by JSM on Thu Nov 13, 2003 10:04 pm
Alright guys here's the breakdown:
Payton/Billups: Payton looked much better in the Raptors game, and he played pretty well, too...I look for him to provide us with the same type of performance. Billups is smaller than Williams, so Payton should be able to post him up easier, and get up a shot easier, also. I expect both Billups and Payton to get double figures, but Billups will only get it because he will be looking to shoot. Like jorker said, Payton and Hunter will be going against each other some, and look for Payton to really take advantage of this. This is when we will probably see the most point production out of Payton, because Hunter has lost any skill that he once had, and Payton will blow by him, and force Hunter to turn the ball over a good amount.
Kobe/Hamilton: Kobe should be able to do whatever he wants to Hamilton, due to Kobe being a lot bigger than him (I think by like 20 something pounds)...Kobe should have any difficulty posting him up. I expect Kobe to continue to play more in offense and pass a lot, also to limit Hamilton's production. And it is known that Hamilton isn't a defensive threat or anything, so I doubt he will prevent Kobe from anything.
George/Prince: this should be an interesting matchup, since both players are playing well for their team, and neither are the go to guy. I think George will have another well played game, and he will shoot the ball just as good as he has been in the other games. George can't leave Prince open though, because he can knock down the open shot, too. The Lakers need to be sure to find George when he's open, because he has been hitting most of his shots, and gives us an easy 2 or 3 points. Both will have double figures
Malone/Wallace: Here is where it gets interesting. Phil will probably start off with this matchup, but will probably end up switching Shaq to Big Ben, and Malone to Elden. Wallace will have a good game, I think he will out play Malone. Malone is going to have to play some solid D, and be sure to crash the boards before Wallace grabs the rebound, we can't allow them to get too many second chance opportunities. So, note to Malone-box out on every play. Malone will probably shoot instead of taking it to the basket, so Ben won't be able to pack him as easily. Wallace will end up with a double-double and Malone will get double digits.
Shaq/Elden: You got to be kidding me, right. Shaq will make Elden wish he was sitting on the bench, right next to Darko. Elden can't stop anybody, much less the most dominant force in all of basketball. After halftime, Elden will be matched up against Malone, because he will have had enough of Shaq's beatings. And Wallace can give Shaq more problems than Elden can. Look for Shaq to have a big game. But he has to help out on the glass, because Big Ben is going to be looking to get a lot of rebounds. Shaq will end up with a double-double.
I think their defense will give us problems in the 1st and maybe 2nd quarter(s). But we will adjust to it, and there will be nothing Detroit will be able to do about it. Remember, the Pistons don't have a lot of offensive options, so if we play good D, this could be a blowout.
Lakers 110
Pistons 92
Shaq-31 points & 14 boards
Malone-13 points
George-11 points
Kobe-18 points
Payton-14 points
Fisher-9 points
Russell-6 points
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