WESTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
GAME 6
LAKERS LEAD SERIES 3-2
(3) LOS ANGELES LAKERS
vs
(6) DENVER NUGGETS
05/10/2012 – 12:30pm (PST)
ABC
STAPLES CENTER
While I’m agonizing with our effort on Tuesday night, I gotta say it’s hard to convince myself that we don’t need Metta for the entire series against OKC, assuming we advance. Every game he misses is a major disadvantage for us, our rotations are already quite delicate, things like this really tosses everything down the tubes. So I am creating this with the notion that the Lakers have purposely done this to have Metta back for OKC but can they really be such risk takers with their current squad and against a young offensive power house like Denver?! Maybe the Lakers are holding back so far so that when we face OKC, we’ll have something new to show but something inside called my gut tells me otherwise. In any case, let’s hope for a strong performance from everyone, we need to pick up whatever steam possible right now as future opponents like OKC and SAS are playing at higher levels than in the season, they both mean business and so far we haven’t shown signs of dominating the first round. I don’t give a **** that they almost won yesterday, those flashes of desperation will be stomped on very quickly by OKC and SAS.
Keys to Victory:
1- BRING YOUR BODY, NOT JUST YOUR MOUTH
McGee got almost all his points from put backs, alley oops and open drives. When Hill was in McGee wasn’t having it so easy however, with Bynum the issue was exploited. Bynum talked real big but played like a bitch, letting McGee look like a future all-star. Had McGee been guarded properly, the difference alone would’ve given us a victory as Denver REALLY REALLY thrived in the moments where he was scoring. This leads me to the second key.
2- CONTROL THE GLASS AND WATCH YOUR ASS
Bynum and Pau need to make sure they’re boxing out properly and keeping tabs on jumpers like Faried and McGee. Pure hustle resulted changing the entire lay out of the game altering the momentum, tempo, and even effectiveness of our team on both ends of the floor with exception to the last few moments of the game where suddenly we tried winning the game. Faried and McGee would come from behind or some blind spot and get the offensive rebound. Our big men must properly view their entire landscape to keep these two under control along with Mozgov who wasn’t as much of a threat on the glass.
3- BE THE BENCH NOT THE BITCH!
The Lakers’ bench has been repeatedly outplayed by the Nuggets and just about any bench they seem to come across. Game 6 is the time to find that road confidence and understand that they aren’t simply Kobe’s bitches along for his journey to title 6, instead they are active participants and they themselves dictate a very big portion of the team’s chances to get that title this year. They must realize they are the bench, the guys who allow the starters to rest but also the guys who have the power to be another army the Nuggets have to deal with. They may not be able to counter another issue, considering they’re already dealing with Kobe, Pau and Bynum despite any struggles.
4- IT’S MILLER TIME!
The Lakers have struggled on the road all year and didn’t shine so well in their two games in Denver so they must absorb the energy from the crowd. I remember Reggie Miller may not have been the greatest player but the more he got booed and hated the better he seemed to play, shooting daggers into many hearts in these instances. The Lakers must use the road crowd as they would their own at Staples. They will start loud and do all they can to pump their team to victory as is always the case with Denver fans. The Lakers must do the above keys in order quiet the crowd and prevent the Denver players from getting pumped up and possibly rejuvenating any loss of confidence and hope for a game 7.
5- YOU SHALL NOT PASS!
I somehow hope everyone not named Kobe will not pass up an open shot. It’s time to stop passing and take some shots or else why would the defense put any pressure on you? (everyone not named Kobe, yes even Bynum). Teams know our players get scared and they take full advantage but sagging off, killing any lanes to cut and rendering our inside out game useless as well as Mike Brown’s keep passing system which only works if it ends in someone taking an open shot as opposed to simply letting your jewels crawl back in your stomach and looking for Kobe to bail you out.
The game isn’t hard, however, when you factor in the mentality of our team such games are full of complexities, from generalized ones like: Will they play with heart and urgency? To more individual issues like: Will Bynum back up his talk?
Starting for the visiting Los Angeles Lakers…
And for the host Denver Nuggets…
Fultz, Ball or Bust
)
but what's GL HF??? 
