7 Ways to Remedy the L.A. Lakers' Playoff Woes

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has made no bones about it all season long: He wants to win that sixth ring.

But if the first eight games of the 2012 NBA Playoffs are any indication, that won't be happening this season.

The Lakers have only gone 4-4 thus far in the playoffs and have really struggled against two athletic teams in the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

That leaves head coach Mike Brown with a ton of necessary adjustments to make, if he's capable of even making them. Here's a look at a few ways Brown can try and remedy the Lakers playoff woes as they head into an important Game 2, Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

Play More Zone

Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook killed the Lakers with his athleticism, and there's nothing to say he won't continue to do so.

The Lakers have no one to guard him, so they have to get desperate and switch to playing a zone more often.

Ramon Sessions can't stay with Westbrook, neither can Bryant or Steve Blake.

The Lakers may get beat by playing zone as well, but what they can do is force Westbrook to be a point guard that relies on decision making, which always hasn't been his strongest suit.

There's also the chance that the Lakers can force Westbrook into being a jump shooter, and he's been known to shoot the Thunder right out of games. He already did it once against the Lakers, a 3-for-22 effort in April.

Sure, the Thunder have the ability to shoot the Lakers right out of the zone, but if they continue to play Westbrook straight up, he will continue to make the Lakers pay for it.

Learn to Guard the Pick-and-Roll Correctly

The Thunder are having a field day running the pick-and-roll, and Los Angeles must make the proper adjustments.

They must pressure Westbrook higher up on the floor.

If they don't, he will be able to turn the corner easily and have a field day off uncontested mid-range jumpers. The same goes for Kevin Durant and James Harden, who both got easy looks at the basket off pick-and-roll sets in Game 1.

Getting in Westbrook's kitchen and pressuring him higher up on the floor is the only way to prevent that from happening the rest of the series.

Run, Run, Run

The Lakers must find a way to push the tempo and get some points in transition.

Oklahoma City was the league's fifth-best defense in the half court this season, but only 15th in transition.

Los Angeles was outscored 20-0 in Game 1 in transition points, and while they don't want to turn the game into a track meet against the high-powered Thunder offense, they have to do some running of their own.

Otherwise, by sticking to the half-court game, the Lakers are playing into Oklahoma City's strength at that end of the floor.

Find a Way to Get Something out of Ramon Sessions

Sessions generated a paltry .25 points per play in Game 1, which effectively helped drag down the Lakers' offensive attack.

If he's not effective, it forces Pau Gasol to come higher up the floor to help facilitate, taking away one of the advantages that Los Angeles has on the block.

Gasol had no more than one or two post opportunities during Game 1 and that has to change. Some of that is on Gasol not being aggressive enough demanding the ball, but that's easier to do when the Lakers run their offense effectively.

Sessions scored only two points on only 1-of-7 shooting and dished out only three assists, not to mention he was abused by Westbrook at the defensive end. He has to find a way to be better.

Better Looks for Kobe

Everyone knows that Bryant can get hot and carry the team as easy as he can shoot the Lakers out of a game. But in order for him to get hot, he has to find a way to get better shot attempts.

Kobe shot only 30.7 percent against the Thunder in the regular season, was 7-for-18 Monday, getting very few clean looks in the process.

The Lakers don't want Bryant forcing things or it could get ugly, but they need to get him going. That also goes back to Sessions, who must get the Lakers' offense running in rhythm.

Value the Basketball

Game 1 saw the Lakers turn the ball over 15 times, also having eight shot attempts blocked, which turned into 14 Oklahoma City points.

Allowing Oklahoma City to run after turnovers will make this a quick series.

On the other side of the coin, Los Angeles only forced four Thunder turnovers on Monday night. They must do a better job in that department as well.

Play Aggressive Defense Without Fouling

I mentioned the lack of turnovers the Lakers created in Game 1, but they sent the Thunder to the free-throw line 29 times (making 24) which is way too much.

Allowing a good free-throw shooting team that many opportunities at free points is a recipe for defeat.

In addition, the Lakers only went to the line 15 times, meaning they aren't being aggressive enough at the offensive end.