Before the NBA postseason began, there were many doubts voiced concerning the possibility of a repeat for the Los Angeles Lakers, and most felt the defending champions would be lucky to escape the first round.
Well, the Lakers did silence the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Six of their first round playoff series, and after two wins over the Utah Jazz in the semifinals, perception may slowly be shifting about the strength of the Lakers.
The Lakers have been plagued with injuries and questions about their consistency, but it's hard to debate the consistency of the Lakers' defense, because so far it has been the NBA's best this postseason.
The Lakers are holding opponents to a playoff-low 39 percent shooting from the field, and they are also the playoffs' leading rebounding team at 45 per game, a figure which reflects on the interior dominance of the team's terrific post trio.
Pau Gasol has been the leader of the pack, and his numbers are astounding. In the last three games Gasol has recorded 45 rebounds, 32 which were defensive, and he has added nine blocks.
In the same period of time, Lamar Odom has ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Hadarii Jones
2010 NBA Playoffs: The Los Angeles Lakers Have Survived and Thrived on Defense
May 7th, 2010 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
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