MVN - Most Valuable Network

Lakers regain their swagger with a close win

Please join me in welcoming to MVN our newest writer….Rubin Thomas.

Kobe needed some extra help from his teammates to squeeze out a win but at the end of the day his teammates were the difference. Bryant ended with 26 points and 7 assists and on several occasions his back looked pain-free. Bryant scored the first 5 points and took a fade away similar to the one he took in Game 4 that got his back hurt – clearly a good sign for Lakers fans everywhere. Bryant and the Lakers were active in the first half. Scrambling on defense and confusing the Jazz in their offensive sets which allowed the Lakers to capitalize on the fastbreak. The Jazz dominated the Lakers again on the offensive boards but it seemed as if it was the Lakers who grabbed the game-changing rebounds. Pau Gasol grabbed two rebounds and scored two consecutive baskets down the stretch to seal the win. Gasol ended with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Gasol’s finesse passing and wide array of low-post moves have been a perfect combination in the Lakers’ triangle offense. Ever since he’s been in L.A. shooters have been getting open all over the court; with Bryant demanding attention on the top of the key, teams are forced to choose which of the big three (Bryant, Gasol, Odom) they want to double-team. Odom is usually the one that goes unnoticed and tonight was no different; he finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

The Jazz fought back in the 3rd quarter and were able to hold momentum during several possessions. But as usual, Bryant took the team on his shoulders and made a swooping drive across the lane that finished with a bank shot and a foul. There always comes a time in the game where the Lakers look beat and Bryant carries his team over the hump. The Lakers’ might have adopted a new team concept this year but it’s still the same old Kobe dominating the floor whenever he wants. His ability to take over the games early has opposing coaches focusing on him in the 4th quarter which makes his teammates wide open.

If we had to look at negatives for this game and the series, one of them would have to be Jordan Farmar. He came into this game averaging 1 point in the series. Here is a guy who has been a key contributor off the Lakers’ bench, which is considered the best bench in the NBA. His offensive struggles are related to the fact that he gets beat defensively by Deron Williams almost every time down the floor. Farmar tries to make up his poor play on the defense end by tossing up low-percentage shots on the offesnsive end. But Farmar played better this game, hitting an open three and crossing-over Williams late in the 4th quarter. Hopefully he can use this series as a learning experience and develop into the heir apparent to the point guard position after Derek Fisher leaves.

As this series heads back to Utah, theres a few things we have to look at: The Lakers have to be more aggressive on the offensive boards. Ronny Turiaf should be substituted into the game more to provide his athletic jumping ability that can counter a bruising Carlos Boozer and Paul Milsap. If the Laker’s can continue to dominate the free-throw line and force turnovers this series could be over by Friday night.

I want to thank Rubin for his initial contribution to Lakers Libary and add a few comments. It looked like Kobe wasn’t in pain, but played in a way to not re-injure the back, perhaps it was more serious then I thought. Another thought is, the Lakers never trailed in the game and although they cut the lead , the Jazz were never in control, so Kobe didn’t push it and let his teammates do their thing.

Farmar has to take it to the hoop. He had a nice driving lay-up in the fourth and we need more of that. If the officiating stays the same, with the home teams getting the majority of the calls; this is a seven game series.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Police, Georgia, Brian Cook, Andrei Kirilinko, Valdosta Daily Times, DJ Mbenga, Maurice Lucas, Wes Unseld, Rick Mahorn, Rony Turiaf, Amare Stoudamire, Pacific, Portland, Jerry Buss, Chris Mihm, Charles Oakley, Oden, Kings, Greece, NBDL, Elton Brown, ed ziti, Lee Riley, The Winner Within, Dallas, New Orleans, Stu Lantz, Aaron Jay Sapiro, Mavericks, free throws, Shaun Powell, Josh Tucker, referees, fouls, Javaris Crittenton, Jordan Farmar, Maurice Evans, Hornets, Bob Nightengale, Church, Willis Reed, Bets, Don Marbury, Vladimir Radmanovic, line, Betting, Colorado, Gambling, Larry Bird, Knicks, Smush Parker, Leandro Barbosa, Sacramento, Larry Brown, Grant Hill, Pau Gasol, New York, NCAA, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Eddy Curry, Isiah Thomas, Rockies, Mike Dunleavy, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Reggie Theus, Pat Riley, DJ Strawberry, Jackie Butler, Rick Adelman, Sasha Vujacic, Coby Karl, Trevor Ariza, Mitch Kupchak, Lakers, Ira Newble, St Johns, Don Nelson, Jerry Sloan, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Avery Johnson, Derek Fisher, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Devean George, Los Angeles Lakers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.