| 25 May 2010
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns 118, Los Angeles Lakers 109
Amare Stoudemire pulled out his full arsenal for Game 3 in his 42 point 11 rebound explosion. This is what everyone expected from him, constantly in attack mode, attacking the rim, attacking the boards and attacking the Lakers. He opened up the game going to the free throw line on four of the Suns’ first nine possessions, which kept both Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom in foul trouble for most of the game. Stoudemire was hitting his jump shot with regularity, he was blowing past Pau Gasol repeatedly, he constantly finished strong at the rim when contact was made and he continually worked with Steve Nash to score in screen and roll situations. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Stoudemire had five post up plays in Game 3, scoring in four of them, compared to only two such plays combined in Games 1 and 2. He was also able to score on his own will, making eight unassisted buckets in the third game, compared to only one in the first two games combined.
What else went well for the Suns? How about a completely unexpected 20 points from Robin Lopez? The Screech Powers of the NBA had one of his most productive games in months after coming back to play from a bulging disc injury. With Stoudemire playing as well as he did, Lopez frequently found himself open for 15 footers, and when not shooting, he finished well around the rim against the Lakers bigs who had been outplaying every front line put in front of them during their eight game win streak. Tonight, it was the Suns bigs who got the best of the Lakers and Lopez had a big part in that.
The Lakers bigs efficiently fell because of a simple Alvin Gentry adjustment – he moved to a zone defense. He moved to the zone at the perfect time, mid way through the second quarter with a Farmar/Brown/Artest/Odom/Bynum lineup on the floor, or five-guys-who-couldn’t-bust-a-zone-if-their-life-depended-on-it. Watching the likes of Farmar, Brown and Artest keep the ball on one side of the floor and jack up threes because they figured there was nothing better to do was both frustrating and hilarious. Long range shot after long range shot led to Suns transition opportunities and a 25-15 second quarter that really got the Suns in a groove. By the time Kobe and Gasol got a crack at busting the zone, the Suns confidence was so high it really didn’t matter how well the Lakers moved the ball.
For the Lakers, Kobe had a near triple double, just one rebound shy to go along with his 36 points and 11 assists. Pau Gasol had 23 and nine while Derek Fisher had a nice 18 points. The rest of the team? They left their collective games in Los Angeles. Andrew Bynum played the most ineffective eight minutes in NBA History, Lamar Odom spent the whole first half coming down from his high and Ron Artest was, well, Ron Artest. The Farmar/Brown contingency has been a hit or miss couple this whole post season, and last night was definitely a miss. Even with the bad play from five of their eight rotation guys, they were still in it to win it late in the fourth.
Why The Suns Won This Game
Amare Stoudemire was a MAN and the Suns figured out how to defend while not actually defending. In man situations, the Suns had been god-awful, giving up 126 points per game in this series, moving to a zone improved their defense tremendously and they “only” gave up 109 (which is still 11 more ppg than they allowed during the course of the first two rounds). Steve Nash was finally able to find some soft spots and some passing lanes in the Lakers defense to work their world-renowned screen and roll offense. However, they still got little from their bench and absolutely nothing from Channing Frye (I swear Rashard Lewis has a Channing Frye costume and is playing in both series). Either way, the Suns slowed down the Lakers while their offense picked up. That will equal a win every time.
Why The Lakers Lost This Game
Somewhere along the line, the art of the entry pass was lost among generations and it is now almost non-existent. There were so many possessions where either Gasol or Bynum had excellent position in that zone, but neither Farmar nor Brown could make the pass to get it in to them. You don’t have a size advantage if guards can’t get the ball to the bigs. Because of their inability to get the ball inside, they jacked up way too many threes (32) and got burnt because of it.
Looking Ahead To Game 4
The Lakers have to understand that they were lucky to even be in the game last night. This is a Suns team that shot over 42 percent from three-point range in the regular season and only shot five for 20 in Game 3. If the Lakers continue to jack up long shots, they will get run off of the floor. The law of averages brought the Lakers three point shooting back down to earth and will boost the Suns three-point percentage for next game if given the same looks. I don’t expect the Lakers to play that way again, but if they do, it could be disastrous.
Prediction: The Lakers win a close one
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