Phoenix Suns WCF Destruction Day After Links

It's only one game. But one more game like that and it's all over but the playing for the pride. The Suns defense has got to step up and play better. Amare on Odom was painful to re-watch this morning. Rotations and activity were low. But I still think there's not much else you can do with Kobe when he's on like that. If he's hitting those shots on a consistent basis...

LA played like the more desperate team, the hungrier team, and angrier team while the Suns looked tentative and cautious. No aggression on the defensive end. I am still not unhappy with the Suns offense. They got plenty of good looks in the half court. More stops will lead to more transition buckets. It's all about defending better.

Time to find out if this really is the same old Suns team.

• Behind the Box Score, where Kobe was in charge - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
  All helped, all attacked, all got with the program, but this was Kobe's show. And this tail-whupping is the perfect example of the sort of game I've been begging Kobe to come through with, all season. I've never had a problem with Bryant shooting too much, but I have had problems (this year, more than most) with him going at getting those shots the wrong way. Monday was the right way. He made quick decisions with the ball, lost himself within the offense, and then popped out long enough to rip the hearts out of the Suns defenders
• Robin Lopez: back in action - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
  "Obviously I would’ve preferred to win, but my wind felt OK," Lopez said after his first game since March 26. "There was no pain or soreness out there when I was playing. I was surprised at how good I felt out there."
• Breaking down the history of Phil Jackson's mind-over-officiating skills - ESPN
  Question is, does it work? Is Jackson, in fact, a mental master of puppets? Or is he just whiny?
• Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers scorch Phoenix Suns in Game 1 blowout| Valley of the Suns
  Kobe Bryant scored 40 points as the Los Angeles Lakers' offense torched the Phoenix Suns in a 128-107 blowout in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
• Actor David Arquette toppled at Los Angeles Lakers game - ESPN Los Angeles
  Eyewitnesses describe Arquette as a "peacemaker" after he was knocked to the ground trying to help a security guard who'd been pinned to the ground by a fan who rushed the court
• Forum Blue And Gold " Lakers/Suns Game 1: Three More Like That, Please
  If Odom can perform even close to as well as he did tonight in the rest of the games of this series, the Suns are truly going to struggle to defend the Lakers.
• 2010 NBA Playoffs: Phoenix Suns may be to classy to beat the Los Angeles Lakers - ESPN Los Angeles
  We believed, coming into this series, this version of the Suns was tougher and grittier despite the noticeable drop off in their Q-rating. They actually met a few defensive sets they liked. And, maybe even a few elbows they wouldn't run from.
• Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez had successful return; Channing Frye struggled
  They not only expected but needed a whole lot more from the club's backup center, Channing Frye, in a 128-107 loss that gave the Lakers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
• For Nash, a chance to cement his legacy " Saving the Skyhook
  If Nash and the Suns can come out on top, the fruit will be that much sweeter. After all, they are coming off an improbable series sweep over the San Antonio Spurs, who had previously plagued the Suns in the postseason this decade. Ousting the Lakers, knocking the championship monkey off his back, and finally enshrining himself in the peak tier of NBA greats in the process?
• Kobe shows Amar'e how to play like a star
  Make no mistake. Stoudemire had some standout moments. But a series such as this demands a standout game and the Suns forward didn't deliver.
• Phoenix Suns wound too tight for success in Game 1
  "We've got to look at ourselves in the mirror, watch film, get better," Stoudemire said. It's only one game. But it felt like the Suns lost some respect and credibility along the way. And there's only one way to get that back.
• Phoenix Suns crushed by Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1
  After a week with plenty of hope and no fear, the Suns gave a defensive performance that belied four months of hard work
• Same Old Suns: Lakers Dominate, 128 to 107 - Silver Screen and Roll
  The Phoenix Suns tonight suffered what Wall Street types refer to as a "market correction." A few blowouts over an injury-depleted Trail Blazers team in the first round, followed by a second-round sweep of a Spurs squad older than the city of San Antonio itself, engendered irrational exuberance among Suns fans, not to mention a series of shaky hypotheses about how Phoenix would overwhelm the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Suns play defense now! A rested Steve Nash would abuse Derek Fisher! Grant Hill is the ideal defender to slow down Kobe Bryant!