<font face="Tahoma"><font size="2">By <font color="#0000ff">Eric Pincus</font></font><font size="2"> for HOOPSWORLD.com</font><font size="1"> <font color="#800000">Apr 24, 2006, 14:43</font> </font></font><font face="Tahoma"> </font> <font face="Tahoma">After twelve minutes against the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers looked completely outclassed. The explosiveness of the vaunted Phoenix offense was on full display. Game one of the playoffs and a solid 29 points in the first quarter left LA down 10. Were the Suns simply too much to handle? The scene shifted over the next two quarters. The Phoenix shooters got cold. The Laker defense seemed to frustrate them. The team aggressively looked to harass Nash on the pick and roll, closing off the penetration lanes and forcing other Suns to score. By the end of the third quarter the score was tied 75-75. Phoenix who had 39 in the first quarter compiled just 36 over the next two. The Lakers battled closely in the fourth, even briefly taking the lead, but an offensive rebound by Boris Diaw that led to a Nash three-pointer put the Suns up by six with just over a minute left. Ultimately a Laker loss 107-102, but had that ball gone to a Laker instead of Diaw, LA would have had possession and a three-point deficit. The Suns got the game, but this one could have very easily gone the Lakers way. Kobe Bryant seemed dedicated to distributing the ball en route to his 22 points. His jump shot was off (7-21), but his teammates rallied. Lamar Odom scored 21, while Luke Walton surprised with 19. Can that be right? Smush Parker and Brown also were in double figures with 15 and 14 respectively. Depending on Walton to carry such a scoring load may not be the most reliable move, but can the Suns get another 22 point, 15 rebound effort out of Tim Thomas? The OdomShawn Marion match up was a near draw offensively as Marion notched 19, but Odom had twice as many rebounds (14). Other than Thomas and Marion who shot a combined 64%, the rest of the Suns only hit 17 of 48 shots (35.4%). Conversely, while Bryant struggled at 7 for 21 (33.3%), his teammates combined for a respectable 44.9%. The dynamics change from game to game, but there were a lot of positives for the Lakers to build on. Bryant's shooting is expected to improve. The role players didn't play over their heads, except perhaps for Walton. The Laker offense wasn't at it's best with just 13 assists and 10 turnovers. The team shot 42.2% from the field and only 23.8% from the arc. The Suns who rarely went to the line during the regular season hit 32 of 35 (91.4%), which had a huge impact on the game. Bryant complained on a non-call late in the game. Perhaps the referees noticed that they may have actually made a mistake when a knot welled up on Bryant's head. The supervising official certainly must have noticed (the NBA has an observer at each game). It should be interesting to see how game two will be called. In the end, only one team accomplished anything significant over the weekend, the Indiana Pacers who overtook home court advantage from the New Jersey Nets. At a minimum, the goal for any team starting a playoff series on the road is to steal a single game. The Lakers proved that they could compete against the Suns without a scoring deluge from Bryant. Coach Phil Jackson was able to run a defensive scheme that slowed down the Suns, albeit for half of the game. Game two will be Wednesday night. The pressure is on both teams at this early stage in the series. Going back to Los Angeles down 0-2 would be a difficult burden to overcome. Holding on to home court will be the challenge for the Suns. The prediction still stands . . . Lakers in six. </font>
Great article, I agree with his prediction. LA will steal this one, win both at home, lose game 5 and win game 6 in LA
