Tomorrow night will tilt the series and I think it's critical that Denver takes the game after a tough loss in game 1. Denver played a very good ball game, but game up short due to a few bone headed fouls by K-Mart and missed free throws throughout the game. Anthony was the best player on the floor (better than Kobe on this night), scoring at will which likely will continue throughout this series, but hopefully not so damn efficient. The Denver bigs got involved early on moves towards the basket, as both Anthony and Billips exposed seams in the Lakers defense, especially on pick and rolls, which the Lakers are extremely succeptable to. Overall, offensively the Nugs played a nice game, however they could have gotten a little more out of JR and Billups. Putting Kobe on Billups limited him a bit, but I feel Chauncy can still get his shot anytime. (As seen with those pretty well defended 3's in the fourth quarter)
Denver zoned up Kobe with strong side help, ignoring Ariza and Fisher on the weak side and they'll continue to have those shots throughout the series. If those two are hitting shots, the Lakers offense really begins to flow and the team becomes nearly unstoppable. LA's offense is less effecient than last year, mostly because of their lack of 3 point shooting. Fisher & Sasha are cold and they miss Radman's 40% from distance. They are more effective defensively, although not nearly as consistent as the 2008 Celtics, or the Rockets we saw in the last series. The lack of 3 point shooting makes it obvious why Denvers scheme of playing three quarters off Fisher and especially Ariza on post entry passes to Gasol worked so well. Fisher is cold and Ariza is not a knock down 3 point shooter, even if his percentage is great during the playoffs, he needs to be more or less wide open. This scheme threw the Lakers regular offensive sets out of whack and forced Kobe to run the offense. Pick and Roll basketball with Bryant is effective, but we are most effecient running the triangle. (Save screen/rolls for the 4th) This means the Lakers need to find ways to get Gasol and Bynum the ball. As you could probably tell, these Nuggets are not nearly as good defensively as the Rockets we saw in the last series, even if they are far better than the Iverson run team. The Lakers can get good shots every time down the floor, but they need to involve Gasol and Bynum on as many possessions as possible. I think Phil will make the necessary adjustments to get our big guys the ball in game 2, so look for a much better offensive game out of the Lakers. Kenyon Marin/Nene/Anderson probably outplayed Gasol/Bynum/Odom which I don't see continuing for the entire series. Game 2 will give us a better look.
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