(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Editor’s Note: I thought this was a really good point by TexSUN. I should have thought of this in the game preview. I hope it doesn’t resort to this but after looking at everything, it would make sense if you were the Lakers. What do you think?

The Lakers have tried playing slow. They’ve tried playing fast. They’ve tried playing “Kobe ball”. They’ve tried playing “Kobe gets everyone involved ball”. So far, nothing has worked.

I’m reminded of something that was said during the Larry Bird birthday weekend this past January in a special about one of the Finals series between Bird’s Celtics and the Showtime Lakers. Having tried everything they could think of to slow down the Lakers’ “Layup Line”, the Celtics decided if they couldn’t stop the Lakers, they would just knock them down. Hence, they had one of their bench players clothesline James Worthy (a la Raja Bell 2006) to make a statement. It worked. The Celtics got fired up, and got themselves back in the series. I’m thinking the Lakers may try a similar tactic against the “Showtime Suns”, given how everything else they’ve tried thus far has failed. They might try to “thug it up” a bit, and we may see an ejection or two tonight. I don’t think the strategy will work–the Lakers of 2007 are nothing like the Celtics of 1984. But I wouldn’t be suprised if they try it anyway. That is, unless they really have given up all hope of winning the series.

Original post by brightsideofthesun.com and software by Elliott Back

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