Photo by Doug Pensinger | Getty Images

Western Conference 1^st Round – Game 4

It is May 6, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are prepared to bounce back against the (6) Denver Nuggets. The Lakers started slow, came out flat, got behind early and were not able to recover in their 99-84 loss to the Nuggets.

The Lakers recipe for disaster, that has plagued them all season, was on full display in game three. The Lakers shot 37-percent from the field; shot 6-for-25 from behind the arc and the Nuggets outscored L.A.’s reserves 39-to-9.  The Lakers lost the points in the paint battle (52-32) and for the crescendo of their recipe for disaster, L.A. was out-rebounded 54-44.

Despite a slow start and everything, bad happening for the Lakers on the road, again, the Lakers put on a tremendous comeback that simply came up short. The effort and comeback from a 24-point deficit were welcome sights.

L.A. has to bounce back from this setback, make the necessary adjustments to get a win and take a commanding lead in this series.

The Lakers have to come out energized and match the intensity of the Nuggets. The Lakers need to come out focused, control the tempo, get back in transition, control the boards and use a much better shot selection. It is important that the Lakers employ solid ball movement and good player movement to find a high percentage shots.

Photo courtesy of Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

Note to Andrew Bynum: It’s okay to participate in the game before halftime. Otherwise, you’re just a late arrival to Party McGee.

Note to Kobe Bryant: When you’ve hit just three 3–pointers in seven attempts, you should stop and try something else, like getting to the rim. You’re crafty. You’re talented. You’re the Mamba for crying out loud.

Note to Steve Blake and Matt Barnes: You are THE ENTIRE LAKER BENCH. Not Jordan Hill, not Josh McRoberts and not Troy Murphy. No one expects you two to compete with the 43 ppg for the Denver Nuggets bench, but you’re still expected to produce SOMETHING. Assists, rebounds, steals, blocks – pick a stat.

Note to Mike Brown: You’re wasting timeouts. When your team gets down by more than 10-12 points, call one and have a discussion. You called a timeout when the team fell behind by seven points in the first quarter and then let the Nuggets finish on an 11-2 run.

Note to the Lakers: Having a 2-0 series lead doesn’t mean it’s time to experiment with the game plan. Stick to what works. What works – inside game, points in the paint. What doesn’t work – jacking up threes in transition. Jacking up threes and going 6-25.

“Note to self: the more I play D, the better we’ll be,” Andrew Bynum said after his 10-block game. Tonight, the D was all Denver’s, and it sparked an 18-2 run to end the first quarter. The second quarter found the Lakers scoring as many points as the home team, and they made a third quarter push that erased all but 4 points of that early 24-point deficit. It appeared as though another L.A. team would be making a comeback in these playoffs.

Before the third quarter ended, it seemed whatever ailed the Lakers in the first half had been figured out – Bynum found his game, the offense looked a lot better and the defense held Denver to 12 points for a good part of the quarter. The deficit was a manageable seven points going into the fourth, but instead of spending the final 12 minutes playing to their strengths, the Lakers launched nine three pointers instead and converted one. In 14 field goal attempts for the quarter, the Lakers attempted nine from behind the arc and it cost them a chance to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

It is May 4, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers are in Colorado for a pivotal game three against the (6) Denver Nuggets. The Lakers, as expected, took a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series and maintained their home court advantage.

The Lakers two all-stars Kobe Bryant & Andrew Bynum combined for 65 points and led the Lakers to their second win of the series. Denver made several adjustments in game two, were more competitive, got more players involved, played a better all around game, but after 96 minutes of playoff basketball the Nuggets never held the lead and left Los Angeles without a win.

The Lakers have now won 19-of-23 postseason games against the Nuggets. The series now switches from the friendly confines of the Staples Center and moves to the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Lakers won the four game season series against the Nuggets (3-1), the one loss on 1/1/12 was at the Pepsi Center.  In Denver, the Lakers were 4-6 in their last 10 regular season games.

In the playoffs win or lose, both teams need to make adjustments, one to maintain their advantage, the other to gain one.  Nothing has come easy for the Lakers so to expect that to change in the post season would be dreaming. The Lakers have controlled the action and dictated the style of play in the first two games of the series.

The Lakers have an excellent opportunity to take command of this series with a win tonight. It is imperative that the Lakers defense improves control the tempo, perimeter defenders need to keep the Nuggets out of the paint, control the boards, and limit the Nuggets second-chance points.

L.A. has to do a better job of defending the pick-and-roll play, staying in front of Ty Lawson, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, get back in transition, and quickly rotate out to open shooters, take care of the ball, and limit the Nuggets to one shot per possession.

The combination of Andrew Bynum & Pau Gasol has dominated on the inside. However, there is nothing wrong with adding a few pump & ball fakes for JaVale McGee, who blocked six shots in game two. The Lakers need to improve their ball movement and as well as their player movement, to find high percentage shots.

The Nuggets have a lot of depth to come out with a win the Lakers need a contribution from everyone. The Lakers also need a big game from their reserves. The Lakers need to come out with a lot of energy, establish and maintain a lead to take the crowd out of the game and pound the Nuggets on the inside.

Photo courtesy of Harry How, Getty Images

It would have been ignorant and delusional to think that the Denver Nuggets would just lay down and succumb to the Lakers after their Sunday afternoon dominance. The Nuggets are a proud team, led by a proud coach, and despite falling short on the scoreboard for the second game in a row, they gave the home team something to really fight for.

The Lakers got off to a fast, efficient start, outscoring Denver 12-3 before the remainder of the Staples Center crowd had even settled into their seats. Despite Denver starting 0-5 from the field, however, Kosto Koufos finally scored on a layup, and ignited the Nuggets into one of their many scoring runs. Unfortinately for them, no run ran long enough to hold off the home team.

After the first half, there was no doubt that Denver had found their fast break mojo, forcing the Lakers on their heels each time they sprinted in the other direction to score. The Lakers didn’t necessarily play badly in the first 24 minutes, but their efforts on defense were clearly not as aggressive as it was in the first game.

Despite reaching a 19-point lead in the third quarter, for example, they allowed Ty Lawson to go on a one-man 7-0 run that cut their lead to just 12 points, and then just 10 points going into the final quarter. The lead teetered from double to single digits, and it went down to as low as four points with three minutes left in the game. Fortunately, the trio of Bryant, Bynum and Ramon Sessions took over late in the fourth and finished Denver off.

(Photo: Getty Images | Jeff Gross)

NBA Playoffs – Western Conference 1^st Round: Game 2

It is May 1, 2012 and the Los Angeles Lakers are back to work at the Staples Center tonight for the second game of their first round series with the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers won the first game 103-88, led by dominant performances by Andrew Bynum & Kobe Bryant. It was a solid playoff opener for the Lakers, very business-like, that has set the tone for how the Lakers will approach the playoffs.