How exactly did the Lakers succeed in dropping the hammer on the Suns? Rebounding and an unselfishness and balanced attack. Sure, they were on fire from the perimeter, making 22 of 42 attempts (52.4%; 56.5% overall) from 15 feet and beyond, including 8 of 13 3-pointers (61.5%), but the Lakers aggressive rebounding and offensive execution are what did the Suns in.
In disposing of the Suns, the Lakers only required 28 minutes and 16 points from Kobe Bryant, though he did play a huge part in the win adding 11 rebounds (3 offensive), a team-high 4 assists and 3 steals. Vladimir Radmanovic, yes THAT Vladimir Radmanovic was the team’s top scorer Friday, leading five Lakers in double figures with 19 points on just eight shot attempts (he made all four of his 3-pointers and all three of his free throws). In addition to
The other area where the Lakers dominated the Suns on Friday was on the boards, outrebounding
As for the Suns, it looks like there could be some cause for serious concern. Their shortcomings against the Lakers are the issues that could plague this team throughout the season. Although his ineffectiveness on Friday was a rarity, Amare Stoudemire still seems unable to avoid foul trouble, and the Suns have only Brian Skinner and Sean Marks to back him up in the paint. Steve Nash also had a tough game against the Lakers, turning the ball over five times while handing out just three assists, which wound up hurting Shawn Marion, Grant Hill and Raja Bell, who combined for just 31 points on the night. That the Suns were not able to replace Nash’s production with back-up point guard Marcus Banks, who was just 1-of-6 shooting in 15 minutes (although he did have four assists), is also problematic as Nash’s minutes will need to managed in order to reduce the risk of injury on his chronically sore back and to keep him fresh for the NBA’s stretch run and the post-season.
To be clear, this is unlikely to become the standard performance from the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but it is a resounding example of this team’s potential. The Lakers turned in a dominating performance against a top-tier contender, albeit one on the back end of a back-to-back, by getting several members of the team rolling on offense early in the game, and by crashing the boards aggressively and not allowing the Suns’ fast break to get rolling. Was this performance a fluke, or will it have a lasting impact on the Lakers and catapult them to a strong start to the season? We don’t have to wait long to find out. Sunday night, the Lakers will host another Western Conference contender, the Utah Jazz, at
No comments:
Post a Comment