Lakers' defensive shift keeps Westbrook in check
Even though Kevin Durant was the Oklahoma City Thunder player who finished second in the NBA MVP voting, it was Russell Westbrook who really crushed the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
So the Lakers came back in Game 2 Wednesday night with a new plan against Westbrook: No more Kobe Bryant trying to stay in front of Westbrook and fight solo through the picks set by the Thunder for Westbrook to come free.
The more aggressive plan headed by Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake worked beautifully, as Westbrook was held to 5-of-17 shooting from the field and just four assists, but the Lakers still lost 77-75 with a late-game meltdown and Durant and James Harden stepping up for the Thunder.
The Lakers trail the series 2-0 with back-to-back games lined up at Staples Center on Friday and Saturday nights.
Bryant didn't deliver a monster offensive game despite not having to chase Westbrook. He made some mistakes down the stretch and finished with 20 points on 9-of-25 shooting. Sessions and Blake were also shaky on offense.
"It's a tough loss, but the biggest thing for us was that we found some things out defensively that we feel we can do that are effective," Bryant said.
