While the foundational reason as to why the Lakers struggled so much against the Thunder was the lack of rest the Lakers had heading into this matchup, another big issue for the Lakers was the lack of a defensive presence in the paint.

Andrew Bynum's lack of defensive pressure in the paint was at the forefront of the Lakers' loss, and it goes to show just how important Bynum's complete level of play is to the Lakers' postseason success.

The Lakers can't beat the Thunder without a defensive presence in the paint

Players like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace are certainly integral to whether or not the Lakers make it to the Western Conference finals, but Andrew Bynum is the only player on the Lakers' roster who can stop the Thunder in the paint.

In Game 1, the Thunder scored 48 points in the paint, and while that's only four more than the Lakers scored, the Thunder's ability to get into the paint without difficulty also enabled them to kill the Lakers from the perimeter.

Looking forward to the next few games in this series, the Lakers absolutely must amplify their defensive pressure in the paint, and the one player who can do just that is Bynum.

No, Bynum doesn't have to average 10-plus blocks per game for the Lakers to take out the Thunder.  But he certainly needs to step up from under/around the rim and start contesting the shots of players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden when they penetrate into the paint.

The Lakers certainly won't be able to keep the Thunder's backcourt from getting into the paint, but once they're there, Bynum needs to turn their high-percentage shots into contested, low-percentage shots.  The Lakers need to make the Thunder win the series from the perimeter, and that starts with Bynum stepping up his interior defense.

Bynum's offensive production opens up the perimeter for the Lakers' backcourt

Unlike other players on the Lakers' roster, Bynum's production on the offensive end opens up opportunities for his teammates around him.

Because of Bynum's 7'0'', 285-pound frame, he is an absolute force to be reckoned with when he gets the ball and starts to back down defenders.  When Bynum is effectively scoring the ball, his opponents must focus two defenders on him, which in turn leaves one of his teammates open.

Offensive efficiency is the name of the game for the Lakers moving forward against the Thunder, and that begins with the focus of their offense being on Bynum.

What Bynum needs to realize, though, is that it's not important for him to put up 15-20 shots a game.  What is important is Bynum hitting high-percentage shots early on so that the Thunder are forced to bring help-side defense whenever Bynum touches the ball.

It may sound odd, but the Lakers need Bynum to facilitate their offense rather than be the main source of offensive production.  When Bynum gets his teammates involved in the offense, getting high-percentage shots for himself becomes that much easier.

If the Lakers want to get past the Thunder and into the Western Conference Finals, they have to start relying on Bynum's interior presence on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

There's no doubt that Bynum is the X-factor for the Lakers in the playoffs.

The only problem is that I'm not quite sure the Lakers have realized Bynum's true potential yet. 

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The funny thing is, Michael Jordan wasn't mentioned once in the article.

I wrote an article some time ago, debunking the overused misconception of Kobe Bryant being just a role-player on the early 2000s championship Laker teams. Today, I'd like to address another, perhaps even more intolerable, argument that Kobe's detractors hurl whenever they feel the need to quench their appetite of hatred.

That argument always includes some variation of, "He's no Michael Jordan."

Essentially, those haters would dismiss all Kobe has accomplished, because he's not the greatest player of all time. Some of them might even get a little more creative, with "He copied Jordan's game." I've even heard "He even copies how Michael Jordan walks."

That's right. Kobe's gotten heat because he walks like Michael Jordan...Does anyone else find this as childish as I do?

But moving on to the substance of these haters' claims, they essentially say that Kobe will never be the best, he is a wannabe Mike on the court and that he copies Mike's mannerisms.

The first claim is true. Michael Jordan was, and is, the greatest player in NBA history. There aren't many who would dispute that.

The funny part is, Kobe doesn't dispute it either.

This video, taken prior to the 2008 NBA Finals, has Kobe clearly saying he wants nothing to do with the MJ comparisons. He knows he will likely never reach MJ's pinnacle of greatness, and all he wants is, and I quote, to be the very best that he can be.

If Kobe himself is so quick to dismiss the MJ comparisons, why do Kobe haters insist on harping on about it?

Now, as for copying Jordan's game, Kobe has certainly done that to a degree. However, this has nothing to do with wanting to be Jordan and everything to do with maximizing his effectiveness as he ages.

Michael Jordan was once renown for his ridiculous athleticism. Once age took that from him, he became arguably the second best jump shooter in the game, after Reggie Miller. He then developed a deadly fadeaway from the post that was nearly impossible to block. 

Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, was also renown for his ridiculous athleticism. Once he got older, he developed his jump shot to arguably the second best in the NBA, after Ray Allen. He then worked with Hakeem Olajuwon to strengthen his post game. 

Kobe has evolved as a player because his aging has made it a necessity. It has nothing to do with "Wanting to be Jordan."

Now, don't get me wrong. There are a lot of legitimate reasons to criticize Kobe Bryant. He still takes poor shots far too often, occasionally has trouble trusting his teammates and often slacks on defense when asked to cover a lesser player. 

But when somebody throws in any comparison to Michael Jordan in an attempt to marginalize Kobe, they deserve to be ridiculed and treated as the—forgive the crude use of language—trolls that they are.

Kobe has dismissed every attempt made at comparing him to MJ because he knows that when it's all set and done, he will have carved for himself a new spot in NBA history. He is already one of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA, and no amount of futile comparisons to the greatest of all time will change that.

Sorry, haters.

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News articles have come out claiming that, despite the signing of Matt Leinart, quarterback Terrelle Pryor was looking good in 7-on-7 drills. "QB Terrelle Pryor displayed nice zip and accuracy on 7-on-7's" said the team's website.

That's not the first "endorsement" of Pryor this offseason. Newly signed linebacker Phillip Wheeler talked about how much he likes to use the Raiders in Madden video games, and his offensive attack is to use Pryor as a mobile, strong-armed QB.

Wheeler is not the Raiders' offensive coordinator though. That job belongs to Greg Knapp. But it might as well be the same thing, right?

Knapp, and the West Coast offense he brings, will be asking the Raiders' staring QB Carson Palmer to use his feet and to move around as opposed to standing still in the pocket.

It's not a secret that the freakishly athletic Pryor is better suited for the West Coast offense than the older, less athletic Palmer.   

While I am a Palmer supporter, I can't help but wonder how explosive the Raiders' offense would be if Pryor was in the game. With his mobility, plus the speed of the Raiders receivers, the Raiders' offense could be even better than the Atlanta Falcons were under Knapp when he was coaching Michael Vick.

Perhaps when Allen hired Knapp to run the offense, Allen was thinking about the future with Pryor as the Raiders' QB. Everyone in the new Raiders organization, from general manager Reggie McKenzie to Allen, have publicly supported Palmer as the franchise QB.  

Although the offensive scheme may be better suited for Pryor, it looks like the starting job is Palmer's to lose.

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After the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly escaped the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs, many were left questioning their passion, energy and competitiveness. They faced a young, tough Denver Nuggets team led by one of the league's best coaches, George Karl.

Following Andrew Bynum's remarks on close-out games being easy (via ESPN), the Nuggets played two of their most complete games of the season, forcing a 3-1 series lead into a Game 7.

While the Lakers advanced behind Kobe Bryant's play and the return of Metta World Peace, there are still many questions looking ahead to the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a favorite amongst many to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Here are the five things we learned from the Lakers-Nuggets series.

Begin Slideshow

Or, at least, that’s what he believes.

But the former USC Trojan won’t find redemption in his return to California.

According to Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times, Leinart believes that he fits in on the Oakland Raiders like a missing puzzle piece.

What would make the mediocre quarterback believe he fits in well anywhere? Well, Houston Texans quarterback coach Greg Knapp—who apparently Leinart got comfortable with down in the desert—accepted the job as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator.

Leinart said during a conference call with the local media that, “It made perfect sense for me to come here because this is a brand new offense for almost everyone on the offensive side of the ball except for myself and (guard) Mike Brisiel, who is from Houston, as well.”

His only shot at seeing the field will be if Carson Palmer goes down with an injury. But, apparently, Leinart is okay with that because, like I said before, he’s just waiting to take off. He drew this hopeful ridiculous comparison and said: “Everyone's path is different. (Warner) didn't start a game until he was (28). He's probably a Hall of Famer.”

Yeah, their career paths are perfect parallels.

Leinart was selected 10^th overall, while Warner went undrafted. Leinart held a clipboard. Warner stocked shelves. And just like Warner needed Trent Green to go down to receive his big break, Leinart is just waiting for his opportunity.

Oh, I forgot this key detail in our timeline comparison: Leinart couldn’t beat out Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton for a roster spot. Warner shattered AFL records.

Leinart is a bust. His comparison to Warner is a joke. And I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Terrelle Pryor beat him out for the Raiders’ second-string quarterback job.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

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They beat Phoenix 4-2 in order to take an early 1-0 series lead. 

But the Coyotes are a good team and will be hard to beat on home ice. The Kings will need to play great hockey in order to put the home team in an insurmountable deficit. 

Here are a big keys to the game for the Los Angeles Kings. 

Play Aggressively 

Not many people expected the Kings to make it this far. But they stayed hungry and proved the doubters wrong. 

That type of aggression and will to win is what propelled Los Angeles to such an outburst in the playoffs. 

They can’t lose that. 

The reason that the Kings kept winning is because they had their backs against the wall. They had a chip on their shoulder. No one outside their locker room believed in them. 

They wanted to win more then the Vancouver Canucks wanted to win. They out-willed the Saint Louis Blues.

If they become overconfident and feel like they have this series in the bag, then Phoenix will find a way to beat them.

They have to keep playing like they are the underdogs. 

Feed Dwight King

The young left wing only had five goals in the regular season and one in the postseason. 

That was before Game 1 against the Phoenix Coyotes. 

In that matchup he came alive as King scored two goals to give Los Angeles the 4-2 victory. He even scored one in the final minute of play, sealing the sixth straight road playoff victory for the Kings. 

This kid is hot. 

It may have been a fluke or it may have been a sign of things to come. But if Dwight King can build off what he did in Game 1, then Los Angeles will put the Coyotes in a massive hole. 

The Power Play

Phoenix will take advantage of the power play while killing any opportunities that Los Angeles has to score with the man advantage. 

In Game 1, the Kings went zero for four in the power play. 

This is unacceptable and has to change in order for this squad to win the series. 

If Los Angeles jumped out to a lead with an early power play goal, then the Coyotes would be deflated and play cautious. 

Suddenly, the Kings have forced their opponents into playing with fear. 

Los Angeles will have to break through with a couple of power play goals in Game 2 to seal a victory and take full control of this series. 

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Steve Corkran of InsideBayArea.com reports that Criner "made at least four head-turning plays in a 20 minute span" and called Criner "a guy to keep an eye on". Corkran writes that head coach Dennis Allen said Criner's performance today is consistent with what they have seen from the rookie since he joined the team. Corkran also invoked Moore's name as a comparison for Criner's level of play today. 

Another InsideBayArea.com Raiders beat writer, Jerry McDonald, called Criner the "2012 version of Denarius Moore" with a qualification of "for a day anyway". ESPN's AFC West blogger, Bill Williamson, said Criner "stole the show". Williamson cited Criner's hands and leaping ability, and wrote that Criner was "terrific", noting that the rookie walked off the field with starting QB Carson Palmer while Palmer gave him "pointers and talked business".

The full list of exploits per Corkran and McDonald:

- He snared a ball thrown up for grabs in double coverage (Corkran)/Beat the coverage of DeMarcus Van Dyke and safety Tyvon Branch with a tumbling catch that brought hoots and shouts from his teammates (McDonald)

- Caught a pass in that was tipped in heavy traffic (Corkran)

- Reached back for an off-the-mark throw (Corkran)

- Made an over-the-shoulder catch on a deep pass down the right sideline (Corkran)/(Caught) a sideline throw by Terrelle Pryor that carried between 55 and 60 yards in the air, with cornerback Pat Lee the victim (McDonald)

Williamson also cautioned that he was "hesitant to get carried away" because these OTAs are "designed for receivers to shine". Still, with the eerie similarities to the reports out of Raiders practices about Denarius Moore last year, and the eventual result on the field, he'll have to forgive us for getting excited about Criner... for a day anyway.

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Brown is one of the premier power forwards in hockey, and has used his toughness and size to get under his opponent's skin throughout the playoffs.

Per Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times:

"[Brown] lets his play do the talking," [Coyotes goalie Jason] LaBarbera said. "I think that's probably frustrating for players. This guy hammers guys, but nobody ever goes after him because he's not that kind of guy who hits you and stays there and says something. He hits you and keeps playing.

"He plays on the edge. He's not afraid. He's not a dirty player. He hits hard, but he doesn't cross that line. Not yet, anyway."

If not for Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick being so dominant in the playoffs, Brown would be the front runner for the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP.

Offensively, Brown has been spectacular and has scored several big goals for the Kings during the playoffs.

His 13 points (seven goals and six assists) is tied for the second most in the postseason. If you don't factor in Philadelphia Flyers forwards Claude Giroux (1st with 17 points) and Danny Briere (T-2nd with 13 points), who have been eliminated from the postseason, then Brown is the top scorer right now.

His third period goal in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday night was one of three game-winning goals he's scored in the playoffs thus far.

Brown has also been a force defensively. He leads the playoffs with a plus-11 rating and is forechecking aggressively, which is tiring opposing defensemen. He's also doing a good job of back checking in the defensive zone to help his own defensemen.

Brown's resurgence began around the NHL trade deadline in late February, when there were rumors that the Kings were shopping him (via TSN's Bob McKenzie) after making the Jeff Carter trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. We found out last week, thanks to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com, that the Boston Bruins wanted to acquire Brown but weren't willing to part with hard-hitting winger Milan Lucic.

Once the deadline passed, Brown exploded offensively and began to show the scoring production the Kings expected from him all season.

Maybe Brown was angered by the rumors. Whatever the case may be, his level of passion and intensity has dramatically risen since the deadline.

Brown has done everything for the Kings in the playoffs. He's scoring, playing defense, being a leader, and frustrating his opponents on every shift. He's playing just as you would expect a captain to in the postseason.

The Kings are really benefiting from Brown's MVP-caliber performances in the playoffs, and his leadership combined with his offensive production has put the Kings three wins away from their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993.

NHL Playoff Schedule for Tuesday, May 15

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Boston.

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Palmer was rough at first, which was to be expected when he was thrown into an unfamiliar offense with unfamiliar receivers after having no training camp or practices with the Raiders until the week he played. He improved as the season went on, but it wasn't enough to get the team into the playoffs. He'll start for the whole season barring injury.

With a salary of $13 million in 2013 and $15 million of 2014, McKenzie will be watching Palmer closely to see if he is worthy of those hefty paychecks. If he's not, the Raiders are still unlikely to turn to recently signed backup Matt Leinart, who is familiar with offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's scheme from the time the two spent together in Houston. 

Leinart can be a good game manager, but he lacks the arm strength to get the vertical passing game going. The Raiders know he can keep them in games if Palmer goes down. They must be unsure about second-year QB Terrelle Pryor's ability to do that, otherwise they wouldn't have signed Leinart.

Pryor, the third-string QB, was acquired in the third round of the supplemental draft last year, so he's yet another QB that McKenzie was stuck with by the previous regime. He's big and athletic, but he's very raw as a passer. If the team is pleased with his development this year and Palmer falters, he could get a shot to start in 2013.

Be sure to sound off and let us know what you think in the comments below. If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Productions. 

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Many LA fans have already written off the series as a loss, hoping for better luck next year. Here are some reasons why we might see the purple and gold rebound in the next few games.

Adjustments on the Road

OKC's home crowd is boisterous and belligerent; it is a nightmare for opposing teams. Combine that with the fact that the Lakers have been abysmal on the road this year and there seems to be very little hope.

There is one thing to keep in mind; however. The Lakers are a veteran team. This has been a knock against them all season, but now this factor plays to their advantage. The Thunder are primarily a team based on youthful athleticism. When it comes to playoff experience and the mentality behind championship basketball, Kobe and Co. clearly have a step up.

If the Lakers can win their three home games, resiliency on the road will come later on in the series.

Better Defense

About 1/3rd of the way through game 1, Mike Brown had the Lakers drop into a 3-2 zone to try and stop the jump shot machine that is Russell Westbrook. Unfortunately, this scheme promptly got shredded to pieces, and the Laker defense for the rest of the game was simply abhorred.

After that performance, expect the Lakers to mentally step it up. Professional basketball players who are mentally astute do not give up the pick and roll as much as the Lakers did last night.

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol will be called to step up on the rotations, and Kobe will have one assignment: stop Westbrook. If Kobe plays shut down defense, the Thunder pick and roll effectively loses efficiency. This will lead to less open jump shots and closing of the lane.

Sessions will Rise

Ramon Sessions had a meager two points and three assists in Game 1. For a starting point guard, this is unacceptable. Although he worked the ball into Bynum well, Sessions did not have the command of the offense that we usually see. This lead to Steve Blake seeing more minutes, which almost always leads to disaster (game seven of last series notwithstanding).

If Sessions runs the floor and controls fast break tempo as well as ball distribution, offense will come quick and easy to the Lakers.

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