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Lakers-Suns Game 3 preview Phoenix fans filled with blonde ambition
Posted: Friday May 12, 2000 03:47 PM
I spent part of this morning on a Phoenix sports talk radio station. The hosts had bleached their hair "Jason Kidd blonde" in preparation for tonight's third game between the Suns and Lakers, and they were offering two tickets to folks who would follow their lead. It appears the fans at America West may have a little more hope in the home team than their counterparts in Salt Lake City did last night. The Delta Center, normally a madhouse, was placid as the Jazz went meekly in Game 3 to Portland. The Lakers know that without Kobe's heroics on Wednesday this series would be tied at one. But it's not, and now the heat is on the Suns to once again get the kind of production they got in Game 2 from Clifford Robinson (30 pts.) and Penny Hardaway (27 pts.), and more from sixth man of the year Rodney Rogers (3-of-11) and Luc Longley (2-of-11). This is the prototype series in fitting the description that Phoenix must play its best ball and the Lakers must not, for the Suns to have a chance. Robinson's outburst in Game 2 marked his playoff career high, and silenced for a night at least the critics of his postseason performance. Phil Jackson says the Lakers' goal tonight is crowd control. He admits that loud arenas represent the "disquieting kind of element that has ruffled us before." The way L.A. makes that happen: Shaq must make his free throws, or at least more than he did the other night (6-of-14) and the Lakers have to cut down on the turnovers in key situations which gave the Suns so many opportunities in Game 2. The Blazers have already made a conference finals appearance a foregone conclusion after taking a 3-0 lead over the Jazz. I'll be stunned if the Lakers don't follow suit tonight.
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