The Suns' defense basically let the Lakers line up and take turns getting hot.
First it was Ron Artest.
Lamar Odom caught fire next, getting uncontested lanes to his left a-la Ginobili in '07.
That was followed by Kobe's jaw-dropping 20-point third quarter, featuring his signature turn-arounds, forays to the rim and trips to the line.
By the time the Lakers' bench appeared in the fourth, they had a 19-point lead and a no-pressure situation to work with, giving them all the confidence they needed (and perhaps a springboard for the rest of the series).
In short, the Suns' heralded improved defense didn't show in Game One, landing them a 128-107 shellacking at the hand of the defending champs.
Suns homers will shake their heads and say, "Well, Kobe was on," or "The Lakers' aura definitely influenced the officiating."
While both counts are true, Phoenix can only blame themselves for the debacle. Instead of showing the grit that made them unexpected contenders, the Suns regressed to their 2005-08 ways -- they played no defense, panicked when the chips were down, and seemed resigned to their fate.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Matt Petersen
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