lakers vs suns game 5
Kevin Arnovitz, TrueHoop: The Suns are unusual in that Alvin Gentry doesn’t install a traditional rotation. [1]
Channing Frye had 14 points, including four threes, off the bench for the Suns in Game 4. [2]
But they have become more at peace with that as the Western Conference finals have moved along, and now fully realize they can beat the Lakers even when Bryant comes up very big. [3]
Last spring, the Lakers won pivotal Game 5s at home in the playoffs to break 2-2 ties against Houston and Denver en route to winning the championship. [4]
Suns reserves like Louis Amundson (7 points, 7 rebounds) accounted for 54 points and 23 rebounds in Game 4. [5]
No player I can think of has been so widely eviscerated for his play on the defensive side of the ball as Stoudemire has been since Game 1. [6]
Lakers forward Ron Artest (center) is engulfed by his teammates after making a last-second basket to give L.A. 103-101 victory over Phoenix in Game 5 on Thursday night at Staples Center. [7]
Amudnson did yeoman’s work up top screening for his guards (and snuck behind the Lakers’ bigs for a couple buckets of his own). [1]
After shooting 33 three-pointers and getting to the line 56 times in Games 1 and 2, the Lakers launched 60 threes and earned only 33 trips to the foul line in their last two losses. [2]
True, the Suns’ wins in the last two games were at home, enabling them to tie the series 2-2 entering Thursday night’s pivotal Game 5 in Los Angeles. [3]
The Suns’ Jared Dudley guards the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant during Game 4. [8]
They don’t rotate and recover particularly well, and given how adeptly the Lakers move the ball — everyone in the starting lineup save Andrew Bynum is an above-average-to-elite-level passer — double teams become very problematic. [6]
But late in the game the Suns started sending kamikaze double teams at him to get the ball out of his hands (same with Gasol) - let anyone else try to beat them, but not Kobe. [1]
But the Suns aren’t the Rockets, who were staggering last spring without injured center Yao Ming. [4]
“We just weren’t going to put all our effort on trying to stop Kobe,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said after practice Wednesday. [3]
Sources:
[1] ‘Net reaction: Lakers vs. Suns - Game 4 - Ball Don’t Lie …
[2] Lakers‘ defense, rebounding must be better for Game 5 win …
[3] Suns Learn That Beating Lakers Doesn’t Mean Stopping Kobe …
[4] Suns Force Lakers Into Pivotal Game 5 — NBA FanHouse
[5] Bench patrol carries Suns to Game 4 win, series tie - Chris …
[6] Five big questions for Lakers vs. Suns, Game 3 - Los Angeles …
[7] Lakers vs. Suns Game 5 updates - latimes.com
[8] Lakers to try again to solve Suns‘ zone in Game 5 - USATODAY.com