Lakers VS Jazz Playoff Preview Fun
It was a strange premise for a game. The Utah Jazz, looking to beat the Lakers to have a chance at finishing the 7th seed so they could avoid the first round 1 VS 8 matchup against Los Angeles.
The Lakers Securing Win 65 for Kicks is More Important to Them Than Avoiding the Jazz: Bold Statement by a Bold Team
What about the Lakers, you ask? Don’t they want to let the Jazz win, considering how tough Utah is at home to play the much more favorably matched up Dallas Mavericks team? Why don’t we let Mr. Kobe Bryant answer that.
“It doesn’t matter,” Bryant said.
Well said. In my desperate need as a fan for the Lakers to avoid a team as dangerous as the Jazz in the very first round, I momentarily lost sight of something: The Lakers want to go through everyone to win an NBA championship. This isn’t the time to avoid and manipulate seedings. This is the time to win it all.
So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let’s preview the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Utah Jazz.
Lakers Strengths:
BIG MEN: Let’s face it. Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom present tremendous match-up problems for the Jazz. Andrew Bynum is just too big and long, and proved it by scoring 22 points on 8-13 shooting, all under the basket.
Utah's Big Men Better Invest in Some Ladders if they Want to Stop Bynum
6′10 Lamar Odom is too quick for Boozer or Okur, and the Jazz backup power forward, Paul Millsap being 6-8 doesn’t help either. Lamar has learned to use this quickness to make devastating cuts to the basket with and without the ball. No more dribbling 20 times and committing yet another offensive foul. His game evolving over the years means trouble for the Jazz.
The Jazz Will Sometimes Attempt to Guard Odom from his Side Because They Are Slow. It Won't Work.
Pau Gasol is simply too good for the Jazz. Last time I checked, the Spaniard was a bonafide all-star. Asking Utah’s big men to stop him would be like asking anyone in the 80’s to stop Kevin McHale. He’s going to get his, he’s going to do it efficiently, and there is nothing you can do about it (his court vision and unselfishness is scary good, so it’s usually a death-wish to double him).
The Jazz Have as Much a Shot of Stopping Gasol as Karl Malone Un-retiring
HOME-COURT: Having 4 out of the 7 games in Los Angeles is always nice, but doubly so against the Jazz. While Utah is a solid 33-19 at home, they are 15-26 on the road. How does this happen? And would it be considered cheating if Jazz players wore tiny headphones that have recorded crowd cheering looping for 3 hours? These are the questions I ask myself.
This is Our Home Court. Our Celebrity Fans Kind of Cheer. Fear Us.
KOBE BRYANT: We have this guy named Kobe Bryant. You may have heard of him. He’s pretty good. He’s a freak in that he thrives off of pressure. So when you think you’re agitating him, you’re really feeding his game. Oh, and he defends and plays team basketball more than ever this year. Good luck figuring this one out, Utah.
He Has Unlimited Skill and he Always Acts Like the Opponent Just Stole His Bike. You Don't Want to Run Into Playoff Kobe
JAZZ STRENGTHS:
Deron Williams: The only reason to watch the Jazz this season, the only real advantage on the side of Utah against the Lakers. Deron Williams is a super-star point guard playing against a team that has historically had trouble defending the position. Williams dropped 25 points and 13 assists in a losing effort against the Lakers in the final game of the season. He cannot be stopped. The Lakers haven’t seemed to find a way to even slow him down.
Deron Williams is a Stud. Pau Can Only Starburst Scream for Help
Laker fans would be wise to watch and enjoy a singular talent, even if his team does weigh him down and the Laker Show cruises into the 2nd round.
JAZZ IMAGINED STRENGTH
GRITTINESS: A lot has been said about the Utah Jazz hustle and effort. Their willingness to play scrapy and dive for balls. Part of it is still because people remember how hard Stockton and Malone played every game. Part of it is because Andrei “Ivan Drago” Kirilenko is on their roster. He is super-skinny, moves around strangely, has freakishly long arms and gets a lot of blocks. That might be mistaken for a high-caliber defensive team. Well I’ve got news for you: This isn’t a Hoosiers movie.
No, This Team is Not in the Playoffs. But the Lakers Would Wax Them, Too.
The Lakers play super-hard in the playoffs. You aren’t out-hustling them to a victory. You’ve got to be better than them. The famous Utah defense has fallen apart. Boozer, Okur, and Millsap do not pose any intimidating inside presence. And as soon as the refs let Matt Harpring know it’s not 1994 and he can’t ride people on defense like Dan Marleje rode Jordan throughout the NBA Finals, he will be unable to stay in front of anyone (OK, so the refs are still going to let that go, but Kobe is still scoring on him at will).
Utah Jazz Fans: You Will Never See a Crowd So Eager to Watch Their Team Lose in the Playoffs for the 4 Millionth Time
Prediction
The Lakers will win both games at home. They will go to Utah and get at least one game. The way Utah has been struggling, it is not a stretch to assume that the Lakers will win both games 3 and 4. But I’ll give the great Utah fans the respect and predict that they will ride their team home to one victory.
Lakers in 5. Book it.
Hahaha! The Jazz fans caption is a classic. I now have confidence that Utah is going down!
if the jazz’s shots are falling than the lakers won’t be able to stop their offense. With the inside out game of Boozer/Millsap - Okur and the penetration of Williams it will pose problems. But the lakers will be able to score at will themselves. This series could be longer than people think.