(Photo: Getty Images | Jeff Gross)
“Note to self,” Andrew Bynum told Lisa Salters after the game, “the more I play D, the better we’ll be.” And if today’s effort is any indication of what the young center is planning for the post-season, the doubters may want to temper their predictions of the Lakers’ demise.
Kobe Bryant mentioned last week that their game is built for the playoffs; that slow to moderate half court game that goes against all the glory given to teams who live on the sprint to score for 48 minutes. The Lakers’ success lies in the offense that keeps teams guessing – who should be covered? Who should be doubled? Who can be left open? Despite missing an integral part of their team in Metta World Peace, serving his second of a seven-game suspension, the team adjusted, each Laker played their part to pull out the win by constantly keeping the Denver Nuggets on their heels on both sides of the court.
It wasn’t the smoothest start this Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. After six minutes of the first quarter, the two teams had combined for just 14 points. It wasn’t until the second half of the first when the Lakers’ offense suddenly awoke, thanks in large part to Steve Blake’s back-to-back-to-back shots from downtown. Denver kept close tabs on the Lakers’ big three, with Bynum not attempting a single field goal in that quarter and Pau Gasol and Bryant combining for just eight points on 2-6. The defense, however, kept the double-digit advantage going into the second.
The offensive-minded team that they are, Denver wasn’t discouraged and rattled off a 13-4 run to open the following quarter to close the gap to just four points, but Devin Ebanks’ eight points led the way for a 10-point advantage to end the first half. Bryant struggled, going just 2-10 from the field, but the Laker defense, led by Bynum, paved the way for a successful second half.
The next two quarters only produced a five-point advantage for the Lakers, but Denver got to the free throw line twice as often as the home team, which helped them keep it competitive, until the Laker lead ballooned to 21 points.
Kobe Bryant’s offensive struggles in the first half were behind him, and the Lakers’ defense just intensified as the game continued. The Nuggets, for all their offensive success in the regular season, couldn’t get past the suffocating Laker D and their efforts on Bryant were rendered ineffective as soon as he figured out (which he usually does) how to score and help the team get a 1-0 series lead.
