BigLakerMike is back to give us the low down on the Western Conference Finals. “On paper the Phoenix Suns are our toughest match up thus far in the post season. They have height, power, speed, and an amazing bench. None of these things came into play Monday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant made it his job to not let the Suns get their momentum early in the game. Keeping the Suns from playing their usual run and gun game, we slowed them down and forced them to beat our defense (which they did not do).
There were many things that were clicking for us in game one. Pau Gasol only missed 3 shots out of the 13 he took. Gasol, Bryant, Farmar, and Artest each led the team with 5 assists a piece. Gasol showed why he is one of the greatest players in the world with his court vision and spectacular passing. The Lakers as a team shot 25% better then the Suns dropping 8 baskets from behind the arch.
The game started off looking as if it were going to be close and then the Lakers showed why they are the defending champions. Andrew Bynum had a quiet night scoring only 4 points. This can be looked at as a positive stat though, with the majority of our scoring coming from jump shots, that is what the Suns will be looking to stop in game 2. If we then take advantage and let Bynum score the same way Ben Roethlisberger gets dates, by FORCE, he can have a huge impact down low. Phoenix on the other hand is going to have to have numerous things go their way if they want to have a chance against us.
Their bench has got to make more of a presence, they were as successful as Mike Tyson in a 3rd grade spelling bee. We also can not be so lax as to think this is the Suns usual game play because it is not. They have not lost back to back games since January, which means they are going to come out strong in game 2. If we just maintain our defensive pressure and our passing we should be able to protect our home court and head into Phoenix with a 2-0 lead.
7 more wins to another Laker Championship…