I'm hoping for a really great series if Utah gets by Houston. I think Utah has got to start playing with urgency and is going to have to defend better than they've been if they want to think about competing with LA. The Lakers are playing at a high level and are very confident.
The main keys for me to watch out for:
-- Free throw shooting. Utah has the reputation and often-times it comes back to bite them in the most inopportune times. The series cannot turn into a parade to the line for Kobe, Odom, and Gasol. Utah has to play tough but clean.
-- Rebounding. Especially, Especially Defensive Rebounding. You cannot let a Phil Jackson coached team get more than one scoring opportunity for each offensive trip. I think Utah has to win the rebounding battle and has to limit the Lakers offensive rebounding, most importantly in the 4th quarter of close games to even have a chance
-- Defense. There is no two ways about it, Utah can't defend the chair I'm sitting in. I think they need to play with a sense of urgency, almost a sense of panic on the defensive end for 48 minutes in order to stop the offensive firepower of the Lakers. Kobe is unstoppable and if I'm Jerry Sloan, I would let him have his 60 points rather than 20 - Kobe, 20 - Gasol, 20 - Odom. Pick your poison and I think it'll be easier to stop Odom/Gasol and let Kobe go nuts rather than try to stop all of them, have two of them go nuts and bury you. Play with defensive intensity. Stay home on the shooters --- I will repeat that --- STAY HOME ON THE SHOOTERS (Derek Fisher will stab you right in the chest if you let him). So will Walton. So will Radmanovic. So will Vujacic. And hopefully you can lull Kobe into falling love with his perimeter shot. If Utah holds L.A. to 95 points and all Lakers not named Bryant to 44% shooting or less, they'll have done a good job on defense
Utah will have to do all of those things and it'll still be touch and go, down to the wire. That is how loaded the Laker team is and how well they've been playing.
