Reason #2: Chris Paul may have re-injured his shoulder in Game 5
Phoenix officials say Paul’s shoulder will be fine for Game 6. Obviously, nothing else they would say would dispel the notion Paul is okay. If Paul turns out to be more hurt than what was let on, Lakers swingman Wesley Matthews will be as despised as former Lakers great Robert Horry in the eyes of Phoenix Suns fans.
Game 3 of this series may as well have been in 2007. People forget the Phoenix Suns are still not anywhere near as potent without a healthy Chris Paul. If Paul is in visible pain, the series will shift in the Lakers favor provided LeBron James and Anthony Davis are close to their usual form
Reason #3: The Los Angeles Lakers still have LeBron James
LeBron James has made the NBA Finals in nine consecutive playoff appearances. Only Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics squad has more NBA Finals appearances. Back in Russell’s day, there were only eight NBA teams and the league had not been fully integrated.
Yes, LeBron is injured. His high ankle sprain will probably not heal until the season is over. Father Time may or may not be catching up to him. None of his players can buy a basket even if they were on sale at Wal-Mart.
Who cares? He can still do this anytime he wants against a smallish Suns front line. Even if his ankle is clearly slowing down his explosiveness at the rim.
Mood. #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/hgMMUFrVIx
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 28, 2021
LeBron is too big! Ain’t nobody can stop King James when he gets a full head of steam at the basket. Even if he is not as fast and explosive as he has been throughout his career, his power is still going to overwhelm any Phoenix defender who guards him straight up.
He had to go through three Phoenix defenders at all times in Game 5. Nobody else was willing to shoot the ball from outside of 15 feet.
Then again, nobody else wanted to be out there on the court. Their bodies were in Phoenix but their minds were in Los Angeles.
If their minds are still in Los Angeles, the Lakers can scheme up some adjustments to throw Phoenix off balance. The Lakers tried to make adjustments on the fly but “tried” and “Lakers” should not ever be in the same sentence when analyzing Game 5.