For various reasons – some very personal, others less so – Pau Gasol has been front and center in my mind for the past couple of years. The whole thing started almost two years ago, when my wife and I relocated, from New York to Barcelona, Spain. As an L.A. native, I couldn’t help but […]
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Lakers vs. Suns: Game 6 Preview
Use whatever language you want here — “backs against the wall”, “win or go home”, “do or die game” — they all capture the tenor and meaning of tonight’s game 6 between the Lakers and the Suns. For the first time in the 2 seasons that the Lakers have had LeBron and AD, the Lakers […]
Lakers vs. Suns: Game 5 Preview
The playoffs, at the most basic level, are about problem solving. How can you decipher and counter what the other team is trying to do faster and more effectively than what they are. The number of problems you can present for the opponent, then, is nearly as key as your response to whatever they’re throwing […]
Lakers vs. Suns: Game 4 Preview
By winning game 3, the Lakers took control of their series with the Suns. To maintain that control, however, game 4 will present an even bigger challenge because the level of desperation I anticipate the Suns showing will be like nothing the Lakers have seen since, maybe, their play-in game vs. the Warriors. The Suns […]
Lakers vs. Suns: Game 3 Preview
After winning game 2 to bring the series even at one game a piece, the Lakers enter tonight’s game against the Suns with momentum that they cannot take for granted. Returning home is great and welcomed. The team, however, cannot rest on the fact that playing in front of their own fans will provide them […]
Lakers vs. Suns: Game 2 Preview
As the lower seed in this playoff series, the main goal is to get a split in the first two games. Sure, you want to win every game you’re in, but getting that split means you flip home court advantage and, even if only slightly, take control of the series. The Lakers, then, should be […]
Lakers vs. Suns: Game 1 Preview
The overarching themes heading into this series are pretty clear. The Lakers strengths are in their front court, while the Suns are in their backcourt. The main question, then, is which team is more equipped to slow down the other team’s best players. On paper, it looks like the answer to that question is the […]
Lakers vs. Suns Playoff Preview
The long, winding road of the regular season is over. The Lakers finally clinched their playoff spot, needing a LeBron James 34-footer with the shot clock nearly expired to dispatch of the Warriors in the play-in game. Their reward is the 7th seed and a date with the Phoenix Suns and their dynamic backcourt of […]
Play-in Game Preview: Lakers vs. Warriors
I’m getting right to it today. The Lakers play the Warriors for the right to pass “go” collect their $200, and go right into a playoff matchup with the Suns. The loser will get the winner of Spurs/Grizzlies in a single elimination game whose loser begins their off-season immediately after. The stakes for the Lakers […]
Lakers Game Preview: The Nuggets vs. the Blazers
As you can tell from the title of this post, I’m not really thinking about the Lakers game vs. the Pelicans tonight. Yes, that’s an important game and one the Lakers need to win if they have any hope of climbing up to the 6th seed and avoiding the play-in game vs. the Warriors (who […]