"I am saying it today and today only," reads the tweet from Shaquille O'Neal. "I want kobe bryant to get number four, spread da word."

Sorry this is late; I unexpectedly fell very ill and am only now sitting up again. However, it's not like there has been a severe shortage of things to read on the 2009 NBA Finals, is there?

One of the best articles I've read is this piece on RealGM.com. Among other things, Hoffman details how the Lakers should be able to defend Dwight Howard with single coverage, defend the Magic's screen and rolls with just two players, and keep the Magic honest on offense. I like that he dedicated that kind of time to defensive analysis, because I feel like this series will go to the team that is the most successful at stopping the other from doing what it wants to do.

Probably the worst article so far about the 2009 NBA Finals is Jason Whitlock 's article laughingly called "NBA Truths" claiming that if Rashard Lewis drives the lane, the Magic will sweep the Lakers. Whitelock also wrote that Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are better commentators than Doug Collins because Collins won't whine about officiating, that Phil Jackson wins just because he has had Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (really? people are still beating that old drum?), and that America won't watch teams with tatoos in the Finals.

As you all know, I don't like to make predictions, but I will predict that Jason Whitlock's "edgy and thought provoking style" will either cause a lot of Foxsports readers to go elsewhere for actual NBA truths, or else Whitlock will. May I recommend Brandon Hoffman?

--- A QUICK PERSPECTIVE ---

June 18, 2004 - In an afternoon meeting, Jerry Buss informed Phil Jackson that he would not be returning as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Calling Jackson "the greatest coach ever" Shaquille O'Neal demanded a trade, and 27 days later was in Miami, playing for then Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, a coach O'Neal would go on to call, "the Master of Panic." What could have been a dynasty in L.A. soon became a disaster. Without Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe's team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

Interestingly, just 4 days prior to Jackson's return to Hollywood, the Washington Post reported that the Cleveland Caveliers were trying to get Phil as well. I imagine LeBron James and Phil would have been successful at enticing young Carlos Boozer to hang around as well, but who knows what basketball history would have looked like had Jackson chosen differently.

What was Kobe's reaction to Phil's return? "When the Lakers began the search for a new head coach, I put my complete trust in Dr. Buss and (general manager) Mitch Kupchak to select the person they thought was best for the Lakers' organization," Bryant said. "In Phil Jackson, they chose a proven winner. That is something I support."

And another endorsement for Phil Jackson came as well, and from an unlikely source. "I want to congratulate Phil on returning to coach the Lakers," Shaquille O'Neal said in a statement released through the Heat. "He is one of the premier coaches. I wish him the very best."

Outside of Shaq and Kobe's comments though, it was hard to find anyone else who thought this was a good idea. Isn't Phil Jackson supposed to the be coach that steps into ready-made championship teams and puts them over the edge?

The late Red Aurbach once said of Phil Jackson, "He's never tried building a team and teaching the fundamentals. When he's gone in there, they've been ready-made for him. It's just a matter of putting his system in there."

Here was Phil's chance to prove the crotchety old Aurbach wrong, but Phil sure didn't give himself much of a chance to do it.

Phil Jackson signed a 3 year contract. Did Jackson really think he could, in just 3 years, take the 2005 - 2006 Lakers and build a championship team out of the likes of: Smush Parker, Kobe Bryant, Deavon George, Brian Cook and Kwame Brown?! I figured either Jackson really had it bad for Jeanie Buss, or he was a lot more confident of his abilities that I was.

If Phil Jackson thought he could get back to the NBA Finals in 3 years though, he was awfully coy about it. "I would be most amazed if at the end of the third year we had an opportunity to do that," he said.

The much maligned (in those days) Mitch Kupchak responded with, "He said the same thing the first time we hired him. I hope the same thing unfolds."

Major props to Mitch: at the end of that 3 year contract, the Lakers were once again playing in the NBA Finals.

The only thing more unlikely than that was the fact that they were playing none other than the Boston Celtics, whose ascendancy from 33 wins and 49 losses in 2005 could not have been predicted either. The difference though, ironically, was Red Aurbach's old team was ready-made with sure-fire future hall of famers, and Phil Jackson's team was grown through teaching young (and often flaky) players the fundamentals. In fact I recently read somewhere that last year's Lakers and this years Lakers both are the two teams with the most amount of players under 23 years old to ever make the Finals.

Before Phil Jackson, Pau Gasol had 4 years of playoff experience, and was swept out of the playoffs all 4 years. Trevor Ariza had traded locker rooms 7 times in 4 years before Phil Jackson. Shannon Brown is playing for his SEVENTH professional team since he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006, including 3 different D-League teams. Not even the Denver Nuggets gave  Coby Karl a chance to make it in the NBA, but Phil made a go at developing coach Karl's son. Other players blossomed only under Jackson, such as Roni Turiaff, and what has Smush Parker done since leaving Jackson's Lakers?

Yes, Red, Phil Jackson CAN build a team teaching them fundamentals along the way.

And as for the knot headed columnists like Whitlock who claim Jackson only won because he's had Jordan and Bryant, coaches Doug Collins and Del Harris seemed to find plenty of ways to lose with essentially the same rosters Jackson inherited... how 'bout swallowing some humble pie and giving the guy his due.

Criticize Jackson if you want for not calling enough time outs, but the evidence is this guy can STILL flat out coach.

And this year, while people are making a deal about Kobe getting a ring without Shaq, it may be more significant if Phil gets one without Tex Winter, his mentor and architect of the triangle offense.

--- THE 2009 NBA FINALS ---

Kobe Bryant is playing for his second "Redeem Team" in a row, and isn't about to allow himself to be known as the best player with a championship ring to never win an NBA Finals MVP award if there is anything he can do about it.

But what about his team?

"We're upset about losing in the finals," said Pau Gasol. "We should have given it a better shot than we did. It didn't happen, and now we're here again and we can give it a much better shot and really get it done."

How does the old saying go? "Actions speak louder than words."

Portland isn't the only team with the Lakers number. The Orlando Magic swept the Lakers in the regular season, 2 games to none, and have defeated the Lakers 3 out of their last 4 matchups.

Defense wins championships and Orlando has the best defensive rating in the NBA for the regular season (101.9).

Orlando is 35-7 when they lead their opponents in rebounding.

Orlando is 42-4 when they score more than 100 points, and the Lakers are getting plenty of criticism for their lack of consistency on defense.

And while the Lakers may have home court, Orlando is a good road team. In fact, only the Lakers have a better road record this year than the Orlando Magic, so both teams are able to win on the other's home floor.

But in the playoffs, coaching has a much greater role in a team's failure or success than the regular season. The analysis and adjustments from game to game are far more intense in a 7 game series than on a road trip in the regular season.

We were all Witnesses to how the Orlando Magic dispatched the Cav's one man show. That is probably the first place Jackson will tweak his Lakers. In their regular season matchups, Gasol got 11 shots per game against the Magic. Kobe got 28.5.

The next thing Phil will prepare his Lakers for is to be serious about rebounding. Not only was that a major factor in their defeat last Finals to the Celtics, but, as Lakers guard, Derek Fisher has said, "Our ability to rebound the basketball could really be the difference in this series."

In the regular season the Lakers outrebounded their opponents by +2.47 rebounds per game, the Magic outrebounded their opponents by +1.12 rebounds per game. And inthe playoffs, the Lakers lead the Magic in rebounds per game: 42.44 to 38.42.

A lot gets said about the number of fouls the Lakers have to expend on Dwight Howard, but more importantly, the Lakers have a lot of bigs to rebound the ball and led the NBA in rebounding during the regular season -- much of it without Andrew Bynum. The Lakers can be very capable on the boards and I suspect that the team with the most rebounds per game will also be the winner of each game.

Orlando likes to shoot 3s, and that means long rebounds to initiate the Lakers' fast break... leading to easy points for the Lakers and foul trouble for the Magic.

The team that controls the boards will likely control the series, and the Lakers have an edge when it comes to rebounding.

And although the Lakers defense is often suspect, they did just hold the highest scoring offense in the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets, under 100 points for 3 of the last 4 games. The deeper the Lakers go into the playoffs, the less defensive ADD they seem to have. 

If the Lakers control the boards, then they are likely hustling on defense as well, and I can't see the Lakers losing a game where they hold the potent Orlando office under 92 points.

Although Pau plays a lot of time at center, he is extremely mobile and usually beats opposing centers with his foot speed and foot work. And thanks to all that pick and roll defense in Spain and now in the playoffs, I've observed that Pau is a capable perimeter defender as well, and I don't think he'll mind chasing Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkaglu to the arc to prevent open 3s.

Orlando is best 3 point shooting team in the playoffs, but how successful will they be if the Lakers are effective at taking that from them?

Hedo can't out quick Ariza.

And I'm not sure I get all the praise lavished on Mickael Pietrus. He may be overrated. I don't think he affected LeBron James at all, and it's one thing to knock down wide open corner 3s, and another thing all together to get that same shot off quickly enough before Ariza or Shannon Brown flashes out there.

If the Lakers lose again in the Finals, it will simply be because of their inconsistent effort rebounding and defending.

As for the Lakers offense, the Lakers win when they move the ball, and were 2nd in the NBA in assists during the regular season. The Magic was 2nd to last in the NBA in assists. Moreover, the Magic had a much harder time with the Celtics' triple threats than with the Cavaliers single dominating player. If the Lakers struggle to score, keep an eye on their ball movement: it will likely be the culprit. Without it, shots get harder for the Lakers.

The Orlando Magic is built to challenge the Lakers where they are at their weakest, but the Lakers have significant advantages over the Magic if they play smart and hard and up to their potential.

Interestingly, both teams have a tendency to give up leads, so don't leave the game early.

And for those of us watching by television, I really am NOT looking forward to seeing Jeff Van Gundy call the game for his brother. That really should not have happened. -- Edit: After game 1, I take this back. Jeff Van Gundy was hilarious and offered insights about Stan that others could not have.

In conclusion (because I have to go to dinner, not because I don't have more to write), Derek Fisher recent said about coach Phil Jackson, "I definitely think he's as excited and as enthusiastic about a Finals as I've seen in a long time. It was old hat for him when he showed up and we won three."

Phil Jackson... excited? Enthusiastic? Than Fish has seen in a long time?! Anyone want to bet against THAT Phil Jackson?

This is the first article of a two part series; the NEXT article will be titled "Why Phil Jackson may win his 10th championship this year."

Until recently, Orlando's basketball resume read like this (in no particular order):

o Fired former Coach of the Year Doc Rivers, then watched Doc win an NBA Championship 4 years later as coach of the Boston Celtics

o Burned through 6 coaches in the last 5 years, including the hiring of Brian Hill who the Magic had fired once before

o Watched their 1992-1993 Rookie of the Year, Shaquille O'Neal walk away from Orlando, getting no players in return, then watched Shaq win 4 NBA championships (3 with the Lakers, their Finals opponent, and 1 with the OTHER Florida basketball team)

o Gave up Ben Wallace in 2000, then watched him go on to win an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons...

o ... and watched Ben Wallace go on to win 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards

o Further assisted the Pistons by trading for Darko Milicic

o Squandered 9 years of lottery picks, including drafting Johnny Taylor instead of Tony Parker. Haven't heard of Johnny Taylor? He was traded 4 times in his 3 year career, averaged 1 point per game, and "earned" $3,111,280 for it.

o Actually traded FOR Steve Francis

o Gave up Trevor Ariza to the Lakers for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans, neither of which still play for the Magic

Forget all that though, this year's Orlando Magic are one IMPRESSIVE team. They ...

o Eliminated the Defending Champion Boston Celtics, and last season's Finals MVP Paul Pierce, from the playoffs,

o Eliminated the team with the best regular season record from the playoffs: the Cleveland Cavaliers,

o Frustrated media darling and reigning MVP LeBron James into tarnishing his pristine image by storming off the court without proffering the post game niceties required of players with class as found in the unwritten rules of the sportsmanship code of conduct.

And if that isn't enough to impress the Los Angeles Lakers, perhaps they ought to pay attention to a quick history lesson.

Ever since the Dallas Mavericks made history in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs when they became the only first seed to lose a 7 game series to an eighth seed, Golden State Warriors, I have been more careful about watching regular season results for how teams might match up in the playoffs.

o In the 2008 NBA Finals, pundits picked the Lakers, even though they were 0 of 2 against the Celtics in the regular season.

o This season, Cleveland was blown out TWICE by the Orlando Magic, and barely won the third game.

o Likewise, the Blazers lost 2 out of 3 games to the Rockets in the regular season, and it would have been 3 losses were it not for a heroic, last-second shot by Brandon Roy.

o And Denver lost 3 of 4 regular season games to the Lakers.

Contrary to those who claim that the regular season doesn't matter when it comes to the playoffs, everything should be carefully looked at and at least considered, including the Magic's 2 victories in 2 meetings with the Lakers.

The Lakers only had 17 losses all season: 5 to teams that didn't even make the playoffs, and 2 to the Orlando Magic.

--- Opposites Attract ---

And now these rags to riches Magic are going to the NBA Finals for the second time in their franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to the NBA Finals for a league leading 30th time.

The contrast couldn't be more stark.

--- Coaches ---

The Lakers are led by 9 time NBA Championship Coach Phil Jackson. Nicknamed the "Zen Master," Phil is infamous for not calling timeouts when things are going wrong and letting his team work it out on its own, and has been accused of being too laid back.

On the other hand, the Magic is led by Stan Van Gundy, dubbed the "Master of Panic" by Shaquille O'Neal. Stan has been known to be so shrill that his players tune him out for their own sanity's sake.

--- Centers ---

It's Patrick Ewing's pupil verses Kareem's pupil. On the surface, it appears that the Lakers and Magic centers have a lot in common.

Dwight Howard went from high school to the NBA in 2004. Andrew Bynum went from high school to the NBA in 2005. But other than a tendency to get into foul trouble, that is about where the similarities between these two players ends.

Throughout playoffs people have been making excuses to justify Andrew Bynum's inadequate play. Yes, Bynum is young, has little playoff experience, is coming of an injury, etc. ... but the same could be said of Dwight Howard, but instead of making excuses, Howard makes goals.

At the beginning of this season, Dwight Howard publicly stated that he is going to try to earn the Defensive Player of the Year award, and he did it. Imagine how different a player and a person Andrew Bynum would be if he set goals for himself that required extraordinary effort like that.

Instead, Andrew Bynum has a questionable work ethic, is typically the last person back on defense and was caught on camera carrying playboy bunnies on his shoulders when he is supposed to be rehabbing his knee.

By contrast, Dwight Howard is constantly being caught on camera giving credit to God for the success we all see Howard work extremely hard to earn, night in and night out.

Dwight Howard's lack of calls by NBA refs has been a topic of discussion this last week. Bynum's pouting about calls every time he makes a mistake has been a topic of discussion as well.

If inspirational movies such as Hoosiers, Rudy, and Forever Strong are right, and character and hard work are key contributors to winning, then at the center position, the Lakers are in real trouble.

Pau Gasol, of course, will be the main compensation for the Lakers at the center position, but Josh Powell may see an increased role from the bench as well, particularly if he'll use his strength to keep Dwight Howard off the boards.

--- Set up a Perimeter ---

In addition to Howard on the inside, the Magic have a splendid collection of shooters on the perimeter. There is NO WAY Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher and company are going to out-shoot those guys, which means the Lakers' perimeter players are going to really have to play defense all series long... which is bad news for the Lakers.

Additionally, Fisher, Vujacic, Farmar and Shannon Brown are a little on the small side to bother 6' 10" Rashard Lewis and 6' 10" Hedo Turkoglu shooting on the perimeter, and 6' 7" Trevor Ariza can't cover them all. And for all his brilliance, Kobe Bryant has an unfortunate knack for fouling 3 point shooters.

The size and contributions of Lamar Odom and Luke Walton will probably become quite important to the Lakers in neutralizing the tall, sharp shooting Magic perimeter threat.

--- Master and Commander ---

Ultimately, the Orlando Magic is a team that has been designed to test the Lakers at their two greatest weaknesses: rebounding and defense. As each game progresses, watch those two areas specifically.

If the Lakers can focus for 48 minutes on these two hustle areas, Phil Jackson will have his 10th championship ring. If the Lakers play the way they often have these playoffs, the Zen Master will be vanquished by the Master of Panic.

In the pregame show called NBA Shoot Around on ESPN, just prior to tip off of game 2 between the Lakers and the Nuggets, Magic Johnson made the other guys on the set bust up in laughter when he looked at the camera and earnestly asked, "Andrew Bynum, are you going to wake up any time soon?"

That's a good question. Here is another one:

Everyone keeps talking about how many technical fouls Kobe Bryant has acquired over the course of the playoffs, but what I want to know is why isn't Phil Jackson fired up enough about his team's erratic playoff performance to get a few?

In fact, the only Lakers who appear to care enough about winning to actually do anything about it are Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown. Occasionally Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom wake up and contribute as well, but why the Lakers can't give a consistent effort on both ends of the floor for a full 48 minutes is harder to explain than Chris Anderson's CHOOSING to look like this:.

Why?

I don't have a lot of time today, but I did want to briefly blog a few points that have been tumbling round in my head since last night's game 2 matchup in Los Angeles between the Lakers and the Nuggets.

--- The Coaches ---

The sound bites ESPN gives us during the game are amazingly revelatory.

Remember back to those clips from videos documenting the Bulls championship years, and how passionate Phil Jackson was in time outs? "Don't run away from your offense!" he would implore his Bulls, "It's not time yet! Don't do it!"

Today, Phil Jackson's calm presentation to the Lakers during time outs sounds more like game observations made by an out of work coach sitting on the sidelines with a headphone set working as an in-game analyst. There is very little passion about Phil in his coaching style today, and it shows in the effort of his team. Phil is spot on with his analyisis, but seems to give his team nothing that is specifically calculated to motivate them to seriously make the adjustments he is describing.

Contrast that coaching style to the video clips of George Karl, "We've dug ourselves into a bit of a hole, but that's alright. We've done this before and won, but we sure won't if we keep playing this way...."

In a short clip, you can see George Karl assure his team, as Phil Jackson is trying to do I'm sure with his non-panic style, but Karl also manages to instruct and motivate in his huddles.

--- The Players ---

Have you noticed that, except for Kobe Bryant, the only time the Lakers seem worked up is when they are ticked off at the officials?

Does anyone else see that as really REALLY wrong?

If Michael Jordan's teams played this casually in the playoffs, he would have punched Steve Kerr twice by now, not to mention the entire rest of the team, the ball boys, the entire broadcast table and a good portion of the concessions staff.

Without question the Laker hurting his team the most is Andrew Bynum. Forgot his knee, Kobe Bryant was right about Bynum to begin with: this kid has no heart.

When he first came into the NBA, Andrew Bynum appeared content to be known as the youngest player in the League and did nothing to improve his game until Kobe called him out for his lack of work ethic. Then with Kobe demanding a trade and the spotlight squarely on Bynum, Drew suddenly got religion and worked on his game.

And Bynum's admirable efforts continued right until about the time he secured a $50 million contract from the Lakers. That, and a couple of knee injuries later, and Bynum shows more energy pouting about the officiating than he does rebounding.

And just look at the Lakers bench: even Adam Morrison stands and cheers for his team, but Bynum just sits there looking bored.

And if you think Bynum was bad last night, just look at how he has played on the road during the playoffs. The Lakers would be better off with Kwame Brown; for all his mistakes, at least Brown gave effort.

During the broadcast of game 2, ESPN analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were criticizing the Nuggets in the first half for their "jog backs." The Nuggets were just trotting back to the defensive side of the floor.

And while ESPN was showing a replay of Nene from the Nuggets casually trotting down the floor, illustrating it with shading and trapezoids, still Nene was well ahead of Andrew Bynum trotting back!

If you think Bynum gave a half-hearted effort last night in Los Angeles in front of the home fans, just wait for game 3. Bynum all but vanishes on the road. I haven't given up on Bynum yet, but I definitely think he better wake up before he earns a reputation that will stick the rest of his career.

Imagine what this series would be like if Gasol were playing power forward instead of center.

Check the box score: the Nuggets aren't even playing a center, they are playing two power forwards on the floor at the same time... and the Nuggets out rebounded the Lakers two by 2 rebounds.

Speaking of rebounds, it isn't that the Lakers are casual about defense, they are casual about hustling, including on defense, and it shows in the rebounding as well.

In game 2, the Lakers started off with decent defensive effort, holding the Nuggets to 23 points in the first quarter, then they gave up 31 points in the second quarter.

Likewise, in rebounding, the Lakers were +4 in rebounds at the end of the first quarter, but were -7 in rebounds during the second quarter, and again, the Lakers ended the game -2 in rebounds.

Keep in mind that the Lakers had TWO 7-footers in the game most of this time. Gasol grabbed 9 rebounds in the first half, Bynum grabbed 2 for the entire game.

Bynum is lazy, pouty, immature, and is killing his team.

The real cure for Bynum is maturity: the guy needs to grow up and get to work. Until that happens, the next best thing is probably to call him out. Again.He needs to give effort. The Lakers can live with mistakes, what they can't live with is what Bynum is doing to them now.

Two other Lakers killing their team are Sasha Vujacic and Derek Fisher. The pair combined to shoot 1 of 13, although they did play decent (though not outstanding) defense some of the time they were on the floor. I like these two guys, but with the way they are playing, clearly they don't deserve their minutes, -- especially not with Shannon Brown playing like he's been in the triangle offense for years and with Jordan Farmar playing like he is back from the dead.

--- The CURE ---

If Phil Jackson wants his team to wake up and give 48 minutes of effort, it is going to have to start at the top with Jackson first. Maybe Phil can talk to Chauncey Billups, a spokesperson for Tahitian Noni Juice, about getting some Noni Juice in the gatorade cooler so the Zen Master and his team can keep their energy going all game.

Next, Phil needs to take his A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder / apathetic defensive determination) team and break that long, 48 minute game into pieces that his players can focus on.

The Lakers need to set 3 goals:

(1) Hold their opponents to 22 points or less every quarter

(2) Out rebound their opponents every quarter

(3) "Win" each quarter by scoring more than their opponents

By setting goals for each quarter instead of the game, the Lakers should be able to give a more consistent effort all game.

Then I would start Shannon Brown or Jordan Farmar instead of Derek Fisher, and let Fisher come off the bench fresh after watching Billups play a younger player awhile. Maybe Fish will be better prepared for the match up.

--- Other game 2 observations ---

__ Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals looked surprisingly like Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The home teams took care of business early on, but then let up defensively, and on offense both home teams overdribbled rather than moving the defense with passes.

__ The competition is officially too good now for the Lakers to take time off during games. They have to play both ends of the floor, and all 48 minutes of each game from here on out if they are serious about becoming champions.

__ I liked the chess match between Phil and George regarding player minutes in the fourth quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant was still on the floor with no second half rest, as was Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Just as commentators Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were talking about how these stars would likely play the rest of the game, Phil Jackson pulled out Bryant. An uneasiness settled over the Staples Center, including the broadcasting crew, but then Carmelo and Chauncey were sent to the bench for a rest as well.

__ Forget face guarding, Carmelo is more effective on Kobe using his size, physicality, strength and quickness than Battier was in the last series. Kobe seems to be wearing down.

--- FINAL THOUGHT ---

The best team to never win an NBA title has to be the 2003 - 2004 Los Angeles Lakers. That team had at least 5 future hall of famers (Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Phil Jackson), yet it was humbled by the defense oriented Detroit Pistons.

There are a lot of similarities between that Lakers team, and Phil Jackson's current Lakers... and by the way, those Pistons were led by none other than Chauncey Billups.

That also happens to be the first time Phil Jackson went to the Finals without winning a championship.

The next time a Phil Jackson coached team saw the NBA Finals, the favored Lakers were again humbled by a defense oriented team: the hungry Boston Celtics.

Both of Phil Jackson's Finals defeats came at the hands of a defense oriented team, and came when he showed up with a team that wasn't serious about defense. 

What does THIS Lakers team look like to you? A team not always serious about defense? The Orlando Magic have the defensive player of the year, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have the best team defense in the NBA this year....

With the sole exception of a year when both Kobe and Shaq missed a significant amount of the regular season with injuries, whenever a Phil Jackson coached team has made it to the Finals, if that team played better defense in the regular season than its Finals opponent, Jackson's teams have won.

If Jackson is unsuccessful at getting this group of Lakers to be serious about defense and rebounding, history says they will not have their photos taken with the Larry O'Brian trophy in June. Whether it is the Nuggets now, or the Cavs or the Magic later, the Lakers will likely be gone.

Defense wins championships, even for Phil Jackson.

Anyway, this is actually just a rough draft and I'm out of time otherwise I'd refine it better. Cheers!

EDIT: Originally I posted the following as 4 different blogs so that I could post my thoughts as the game was happening... not knowing there is a spot somewhere here where I could do that. I'll have to go search for it. Anyway, at Bleed's suggestion, I've now put all 4 quarters into this one post.

So below are all four quarters of my in game, live blog.

--- FIRST QUARTER ---

Q1: (In game blog)

The Lakers looked dazed by the hostile Utah crowd to start the game. Lakers came up empty their first 6 possessions with either missed shots or turnovers.

The Jazz out rebounded the bigger Lakers 21 to 9 in the quarter. Boozer had 11 rebounds, Bynum 1. The Jazz are showing the Lakers what it looks like to play with heart with Olympians Derron Williams and Carlos Boozer leading the way.

For the Lakers, Bynum had 2 dumb early fouls. The first started when Bynum went over the back of AK47, then tangled with him and threw him to the floor. The 2nd foul, at 7:39, Bynum held his right arm straight up but lowered his left and smacked Collins on the chest... in other words that arm was pretty low, yet Bynum whined about the call claiming he was stationary with both arms up. By the way, Bynum wasn't stationary either; he hopped and spun 90 degrees counter clockwise as he committed the foul.

There are some that say the Lakers can't win a championship without Bynum. There are also some that say Bynum has yet to show up. Fine, Drew, you aren't 100 percent, but please stop crying and work your way back. Carlos Boozer missed 44 games with his knee injury and stunk for awhile too when he first returned, but stink or swim, he's played with heart.

The Lakers best play this quarter came with the score tied at 7 and 7:07 on the clock... excellent and unselfish ball movement and body movement leading to an Odom 3 and a Bryant assist. Why not do that more often guys?

It occurs to me that the reason THIS play stands out is the ball movement is pretty stagnate.

Interview with Rondo... he's fine, they just carried him off the court because the bottoms of his feet hurt.

The crowd chants, "Lakers suck," and they are right... so far at least.

Defense and hustle aren't switches you switch on when you need them, they are habits and the Lakers are getting schooled by the Jazz on how to play with heart.

Can the Jazz keep this up all game though?

Commercials... can't wait to see X-Men Orgins Wolverine.

Oops! Focus, Tom.

--- HALF TIME ---

First Half: (in game blog)

Kobe 1 for 10, 2 assists, 4 rebounds. Might be a good idea to set others up and give the jump shots a break.

Shannon Brown is 0 of 3, but has the highest efficiency rating of any Laker, so perhaps he's still contributing.

The smaller Jazz out rebounded the Lakers 40 to 25. Boozer 16 rebounds, Brewer 10.

Pau has 2 fouls. Lakers bigs aren't yet much of an advantage for the Lakers.

Ariza stinking shooting 0 of 3 and has 2 of the Lakers 5 turnovers.

Odom is 6 of 8, 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block and is playing like he knows he is needed.

Vujacic is only 1 of 4, but is hustling and has 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

Key stat:

The Lakers had 4 assists on 14 field goals. The Jazz had 13 assists on 17 field goals. It appears the Lakers were not moving the ball as well as the Jazz.

Reminds me of the comment I made in the first quarter: the Lakers are stagnate.

InsideTrax clip at 7:12:

Phil Jackson tells the Lakers to "use the ball to move the guys." In other words, pass and make holes in the Jazz defense.

Wow, I feel so smart now. :-)

As the half progressed, the Lakers looked like they finally get it: they are going to have to hustle to win this game. The Lakers allowed 26 points the first quarter, and just 17 the second. Excellent defensive adjustment.

Can the Lakers avoid their defensive A.D.D. all game though?

--- END OF THE 3RD QUARTER ---

Ah, defense. Basketball is so much better when you play both ends of the court. The Lakers' defense didn't let up from their 2nd quarter effort, turning over the Jazz.

The Lakers defense held the Jazz to 17 points for the second straight quarter and the Lakers now have a comfortable lead. Coincidence? No way.

The Lakers led by as much as 13 this quarter.

Can the Lakers keep it up the rest of the game though?

Carlos Boozer has 17 points, 20 rebounds, and you wouldn't believe it but most Utah fans hate the guy and want him out.

Kobe starts off hitting a 3 then a 2, then went cold again going 3 of 8 for the quarter. Taking 8 shots in a quarter when you are struggling is too many shots, but he did get 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Bynum never came to play. What a waste.

Bynum came out playing like he's finally picked up his wake up call, then picked up his 3rd foul and went to the bench. Yes, Millsap flopped and the Jazz enjoyed home cooking this call, but had Bynum not got 2 dumb fouls early, he'd be playing now. It's not the ref's fault he has 3 fouls, it's the ref's fault he has 1 foul and his own fault he got 2. Do you think he'll be mature enough to see it that way? Me neither.

Bynum was  a no show in this game, having contributed next to nothing. Camera shots of Bynum on the bench show him complaining.

Victim mentality. Victims, by definition do not feel in control of their own lives, thus they cannot summon the power to change the circumstances around them.

The Lakers have the lead, but again, can they keep up the defensive effort or is their lack of killer instinct and their part time commitment to defense going to bite them on the backside?

And when are they going to box out?

With 1:24 left in the 3rd, Craig Sager gave some interesting information on Ron Brewer, who guarded Michael Jordan in his day, and Ronnie Brewer, his son who is currently on the Jazz guarding Kobe Bryant. The elder Brewer stated he felt Jordan was the better player because Jordan was intense from tip off to the final buzzer, where Kobe, by his own admission, can coast for awhile during games.

--- GAME OVER ---

(This is part 4 of an in game blog)

When do you "know" something? When you become aware of it? Or when your behavior reflects it?

Supposedly the Lakers learned their lesson about the importance of defense and rebounds in the 2008 NBA Finals. At least that is what they kept telling everyone when the season started. Sorry guys, but you definitely do not walk the talk.

Maybe the Utah Jazz should bring their white jerseys with them when they go on the road, they are SO DIFFERENT at home than they are on the road.

Wiith 16.9 left Carlos Boozer started with what looked like it was going to be a back down of Gasol with power dribbles, suddenly he blew by the snoozing Gasol and dunked the ball with a primal scream.

You know the guy was tired, but that was heart and that was smart.

If the Lakers ever thought about not renewing Lamar Odom's contract next year, they ought to reconsider.

11.7 seconds left...

Score tied at 86.

One person touched the ball, dribbled into the heart of the Lakers "defense" and took the lead with 2.2 left in the game. As Derron Williams blew by 3 Lakers defenders, the crowd should have yelled, "Ole!"

Defense. Rebounds.

So, Lakers, you learned your lesson last year did you?

The Lakers gave up 28 points in the 4th quarter, the worst defensive quarter of the game. They couldn't defend for 48 minutes. We shouldn't be surprsied though, seeing as the Lakers didn't do it all season long either.

The Lakers were out rebounded by a shorter team that was missing their starting center... 50 to 66.

Kobe stunk shooting (5 of 24), but he contributed in other ways.

Bynum contributed nothing but tears this game and Coach Jackson, seeing what a worthless contributor he was, didn't even bother putting Bynum back in the game the whole 4th quarter.

Final thought:

Had Kobe Bryant made that last long 3 pointer and won this game, I doubt the Lakers would have learned their lesson about the consequences of not boarding and defending.

The Lakers may actually win by losing, because now they've finally felt the consequences of ignoring the importance of rebounds and defense. Up until now, the Lakers have been sheltered from the consequences of not rebounding and defending by their astounding offensive talent. Having dropped a game to the 8th seed, maybe now they realize defense really does win championships, and rebounding doesn't hurt your chances either.

The Lakers cannot keep playing their opponents instead of the game. The Lakers got up and got coasting, thinking they've got it made, and in so doing they gave up the most points ever in a quarter that game.

The Phoenix Suns rose then set, all the while playing in denial of the importance of defense, will the Lakers peak and fade with the same problem?

--- THE MORNING AFTER (An EDIT containing post game comments) ---

It's been asked why the Lakers went to that particular play as the last shot, with Kobe shooting the long when the Lakers only needed 2 and Kobe had a horrible shooting night.

I don't know, but here was the game situation:

(1) 2.2 seconds left. Basically whomever catches the inbound pass will also be the shooter.

(2) The Lakers had no time outs left (the Lakers used their last time out after William's made shot to advance the ball to half court), so whatever play the Lakers called, they had to make sure they could get it in bounds 'cause they couldn't call another time out... hence the pass to the top of the arc.

(3) It was HIGHLY unlikely that the Lakers would get a foul call in Utah in that situation, so the shooter shouldn't be in traffic where he'd shoot with contact. Plus, if anyone WOULD get a foul call in those circumstances, it would probably be the reigning NBA MVP, so Kobe on the last shot a good call for Phil.

(4) Kobe has pulled rabbits out of hats before to end games, just ask the Suns.

Now, that said...

(1) From where the ball was inbounded, it would have been possible to get off a mid range shot from the short corner or elbow.

(2) Gasol has a nice outside touch and was shooting better than Kobe. Think specifically about the jump shot he made over Boozer with 7:09 left in the 3rd quarter on this same side of the floor.

(3) The Jazz would not have expected this play to be called for Pau instead of Kobe, so Pau would have had the element of surprise.

(4) Pau is quite a bit taller than his defender and could have caught a high lobbed inbounds pass without too much trouble.

(5) Pau's height would have allowed him to shoot over Collins for an outside shot even if covered fairly well.

(6) Pau was the MAN for Spain, he can handle the pressure and the hero role.

I like the idea of using Pau as plan A for the tie, and Kobe as plan B if they can't get it in to Pau.

Maybe Phil wanted to give Kobe, who had not played well, a shot at redemption. Phil has given that as a reason before in years past for giving certain players the first option on game winning plays. He says it gives them their confidence back if it goes well, if not, well, they'd been having a bad game anyway.

Also...

I definitely do think it was a good thing that Kobe missed that final shot. When you are shield from the consequences of your behavior, it is harder for most of us to change.

When I was in high school, I had a best friend who was a kleptomaniac. He loved to steal, and he would do it all the time to show off. We'd walk out of a store and he'd pull something out from under his jacket and laugh at our amazement, 'cause he'd do it right under our noses without us knowing.

He got so cocky that he started taking dares, then he started taking orders... "Guys, is there anything you want me to get you today?"

Then one day he got caught taking a pack of gum in a grocery store.

The staff held him and called the police and they literally arrested him over a pack of gum.

He was so rattled when he thought of all he'd gotten away with and what if he'd have been caught those times.

They let him go without charges, but not without force feeding him a huge piece of humble pie.

My friend never stole again, and to this day he still looks back at that moment as something that turned him around.

Offensively, the Lakers are just so darn good that they've been able to shield themselves from the consequences of their defensive lapses. Not totally however, they should have had 70+ wins and home court in the Finals, but they feel they did well enough.

But the Lakers just dropped a game to an EIGHTH seed with an injured, former all star starter.

That SHOULD hurt.

That should cause them to resolve, "NEVER AGAIN. From here on out, we are taking care of business on both ends."

Last year's Celtics were on a mission to the championship, and it showed defensively.

This year's Lakers are on a stroll to the championship, and it showed defensively.

Perhaps this loss will snap the Lakers out of their denial.

I met Dikembe Mutumbo in person once, not an easy thing for a life long Alaskan to have happen. We had a brief conversation together at our hotel in 1994 when he was with the Denver Nuggets, just after the 8th seeded Nuggets upset the 1st seeded Seattle Sonics in the first round. NBA.com lists that series as one of the greatest moments in the history of the NBA Playoffs, although I'm sure many fans in the Pacific Northwest would beg to differ.

Now both Mutumbo and the Sonics appear to be gone from the NBA.

I would tell you what we talked about, but not only do not remember that much of it, but at the time I had a very hard time understanding him through is raspy voice and thick accent, and thought it was too impolite of me to keep asking him to repeat himself so I faked it the best I could.

Ironic, isn't it? That the NBA's greatest memory of Mutumbo might always be him crying for joy on the floor of the Kingdome, holding the ball above him, and his last play in the NBA resulted in him lying in pain on the floor of the NBA stadium closest to Seattle.

It is also ironic that Mutumbo, who at age 42 has played a remarkably injury free career in the NBA, suffered his career ending injury whilst tangled with the oft-injured rookie, Greg Odon.

It was unnerving to see the big guy wheeled off the floor like that; I always pictured Mutumbo going out wagging his finger.

Hopefully Mutumbo will be a hall of famer someday, with his list of impressive basketball accolades:

__ 8-time NBA All-Star (92, 95, 96, 97, 98, 00, 01, 02)
__ 4-time winner of the defensive player of the year (94-95, 95-96, 96-97, 00-01)
__ 2nd on the NBA's career blocks list with 3,289 blocks
__ 4-time leader in Rebounds (94-95, 96-97, 98-99, 99-00)
__ 5-time leader in Blocked Shots (93-98)
__ 2nd team All-NBA (01-02)
__ 3rd team All-NBA (97-98, 01-02)
__ 1st team NBA All-Rookie (91-92)
__ 1st team NBA All-Defensive (96-97, 97-98, 00-01)
__ 2nd team NBA All-Defensive (94-95, 98-99, 01-02)

Mutombo is known around the world for his humanitarian work, particularly through the Dikembe Mutumbo Foundation founded in 1997 to benefit the people of his homeland of Kinshasha in the Congo. In 2007, he opened the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center there, named after his mother.

There are been a lot of players who have come from tough circumstances who did well in the NBA. Many of them get caught up in living "the life." Many of them never become more than spoiled, rich, thugs and punks who only lift a finger to help others if there are cameras present.

We may never know the depth and breadth of the good Mutumbo has done off the court.

Truly, one of the games most noble statesman has fallen, and he will be missed, wagging finger and all.