We are back from Los Angeles without a win.  I am really surprised at what transpired at the Staples Center.  I always knew the Lakers were good.  I knew that Kobe had pushed his game to entirely different level, but I thought the Jazz would be able to match it.

No Control

What has been most shocking is that, in my opinion, the Lakers have controlled all 96 minutes of this series. Throughout the year, the Jazz took control of games and dictated how they were played.  Thus far in the series, the Jazz have not done that.

Even when the Jazz have played well, it felt that they were at the Lakers whim.  On a few occasions the Jazz have been within two possessions, but every time the Lakers got the stop they needed on defense and converted on the other end of the floor.

Pace of Play

The Lakers made a concerted effort to increase the tempo of Game 2.  They pushed the ball, they established early post ups for both Kobe and Odom, and prevented the Jazz from getting in a defensive position.

Both the first and the third quarters had 26 possessions.  That is an incredibly high pace.  The average NBA game has a little more than 90 possessions.  The fastest team in the NBA this year was Denver at 98 possessions.  The first and third quarters were surpassed that pace.

In contrast of Game 2, Game 1 and 3 of the Rockets series had just 82 possessions.  By pushing the tempo the Lakers stifled the physical play of the Jazz.

We will be discussing other elements of the Jazz-Lakers today on 1320 K-Fan’s Locked on Sports.

Stay strong.