After defeating the upstart New Orleans Hornets in six games, the Lakers now face the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Although Dallas finished third in the West this year with 57 wins and were levels ahead of the Hornets in the regular season, this matchup may be so favorable for the Lakers that it may only last four or five games.
Let's break it down.
The Lakers struggle against teams that are strong at point guard. This is why the Hornets gave the Lakers fits. Derek Fisher is not known for his defense, especially at his age. Fast, quick point guards exploit this weakness. This is why Chris Paul had field days against the Lakers in the first round.
However, Dallas' point guard is Jason Kidd. Although he has a high basketball IQ and is an unbelievable distributor, he has reached the twilight of his career. He no longer has the legs that he once did and this is a great advantage for the Lakers. It won't be difficult for the Lakers to contain Kidd. Mavericks backup point guard J.J. Barea has also historically struggled against the Lakers, never scoring more than 12 points in the last six meetings.
Not having to face a guy like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, or Rajon Rondo will be a huge reason why the Lakers will win this series easily.
The next major problem for the Mavericks is that they don't have anybody that can stop Kobe. Which team does though? But for the Mavericks it's a detrimental issue. Rodrigue Beaubois is definitely not the answer to this situation.
And if Kobe's ankle hinders his gameplay, the Lakers can always go down low and this is the main reason why they will dominate.
Andrew Bynum.
Forget that the Lakers already have one 7-foot specimen in Pau Gasol, who has turned the corner and is playing much more physically in the last few game...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
