NBA Playoffs: Where's the Defense?

Friday, May 22, 2009
By Roz Juarbe

The first two games of the Lakers/Nuggets series are in the books and both went under the total, though just barely. The real question is: Where is the defense? Denver shot 48% in Game 1, then over 44% in Game 2. Denver did play some defense in the first game, allowing 41% shooting, but what stood out most was how soft the LA defense has been in the paint. That was their big weakness a year ago when Boston knocked them around in the Finals.

LA is 3-3 SU, 2-4 ATS their last six playoff games, getting rapped twice by a depleted, short Houston squad without any star players. They survived Game 1 against the Nuggets, barely, so they are lucky they are not 0-2 heading to Denver. Phil Jackson said that Lamar Odom is the key to the series. Odom has been a beast in the second half of the season and the playoffs, partly because he is in a contract year.

However, he has been hurting of late with a back problem. In Game 1 he had 7 points and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes, shooting 3-of-7, and in Game 2 he had 10 points and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes, shooting 4-of-9. The guy hurting the Lakers is veteran guard Derek Fisher, 6-of-22 shooting in the Western Conference Finals.

The tough part about following the Lakers is that they can beat anyone when they focus and put their minds to it, as we saw in a six-game road trip (6-0 SU/ATS) this season, even winning at Boston and Cleveland. But they do not show up every game for 48 minutes, for some reason.

Let us give some credit to the Denver fourth quarter defense in Game 2: Trailing 81-80 heading into the fourth, the Nuggets elevated their defense in the biggest quarter of the season, forcing L.A. to shoot just 38.5 percent and holding Bryant to eight points. "The whole thing was there was just a demand that we had to win this game," Nuggets coach George Karl said of the fourth-quarter defense. "There was an inner spirit. We're a much more smart and mentally tough team than last year."

In the East, susprisingly there was no defense in Game 1 of the Magic/Cavaliers series, surprising in that the Cavs have been great defensively in thr postseason after being No. 1 in points allowed in the regular season. Orlando torched them in the post and from beyond the arc for 55% shooting! Orlando shot 59 percent after halftime, went 7-of-13 on threes and outscored the Cavs 59-43. They are now 9-3 in their last 12 games against Cleveland. Keep in mind that the Cavs have not had much success away from home against elite teams this season. Perhaps the anticipated Kobe/LeBron Finals might not be the shoo-in most thought would happen.