I’ll have the Phil Jackson pregame audio for you in a minute, but first, a few thoughts after speaking with Hornets radio studio host Joe Block and Hornets.com writer Jim Eichenhoffer, and going through various local media coverage.
What I read over and over again in New Orleans papers this morning was how this game is all about James Posey being able to do a good job forcing Kobe into the Hornets’ help defense. And sure, that’ll be interesting to watch, but I think the focus is wrong. The focus should be whether or not Bryant’s willing to pound the ball down low to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, and bypass any one-on-one matchup with the former Boston swingman. This is doubly important because of the lack of low-post depth in New Orleans: After Tyson Chandler (whom Bynum generally got the better of last season) and David West (who can’t guard Gasol on the low block), the Hornets have just Hilton Armstrong, a third-year player out of Connecticut, and Melvin Ely, a seven-year vet from Fresno State. Advantage on the block: Lakers.
The other major factor tonight will be how well the Lakers limit Chris Paul’s ability to penetrate the paint. This season, L.A.’s defense has centered on limiting opponents in the lane, but Paul’s better at creating havoc between the blocks than probably any player in the league. So we’ll keep an eye on that…
Much has been made about this being the second game in a back-to-back for the Lakers, while the Hornets have been off since Sunday, but I’m far from concerned. First of all, the Lakers are healthy and fresh, especially after such a light early-season game load. Secondly, every Lakers player I’ve spoken to would love to play 35 or 40 minutes tonight. It’s not like some road trips where certain players wouldn’t mind having a bit of rest throughout the game … This squad is hungry. If anything, I’d be more worried about the Hornets starting off the game sluggishly after so many days off, just as the Lakers did last week against Houston. At the same time, the crowd here is jumping like the various beef parts in my gumbo soup before the game.
Finally, you have to wonder how the Hornets will do when Paul gets his brief minutes of rest, since their backup point guard is Mike James after Jennero Pargo left for overseas hoops. Jim and Joe told me that head coach Byron Scott will only play James for about four minutes in the second half, which seems to make sense. Because whether it’s Jordan Farmar or Derek Fisher going against James, that’s going to be a big advantage on both ends of the floor for the Lakers.
Anyway, here’s Phil:
