I don't think that the Suns have the personnel to make significant changes to their game plan. Maybe try having someone else cover Lamar, but the way he is playing no one else on their team would be able to do much better. The Suns best chance is to try and run, keep shooting threes, and hope the Lakers struggle on offense.

Phoenix will move Diaw over to Odom, Thomas over to Kwame and Matrix over to Luke. Barring any foul trouble, this should be a pretty good defensive move. Thomas is a defensive liability but he makes it up in points and drawing Kwame out on defense. Matrix should have his way with Walton and Odom will have a harder time posting up Diaw.

For Phil, he'll probably anticipate the loss of the inside game today and make a switch to guard play. They'll probably allow Kobe to go with single-man coverage since history shows that Kobe with 40=Suns win. This is going to be Kobe's night for 40-60 points.

Oh no....BK is taken. I'm bummed lol... (if you're fiance is reading this...jk lol)

I'd have to double off Kobe. Meaning I'd double everyone and anyone on the paint. I'd double Kwame, I'd double Lamar. I'd have Tim Thomas guard Lamar, I'd have Marion guard Kwame---with doubles coming. With those 2 guarding, you're gaining and losing things. Marion is more wiry than Kwame, so he'd probably be able to steal the ball, and Tim Thomas has the body and the size to body up Lamar.

(That's the confusion with Phoenix (that I have a problem with), they say that if they let Kobe get what's his, and stop the others they'll win but why are they doubling him? Why don't they play single coverage, and guard everyone else...thank god we've been able to do our thing regardless)

The purpose of doubling others except Kobe is that it makes him a perimeter scorer...long shots equal long rebounds and they can run and go. The problem with that is it's Kobe Bryant, you try to do it consistenly he'll kill you (and yes by himself...it's possible). And that we're still taller, there's a better chance of us getting offensive rebounds (especially if they're all in the paint, trying to stop the post play).

As for Phil, if they do these things, I'd counter with our players being more physical. Okay you block the post...we'll keep moving the ball, have Kwame body up Marion, get Marion in foul trouble (with thunderous dunks), get LO to blast by Tim Thomas (getting him on touch fouls) and we'll get Kobe to kill you off with daggers.

I'm inclined to agree with Mike T. and exhelodver. The only thing the Suns can do is try to push their style of play.

I seriously cannot think of anything the Suns could do to adjust. First of all they don't have the personnel to adjust what they're doing. The Suns are a team built to run all day long and shoot threes. Take that away and what do they have? Not much. Mike D'Antoni doesn't coach defense, as far as I know, everything I've ever heard about him say is about pushing their offense. Has anyobe ever heard the man ever say the phrase "we need to get stops" or even mention the word defense? Didn't think so.

The Lakers can win the series if they want to, if they maintain their play simple as that. It takes a near perfect game for the Lakers to beat the Suns, but when the Lakers execute the Suns have no answers for it.

Seriously, can anyone tell me why Phil Jackson has yet to win a Coach of the Year award? The man knows what he's doing. This season proves why (despite his book "The Last Season") Phil is my favorite NBA coach.

I think the crowd needs to get involved to give the lakers an extra boost. I mean they need to be ARCO kind of loud. I think kobe should record a little clip and play it on jumbotron b4 the game and let everybody know "hey all u celebs i kno ur here to have fun but we need u to get off ur butts and scream, and all the rest of you fans i want non stop screaming from start to finish" imagine this type of energy in the building. Pheonix will be intimidated and ready to cry. Start to finish chants of "kobe mvp" "defense" and "boos". Wow just picture that i dont think the Lakers will let the fans down if they scream nonstop.

I would focus on the rest of the team to force kobe to turn it on, then return to the kobe-centric defense and hope he doesn't notice the shift. He has an easier time convertin from playmaker to one-man offense than the opposite.

If the Suns don't switch Marion off of Odom, tonights corny storyline will be:

NEOdom unplugs the Matrix yet again?

:) Corny yes, but I couldn't resist

This is going to be an exciting game! By far the most exciting series in these playoffs! I was literally falling asleep at the Clipper/Nugget game. How boring is that series to watch!??

Kobe will get in the 30s tonight. Marion will have a better game but I'm hoping the Lakers can overcome this Phoenix desperation and become victorious.

I agree with Brandon, Phoenix will move Diaw over to Odom, Thomas over to Kwame and Marion over to Luke, in his last interview Marion made it clear that him posting up against Odom is not making him happy.
Phoenix will probably then be able to bring Marion assistance to double team the low post or help on Kobe, just like brandon said barring any foul trouble, this should be a pretty good defensive move.
Odom will have a harder time posting up Diaw. Kwame should be very careful when the help comes from Marion on the weak side and make sure he delivers or passes before the help comes in.
On the offensive side Marion will have it "relatively" easier on Luke and Diaw will try to bring Lamar out of the block to the perimeter.

I think Phil is aware that Marion is proably asking D'Antony to make a switch in the defensive end, not much will change for the Lakers front though they will just have to be aware of the 2nd defender coming from the weak side, Phill will continue to explote that by asking the big men to look for the open man who ideally would be Kobe or Smush cutting to the basket.

Zen, I'd hate to be a Clipper fan watching last night's game. 60+ fouls? That was absolutely horrible, kind of like watching a high school game. Those were NBA players out there? Ouch!

Let's finish up this series and bring on the Clips.

It's the Lakeshow 24/7!

I think the Lakers are too young and inexperienced to not come out with energy tonight. The old Lakers would just come in cruising because they knew they could turn it on if needed. Guys like Smush, Sasha, and Kwame will be so amped to be playing a big playoff game at home we'll be lucky their heads don't explode.

Is there anyway we can get Ronny Turiaf some playing time? It would look like the Tasmanian Devil out there if PJ calls his number. I for one can't wait to see him cheerleading on the sideline.

I've got my adult beverages on ice and I'm ready to go. Is it 7:30 yet?

Scouts Inc game breakdown (cut and pasted for those who don't have ESPN Insider) - AK

Scouts Inc.: Lakers vs. Suns Game 3 Scouts Inc.

Lakers Offense: The Lakers are getting production where ever they want in the post. Kwame Brown had nine touches in the first quarter. But before anyone starts picking Brown as an All-Star next season, a quick breakdown of his touches: Twenty-two times on offense Brown touched the basketball with a decision to make, almost exactly half the time Brown made the right one. If Brown can eliminate the stretches where five out of six possessions end up in a turnover, he will get the ball more.

The real key has been Lamar Odom's ability to get deep in the post vs. Shawn Marion, Odom will continue to beat on Marion with his size, but must be ready for more double teams from Phoenix in Game 3.

Credit Phil Jackson with constantly moving Kobe Bryant around on the floor, at the point in the triangle side of the offense, and then on the wing in the two-man side.

Out of a timeout, look for the Lakers to run Kobe down the right side of the floor where he turns into the paint and sets a pick for Odom. Odom is the decoy, Bryant releases late, and amid the confusion on switching, Bryant gets a clean look from 15 feet.

Lakers Defense: When you match up with Phoenix during the regular season it is difficult because their approach is so different from everybody else, during a series they are easier to prepare for. Los Angeles has to continue to forget about collapsing defensively on penetration and stay out the perimeter on the shooters, playing the kick out lanes. It's like reverse fronting.

In Game 2 you can see the improvement in this area from Game 1. Smush Parker has done a great job on making Steve Nash work hard just to get the ball on the inbound.

Suns Offense: If the Lakers are going to defend the perimeter this well, the Suns might want to start thinking about finishing at the rim instead of looking for all the shooters camped out at the 3-point line. Outside shooting is like a long term stock, you have to stick with it despite the ups and downs. But in Game 2, Nash and his teammates wore themselves out trying to play catch-up after their poor shooting led to an early 19-0 Lakers run.

Late in the game, look for Nash to get a pick as far away from the basket as possible, and drive with only three defenders to think about. This was the bread and butter play for the Suns when Amare Stoudemire was healthy, but no one in Game 2 proved to be a threat from the outside.

After rolling on the pick, the Suns players looked confused with their spacing. Phoenix has to try and get the fast break going.

Suns Defense: The Lakers are starting to take control of the pace of these games. They're using a slow, multiple-look offense with shots at the end of the shot clock.

The Suns will have to start sending a double team at Lamar Odom as soon as he gets the ball in the post. Marion needs help. The effectiveness of the Phoenix defenders will be determined by the body angle the Suns play on their assignments and where they want to send the Lakers players.

The referees took away some of the Suns' aggressiveness after Nash and Sasha Vujacic shoved each other.

The Phoenix offense is built on getting stops and running, and getting lay-ups or jump shots before the opposition can set up defensively.

Prediction: It's getting closer but Suns in six.

Thanks AK,

I don't have ESPN insider stuff.

mike

lol

Thanks for the compliment.

;-)

Interesting one here.

I love how TNT's analysts were asked this same question and they found it very difficult to come up with a counter-strategy for Phoenix to deal with what the Lakers have been doing. I think it's partly the bias that these players have toward "playing basketball the right way" which the Lakers do and the Suns do not.

Magic eventually came up with something. I kind of forget what though and I don't recall it being that compelling.

The Suns do have some advantages against the Lakers as Steve Nash has said. They are quicker and more skilled overall as a team. Here's what I would do:

1. Apply more defensive pressure with double teams (Faith's idea). This strategy takes advantage of the Suns strength and forces long rebounds that lead to breaks.

2. Rotate more players into the game to keep fresh. This takes advantage of the Suns' superior athleticism and deeper bench. This idea also was on the blog before I wrote this post.

3. Find a way to get Marion into the game. Try to run a lot of the offense through him as a finisher. I like the switching idea mentioned to cover someone other than Lamar.

4. Cheat on Kwame a bit using a weaker coverage. I don't think you can use Briant Grant for long, but you have to try. He's slow and weak right now (as well as lacking in playing time), but he is the best shot. Kwame's had ball-handling trouble and you have to gamble against him playing well to deal with Odom.

5. Try to tire the better Laker defenders as much as possible. Run at them, get the fouls, etc.

6. Revive Chris Farley from the dead as a motivational speaker. The Suns need to show some heart instead of wussing out when things don't go very well for them.

This series could become and interesting chess match. However, I haven't seen much defensive strategy from D'Antoni as a coach. I haven't seen their inside presence work out. I haven't seen Marion able to step it up. Their largely one-dimensional, regular season strategy seems extremely problematic now because how can you adjust?

TNT analysts and I both seem to agree that Lakers' strategy has crippled the Suns. I think the Suns are seriously (starts with an f and ends with a cked).

Phil did some things many thought were obvious, but he did all the other little things to make the overall execution work as well. This coach is for real!

If Kobe scores 40 or more = Phx win then Phx should let Kobe be the scorer and let him try to beat Suns 5 on 1 (like how Lakers did with Nash in game 2). Plus, Suns should exploit match-up on screen and roll switches where Diaw ends up being guarded by Smush or Sasha and let Tim Thomas shoot more as he's been hot.

As for Lakers, Phil should let McKie accidentally fall on Nash's knee... jk. Lakers continue doing what we've been doing till Suns can stop us. And focus on getting Raja, Thomas and Nash in foul trouble and let Kobe post up more whenever Barbosa or House is on him.

I just hope young padawans can stay sharp after that confident boosting win.

Let force be with us.

GO LAKERS!

how will they shutdown the other players without leaving kobe one on one?, they can't let kobe go off on them not with their defense, it may have worked in the past but you know if they leave kobe one on one hes going to continue to drive it in the lane...cant wait till tonight

Go Lakers...

Some of you are suggesting that the suns let kobe go off and shut everyone else down. Are you guys watching the series? That is not possible in this one. Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom are having their way 1 on 1. It has nothing to do with Kobe. Unless the Suns figure out how to defend Brown and Odom in the block they are history. Because even if their strategy is "lets allow kobe to score 50", kobe is just going to come down and throw it down low into those guys. Then what? Thats where phoenix has to adjust. What that is who knows.

Lakers in 6.

I don't believe that the "let Kobe score and will beat the rest of the Lakers" will work.

We have a vastly different team than 2 months ago. Kobe now has the option to pass to LO or Kwam, and with their size advantage they are going to be hard to guard 1-on-1. Before, Kobe couldn't pass to Kwam as it would slip past his hands, and LO was standing around watching Kobe. It's not like this anymore.

The Suns can only win with run-and-gun and making 55% of their shots.

Fun game tonight. Last game I developped a headache, couldn't sleep, with all the fun excitment.

Go Lakers

i agree w/ benjamin that the suns are seriously f*cked.

a lot of you are saying that the suns should shut down the role players and let kobe bet them. but isn't that what they were ALREADY doing? that has been their strategy all regular season.

the fact that the lakers were able to control the tempo in games 1 and 2 means only one thing: the lakers are OWNING them.

Let's hope the Suns are not reading our Blog. We don't want to give them any new ideas!
Seriously, I thought I was going to have a heart attack during that last game. I guess I'm getting to old for this, but it sure is fun.
If the Lakers do nothing else but get out of the first round, I'd call that an incredible foundation for next year. And an all Staples Center round 2 would be excellent.
If they continue to play like they did in game 2 and cut back on the turnovers, they will win this series.
Go get 'em Boys!!

Maybe Jimmy's got a little thing going for the girl. Hate to tell you Jimmy, but Mr. Tienente is already there.

to be honest i don't think diaw can stay with lamar on the perimeter, especially after lamar took him off the dribble with his RIGHT hand the other game. he just completely blew pass him

is it just me, or does time go slower on game day?

man i cant wait

Go Lakers...

TrueLakerFan, you're right, time does go slower on gameday! 4 hours till tip-off!