Breaking down how D"Angelo Russell broke down the Spurs top ranked defense

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Digging in to Russell"s performance against San Antonio.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost again on Friday night, but for the second consecutive game the team received a moral victory in the form of a breakout performance from their 2015 second overall pick, D"Angelo Russell. Jordan Clarkson"sankle injury allowed Russell back in to the Lakers" starting lineup and he delivered, setting a career high in scoring for the second consecutive game with 24 points and tying his career high of 6 assists.

"Coach is really giving me the opportunity to just lead by example," said Russell. "I"ve always had confidence. That"s something I"ve never lacked. It"s just about opportunity." Opportunities are something Russell has (finally) had plenty of in the Lakers last two games.

Russell"s usage rate (a measurement of what percentages of the Lakers" plays end in him scoring, assisting, drawing a foul, or turning the ball over) sits at 22.6, second on the team but trailing Kobe Bryant"s monstrous 29.6 usage rage by 7%. Over the last two games, however, Russell has been given the reins to the offense and posting a 33.9 usage rate as a result. He has also increased the percentage of his teammates baskets he assists on from 20.6% to 23.1%, baby steps towards becoming the playmaker the Lakers hope he can become.

"If somebody"s open just get them the ball," said Russell when describing his in-game playmaking thought process. "If it"s a clear shot to attack, I got to do it. I"m starting to figure out how to create a pace to the game that forces everybody to play with you."

Russell is creating that pace with two skills he has brought to the table since game one: rebounding, and the ability to ignite the fastbreak off of those rebounds. The 6"5 pulled down six boards against the Spurs, and used them to get the Lakers out in transition and quickly into their offense, like on the three plays in this gif:

Russell also showed improved patience to make plays as well, such as this probing pick and roll below:

The way Russell "midgeted" in and out of the paint while avoidingman-mountain Spurs forward Boban Marjanovic before finding Brandon Bass for a dunk showcased comfort below the basket we had not yet seen a ton of.

Just as notable as Russell"s still developing playmaking skills against the Spurs was his scoring, especially his three point shooting.

"It"s the shot that I"m getting," Russell said after going 5-10 from behind the arc, another new career high on a night full of them. "[Opposing defenses] are going under screeens. I guess [because I am], I don"t know, a rookie or whatnot, I have to prove myself in the league that I can make that shot. If they go under, I"m just taking what they give me."

A good exampe of the sequence Russell described came late in the third quarter, when Jonathon Simmons was just a bit overzealous going under Roy Hibbert"s screen and was left sprawling when Russell crossed back behind the three-point line:

Russell was also able to hit threes as a floor spacer, a talent he will have to continue to display if a backcourt of himself and Clarkson is going to work long term:

When players did respect his shot and tried to fight through screens, Russell was able to keep them on his back and punish the Spurs with his mid-range jumper (Russell is shooting 45.5% from the left elbow):

Or use the head start to find his way into the paint for a layup:

Ultimately we have to note that for all of the promise displayed, one of Russell"s best games of the season came in a game the Lakers lost by 22 points. Both he and the Lakers still have a long way to go to be able to hang with the best teams in the league, a process that is not going to be completed this season. As Russell said to end his postgame remarks, all he can do is"keep working, keep watching, keep learning, and see what happens."

Lakers fans have no control over the first item on D"Angelo"s to-do list, but the last three are good advice as the regular season chugs along and we continue to get more information on what Russell and the rest of the Lakers" young core can be.

You can follow this author on Twitter @hmfaigen. All stats per NBA.com and all quotes transcribed via Time Warner Cable Sportsnet unless otherwise cited.

Source: http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/12/12/9940210/la-lakers-dangelo-russell-spurs-2015-breakdown-stats-film

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Alzheimer"s spurs the fearful to change their lives to delay it

When Jamie Tyrone found out that she carries a gene that gives her a 91 percent chance of developing Alzheimers disease beginning around age 65, she sank into a depression so deep that at times she wanted to end her life.

Then she decided to fight back. She exercised. She changed her diet. She began taking nutritional supplements, including fish oil, vitamin D, vitamin B12, curcumin, turmeric and an antioxidant called CoQ10. She started meditating and working mind-bending puzzles, such as Brain HQ. She joined a health clinic whose regimen is shaped by a UCLA medical study on lifestyle changes that can reverse memory loss in people with symptoms of dementia. She started a nonprofit group, Beating Alzheimers By Embracing Science (BABES), to raise money and awareness about dementia.

I found my voice, said Tyrone, 54, a registered nurse who lives in San Diego.

Perhaps the only thing as bad as Alzheimers disease is the fear among a growing number of older Americans that they may be at risk of the neurodegenerative disorder, which robs memory and cognitive ability and is the leading cause of dementia.

[Heres a guide to some of the warning signs of dementia and some perspective]

A 2011 survey for the MetLife Foundation found that the only disease more dreaded than Alzheimers was cancer. A Harris Poll conducted in April for Aegis Living, an assisted-living and Alzheimers care company, found that the worries cross all generations: more than 75 percent of millennials, Generation Xers and baby boomers worry about what will happen to their memory as they age.

Some, like Tyrone, fear Alzheimers because genetic testing shows that their risks are higher than for others. Many more fear Alzheimers because they saw what the incurable disease can do. They saw a parent, a grandparent or other beloved relative slip away in the twilight of their lives through the steady erosion of memory, cognition and identity as the disease progressed. Now they worry whenever they misplace something or forget a name, and vow that they will do whatever they can to prevent or delay its onset.

Its my nightmare: the loss of my mind; the inability to recognize people who are dear to me; the ability to think, said Charles Goldman, 71, a semi-retired attorney who lives in Silver Spring, Md. Goldman, whose mother had Alzheimers, said he is vigilant for possible lapses in his own memory, but he also does everything he can to lower his risk of developing dementia. He works out at a Montgomery County recreation center. He reads like crazy, both fiction and nonfiction. He follows the news about possible new treatments or research studies. He does the crossword puzzles of every Sunday paper he can get his hands on. He gobbles almonds.

I can accept the idea I wont be able to run 10K races. I cant accept not being able to understand what people are saying or recognize people.

Joanne Omang, a former Washington Post correspondent, also watched her mother die of Alzheimers and saw how dementia transformed her and others.

People become like children in many ways. They steal food. They fight having baths. They become violent in many ways, she said.

Its different than death, and in some ways worse, the way her own mother seemed to disappear before her eyes, Omang said.

Like others, that was enough to spur her into action. Omang doesnt consider herself a worrier, but when I simply cannot remember the name of someone or something, when I know that I know it, I do ask myself, Is this a sign?

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/fear-of-alzheimers-is-everywhere-but-its-spurring-some-people-to-change-their-lives-for-the-better/2015/07/04/c0600046-192a-11e5-93b7-5eddc056ad8a_story.html

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NBA playoffs: Spurs even series with Clippers, 1-1; Hawks grab 2-0 lead on Nets

Tim Duncan

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, right, celebrates a basket as Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick walks by during the second half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Los Angeles, Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The Spurs won 111-107 in overtime. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

The 2015 NBA playoffscontinue Wednesday with the finaltriumvirate of Game 2s.

The Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers all look to take commanding 2-0 leads in their respective series. While the Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs will try and return home 1-1.

Completescoreboard and box scores

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Final:Hawks 96, Nets 91| Atlanta leads Brooklyn 2-0

Five Hawks scored in double figures as Atlanta shook off a poor shooting night to hold off a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets to take a 2-0 series lead. Jarrett Jack hit a three-pointer to pull the Nets within one point with under two minutes left, but with 11 seconds remaining Deron Williams missed a baseline jumper from 15 feet out that would have tied the game 93-93.

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Final:Grizzlies 97, Trail Blazers 82| Memphis leads Portland 2-0

The Grizzlies continued their defensive dominance, holding the Trail Blazers to 80 points on just 39 percent from the floor as Memphis takes a 2-0 lead withthe series shifting to Portland. The Blazers led by two after one quarter, but the Grizzlieswon the final three quarters 78-59 with the backcourt duo of Mike Conley and Courtney Lee combining for 36 points on 14 of 22 from the floor in the win.

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Final OT:Spurs 111,Clippers 107| San Antonio evens series with Los Angeles 1-1

Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Kawhi Leonard had 23 points and nine boards and Patty Mills added 18 points off the bench. Blake Griffin recorded a triple-double for the Clippers with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. The Spurs have never fallen behind 2-0 in first-round a series under head coach Gregg Popovich and have won six of the last 10 playoff series when down1-0.

Moreupdates and analysis in the comments section below.

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2015/04/nba_playoffs_live_updates_scor.html

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