They Can Turn It on at Will...and They are Long

A few years back I was sitting courtside at an AAU game talking with a coach and we were noticing a certain player. The coach mentioned all the qualities of this player and then he mentioned, he is long. Such a simple idea. Long is harder to shoot over, harder to pass through, and gets to rebounds quicker.

The Los Angeles Lakers have length. Glen Davis felt it when almost every shot he put up got sent back. Rondo saw it first hand when he tried to pass through it. The whole Celtics team felt it on the offensive glass.

Just like heigth, length cannot be taught. Pau Gasol is listed at 7'1" but people who cover him say that is about 2 inches low. Odom is extremely long. Same goes for Bynum and Artest. Add that to Kobe throwing off Rondo's game, and its and extremely difficult situation for the guys in Green.

In the 2008 series, Walton was the first man off the Lakers Bench along with Radmonovich. Now its Odom, which gives the Lakers a big advantage. Whenever I talk with friends who used to play in the NBA, they bring up Odom as a gold standard of talent. I never ask them, it just comes to the surface. Six ten with an ability to play any position on the court and being a lefty to boot is one hell of a combination.

Towards the end of the regular season, people were miffed about the Lakers losing games they shouldn't and sort of turning it on at will. In game 1, they seemed to turn it on at will. The Celtics at this point seem to be a better matchup for the Lakers than the Suns. The Suns nullified much use of Bynum because of speed and an unusual style. Almost everyone shoots the 3 on the Suns and on the fast break they cut to the 3 point line instead of the basket, which is really different. Still, they died by the jumper in the end. Point being, Bynum is relevant against the Celtics and makes them deep because Odom comes off the bench.

Still, its the Celtics and if they can steal a win in game 2, they historically have a great track record against the Lakers. But one thing they won't be able to change is the length.