NBA Playoffs 2011: How Does Ron Artest's Game 3 Suspension Hurt L.A. Lakers?
Lakers forward Ron Artest was suspended from tonight's Game 3 of the second-round series against the Mavericks forย grabbing Dallas guard J.J. Bareaย across the face in the final moments of Wednesday night's crucial contest.
Los Angeles, already down 0-2, will now be playing a pivotal game without its starting small forward.
How will this hurt the two-time defending champs as they go to Dallas to try to turn things around?
This Changes the Lakers' Player Rotation and Impacts Their Depth
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The Lakers have already been struggling to match up with the Mavericks in the first two games of this Western Conference semifinal series.
Ron Artest started all 82 of the Lakers' regular season games in the 2010-11 season, and head coach Phil Jackson will now have to reconstruct his starting lineup and player rotations for Friday's game.
Some might think that Lamar Odom will fill that role.
While that is possible because of Odom's versatility,ย the NBA's Sixth Man of theย Yearย will still most likely remain Jackson's answer off the bench with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.
The most likely option to replace Artest for Game 3ย is Matt Barnes.
Barnes has played a limited role in the first two games of the series, onlyย logging a total of 26 minutes.
He scored four points in Game 1 (onย 2-of-6 shooting)ย and was scoreless in Game 2.
Luke Walton, who hasn't gotten off the bench in eight games this postseason,ย could alsoย pick up some minutes in the shuffle.
Regardless of what decision is made and who replaces Artest on the floor, the Lakers will be even further short-handed when the ball goes up tonight in Dallas.
This Takes Away One of the Lakers' Best Defenders
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Over the course of his 12-year career, Ron Artest hasย gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders.
He was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and has been named to theย league's All-Defensive Team four times.
Atย 6'7" and 260 pounds, Artest provides length and sizeย on theย perimeter.
The rest of theย Lakers squad feed off his energy, toughness and physicality.
While Barnes is aย capable defender,ย heย doesn't bring the same force andย presence that Artestย does.
This Removes One of the Lakers' Better Three-Point Shooters
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If you asked me who's a better three-point shooter, Kobe Bryant or Ron Artest, I would think that would be a no-brainerโit's gotta be Kobe.
However, you might be surprised to find out that Artest actually connects on more (percentage-wise) of his shots from beyond the arc than Bryant.
During the 2010-11 season, Artest made 35.6 percent,ย while Bryant hit 32.3.
For their careers, Artest has shot 34.5 percent, andย Kobe has dropped inย 33.9.
Not only can Artest hit the shots, but he is also not hesitant to pull the trigger when the game is on the line.
Losing Artest for Game 3 removes a scoring threat for a team that has struggled at times to put points on the scoreboard.
This Eliminates a Maverick Menace
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Some players play better againstย certain opponents than they do against everyone else.
Ron Artest has been a pain in the Mavericks' collective necks.
Artest's numbers are higher against Dallas (in the 28 games he has played) than his overall averagesโhe has shot better, scored better and rebounded better
While Artest had only scoredย two and 11 points against Dallas in this year's series, this could have beenย his breakout game.
Conclusion
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Ron Artest's swipe at J.J. Barea was an ignorant cheap shot thatย will hurt his team's chances of getting back into this series.
We will see the actual impact of his one-gameย suspension when the Lakers face the Mavericks in Dallas for Game 3.
If Los Angeles is defeated while Artest is in street clothes, his absence will be what manyย fans and analysts point to asย a contributing factor to their loss.
And if the Lakers lose this critical third game, they will face a seemingly insurmountable taskย in coming back from a 0-3 deficit.
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