Game 2 thoughts, mine and otherwise
Clearly I'm not going out on a limb when I say tonight's Game 2 is absolutely massive for Utah. Good as they are at home, should they fall behind 2-0 to the Lakers, the idea that they could rip off four of the next five seems a little far-fetched. Could it happen? Sure. Would I put any money on it? Maybe yours, but not mine. With that in mind, expect the Jazz to come out hard from moment one, and keep the pressure on the Lakers all night. A few things to look for:
- Pau Gasol: The Jazz beat him up, and clearly had the lanky, limby Spanaird out of sorts for much of the game Sunday. But they couldn't limit him for 48 minutes, and despite having what seemed to be a relative off night, Gasol still made big contributions at the beginning and end of the game. I'd be shocked if Jerry Sloan didn't continue to throw more physical play his way.
- Pace: Both teams can push when they want, but it might be in the Lakers' best interest to try and run a little more than they did in Game 1. The break creates space and minimizes contact. It can also help draw Utah (no slouches on the run, by the way) out of their very disciplined, often punishing offensive sets. Of course, to make that happen, they'll have to keep Utah away from the rim and off the offensive glass.
- Kobe: What does Sloan throw at him, and does that include the parade of fouls that sent Bryant to the line 23 times in Game 1? Probably not. Sloan said after the game that his team needs to do a better job of guarding Kobe without fouling. At the same time, it's important to be physical with him. You can see the bind they're in...
- The Push: The Lakers have developed the ability to do that San Antonio thing, where they can play even with an opponent for a stretch, then crank it up a few degrees to a level that can't be met. A four-point lead swells to 10 or 12, and suddenly the entire complexion of the game changes. It's not a question of running teams out of the gym but slowly squeezing them through the doors. If the Lakers turn the screws on Utah tonight, will they be able to match it? By the way, Utah is good enough to have this work in its favor too.
Click below for more Game 2 thoughts from around the Interweb...
"...The Jazz had 33 personals in Game 1. While that's only six more than the Lakers, LA was awarded 46 free throw attempts to Utah's 30.
Three players fouled out (Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Lamar Odom). Pau Gasol got into foul trouble early; both Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver finished with five apiece.
Utah is faced with a similar problem the Denver Nuggets had guarding Kobe Bryant. He'll get his share of free throws but it's a safe bet he won't get 23 attempts like he did in Game 1. If that means ball denial, traps, double-teams or zones, expect the Jazz to try and get the ball out of Bryant's hands.
Too much attention on Bryant could open the game up for other Lakers like Gasol, Odom and the bevy of Laker shooters. They'll need to cash in..."
"...Utah is going to shoot better tonight, the key is to take away the easy baskets on back-cuts and the like. LA got lost on some of that last game. The Lakers aggressive defense in the second quarter pushed Utah out of their comfort zone, forced them to take longer jump shots, and LA needs more of that effort — and not to let up on it. Utah will not fold like a house of cards..."
"...Both teams have stars. But who is going to be that dude who steps up and delivers unexpected production? In Game 1, it was Sasha Vujacic, whose second quarter push helped give the Lakers the lead they never gave back. Utah got major minutes from Okur (21/19/3), but not from their stars, so the boost was mitigated. These are two squads with a great deal of depth, and role guys capable of making big contributions. If all the headliners show up, whichever team gets the great wild card performance could grab the W..."
"...Utah hurt Los Angeles with sound strategies. Rushing Carlos Boozer to the post in early offense paid some dividends, and he's much better there than on the perimeter. For Utah to get a road win against this terrific Lakers team, he likely will need to score more than 15 points. And he definitely will need to make fewer than seven turnovers (his Game 1 totals). Getting the ball to him early makes it tough for L.A. to be in position to help/double him and be ready to rotate to shooters and cutters. Utah had success curling guys through the lane when Boozer had the ball mid-post. The Lakers need to bump those guys off their paths, but doing so will open up Boozer's path to the rim. Boozer is anxious to be a difference-maker after his mediocre play against the Houston Rockets in the first round, so L.A. might just keep forcing him to be more of a passer and give up those easy looks...
Come across more? Pass on the URLs and we'll try to get 'em posted.
BK
PS- Here's a little more on Kobe's MVP from 20 Second Timeout.
JustaLakerFan,
You're showing your lack of understanding by comparing Bynum to Jabbar, Paul, Johnson, and Bryant. As I pointed out, and you ignored, he only played about two years of high school ball. Jabbar had four years of college, Johnson had two years of college, Paul had at least one. Bryant had 4years of HS. Jabbar, Johnson, and Bryant are in the top 10 of all-time greats. Paul is headed that direction so far. Bynum - appears to be pretty good, but too soon to tell for sure. AND ONLY TWO YEARS OF HS BALL. And bigs tend to develop much more slowly. PAY ATTENTION!!
Posted by: exhelodrvr | May 07, 2008 at 11:02 PM
I would like to make a public acknowledgment in front of GOD and the Blog faithfuls and congratulate Kobe Bean Bryant for winning the ....... MauricePodoloffTrophy..........duh duh duh big deal so what i could win a Podoloff with both my hands tied behind my back.
Posted by: TJSimers | May 08, 2008 at 09:26 AM
Apology accepted TJSimers (as we do the Sith choke from a distance on him).
Posted by: Benjamin | May 08, 2008 at 04:15 PM