LA Lakers-Utah Jazz: Game Six Preview

The Lakers used a solid team performance to win the pivotal game five. It was considered a must-win game for the Lakers.

Now the Lakers have to be experiencing a little bit of déjà vu as they travel to Utah, and have the opportunity to close the book on the Jazz' season.

Kobe Bryant, still dealing with back spasms, played a limited role in game five, yet he was still highly productive and Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol stepped to the forefront. Both teams have made several changes of strategy, and game five was another exciting game.

The Lakers recent adjustments have proved to be significant. The team’s speed advantage has been on display all series, but became a major factor when Mehmet Okur, the Jazz starting center, experienced an Achilles problem.

The Lakers adjustment to start cross-matching has been brilliant. Pau Gasol's size has taken Carlos Boozer out of his game.

Gasol is bigger, and the only way Boozer can score is if he is quicker than Gasol, can go around him, or shoot well on the perimeter. Boozer has had only one break-out game in this series.  

The speed and athleticism of Lamar Odom has become a problem for Mehmet Okur, who doesn’t have the foot speed to slow down Odom, and can’t break free from him to float out to the three-point line.

Deron Williams has carried the Jazz, and the more aggressive he is the better Utah has played. Derek Fisher has played a huge role for the Lakers offensively, and he has done a great job battling Williams defensively.

Fisher needs to continue to battle with him to slow him down while staying out of foul trouble.

The Jazz are also one of best rebounding teams in the league, and very tough to beat in Utah. Despite that, the Lakers had opportunities to win games three and four, but couldn’t capitalize.

The Jazz have played solid defense, and have done a good job rebounding the basketball, but have been committing too many fouls: Andrei Kirilenko has fouled out of four games this series.

The Lakers also need to concentrate and knock down the ensuing free throws; these are free points that could give them a needed advantage.

The Lakers can win game six and the series by controlling the pace and tempo of the game. They should continue to exploit their speed advantage, and need to play solid defense and limit their turnovers.

Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom need to play major roles again and continue to be aggressive on the offensive.

The Lakers' bench has been missing in action, and that needs to change. The bench has been huge for them all season, averaging over 30 points a game. The Lakers bench was outscored 18-13 in game five.

Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and Vladimir Radmanovic need to knock down the open looks that they’ll receive.

It will take a team effort, but If the Lakers can do the above mentioned things, the league MVP, Kobe Bryant, will be able to close the show and take over in the fourth quarter.

Have your popcorn and beverage of choice ready, lock in, and prepare yourself for an exciting game six. It will be on the air at 7:30 pm PST.