Three games into the Western Conference finals and we know a couple of things for certain:One, that the Nuggets are giving the Lakers all they can handle; and, two, Lakers fans don't like it when you say their team feels like an underdog.
Here are five questions heading into tonight's Western Conference Game 4:
1. Can the Nuggets come through down the stretch late in a tight game?
Until the Nuggets prove they can win a game by making solid decisions and smart basketball plays in crunch time, very few will believe they can. The Nuggets have been in position to win each of their three games in this series but have brought home only one.
When it comes to the Nuggets, the question remains: Do they have the ability to keep their composure when the game is on the line? Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups aren't the problem.
What the Nuggets really need is more sound play from the trio of Anthony Carter, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin. At some point, one of those players is going to have to make an important -- and positive -- play to help Denver win a game.
2. How will the Lakers handle reclaiming home-court advantage?
The Lakers were in this position twice against the Houston Rockets and each time failed to deliver a win. The circumstance: Up a game, on the road, with a chance to assume control or close out the series.
The Lakers were up 2-1 against Houston but got blown out in Game 4. They were up 3-2 and got blown out in Game 6. Many Lakers' critics point to those two losses as proof that the team still doesn't understand the stakes of the playoffs.
But any way you cut it, the Lakers are 3-3 on the road in the postseason and that ain't bad at all. If they can go into the Pepsi Center today and gut out a win, they'll have won both games in Denver so far and be one game from returning to the NBA Finals.
3. Will Kenyon Martin and Nene answer the call?
It's not that Martin and Nene are MIA or AWOL, it's just that they have not interjected themselves in this series as much as they've been needed.
Nene is giving the Nuggets 11 points and six rebounds per game in this series and Martin is averaging 12 points and six rebounds per. Totally acceptable. But neither is making any kind of impact at the defensive end, and that's where each of those guys figured to have the most influence.
When you compare how the Rockets' big men defended the Lakers' big men, you have to acknowledge that Denver's front line is coming up a little short in that area.
4. Were Carmelo Anthony's struggles in Game 3 a one-game thing or the start of a trend?
Anthony had scored 30 or more points in each of his previous five playoff games before Saturday's 21-point night on 4-for-13 from the floor. Anthony was in a rhythm all series long, with his offense coming so effortlessly, until the second half of Game 3.
Trevor Ariza likely had something to do with Anthony's offensive fall-off. But it didn't help that Anthony wasn't getting much help from teammates and that he had little choice but to try to manufacture some offense on his own.
Unfortunately, that didn't work so well for Denver.
5. What's up with Lamar Odom?
Lamar Odom was a big factor in the Lakers' opening-round series victory over Utah, scoring in double figures in all five games, including three games with 19 points or more. Against Houston, Odom wasn't quite the scorer but he helped on the boards, with three games of 10 rebounds or more.
But against the Nuggets, Odom is struggling to find his niche. He's scoring a little and rebounding some, but he has yet to have his own breakout game for the series. It's hard to figure out why because he would seem to have a distinct advantage at the offensive end whether matched up against Martin, Nene or even Chris Andersen.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-25-2009 @ 5:21PM
Michael gifford said...
Not ALL Laker fans are delusional...some of us, actually watched the Lakers roller coaster performance the whole season and have different expectations of what we can see. We're aware that they are inconsistent at best as Kobe put it "bi polar". NO ONE on the team seems to match Kobe's passion for winning and competitive drive...on a good day, they're very good, on a great day they're frickin brilliant on an average day they're eminently beatable and on a bad day...the Clippers can beat them...so...what does this all mean...THEY HAD DAMN WELL BETTER BRING IT THE NEXT GAMES IN THE SERIES OR THEY'LL BE HOME FISHING BEFORE THEY KNEW WHAT HAPPENED. Are they a championship team? Nope, not yet...only potentially...we'll see who shows up...wannabe's or champions...
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5-25-2009 @ 6:11PM
jojocbaseballwin said...
yesssss melooo and bird
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5-25-2009 @ 8:05PM
ybets01 said...
Could go either way! but i really hope the Lakers can take it...
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5-26-2009 @ 1:38AM
captainclimax said...
I'm a Laker man who's been watching them for about 34 years, and of the many teams I've watched over those years, this current team is the most embarrassing and inexcusable I have witnessed. I don't count any bad Laker teams over those years that had no chance to start with, I'm talking when they have had one of the best teams and were competing for a title.
Overall this team has more talent than Denver, but Denver, dirty players and all, has more aggression. Denver is close enough in talent where their better effort can get them past the Lakers if the Lakers continue doing this. No question in my mind. HC is not the trump card here with this Laker team. Denver plays hard every night, the Lakers do not. The Lakers play hard when they are forced to, and not a second before then.
Being up 2-1 and having reclaimed HC going into Game Four meant what it's meant for them the entire post-season; they weren't going to show up in a game where they could have put Denver down 3-1 and on the ropes going back home, because they didn't "have to". As a team they didn't care enough to do so. An inexcusable and dangerous mentality for anybody trying to win a championship.
Absolutely predictable, and to me not even remotely surprising. I saw this coming months ago. They have played just well enough to win on too many occasions during the season, flushing away countless big leads to let teams back into games because, just like these playoffs, they can't or they aren't concerned with closing teams out any sooner than they are forced to.
They have zero killer instinct. They have a lot of guys who are talented, but are apparently not mentally ready to take that next step to win a championship. While the other teams have stepped up their game in the playoffs, the Lakers are still playing like it's January. They were killed on the boards and on loose balls tonight. No hustle whatsoever. Bynum is starting to remind me of Kwame Brown. 7-1 280 lbs, he should be posting people up and dunking in their faces, drawing multiple defenders to stop him. He should be gobbling up rebounds and he should be a huge force inside on defense as well; especially vs Houston once Yao went down.
He's been none of that. He's out there on the wing taking shots from 15 feet out. He's either gutless or he's afraid he's gonna hurt his knee again. Either way, he's been seven feet of serious letdown. Odom is again fading into the background and becoming lax, regardless of the results whenever he shows up and brings it hard. If only they only needed him to defend inbounders at the end of games, but they need more. The bench (Bench Mob my ass) has become inconsistent and unreliable, and I would cut Vujacic tomorrow morning if I had the power to do so. He's been useless. His play inexcusable.
They have Kobe and Pau, who has not been used enough offensively, and the rest of them are a crapshoot from night to night. Fish is still all heart and champion, but his skills have diminished at 34, and Farmar is not ready for prime time.
If I'm Phil and Kobe, the time to talk Xs and Os is over. It's time to call this Laker team out, publicly if need be. It's time for a mental check and a manhood check. I think they should win this series, but won't be surprised for one second if Denver does.
Back during the Laker ThreePeat years, that third year the Kings were a deeper more talented team from 1 to 12. The Lakers beat them with toughness, heart, great defense, focus and poise in crunch time. Lack of talent and ability is not this current Laker team's problem.
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5-26-2009 @ 5:14AM
jtkik said...
Captain Climax, I agree L.A. is too up and down and they don't bring their A-game every game, but the officiating has been horrific not only throughout the playoffs, but against L.A. in this series.
I see LeBron and the Cavs getting ridiculous call after ridiculous call going their way, yet they are still down to Orlando for now, despite what appears to be a clear effort by the refs to make sure "The King" arrives at the Finals for his coronation as planned.
On the other hand, the refs have certainly not given Kobe and his Lakers the same treatment. On the contrary, L.A. has had the screws put to them by the refs in two games out of four now, and the horrific missed calls at the end of game two directly helped the Nuggets win that game. L.A. got outplayed in game four and deserved to lose, but the refs were just as horrible. Laker players barely bump Nugget players and the Nuggets are at the line, while the Nuggets can knock the hell out of Laker players, including obvious and direct flagrants and the refs are nowhere to be heard from. Phil Jackson is on the money, as was Van Gundy, and it's time the NBA fans do what the NBA is obviously not going to do. It's time to hold these crooked bastards accountable, because right now the NBA officiating looks more like the WWE. Horrible call after horrible call or horrible missed call, and if a player involved even looks at the ref wrong, he's T'd up. No accountability at all for the refs.
Perhaps by L.A. and Kobe NOT being in the Finals, it gives The King a better chance to win. Thus the Nuggets are getting a lot of help.
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5-26-2009 @ 5:23AM
jtkik said...
I also agree that the Nuggets are indeed a dirty team, and that the NBA is obviously not going to do anything until somebody is badly injured. Dirty foul after dirty foul by the Nuggets has been ignored. Bynum gets a flagrant for slapping the ball from a Nugget player, getting all ball, and Jones tripping Kobe and other various obvious flagrants by the Nuggets have been ignored. I am now wondering if this isn't all fixed.
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