Lakers looking for killer instinct

The Los Angeles Lakers being up 2-0 in their series with Utah is hardly traumatizing, since you get the impression the Jazz coach Jerry Sloan probably believed a similar account was a foregone conclusion. What has Coach Phil Jackson, the folks at the Staples Center and the millions who have wagered on the Lakers concerned is the lack of “want to” to bury Utah and make a statement.

In the series opener, Kobe Bryant were near perfect is building a 62-40 halftime lead as 12.5-point home favorites. It would be expected Utah would show professional pride and at least make a run or two in the last 24 minutes and they did, before falling 113-100.

After the game, the Zen Master expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s effort in the second half, being outscored 60-51, in terms even the common man would understand, "It wasn't a coach's delight, that's for sure," Jackson said.

The players took there coach’s words to heart in the next contest, for 12 minutes. Los Angeles played like the best team in basketball since center Moses Malone eloquently predicted his Philadelphia team would steamroll thru the postseason in “Fo, Fo, Fo”. The Lakers converted on 85.7 percent of shots launched (18 of 21) and immediately built 41-29 first quarter lead as six different gold-clad players scored.

From that point forward, the Lakers went from looking like NBA champions to like many who go out to eat and attend parties in La-La Land, a bit fake. Los Angeles was actually outscored by two points in the final three quarters and needed a late pulse, after blowing all but three points to the Jazz as 12.5-point favorites in 119-109 victory.

Jackson fell on his own sword after Game 2 taking the blame; however he can’t alter the thought process of grown men who believe they deserve a championship banner, instead of going out and earning it.

Maybe a hostile pro-Mormon crowd will stimulate the Lakers who were 29-12 and 22-18-1 ATS on the road. Possibly it will be more of challenge to face a desperate team, who knows the series is over for all practical purposes unless they win on the home court, where they were 33-8 and 22-19 ATS and are 28-13 ATS in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last two seasons.

Coach Sloan has to cringe thinking back to his days as a NBA player when he was defensive maven, after watching his Utah team let the Lakers convert 55.6 and 60 percent of shot attempts in first two games. Playing before the home folks should ratchet up the defensive intensity for the Jazz, who are among the 14 teams all-time in the NBA playoffs that have come from behind down 2-0.

"Regardless of those last couple games, we're a lot better home team," Deron Williams said.
"They were supposed to win these two games. They did what they're supposed to do, so now we've got to go and do what we're supposed to do -- win at home and hopefully even it back up and come back out here with a chance to steal one again."

Los Angeles enters the game as 1.5-point favorites and the total is at a series high of 214 at Bookmaker.com. Bryant and his mates continue to bludgeon meager defensive teams and are 15-3 ATS in road games versus clubs that allow 46 percent or worse shooting percentage in the second half of the year over the last two seasons. When L.A. has the offense cranking, they are 14-3 OVER off two or more consecutive home wins this year.

Utah has to find a way to contain the Lakers and it won’t be easy having 4-14 spread record after a road game where both teams score 100 or more points. The Jazz will likely have to play better defense in the regard of creating turnovers that can lead to easy buckets to defeat L.A. and they are 15-4 OVER after allowing 110 points or more.

TNT will have Game 3 of the series at 10:35 Eastern, with the Jazz 5-3 and 4-3-1 ATS hosting the Lakers. It will be intriguing to see if Jackson can have his team compete for all 48 minutes, no matter the score.