Lakers haunted by the Suns?

[Mainstreet]

you gotta figure Hill takes Kobe, right? I think you can switch J Rich on Artest and allow him to camp at the three point line and throw bricks at the rim, while Grant's length and athleticism will actually make Kobe work for every shot. It will also be near impossible for Kobe to post on Hill, who's got long arms and two inches on him.

And can Kobe take it to the rim against Grant? Probably better than Manu could, but Grant also did a pretty damn good job on Parker, who's lightning fast out there.

That should be a fascinating matchup to watch.

This is the way I'm seeing it as well.

 

[az1965]

And I prefer having Lopez out there, btw. I consider that a boon to the Lakers fortunes, not the Suns. Not because he's a poor player or anything like that, but he changes the flow just enough, and can affect your great current chemistry. Get well soon, Robin!

I hope Phil Jackson is thinking this way as well...

 

[D-Dogg]

I hope Phil Jackson is thinking this way as well...

I'm pretty sure Phil is tossing and turning at the prospect of Rolo coming back after 8 weeks and integrating into your chemistry, having his legs under him and contributing significantly to this series. Night terrors.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Great thread. Great points everywhere.

My only take is that with all the talk of the defense on the perimeter being heavy in this thread, my biggest concern is the rebounding advantage the Lakers potentially (and likely) will possess with their :sizeandlength:. The Lakers offense is a good one but their efficiency isn't always the greatest and I fell we can defend them well the initial 24.

But second chance points with Kobe, Odom, Bynum, Gasol and Artest all being good/great rebounders for their respective size. That advantage against San Antonio with the guards rebounding will NOT be there in this series. The interior guys have to rebound and at least to break even. I have my doubts but this team has surprised me in that area all season. I suspect Admundson may play more this series then the previous.

Conversely on Suns offense, if Channing shoots well this series the Lakers are dead. If he gets close to 15 ppg for the series, I see the Suns winning in 6.

Tough thing is counting on Channing Frye to save your ass in the Western Conference Finals is not a plan.

It's full on russain roulette.

 

[Gaddabout]

I'm pretty sure Phil is tossing and turning at the prospect of Rolo coming back after 8 weeks and integrating into your chemistry, having his legs under him and contributing significantly to this series. Night terrors.

When you come home to Jeannie Buss, do you even think about basketball? Probably not. He probably goes home and thinks this when he walks in the door ...

"My wife is 25 years younger than me, hot, the daughter of my boss and heir to one-fourth of a half-billion dollar empire. I live in a mansion with a clear ocean view. When I go to work I throw out the basketball to one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and my boss has surrounded him with elite, versatile talent. Even if I don't win another championship I'm still a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer."

I doubt PJ worries much about anything.

 

[mojorizen7]

But second chance points with Kobe, Odom, Bynum, Gasol and Artest all being good/great rebounders for their respective size. That advantage against San Antonio with the guards rebounding will NOT be there in this series. The interior guys have to rebound and at least to break even. I have my doubts but this team has surprised me in that area all season. I suspect Admundson may play more this series then the previous.

Conversely on Suns offense, if Channing shoots well this series the Lakers are dead. If he gets close to 15 ppg for the series, I see the Suns winning in 6.

Absolutely on both counts. The offensive rebounding battle concerns me too.
Frye hitting his shots is the one thing that can force PJ to alter his front court rotations in our favor.

 

[TJ]

The best way to beat the Lakers is to make Kobe try to take over the game.

It was proven post Shaq pre Gasol era that Kobe cannot win every single game by himself. He needs good right hand men. Smush Parker was not that guy and neither was Walton when he had a bigger role. Now that he has reliable players like Gasol and an improved Bynum and Odom on the payroll, they are tops in the west.

Last season, when Kobe took less than 21 shots, the Lakers were 39-3: 93% win. When he took 21 or more shots, they were 26-14: 65% win.

Obviously, it would be foolish to leave him open as he is still one of the deadliest shooters in the game. I just wouldn't throw double teams at him all of the time or leave him to double somebody up.

This is why the bigs are feared. You cannot leave Kobe open so it almost takes the double team out of play. In my opinion, a healthy Lopez is key to our success because Collins simply will not impact the game. Collins played 3 of the 4 games against LA this season. We lost all 3. The game where we beat them, Lopez played 21 minutes and Collins never saw the court. In addition, Frye played 35 minutes that day and ended up with a double double. Therefore, IMO, the thunder and lighting combination of Lopez and Frye is what is going to change the way the Lakers defend.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Last season, when Kobe took less than 21 shots, the Lakers were 39-3: 93% win. When he took 21 or more shots, they were 26-14: 65% win.

Interesting...it's pretty obvious the Suns need to seduce Kobe into trying to take over every game, not doubling him and staying at home on defense seems pretty important.

 

[az1965]

I'm pretty sure Phil is tossing and turning at the prospect of Rolo coming back after 8 weeks and integrating into your chemistry, having his legs under him and contributing significantly to this series. Night terrors.

No one is saying Rolo is going to "contribute significantly"... no one should be expecting Rolo to contribute significantly. But, a 50% Rolo is better than Collins. We might at least get a block or two and a handful of rebounds from Rolo.

 

[elindholm]

The best way to beat the Lakers is to make Kobe try to take over the game...

Last season, when Kobe took less than 21 shots, the Lakers were 39-3: 93% win. When he took 21 or more shots, they were 26-14: 65% win.

I would interpret that as: When the rest of his team sucks, Bryant has no choice but to shoot more, and the Lakers still aren't in great shape. When the whole roster shows up to play, they don't need Bryant to score, and can cruise anyway.

 

[cly2tw]

The player I am most concerned of is Artest. He seems to be able to nail down the 3s and abuse Hill/JRich on lowpost quite well. That's where I hope Collins could step in and set some solid backdoor screens fro JRich and get Artest some early hard bumps to throw off his shooting touch.

Otherwise, with improved defense by Amare on Gasol and Nash on the 3pt line, the only concern would remain that Bynum be contained and boxed out off the offensive glass. Hopefully, Frye stretching the floor so that they'd put Bynum on Amare who should school Bynum to take him off the court.

It looks there will be a Celtics-Suns final this year. With KG/Rasheed decline of defensive skill and Amare's improvement there, we will win it all after how many years of NBA existence!

 

[chickenhead]

Lopez isn't Willis Reed, but there may be a timely place to put him in.

 

[Gaddabout]

It looks there will be a Celtics-Suns final this year.

Jinx!

And it would be stunning if any team other than Orlando came out of the East.