The Lakers are still pinching themselves after coming within less than five seconds of facing Portland in this first round series. Kobe Bryant's game tying three pointer sent the Lakers into overtime and sent the Trailblazers packing for Dallas.
Series Overview:
The Lakers couldn't have gotten a better match up in the first round if they had tried. First off the Lakers are just too big for New Orleans. Okafor has the size to disrupt the Lakers interior game but when he is guarding Gasol he will have to go away from the basket which will open the lane. The Hornets also like to play at a slow pace which for many NBA teams is a problem but the Lakers are a team that also plays better when it slows the game down. Both teams do not turn the ball over a lot and because they both use lots of time on offense their defensive numbers both look very good. The reality though is the Lakers not only look very good on defense, they are very good. The Hornets are also a good defensive team but not on a par with the Lakers. They also lack the Lakers depth and experience. Ron Artest is sort of wasted in this series because the Hornets don't really have one big time scorer. Still if any Hornet other than Paul gets hot he'll find himself with Artest attached to him in short order. The Lakers are better at every position except point guard, they're far taller, handle the ball as well, and when they get Blake back from chicken pox they are probably a better outside shooting team too. Look for the Lakers to try and wall off the lane to keep Paul from penetrating, get out quick to Belinelli, and make a concerted effort to keep Landry off the glass. If they can do that and run their offense smoothly then the Lakers are going to roll. The Hornets biggest hopes in this series are that the Lakers will revert to playing down to the level of their competition, that Bynum's knee limits his mobility or minutes or the Lakers continue to go into very long stretches when they just can't hit water from a boat (like the fourth quarter collapse against the Kings last Wednesday). Aside from that or something totally unexpected I'd be surprised if the Hornets do much better than take this to five games.
The Lakers:- Point Guard: Derek Fisher (6.8 points 1.9 rebounds 2.7 assists) In some ways he is the heart and soul of the team. Although Phil Jackson doesn't really like small guards he has certainly learned to like Fisher. He gives them steady ball handling, hard nosed defense and an ability to score when they really need a score. He's not a great outside shooter but he's great when it counts. He's not really a quick guard but with his experience he still to gets places he really shouldn't be able to get to. He has problems with quick guards (like Chris Paul) but the Lakers, when they want to, can be very good at shutting down that kind of penetration. He is also one of the leagues best at drawing charges and other offensive fouls. Like Artest and a number of other Lakers, he really grates on people over the course of a game and he backs down to no one.
- Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant (25.3 points 5.1 rebounds 4.7 assists) First and foremost, he is a scorer. He has the two key things every great scorer has to have (along with talent). No conscience and no memory. Scorers try to score whenever they see a shot they feel they have a better chance of making than they would by passing it up and staying with the play. That means some really bad shots but great scorers find a way to make enough of those bad shots to make up for the lack of conscience about shot selection. He has the ability to forget every miss instantly and completely. The shot he made to save the game the other night followed a string of easy shots that he had missed and yet he fired that one without the weight of all the previous misses on his mind. That's a trait all great scorers share. This year he has managed to channel that scoring drive and be a much more complete player. Still he has not been as consistently good as he was a few years ago. He's become a much streakier shooter than he was and has more cold streaks than he used to but he still manages to put up the points. He doesn't drive as much or as successfully to the hoop as he used to but he can when he wants to. Many times though he seems to drive simply trying to draw fouls and refs are not buying that act anymore. He does give the Lakers something the Hornets do not have, a go-to player down the stretch.
- Small Forward: Pau Gasol (18.8 points 10.2 rebounds 3.3 assists) It's hard to refer to Pau as a small forward but because he has such a good inside 18 foot jump shot he plays at times like a small forward except that he can post up, shoot equally well with either hand near the basket, rebound and block shots. Oh yeah. And he's seven feet tall. When he is on the court with Bynum he becomes a major match-up problem so he usually ends up being guarded by a power forward who can't match his quickness.
- Power Forward: Ron Artest (8.5 points 3.3 rebounds 2.1 assists) By size alone he's a small forward but the reality is that he plays like a power forward which makes him a great compliment to the size and quickness that both Gasol and Lamar Odom have. He's a match up problem too because he's too strong and cagy for a small forward to handle inside. Looking at his numbers doesn't really tell what he brings to the team. He can make three pointers but isn't great at it and every point he scores for them is a bonus. What Artest does better than anyone in the league is play shut down defense on the other team's big scorer. He is also a great help defender and has a rare ability to create deflections on reach-ins without getting fouls. He doesn't always make the right play or take the best shots but it's a small price to pay for what he gives on the defensive end where he leads the Lakers in steals.
- Center: Andrew Bynum (11.3 points 9.4 rebounds 1.4 assists 1.96 blocks) If he is healthy he makes the Lakers a really tough team to beat. If he isn't the Lakers will be on vacation in early May. By concentrating on rebounding and defending the basket he has become the Lakers' eraser, allowing defenders to risk penetration knowing Bynum can either block or intimidate the shooter. It solidifies what was already a great defense. Offensively he's still too slow in deciding whether to pass the ball back out of the post or make a move and in too many cases when he finally makes up his mind the opening is gone. Still he has good footwork, he's only 23 and he's also a seven footer.
- Forward: Lamar Odom (14.4 points 8.7 rebounds 3 assists) The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year is a real asset to this team. Not only is he a 6'10" power forward he is also in reality a point guard in a power forward's body. He has that ability to take a defensive rebound and then lead the break and make the right play at the end. He, like Fisher, is left handed but he's not nearly as good at going to his right as Fisher is. Even though everyone in the league knows he wants to go left he still manages to find a way to get there. He's not as good a finisher as he could be with his size and skills but he is still a real problem to handle around the hoop. He also makes the Lakers a really long team when he's paired with Gasol and or Bynum.
- Guard: Shannon Brown (8.7 points 1.9 rebounds 1.2 assists) He's a scorer with no conscience either. He's just not great at it and because of that he has a memory. When he's hot he's hot and when he's not he's not. He is an incredible leaper and a highlight reel in the open court. He can be a great outside shooter but he's inconsistent and gets impatient when his shot isn't falling. Of all the Lakers he is the only one who dribbles the ball far too much looking for a shot or a driving lane. When he lets the game come to him he is a perfect off the bench backup for Kobe. He tries to force things he misses and the Lakers bog down.
- Forward: Matt Barnes (6.7 points 4.3 rebounds 1.3 assists) He is a smaller Lamar Odom without the ball handling ability. He is thin, long and a tenacious defender. His knee is a concern and he has not been the outside shooter or slasher he was before he hurt his knee. He still gives them a hard nosed aggressive attitude (that if Lamar Odom had he'd be a superstar). He makes excellent cuts through the lane and is another player who grates on opponents over a game (or a series).
- Guard: Steve Blake (4 points 2 rebounds2.2 assists) The Lakers got him for his hustle, hard nosed play and his outside shooting but over the course of the season they've had to settle for two out of three. He has not been the consistent shooter the Lakers thought they were getting. He is a shooter with a conscience. He passes up too many open looks but he also has a memory and becomes even more reluctant to shoot after he misses. He works hard and can guard quicker guards fairly well and he's another player that players get tired of over the course of a game.
- Forward: Luke Walton (1.7 points 1.2 rebounds 1.1 assists) He didn't play many minutes but the Lakers may need him to pick up his game if Barnes knee becomes a problem. He's a great distributor and has a knack for finding open men. He can be a good ourtside shooter but he doesn't show it very often. He's always looking to pass before he looks to shoot. He has problems handling qick forwards on the defensive end.
- The Rest of the Team: Theo Ratliff (Center), Joe Smith (Forward) Derrick Character (Forward) Devin Ebanks (Forward) Trey Johnson (Guard) If these guys are in the game then one way or another it's a rout (either that or a lot of players fouled out.
The Hornets:
- Point Guard: Chris Paul (15.9 points 4.1 rebounds 9.8 assists) If not the best point guard in the league then he is certainly one of them. He is the kind of quick guard who could give the Lakers fits with his penetration. He is good shooter who is always looking to pass and a real pest on the defensive end where he gets 2.35 steals a game. He is by far their best player
- Shooting Guard: Marco Belinelli (10.5 points 1.9 rebounds 1.2 assists) outstanding outside shooter who can be trouble as a slasher in the lane. He shoots three pointers at a 42.4%. He's not a good defender and the playoffs are always about defense.
- Power Forward: Carl Landry (11.8 points 4.1 rebounds .6 assists) The trade that brought him to the Hornets saved their season. He replaced their top scorer David West (and made up for some but not all of West's 18.9 points per game) when he went down with a torn ACL. He's a tough inside player who seems to always play well against the Lakers. He is a very good offensive rebounder and a steady mid range shooter.
- Small Forward: Trevor Ariza (11 points 5.4 rebounds 2.2 assists) The former Laker has struggled as a shooter this year but he can be a major three point shot threat when he's hot. He is an outstanding defensive player and excellent at stepping into passing lanes to make steals. As a former Laker he is familiar with their triangle offense and his ability to read it could give the Lakers some trouble
- Center: Emeka Okafor (10.3 points 9.5 rebounds .6 assists 1.76 blocks) He only takes seven shots per game and is not a threat to force Laker defenders to follow him outside. He is a solid defender and shot blocker which makes him the heart of the Hornets defense. At 6'10" he gives up size to both Bynum and Gasol which negates much of defensive impact
- Point Guard: Jarrett Jack (8.5 points 1.9 rebounds 2.6 assists) Like Chris Paul is quick and a great penetrator and distributor. He's not as good from distance or as creative as Chris Paul though (but then again, who is?)
- Center: Aaron Gray (3.1 points 4.2 rebounds .4 assists) he's their only other big man at seven feet but he doesn't have the quickness to keep up with any of the Laker big men
- Forward: Jason Smith (4.3 points 3.1 rebounds .5 assists) he started to get almost twenty minutes a game over the last five games but his stats speak for themselves
- The Rest of the Team: If you see any of them in it's either garbage time or an awful lot of Hornets fouled out
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