NBA Playoffs: Lakers vs. Jazz Preview

He had only two turnovers in the first round. He is a dangerous shooter out of the triangle offense and in transition.

Fisher was 6-for-12 from three-point range in Round 1. He’s very strong inside and knows all the nuances of the Jazz’ offense.

Fisher has also shot horribly against his former team this year. This is a key matchup in this series, because the Lakers also play both Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic who are both productive off the bench.

Advantage: Lakers

SG Kobe Bryant 6’ 6” 220 lbs.    11^thYear, Avg. 28.3 Pts, 5.4 Ast, 6.3 Reb, 2 Stl.

SG Ronnie Brewer 6’ 7” 223 lbs. 3^rdYear, Avg. 12 Pts, 2 Ast, 2.9 Reb, 1.7 Stl.

Ronnie Brewer is a slasher and mid-range shooter; his three-pointer did help ice the series against the Rockets. He played a solid series and took good shots while conserving energy to defend Tracy McGrady.

Now he gets Kobe Bryant who is a whole different animal and a much more difficult task. He's athletic and physical, with long arms he’ll have to be ready to defend Kobe in the post, on the perimeter, and most importantly in transition and attempt to stay out of foul trouble.

He has averaged 15 points against the Lakers this season and has the size and talent to be formidable.

Kobe Bryant, who was already playing at an MVP level, took his game to another level against the Nuggets. He averaged 33.5 points, 6.3 Assists, 5.5 Rebounds and recorded one steal and one block in every game of the first round series.

His 14-point explosion at the end of the fourth quarter in Game Four, which was the only competitive game of the series, could’ve overshadowed his performance in the previous three games combined.

He imposes his will on his opponents in all aspects of the game and has done it all season playing the part as the “best” closer in the league in his MVP season. He has also torched the Jazz, averaging 29.8 points on 56 percent shooting.

Advantage: Lakers

SF Vladimir Radmanovic 6’ 10” 235 lbs. 6^th Year, Avg. 8.4 Pts, 1.9 Ast, 3.3 Reb.

SF Andrei Kirilenko 6’ 9” 223 lbs. 6^th Year, Avg. 11 Pts, 4 Ast, 4.7 Reb, 1.2 Stl, 1.5 Blk

Kirilenko started the Rocket series on fire, scoring 21 points in the first game and then fizzled out. He still found a way to make his presence felt in the series by filling out the stat sheet with rebounds, steals, assists and blocked shots although he wasn’t the most effective player on the team.

He did score 14.5 points in the four games against the Lakers. His shooting will be key to the Jazz success on offense he has to find a way to be a factor. Radmanovic has been inconsistent so far in the playoffs and he has also been outplayed by teammate Luke Walton, who averaged 15 points per game.

Radmanovic will make plays in the offense and on defense. He is a talented shooter that will force  Kirilenko to stay near him and from being a help defender where he blocks a lot of his shots.

Advantage: Lakers

PF Lamar Odom 6’ 11” 230 lbs. 8^th Year, Avg. 14.2 Pts, 3.5 Ast, 10.6 Reb, 1 block

PF Carlos Boozer 6’ 9” 266 lbs.  5^th

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