| Marty
Burns' Breakdown |
|---|
| Los
Angeles |
|
Phoenix |
|
| Shaquille O'Neal poses
a huge matchup problem for the Suns, as evidenced by
his 33.3 points (on 52.5% shooting) and 14.5 rebounds
in four wins against them during the season. The Suns
might have to go small and try to beat him down court
or lure him outside with jumpers. Otherwise he'll
dominate on defense as well. |
CENTER
The Edge:
 |
Luc Longley is a huge
body who has had success against Shaq in the playoffs
as a member of the Bulls. But just like back then,
he'll require a lot of help from teammates. The good
thing for Longley is that he knows the Lakers'
triangle offense well, so he'll be able to foresee
Shaq dunking over him before it actually
happens. |
|
| Glen Rice has picked
up his game as the season has gone along, and should
get a lot of open looks with Shaq being double and
triple-teamed. The Suns will try to run on the Lakers,
so Rice must remember to get back on defense. Green's
challenge is to stay in Cliff Robinson's face on the
perimeter to keep him from getting good
looks. |
FORWARDS
The Edge: |
Cliff Robinson is a
terrific all-around player but he has a history of
coming up short in the postseason. The Suns cannot
afford another Cliff-dive in this series. Robinson
must score, defend and rebound. Shawn Marion must use
his speed and athleticism to wear down
Rice. |
|
| Ron Harper and Kobe
Bryant normally stifle teams defensively with their
range and long arms, but they won't be able to do that
against the tall Suns backcourt. Harper must stay in
front of Kidd and keep him out of the lane or Kidd
will shred their defense. Bryant is awesome at both
end, but Penny has the size and experience to keep him
in check. |
GUARDS
The Edge:  |
After missing two
months and his team's first three playoff games, Kidd
returned for the Game 4 clincher against the Suns and
registered 10 assists and nine points. If he's
healthy, the Suns get the backcourt edge. Penny
Hardaway proved during Kidd's absence that he can
still carry a team on his
shoulders. |
|
| Robert Horry, Rick
Fox and Derek Fisher are all solid contributors who
know their roles. They won't score much, but they
won't have to. All they need to do is provide quality
minutes so the Lakers' Big 3 can get a breather now
and again. | BENCH
The Edge:
None |
Rodney Rogers, who recently won the Sixth Man award,
had a terrific series against the Spurs and will need
to duplicate it against the Lakers. Look for Kevin
Johnson and Corie Blount to also play big roles as
Phoenix goes small and tries to run L.A. out of the
gym. |
|
| The Lakers have
homecourt advantage, a significant fact since they
have been almost unbeatable this season at Staples
Center. After getting a scare from the Kings, they
should be more focused and guarded against a
letdown. | INTANGIBLES
The Edge:
|
After dispatching the
Spurs in four games, the Suns got a few days off to
prepare, rest and get Jason Kidd even healthier.
They're also very loose, since nobody is giving them a
ghost of a chance. |
|
| Phil Jackson showed
he's still the Zen Master by getting his team to shake
off its two losses in Sacramento and come out with
renewed fire in Game 5. Besides, there's no way he
lets Luc Longley beat his team. |
COACH
The Edge:
|
Scott Skiles did a
masterful job getting the Suns ready to take advantage
of Tim Duncan's absence in the Spurs series, but now
he faces the ultimate test. For a rookie coach, it's a
lot to ask. |
|
| All Ron Harper needs
to do in this series is stay in front of Kidd, handle
the ball against the inevitable Suns' pressure and
keep Phoenix's big guards off the backboards so they
can't get out and run. Other than that, it should be a
piece of cake. |
'X' FACTOR
The Edge: |
Jason Kidd is still
recovering from his broken ankle. Though he played
well in Game 5, nobody knows if he'll be able to run
and gun and scramble the Lakers defense over the
course of a long series. |
| Burns'
Prediction: Lakers in 4 |
|---|
| |
