| 20 May 2010
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers 124, Phoenix Suns 112
Ever since the Lakers found themselves tied 2-2 to the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder, they’ve played the kind of basketball we all expected them to play in mid-October. They’ve now won eight straight games and are playing the best basketball of their season. During the course of those eight straight games, they’ve had to find new ways to win as teams made adjustments, and their Western Conference Final Game 2 was definitely a new way for the Lakers to win.
At the end of the first quarter, Kobe Bryant was sitting with nine points, easily on pace for his seventh straight 30 point game, however, it was his passing ability that was used to dominate the second game of the series. Bryant finished with a playoff career high 13 assist as he and Pau Gasol picked apart the Suns’ defense one possession at a time. Even with Bryant’s lowest scoring output since April, the Lakers were still able to find the resolve to pull out another playoff win through the strength of their interior passing.
Phoenix was determined to not let Bryant beat them, having Jarred Dudley deny him the ball as much as possible and sending double teams at him as soon as he touched the ball. This resulted in good looks for Gasol, who finished with 29 points, good looks for Lamar Odom, who came off the bench to score 17, or open looks for the other parameter players. Ron Artest, Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar combined to shoot eight for 13 from long range.
For the Suns, Grant hill and Richard Jefferson both finished 10 for 17 with 23 and 27 points, respectively. Dudley came off of the bench and added 15 points, going five for five from behind the arch. Amare Stoudemire finished with 18 points and six rebounds. As a team, they turned the ball over 17 times, with 10 of them coming between Steve Nash and Stoudemire.
Why The Lakers Won This Game
After the Suns monster third quarter, Kobe Bryant didn’t revert to “Kobe Mode” and start jacking up shots. He made it a point to get the ball inside and allow Gasol to go to work. Gasol finished with 13 in the quarter and Bryant had four of his 13 assists in the final 12 minutes of play. The Lakers were able to separate from the Suns through their unparalleled interior passing. Not only did Bryant pad his assist line in the fourth, but both Gasol and Odom made fantastic passes to each other in the quarter. On top of that, the Lakers bench did their job. They didn’t play well in the third quarter, but Odom had a second double-double and the Brown/Farmar contingent didn’t miss a three pointer.
Why The Suns Lost The Game
They’re just not getting enough production from Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Fisher has done a great job of fighting through screens and the Lakers bigs are doing a good job in showing on screens and tightening up Nash’s passing lanes. Gasol and Bynum have been able to keep Stoudemire off of the boards (he finished with six in both games), and every Laker has done a great job in closing out on shooters. Channing Frye has not shown up yet and Louis Amundson just doesn’t have the size to be a factor in this series. If Nash is being kept out of the paint and other guys aren’t hitting the threes he’s creating, it spells a recipe for disaster for Phoenix.
Looking Forward To Game 3
I expect Channing Frye, Jarred Dudley and Goran Dragic to play a whole lot better at home in the same way that Jeff Green, James Harden and Serge Ibaka all played better when they got to Oklahoma City. Winning in Phoenix will be tough for both teams, but the Suns can be a completely team at home when Frye is shooting better. Unfortunately for them, Gasol’s scoring and passing abilities don’t change from venue to venue. Bryant’s killer instinct doesn’t either.
Prediction: Phoenix makes it a 2-1 series.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
