LAKERS vs CAVALIERS (PRE-GAME REPORT)

Well, whether the Lakers are ready or not, the Cavs are here in Los Angeles to come and play. After two back-to-back, nail biting losses with some questionable calls in both games. The Lakers face the other team battling for the top spot in the NBA. Nope! Not the Boston Celtics... the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Lakers’ offense is never anything to be worried about. When some struggle, others step up. But the past several games, they’ve been playing some spotty defense. What happened to that spark? What happened to that hunger and intensity? Does it take back-to-back losses to bring back a fiery Kobe Bryant? Whatever it was, they need it back, and they need it now.

The Lakers are now forced to play the full 48 minutes of defense. If they don’t they have the possibility to face the consequence of another loss. The acquisition of Mo Williams during the summer, the defensive mindset LeBron founded in the Beijing Olympics(not to mention the man can score at any given moment), and a tad bit improvement of his surrounding cast, you got a team who are serious contenders for this years’ Championship.

LeBron James is a player who demands a double team. He’s too fast for the stronger defenders and too strong for the faster defenders. If he doesn’t get a shot up, he’ll find the open man. And with shooters that can shoot, and bigs that can finish around the basket, this team can be very hard to stop. Delonte West and Anderson Varejao have proven that they can both put up numbers. Ben Wallace, though not known for his offensive abilities, can be a strong defender.

There’s only one thing that the Cavs Lack. Cleveland lacks size down in the paint, whereas the Lakers have at least 5(maybe 6 if Lamar is down) players who are able to play the center position. So like every team we play, the Lakers must pound the inside all day. Soon after, double teams will come to cover our bigs and then they can use the perimeter game as a second option. Like I said, offense, no problem. Defense is what they need.

Everyone just needs to stay in front of their man. Play hard and smart(non-emotional) defense and I think the Lakers can come out with a win. For some reason I feel Lamar’s length and speed would be able to bother LeBron’s ability to score. Eh, I guess we’ll see.