The Lakers Battle the Nuggets in the Series Finale at the Staples Center by Jeff Little

Western Conference 1^st Round – Game 7

It’s May 12, 2012 and the (3) Los Angeles Lakers find themselves with one last chance to end their series with the (6) Denver Nuggets. The hope in L.A. is that the Lakers have learned their lesson from failing to beat the Nuggets at home, with a three games to one advantage and momentum on their side.

The Lakers’ failure to make adjustments and close the game gave the Nuggets a new lease on life and turned what should have been a task completed into a seven-game series. The purple and gold got behind early for the second consecutive game and came back to get the game within reach at halftime, only to allow the Nuggets to extend their lead and push said lead back into double-digits en route to an embarrassing 113-96 loss.

After getting literally run off the floor, it is imperative that the Lakers rely on aggressiveness, energy and owning every possession if they are going to end this series.   They are facing a 48-minute season and need to play accordingly.

Los Angeles has to play hard and prove that they want it more than Denver. Metta World Peace’s defense will make a huge difference for L.A. His presence will prevent the Nuggets from posting up teammates Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake as an example.

The Lakers need to make the following adjustments: 1) Laker guards have to stop getting into mismatches on the pick and roll play where a smaller player is defending a larger player; 2) Laker guards have to fight over the screen; 3) Laker perimeter defenders have to keep the Nuggets from attacking the painted area; and 4) Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol must be physical, aggressive and attack the glass and the basket.

In order for L.A.’s season to continue, the purple and gold have to play hard, play with energy and finally get off to a fast start. They have to play with a sense of urgency, execute on offense and play with passion on every possession. Los Angeles must use solid ball movement, good player movement, get into a flow offensively, use proper spacing and knock down shots . Solid ball movement and proper spacing are big for this team and they need ball reversals to move the ball from the strong side to the weak side to find a high percentage shots.

The Lakers have to control the tempo, do a solid job of defending the pick-and-roll play, stop the penetration of the guards, get back in transition and quickly rotate out to open shooters. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have to be a huge factor in this game on both sides of the court and both have to do a better job of protecting the paint.

Starters
Lakers: R. Sessions, K. Bryant, M. Peace, P.Gasol, A. Bynum
Nuggets: T. Lawson, A. Afflalo, D. Gallinari, K. Faried, K. Koufos 

Tip-off: 7:30 pm pst

Television –

• Los Angeles: FS West (Bill Macdonald & Stu Lantz) & TNT
• Denver: Altitude Sports & Entertainment (Chris Marlowe & Scott Hastings ) & TNT

Radio –

• Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (John Ireland & Mychal Thompson)
• Denver: KKFN AM 950 (Jerry Schemel & Mark Bertagnolli)

Injuries –

Lakers:

• Matt Barnes (Sprained Right Ankle) Day-to-Day
• Devin Ebanks (Middle & Ring Finger Contusions, Left Hand) Probable

Nuggets:

• Al Harrington (Knee) Day-to-Day