Chapter 486: Lakers Trap, Star Players Break It
After the substitution, the Lakers' defense clearly improved, but they still could not withstand Phoenix's explosive offense.
Garnett pulled up for a mid range jumper and missed, and the Suns immediately turned the rebound into another transition chance.
In the open floor, Chen Yan went straight to his signature move and drilled a 3 from a step beyond the arc.
15 to 8.
In half court possessions, the Lakers could still bother Chen Yan's 3 point shooting with quick switches. In transition, though, they had no answer. Before their defense was even set, Chen Yan had already released the shot. No one could contest that.
The Lakers went back on offense, and this time Kobe did not stay on the perimeter as a safety valve. He stepped directly into the Triangle action.
Kobe handled at the top of the arc. Garnett came up, showed a screen, then cut hard to the lane. Kobe threaded a bounce pass through the gap.
Phoenix's defense was drawn toward Kobe for a split second. Garnett caught the ball and drove into the paint cleanly. Little Jordan immediately left Camby and rotated over aggressively.
Garnett went up through contact. A few years earlier, the Wolf King might have tried to dunk right over him. Now, his burst was not what it used to be, especially against a younger and more explosive Little Jordan. But Garnett's fundamentals were still elite. After the bump, he palmed the ball, leaned away, and finished with a hanging one handed touch shot.
The whistle blew at the same time.
And 1.
Garnett clenched his fist after landing, and Kobe and James Posey quickly came over from both sides to help him up.
He knocked down the free throw, cutting the score to 15 to 11.
Phoenix came back down, and the Lakers put Posey on Chen Yan while Kobe took Nash.
It was an obvious adjustment. Phoenix's early scoring had come almost entirely from Chen Yan and Nash, so the Lakers targeted both of them directly.
Phoenix responded just as directly.
With Kobe on Nash and Posey on Chen Yan, there was a natural mismatch elsewhere on the floor.
Nash waved his hand, and Azubuike, who had been parked in the corner, suddenly became the primary option.
He caught the ball and attacked Fisher in isolation.
Fisher's heart sank.
So anyone can come at me now?
Old Fish tugged at his shorts, lowered his stance, and locked in.
Azubuike kept it simple. He crossed once, then exploded. Fisher's weak point had always been lateral speed, while his strength was his physical frame. Smart scorers attacked the weakness.
Fisher barely stayed in front. Azubuike stopped sharply after the drive and rose from the elbow.
Fisher was half a beat late and could only watch the shot go up clean.
Clank.
The look was wide open, but it rimmed out.
Old Fish let out a quiet breath of relief. He had not forced the miss. Staples Center's rim did him the favor.
For Azubuike, it was the same story. The miss had nothing to do with Fisher's defense. He just rushed the release.
Camby secured the rebound, and Kobe brought the ball over half court.
Then the Lakers showed a new wrinkle.
Camby and Garnett both moved to the high post to screen for Kobe at the same time, pulling both bigs away from the paint and clearing the lane completely.
Kobe used the screen and drove hard. Phoenix's defense collapsed immediately because no one wanted to give him a free lane to the rim.
Kobe stopped suddenly a step outside the paint and fired a two handed pass to Fisher on the perimeter.
Chen Yan reacted instantly, slammed on the brakes, and sprinted back out to contest.
Swish.
Fisher stayed calm and buried the 3 despite the late pressure.
15 to 14.
That was Fisher's value. His outside shot was reliable, and the arc on his jumper made it difficult to bother once he got it off cleanly.
At the 6 minute and 11 second mark, Little Jordan picked up his second foul and had to sit. Little Beard checked in.
Little Jordan had been useful in the first quarter. He protected the defensive glass well and gave Phoenix solid rim protection. Once Barnes replaced him, Phoenix shifted into its purest run and gun style.
As the Suns increased the pace, the Lakers struggled to keep up on defense. At the same time, Los Angeles kept punishing Phoenix inside with their size advantage.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 32 to 29.
Both teams put up big numbers, and the Suns led by 3.
On the broadcast, Charles Barkley said, "Phoenix's backcourt is on fire. Chen Yan has 12 in the first quarter, Nash has 10, and that is the whole reason they are in front."
Kenny Smith added, "That is also the concern, though. Compared with the Lakers, Phoenix's scoring is more concentrated. If Nash or Chen Yan cools off, it gets much harder for them to protect the lead."
That concern made sense on paper, but Phoenix had another answer.
Their second unit was far more functional than the Lakers' second unit, especially in ball handling.
For Phoenix, White Chocolate Williams could handle, Barea could handle, and Grant Hill could also initiate. The Lakers' bench unit was much more awkward. In that group, Shannon Brown and Ariza were treated as primary handlers.
Neither was a strong organizer by nature, and years of playing next to Kobe's dominant on ball offense had created a bad habit. Their offensive roles were mostly cutting and spotting up in the corners.
Beyond the lack of ball handlers, the Lakers' second unit also had clear organization issues.
Luke Walton could organize a little, but he was still a forward and could not shoulder the full responsibilities of a point guard.
So the Lakers' bench had to rely on collective execution, but Phoenix refused to let them settle into that rhythm.
The Suns' second unit fully committed to a 7 second offense, attacking early and preferring isolation and quick shots instead of letting the Lakers get their zone principles set.
That approach worked immediately.
Phoenix's bench ripped off a 10 to 2 run in the second quarter and forced the Lakers to bring their starters back much earlier than planned.
That was exactly what D'Antoni wanted. If the Lakers' starters burned extra energy early, Phoenix's chances in the fourth quarter would rise.
Kobe checked back in and immediately hit 2 mid range jumpers.
Watching the bench unit struggle from the sideline had clearly irritated him, and he took it out on the Suns the moment he returned.
The momentum Phoenix's bench had built was instantly crushed by Kobe alone.
That was superstar gravity.
About a minute and a half later, Phoenix also brought its starters back. The Lakers were attacking too well under Kobe's lead, and if D'Antoni waited any longer, the lead might disappear.
Nash answered right away with a pull up mid range jumper.
The Lakers remained committed to switching against him all night. Their goal was to keep Nash tied to the screener action and prevent him from connecting the weak side and orchestrating the full floor.
But that strategy also gave Nash repeated chances to hunt mismatches.
Every time he got a bigger defender on him, he attacked decisively.
By halftime, Nash already had 19 points, second only to Chen Yan's 21, and even more than Kobe.
His scoring rhythm carried deep into the second half.
Chen Yan remained the same steady force, and Phoenix's backcourt duo kept the Lakers under pressure with pure shot creation.
By the end of the third quarter, the Suns led 91 to 80.
The fourth quarter opened with the Lakers in possession.
Fisher crossed half court and fed Garnett.
Seeing no double team, Garnett went straight into a post up isolation.
Diaw lowered his stance and held his ground, taking away Garnett's path to the basket and forcing him to turn away from the rim. It was excellent positional defense.
Garnett had no choice but to spin outward and settle for a fading jumper.
Clank.
As soon as it missed, Camby flew in for the offensive rebound. His rebounding instincts and veteran timing were clearly better than Little Jordan's at this stage.
Camby grabbed it and went right back up over Little Jordan, but missed.
Garnett followed and softly tipped it in.
This time it dropped.
91 to 82.
That possession showed the Lakers' interior advantage perfectly.
Phoenix came back down. Nash called for a screen as soon as he crossed half court, and after the switch he got Camby on him.
Nash had scored efficiently against bigger defenders through the first 3 quarters, but this layup was way off.
The heavy shot volume from earlier had drained him.
Over the next 2 and a half minutes, Nash missed all 3 of his attempts, and the Lakers cut the deficit to 5.
D'Antoni called timeout.
Charles Barkley said, "Nash is losing a little juice now. Phoenix needs him and Chen Yan to score, and when Nash's efficiency dips, all that pressure shifts onto Chen."
Kenny Smith nodded. "For Nash and this Phoenix model, the ideal game is not Nash taking 20 plus shots and carrying the scoring. The ideal game is around 10 shots and 15 plus assists. The Lakers have pulled him into more isolation scoring than Phoenix really wants."
Charles added, "That is the trap. They kept switching, baited him into attacking one on one, burned his legs, and cut off the weak side playmaking. Now you can see the effect."
Out of the timeout, Phoenix deliberately shifted the offense to Chen Yan.
Phil Jackson had already anticipated it.
The Lakers were ready with a hard trap.
Chen Yan started a pick and roll from the top. Camby instantly left Little Jordan and joined Posey to form a double team.
Chen Yan dribbled backward 1 step, then moved right. The two defenders did not reach recklessly. They worked together and steered him toward the sideline, shrinking his space.
Then Fisher came up from the baseline side on the next beat.
Triple team.
The entire scheme was built on 2 realities, Chen Yan's extreme shot creation this season, and Nash's declining touch late in the game.
Chen Yan made the correct read immediately.
No hesitation.
He rose into a pull up with a slight fade, releasing the ball like a sniper firing through a narrow window.
In that kind of pressure, any hesitation could have turned into a dead dribble and a turnover.
All 3 defenders jumped, but none got enough of the shot.
Chen Yan's release point was too high, and the ball came out on a flat, driven arc with very little spin.
Straight through.
98 to 90.
That 3 was like a high pressure hose blasting out the Lakers' comeback momentum.
Chen Yan proved it again in a game like this.
When elite teams trade punches late, the most valuable skill is still the same, a star who can create a clean shot by himself.
.....
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