ORLANDO, Fla. — As I mentioned in my column about how meaningful a learning experience the NBA Finals has been for Andrew Bynum, he was a subtle but major reason the Lakers rallied to win Game 4.
The Lakers trailed by 12 points at halftime, and Bynum said of the Magic players: “They thought we were going to quit.”
Instead, the Lakers had the lead — largely because Dwight Howard was unable to get open to get the ball — by the time Bynum drew his fourth foul and went to the bench. Right before exiting, Bynum had scored the previous four Lakers points and served as a decoy under the hoop to draw defenders on a play where Pau Gasol looked past Bynum to an open Trevor Ariza for a 3-pointer. Earlier, Kobe Bryant had used Bynum’s pick as a shield to hit a 3-pointer.
There’s no doubt Bynum is expecting to win the championship — he slipped up a few times while we were talking and used verb tense to indicate it was a done deal — but he’ll have at least one more chance to apply what he has learned about defending Howard. This is how it basically goes:
- Get downcourt before he can take his deep position.
- It’s all about angles when you’re playing him.
- Make him go up the lane or out toward the sideline when he’s trying to make a move.
- Save some fouls for the end of the game.
