Who will step up for their respective clubs tonight, and who will get the W's??
Let's start with the Chicago Bulls heading to Atlanta to face the Hawks at home for Game 3. The series is tied up 1-1, and has been close for much of the series so far. It's obvious to point out that Derrick Rose is the key to the Bulls, but who is the key for the Hawks?
The Atlanta Hawks need a collective amount of help from several players. Yes, the Hawks have a superstar in Joe Johnson....but they don't win when he only plays well, unlike Derrick Rose. The Hawks need big games out of All-Star Center Al Horford, highlight reel Josh Smith, and bench production from Jamal Crawford. When those guys play well, they are a completely different team. The Hawks don't have the advantage of having a great point guard who can take over games by picking apart the defense (ala Derrick Rose), so they rely on more guys to get the job done.
The Hawks used to get the excuse that they were a "young" team, and would grow in a few years. Well, that time is now. Guys like Marvin Williams, Al Horford, and Josh Smith were all the "young" talented guys that they needed time to develop. Time is up, and they need to produce. They now have playoff experience, and have played with each other for several years now. No more excuses. Get it done Atlanta.
Prediction for tonights Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks: 91-83 Bulls get the W
Who, oh who will step up for the flakey Los Angeles Lakers tonight? This Game 3 will be in Dallas, and you better believe that place will be rocking.
What I'm most curious to see is which Kobe Bryant will we see? Will we see the Kobe that comes out distrubiting the ball, and taking over late? Or, will we see the aggressive, attacking Kobe? Either way, they need help from the bench.
The Lakers bench has been getting creamed compared to the Mavericks bench. The Mavericks have been getting great play from JJ Barea, Jason Terry, and Brendan Haywood. Can't say much about the Lakers bench, except for Odom...who hasn't been the greatest either.
Once again, the Lakers have to find a way to at least slow down Dirk Nowitzki. Maybe they need to rough him up a bit, just to get him out of his comfort zone. Anything but trying to stick a hand in that mans face, it doesn't work. He pulls off some of the most ridiculous looking shots, and they fall straight through the net. He makes shooting a ball falling backwards, off-balance, and on one leg easy. Stop that man, or even slow him down, and so goes the Dallas Mavericks.
Tonight needs to be a statement for the Lakers. They need intensity, tough defense, and determination to grab a W in Dallas. Big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol must defend the paint, and get rebounds on both sides of the court. They need to be sure of which assignments on D everyone has. Last game they looked like a bunch of chicken's with their heads cut off, not sure who should be guarding who. That's a lot of things they need to go right to win...we'll see if they can flip this series back around.
Prediction for tonights Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks: 102-98 Lakers get the W
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