The LA Lakers began their playoff series against the Utah Jazz by beating down a Utah Jazz team that was supposed to give them a physical beating. Not only did the Lakers ( Get your discount LA Lakers jersey here) nearly run them out of the Staples Center but they did so with their "B" game. The Lakers are clearly a different team with Andrew Bynum in the middle but the story yesterday was the play of recently acquired point guard Shannon Brown.
The Lakers have flipped the proverbial switch and are now playing NBA champion quality basketball and the difference this year is that they have a center to clog the middle in Andrew Bynum and they also have a point guard that can guard the quicker point guards in the league in Shannon Brown.
Let's face it Shannon Brown was basically an afterthought in the trade for Radmanovic the prize in that trade clearly be being the third pick of the 2006 draft Adam Morrison who has barely been seen in a LA Lakers jersey.
But Shannon Brown has emerged as the second point guard in the LA Lakers depth chart and he is clearly a better defender than the guy he replaced Jordan, Farmar, and he can also hit the occasional three.
The point guard spot has been a sore spot for the LA Lakers the past few years Derek Fisher being an upgrade recently but only because he plays tough and gritty defense as he can clearly no longer keep up with the quicker point guards in the league. Shannon Brown fills that hole and it was the only hole left on this LA Lakers team.
And another player practically making his debut for the LA Lakers yesterday in the playoffs proved instrumental and obviously I'm talking about Trevor Ariza. Ariza is a beast defensively, he can shoot from long distance and he's really long so he fills the passing lanes on defense. That and he makes Kobe play better defense which is scary if you think about it...
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol dropping buckets on you and Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown and Andrew Bynum just molesting you defensively.
If somebody out there can find a hole on this LA Lakers team please point it out to me because I don't see it.
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