When the First Round playoff matchups were set in stone, the basketball world salivated at the thought of a Game 7 between the Spurs and the Suns. Here were two teams with legitimate title hopes duking it out in April.
As it turned out, that series was wrapped up in five games. And the only First Round series to go the distance was the improbable Hawks catching the Celtics by surprise.
But, Lakers vs. Jazz? A 57-win No. 1 seed against a 54-win No. 4 seed? L.A. with it’s unstoppable offense (fourth in the league at 108.6 points per game, and an even more impressive 114.8 average in the First Round) pitted up across Utah’s awesome homecourt advantage (a league best 37-4 in the regular season)?
Now you’re talking about a series with “Game 7 potential” stamped all over it.
It will take more than three games at Energy Solutions Arena to get the job done for Utah. The biggest challenge the Jazz will face is trying to stop Kobe Bryant, who torched the Nuggets for averages of 33.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists in Round 1. Will Jerry Sloan give Andrei Kirilenko the task of trying to stop Bryant, or will the assignment fall in the lap of the 23-year old Ronnie Brewer?
Similarly for the Lakers, veteran Derek Fisher will have a difficult matchup on the defensive end marking Deron Williams, who seems to get better by the day and has a height and quickness edge over Fisher.
It’s not just guards who are going to have an impact on the series, however, as both the Lakers (Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom) and the Jazz (Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur) trot out All-Star level big men.
The Jazz are aiming at back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, while the Lakers are trying to win multiple rounds in the Playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Los Angeles will have the spotlight on it, as it has the Hollywood fans, Showtime legacy and bright yellow jerseys that attract cameras and columns alike. Meanwhile, Utah serve as the backdrop as it will pick and roll, drive vehicles purchased at a discount from its owner’s car dealership and wear muted purple and faded blue digs.
But there’s at least one thing that the two cities have in common: Fantastic professional basketball teams.
Game 1 is Sunday, May 4 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). Let’s hope it’s the first of seven.
Good things, the lakers are back on the playoff track, will they able to win it back again 3 peat, i think they should concentrate doing such things as they involve everybody for the basket.
the jazz are onto the same thing.
this series will take 7 games.
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