Loughery

The second game of the NBA’s Opening Night doubleheader features two teams that played a very tough seven-game playoff series last May. Phoenix is looking to break through to The Finals this year and looks to have the necessary pieces while Los Angeles is going to have to battle through numerous early injuries to get back to the playoffs.

Obviously the status of Kobe Bryant is the main story for the Lakers. Will he play or won’t he? Outside of Kobe, they will also be without Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm. I think the one key for the Lakers is not to get caught in the running game with Phoenix, because if they do, they can get blown out of this thing. It is really hard not to get in a running game with Phoenix the way they play. At times it seems like they almost let you score to pick up the tempo. That is going to be the key.

Stoudemire's health and ability to get up and down the floor is the Suns' x-factor. Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Assuming Amare Stoudemire is healthy, and with Shawn Marion and Steve Nash, you have three great players on the Suns. That is more than almost everybody has in the NBA. Then you factor in Boris Diaw and Phoenix is scary. I think Diaw is in a system that is perfect for him. I watched him play in a conventional NBA system in Atlanta and he wasn’t nearly the same player. But then you look at Mike D’Antoni’s background regarding the European style he employs and realize that Diaw is playing European basketball. The numbers he has put up in Phoenix have been a shock to me considering how he produced in Atlanta. Fortunately for him he is playing in the right system with Nash, which has built his confidence. You have to give him a lot of credit for what he has achieved.

I think the x-factor for the Lakers is how the young guys, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar are going to play. They are going to be needed because of the injuries. Bynum is going to be the surprise of the NBA in the next year or two. He will be effective this year, but in the future I think they made a tremendous draft choice. In his last preseason game against Denver he was outstanding. What I like about him is that he has a feel for the game. He made some Kevin McHale-type moves in the post against Denver if you can believe that. Equally as important were the five assists he had, which is something I look for when I watch big guys play. This kid has a chance. He is only 19, but he is going to be a big-time player eventually. The one thing I will almost guarantee if Bynum plays a lot, though, is that he will get in early foul trouble with the style that Phoenix plays.

For Phoenix, Stoudemire and his health is the x-factor. I think you will immediately see where he is at physically. When he came back last year I felt sorry for him. It was that obvious. There wasn’t any question how badly he was hurt the way he was dragging. He shouldn’t have been out there. How close he is to 100 percent is something we’ll find out. And he’s really the key because you can’t hide in that offense. You have to go up and down. There is no taking it easy. His game is predicated on athleticism. So you’ll find out within the first quarter whether Stoudemire is able to produce like he did before his injury. He is a terrific player, a great talent, but his athleticism is a major, major part of his game. Hopefully he is healthy because you have to love the way the guy plays and how he performs.

With Kobe possibly out, Brown out and Mihm out and with Phil Jackson having been away from the team for a few games during the preseason, I don’t see how the Lakers could be ready to play Opening Night, and you are talking about the worst team you can play if you’re not ready. This is a game that is really going to be very difficult for the Lakers. Even with everyone being a little extra pumped up for Opening Night, Kobe or no Kobe, Los Angeles is going to have a tough time.

-- Kevin Loughery appears courtesy of the National Basketball Coaches Association