Game 2 Recap
Before game two of the Lakers-Jazz Western Conference Semi Final match up, Kobe Bryant stood mid court at the Staples Center holding up the Maurice Podoloff trophy in front of a capacity crowd all chanting those three letters they all had on the shirts they were all wearing: MVP.

Game two played out much like game one did. The Lakers played a dominate first half, Utah spent the third quarter chipping away at the lead, brought it to a two possession game mid way through the fourth, then allowed the Lakers to shoot free throws to close out the game.

Bryant got the Lakers going early in the game scoring 10 of his game high 34 points in the first period, but point guard Derek Fisher would prove to be the difference in this game. Fisher finished 7 for 10 from the field including going 4 for 5 from behind the three point arch. He also did a great job of slowing down Deron Williams. Williams was able to get where he wanted to on the floor while Fisher was on the bench, taking Jordan Farmar to the rim every time the two were matched up. Fisher was able to disrupt penetration throwing off the Jazz offensive flow for the second straight game.

Along with Fisher’s 22 and Bryant’s 34, both Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol also had respectable games on the offensive end scoring 19 and 20 respectively, but more importantly, they got Carlos Boozer in foul trouble and out of rhythm early. Boozer went to the bench with his second foul with 5:28 left in the first quarter with no points going 0 for 2 from the field. He scored his first points in the third, and eventually finished the quarter with eight points, but picked up his fourth foul forcing him to sit out the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The Lakers were able to do a better job on the boards, after being out rebounded by 17 in game one they only grabbed four less than the Jazz. The Lakers were also still able to get to the free throw line at a high rate, making 35 of their 43 attempts, just five fewer attempts than they had in game one.

The Jazz are going to have to feed off of their home crowd for game three of this series. The Lakers have outplayed them in every way in the first two games of this series. Utah seemed sluggish in both games. They’re going to, again, need to keep the Lakers off of the free throw line. Los Angeles took 89 free throws in the first two games. The Lakers need to keep up their defensive intensity. Their defense was the biggest question about their game coming into this series and it has definitely been answered in those first two games.

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Game 1 Recap
The Lakers were able to hold off the Jazz in game one of their Western Conference Semi-Finals match up on a night where the fans in Los Angeles actually had some reason to their rhyme.

While Kobe Bryant stood at the free throw line early in the first quarter he heard what would prove to be the first of many “MVP” chants on the night, the Lakers first game after the Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan reported that Bryant would, in fact, win the leagues most prestigious individual award and hold up the Maurice Podoloff trophy before Wednesday night’s game in the staples center.

Bryant would use the first half to re-establish what fans and pundits alike have known for years: Kobe Bryant is the most unstoppable offensive guard since the Bulls were winning championships. He unleashed his whole repertoire in the first half of the game. He got to the basket when he wanted, he hit mid-range jumpers, he pulled up behind the arch and his crossover was effective. He even drove the baseline, took off from the right side of the basket, floated in the air for a little while, avoided three defenders and on his way down on the left side of the basket, he laid the ball in.

What did the Jazz do to stop him? Little to nothing. He was sent to the free-throw line 23 times and converted on a franchise record 21 of them. However, Bryant wasn’t the only one to live at the free throw line that night. The Lakers converted 38 of 46 free throws as a team.

The Lakers were able to take advantage of a Jazz team that was coming into the Staples Center on only one day’s rest to play the Lakers who got just short of a weeks rest before Sunday night’s game. Not only that, but the Jazz had problems adjusting to the Lakers willingness to fill the lanes and run the break after playing a team in the Rockets who are more of a half-court oriented team.

The Jazz went into the half down 10 points and saw that lead extend to as much as 17 points mid way through the third. The Jazz spent the rest of the third quarter and the better part of the fourth chipping away at the Lakers lead. They went into the final period only down five and were able to cut the lead to four on a Ronnie Brewer lay-up with 4:43 left to play in the game, but that’s as close as they would get.

The Lakers would finish the game with a couple of Pau Gasol lay-ups and a barrage of free throws in the final minutes of the game. Along with Bryant’s 38 points, Gasol added 18 and Lamar Odom added 16. Sasha Vujacic added 15 off the bench including the Lakers’ first nine points in the second quarter, helping spark the run that opened up the game for them.

Game two doesn’t promise to go as smoothly for the Lakers as game one did. Six different Jazz players, including their while starting five, scored in double figures and the Jazz out rebounded the Lakers 58-41. The Jazz just made four three-pointers on 19 attempts. The Lakers defense deserves much of that credit, but the Jazz rarely shoot that poorly from behind the arch. The Jazz played tough, but they’re going to have to hit shots and keep the Lakers off of the line if they’re going to give the Lakers their first loss this post season.

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Prediction for Series - Lakers in 6 games

Point Guard - Derek Fisher vs. Deron Williams
	Derek Fisher is going to be instrumental in knocking down open jumpers and playing solid defense. Look for him to primarily guard Deron through the first three quarters then give way to Kobe in the 4th.		Deron Williams has to be on his game in this series. He's going to have to be play the way he did in last year's playoffs when he broke out as a big time player. He'll need 4 or 5 threes every win and 30 points, 12 assists.
Advantage - Deron Williams
Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant vs. Ronnie Brewer
	Kobe just won his first NBA MVP and will probably prove that it wasn't a fluke. Kobe seems to be locked in right now after dismantling the Nuggets in Round 1 and will probably average 35 points or more in this series.		Ronnie Brewer in the past against Kobe has looked frightened whenever he gets the ball. He isn't a strong enough ball handler and it takes extreme concentration when Kobe is on you. Look for Brewer to give up the ball early and try to get quick buckets around the basket.
Big Advantage - Kobe Bryant
Small Forward - Lamar Odom vs. Andrei Kirilenko
	Lamar Odom has to be active in this series with Andrei Kirilenko hanging around. His biggest contributions will probably be on defense and rebounding but he needs to look for baskets around the basket.		Kirilenko is the key to this series. When he's active and running around making plays, he's extremely valuable and instrumental in Utah's victories. He needs to be a defensive force in this series, especially when he matches up against Kobe.
Slight Advantage - Lamar Odom
Power Forward - Vladimir Radmanovic vs. Carlos Boozer
	Vlad Radmanovic has to hit outside jumpers and keep a body on Andrei Kirilenko/Mehmet Okur on offense so they don't grab offensive rebounds. That's it.		Carlos Boozer has to shoot much better in this series than he did in Round 1. Boozer will need to play great defense on Pau Gasol and find a way to control the boards for Utah to be successful.
Advantage - Carlos Boozer
Center - Pau Gasol vs. Mehmet Okur
	Pau Gasol will have to be the secondary playmaker on offense. His passing out of the post and ability to score, moving towards the middle of the paint will be important. Look for a big series from Pau to lead this team.		Mehmet Okur may be the most important piece to this series other than Deron Williams. When Okur is hitting his outside jumper, he becomes a force on the offensive boards and plays better defense. Okur must be active.
Advantage - Pau Gasol
Lakers' Bench vs. Jazz Bench
	With no Bynum, this bench is a lot thinner. However, they're still one of the most productive benches in the entire league. Jordan Farmar and Ronny Turiaf will be big players in this series with their ability to play great defense and find easy buckets.		Kyle Korver has to play good defense when he finds himself on Kobe and needs to knock down open jumpers. For Ronnie Price and Paul Milsap, they need to find a way to match Farmar and Turiaf with energy and defense.
Advantage - Lakers Bench
Coaching - Phil Jackson vs. Jerry Sloans
	Phil's teams have never lost a series when they win Game 1 so this first game will be monumental. Phil's tight rotation and feeling of when to utilize his bench are just unmatched.		Jerry Sloan is probably the only coach other than Gregg Popovich that can match Phil Jackson's coaching ability. This series will be a joy to watch these two match chess moves.
Advantage - Even