5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Lakers at Jazz, Game 3 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Lakers-Jazz Western Conference Semifinals Game 3 this evening.

1. How Do You Stop The Unstoppable: Ronnie Brewer can't guard Kobe Bryant. Don't get me wrong. I love, love, love Brewer's game. He's what I envision in the small guard of my dreams. But Shoals was on to something when he said that Kobe was the only player that could win on talent alone. When he's amped, there's no stopping him. This is how good he has become, a point where if he's having one of those hurricane-like nights, it's all over but the shouting. You might as well pack up and go home. So there's no use putting a player that could be better used elsewhere on him. Conversely, do you see Vlad Radmanovic going to the rack? Do you see him slashing and taking people off the dribble? No. He's a spot up shooting guard in a lunatic's clothing. Put Brewer on him and let Andrei Kirilenko work Kobe. Kobe will still make the Mad Russian look ridiculous, but at least your overall matchups are better and it puts AK closer to intercepting a pass to Odom with his length. Strength in small victories.

2. The Word Is "Juggernaut": The Lakers lead all teams in the playoffs with 114.7 points a game. The Lakers lead all teams in the playoffs with 49.1% field goals shooting per game. The Lakers lead all teams in the playoffs with 26.5 assists per game. The Lakers are second among playoff teams with 43% three point shooting per game. Starting to get that mental picture yet, are you? Here's a hint. A big, mobile armored tank with lots of guns and spikes and a flamethrower. And a great stereo. It's pretty simple. The Lakers aren't going to struggle unless the meet a playoff team that can actually play a lick of defense against them. And this Utah Jazz team doesn't necessarily play defense, so much as they just ...

3. Hack-A-Everyone-In-Sight-Including-Themselves: The Jazz know Kobe's going to get some calls, especially at Staples. That's pretty predictable. But apparently they decided to just hack everything in sight as a result. If they want to contain the Laker offense, they need to stop sending them to the line so often. Disciplined, smart, tough defense is a staple of Jerry Sloan and his teaching, but lately they've been tough, and not much else. With the hometown stroke, the Jazz need to keep their heads, stay in front of their man, and not take useless swipes at people.

4. Oh, Hey Derek: Derek Fisher returns tonight, and there's certainly been a lot of discussion about him in SLC. Some think there's every reason to boo him. Others think Utah fans should lay off. It's a tricky subject, a lot trickier than the media has made it out to be. I will say that when I found out that most of the important special treatments for his daughter were in New York, I changed my tune a little bit. That makes the LA return a little questionable. But then, I think to myself the same thing I always think in these situations. "Whatever you feel you have to do for your family is what you should do." That's what I'd tell my friends, that's what I'd tell my family, and that's what I would tell Derek Fisher. So I can't fault the guy for it and neither should Jazz fans. That said, he's still a Laker trying to knock you out of the playoffs, so feel free to boo him for that as mercilessly as you want. And every time a piece of inside info nets another turnover.

5. Are You Man Or Memo?: Pau Gasol is averaging 21 points a game, the most among still active centers in the playoffs. He's getting rebounds, he's passing effectively, and he's killing the Jazz. Mehmet Okur is crashing the boards, but little else. In the Houston series, I said Okur had to get nasty down low, and he did. It was a reason for the Jazz's ability to bully the Rockets. But now, against a less physical team, Okur just seems lost. He needs to get his head on straight and commit to sticking Gasol if the Jazz are going to have a prayer in this series.