In the first quarter of Game 3, the Lakers torched the Suns defense once again.  The Lakers scored 32 points in that quarter, and it ended up being the 9th straight quarter that the Lakers scored 25+ points.  The Suns needed to do something extreme to get themselves back in the game, and they did exactly that by playing zone the rest of the game.  In the second quarter, it was very effective.  In the third, it seemed that the Lakers figured it out, but in the 4th it went back to being effective, and this is how the Suns ended up with the win.

Second Quarter

Point Total – 15

Why It Worked - It caught the Lakers off guard.  The Suns sprinkled in some zone in Games 1 & 2, but they didn’t run it an extended period time like they did in the second quarter of Game 3.  I don’t think that the Lakers were prepared for it, and they didn’t really know how to attack it (or where to attack it from).

The first thing that you notice in the above video (the Lakers’ second possession against the zone) is how unsure the Lakers are on offense.  It is pass, catch, wait, then pass again.  You attack a zone by quickly zipping the ball around the perimeter.  This forces the defense to rotate with the basketball, thus opening passing lanes to the inside.  When you pass it slowly, you allow the zone to shift and get set with each pass, and that is how the Suns are able to challenge Odom’s shot here.

Another interesting note on the Suns’ zone, not only in the 2nd quarter but throughout the game, is that they were able to grab the defensive rebound relatively easy.  This is surprising because not only are the Lakers huge, but it is a lot harder to rebound out of the zone.  You are responsible for areas, not people, and that tends to cause some confusion.

The Lakers are so worried about letting the Suns get out on the break, that they were dropping back 3 to 4 guys on each shot attempt instead of crashing the boards.

It is a lot easier to rebound out of the zone when you only need to worry about one man crashing the offensive boards.

Third Quarter

Point Total – 37 Points

Why It Didn’t Work - The Lakers were ready for it.  As the second half was starting, TNT reported that Brian Shaw (the Lakers assistant responsible for opponent scouting) showed the Lakers 5 minutes of video at halftime showing the holes/lanes in the Suns’ zone that they need to attack.  It worked.  The Lakers were able to get the ball into the paint, and once they were able to do that, they were able to get the shot attempts they wanted.

Above, the Lakers quickly pass the ball around the perimeter, and this opens up a lane for Kobe Bryant to drive through.  Once he gets himself to the middle, the Suns collapse on him.  This opens up Gasol for the little jump shot.

Again, you see more quick passing around the outside of the defense.  The opens up the middle for Pau Gasol who flashes to the open area and receives the basketball.  Once a talented big man like Pau gets the basketball he will pick apart your defense.  He pump fakes and find Ron Artest who drives the wide open lane.  Sure he misses the lay-up, but the easy attempt at the rim allows Odom to get a tip-in.

Fourth Quarter

Point Total – 25 Points

Why It  Didn’t Work - They settled.  The Lakers just got finished demolishing the Suns’ zone in the third quarter.  They were pounding the basketball inside and getting easy looks.  A few more easy baskets and the Suns’ probably call of the zone.  However, the Lakers started to settle and live on the outside.

For some reason, the quick passing was gone and the Lakers went back to passing, looking, then passing again.  The slow passing allowed for the Suns’ zone to rotate easily and be in position when Shannon Brown tries to pass it through the zone.  The Suns’ defense is there, able to deflect the basketball and create the turnover.

Here the Lakers are able to get the basketaball to Ron Artest who cuts the lane.  However, instead of making a big to big pass like in the 3rd quarter, Artest wants to kick it out to the three point line.  He tries to pass it over the zone that was collapsing to him.  That’s a tough pass to make, and Artest sails it over Kobe’s head, leading to a turnover.