Taking a page out of the Lakers' success in this Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns use their own big men to hand the Lakers their first loss in 9 post-season games to trail the series 2-1 against the defending champs. Amar'e Stoudamire had the biggest night for both teams with 42 points and 11 rebounds to lead both teams, and the planets aligned for Robin Lopez who surprised everyone with 20 points.

For the first time in this series, Stoudamire made good on his promise of bringing forth a better effort for a game. He was on fire from the get-go and seemed like everything he threw up found its way through the bottom of the net, including a double-clutch banker between the contesting Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant in the 3rd quarter. But the Lakers didn't force him to drive to his left enough and did a poor job at sending a second defender to step in front as he drove for the hoop to turn him to a playmaker instead.

Lopez simply did a good job at picking his shots and being an active body around the rim for Phoenix. Still, a little bit of better effort from the Laker bigs on the boards and on defense plus more help from other guys could have made a huge difference in the outcome of the game.

The Lakers were led by Kobe and Pau with Bryant continuing to light it up in the playoffs with another 30+ scoring night with 36 points and another team-high 11 assists for his second straight double-digit outing in that category. Kobe started the game making 6 of his first 7 shots and looked like he was poise for at least another 40-point game. . Gasol got second string with 23 points and 9 rebounds, but he only took 14 shots because Phoenix forced him to look for his teammates a little bit and his teammates didn't do much of the same for him.

After getting his way the first two games, Lamar Odom was caught laying an egg on this one. He had 19 points and 19 boards in Game 1 and tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds in Game 2 with a combined 16-of-25 for a sizzling 64% shooting. But Lamar shot 28.5% (4-14) for just 10 points and only managed 6 rebounds before fouling out of the game late in the 4th quarter. He wasn't aggressive for much of the night and settled for 3-pointers with zero success. Even absolute gimmes under the rim weren't kind enough for him. But Odom wasn't the only starter that needed to step it up a notch.

Ron Artest may have had 12 points, but he needed 13 shots to get it because he took some ill-advised shots and didn't see much of his 3-point attempts sink for him compared to Game 2. But Phoenix's gamble of leaving him open around the perimeter paid off for them for Game 3. Expect a wiser Artest who will look to attack the rim more to score or find wide-open teammates on Tuesday.

Andrew Bynum only played 7 minutes making his only shot attempt for 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds. It's hard to tell if his limited ability as this series goes on is the product of his injured knee or if Phil Jackson is simply saving him for the NBA Finals. But Jackson had approached Andrew prior to Game 3 if he wanted to sit it out but Bynum respectfully declined the offer. That's noble and tough of Andrew. But if he decides to play rather than rest, then he has to go out there and play. He got himself in foul trouble the entire game and pretty much robbed him of more playing time and being a better presence in the paint for the Lakers.

Then again, the Laker bigs all got themselves in early foul trouble which hindered their abilty to play aggressively at both ends of the floor. Credit the Suns for that who did an excellent job at forcing the Lakers to move their feet on defense and to go away from their post-players with their zone defense.

There's just something about the zone D that always seems to cause the Lakers to rear their ugly heads. They take too many early shots, too many jumpshots, too much time passing the ball around instead of getting the ball inside or attacking the rim for some reason when they face this defense. Most people expected the Suns to utilize this defense, yet the Lakers didn't look like they anticipated it all. But they were able to get Phoenix to go man-defense in the second half because Alvin Gentry stuck with it just a little too long.

Interestingly enough, the Lakers still shot 48.3% as a team despite doing a poor job against the zone defense for much of the night. They also converted more 3-pointers than the Sun with 9 compared to 5 for Phoenix, but the Lakers jacked up 32 three-point attempts which happened to be their new franchise record in the playoffs. They are 0-4 when they take at least 30 of those shots.

The Suns may have won Game 3, but they're far from being "back" in this series. There are a few things to consider for Phoenix: Stoudamire may have had his way on offense with 40 points on top of their zone defense bothering the Lakers enough and forcing 17 turnovers from the Lakers to only 7 for them, but they needed every bit of Lopez's contribution to beat the defending champs. Without him, the Lakers take Game 3. Period. The bench for the Lakers may have had their worst production of the series, but they still outscored the Suns' bench 18-15.

The Lakers will just have to move past this loss and retool with adjustments and refocus as a team for Game 4 on Tuesday. With a lot of things not working for them in Game 3, they still managed some solid numbers and, above all, were never really out of the game until late 4th quarter turnovers and defensive breakdowns sealed the deal for Phoenix.

The Lakers are still in the driver's seat in this series and will take a lot more for the Suns to get Phoenix anywhere in the front seat. But the Suns just did their job of keeping themselves alive...for now.

GO LAKERS!!!

Game 3 highlights:

Lakers post-game interviews:

"Let Kobe get 80..."

That's Alvin Gentry's strategy against Kobe Bryant in Game 3. Of course, he's probably kidding. Then again, he doesn't look like he has any answers for Kobe at all.

Bryant dropped 40 points in Game 1 and scored just 21 points in Game 2 but ran the Triangle to a tune of a career playoff-best 13 assists en route to a 12-point victory for the defending champs. In other words, Kobe will find a way to lead his team to a victory without taking over the scoring load.

But #24 isn't the only problem for the Suns. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom have been steam-rolling through the entire frontcourt lineup for Phoenix. But now, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest are starting to be part of the migraine as well. Speaking of Ron, he's now comfortable with the Triangle more than ever which explains why his production on offense has gone up. As I've said before, once Artest learns the Triangle enough the Lakers will be impossible to beat...especially in a 7-game series.

Steve Nash and the second unit for Phoenix were thought to be the keys to this series before it began. Nash is averaging a hefty 14 assists per game so far but is only scoring just 12 points per outing. General sense says he needs to look to score more, but the danger to that is his passing is more vital to this team than anything else.

As for the Suns' bench, they average 35 points per game before this series. Against the Lakers, they're being outscored by 9.5 points per game. They got eclipsed by 10 points in Game 2 from 3 Laker bench players against the 5 players that sat foot on the floor for them. Credit the Laker defense for that.

Now that the series are at the US Airways Arena for the next couple of games, more are expected out of the Suns with their fans behind them this time around. But you can't win the NBA championship without winning on the road against all the hostility and challenges that go along with it. The Lakers have proven time-and-time again that they can certainly win on the road at any stage of the playoffs.

Phoenix are hoping a non-chalant Laker team will show up for Game 3. But I don't see that happening.

They won't admit it, but the Lakers are taking a close look at the Orlando-Boston series. They want to be the team waiting for the challenger in the Finals instead of either the Celtic or the Magic. So they'll do everything they can to finish off the Suns as quick as possible. But, the Lakers aren't taking anything away from the Suns and are way too experienced to look beyond this series.

The keys for the Lakers in Game 3 are:

1. Defense: All the pick-and-rolls and spot up 3-point shooting for Phoenix should have a sense of urgency since Game 3 is the Suns' last chance at finding any hope in this series. The Lakers will need to be much more aware, quicker, and more precise in their rotation. Above all, control the Suns' running game.
2. Force a half-court game: On top of controlling the game on one end, the Lakers will need to do the same on offense. The series may have moved to Phoenix, but the Suns are still smaller than the Lakers. Pau and Andrew should still get the bulk of the first touches on offense before the ball finds itself in the hands of Kobe or any other perimeter player. Expect Bryant to get his share of the points in the paint also.
3. No turnovers: The Suns will probably play the passing lanes and look to strip the ball out of the hands of the Laker bigs through double-teams or single coverage. Yes, they'll be risking putting the Lakers to the line even more, but they really have no choice at this point. It's important for the Lakers to run their offense and be patient with their passing.
4. Rebounds: None of the frontcourt players for the Suns had rebounded more than 9 boards the first two games in L.A., but don't expect that to continue in Phoenix. Guys like Robin Lopez and Louis Amundson are active around the rim to begin with. They'll most likely come out with more energy in Game 3, so the Laker rebounders better not forget to box out and chase after the ball or they'll find controlling the tempo of the game a lot more difficult.
5. Maintain focus: I know they've been doing a great job at that for the past 9 games of the playoffs, but that doesn't mean they'll never slip again. But that entirely depends upon if they can find themselves building a large lead to even begin to lose interest. Then again, I still don't see the Lakers doing that knowing that they are only 2 wins away from the Finals. As long as the Lakers come in to Game 3 prepared for everything possible from the Suns, then nothing Phoenix does will matter.
   

I haven't forgotten about Kobe's heavy influence in any game against the Suns. Will Gentry allow him to score and attempt to take away everybody else? Or will he continue to send an extra body at Kobe to challenge him in matching or topping what he did in Game 2?

Simple questions for Gentry and the Suns, but the answers to them are yet to be found and time is running out. To make matters worse, Phoenix are a perfect 0-12 when trailing a series down 2 games to none.

GO LAKERS!!!

Pau, Kobe, and Phil on Game 3:

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

Another week means another chance at winning cool NBA gear, thanks to NBA.com! Again, entries must be placed in the comment area below BEFORE Sunday, May 23rd at 6:00 EST.

This week's contest is: Name ONE player for the Lakers and ONE player for the Suns to lead their team in each of the following catergories: TURNOVERS, BLOCKS, and MINUTES. You can have a different player for each category or the same for all.

Go to NBA.com to view the Western Conference Finals stats if you need some hints. Good luck!

$7 million-dollars.

That's the going rate for a coach that's won more titles than anyone in NBA history, won the most games in Lakers history, won the most playoff games in Lakers history, and on the verge of possibly delivering another championship banner to the Lakers this June, according to Jerry Buss.

Unless you've been living under a rock, much of the news in Los Angeles and in the NBA surrounds the possibility of Phil Jackson leaving the Lakers next season for either another team or hanging it all up because he's become the biggest target of Buss' bizarre economic downsizing crusade for next season. Of course, this didn't come exactly as a shock to everyone since Buss publicly announced his intentions earlier this season. But what comes as a surprise however is how much he wants Phil to accept as his new salary to coach his Lakers.

As usual, Phil had been dancing around the issue when asked and even suggested that retirement also a tempting option no matter if he was asked to take a pay cut or not. That is until he confirmed the number that Jerry had thrown at him in their talks about his salary for next year. As we all know, Phil is a lot like Jerry in that his ego is the size of his beloved Montana.

Jackson isn't the kind of guy who would easily give-in without at least being compensated at a level only he desires. Then again, Buss isn't your average owner and, more importantly, has a history of making the boldest decision that's worked out for him more often than not.

But something has to give.

By signing Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol their extensions earlier this season and adding the multi-year contracts of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, Buss is set to pay $130 million dollars in salary for just those four players. Add to that the $21.5 million-dollars' worth of luxury tax he has to send Commissioner David Stern this summer for going above the $69.9 salary cap.

The media has been busy at molding this idea that the reason for all of this is because of the personal tiff between Phil and Jerry over the years has matured into the form of what we've been hearing in Laker news this week.

True or not, I say there's no logical value as to why Jerry is risking all the success and all the championship banners for something so ridiculously irrelevant when he's been soaking up everything that goes along with winning 4 championships the last 10 years that Phil has given him and, better yet, charging us Laker fans the most money in the NBA for a seat to watch the Lakers play.

In my mind, that is the real issue here.

He's sending a message to all of us Laker fans that he's not obligated to give us a team that is readily capable of winning titles even when we've been budgeting our own expenditures each day, each week, and even each month just to drive ourselves in this oh-so-lovely L.A. traffic to go to Staples Center to watch and support our beloved Lakers.

I say we deserve to have the best coach available and nothing less.

Does Jerry really think that Byron Scott, Brian Shaw, or whatever coach he may have in the warehouse handle the various personalities of this team while pushing every single player to put their heart and soul for one another to win?

I don't think so.

Come to think of it, is it our fault that part of the reason he's in this monetary "problem" is because he over-valued certain players that even he tried to dump to the first schmuck in the waning minutes of the trade deadline in January? Is it our fault that guys like Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Brian Cook were brought here to put on the purple and gold? And above all, is it our fault that Phil happens to be worth every single penny of his $12 million-dollar a year salary?

No.

So why even begin to think of depriving Phil his chance of a rare sports immortality of winning more than 10 rings and us Laker fans a chance to win as much championships with him?

If Jerry is all about winning and all about the banners that hang high and proud above the floor of Staples Center, then paying the best coach this franchise has ever seen shouldn't even be an issue at all.

For now, this so-called standoff between Jerry and Phil has just started and nothing we've heard so far has any teeth to it. But expect things to go at full steam quickly over the course of the next several weeks heading into the summer.

We'll certainly stay tuned.

Here is the third entry of the Daily Digest of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals by The Purple And Gold Blog and Don of With-Malice (Here are Entry 1 and Entry 2):

WM: Ok, so game 2's done... and post the 'necessary' adjustments on offense and defense, even after the some damn good offensive games from Richardson, Dudley and Hill - the Suns still managed to look rather toothless on D in a 124-112 loss.

Even tho' the scores got tied at the end of 3, I was pretty confident of LA establishing their dominance.  Basketball's a game of runs, and PHX had just had theirs.

TP&GB: Leave it to STAT to rely on regular season stats as his guide to post-season success. The best players in the league step it up a notch or two in the REAL season. Amar'e wouldn't know a thing or two about that.

On paper, about the only drastic improvement the Lakers had offensively is their 3-pt. shooting from 47.1% to 56.2%. But they played better defense adding 3 more steals and 5 more forced turnovers from their stats in Game 1. They also shared the ball more in Game 2 thanks to #24 who did his best impression of Nash with his career playoff-high 13 assists. Beating the Suns by 12 points after seeing a tremendous scoring nights from their 3 role players is just so disheartening for Phoenix.

What else could they do for Game 3?

WM: Phoenix are simply in a hellaciously bad position. They go small, and LA are going to pound the ball inside. They go bigger (not actually 'big'), and the Lakers can run them off the floor.

Having absolutely no answer for any of the Laker bigs and Kobe Bryant's 40 points, Game 1 was a nightmare for the Phoenix Suns in every way possible. But for any team that's come this far in the playoffs, a better game was expected of Phoenix heading into Wednesday night's Game 2.

However, the more things change for the Suns the more the results stay the same. The Lakers outran Phoenix again to take a 2-0 lead on a 124-112 Game 2 win against the team that was supposed to test the defending champs.

Some of the possible adjustments for Phoenix that were tossed around were the use of the zone defense and the involvement of more people in their pick-and-roll featured offense. The Suns did get a bit more creative with their P&Rs by throwing the ball to a rolling Amar'e Stoudamire at a better angle from a second passer positioned at either side or corner of the half-court, but the zone defense was never part of a major plan to foil the Lakers' dynamic offense. Instead, Phoenix put a "never-before-thought-out plan" of doubling Kobe to prevent him from going off for another 40-something night.

The problem with that particular strategy is only one team in the league can do it at a satisfying level, and it's not the Suns. Bryant merely set aside his amusement and became the mastermind on offense instead of the heavy-hitter with his new career playoff-high 13 assists to go along with his mild 21 points.

In a way, the Suns succeeded in keeping Kobe from taking over most of the offense. But he and the Lakers proved that even by doing so doesn't guarantee a victory because the Lakers aren't just about one player.

The big Spaniard Pau Gasol followed his 21-point, 5-rebound performance from Game 1 with a game-high 29 points and 9 boards. Much of his points were courtesy of Kobe and his natural ability to get himself in a position to get a pass for a score. Having been pushed and shoved around by one, two, or three guys on him in both the Thunder and Jazz series, Pau looks like he's grown much tougher than what he's shown in last year's NBA Finals. He's getting things done under all kinds of duress. Not good for Phoenix. Not good for Boston or Orlando.

After being the subject of Stoudamire's mouth after Game 1, Lamar Odom found himself on the lucky side once again with 17 points, 11 rebounds (8 defensive), 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. It's like winning the Lotto at the expense of Amar'e's crisp dollar bill. He may have drifted along through the first two rounds, but Lamar is up and awake now. Hopefully, he stays caffeinated in the Finals as well.

Phoenix had decided that they might be more effective in stopping the Lakers if they leave Ron Artest alone in the perimeter. Sounds like a good plan IF Artest doesn't find it somewhat insulting. Unfortunately for the Suns, he did. Artest paid them back with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from downtown. He also topped that off with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

But he wasn't the only guy who snucked up on the Suns. Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar made sure Phoenix felt their heat also. Bynum wasn't much of a factor in Game 1, but he came out of Game 2 scoring and hustling. He finished with 13 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting and added 7 rebounds to go along with a few battling for loose balls on the floor. And here we thought his knee was going south on him.

Farmar ended up with 11 points and 2 steals. But, he was actually the initiator to the Lakers pushing away the Suns at the start of the 4th quarter for good. He knocked down a three then came right back to intercept Goran Dragic's pass which led to layups by Pau and Lamar.

The Lakers weren't concerned anymore after that.

Odom is often the "x-factor" for the Lakers in any series, and the same can be said about Jason Richardson for the Suns. Phoenix were 26-5 when Richardson scores more than 20 points coming into Game 2. Well, he scored a team-high 27 points, yet the Suns still lose by 12 points. In fact, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley both took it up a notch on offense as well.

Hill chipped in with his 23 points and carried the team on offense a few times. But his defense on Bryant wasn't any better from Game 1. Still, he made himself a factor for his team unlike the two players that were supposed to matter most for them. Dudley converted all five of his three-pointers, one short of his career-high, to put up 15 points off of the bench. He also made the defensive play of the night by stripping the ball out of Bryant's hands who tried to cross-over his way towards the rim. Not bad for someone who couldn't even stop Kobe even if his legs were bound and had a miserable 1-5 shooting just two nights before.

So how exactly did Phoenix still manage to drop Game 2 with three supporting role players having a scoring night, having a better rebounding effort from Stoudamire at 9, getting 15 assists from Nash, holding Kobe to 21 points, playing two more bench players than the Lakers, shooting 41.7% from downtown, matching their previous 49.4% shooting from the field in Game 1, and making almost 77% of their free-throws?

It's simple.

The Lakers adjusted as well, never played drastically any worse than Monday night, and got more production out of more players on both sides of the court.

They shot practically the same as Game 1 at 57.7%, raised their three-point shooting from a whopping 47.1% to a sunburning 56.2%, forced 5 more turnovers at 17 for the Suns, getting 3 more steals at 11, outrebounding Phoenix again (39-34), and above all their 3-man bench rotation outscored the Suns' 5-man second unit 36-26.

The Lakers did a good job at playing better team-defense while not allowing themselves to shoot themselves out of the game by making poor shot selections and forcing the three-point bomb even if it hasn't been there for them the entire night.

Not only are the Lakers long, talented, versatile, and experienced, they can also adapt to matchup with any team in the league. Yes, they didn't show much of that this season but this team is finally playing their best basketball of the year. Having Kobe getting healthier seemingly each passing game is also the biggest reason to their success right now.

As for the Suns, they're finding out that stopping the Lakers isn't anywhere near as easy as shaking off either the Spurs or the Blazers. Having the most cerebral point guard and one of the most mobile and talented power forward in the league are also proving to be inadequate when it comes to dealing with the defending champs as well.

It's a dubious task alone in trying to slow down the Lakers' two cornerstones. But to also find a way to keep the other guys from beating you is something that even the best coaches and the best teams in the NBA cringe at the mere thought. Imagine what it would be like for a team like the Suns that has a bundle of disadvantages that the Lakers can exploit.

That said, the Lakers still need two more games to get their RSVP for their third NBA Finals apperance in a row. Much like the Thunder and the Jazz, the Suns play a world better at home having a more friendly crowd behind them and playing on the most familiar basketball court in the association.

But from the way the Lakers played the previous two rounds on the road, that upcoming two-game homecourt advantage could still become bad dreams for the Suns. At least now, they'll have them in their own beds.

GO LAKERS!!!

Game 2 highlights:

Kobe on Game 2 victory:

Here is the second entry of the Daily Digest of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals by The Purple And Gold Blog and Don of With-Malice:

The Purple And Gold Blog: The Suns shoot 49.4%, grab 10 offensive boards, their bench scored 35 points, score 107 points as a team, and still manage to lose by 21 points with Kobe Bryant sitting out most of the 4th quarter. Very disturbing if you're Phoenix. Having a full extra day off more than the Lakers and making almost half of their shots, the Suns have nothing to be ashamed of. They simply are outmatched in this series.

Don (With-Malice): I think we saw a microcosm of the match-up difficulties they're going to face. And you raise a good point about Kobe - I didn't think of that, and I think it balances what I was thinking about: and that was that the Suns, a very good 3pt shooting team, just shot 5-22 - just shy of 23%.

Knowing that both the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns had a week's rest coming into Game 1, I was expecting some ugly basketball often because of it. The Lakers started rusty while the Suns came out hot building a 7-point lead early. Phoenix finished the game shooting 49.4% from the field but were held to only 22.7% from three-point land. The Lakers eventually got their groove back and pounded the Suns downlow to capture the lead for good in that same first 12 minutes of play.

The Suns pretty much became stagnant and never really had an answer to everything the Lakers started doing. The defending champs shot a blistering 58% from the field and outshot the Suns from behind the arc at a whopping 47.1%.

Phoenix will try to do more of the same of jumping out early. They've no choice but to take better advantage of a possible poor shooting start by the Lakers in Game 2. The Suns missed quite a few open shots, but that may not continue on Wednesday. Of course, I also expect them to employ more of the zone defense to help negate the daunting size advantage of the Lakers. Then again, Phil Jackson and the Lakers were expecting to see more of that in Game 1 than what they showed. So look for the college-style defense early and often in Game 2.

The Suns could also try taking away the role players for the Lakers defensively in Game 2, but even that could prove a difficult task for them because Phoenix don't have a lot of defensive-minded players. Even the role players for the Lakers are good enough to know what the defense is trying to do because the Suns aren't the first or will be the last team to attempt that kind of defensive strategy on them.

Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudamire tried to get the offense going with some of their staple pick-and-rolls on Monday, but the Lakers did a decent job at defending most of it. Actually, the Laker defense didn't give much options to Nash and the Suns offensively. They were active at closing down passing angles and driving lanes while keeping Stoudamire as far away from the hoop as possible.

But that won't discourage Phoenix from trying go to their bread-and-butter system in Game 2. They'll just try to involve more people this time around, and Nash will likely try to take over the scoring load more this time around. That might actually bode well for the Lakers since it will take the rest of the Suns out of the game. Besides, that will give Derek Fisher more chances of stopping Nash. We all know how much he's waiting for an opportunity to disprove everyone who thinks Nash has a huge advantage over him. I just think Fish will turn up his aggression when Steve decides to challenge him.

Stoudamire might look to score closer to the basket. But seeing as to how effectively he shot those 15-footers and how ineffective he is going up against any Laker big in the lowpost, I don't see him changing his game much for Game 2. Much of his attacks going to the hoop depends upon Nash setting them up for him. Against the Laker defense, those types of plays will be scarce.

As for the Lakers, they will wait and see what the Suns do first on both baskets before they reveal their adjustments. They'll keep pounding the ball in the paint until Phoenix gives them a reason to go elsewhere first. It will take a major defensive effort by the Suns to make the Lakers stay away from their bigs for good.

On the other hand, I don't think Alvin Gentry would want to give Kobe more opportunities to destroy them. Come to think of it, Bryant will never turn it down no matter what the Lakers do offensively or what Phoenix does defensively.

Andrew Bynum only played 19 minutes and scored just 4 points Monday night. He mentioned that his knee is getting worst before Game 1, and that doesn't sound well for him. The good thing is he's still not sitting any game, and that the Lakers are used to playing in the playoffs without him. So that isn't entirely a major concern, as of now.

Robin Lopez gave Phoenix a surprising solid return to action with 14 points and 6 boards in Game 1. He started over Jarron Collins because he provides the size and defense to go up against Bynum. But don't rely on him to all of a sudden keep Bynum from scoring. When Andrew decides to put up points, Lopez is still not good enough to stop him.

Jason Richardson was held to only 15 points. The Suns aren't so successful whenever he doesn't score more than 20 points a game, and you can bet the Lakers will never take their eyes off of him on defense. Grant Hill was a non-factor again against the Lakers with 7 points on a miserable 1-of-5 shooting. Having to defend Bryant takes away his energy and rhythm offensively. He did have a couple of good defensive plays against Kobe, but a handful of good defense will not get the job done against Bryant.

Phoenix was able to sweep the Spurs because they controlled much of each game on both sides of the floor. Offensively, they forced the Spurs to matchup with them. Defensively, the Suns threw active bodies at Tim Duncan and took away the lanes from Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. As we all know, active and the Spurs are hardly mentioned on the same sentence. Having their bench outwork San Antonio's second unit helped as well.

But all of that doesn't apply much to the Lakers simply because the Lakers are a much better team and better coached than San Antonio, and Gregg Popovich will be the first to admit that.

The bottom line is: the Suns will show some adjustments on offense and defense. Unfortunately for them, the result will be the same as Game 1.

GO LAKERS!!!

Tuesday's Phil Jackson interview:

Game 1 post-game interviews:

Just like in a Clint Eastwood Spaghetti-Western revenge movie, Kobe Bryant narrowed his eyes and came out firing en route to 40 points leading the Lakers to their Game 1 beatdown of the Phoenix Suns 128-107. Bryant didn't care who stood in his way. To him, they were all fodder in his quest to return a favor that's awaited 3 long years. Who knows? Maybe the outcome of this game may have been worst if Phil Jackson hadn't decided to put away his most devastating weapon for the next battle for much of the 4th quarter.

But it wasn't just Kobe who showed their desire to dispatch the Suns in Game 1. Lamar Odom gave his best effort in these playoffs so far with 19 points and 19 rebounds. Even Ron Artest was taking smart shots resulting in 6-of-14 shooting for 14 points. Pau Gasol did chipped in 21 points but only took 13 shots and grabbed 5 boards. Hardly the type of production we've grown accustomed to during the regular season and in the post-season.

Much of Phoenix's hope in this series rested in the hands of Steve Nash before the game. He was the chosen one. The one destined to carry the Suns to the promised land. He too had an opportunity to make his mark early in the series but only managed 13 points and 13 assists. That may seem a like good numbers, but considering they are one series away from the NBA Finals and their opponent in this series you would think that a veteran like Nash would step it up another notch or two to tell his team that they'll be alright. He'll most likely play a better game on Wednesday, but his glaring shortcomings have been exposed by Derek Fisher a few times. Think of it as warning shots from Phil.

Amar'e Stoudamire promised to give the Laker bigs fits on both ends of the floor. He scored 23 points but the rest of his production makes a steep dive after that with only 3 rebounds and 1 block. Stoudamire has to understand that no series in the playoffs is won on promises. Then again, whatever he does on the court won't matter much if the Lakers continue to make everyone else a non-factor.

The Suns started the game on fire jumping to a 7-point lead until the Lakers finally got in rhythm and their shots started falling to take over the lead for good late in the 1st quarter. Both teams were taking turns trying to force their wills onto one another until the Lakers gradually wore down Phoenix in just the first 12 minutes of play.

The Laker defense and size in the paint are just too much for Phoenix to handle. So much for their speed, their team-oriented approach, their new-found ability to defend, and their mastery of the three-pointer. The Lakers have proven early that the Suns are gonna have to be much more creative than what they used against either Portland or San Antonio to get passed them. So expect the Suns to play much more zone defense in Game 2.

As we all know, the Lakers haven't exactly shown that they can play effectively against the zone defense as much as they should. So Game 2 could be an interesting challenge for the Lakers.

For now, the Lakers did their job of drawing first blood and in such a convincing fashion. History says that when a Phil Jackson-led team takes the first game of a playoff series, they are undefeated at 46-0.

GO LAKERS!!!

Game 1 highlights (feat. commentary by the TNT Post-Game Show. Yep, Barkley doesn't know what he's talking about.)

It's been a looong seven days with nothing to do but watch Lebron James exit the playoffs before he even gets near the NBA Finals once again and read every article and every blog of how this series will end up. Even Phil Jackson's anticipation for this series may have slipped a bit when he took a shot at Steve Nash and the referees by saying that Nash never gets called for palming the ball.

Nash then answered Phil's comments by saying that Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the NBA.

But this fire between the two teams didn't just materialed now that they are locked against one another in the Western Conferenc Finals. Not even close. We have to go back to the 2006 playoffs where the 7th seeded Lakers took a commanding 3-1 lead over the 2nd seeded Phoenix Suns after dropping the first only to surrender the next 3 games making the Suns the only 8th team in NBA history to ever return from such a deficit to win a series. That also happened to be the series where Kobe Bryant has been accused of tanking the game where he only attempted 2 shots in the second half of the deciding Game 7 after torching the Suns for 23 points in the first half.

The following year, the Lakers became less of a challenge for the Suns by getting ousted in only 5 games because Kobe was pretty much the only consistent producer for the Lakers on both ends of the floor. What transpired after that game is something the Lakers, Kobe, Lamar Odom, and the entire family of Laker faithfuls will never forget.

Bryant demanded a trade.

Of course, he eventually decided to stay with the Lakers after talks with Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson may have ultimately persuaded him to. That decision, as we all saw, turned out to be a decision Bryant will never regret.

So here we are. Old foes are in a fight to the finish once again. This time, the Lakers are favored to win the series because of their size and experience. But the Suns are without an edge in this series. Most people seem to like Nash as the biggest reason for Phoenix's possible ability to upset the defending champs.

Can't say I blame them. Nash may not have gotten an opportunity to battle for a title before, but he is a playoff-tested veteran who could still be dangerous even at his age. He is the master of the entire array of pick-and-rolls and is still one of the league's purest shooter.

But he isn't without any weaknesses.

He may be a conductor on offense, but he's the exact opposite on defense. More importantly, the Lakers are fully aware of this and will undoubtedly try to expose it with whomever Nash is guarding. After shooting 43% of his 3-pointers against Utah, Derek Fisher is geared to make Nash work on the defensive end.

Offensively, the Suns rely on their perimeter game even with Amar'e Stoudamire lurking in the paint. They've become a drive-and-dish team under Alvin Gentry making them more of a halfcourt team than the old run-and-gun offensive behemoth of yester-years. But, they've also learned to play a bit of defense thanks to role-players like: Robin Lopez, Louis Amundsen, Channing Frye, and Jared Dudley.

Lopez is a legit 7-footer who doesn't mind the contact downlow. Amundsen is an athletic, active defender who goes after everything around the hoop. Frye is a long defender who can hit the 3. Dudley is a wide-bodied SF who can also hit the trey and is a decent defender at times.

Nash and Stoudamire cannot carry the Suns with just the two of them. That's why they rely on veterans Jason Richarson and Grant Hill helping them out on the scoreboard. Against the Lakers, their production will be a necessity. But the defending champs have ample bodies to put on them that could certainly do the job of taking them out of the equation.

The Lakers will force the issue inside with both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (even at less than 100%) throughout this series but are more than capable of getting it done outside as well. However, they have to take smart perimeter shots against the Suns who are itching to get on a fast-break at anytime. Defensively, the Lakers will have to make it a priority to run back without giving up a 3-pointer which Phoenix tend to do in transition. Because of Nash's superb ability to see the floor, communication on D will be the key because the Suns offense is designed to make the defense pay too much attention on point-guard penetration which could leave perimeter defenders drifting away from their man to help stop the drive.

The Suns don't have a bonafide go-to guy who can create a shot for himself and dominate offensively. They all rely on their offensive system to get everybody their share on the scoreboard. So if the Lakers consistenly play smart but aggressive on defense, the less chance they'll give Phoenix in winning this series.

That said, Game 1 will be the most crucial game of the series both teams. The long layoff may be a gift for the aches and bruises but could easily be a curse when it comes to riding the momentum each team gained from their previous series. The team that can set aside their rust better will win Game 1.

But the bottom line is: this entire 7-game series rests on the Suns' ability to stop a Laker team that can score in the paint and around the perimeter. With a scowled Kobe on a mission of delivering some swift vengeance, a Lamar pumped up to join Bryant on his quest, and an entire Laker team that see this series as a point of no return on their road to a repeat, the Suns may have gotten themselves in a deal they have no means to compensate for.

GO LAKERS!!!