NBA Playoff Preview: (1) Lakers v. (4) Jazz (Round 2)

Playoff Preview: Round 1 Recap

The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets series was the only series sweep of the first round of the playoffs. The No. 8-seed Denver Nuggets could not pull off a first-round upset like the Golden State Warriors did last season as the Los Angeles Lakers handed the Denver Nuggets four-straight double-digit losses, proving exactly why they were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. This was definitely a fast-paced series, but the Los Angeles Lakers exploited holes in the Denver Nuggets defense game after game; the Denver Nuggets could never quite get Kobe Bryant in check – a tall task for any team. If the Lakers can continue to be flawless at both ends of the court and get more stellar play out of Kobe Bryant in the next playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers should be in good shape to snag another trip to the NBA Finals.

The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets took the series to six games – more than any other Western Conference playoff series. For the Utah Jazz, it was an intense, hard-fought series against the Houston Rockets – one of the toughest defensive teams in the NBA. The Utah Jazz were able to outplay the Houston Rockets, especially at the point guard position. Deron Williams proved to be too tough and too big for the Houston Rockets’ smaller lineup to handle. Fortunately, the Utah Jazz were able to exploit those holes in the Houston Rockets’ defense because the Houston Rockets could have actually won the series by playing stellar defense, contesting every shot, and effectively shutting down the Utah Jazz’s offense – the second-best offense in the regular season. If Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer can come up big in the second round of the playoffs, expect the Utah Jazz to have a fighting chance to move on to the Western Conference semi-finals.

Playoff Preview: Lakers Lineup

Kobe Bryant is certainly one of the top candidates for NBA MVP this season. With Kobe Bryant able to create his own shots and put up just plain gaudy numbers, opposing teams have their work cut out for them when they have to guard a player like Kobe Bryant. With his assists up from last season, Kobe Bryant is more team-focused than ever, finding open teammates like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom among others.

With a renewed passion and fire for winning, the latest Laker recruit, Pau Gasol, is the second-best scorer on the Lakers team and is comfortable with taking over on offense with Kobe on the bench. Odom has become more efficient and prolific as a shooter while also increasing his rebounding stats. Odom provides the Los Angeles Lakers with a formidable scorer in the post and a versatile slasher from the wings. Odom and Gasol both provide a dominating presence in the paint and solid defense to boot.



It’s good to see Derek Fisher back in a Lakers uniform during the playoffs. Derek Fisher is having a stellar offensive season, running the Lakers’ offense to perfection, and hitting open shots, especially in the clutch. Vladimir Radmanovic has become an integral part of the Lakers offense, hitting 40 percent of his three-pointers in the regular season. The Lakers bench – Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, and Ronnie Turiaf – provide athleticism, energy, scoring, and good defense to boot.

Playoff Preview: Jazz Lineup

In the playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Deron Williams was indeed the X factor for the Utah Jazz. Deron Williams dominated at the point guard position – pushing the ball up the court, hitting big shots from the perimeter and in the post, and running the Utah Jazz offense to perfection. Deron Williams will need to limit his turnovers against the LA Lakers – he averaged 4.8 TOs in four regular-season meetings. Also in the backcourt, Ronnie Brewer provides a slasher and a shooter from midrange to the Utah Jazz lineup. After guarding the Houston Rockets best scorer in Tracy McGrady, Ronnie Brewer’s defensive assignment only gets tougher with Kobe Bryant.

Carlos Boozer struggled in the playoffs series against the Houston Rockets but poses a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers due to his size, strength, and scoring ability. Andrei Kirilenko also struggled a bit offensively against the Houston Rockets, but AK47 made up for it on the defensive end – stealing the ball, getting key blocks. If the LA Lakers-Utah Jazz series becomes an offensive shootout (as expected) Andrei Kirilenko should be at the top of his game. Center Mehmet Okur was also very active on defense – averaging about 12.7 RPG – and was a valuable asset for the Utah Jazz from the three-point line. Coming off the Utah Jazz bench, Paul Millsap played solid basketball against the Houston Rockets, Kyle Korver poses a threat from the outside and on defense to boot, while Matt Harpring provides toughness and can hit clutch shots as well.

Playoff Preview: Head to Head

In four regular-season meetings between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Lakers won 3-1. What’s more, the Utah Jazz have yet to face the formidable Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol tandem. The Los Angeles Lakers go into the playoff series well rested after sweeping the Denver Nuggets. On the other hand, the Utah Jazz have just come off one of the toughest series in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets and could not close out on a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets. Both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers will run and high-scoring ballgames can be expected. The Utah Jazz will need to continue their physical style of play against the Los Angeles Lakers. Carlos Boozer will need to step up more than he did in the Houston Rockets playoff series and Deron Williams will need to continue his dominant play at the point guard position. The Los Angeles Lakers offense will run through Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, and the Utah Jazz will have their hands full trying to guard them both.

Playoff Preview: Schedule

As the No. 1 seed, the Los Angeles Lakers will go into the second round of the playoffs with home court advantage over the Utah Jazz. The best-of-seven series will open up in the Staples Center, where the Lakers went 30-11 in the regular season.