Lakers, Denver to make adjustments for Game 2

April 23rd, 2008, 7:23 pm · Post a Comment · posted by JANIS CARR, OCREGISTER.COM

The Lakers beat Denver by 14 points in Game 1, yet Coach Phil Jackson wasn’t altogether pleased.
In fact, he was unhappy with his team’s start to the playoffs. So displeased, he is making adjustments for tonight’s Game 2 against the Nuggets at Staples Center.

Look for more aggressive defense, more activity on offense more than Pau Gasol or Kobe Bryant. Gasol scored 36 points, while Bryant overcame a slow start to finish with 32 in Sunday’s game.

“This team knows I was unhappy,” Jackson said in his pregame comments. “So we don’t consider it a good game even though we won by 14 points. We didn’t think it was a good game for us. It was a good win, but in my message to the team, it was that we have to play better than that in the playoffs to win against the Nuggets.

“Our passing was very good, but I thought our offense wasn’t good. We didn’t handle their defense pushing the baseline or sidelines, or traps in the corners and wings. We have to make adjustments.”

The Nuggets, too, are making changes, namely moving Allen Iverson to the point and starting Linas Kleiza instead of Anthony Carter.

In the first game, the Nuggets were more effective with J.R. Smith and Kleiza in the game. Kleiza played 37 minutes, his most since Jan. 30 and scored 23 points, while Carter, a decent defender, struggled against Vladimir Radmanovic on Sunday.

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