It's on!

[KloD]

LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT (22 PTS, 6 REBS, 5 ASTS): “I had to take a lot of bail-out shots. I wasn’t really looking to attack. I think there are a lot of things we can take advantage of and tonight we did that. It kept us in the ball game and we had them right where we wanted them, but a couple of bounces didn’t go our way. It’s just a matter of finding that groove, really. We know this is the way we want to play because we can attack them inside. So, this is what we want to do. Personally I get to the basket, get some free-throws, and I’ll I need is one jumper to go and I’m hot.

“I know we can play a better ball game than that, although turnovers were low. Kobe [Bryant] didn’t have a good shooting game and he got some nice open looks. But, I think as team we can play better than we did. I thought [the Suns] played really well first quarter. We were there. Tough call, no call, Kobe going baseline in a four-point game. It’s difficult. Our inside game was relatively good, but we turned the ball over in some of those situations. I thought we did a good job on [Nash]. He got that open look at the end on the airball by [Raja] Bell. Star of the game obviously goes to Tim Thomas.

“I don’t feel like we missed an opportunity. We’ll have better opportunities as we go along. We’re figuring out how to play against them.”

(On his teammates)
“Oh, we can play a little bit. Today was a good all-around game. Kwame had a big game, Luke had a big game, Lamar played well, Smush played decent. So, it’s just a matter of us keeping it going and being ready to fight on Wednesday. We’ll just key-in on other guys.”

(On taking just seven shots in the first half)
“You know what; I’ve done it in the past. I’ve done that. Once they start making adjustments defensively, then I start attacking. It’s not something that’s new to me.”

(On the Suns’ defense)
“They played Suns basketball. I didn’t feel like it was any different than it’s been in the past. I feel like I can raise up and get good looks when I want them. When you make the basket—it’s almost like they want you to shoot so they can get out and run back at you.”

Did he really refer to himself in 3rd person?

 

[elindholm]

No, the article accidentally reprinted a paragraph of Jackson's under Bryant's name.

 

[KloD]

No, the article accidentally reprinted a paragraph of Jackson's under Bryant's name.

Ok, thanks.

 

[Ryanwb]

Kobe = Douche bag

 

[George O'Brien]

I'm almost glad I missed this game. I risk getting an ulcer when the Suns play badly - even if they win.

Not having seen the game, I'm left with trying digest various comments and reconcile them with the stats. If you looked at the overall stats, the Suns don't look too bad. The Lakers shot only 42.2% and just 23.8% for three. By contrast, the Suns shot 45.2% and 45% for three plus 32-35 from the line.

If I was to guess, the Lakers played extremely physical defense in an attempt to disrupt the Suns offensive flow. For reasons I don't really understand, it seems the Suns shooters tend to miss open shots when the flow is bad. Perhaps they rush their shots or don't get the ball where they would like it. In any case, pressuring the Suns can be effective and the Suns 20 three point attempts is almost six below their season average.

It is notable that the Lakers fouled the Suns a lot. The Suns took 35 foul shots, which is 18 more than their season average. The Lakers are counting on being allowed the fouls the Suns without penalty. On the inside, dunks are valuable because they are not as easily effected by the player being shoved and hacked.

In reading the articles about the game, everyone was raving about the balanced Laker attack. However, only two of their players shot over 50% (Walton was 9 of 16 and Odom was 8 of 15). These are good performances, but not when compared to TT's 8 of 10 including 4 of 5 for three.

Perhaps this is one of those "every so often" games by TT, but on the surface it is not clear how the Lakers are going to stop him with their lineup. Neither Odom nor Brown are likely to be able to go out to defense him without becoming quite vulnerable to drives to the basket. He should be effectively wide open every time he comes down court.

In any case, the Suns should expect to face the same style of defense the rest of the series. The Lakers will have a chance to win games where few fouls are called, but that wasn't the case in game 1.

 

[Sundance]

Guys, we shouldn't make too much out of this Suns win. I mean, the Lakers were essentially coming off a back-to-back-to-back. They had to practice Saturday(really hard, too) and participated in a series of strenuous shooting drills just before yesterday's game, so it's really not fair to even bring this victory up. The Lakers were clearly at a marked disadvantage. And the league should've done the right thing and spotted the Lakers a handicap.

I hope I speak for the board when I say that this injustice warrants a do-over.

 

[arthurracoon]

They are replaying this game on ESPN (or espn2) right now if you want to watch (1:07 am)

 

[Errntknght]

Phil Jackson was quoted more than once that the Lakers were going to attack the Suns inside and thats what they did, and it worked fairly well. And like Stein said it could well give Kwame & Walton a confidence boost, perhaps Cook as well. I'd expect PJ to continue with that basic plan except mix in a few more plays for Kobe the whole game long, so he doesn't have to try to shift gears at the end.

I predicted the Lakers would give us a tough series and game 1 didn't give me any reason to change my mind. True the Suns didn't play particularly well but the Lakers' D had a good bit to do with that and the Lakers could lift their game some as well. I wouldn't be surprised if it came down to how well D'Antoni makes adjustments - we know Jackson is good at that.

The most encouraging thing about the game was that the Suns played well down the stretch, something we haven't done particularly well this year.

 

[boisesuns]

 

[Mulli]

Phil Jackson obviously had the Lakers let Nash make that three pointer at the end.

 

[KloD]

Phil Jackson obviously had the Lakers let Nash make that three pointer at the end.

It's all part of his grand plan to let the Suns win.

 

[Mulli]

It's all part of his grand plan to let the Suns win.

That guy is brilliant.

 

[KloD]

That guy is brilliant.

 

[Mulli]

And when they don't win, they can blame it all on Shaq again.

 

[KloD]

Since Kobe "backed" off and got the rest of the team involved. Though he had only 4 assists and took 5 or 6 less shots than his average. It had nothing to do with defense.

This is Jackson's grand plan to fool the Suns into thinking they actually won rather than it was given to them. Joke is on the Suns I guess?

 

[Mulli]

Since Kobe "backed" off and got the rest of the team involved. Though he had only 4 assists and took 5 or 6 less shots than his average. It had nothing to do with defense.

This is Jackson's grand plan to fool the Suns into thinking they actually won rather than it was given to them. Joke is on the Suns I guess?

Does that mean the Suns should have recognized the Laker's plan, and lost on purpose? Was it in either team's best interest to win?

 

[KloD]

Does that mean the Suns should have recognized the Laker's plan, and lost on purpose? Was it in either team's best interest to win?

Yes, the win will hurt us. I can't believe they fell for it. We're screwed.

 

[Mulli]

Yes, the win will hurt us. I can't believe they fell for it. We're screwed.

Look for posts calling for D'Antoni to be fired.

 

[KloD]

He should leave the state by cover of the night. What a loser by means of winning. Jerk.

 

[reader]

Everyone keeps talking about Jackson's game plan, what about D'Antoni's?

Am I the only one who thought the Suns went to the basket more than they normally do, thus creatng fouls, thus shooting foul shots.

If that was indeed the plan, it worked fairly well, as in a win and foul shots.

 

[Gaddabout]

Am I the only one who thought the Suns went to the basket more than they normally do, thus creatng fouls, thus shooting foul shots.

If that was indeed the plan, it worked fairly well, as in a win and foul shots.

I didn't get the impression the Suns were going to the hole more, but it did strike me the Suns were getting calls they didn't get during the regular season. I don't know what to think about that. Thirty years as a Suns fan makes one cynical. I keep wondering if this was a set up by the refs to send Kobe to the line 30 times a game for the rest of the series ... so their calls look more balanced over a series.

 

[myrondizzo]

barbosa play 28 in and his game is slashing to the basket but he played more because of foul trouble.

 

[George O'Brien]

Phil Jackson was upset that so many fouls were called against the Lakers, but when teams press outside shooters it opens the way for guys to drive the basket. This is why Barbosa is such a huge factor in the Suns game plan because it is all but impossible to keep him from penitrating.

Unfortuntely, the current Suns other than Marion don't finish at the basket well enough to deal with the inevitable contact they get. Boris in particular needs to dunk more often. He can do it, but it doesn't seem automatic for him.

Having two days off will mean both Phil Jackson and Mike D'Antoni will have a chance to revise their plans. IMHO this is more of an advantage for D'Antoni than it is for Jackson. Jackson's options are limited by the players he uses.
Clearly the Laker's strategy of slowing the game down made a big difference, but at the same time apparently the Suns did not exploit their speed advantage.

1. With the Lakers focused on stopping Nash, it might mean having Boris handle the ball on drive and kick plays. If he finds the range on his mid range stuff, he creates a matchup problem.

2. TT could be a decisive factor in the series. Clearly none of the Lakers are able to defense him one on one. He may not be as unconscious from the outside, but his shooting is going to force the Lakers to come out and thus risk him driving the basket where he is a very good closer.

3 Luke Walton had a great game, but his season shooting is only 41.2% and 32.7% for three. Over the course of a long series, it is hard to imagine him being a major offensive threat and he is slower than any of the Suns front line guys. Assuming he's matched up against Marion, the Suns could attack the basket with more backdoor plays since Marion can jump much higher than Walton.

4. The Suns CAN run screen plays to get their shooters. Eddie House is probably his most effective coming off screens. If the Lakers are going to press the Suns shooters, screens and high pick plays could help get more open shots.

5. On defense, the Suns will need to be more active and play the passing lanes. They only had 6 steals and should go after the ball more - especially when Brown gets it. He's a turnover waiting to happen.

In any case, the first game on the playoffs is always a huge shock to guys like Boris with no playoff experience and others like Leandro and Eddie with minimal experience. The more they p;ay, the more they'll get used to the intensity and hopefully play like they are capable of playing.

 

[sly fly]

Here's my take...

- Tim Thomas was just an animal. Props to him for proving some of his doubters (including me) wrong. If he could just show consistent effort every night...

- Obviously, when Nash drives and creates (1st/4th Quarter)... the offense feeds off that. If they try to create on the perimeter, the offense tends to bog down (2nd/3rd Quarter).

His driving just opens up so many more options.

- Smush Parker did a nice job of staying in front of Nash (for the most part). Problem is, it's impossible to do for 48 minutes. I thought Smush played a solid game.

- Luke Walton would look great in a Suns uni. He's one helluva a heady player (defensive liabilities aside).

- Kwame Brown is taller than I ever thought. I'm sure he's grown a couple inches since comng into the league. He's actually not that far off from being a huge presence down low.

- I think the Laker's fringe players played about as well as they could of. This was the game to steal. Now, we'll see Kobe get off 40 attempts... and he'll probably score 50+. I don't think that bodes well for LA. Next game is going to be a track meet.

 

[boisesuns]

Here's my take...


- Luke Walton would look great in a Suns uni. He's one helluva a heady player (defensive liabilities aside).