jump shots and got his confidence rolling. Then after blowing a 3rd quarter lead, the Lakers came storming back led by Brown and Farmar in the 4th with energy, defense, and driving layups to the rim.

While all of this is happening, I’m sitting back in my pj’s thinking about what could be. What would it be like if the bench, particularly Brown and Farmar played like this every night? What if every time they were called off the bench by coach Phil Jackson, they came into the game with the same energy and enthusiasm? The answer… the Lakers would be unstoppable!!

Farmar & Brown’s Contributions are Key!

If the Lakers want to get home court throughout the playoffs this year, they are going to need these two players to step up during this regular season. They need to bring the type of game they played against Orlando on MLK day every single game. Why not? Why can’t Farmar and Brown continue to play at this high of a level?

The key to consistency with this is defensive intensity. Farmar and Brown had the energy because their shots were going in. But what is their energy like when they are on the road and the shots are not going in? Everything is fine and dandy when the shots are falling. But when they are not going in, the Lakers are in desperate need of Brown and Farmar providing a spark off the bench. If they can learn to do this with consistency during this regular season, the Lakers will be able to get Home Court Advantage throughout the NBA playoffs and thus increasing their chances of repeating as Champs!