Comments on: Game Two Preview

By: JONESONTHENBA

JONESONTHENBA — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 01:16:59 +0000

Laker reporter John Ireland, says they are going to try and post up Walton on clear outs every time Barbosa is in the game gaurding him. The thinking is to get him into foul trouble.

On another note (although I hate to get away from the playoffs), the Lakers should try and get Kirilenko from the Jazz. And I think that they should resign Walton and package him with Vlad Rad to do it. Vlad Rad is the shooter that Jerry sloan is looking for out of that three spot and Walton (like Fisher) is the heady player that Sloan covets. I love Luke, but I think AK-47 is under utilized in Utah and would be great in forum blue and gold. The best thing about him is the fact that he would help vastly improve our defense.

Anyhow, I think the Lakers should be able to pull something out tonight if they keep the game at their pace, run their offense, and pound the ball inside.

By: Gr8dunk

Gr8dunk — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:10:33 +0000

When they asked Kobe [How do you defend Barbosa?]
Give him a soccer ball. Tell him he should be playing soccer, not basketball. Somebody dropped the ball when he was growing up. They didnâ€™t give him the memo. Heâ€™s a phenomenal player. Heâ€™s a hell of a talent and he has a great work ethic. I enjoy watching him play and obviously we have our hands full with that guy when he comes into the game. Iâ€™m sure weâ€™ll make some adjustments.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 21:18:49 +0000

via the Daily News blog today, Lamar Odom on stopping Barbosa:

“Our team defense is going to have to step up and heâ€™s going to have to end up on his back.”

http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/

By: skigi

skigi — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:33:20 +0000

I see your point Exick,
Hard fouling Barbosa would not exactly help in the moment. He is a good free throw shooter. But the reason I think we need to hard foul him is that slashing to the hoop at 100 mph is his game, thats what he does. We can not let him do what he does against us in this series. We have to take him out of that comfort zone and make him do things that he is not used to doing. Same applies to the rest of the Suns, make them have to do things they are not comfortable doing.

By: Exick

Exick — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:22:23 +0000

skigi, I don’t disagree with that in principle. I said as much about Tony Parker several years ago when he would drive through the paint past the likes of Derek Fisher and Kareem Rush. Once, just once I asked, that Shaq would put him on his ass. It may have happened, I don’t recall. The Spurs series in 2003 has been erased from memory banks.

The problem with doing that to Barbosa, insofar as it relates to game 1 of this series, is that the Lakers had enough foul trouble to begin with. Phoenix had more than double the free throw attempts. Maybe you give him the business with the idea of conceding free throws tonight in return for fear in the upcoming games, but by the time they all looked up and saw what Barbosa was doing they’d dug themselves a hole that they would rather dig out of than dig deeper.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:59:21 +0000

[5]
I remember when Tony Parker would waltz into the paint at will a few years ago until Shaq laid him out once or twice…needless to say he was relegated to jump shooting after that point

By: skigi

skigi — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:51:48 +0000

How about putting him on the ground the next couple of times he takes it to the hole. I’m not saying do what that kid did in the UNC-Duke game and just lay him out with an elbow, I’m saying do it within the parameters of the game. This is the Playoffs. When Barbosa is killing us like that, hard foul him two or three times in a row in the paint and I gaurantee you he will start to think twice about going in there again.

By: Exick

Exick — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:46:39 +0000

What adjustments are the Lakers going to make to slow down Barbosa, who is his own fast break?

a) Don’t put Smush on him.
b) Make him go left.
c) Get their feet set and take a charge.

By: Sanjaya

Sanjaya — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:43:48 +0000

What adjustments are the Lakers going to make to slow down Barbosa, who is his own fast break?

By: Red 5

Red 5 — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:28:54 +0000

I don’t disagree, Ex.

Just as Kurt pointed out with Kobe
about greatest strength also being an Achilles heel,
it’s also true many times that a team can get sick
on a dose of its own medicine–

teams that successfully execute the pick and roll
that don’t defend it well,
3-point shooting teams that can’t defend the perimeter,
and so on.

There were more than two times
the weak side was open like a truck stop diner
into the fourth and no Laker cut to or drove to it,
and it was maddening.

Also to plod up the court and allow the defense
to set themselves eats up shot clock
and reduces offensive options especially
when Walton is not out there swinging the ball.

Thoidly, dispense with the lofty layups
that the god of physics nudges out .
They don’t have to slam them in, but rather
play every drive in the paint as if it were contested
and it usually is by Stoudemire–
and pop it in with both hands when possible.

And make those free shots.

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