If the Lakers thought they had a tough time in their first series wait until they get a load of the rising Utah Jazz starting later today. The matchups are what is going to make this a great series and here is a closer look at them:
POINT GUARD: Derek Fisher is a guy who makes big shots at the end of games. But his overall play is a little lacking. He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He did shoot 46.7% from three point range so at least he will give the Lakers some outside shooting against the Jazz.
Deron Williams might just be the best point guard in the NBA right now. He is a great scorer and a outstanding passer. Williams will likely abuse Derek Fisher so bad that the Lakers will likely have to start putting Kobe on him like they did when they had him guard Russell Westbrook midway through their first series against the Thunder. Even that probably won’t work against Williams. Williams played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 40.2 minutes, 25.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
EDGE: HUGE FOR JAZZ
SHOOTING GUARD: Kobe Bryant might he hurting right now but he is still the best shooting guard in the NBA. His shooting was off in the first round of the playoffs (40.8%) from the floor but that’s because he’s banged up right now. Finger and knee issues have hurt his effectiveness so far in the playoffs and the Lakers can’t afford him to have many problems in the 2nd round. Bryant played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.8 minutes, 23.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Wesley Matthews made the Jazz as a undrafted rookie this season. He quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and he improved all year long. He was not intimidated by the playoffs either as he played pretty well against the Nuggets. He played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 37.8 minutes, 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Jazz will need Matthews to play solid defense against Kobe for them to have a shot to pull an upset in this series.
EDGE: HUGE FOR LAKERS
CENTER: Andrew Bynum is a player on the rise. Despite Phil Jackson’s whining about his play earlier this season he kept him in the starting lineup because he knows he has a future star on his hands. Bynum played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 2.2 blocked shots per game. Bynum also shot 57.4% from the floor but most of his shots come from close range. The Jazz are going to use Paul Millsap at center a lot in this series so Bynum will need to take advantage of his size.
Kyrylo Fesenko will be the starting center for the Jazz in this series. He didn’t get much playing time all year so we’re just beginning to see what he can do as a player right now. He played in 6 games (5 starts) against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. The Jazz are just looking to get 15-20 decent minutes out of Fesenko every game.
EDGE: HUGE FOR LAKERS
POWER FORWARD: This will be the matchup to watch as Pau Gasol with be dealing with Carlos Boozer. Gasol was outstanding against the Thunder but he will have a much tougher matchup in this series. Gasol played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 18.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game on 53.2% shooting from the floor.
Carlos Boozer is a beast near the basket as he goes all out to get his hands on the basketball. Boozer is relentless and so is Gasol so it will be amazing to watch this matchup. Boozer played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 41.2 minutes, 22.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.
EDGE: EVEN
SMALL FORWARD: Ron Artest was the Lakers’ defensive stopper in the opening series against the Thunder as he gave Kevin Durant fits for six games. He will likely be able to have a more well rounded game against the Jazz as defense won’t have to be his first priority as the Jazz don’t have a high scoring small forward. Artest played in 6 games (all starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 37.0 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
C.J. Miles stepped up his game a tad in the first round of the playoffs. He played a couple of really good defensive games against Carmelo Anthony and he helped out some on offense. Miles played in 6 games (all starts) against the Nuggets in which he averaged 32.7 minutes, 13.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The Jazz will need similar numbers out of Miles in this series if they are going to pull an upset.
EDGE: LAKERS
BENCH: The Lakers will probably go only 8 deep in this series. Lamar Odom is the guy the Lakers will need to help them the most in this series because of the big guys on the Jazz. He didn’t play up to his ability against the Thunder and the Lakers can’t afford a repeat against the Jazz. Odom played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Thunder and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown will backup at the guard slots and give Kobe and Derek Fisher a break once in a while.
The Jazz will also likely only be going 8 deep in this series. Paul Millsap will get starter minutes off the bench most likely at center. He is a force to be reckoned with as he was dominant against the Nuggets despite going against bigger players. Millsap played in 6 games (0 starts) against the Nuggets and he averaged 32.0 minutes, 17.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.8 blocked shots per game. SF Kyle Korver will provide instant offense off the bench with his shooting. Ronnie Price will give Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews a break once in a while.
EDGE: JAZZ
COACH: Phil Jackson has his kind of team once again this season. Here is a guy who has always excelled with a All-Star type of team but not so much when Michael Jordan retired. Still, the “Zen Master” is excellent at keeping his team motivated so look for them to come to play in every game of this series. The Lakers are 102-52 (66.2%) under Jackson in the post season.
Jerry Sloan is one of the most underrated coaches in NBA history. He often gets his team to step up when playing big games. That is what this whole series is going to be. The Jazz are 96-96 (50%) under Sloan in the post-season.
EDGE: LAKERS
PREDICTION: If Mehmet Okur wasn’t injured I might pick the upset in this series. But, I have a feeling that the Lakers’ big men will rise to the challenge that the Jazz present. With that in mind I’m going to take the Lakers in six games.
