NBA Playoffs 2011: 5 Keys to the Lakers' Game 2 Win Over the Hornets
Game 1 was exactly that—one game.
That's all.
It was one game, one loss and nothing more. A team that has been in the NBA Finals for three straight seasons, winning the last two championships, does not panic over one loss.
The Lakers went 16-7 on their way to a second straight NBA title last year, which is why an 0-1 start in the race to 16 wins doesn't really mean anything.
It's about the big picture for this team. They understand that.
Their fans, on the other hand—maybe not so much.
As their fans tiptoed their way back off the ledge over the past three days, the Lakers held their two longest practices of the season on Monday and Tuesday.
Realizing that the Hornets had to play a historically good basketball game to beat them in Game 1, the Lakers simply reminded themselves to get back to doing the things they do best—playing knock down, drag out, tougher and more physical defense for four quarters.
The Hornets tied an all-time NBA record and committed just three turnovers in Game 1.
That will never happen again.
Chris Paul became just the fourth player ever to record at least 33 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in a playoff game.
That will also never happen again. Ever.
The bottom line is, the Hornets had to play the game of a lifetime to beat the Lakers in Game 1 and they did exactly that.
Game 2, however, ended up being a much different story.
The Lakers were able to impose their will over the course of 48 minutes en route to an 87-78 win.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the five keys to the Lakers' Game 2 victory over the Hornets...
5. Andrew Bynum: Your Game 2 MVP
1 of 5
Take a quick look at the box score and it's easy to see why Andrew Bynum was the best player on the floor in Game 2.
32 minutes, 8-11 from the field, 17 points, 11 rebounds, two blocked shots and six hard fouls.
He hit all the key performance indicators he needed to hit—30-plus minutes, double-digit shot attempts, double-digit rebounds and all six fouls.
He also anchored a Laker defense that held New Orleans to less than 80 points.
If Bynum continues to play like this, the Lakers should be holding another parade in downtown Los Angeles this coming June.
4. Lamar Odom Leads the Bench
2 of 5
Newly crowned sixth man of the year, Lamar Odom led the Lakers' bench with 16 points and seven rebounds in just under 28 minutes.
The Lakers bench, as a whole, registered a 32 point turnaround—having gone from minus-18 in Game 1 to plus-14 in Game 2.
Matt Barnes was a pleasant surprise as well, scoring eight points in just under 12 minutes of play.
3. Ron Artest Is Making the Hornets Pay for Leaving Him Open
3 of 5
The Hornets have been forced to double-team the Lakers down low, often choosing to leave Ron Artest wide open from behind the arc.
Artest made two of five shots from behind the arc, scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds.
He also chipped in two blocks, two steals and took turns guarding Chris Paul, which gave Kobe Bryant a quick breather on defense.
Once again, Artest looks very comfortable taking shots from the perimeter and that may be more important than anything else for the Lakers in their quest for a Three-Peat.
2. Kobe Bryant Made a Statement by Guarding Chris Paul
4 of 5
Kobe Bryant made his statement loud and clear from the opening tip that Chris Paul was not going to go for 33/14/7 again.
Why? Because he, not Derek Fisher, was going to guard him. He was going to take it upon himself as a personal challenge to guard Paul from start to finish—if that meant sacrificing his offense in exchange, so be it.
Bryant took just 10 shots, his lowest number of shot attempts this season, but his commitment on the defensive end is what stood out.
Meanwhile, Paul only attempted 11 shots, making just five and was often forced to defer to his teammates throughout the night.
1. Championship Defense
5 of 5
The Lakers won Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year by holding the Celtics to under 80 points—that is what we like to call "championship defense."
In similar fashion, the Lakers decided it was time to once again start playing "championship defense" by holding the Hornets to just 78 points on 39 percent shooting from the field.
Remember the Hornets' NBA record-tying three turnovers from Game 1?
The Lakers forced 16 turnovers in Game 2 and that number alone is probably the biggest reason why the series now stands at 1-1.
Three days later, Lakers fans can finally look back and realize that Game 1 was just that. One game.
