| 28 April 2010
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers 111, Oklahoma City Thunder 87
58 points in the paint.
You can talk about all of the other little things that the Lakers did on Tuesday night (i.e. Kobe Bryant guarding Russell Westbrook, Ron Artest hitting shots etc.) but nothing means more to this series than those five words: 58 points in the paint. In the previous four meetings, the Lakers averaged only 37 points in the paint per game, and they went 2-2 against he Oklahoma City Thunder. On the night that they scored 58 in the painted area, they won handedly by 24 points – a game that was never in question from the opening tip to the final seconds.
Just one game ago, the Thunder ran the Lakers off of the floor in similar fashion, except they used their defense to create transition opportunities. In Game 5, the Lakers executed better than they had for several months. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 46 points and 22 rebounds while Bryant finished with 13 points and seven assists. Derek Fisher and Ron Artest combined for 20 points and six assists. The Lakers bench scored 32 points, and played well enough to not surrender the Lakers’ lead while the starters rested.
On the defensive end of the floor, the Lakers made a conscience effort in preventing dribble penetration and forcing the Thunder to take outside shots. The Thunder were held to their lowest shooting percentage of the series (35 percent) and the Durant/Westbrook combos were held to their lowest scoring nights of the series. Durant was five for 14 and Westbrook was four for 13, a recipe for disaster for a young team that feeds off of their two young stars.
Why The Lakers Won This Game
One of the most interesting things about the game, however, was the fact that Bryant’s row in the box score looked eerily similar to Game 4. He actually took fewer shots, had a few more assists (which would have been about the same if guys hit shots in Game 4) and the same number of rebounds. Kobe even had more turnovers in Game 5 than he had in Game 4, but we won’t hear cries about him sending the proverbial message to his team. He came out and did exactly what he tried to do last game, it just worked better this time around. Kobe has bought into Phil Jackson’s game plan, it just looked like Game 5 is when he was able to convince the rest of the Lakers to do the same.
Why The Thunder Lost This Game
They actually played against the defending world champions. In games one through four, they just played against the Lakers. While the Lakers are good, the defending world champions are a whole different animal, and the Thunder were just too young, too small and too inexperienced to understand how to tame that animal. This is a team that needs one good run to really get going, and the defending world champions never let that happen. It’s rather unfair. The Thunder have prepared for one team for this whole series and end up playing a completely different team in Game 5. “Who was that 6’7’’ guy who was guarding me?” asked Russell Westbrook. “Who are these seven footers who cannot be blocked,” asked Serge Ibaka. Those were fair questions, because those guys hadn’t put on a Lakers uniform since February.
Looking Ahead To Game 6
The Lakers have proved to us that they can play championship level basketball for 48 minutes, but they did that for only 20 percent of the series. Will the law of averages dictate a repeat performance, or will the law of consistency prove that Game 5 was an anomaly and the Lakers go back to playing well for only short stretches – which in and of it self, was good enough to win them two games before. The Thunder will have to play, at least, three winning quarters to win Game 6, and winning the first quarter will certainly help. They’ll have that amazing crowd behind them and a (hopefully) motivated Kevin Durant looking to rebound from his worst game of his short playoff career. Will the Lakers bring that Kobe on Westbrook adjustment with them to Oklahoma City? If they do, it will certainly help their cause. It’s too bad we have to wait until Friday for this game.
Prediction: Lakers don’t extend an invitation back to Los Angeles to the Thunder
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