NBA
Defense Wins Championships and Nobody’s Defense is Better Than the Champs
In a league where defense wins championships, the Lakers are the best at it, and will look for their defense to repeat as champs
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The LA Lakers dropped Game 1 on the road, but bounced back to even the series after a hard-fought win over Phoenix. Anthony Davis had 34 points, Dennis Schroder added 24, and LeBron James had clutch buckets down the stretch to seal the victory. LA played well offensively to tie up the series, but it was really their execution on the defensive side of the ball that fueled their series-tying victory. In Game 2, the Lake Show had 15 blocks/steals while Phoenix managed only seven and had to try to orchestrate the offense with LA continuously forcing bad shots.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS & THE CHAMPS HAVE THE BEST DEFENSE
COLORS KEY | FULL LAKERS OUTLOOK
Coming into the postseason, LA was the first ranked team in defensive efficiency, and they’ve stayed true to that in the first two games. Phoenix came in as the eighth-best squad in points per game at 115.3 and were held to just 100.5 at home through the first two games in the series. When it comes to the Lakers, all the attention is brought to Lebron and AD’s clutch plays, specifically during crunch time, but what really gives them a chance to repeat as champions is their elite defense and ability to force bad shots and turnovers.
Frank Vogel has coordinated a defense that has mastered the art of switching. The defenders switch the players they guard on every type of screen or halt in their own progress to keep up with their current matchup. This can expose them to mismatches, but the Lakers counter that with timely double-teams in those situations and some defenders running from one side of the court to the other to cover the guy who becomes the open man. Defense is an art more than a science and the Lakers painted another masterpiece in Game 2.
Anthony Davis exercising his will down the stretch. This block recover got me good. #NBATopShotThis @nbatopshot pic.twitter.com/YTM8GKZPT7
— Austin Kent (@AustinKent) May 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/LA_HighLights24/status/1397410162386694145
https://twitter.com/LA_HighLights24/status/1397396724017029124
All-around game from @AntDavis23 to lift the @Lakers in Game 2! #NBAPlayoffs
✨ 34 PTS
✨ 10 REB
✨ 7 AST
✨ 3 BLKGame 3 ⏩ Thu, 10 PM ET, TNT pic.twitter.com/AjjYWd3WJd
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2021
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