Denver vs. Lakers Playoffs - Then and Now

Any seven game series is a match up of adjustments. Each team needs to find weak spots to use to attack their opponent. And each team needs to fix problems in its own offensive game plan and defensive schemes. In last nights game the Nuggets were more patient when they had the ball and didn’t go with the quick jump shot. The Lakers were more patient with their offense and got their shots from areas that were not available to them in game one.

Denver played a zone much of the time and that limited the effectiveness of Pau Gasol. But Pau got enough done to hold down his job. The effective shooting of Kobe Bryant was the key factor that was crucial to the Lakers success. I’ve heard Charles Barkley describe Kobe as a “fast car” when you need to get somewhere in a hurry. He was all of that in this game. He shot 18 for 27 from the field, including 5 of 9 three pointers. Pau and Luke Walton provided offensive support scoring 18 points apiece. Denver was successful for awhile by crashing the offensive boards for second shots and out re-bounded the Lakers 45 to 41.

The Lakers passing is still a dominant factor in this match up and again they shared the ball for 33 assists (a great Lakers number!). The only disappointment for the Lakers was the ineffective play of Lamar Odom who scored only four points with four rebounds and six assists. But Lamar won’t be down for long. You can expect him to come back strong in the following game. The Lakers will have their work cut out for them in Denver and this series could be a long one, but I think Kobe will be the decisive factor. Today’s Nuggets run and gun also, but they will need to slow the Lakers with effective defense. Marcus Camby is an effective shot blocker but hasn’t been a dominant force in the paint on a regular basis. Pau Gasol is a real problem for the Nuggets to contend with if they want to focus their defense on stopping Kobe. Needless to say, I think this will be an interesting series.

I remember back in ’79 when the Lakers beat the Nuggets 2 to 1 against the team led by David Thompson. Anytime a professional team must play in Denver there must be an allowance made for the altitude which in Denver is over 5,000 feet. That has a major impact on the stamina of teams that train at sea level. It takes a week or so to acclimate to the additional altitude, which has a dramatic effect on an athlete’s heart and lungs. This is a serious home court advantage and it has led to some major misjudgments by anyone trying to assess the Nuggets chances. But, Denver has had some great athletes compete for them. Thompson, Fat Lever, Alex English, Calvin Natt and Dan Issell come to mind. And of course three point threat Michael Adams. In those days Denver played an up-tempo game to take advantage of their quick mobile shooters who would score score score. I remember a scoring title race one year when David Thompson and George Gervin vied for the scoring title to the last game of the regular season. David scored 60 something if I remember correctly to take the lead. George Gervin then scored 75 or so to clinch the title later the same day. I am looking forward to see which players emerge as this generations leaders.

(Photo credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)