The Los Angeles Lakers took a commanding 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals with a comfortable 124-112 win at the Staples’ Center. And after being outscored by 14 points in the fourth quarter, the Suns are taking no momentum back to Phoenix.
The key sequence came at 7:30 remaining in the fourth. Steve Nash carelessly threw a bounce pass out of bounds with the score at 101-95. From the ensuing inbounds pass, Jordan Farmar dribbled up court, around a screen and drained a three. Phoenix never recovered. Some notes:
- Lakers bench. Farmar and Shannon Brown continue to contribute, going 4-4 from downtown. Together with Odom, the three man bench in Phil Jackson’s shortened rotation nullified an outstanding performance from Jared Dudley, himself shooting 5-5 from three.
- The Suns’ defense. There is a reason that the Lakers’ bench is successful. Phoenix’s defense in this game was embarrassing. A casual viewer might think that the Suns’ were a man short for the number of times that the Lakers found an open player for the shot. And I don’t think it is size… it’s just poor rotation and indecision.
- Amare Stoudemire. A poor performance from Amare after calling out Lamar Odom after game one. Six rebounds, five turnovers and five fouls don’t begin to tell the story. His help defense was ineffective and his pick and roll game was muted. Stoudemire must be a monster if Phoenix are to win a game.
As a Suns’ fan, it is good to measuring the team against the best. The Lakers are the defending champions and the number one team in the West. They’re playing excellent basketball and have all the answers for the Suns. Will this be a sweep? There is 10,000 pounds of pressure on Phoenix to take out game three, and they’ll need more than just a few days rest to overcome the Lakers.
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