Great game between two bitter rivals last night, hopefully somehow we can meet in the playoffs and exact some revenge for the last couple of years.
Shaq looked pretty decent after a slow start but he would have been extremely motivated going against the Lakers. He made some nice passes and really allowed Amare to play some dominant ball at the PF spot. The Suns main problem is defense though and both Shaq and Amare played the pick and roll terribly, teams know that the pick and roll is the best way to attack the Suns and with combos like Parker/Duncan, Paul/Chandler, Williams/Boozer, T-Mac/Yao and Kobe/Gasol(Bynum) they are going to have to really address that in the playoffs.
Another thing that is being overlooked is the two impact players the Lakers were missing, Bynum and Ariza. Ariza is a great perimeter defender, moves well without the ball and is great at drawing fouls on big men. Bynum gives them a big body that will bother Shaq's shot just by standing there with his arms up, he is also a very good rebounder and with a Lamar, Gasol and Bynum front line we would have controlled the boards. Both Gasol and Lamar were playing out of position so when Bynum gets back it will be Bynum/Shaq, Gasol/Amare and Lamar/Hill, that fortifies our defense and rebounding straight away. Offensively Bynum will be a real problem for Shaq, whether its on pick and roll plays, post ups where Bynum can use his hooks or just his general activity around the basket either with offensive rebounding or lobs. One of the main reasons i want to see the Suns in the playoffs is to see the Bynum - Shaq match up. If Shaq gets in foul trouble then its Bynum against Amare and that has been straight up murder on Amare.
Kobe was incredible, no way was he going to let us lose that game. Like him or hate him you cant help but respect him when you see him playing at that level with only four working fingers on his shooting hand.
Gasol has been a godsend after Bynum's injury, he has fitted in so smoothly and everyone is benefiting from his presence especially Lamar who is playing his do it all game without having to focus on scoring big. I read today that Kareem is working on the sky hook with both Bynum and Gasol so that might be something for Laker fans to look out for next season.
Although Shaq seemed to fit in pretty well, I couldn't help but notice that Phoenix Sun's rhythm is a bit too fast for Shaq still. There were a few points scored against the Suns when Shaq got the rebound, his team ran to the court for a fast break point, and he just had that balled slapped out of his hand and easily shot in. Then there was the time he hit Raja hard, I'm not sure who's fault that really is but it was akward.