Lakers - Jazz Playoff Preview
Time for the second season to begin.
The Los Angeles Lakers (65-17) clinched home court advantage throughout the Western Conference weeks ago, but didn’t know their first round opponent until beating the Utah Jazz (48-34) Tuesday night at STAPLES Center. For their part, the Jazz looked like anything but the eighth seed while blistering through February and March with a 20-6 record, but a 2-6 April buried them in the final spot to deliver the Lakers, as opposed to the Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets or even Blazers.
To preview the matchup, we took a look at the previous three games between the teams, talked to Lakers advance scout Rasheed Hazzard about the matchup, broke down the opposing players by position and heard opinions from TNT’s “Inside the NBA” analysts and from Utah head coach Jerry Sloan.
 This Season’s Matchups Lakers 125, Jazz 112 - April 14 @ STAPLES: After a rather dull first half, L.A. exploded in the second to run away with the game as Utah struggled with the Lakers’ length. Jazz 113, Lakers 109– Feb. 11 @ EnergySolutions: Mehmet Okur’s last-minute three-pointer negated one by Kobe Bryant, and a road weary Lakers’ team playing its eighth game in eight cities in 14 days dropped a close one. Lakers 113, Jazz 100 – Jan. 2 @ STAPLES: L.A. opened the game with a 37-20 first quarter and never looked back to move to 26-5 on the season. Lakers Courtside Connection Scouting Reports |
We asked the man who’s seen the Jazz in person more than anybody else in Los Angeles for his scouting report: Lakers Advance Scout Rasheed Hazzard. As a table setter, here’s what Hazzard’s job encapsulates, in his words:
“The advance scout is basically the checks and balances guy. Our coaches work hard – they watch film, they diagram what other teams are doing and so on, and I take that information, go to the game, and chart every possession. I see what play calls the other team is hollering out, and once I see them running it two or three times, maybe I catch different wrinkles to it, and catch tendencies that you pick up on by being there. I bring back all the play calls that I can get, and add any insight I may have in terms of what other teams did against the team I’m scouting that worked against them. For example, when I watched Utah play Dallas last week, I kept an eye on what plays worked well against them. Still, my major job is to get play calls and to know how to communicate that back to the coaches.”
Here’s more ‘Sheed.
Q: On why Utah struggled to close the season:
Hazzard: They struggled a little bit down the stretch, going 4-6 in their last 10 games. They were just getting their team back together, and it takes time to be a cohesive unit. It’s still a good basketball team that’s potent, but not being healthy caught up to them down the stretch. Even then they still battled injuries with Mehmet Okur’s hamstring that has bothered him for the last month, but they play a system of basketball that’s worked for a long time. It’s a good team to open up with because you have to be on point, disciplined and ready to execute.
Q: How to attack them:
Hazzard: It’s never simple when you get into a seven game series, but if you’re the Lakers you do want to go to your obvious advantages, which is your length and your size and athleticism at certain positions. The NBA’s about matchups and you have to expose them, but you still need to execute what you want to do. You worry more about what you do as a team than what your opponent does. Do what you’ve done all season to get 65 wins.
Hazzard added that his job as the advance scout is to look at the Jazz as if they have the capability of playing their absolute best basketball. Anything less would be a disservice to the coaching staff, so he assumes that Utah is going to get their game together, that Boozer’s going to pick up his play considerably and that the Jazz are going to throw their best punch. He said that Utah is still running the same plays they always run, though there are variations of personnel. The other interesting point he made is that Utah gives L.A. its best blueprint of what the team is likely to see in the Finals, if they’re fortunate enough to get there.
“Utah’s very physical, they pack it in around the basket and they’ll hit you,” he said. “By starting out with such a physical mindset in the first round, that’s going to carry over to the next series, as opposed to starting out free flowing and then having to ramping it up again. That could really help us throughout the playoffs.”
Position-by-Position Breakdown
Here’s a look at the matchups from point guard to the bench.
Jazz: Williams is one of the two best point guards in the league, if not the best, right there with New Orleans’ Chris Paul. D-Will truly doesn’t have a weakness: he can shoot with range; he’s great off the dribble; he penetrates; he has great size for a point guard; he defends; he’s tough; and perhaps most importantly, he runs Utah’s offense with precision, and is particularly effective in the pick and roll. He always plays well against the Lakers, including his 25 points and 13 assists on Tuesday. While Brevin Knight is a capable backup, he’ll barely see the court in close games as Williams will go almost the whole way. Clearly, Utah’s built entirely around him.Advantage: Jazz - Williams is fantastic and should average over 30 points and 12 assists with ease. |
Lakers Fisher’s minutes have been limited of late to get ready for the playoffs, when he’s sure to see a more steady flow of burn, and he’s clearly struggled to get into a good rhythm. Yet all he needs to do in L.A.’s offense is hit open shots, which he’s consistently proven he can do in the playoffs. Williams is a terrible matchup for almost any opponent at the other end of the floor, but Fisher will get some help from the bigger and quicker Shannon Brown, who did about as well as one can do on D-Will in the third meeting between the two. Jordan Farmar has trouble with Williams’ size, and was posted up in last season’s playoffs, but can still hurt the Jazz with his pace at the other end of the floor and in transition, though he like Fisher has struggled with his shot. A final note: Brown’s been quietly very good at the offensive end of the court, both with his shooting and by bursting ahead of the pack in transition. |
Jazz: Ronnie Brewer is a capable player who can hit an open shot (though shooting isn’t his forte) and finish at the rim, but his bread and butter – a la Trevor Ariza – is disrupting offensive flow with his long arms. He had five steals to couple his 14 points and four assists against the Lakers in the regular season finale, and must be accounted for in transition. He’s often not directly involved in Utah’s offense, though he does a good job of cutting to the rim. Off the bench, Kyle Korver is Utah’s only real threat to shoot, and while he’s great when he’s open, he didn’t hurt L.A. in the regular season and can be covered.
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Lakers: Kobe. It’s fair to say that the best of Mamba has yet to come. Despite that fact that he again played in all 82 games after carrying L.A. to the NBA Finals last season and playing fantastic in the Olympics, he’s still managed to go into defer mode at times and conserve some energy for another playoff run. In this particular matchup, Bryant may be at his best by drawing attention away from L.A.’s bigs and feeding Gasol and Bynum for easy hoops to take advantage of Utah’s lack of size. Of course, if you need a closer, No. 24 seems more than ready. Sasha Vujacic at worst cancels Korver out, and at best can get hot like he did in the regular season finale and give L.A. a legitimate boost on offense while hustling all over the place on defense. Advantage:: Lakers. Obviously. |
Utah: C.J. Miles missed the season finale against the Lakers, but started for much of the season at the three. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.3 rebounds, but more than anything else gave the Jazz another versatile athlete and allowed Andrei Kirilenko to come off the bench. Miles is long defensively and is a good long-range shooter, and primarily spreads the floor for Williams and Boozer. Kirilenko is clearly the better overall player, and while he’s struggled to regain his 2005-2006 form, he still has a unique skill set that can create problems.
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Lakers With Trevor Ariza starting and Luke Walton coming off the bench, L.A. can throw two completely different looks at teams, both of which can be very effective. Ariza’s terrific defensively if in and out on offense, while Walton is among the best passing forwards in the entire league, as the offensive inevitably runs more smoothly and efficiently when he’s on the floor. Neither are knock down shooters at this point in the season, which could hurt the Lakers in a tight game. Phil Jackson, however, can always move Bryant to the three and stick Vujacic at the two. Nonetheless, Ariza and Walton’s benefits far outweigh their three-point shooting downfall.Advantage:: Lakers – Ariza and Walton do more different things well than Miles and the 2009 version of Kirilenko. |
Jazz: Carlos Boozer has flat out struggled against the Lakers, and it’s no coincidence – he has trouble with length. Whether he’s still back at 100 percent from his left knee injury or not, Boozer’s not attacking the rim off the dribble, and seems content to either face up or pick and pop with Williams. That makes him much easier to guard for the longer Gasol. Complicating matters for the Jazz were Boozer’s comments that he would probably opt out of his contract, which coincided with some terrific play from backup Paul Millsap in Boozer’s absence. Millsap had a stunning 19-straight double-doubles in the middle of the season, and while he’s had some good games of late, is just as likely to offer little depending on playing time. Clearly, the frontcourt chemistry is lacking.
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Lakers: Andrew Bynum’s return has allowed Pau Gasol to go back to his more natural position at the four, and in Bynum’s first game back (4/9 vs. Denver), Gasol put up 27 points and a career high 19 rebounds. With the benefit of a matchup advantage on every power forward in the NBA not named Kevin Garnett, it’s been almost easy for Gasol on offense, and he’s sure to pick up his defensive intensity in the playoffs. Boozer wasn’t able to do much with Gasol in the season finale, as Pau can either face him up or post him up. Furthermore, if Utah doubles down on him, Gasol’s a fantastic passer and can either dump it into Bynum next to the hoop or kick it out for an open jumper. The more Pau has the ball against Utah, the better for the Lakers. Then you throw Lamar Odom into the mix and create even more problems for the Jazz. Odom is physical enough to guard both Boozer and Millsap at one end, but is quick and lanky enough to create problems at the other end of the floor. Alongside Gasol and Bynum, Odom easily gives L.A. the deepest set of bigs in the NBA, and like Gasol can pick apart defenses with his passing.Advantage: Lakers – Gasol’s been fantastic all season and is clearly a better all-around player than Boozer, while Odom’s a better all-around player than Millsap, who’s effective but limited. |
Utah: Though he missed the last game and a half with a strained hamstring, Mehmet Okur is expected to play for the Jazz. He averaged 17 points and nearly eight rebounds during the regular season, but his biggest strength against the Lakers is his ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. One of the best shooting bigs in the NBA, Okur made 44.6 percent of his threes on the season and even daggered the Lakers in the final minute of the loss in Salt Lake City. His ability to bring Bynum or Gasol out of the paint will be a key to the penetration of Deron Williams, whether or not he’s hitting since he can’t be left alone. At the same time, he’s not much of a back-to-the-basket threat, and can be handled at the other end of the floor. As for the position in general, L.A. saw that Utah doesn’t have much off the bench to offer in Okur’s absence, but will more likely slide Millsap over to the five, which keeps them well undersized since he rarely steps out to face up and has no three-point range.
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Lakers L.A. is simply a different team with Andrew Bynum back, and has to be quite happy with his production so quickly after coming off the shelf. In four games, he’s averaged 17.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and a block in 26.8 minutes, and perhaps most importantly has shored up the paint for the Lakers defensively. Even though his timing has been off defensively, his mere presence changes what opponents have been able to do, and takes a lot of pressure off Gasol in particular. Furthermore, his return solidifies L.A.’s bench and therefore its rotation, as at least two of the Bynum- Gasol-Odom combination is always on the floor. That’s simply too tough for opponents to handle up front.Advantage: Lakers – Bynum’s back. He gets the edge over Okur for impacting the game at both ends of the floor. |
| Utah With Kirilenko (blocks, steals), Millsap (offensive boards), Korver (threes) and Matt Harpring (toughness), the Jazz have a group of guys that all have particular strengths that can help their squad. Brevin Knight isn’t a bad backup point guard but simply won’t play many minutes, and Kyrylo Fesenko doesn’t figure to receive any more in the front court. But, more to the point, this unit might lack cohesion just as the Jazz starters do, since Millsap and Kirilenko have had to start a combined 48 games. Nonetheless, it’s a solid group. |
Lakers Bynum’s return immediately made L.A.’s bench among the league’s best, if not the best. Overnight. Lamar Odom is the most talented and versatile player in the NBA that’s not starting, particularly in the front court; Luke Walton is a capable starter on many teams and is an ideal glue guy; Shannon Brown has emerged as a big-time energy boost at both ends of the floor; Sasha Vujacic can still get hot from the perimeter and has improved his passing, not to mention his active – if foul-prone – defense; Jordan Farmar can still push tempo; and Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga are capable for some spot minutes on the block in case of foul trouble. Alas, it’s Odom’s versatility that holds the unit together, shortens the rotation and lets the other bench players focus on their strengths. Advantage: Lakers – This edge isn’t as big as it may have been were Bynum not to go down in the first place for cohesion purposes, but Odom’s inclusion makes all the difference. |
“Inside the NBA” on Utah’s Playoff Chances
Since L.A. vs. Utah was on TNT on Tuesday evening, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber all weighed in on the playoff matchup.
Sir Charles: “I don’t give (Utah) much (of a chance). They don’t seem like they have that fight. They don’t have that toughness. Last year in the playoffs, other than the Celtics who beat the Lakers, they gave the Lakers all they could handle. They had a chance to win two of those games in L.A. with a minute to go. They’re missing that one big guy. Deron Williams was tough, but they don’t have those big guys who are tough mentally.”
The Jet: (Carlos Boozer’s) a little four, and the Lakers have big fours who are more athletic and more skilled in certain areas. To me, they only position that they have an advantage is the point guard position. Everything else, they don’t have an advantage and they’re not even close in terms of talent.
C-Webb: They’re not finishers (inside). Boozer isn’t the same, he hasn’t been able to get his rhythm all year. They really don’t have finishers inside besides (Paul) Millsap. We always talk about during the season, that’s why they should won one or two more games because they playoffs for them are over, after (Tuesday’s) game. If Utah would have won, I would have said they have a chance to beat Denver, so it’s just funny like that.
Sloan Not Loving The Matchup
Utah head coach Jerry Sloan wasn’t exactly happy with how his team matched up with the Lakers after L.A.’s 125-112 quieting of the Jazz on Tuesday night. Here are some of his postgame comments:
On the game’s outcome:
“Well we didn’t give much of a battle and knowing that we’re going to have to play them again, it looks pretty bleak. Hate to say that but it’s one of those things.”
On the Lakers:
“They’re a terrific team. They play, pass the ball, and do just about everything you’d ask a team to do. They have guys that can make big shots, guys that just know how to play basketball, make the game look simple.”
On what Utah needs to do better in the playoffs:
“Obviously we’re going to have to play with a great deal more intensity. We’re going to have to be a better defensive team, and try to get up and play people a little bit more than what we did this particular game and see what happens. We can’t pick and choose. We have to come up against one of the toughest teams and we had to fight like the devil to get here. I think our guys did a terrific job to do that considering all the things that have happened so far. Now there’s a whole new season starting. You don’t start off with injuries, everybody’s healthy, get everybody on the same page and see what it’s all about.”
On how L.A. hurts them:
“It all depends on how we prepare, get ready to play them and try to do a better job defensively. Out there they just kill us with the way they pass the ball and the kind of open shots they get. That’s what their system does. They get the kind of players to fit into it and they’re in pretty good shape.”
