My third point is the strange case of Robin Lopez. Now it is important to give credit when it’s due, and Lopez definitely earned all the credit last night. He hustled, worked hard, and played a brand of basketball the Lakers haven’t seen yet this series. While Amar’e Stoudemire’s offensive explosion was certainly key to Phoenix winning the game, Lopez provided a jolt of energy that got the crowd and rest of the Suns team into thegame. Lopez scored 20 points in 31 minutes, but don’t expect that from him every night. Even if Stoudemire scores 40 again in Game 4, the Suns are going to have to get someone else to step up offensively if they want to make this into an actual series.
Finally, look at the performance, or lack there of, of Ron Artest and Lamar Odom. Both players were crucial in the first two games of the series,and both disappeared during Game 3. The boys from Queens combined for an 8-27 game from the field and a combined 22 points. When Odom and Artest combined only score two more points than Robin Lopez you’re going to have problems, and the Lakers certainly did. This won’t happen again on Tuesday, count on that.
Basically Lakers fans this is merely to say that there is still a long way to go before this series is actually a series. If Phoenix is able to win Game 4 and we’re headed back to Los Angeles tied at 2 we might have something to sweat about, but until that unfortunate scenario actually plays out keep cool and weather the storm. If there is one thing I ever learned from science class it was that even on the longest summer days the sun always has to set.
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