LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets: Game 2 Predictions

As most of you who saw the game one of LA-Denver series would know, both teams saw things they didn't expect from their opposition.  There were numerous things that went right and wrong for both coaches.  Now, lets a closer look at what went right and wrong for both teams:

Denver Nuggets:

Pros: 

• Defense of K-Mart on Kobe. Now, there aren't many players that can contain Kobe alone.  I thought K-Mart did a great job on Kobe in the first half of the game and about midway thru the third quarter.  He was able to turn Kobe into a jumpshooter (34 % FG) when his jumper wasn't falling.
• Getting some easy fast break buckets.  Toward the end of first quarter, they got few uncontested layups when lakers failed to get back on defense.
• Bench Play.  Their bench shot 61% put together (71% if you take out Najera).  Their bench was the reason they stayed in the game throughout.  They kept them in the game early and late. 
• Denver had 13 more fast breaks points and 6 more offensive rebounds than the lakers.

Cons:

• Shooting:  this team is known to be a good scoring team but when your star players shoot under 45% on mostly jumpers, thats a recipe for disaster.  Also, Free throws shooting.  They shot 5 more free throws than the lakers and made 4 less than them.  Surprisingly, this was a contribution mostly from Iverson.
• Defense:  They let the lakers best two players shoot 65% from the field and let the bench shoot over 50%.  Not to mention let Kobe go off in the 4th quarter after doing such a marvelous job most of the game.
• Composure:  This is such an underrated part of the game.  You have to pick your battles on when to battle rafrees.  Down 15+ points, bickering with them after a whole full possession is not the best way to end the game.  Also, this gives the other team free free-throws (enough to let players like Kobe get their shots going).

Los Angeles Lakers

Pros:

• Inside Game:  Lakers were able to establish their inside game from the early part of the game and they dictated the whole game from the inside.  Pau couldn't played any better and same could be said of Lamar Odom. Their great passing (33 assists vs 20 for denver) started because of this.
• Outside Shooting:  Lakers shot 45% from downtown (54%, not counting Kobe's horrible shooting).  Lakers play their best when their outside shot is falling.  For some odd reason, usually when they are hot from outside, they also pass the ball around so much more fluidly as well.
• They played good defense on Denver's two best players, leading them to shoot in low 40's from the field. 

Cons:

• Dribble Penetration Defense:  When the Nuggets wanted to drive to the basket with their mind to it, they were able to do it very easily for layups.  JR and Kleiza did this to them repeatdly at one point in the game and Lakers had no answers for it.
• Offensive Rebounds:  Lakers got 6 less offensive rebounds than the Nuggets.  Combine this with some better free throw shooting from the Nuggets, this could be an issue in the future for the Lakers.
• Kobe's Horrible Shooting:  He was 35% from the field, going 9 of 26.  Pau and Lamar was able to carry this team today but if they want to get anywhere deep in the playoffs, this type of shooting from their best player will result in a loss more times than not.  Even when he got 18 points in fourth quarter, he was still only 3 of 9. 

Final Verdict:

Denver Nuggets:  I am sure George Karl will be beating this in their heads as well, they have to stay home on Laker's shooters.  They are going to have to pick their poison on whether to let their shooters be open or let Pau and Lamar operate one-on-one down low.  They cant give both to Lakers like they did in 1st game.  Lakers are not a great one-on-one team on the outside other than Kobe.  Beside him, no one can create their own shot if the are being played one-on-one.  Their best bet might be to stay home on the shooters and let Camby and Martin play one-on-one on Pau instead of coming from perimeter to double them.  Lakers are too good of a passing team to not make them pay for doubling inside.  Remember, Phil Jackson been practicing on how to find open players when inside is doubled since Shaq use to roam in LA.  On the offensive side, they have to, HAVE TO, drive to the basket.  They got about 3-4 players who can do that easily from the outside and yet only 2 of them did it and only for a little spurt.  Free throws issue will be solved, I wouldn't worry too much about that.  Remember, they only lost by 14, considering both of their best players shot horrible, got 13 less assist, one of their players got thrown out (although late), 4 Technical fouls, and bad free throw shooting.  Just to give an example, AI makes 4 out of those 6 free throws he missed, combined with little more composure meaing 4 less Techs, it would be a 6 point game.  So all isn't lost for the Denver.  Also, I have read it countless times from Denver Fans that JR and Kleiza should play more instead of Carter.  Actually that was the case already the Nuggets.  Carter played 18 minutes, compared to 23 for JR and 38 for Kleiza.  Now maybe starting JR instead of Carter to rejevunate Nuggets might be another option.

Los Angeles Lakers:  They have to play better defense on the dribble penetration from the Nuggets.  You can bet AI, Melo, JR, and Kleiza will be doing a lot more of it in the 2nd game.  Also, they got 6 less Off. Rebounds than the Nuggets.  Denver might not have been able to make them pay it in the first game but that will not always be the case.  Also, they wont be able to survive this series if Kobe keeps shooting like he did in the first game.  They also need to take more advantage of the mismatches that are being created by George Karl making Martin guard Kobe.  Radmanovic needs to go better job of using his height advantage against smaller opponents like Luke Walton was doing.  Kobe needs to take advantage of Carter's size, or lack thereof, on the offensive side of the game.

I still see this series going to about 6 games or so in the favor of the Lakers but one would be considered a fool to think that someone like AI will just his hand down and not have anything to say about it.