LOS ANGELES LAKERS v UTAH JAZZ
Prediction: 4-1 LAKERS

The last time I remember a team this dominant in the playoffs were the Bulls in that dream season of MJ. My memory isn’t that good, but I know there was also another team in the recent 2 to 3 years that practically swept the playoffs too. In any case, the Lakers are proving to be an elite team with the addition of Pau, as they have steamrolled over the competition in the post season. They swept the Nuggets, who would have made life miserable for any other team they would have faced in the 1st Round. They also made it look easy beating the Jazz in Game 1 of their 2nd round matchup.

So right, my 2nd round review is a game late, so sue me I had a ton to do, but I would have picked the Lakers to win Game 1 anyway. It would probably have been a closer game if Boozer wasn’t in foul trouble all night long, but the Lakers still would have pulled it off that night amidst Kobe finally getting his first MVP trophy. And it was a long time coming for the best player in the NBA for 3 seasons and counting. Gasol was also very instrumental in the win making most of his damage in the 4th quarter. And that’s why the Lakers will be so hard to beat this year. They have all the weapons necessary to win it all, and they’re proving that there is no team that is even close to where they are at right now.

Don’t count the Utah Jazz out though, they have a very good lineup capable of beating the Lakers, more than any other squad remaining in the West. They have the big guys to bang Pau up with, they also have Brewer and AK47 who can take turns guarding Kobe, and they have the Stockton-Malone reincarnation in Deron and Boozer. The key to the Jazz upsetting the Lakers, though pretty remote, is Okur playing well. And my oh my, did he play well in the first game scoring 21 points and pulling down 19 boards! Wow. If he keeps this going and Boozer is in the game, this will be a good series to watch.

Lakers First Round:
What can we say about the dominance of the Lakers against the Nuggets? They totally clamped down on the high scoring duo of AI and Melo, and dominated all 4 games against them. If the Nuggets played anyone else but the Lakers, they may have advanced, but too bad for them. The Lakers showed how deep they are, with a bunch of guys off the bench who can help them every single game. Sasha, Luke, Ronny, and Farmer, are all very capable guys who can make a difference in any game.

And as we have seen in the first game, the hottest one of the bunch is Sasha Vujacic, who is an instant spark and offense off the bench. He has matured into an amazing shooter and has tempered his game unlike the player we saw 2 years ago. He will be key against the Jazz, and he has already made his mark in Game 1.

Jazz First Round:
The safest prediction without any chance of an upset was the series the Jazz had against the Rockets. T-Mac could have scored 50 and they still wouldn’t have won. Losing Yao was the end of their hopes of advancing in the playoffs. Given that the historical 22 wins without Yao was awe-inspiring, it made no difference in the playoffs as the Jazz took it to them inside. Having a consistent contribution from their solid first five, and having Korver come off the bench and showing why they traded for him, the Jazz were just too much for the Rockets.

Millsap was also another good revelation in the playoffs and is going to be key to their matchup against the Lakers. If he can use his body and bang away inside at the lanky Gasol, he might just get the big guy in foul trouble and they might have a chance. The trend hopefully continues for these 2 reserves, but Korver will be severely handicapped on D as Kobe will exploit that to the hilt. And that’s exactly what he did in Game 1 as Korver was frustrated and useless.

MATCHUPS:

POINT GUARD: DEREK FISHER v DERON WILLIAMS
Derek Fisher has been a staple in the Lakers back court for many years. In between that short stint he had in Utah where he was instrumental in shutting down Baron, otherwise the Warriors would have advanced to the Conference Finals, he is still going to be a steady presence in this series. Considering he’s worked with Deron before, he should have a few tricks up his sleeve to neutralize the all-star point guard.

Deron is top 3 in best point guards in this league. A very complete player capable of taking a game over and has great passing skills too. With the chemistry he and Boozer have built together, they are the new Stockton-Malone combo in Utah and rightfully so. If Deron can find a way to get past Fisher’s D and slice into the lane, it will spell trouble for the big men of the Lakers as they will either be in foul trouble or the Jazz big men will score on passes from Williams.
ADVANTAGE: JAZZ

SHOOTING GUARD: KOBE BRYANT v RONNIE BREWER
Brewer has but one job, and that is to try and contain Kobe Bryant. I won’t even say try to STOP, as that is impossible. Brewer is a very decent player and is very good defensively. He can cause a lot of problems because of his pesky defense and he is very long and uses that advantage wisely. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the league’s MVP though as the first game proved that Kobe was unguardable.

The much deserved MVP award has finally been given to Kobe Bryant. And he has already proven again in the first game of this series as to why he won it. Kobe had 38 points, shot 21-23 free throws (wow!) to go along with his usual 6 boards and 7 dimes every single game. They put everyone on him and he still scored, and if he didn’t, he was able to make that pass to the open guy. I mean, there is just no way anyone can stop Kobe, and with his new partner in Gasol along with Odom on the wings, it will be very difficult to stop the Lakers this year. Barring any injuries, Kobe will be in the Finals for sure.
ADVANTAGE: LAKERS

SMALL FORWARD: LAMAR ODOM v ANDREI KIRILENKO
It will always be rare to see a 6′10 guy who is capable of playing all 5 positions on court, and Lamar Odom is one of those players. Capable of a triple double every single night, Odom’s flexibility and potential is off the charts. The X-factor in the Laker lineup, Odom gives opposing teams fits as it is difficult to figure out how to guard him. He can post, he can shoot the three, and he can pass very well for a big guy. A perfect fit in a system built by Jackson, and around guys like Kobe and Gasol, who are perfect complements to his game.

AK47 is going to be very key in this series matchup as he will be the one coming off screens, and being the help defender on most occasions, not to mention being the one to guard Kobe from time to time. His main focus is on D, but he can also score pretty well. If he can get that corner 3 of his going, and he can continue to play great D like he did in Game 1 with 5 blocks consistently, then the Lakers may have a more difficult time advancing to the next round.
ADVANTAGE: LAKERS

POWER FORWARD: VLADIMIR RADMANOVIC v CARLOS BOOZER
Vlade still has not hit his stride in the playoffs, but he is another headache matchup for opposing teams. A huge guy who can shoot the lights out from three, Radmanovic should play decent minutes and give the Lakers a good half every game in this series. If Vlade waxes hot, and hits his threes, the Jazz can forget about it.

The second coming of Karl Malone has arrived. Boozer’s trade to the Jazz has developed this big man into one of the premier players in this league. Shooting a great percentage the entire year, Boozer is capable of scoring in bunches and grab a ton of boards on offensive putbacks. His pick-and-roll tandem with Deron is also very hard to stop as opposing teams are left scratching their heads afterwards. Why? Because they know it’s coming but they still can’t defend it. Boozer needs to play big and be careful not to give useless fouls like he did in Game 1. Without him on the floor, the Lakers will run the Jazz down to the ground.
ADVANTAGE: JAZZ

CENTER: PAU GASOL v MEHMET OKUR
The best trade of the year was when Pau Gasol was sent to the Lakers. And two people were smiling from ear to ear, and those were Gasol himself, and of course, Kobe Bryant. That completed the final piece of the puzzle for a Laker championship this year, and it looks like a new legacy is going to begin. Another big named center playing beside Kobe should bring another ring to LA, and this time, the big guy can shoot free throws First game of the first round, Gasol had career numbers in all categories and in the first game of the second round, he was key to the Jazz blowout as the Lakers went to him for a lot of points in the payoff period. Look to see more of this trend in the games to come.

Okur has been a revelation in the latter stages of the year. He has played awesome when the regular season ended, and continued his great play over the first round, and into the first game of the 2nd round against the Lakers. Again, he scored 21 points and pulled down 19 boards for probably his best game yet this year. If he continues to play this way and Boozer doesn’t get in foul trouble, the Jazz may just have a chance at this series. But honestly, I don’t see Okur doing this again as the Lakers will find a way to try and lower those numbers significantly.
ADVANTAGE: LAKERS

BENCH: Sasha Vujacic/Luke Walton v Kyle Korver/Paul Millsap
Very few reserves have played as well as Sasha Vujacic. Instant offense off the bench and playing with a passion very rare in many players, he has a ton of confidence in his shot this year and he is finally making them. That’s probably what a lot of practice and confidence by your coach and teammates have on your game and Sasha is now playing to his potential. With Walton and Farmar coming off the bench as well, the Lakers have the deepest and most productive bench in the league. Anyone of these guys can be a starter on any other team as their potential is that high, but as for now, they will be helping the Lakers win their first championship post-Shaq era, and it looks like a very high possibility that they will.

The Jazz should be playing around 2 to 3 players off the bench only, with Korver and Millsap taking a chunk of the minutes, and Harpring playing a few. It will be interesting to see though how many minutes Korver plays as his offensive prowess is debilitated by his defense and opposing teams take full advantage of this. But in this series, as it was very clearly seen, Korver’s defense was destroyed by Kobe and this will continue unless Sloan thinks of another strategy. Harpring can be a very good defender and can frustrate Kobe because of his defensive toughness. So Sloan will need to decide whether he needs Korver’s offense more than Harpring’s defense. I would pick the latter any day of the week as the offense can be carried by Boozer and Deron.

Another guy who can be very effective for Utah is Paul Millsap. A very tough banger who can score at will, he can cause the Lakers a lot of problems especially if he works down low and gets the Laker big guys in foul trouble. If he can do that, this series will be very interesting. In Game 1, the Jazz reserves were rendered useless. Let’s see how they do in Game 2.
ADVANTAGE: LAKERS