The Phoenix Suns held their home court and beat the Los Angleles Lakers last night to tie up their series at two games a piece. The teams are now down to a "best of three" series, with the Lakers still holding the advantage with two of these games at Staples Center.
The biggest difference in the game was the outstanding play of the Suns' bench as they outscored the Lakers' bench 54-20. Also, the Lakers still seemed to be a little confused against the Suns zone defense, as it forced them into 28 three point shot attempts (against their in season normal number of 20) after trying 30 three pointers in Game 3, and they did not seem to be running their normal offense. Who thought we would be discussing zone defenses being difference makers during the NBA Playoffs?
The thing is, the Lakers are still putting up points, but don't look like themselves in doing so. The bigger problem for Los Angeles is that they are playing awful defense. Giving up 18 offensive rebounds and 54 bench points is a recipe for disaster.
This all means we are set up for an interesting Game 5 on Thursday night. Will the zone work again for a third straight game or will the Lakers finally adjust and get back to their movement offense instead of forcing jump shots? Can the Lakers step up their defense and hit the boards to stop Phoenix's second chance points?
The podcast looks at the Suns/Lakers series, along with tonight's Game 5 between the Celtics and Magic. Also, it is official as Super Bowl 48 will be played in the New York / New Jersey area. Did the NFL make the right choice? Plus other NFL news and a look at the major leagues. Enjoy.
The SportsFan Buzz: May 26, 2010 (right click to "save as target)
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Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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