GOING TO NEED MORE THAN ZEN... or how the Lakers can beat the Celtics

NOT JUST AN X's & O's GUY

The Motrin challenged Boston Celtics are primed to deliver a knockout blow right at the doorstep of Hollywood's elite.  For Game 6 in LA, I wouldn't be surprised to see Homer Simpson sitting courtside.  For the Los Angeles Lakers, the finals have certainly reached the "D'oh" point.

So far, Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers has not only out-coached The Zen Master, he's won the motivational battle as well.  The Celtics have bought into the team concept, content to live with contributions from whichever player in green and white steps forward to capture the moment.

For the Lakers, no matter how much he tries to get his teammates involved, it seems to always come down to Kobe Bryant time.  The bad news is, Bryant can't do it alone and the Celtics are making him work very hard for the majority of his points.

As each game passes, the Celtics seem to expose more and more of Ron Artest's basketball IQ.  He has mental lapses and lacks confidence in his shot.  His free throw shooting has become almost Shaq-like.  For Game 5, Paul Pierce made him look like the Invisible Man on defense.

Rajon Rondo's athleticism has been a nightmare for the Lakers.  He pushes the ball up the floor, plays sneaky tough defense and his rebounding skill for a 6-1 point guard is just sick.  Bryant gives him a license to kill from the outside but somehow Rondo still manages to make it to the hoop, giving the Lakers bigs all kinds of problems. 

JACKSON NEEDS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS

The Lakers are certainly a different team with 7-footer Andrew Bynum in the lineup, but his bum knee limits his time and production and drastically changes the method by which LA can attack and defend.

So what is Phil Jackson to do?  First off, he has to get more comfortable playing his bench.  To mix it up and give the Celtics a different look, I would start Lamar Odom in favor of Artest and let the agile 6-10 forward chase Pierce around.  Pierce is not overly quick and when he tries to back a defender down, it's effective but not pretty.  That step back or turnaround jumper would have an added degree of difficulty over the outstretched arms of Odom.  At the opposite end, I'd either clear room for Odom to take the 6-7 Pierce to the hole or post him up.

How to handle Rondo?  He's an excellent leaper as well but the Lakers have 6-4 Shannon Brown who can get up as well.  If nothing else, I'd combine him with Jordan Farmar in order to throw bodies at Rondo to wear him down.

The Lakers also need to clear space in the middle.  Boston only respects Bryant and Derek Fisher from the outside, but Sasha Vujacic has demonstrated confidence in his long range shot and Brown and Farmar have been known to nail a 3-pointer.  With the Celtics spread out, Pau Gasol becomes a dangerous piece down low and if Bynum can play through the pain, the Lakers would be in position to exploit the inside.

Spell Odom with Artest and then let him get physical with Pierce.  Also, to get Artest going offensively, the Lakers need to set back screens so he can break free for layups.  Artest hurling up trays only reduces the Lakers effectiveness in the paint.  He's a space eater as well and should be playing more inside where his physical nature will have more of an impact.

Now add in a lethal dose of a not so worn out Bryant and the Lakers have a blueprint for winning back-to-back titles.

That, at least, is my two cents worth for getting the Lakers over the top.  Is the Cleveland job still open?

LeBron lets talk...