Lakers go to Phoenix to Closeout Western Conference Finals

The question on everyone’s mind heading into game 6 of the Western Conference Championship will be, “How will the Phoenix Suns react to the last second loss in game 5 at Staples Center”? Ron Artest hit an incredible shot for the Los Angeles Lakers with 1 second left on the clock to win game 5 and put the ball (literally) back in the Suns court.

Despite the fact that it was an improbable rebound and shot that beat Phoenix Thursday night, you’d have to assume that the Suns would still be confident as they came all the way back from what was once an 18 point deficit to tie the game in the final seconds on a Jason Richardson 3-pointer. Richardson’s 3-ball came after several missed attempts as the Suns were able to get their hands on every rebound.

The fact that the game could even be tied with that shot is as ridiculous as the shot made by Artest to end the game. With under a minute left, Artest took an ill-advised 3 pointer that hit the rim. The confusing part is that with a fresh shot clock and a 3 point advantage, he got the rebound and did it again! Regardless of Artest’s mistake, the Lakers prevailed in what became a nail-bitter after what looked to be a blowout midway through the 3rd quarter.

The Suns have too many savvy veterans to let this loss affect their play Saturday night as they look to even the series with a win in Phoenix. Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Amare Stoudemire know that they have what it takes to win this series. This is a slight variation of the Suns teams of the past as they now occasionally play defense. The zone defense has seemed to work quite effectively over the past few games against the Lakers, so we can expect them to stay with that philosophy in game 6.

Bench play has been the difference in both of Phoenix’s wins this series. They did get 24 points from Channing Frye and Jared Dudley Thursday, but they will need Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic to up their productivity. They combined for 28 minutes and only scored 5 points in game 5. They will clearly need to increase their scoring if they are to keep pace with the Lakers offense.

Kobe Bryant has been awesome for the Lakers averaging 33 points, over 7 rebounds and almost 10 assists per game during the Western Conference Finals. If he has the type of game that he is capable of Saturday, no one will be able to keep the Lakers from reaching the NBA Finals for the 3rd consecutive season. NBA picks prior to the start of this series were heavily weighted on the Lakers, and until they lose at home, it seems like it’s inevitable.

Related posts:

1. Western Conference Finals Game 5: Phoenix vs. Los Angeles
2. Lakers/ Suns: Game 2 of Western Conference Championship
3. Lakers/ Suns Western Conference Championship Preview
4. Western Conference Showdown: Lakers vs. Suns
5. Western Conference Clash: Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

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