| 26 May 2010
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Phoenix Suns 115, Los Angeles Lakers 106
What’s that old adage? Free throws win games, defense wins championships… maybe we can add in offensive rebounds build confidence and benches shift momentum. Game 4 can be broken down in those four categories: Free throws, defense, rebounding and benches.
Free throws: The Lakers committed a lot of stupid fouls. You’ll hear a legion of Lakers fans who will swear that the NBA’s referees are out to get them, but the thing is, there were fouls 30 feet away from the basket, they were biting on pump fakes, jumping into shooters instead of going straight up, just doing things that are enabling the Suns to live at the free throw line. On the other end of the floor, they’re not attacking the zone in ways that are going to get them to the foul line. Kobe had 38 points, but the majority of them were 38 points around the parameter. Again, they took way too many three-point attempts instead of using dribble penetration to attack the rim. It doesn’t matter where the game is played, the Lakers are not going to win at the free throw line if they continue to play this way.
Defense: The crux of almost every recap of Game 4 is going to revolve around the fact that the Lakers “failed” to figure out the Suns zone. When a team shoots 49 percent and scores 106, it’s hard to legitimately say didn’t “figure out” the opposing team’s defense. Yes, the Lakers did look lost for stretches of the game and of course, numbers don’t tell the whole story. However, 49 percent shooting and 106 on the road usually gets it done. It was the Lakers defense that should have been the story. Their rotations were terribly slow, Pau Gasol repeatedly gave up baseline to Amare Stoudemire and they closed out on three point shooters with the same effort Vince Carter gives when his back is against the wall. They also failed to close out defensive possessions by giving up 18 offensive boards. Which leads us to…
Rebounding: The Lakers were just out worked on the boards in Game 4. There is just no reason that the Lakers should be outrebounded 51-36. It just doesn’t make any sense. It just wasn’t one Sun that was killing the Lakers on the boards, but it was a total team effort. Stoudemire had eight; Amundson had seven; Lopez, Richardson, Frye and Dudley had six; Hill, Nash and Dragic all had four. Of those 56, 18 were from the offensive glass, which they used to score 14 second chance points. Rebounding is a matter of effort, and the Suns had much more. Not surprisingly, this is the first time that I had to mention anything about the Lakers collective effort since the last time they dropped two straight.
The Bench: The Suns bench were 20 of 32 from the field and shot 45 percent from three-point range in Game 4. When they’re on, there really isn’t much opposing teams can do about it. Alvin Gentry has been blessed with a second unit, five guys, who can come on the court and have the kind of chemistry most starting units don’t have. Gentry had his bench on the floor for most of the fourth quarter. Channing Frye actually hit one from down town (gasp), with the first one giving him a standing ovation. Outside of Odom, the Lakers bench looked dead. Farmar and Brown combined two for 12, one rebound and two assists. That’s awful.
Why The Suns Won This Game
The Suns bench had one of their better performances all season. It was really the whole unit that got the best of the Lakers. Not being demoralized trying to guard the Lakers one-on-one, they had a confidence that they hadn’t had against the Lakers all season. Goran Dragic has a very good handle on that second unit, matching Steve Nash’s assist total with eight. They out hustled the Lakers, a strategy proving to be the most effective way to beat this team. You can’t out talent them and you sure as hell can’t out size them, you just have to out hustle them and out work them. The Suns have done this for two consecutive games and now the series is tied.
Why The Lakers Lost This Game
Kobe Bryant finished the game with 38 points and 10 assists. He shot 15 for 22 and the Lakers still lost. This is his second straight 30 and 10 game and the Lakers second straight loss. The Lakers cut their turnover total down from 17 to six and cut the Suns fast break points from 18 to six and they still lost. How is this possible? The answer is two fold. The Lakers failed to attack the zone with any kind of tenacity and they failed to grab defensive rebounds. On Suns misses, the Lakers only grabbed five more rebounds than the Suns did. If you’re going to win playoff games, that disparity has to be much, much larger. By comparison, the Suns had a +20 point difference on Lakers misses. If the Lakers cut the Suns offensive rebounds in half, they win this game and all of the zone talks go away.
Looking Ahead To Game 5
The Lakers don’t have to do much to come out with a win in Game 5. A little more dribble penetration and boxing out the Suns to close out defensive possessions alone could have swung Game 4 seven to 10 points both ways. The Suns have required huge games from Stoudemire/Lopez and then from their bench to win games. This tells me that the Suns are a streaky bunch, but also have enough weapons that you don’t know where the explosion is going to come from, or if there is even going to be an explosion. This can be a scary thing for both teams, which I believe will work in the Lakers favor for next game. Kobe has found a great middle ground in getting his teammates involved while still getting his, and I expect the Lakers to take full advantage of that.
Prediction: The Lakers take Game 5
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