L.A. Lakers: 7 Key Matchups to Watch in the Second Round

The Los Angeles Lakers are just one game away from meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.

The Thunder won the regular-season series with the Lakers, two games to one, but we all know that the regular season doesn't mean anything once the playoffs begin. The Lakers and the Thunder also have some added history between them ever since the elbow heard round the world from Metta World Peace to James Harden's head.

With all that being said, there are numerous matchups that the Lakers need to focus on if they want to have any hope of knocking off the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

Ahead, you'll find seven matchups for the Lakers to keep their eyes on in the second round as they face off against the dominant OKC Thunder. 

James Harden vs. Metta World Peace

This first matchup between James Harden and Metta World Peace, once World Peace returns from his seven-game suspension, revolves around the infamous elbow that sent Harden to the floor and World Peace to the locker room.

While both players won't necessarily match up directly with each other, there will still be some bad blood between them, and it will be interesting to see how both players handle it.

World Peace and Harden will certainly end up facing off a few times, whether it be on pick-and-roll switches or in the fast break, and when they are face-to-face, all eyes will be on that matchup, as it has the potential to really spice up this potential second-round series.  

Ramon Sessions vs. Russell Westbrook

The Lakes brought Ramon Sessions in at the trade deadline in hopes that he would solidify the point guard position on an underwhelming depth chart, and he's done just that by averaging around 12 points and 5.2 assists per game since benign traded.

The one area that the Lakers will need Sessions to really step his game up is when it comes to defending Russell Westbrook in the half-court offense. Just look at the statistical difference in Westbrook's production in his two games against Sessions:

Lakers Loss: 36 points, five assists, 48.1 FG%

Lakers Victory: 14 points, 10 assists, 13.6 FG%

The Lakers don't need Sessions to be a truly dominant offensive player. Instead, they need Sessions to focus on locking down Westbrook on the defensive side of the ball. If Sessions can defend Westbrook with physicality and tenacity, the Lakers have a solid chance of knocking off the Thunder in the second round.  

Who would've thought Sessions biggest strength in the playoffs would be his defensive prowess? 

Mike Brown vs. Scott Brooks

One of the most pivotal matchups to watch between the Thunder and the Lakers is the battle between head coaches Mike Brown and Scott Brooks. While it sounds cliche, this series will be won on the sideline by the coach who manages the flow and pace of the game the best.

In the regular-season series, Scott Brooks got the best of Mike Brown, as he managed his roster rotations more efficiently than Brown did.

While Brown has the disadvantage here, with less talent coming off the bench than Brooks, there's no doubt that he needs to manage the minutes of his starters and the rotation of his second unit better than he has in the past.

Brown and Brooks will find themselves in a chess match with one another, trying to figure out how to best utilize the talent that they have on their respective teams. Whichever coach can win that chess match will ultimately help his team win this epic second-round series. 

Andrew Bynum vs. Kendrick Perkins

If you want to know just how important Andrew Bynum is to the Lakers' postseason success just ask the Denver Nuggets. In four games against the Nuggets, Bynum's averaging 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game on 60 percent shooting from the field.

If the Lakers want to knock off the Thunder in the second round, they will have to do so by feeding Bynum the ball early and often, as he will need to rely on his size advantage to dominate Kendrick Perkins in the paint.

Bynum won't have to work too hard on the defensive side of the ball to make Perkins a non-factor offensively speaking. The main focus of Bynum's play needs to be solidified around getting the ball in the paint and dominating the boards on the defensive side of the ball.

Whichever player wins this matchup, will help his team move on to the Western Conference finals; there's no doubt about that. 

Kevin Durant vs. Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes

There couldn't be a "matchups to watch" list involving the Thunder without Kevin Durant on it, as he sets the Thunder's offense in motion.

In Durant's three regular-season matchups with the Lakers, he averaged 29.7 points per game on 44.3 percent shooting. If the Lakers want to make it past the Thunder in the second round, they'll have to do a better job guarding Durant, and that responsibility lies on the shoulders of Metta World Peace and Matt Barnes.

If the Lakers knock the Nuggets out in Game 5, World Peace will miss the first second-round matchup between these teams, which will put the pressure of stopping Durant on Barnes.

Once World Peace returns to the court, though, he will have the chance to redeem himself by putting Durant on lockdown. If World Peace fails to do that, the Lakers will not only lose this series, they might also say goodbye to World Peace this offseason, via the amnesty clause.

There's a lot riding on this matchup between World Peace/Barnes and Durant to say the least. 

Serge Ibaka Against Lakers in the Paint

This final matchup to watch, between Serge Ibaka and the painted area, is a key matchup because Ibaka is an absolute force on the defensive side of the ball. When Ibaka isn't swatting shots away at an impressive rate, he's altering opponents shots in the paint with his size, strength and athleticism.

Against the Lakers this season Ibaka's averaged 4.3 blocks per game, and while that's impressive, it doesn't fully show just how important his presence is in the paint. Ibaka's biggest strength is his ability to contest and alter shots anywhere near the paint, as that allows him to have a heightened impact on the game. 

If the Lakers are unable to get Ibaka in foul trouble early on, he will dominate the paint throughout the game, making it challenging for players like Ramon Sessions, Metta World Peace and even Kobe Bryant to get easy and uncontested shots in the paint. If the Lakers can't create high-percentage shots for themselves, they will be in for a long series.  

Kobe Bryant vs. James Harden

James Harden vs. Kobe Bryant will undoubtedly be one of the two most pivotal matchups to watch if the Thunder and Lakers face off against each other. Both players are the spark for their team's offense, and on the flip side, both players will be trying to stop each other on the defensive side of the ball.

Harden and Kobe always face off against each other on the defensive side of the ball, and to see who has the advantage in this matchup, just look each player's statistics in the regular-season series.

Kobe Bryant:  24.6 PPG, 30.6 FG%

James Harden:  13 PPG, 52.9 FG%

The point here is that Harden's defense on Kobe means a lot to the Thunder's success against the Lakers. If Harden can manage to hold Kobe to around 20 points per game on 30 percent shooting, the Lakers will have a hard time beating the Thunder in a seven-game series.  

We've all seen how dangerous Harden can be on offense too, as he took over Game 4 of the Thunder's series against the Mavericks, so Kobe's defense on him down the stretch will be pivotal as well.