2012 NBA Playoffs: 5 Adjustments L.A. Lakers Must Make Against OKC Thunder

After Monday's 119-90 thrashing at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers must improve in many facets of the game if they want to have a fighting chance in this series.

With the Thunder shooting lights-out in three quarters of Game 1, there wasn't much the Lakers could do to slow down Oklahoma City's offensive attack.

But in a seven-game series, it's all about the adjustments.

Like Kobe Bryant said in his post-game presser, the Lakers need to "think the game through" and make the necessary changes heading into Game 2.

Here are five for the Mamba and company to ponder.

Get Ahead of OKC's Pick-and-Roll

The Oklahoma City Thunder, particularly Russell Westbrook, absolutely ate up the Lakers on the pick-and-roll Monday night.

Normally, the Lakers have defended the pick-and-roll by bringing the big men around the screen to slow down the ballhandler off the pick.

With Westbrook's speed and quickness, this strategy is a recipe for disaster.

Instead, Westbrook's defender should anticipate the screen, step out in front to force the action back the other way and into the Lakers' defensive help.

Defending the pick-and-roll is a team effort, and needs to be for the Lakers moving forward if they want to stop getting burned by quick pull-ups off the screen. 

Pick-and-Roll with Bryant and Sessions

Pick-and-roll, you say? Well two can play at that game.

Fight fire with fire and run the pick-and-roll at the top of the key with the Lakers' backcourt.

Ramon Sessions certainly has the speed to get to the paint off the screen, and Kobe Bryant is all too good at scoring off a pull-up jumper.

Running simple screens for Sessions and Bryant will a) force the Thunder into their own defensive rotations, b) prevent Sessions from over-dribbling and disrupting floor spacing and c) give Kobe Bryant more looks in single coverage.

If it works so well for the Thunder, why not pull a page from their playbook?

Run Soft Zone from the Weak Side

Lakers head coach Mike Brown experimented with a 3-2 zone defense in Game 1 for all of 30 seconds. And to nobody's surprise, the Thunder got a bucket.

Rather than a full zone defense, Mike Brown should run a soft zone with the weak-side defender sagging off into the middle.

This brings more bodies into the paint to contest shots at the rim and forces the ball away from the opposing team's playmakers.

The Thunder's primary scorers—Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden—can get to the rim on most trips down the floor with ease. They are simply that good.

But with a soft zone from the weak side, you can force a kick-out to either Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins or Thabo Sefolosha. Take your chances with baseline jumpers from Oklahoma City's role players and hopefully force a few more turnovers with quick defensive rotations.

High Post/Low Post with Gasol and Bynum

The Lakers came out running Pau Gasol from the high post and Andrew Bynum on the strong-side low post with decent success during the early minutes of play in Game 1.

The two-man game was quickly abandoned once the Thunder took off, and the Lakers went back to feeding Andrew Bynum in the low post and having Gasol set screens on the perimeter.

As evidenced by the team's struggles down the stretch, L.A. should let Pau be the playmaker with Drew on the block as his No. 2 option.

With the Spaniard directing traffic at the top of the key, you will be sure to see the signature Gasol-to-Bynum throwdowns that became a mainstay of the Lakers' offense in the second half of the year.

This sort of two-man game was most likely what the big man duo was discussing at length from the bench long after the game ended on Monday night.

Get to the Rim During Thunder Runs

When the Thunder go on runs, they go on big runs.

Simply put, the easiest way to stop a run is to stop the game.

As soon as the Thunder start building momentum, the Lakers need to immediately attack the basket and get to the free throw line. It doesn't matter who attacks the rim—it just needs to be with aggression.

The Lakers shot 15 free-throw attempts compared to Oklahoma City's 29 in Game 1.

The aggressiveness and energy weren't there for the Lakers on Monday after coming off a gutsy Game 7 win versus the Denver Nuggets less than 48 hours prior.

On Wednesday, with more time to rest and prep, this free-throw disparity—and overall energy—need to be in the Lakers' favor if they want to win Game 2.