This is Ron Artest’s game-winning layup

Ahh, the joys of Ron Ron.  Artest had an awful game, took a bad 3-pointer late in the game to help leave the door open for the Suns, but his second basket of the night lifted the Lakers to within one win of the NBA Finals.

Jason Richardson got caught watching the ball in the air and stopped playing.  He said after the game that he thought the ball would hit the rim, but that’s no excuse for not putting a body on somebody.

Suns’ bench makes it rain, shuts down Lakers in Game 4

Dragic and the Suns' bench took over early in the fourth quarter to propel the Suns to an impressive victory in Game 4. (Getty Images)

Channing Frye’s first shot, an open look from 3-point range, clanked off the rim Tuesday night.  But when he finally splashed in a 3 a few minutes later, the Phoenix Suns were off and running–literally.

Frye ended his series-long shooting slump with four 3-pointers–all of which came in the midst of Suns’ runs–and the dynamic Phoenix bench outscored the Lakers’ bench 54-20.

More importantly, the bench absolutely smothered the Lakers in the fourth quarter.

Kobe Bryant was brilliant in the third but appeared to tire in the fourth.  He struggled to get good looks against Jared Dudley and didn’t attempt to get to the basket.

Despite doing almost nothing in the first and second quarters, Kobe finished with 38 points on 15-of-22 shooting, including a playoff career-high six 3-point buckets.

Pau Gasol was nowhere to be found throughout the game, including in the fourth.  He scored 15 points and grabbed just five rebounds, and once again got schooled by Amar’e Stoudemire.

Stoudemire led Phoenix with 21 points.

Surprisingly, the Suns’ zone defense continued to baffle the Lakers.  L.A. launched 28 3-pointers and shot just 13 free throws in what was a fairly physical game.  By the fourth quarter, a passive 2-3 zone became a crowd-inspired aggressive 2-3 zone with man-to-man principles.

Momentum is a powerful thing.

The Lakers need to regroup.  They clearly can’t shut down the Suns, who have scored at least 112 points in three of the four games.  L.A. must attack the zone and must get the ball inside to Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

As amazing as Kobe has been in the series, he has settled for jump shots and hasn’t been getting to the free throw line.  Kobe and the Lakers know they can get any shot they want, but are content to shoot open shots from the perimeter.

This series has been very entertaining and well-played.  The Suns clearly have a something in Goran Dragic, who prior to the 2009 playoffs was best known for getting obliterated by Derrick Rose.  Dragic had eight points and eight assists in 18 minutes in Game 4, including a wonderful spinning layup in the fourth quarter.

Game 5 is Thursday night on TNT.

Highlights of Lakers-Suns Game 4

In case you missed it; I hope you didn’t.

Highlights of the Suns Game 3 win over the Lakers

Finally, a fun playoff game to watch.  Both teams played with efficiency and effort throughout.  Here are the highlights:

The Lakers launched 32 3-pointers in Game 3, thanks primarily to the Suns’ zone defense.  That number will need to drop considerably in Game 4.

Amare stands tall and talented as Suns take Game 3

Amar'e dropped 42 on the Lakers in Game 3, but his defense and rebounding made the biggest difference. (Getty Images)

Amar’e Stoudemire has an amazing combination of size, strength, and athleticism.  There’s no reason he can’t dominate whenever he puts his mind to it.  In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, he finally put his mind to it.

Ultra-aggressive from the opening tip, Amar’e scored 42 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  He played harder defensively, even taking a charge in the third quarter.

Stoudemire’s performance showed that he is worth a max contract.  He endured a onslaught of well-deserved criticism in the days following a horrible performance in Game 2, but didn’t make any excuses or lose confidence in his ability.

The Suns’ best defense against Pau Gasol is to attack him on the defensive end in pick and rolls.  Amar’e and Robin Lopez destroyed the Lakers in Game 3–Lopez erupted for 20 points in just 29 minutes.

The attacking Suns shot 37-of-42 from the foul line in the game, while the Lakers attempted just 20 free throws.

Alvin Gentry’s strategic adjustment also helped the Suns take Game 3.

The Suns scrapped the double-teaming concept against Kobe and turned to a 2-3 zone.  Although zone defenses rarely work in the NBA, the Suns did just enough to bother the Lakers.  L.A. settled for long jumpers and 3-pointers against the zone, ignoring Pau Gasol for long stretches of the second half.

Kobe Bryant, who finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists, didn’t shoot his first free throw until the third quarter.  He did much of his damage from outside the lane and didn’t look to penetrate against the zone.

Phil Jackson and his staff appeared to be caught off guard by the zone defense.  Expect the Lakers to make adjustments, starting by pounding the ball inside.

Both teams played well throughout, making Game 3 a delightful watch in what has been a very disappointing playoffs thus far.  The Suns might not beat the Lakers, but they won’t stop fighting.

Here are some other notes from Game 3:

-Steve Nash was brilliant–offensively at least.  17 points, 15 assists, and one turnover.  He was responsible for leaving Derek Fisher open throughout the game: Fisher finished with 18 points.  That really shouldn’t happen.

-Jason Richardson had 27 points in Game 2.  Somehow, his 19 points in Game 3 seemed much more important.  He shot 4-of-7 from behind the arc and hit a number of big shots.

-Robin Lopez is an ugly, ugly, man.  He looked exhausted by the end of the game, but he did work throughout.  His offensive game is much improved and he won’t back down from Pau Gasol.

-Andrew Bynum is basically worthless at this point.  He played seven minutes in Game 3, scoring two points and committing four fouls.  The Lakers would be wise to shut him down for the remainder of the playoffs.

-TNT analyst Doug Collins spoke briefly about his new job as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, saying he was excited to go back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Game 4 is Tuesday evening.  Don’t bank on a Celtics-Lakers finals quite yet.

Defenseless: Adjustments the Suns need to make in Game 3

Amar'e has been at the center of the Suns' defensive shortcomings against the Lakers. (Cal Sports Media/Pic via everyjoe.com)

Throughout the broadcast of Game 2 between the Lakers and Suns Thursday night, TNT analysts Charles Barkley kept hammering home a simple point: the Suns are simply too small to beat the Lakers. Citing Steve Nash’s comments, Barkley astutely pointed out that the Suns probably aren’t going to get taller during the series.

We hear you, Chuck.

Even though the Suns aren’t going to get any bigger, it’s very obvious that they could (and should) do a few things differently in Game 3 Sunday.

The Suns need to play with more effort and more intelligence on the defensive end.

Pau Gasol is absolutely abusing Amar’e Stoudemire, who hasn’t gotten in a defensive stance during his entire NBA career. Gasol is a tough cover for anyone; he has incredible footwork and a wide-array of post moves. But he had at least six layups/dunks during Game 2 thanks to bad rotations by the Suns and horrible pick and roll defense by Amar’e.

At some point, it has to become a matter of pride. Amar’e believes in himself and his ability to dominate on the offensive end. The Suns need to make a better effort to get him the ball and see what he can do. Even if Amar’e doesn’t hit shots, he needs to at least make Gasol and Lamar Odom work on the defensive end.

If Amar’e isn’t aggressive offensively, he might as well be on the bench. He brings no value to the Suns.

A little more effort from Amar’e could limit Gasol to around 20 points. That would be enough to give the Suns a pretty decent chance, especially at home.

Aside from Stoudemire’s struggles, Alvin Gentry’s strategy to double-team Kobe in Game 2 clearly backfired. Kobe looked comfortable from the opening tip, finishing with 21 points and a playoff career-high 13 assists.

When the Suns doubled, they left the wrong people open. Ron Artest is capable of hitting standstill corner 3’s. Derek Fisher has made a career out of it.

The Lakers are simply too good to double team Kobe. Just play him straight up with Grant Hill or Jared Dudley, make him work, and hope that he slowly starts to lose his burst as the series drags on.

How long with series last? The prevailing sentiment after Game 2 is that the Suns have no chance. But the Suns aren’t going to stop scoring–the Lakers probably won’t get 120 again in Game 3. Role players tend to play better at home–meaning Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar are unlikely to replicate their strong numbers in the first two games.

How often does a road team score 107 and 112 points on the road and lose? Frankly, it shouldn’t happen.

Time to man up, Phoenix.

Flashback: Kobe drops 40, Lakers hang 128 on horrible Suns defense

Gasol and Odom dominated the paint in Game 1, and Kobe did the rest. (Pic via NBAE/Getty Images)

Game 1 of the Western Conference finals stirred memories of vintage Kobe Bryant and the historically soft Suns defense, as the Lakers cruised a 128-107 win.

Kobe looked energized, exploding to the basket and elevating on his jumpers.  He connected on 12-of-23 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 from downtown.

But the real difference in Game 1 was in the paint.

Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol combined for 40 points and 23 rebounds.  Odom was very aggressive all night and played with unusual physicality.

The much-improved Suns defense looked overwhelmed against the bigger Lakers.  Robin Lopez looked good in his first game since late March, but Amare Stoudemire got abused by Pau Gasol all night long.

Stoudemire finished with 23 points and just three rebounds.  Steve Nash finished with 13 points and 13 assists in limited minutes.

Kobe had to work against Grant Hill, but exploded for most of his 21 points after Hill went to the bench with his fifth foul in the third quarter.

Leading by 14 going into the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson left his starters in while Alvin Gentry rested Nash and Stoudemire.  The lead quickly ballooned to 20 and that was that.

The Kobe-Hill matchup should be interesting to watch as this series continues.  Jared Dudley is much too slow to stay with Kobe, and Jason Richardson is too small.  It’s Hill or nothing for the Suns.

Postgame audio and Shannon Brown missed dunk coming in a bit.

Odom’s aggressiveness helps Lakers lead at the half

Odom has made his presence known with a 15 point outburst to help the Lakers to a 62-55 lead at the break. (Pic via atthebox.wordpress.com)

Lamar Odom has provided glimpses of greatness throughout his inconsistent NBA career.  Odom came to play against the Suns Monday, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds off the bench.  The Lakers outscored the Suns by 12 with him on the court and lead by seven at halftime of Game 1.

Kobe came out aggressive and looks quick after his extended layoff.  He scored 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the first half while being defended mostly by Grant Hill.  The Suns are making Kobe work, so it will be interesting to see if he tires late in the game.

Amare Stoudemire leads the Suns with 15 points.  Steve Nash has been quiet, posting six and six in the first half.

Here are some additional observations:

-Jason Richardson hit two 3-pointers early but was quiet for most of the half.  Leandro Barbosa played very well in Richardson’s place, scoring five points in 10 minutes of action.  He could get more run in the second half if J-Rich doesn’t contribute early.

-Kobe looks great.  He is wearing a sleeve over his troublesome right knee.  Having missed a week of practice, it will be interesting to see if he holds up

-Channing Frye had no impact in the first half, at least not positive one.  The Lakers did a good job of running him off the 3-point line and took advantage of his skinny frame by going inside.

-Ron Artest is shooting the ball well.  He isn’t quick and looked uncomfortable in the post against Jason Richardson, but he is very active defensively.  Nine points, four rebounds and three assists is a pretty impressive line.

-Why are Ron Ron’s shorts so damn short?  He prefers shorter shorts than most NBA players, but his Game 1 look is pretty astounding.  He is a big dude–a big, scary, clinically insane dude.

-The Lakers are playing the Suns pick and roll very effectively, so much so that Phoenix went away from it late in the first half.  If Nash and Richardson hit some shots early in the second half, things should open up.

-Bench play has been fairly even so far, thanks primarily to Lamar Odom.  Goran Dragic can really ball; he isn’t afraid of the moment and has a huge advantage against Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown.

-Sasha Vujacic saw a few minutes and did nothing good, fouling Grant Hill on a 3-point attempt at the end of the first half.  Adam Morrison is not in uniform–sadly.

-Andrew Bynum had an impressive dunk early in the game but is clearly laboring.  Meanwhile, Robin Lopez scored eight points in the first half in his first game since late March.  His presence is huge for the Suns.

It should be a great second half.  We’ll have analysis, video, and sound after the game.

Stay tuned.

Suns still amazed by Nash’s one-eyed performance

Bright Side of the Sun posted this video Thursday showing Jared Dudley and Goran Dragic attempting to mimic Steve Nash’s feat of shooting with one eye completely closed. It looks tough.

Grant Hill said it best, “The Spurs kept forcing him to his strong eye.”

That was an amazing performance. It’s hard not to like Steve Nash.