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The Lakers patiently worked the ball to Andrew Bynum, who had established position deep in the post. He took a dribble, rotated his massive shoulders to the baseline and lofted a feathery right-handed jump hook that just rimmed out.

A split second later, Ty Lawson was laying the ball in over a frantic, backpedaling defender.

The six-second exchange during the first quarter of Game 2 encapsulates the dramatic clash in styles these two teams present. The Lakers are going to pound away on the undersized Nuggets inside, and Denver’s only hope is to speed up the game by racing the ball up the court at every opportunity.

Its best opportunity to do that will come against the Lakers’ second unit, which has trouble controlling the pace when either Bynum or Gasol goes to the bench.

Enter Andre Miller, Al Harrington and Corey Brewer.

These three substitutes have been on the court for most of Denver’s best moments and are setting a great example for how they and their teammates can make this series more competitive.

Miller is about as slow as NBA point guards come, but he understands something very important: no one is faster than the ball. Miller's vision is world class, and he has an uncanny ability to delicately float the ball up court, over the defense and into the hands of his playmakers.

Without the relatively plodding Laker big men clogging up the paint, the Nuggets’ streaking wings have found success attacking the rim.

None more so than Brewer, who seems to have a perfect grasp on the Nuggets’ gameplan. On defense, Brewer has been a disruptive force, all flailing limbs and scrambling, quick feet. Even when he gets caught out of position, it seems to be in a way that creates the type of unsettled situations that benefit Denver. And as soon as a shot goes up, Brewer takes off up court, sprinting down the sidelines before the ball even reaches the rim.

Brewer’s aggressive work in the open court earned him five transition layup attempts in Game 2, a few on the type of over-the-shoulder passes that made him look like a wide receiver running a fly pattern past a flat-footed safety. Miller was the quarterback.

The Lakers have won both games, but the Nuggets have outscored Lakers with Brewer and Miller together on the floor. And when the Nuggets add a big man with 3-point shooting ability like Harrington, they’ve done even better. Harrington can jog into an open 3 as a trailer on the fast break, or offer crucial spacing in the Nuggets’ dribble-drive attack.

The Miller-Brewer-Harrington combination has outscored the Lakers by 16 points and is the only three-man Nuggets combination that has a positive plus/minus in extended court time.

So though Los Angeles has dominated the series thus far, the Nuggets have shown they know how to counteract the Lakers' size.

And luckily, Miller, Brewer and Harrington aren’t the only Denver players that have the requisite skill sets. In fact, they share many qualities with the Nuggets who start the game.

After a shaky start to Game 1, Lawson has shown more confidence advancing the ball quickly with the pass or dribble. Arron Afflalo has plenty of athleticism to beat the Lakers up court and finish plays when he gets there. Danilo Gallinari is a career 37 percent 3-point shooter who can slide to the power forward position.

The pieces are in place. As the Nuggets head to the friendly confines of Denver’s Pepsi Center, they must hope their young starters can take a few cues from their effective, veteran substitutes.

Statistical support provided by NBA.com.

HoopIdea wants to #StopTheFlop. To spotlight the biggest fakers, we present Flop of the Night. You can help us separate the pretenders from the defenders -- details below:

Chants of "Beat LA!" careened from the rafters of the Pepsi Center in Denver. A two-point game hung in the balance as two point guards, Chris Paul and Andre Miller, readied themselves for the final minute of action.

What transpired next was one of the great sequences in flop history. An epic flop-off between Paul and Miller the likes of which we may never see again (until the playoffs, at least). It starts with Chris Paul, who was voted Most Floppy Player by the TrueHoop Network. As Paul works off a ball screen, Arron Affalo slides to cut him off, somehow sending Paul flying. Though Paul didn't get the call, he did keep his dribble even as he embraced the floor.

Not to be outdone, and with his Nuggets in desperate need of another possession, Andre Miller went for a classic "stop and flop." Attempting to draw an offensive foul on Paul, Miller acts as though the bit of contact Paul makes with him is equivalent to bring trucked by Adrian Peterson.

Not only did referee Zach Zarba not buy Miller's flop, he then whistled Miller for reaching (from his seat on the hardwood), sending Paul to the line for the game-clinching freethrows.

In an ironic twist, replay suggests Paul was already losing the ball when Miller stuck his arm out, which would have likely given the Nuggets a layup to tie the game.

When you see an egregious flop that deserves proper recognition, send us a link to the video so we can consider it for Flop of the Night. Here's how to make your submission:

• Alert HoopIdea to super flops with the Twitter hashtag #FlopOfTheNight (follow us on Twitter here).
• Use the #FlopOfTheNight hashtag in Daily Dime Live.
• E-mail us at hoopidea@gmail.com

Being a big man in the NBA is an exercise in problem solving.

A defender is fronting you and preventing an easy entry pass from your point guard? Problem. You're getting double-teamed the instant you catch a pass down low? Another problem. The defense is rotating along the baseline before you can get into your move? That's a problem too.

For most of LaMarcus Aldridge's career in high school and college, the solution to most of these problems was pretty simple. Aldridge would get the ball just off the left block, then bang his man into submission with his left shoulder. A couple of dribbles, rise and release -- sometimes with a right hook, at other times with a turnaround jumper.

Finding his shot wasn't all that difficult because he never had to look very hard for it. But NBA defenses have a way of complicating that process. They'll send ridiculously big guys on a one-way fare from the weak side baseline to your left shoulder before you even catch the ball. And banging your primary defender isn't nearly as much fun when he's got 25 pounds on you, which many of Aldridge's counterparts did.

Aldridge was still effective over his first few seasons in Portland, but there were nights when he'd allow a more rugged defender or a targeted defensive game plan to frustrate him. If his shot wasn't there, it wasn't there. And there wasn't much he could do about it, he thought.

But last season, Aldridge's game blossomed. It wasn't just that he became more comfortable challenging defenders one-on-one in the low post. Aldridge started to find shots in places he never bothered to look. He began the process of problem-solving.

On Tuesday night, Aldridge dominated the Thunder during Portland's big road win in Oklahoma City. He scored 30 points on 10 for 19 shooting from the field, and a 10-for-12 effort at the stripe.

Was it effortless? No. Aldridge worked for those points. When Nick Collison stood his ground, absorbing every one of those left shoulder bumps as Aldridge tried to back him in, the ball was kicked back up top to Raymond Felton. Then, before the Thunder's ball-side defense could regroup, Aldridge laid out a screen for Felton on Russell Westbrook, then spun on his right foot and took off for the hoop. Easy pocket pass, then a nifty reverse finish for Aldridge after sealing off the baseline against Nazr Mohammad.

Throughout the early season, we've seen Aldridge kill opponents with 'Plan Bs.' Take the game at Sacramento last week, when a defiant Chuck Hayes kept pushing Aldridge off his favorite spot on the left side. What did Aldridge do? He flashed to the foul line, where Felton fed him for some easy face-up jump shots. Problem solved.

If you ask Aldridge why it seems as if he's having an easier time identifying opportunities he might not have seen a couple years back, he'll tell you it's a process of maturation.

"It’s growth," Aldridge said on Sunday night in Los Angeles. "I know I have to get touches and I know I have to score. So if they’re double-teaming me, I know that, if I duck in, I can get my jump hook more easily."

Reps matter, as does playing alongside a vet like Marcus Camby, whom Aldridge credits for helping him understands the intricacies of the Big Man Arts. But Aldridge reserves his most generous praise for former Portland point guard Andre Miller.

When Aldridge would encounter impossible situations on the floor, Miller would address him during a timeout with specific directions out of the bog.

"He not only knows where to find you, he’ll tell you where to go," Aldridge said.

Miller doesn't like to talk, which Aldridge said made those instructions even more consequential. If Miller felt strongly enough to offer counsel, it was for a reason.

"Teams are fronting me or double-teaming me…he was like, ‘Don’t fight it. Just go to the rim, I’ll find you,’" Aldridge said. "And I was like, ‘I can’t even see you,’ And he said, ‘Just go to the rim. I’ll throw it there.’"

That little bit of advice helped Aldridge perfect his crafty spin move to the rim, where he catches a lob, then throws it down.

"There was a game at home -- I think against Orlando. I was getting double-teamed on the catch and I had, like, zero shots going into the second quarter. Andre said, ‘This time don’t even fight. Just go to the rim.’ So I slipped to the rim and ..."

Aldridge had a big smile on his face as he punctuated the sequence. He then shook his head.

"It’s crazy playing with [Miller]," Aldridge said.

Early on, Aldridge has been pleased with Felton, Miller's replacement -- particularly in pick-and-roll play. But Aldridge recognizes that it will take some time before the two cultivate the kind of chemistry he had with Miller.

When told that Miller consistently ranks at the top of the list of guards who rack up quality assists and improve the field goal percentage of his teammates, Aldridge wasn't the least bit surprised. These are rarified stats that don't pop up in box scores -- very few casual observers know this stuff. Most players probably don't even know it.

“But the big knows it!" Aldridge said. "I know it!”

After 17 wins in 18 games since the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers lost their second straight game Tuesday falling to the Utah Jazz by one point. Kobe Bryant scored 20+ points for the eighth straight game, but had seven turnovers including one on the Lakers' last possession.

The 86-85 loss was the Lakers' first loss at STAPLES Center against the Jazz in their last 18 meetings including the playoffs. Prior to Tuesday, New Year's Day 2006 was Utah's last road win against the Lakers. The Lakers have lost back-to-back home games for the first time since January 28-30 when Sacramento and Boston defeated them. The loss also dropped L.A. 3 ½ games back of the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Jazz also ended an eight-game losing streak. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time in 44 years that an NBA team ended a losing streak of at least eight games with a road win against the Lakers. In February 1967 the Bulls took an eight-game losing streak into the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and defeated a Lakers team that featured Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, 133-119.

Meanwhile the other L.A. team, the Clippers, defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 82-81. Blake Griffin scored 15 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for his 60th double-double this season. He joins Shaquille O'Neal as the only players since the NBA/ABA merger with 60 double-doubles in their rookie season. O'Neal had 68 back in the 1992-93 season with Orlando.

Also, the Washington Wizards have won three consecutive games for the first time since April 2008, a span of 244 games. This after beating the Detroit Pistons 107-105. The Elias Sports Bureau tells us that was the most consecutive games without a three-game winning streak in NBA history. The previous record was held by the 76ers, who went 243 games without winning three in a row from October 1971 to March 1974.

Finally, Deron Williams had 21 assists for the Nets Tuesday night, his fifth career 20-assist game, his first with New Jersey. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one other active player has had a 20-assist game for two different teams: Andre Miller had one for Cleveland (Dec. 15, 2001) and one for Denver (Dec. 8, 2006).

It's looking more and more like Carmelo Anthony will remain in Denver until the Feb. 24 trade deadline, and after all this time, the New Jersey Nets remain the Nuggets' preferred trading partner.

The Nets and Nuggets have discussed various trade scenarios, and just before Christmas they nearly worked out a three-team deal involving the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to league sources.

The Nets have a standing offer of rookie Derrick Favors, two first-round draft picks and Troy Murphy on the table, but last month, sources said the Nuggets aren't interested in Murphy because they would inherit the remaining $8 million on his expiring contract. So the Nets brought in Cleveland and its $14.5 million trade exception.

Denver would have received Favors, Devin Harris and three first-round picks. Cleveland would have received Murphy and one or two first-round picks, and the Nets would have received Anthony, Al Harrington and the Cavaliers' trade exception, the sources said.

Beyond the sticking point of Anthony’s accepting or refusing to sign the long-term extension with New Jersey, the deal fell apart because both Denver and Cleveland wanted the 2012 first-round pick the Nets got from Golden State in the Marcus Williams trade. That pick is protected through the first seven slots.

While Denver never asked for the Nets' five first-round picks, New Jersey might have wound up sending those five picks to the Nuggets and the Cavs. Losing all those first-rounders makes the Nets squeamish, as does not getting back a point guard if they have to give up Harris.

Because it has Ty Lawson, Denver doesn't have much need for Harris. But the Nuggets were hoping they might be able to send Harris, whom Portland covets, to the Trail Blazers for Andre Miller and Nicolas Batum, according to sources. It was likely wishful thinking because Portland has no intention of moving Batum.

While Chauncey Billups' name has been mentioned with Anthony's in trade rumors, Billups' desire is to remain in Denver, which is his hometown.

There's some feeling throughout the league that the Nuggets' lack of interest in Murphy will subside by the trade deadline because by then, he'll be owed only about $3.5 million this season.

While the Nets remain enamored with Anthony, there are some within the organization who wonder if the club might be better off keeping Favors and its five first-round picks and building through the draft. In the end, however, if the Nets can get Anthony, they'll pull the trigger.

New York still in Melo hunt

The Knicks remain Anthony's preferred destination, but the superstar forward also wants that three-year, $64.4 million contract extension. Leon Rose, Anthony's agent, has discussed trade scenarios with the Knicks and Nets, and the Knicks have tried to use the probable lockout to their advantage.

With the owners hoping to make current contracts fit within the confines of the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks are telling Rose that Anthony's $64.4 million extension may not be worth that much anyway, that it may get slashed once the new CBA is in place. So, of course, why not just wait and sign with the Knicks as a free agent, or so New York's argument goes.

Around the league, executives are skeptical about the Knicks' chances of trading for Anthony. Denver remains cold toward a Knicks offer, and while New York insists it can get a first-round pick (most likely for Anthony Randolph), rival executives are saying, "Why haven't they gotten the pick yet?''

Phil and Ron

People close to Ron Artest say his confrontation with coach Phil Jackson during a Lakers practice a week-and-a-half ago stemmed from Artest's sincere belief that if Jackson is going to call him out publicly, he should also call other players out publicly.

Everyone in Lakers Nation knew Jackson was holding his tongue in regards to Kobe Bryant's one-on-one play, so Artest figured Jackson should have held his tongue about him as well, at least publicly.

Artest let Jackson know as much when they met privately after the confrontation, and perhaps that's why Jackson made his Kobe "screwed up the game'' comments a few days later.

While the confrontation made huge news, neither Artest, Jackson nor the rest of the organization viewed it as being a big deal.

It’s no secret that playing alongside Andre Miller frustrates Brandon Roy. Miller keeps Roy from handling the ball as much as he wants and doesn’t spread the floor enough for Roy’s liking.

After Monday’s loss to Memphis, Roy all but blamed his struggles this season on Miller, saying “I wasn't that slow until you put a guy who is kind of slow next to me. I've always been kind of slow. Not to be controversial at all, but I was slow my rookie year, and now it's ...’’

Roy, who’s lacked the explosiveness we’ve seen from him in the past, apologized for his comments two days later, but his frustration remains -- and Wednesday’s four-point performance in another L at Dallas certainly didn’t improve his mindset.

But is Roy frustrated enough to leave Portland?

Depends on who you ask.

One plugged-in person with knowledge of Portland’s inner workings told me Roy spoke with Blazers management less than two weeks ago about the need for Miller and him to part ways. While Roy did not issue a trade demand or request, I’m told he said something to this effect:

This is not going to work, so you should trade one of us. Whether it’s him or whether it’s me, somebody needs to be traded because this is not going to work.

Portland general manager Rich Cho, as well as Roy’s agent, Bob Myers, denied that such a discussion ever happened.

“It’s not true,’’ Cho said on Thursday.

Whether Roy made those comments or not, it’s unlikely that he’d be the player on the move because Miller’s trade value is much higher. Not only is Miller having another strong season, averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 assists, but there’s a team option on the $7.8 million the Blazers owe him next year. So essentially, the 34-year-old point guard is on an expiring contract.

As for Roy, well, his trade value has never been lower.

Slowed by his bad knee, Roy is having the worst season of his five-year career, averaging a career-low 16.6 points on career-low 39.9 percent shooting. Drained of some of his athleticism, he’s been turned largely into a jump shooter.

But that’s not the worst part. Doctors have told the Blazers that Roy’s knee isn’t likely to improve and sources say the feeling within the organization is that he’ll never return to the 22-point per game, perennial All-Star he was the past two seasons.

On top of that, Roy is in the first-year of a five-year, $82.3 million contract extension. And sources say his knees are not insured.

Add to all that the fact that Roy’s publicly criticized the team’s personnel, and you get a player that no club is likely to trade for.

“People would respect Roy more if he came out and said, ‘I’m not playing well, it starts with me, I’ve got to do a better job on both ends of floor,’’ one league executive said.

I’m told that Roy respects Miller’s game but that he just doesn’t think the two of them are a good fit. Roy wants to handle the ball like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. And think about it, none of those guys have ever played next to a good, ball-dominating point guard like Miller.

“He knows ‘Dre is good,’’ a person close to Roy said. “But he feels that most of the elite-level two-guards are better with the ball in their hands.’’

With teams -- Dallas and Orlando, in addition to New York and New Jersey -- trying to put together trade packages for Carmelo Anthony, Portland’s phone is ringing off the hook. The Blazers have several assets that would be desirable in a three- or four-team deal. Wonder if Miller could be one of them.

Josh is smooth in Hawks win

Although there were only seven games in the NBA Tuesday night, there was no shortage of great notes.

Take Josh Smith, for example, who scored a season-high 34 points in the Atlanta Hawks' 116-101 victory over the New Jersey Nets.

Smith shot 14-16 from the floor, and over the last four seasons, only three other players have scored at least 34 points on at least 14-16 shooting: Amar'e Stoudemire (this season), Chris Bosh (2007-08) and Kevin Martin (2007-08).

The Hawks shot 60.3 percent from the floor in the win, just the fourth team in the NBA to do so this season.

Atlanta also continues to get it done despite the absence of Joe Johnson, improving to 4-1 without their star. Both Smith and Jamal Crawford had season highs in scoring.

FROM THE ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU: Smith became the first Hawks player with a game of that many points (34) and that high a FG pct (87.5 pct) in more than 55 years, since Hall-of-Famer Bob Pettit scored 34 points while making 12 of 13 shots (92.3 percent) on March 14, 1955.

Pettit’s performance came in a 99-84 win over the Philadelphia Warriors, in a neutral-site game played in Albany, New York. What made the game especially noteworthy is that it was the final game played by the Hawks while representing Milwaukee.

Less than 2 months later, it was announced that the team would move from Milwaukee to St. Louis for the 1955-56 season; it then moved to Atlanta in 1968.

Texas Ten-Step

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks' 105-100 win over the Golden State Warriors gave them 10 straight wins.

It’s the eighth time dating back to the 2001-02 season that the Mavericks have had a 10-game win streak, tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the most in the NBA over that span.

That 10-game win streak was enough to move the Mavericks from fifth to second place in the Western Conference.

Miller time ends

Finally, Andre Miller was suspended for the Portland Trail Blazers’ 106-99 win over the Phoenix Suns after his hit on Blake Griffin in Portland’s last game.

That’s important because it snapped Miller’s streak of 632 consecutive games played, which was the longest active streak in the NBA.

Derek Fisher is now the NBA’s new iron man, having played in his 434th consecutive game in Tuesday night’s Los Angeles Lakers' win. The New Orleans Hornets' Jarrett Jack moves to second, with 309 straight games played.

In the Miami Heat's first loss of the season, the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo had 17 assists. On Friday, Chris Paul had 19 assists, just the fifth player with at least 19 assists against the Heat, and the first since Andre Miller had 20 on Dec. 8, 2006.

Dwyane Wade committed a season-high seven turnovers, and much of the credit goes to Marco Belinelli. The offseason acquisition forced five of Wade’s seven turnovers and did his best to keep Wade off the free throw line, where he scored 13 of his game-high 28 points.

The Heat still have not allowed 100 points in a game this season, but on Friday the New Orleans Hornets shot 49.4 percent from the floor and scored 50 of their 96 points in the paint. Both were season-highs against the Heat in their first six games.

The Heat have been at their best when they have been efficient in the half-court. In four wins, Miami has shot 47.9 percent from the floor and scored 87.8 points in its half-court offense. In two losses, the Heat have shot just 36.7 percent from the floor, scoring 71.0 points.

Emeka Okafor's 92.3 field goal percent (12-13 FG) is the highest in Hornets' franchise history for a player who took at least 13 shots.

Elsewhere in the NBA:
Anderson Varejao joins Zydrunas Ilgauskas (2007-08) as the second Cleveland Cavalier in the last 25 seasons to go 10-for-10 from the floor.

The Cavaliers have won eight straight road games against the Philadelphia 76ers. That's tied for the fourth-longest road win streak any team has ever had against the 76ers. However, that's not even the Cavs longest road win streak against Philadelphia. From 1991-97, Cleveland won 12 straight games in Philadelphia.

Dwight Howard (30 points, 16 rebounds) now has 23, 30-15 games since his rookie season in 2004-05. That's by far the most in the NBA during that span. Next on the list are Yao Ming and Zach Randolph, each with 12.

From the Elias Sports Bureau: With seven assists on Friday, John Wall has 38 in his first four games, only Oscar Robertson had more (40) in his first four games. However, Wall has committed 17 turnovers in the last two games after turning it over just three times in each of his first two games.

Denver assistant coach Adrian Dantley didn't have a particularly triumphant 2010 postseason. Dantley was handed the first chair after head coach George Karl took a leave of absence to receive cancer treatment, but the Nuggets were outwitted during their first-round series against Utah and promptly bounced from the playoffs a year after taking the Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals.

For all the trouble Dantley had maintaining tactical control over his squad in the series, he had a knack of boiling down complicated questions with plainspoken wisdom. After Jazz point guard Deron Williams shredded the Nuggets with a high pick-and-roll attack, Dantley was asked to evaluate his big men's pick-and-roll defense. Dantley thought about the question for a second, then rubbed his cheek before explaining that NBA big men were uniquely unsuited to defending the pick-and-roll. That's the whole point. That's the reason almost every team in the real runs a high pick-and-roll 60 or 70 times per game. And Dantley wasn't about to publicly kill his front court for not having the coordination or footwork to backpedal against one of the most capable point guards in the world.

A couple of months later, Vinny Del Negro emerged as a top candidate for the Los Angeles Clippers' head coaching vacancy. One of the criticisms commonly leveled at Del Negro was a lack of offensive creativity in Chicago. Naysayers pointed out that the Bulls ran a predictable series of middle pick-and-rolls for Derrick Rose and little else, but Del Negro's defenders would tell you that it would've been malpractice for him not to run a high screen for Rose almost every time downcourt. Since the Bulls had few other offensive assets on the floor, a 1-5 pick-and-roll for Rose was far and away the unit's best opportunity to score on a given possession, even though the big men for Chicago rolling to the hoop lacked offensive polish.

Maybe Del Negro's supporters have a point. Rely on the high pick-and-roll exclusively as Del Negro did, and you're obtuse. But ride it to success, the way Stan Van Gundy has in Orlando in recent seasons, and you're a genius. Few teams have gotten more mileage out of a high screen from its center for its point guard at the top of the floor -- or the 1-5 pick-and-roll -- than the Magic have with Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard.

Using FastDraw, Eddy Rivera of Magic Basketball has diagramed some of Orlando's primary sets predicated on the 1-5 pick-and-roll, and has linked to a corresponding video for each play.

A suggestion: Watch each clip twice. On first viewing, take a look at the primary action -- how Nelson and Howard (and often Rashard Lewis with a staggered screen) initiate the screen-and-roll. But on the second viewing, watch what's happening off the ball, especially after the defense collapses on Nelson. That's what separates Orlando's execution from lesser teams. It's important to note that talent plays a role. For instance, Orlando has uncommonly good shooters spaced along the perimeter at the 2, 3 and 4 positions. But good teams, even in the absence of knockdown shooters from long distance, can still manufacture quality offense off the ball in these sets. It generally requires smart reads, something you see when Boston runs stuff up top for Rajon Rondo, or when San Antonio utilizes the high screen for its ball handlers.

Now that you've seen the offense in action, take a look at Sebastian Pruiti's manual at NBA Playbook on how to defend the pick-and-roll. Pruiti looks at traditional methods for defending the pick-and-roll -- hedging and switching. But the most interesting element in this primer focuses on Tom Thibodeau's aggressive tactic -- blitzing the point guard off the action, something more and more teams are doing. One NBA coach told me last season that the frenetic trap or "blueing" the screen (an attempt to get between the point guard and the pick man to force the point guard sideline) is really a NBA defense's only option against the league's young speedsters. "Penetration is what kills you in the half court," the coach said. "Keep the guy out of the paint and you have a fighting chance."

Sounds well and good, but a blitz leaves the back side of the defense vulnerable. They essentially have to zone up in a 3-on-4 scheme, something that requires heady defenders who know how to make smart decisions in a snap. Most NBA offenses can swing the ball around the floor in a flash, even against pressure. Unless there's a defender who can quickly rotate onto the open man or pick up the weak side cutter (which, in turn, means that another defender must rotate onto that defender's man), there's likely to be a breakdown.

As the Lakers and Celtics worked their way through the bracket last spring, it became increasingly clear that we don't pay enough attention to a player's skills as a team defender after the initial action (most frequently a high screen-and-roll). Here's where I believe guys like an aging Jason Kidd, Luol Deng, Andre Miller or Kyle Korver get short shrift. None of these players can be fairly regarded as a lockdown defender, but you have to watch a lot of film before you see them make an ill-advised decision late in a possession, long after the base defense has broken down.

By Andrew R. Tonry of Portland Roundball Society


At 617 consecutive games and counting, Andre Miller is the NBA's Iron Man. In the dozen seasons of his career thus far, injuries have forced him to miss a scant three games. Derek Fisher, who trails Miller on the active games played list, is almost 200 games back.

Nobody knows about withstanding the rigors of the NBA like Miller. So, what kind of fitness guru is he? What's his secret? Should every player mimic whatever it is the 34-year-old point guard does in the offseason?

Most experts would advise against it.

"I have no regimen," Miller says. After the season ends, so does Miller's working out -- no weights, no cardio, no nothing. "I really don't pick up a basketball."

Eating right also falls by the wayside. "(My diet) isn't healthy at all," Miller says. "Hamburgers, hot links on the Fourth of July, all that."

To control his weight, however, Miller uses old-fashioned discipline. "I starve myself," he says.

Seriously? "Yeah, I'm just starting to learn about calories and all that."

David Thorpe, executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Florida, suspects Miller may have a genetic advantage.

"When they cut open Secretariat -- the most amazing horse of all time -- his heart was one and a half times bigger than that of the average thoroughbred," says Thorpe. The same sort of thing may be true of Miller, says Thorpe. Perhaps his skeletal system and soft tissues are optimal for the rigors of the NBA.

Then there's Miller's style of play.

"A lot of guys get hurt because they're trying to make an athletic play and they pull a muscle, they lose their balance in mid-air, or during an explosive burst of speed they get hit or fall awkwardly," says Thorpe. "He hasn't relied on athleticism for a long, long time. He's beating you with craft and his mind, which is excellent."

It's not that the veteran guard doesn't get his fair share of bumps. Against the Pistons in November, Miller twisted both ankles. The pain was enough to leave him writhing around on the court. On the bench he refused treatment, which is his most common reaction when approached by a trainer. He would finish the game.

Miller's unique approach has gotten him this far, but Thorpe can't help but wonder what a disciplined off-season routine might do.

"If you went down whatever consensus list for the top 50 players of all time there would be only one common thread, and that'd be guys that played all the time, and trained and worked hard," says Thorpe. "I don't think you'd have any Andre Millers in that group."

Naturally, Miller has his own take.

"It's impossible to come into camp in game shape," Miller says. "I like to work into it."

More than that, the time away from basketball and working out affords Miller the opportunity to revitalize his competitive spirit and love for the game. There are risks, but Miller adds, "I don't want to burn myself out."

Amare Stoudemire is a certain kind of NBA big man. Call him an All-Star. Call him a multi-talent. Call him a bucket-getter, a shooter and a dunker.

He's all that and a bag of chips. But do not accuse him of shutting down the paint. That game is all about holding firm, building walls, reducing options and directing traffic. Stoudemire's special talent is breaking through walls, not building them.

The question is: What kind of big man do you play alongside Stoudemire? A big paint-patrolling behemoth, like say, Shaquille O'Neal, drags down the tempo of Steve Nash and company, and eats up the real estate around the rim that is integral to Nash's drive-and-kick game.

The Suns have experimented through the years. This season they found two players who fit. Robin Lopez has the energy, muscle, length and tenacity to hassle opponents around the rim, and Channing Frye has blossomed as a 3-point shooter.

But Lopez is out with a bad back, and likely will miss the entire first round.

The Suns recognize they have a problem. Frye is their "next best" big man. Why not just play him?

The theory here is that Frye and Stoudemire together give opponents too much access to the paint, where there are all kinds of rebounds and easy scoring opportunities.

So the Suns did something a bit desperate and odd three weeks ago: They declared an emergency and broke the glass surrounding Jarron Collins. His skill is to be large and a little mean, and to patrol the parts of the neighborhood Stoudemire can't. The Suns seldom give him the ball, and despite letting him take the court with the starters, could hardly ask for less. Is there any other NBA starter who hasn't played more than 18 minutes in any game all season?

Against Portland in Sunday's Game 1, the Blazers had some luck in the paint, especially through Andre Miller and Jerryd Bayless layups, as well as never-ending possessions fueled by bunches of offensive rebounds. As Lopez and Collins looked on in street clothes, neither Frye nor Stoudemire nor gloom of night could keep those Blazers from their appointed rounds under the basket.

There was one Phoenix big man who frustrated the Blazers, though, and that was the high-energy benchwarmer Louis Amundson. As Amundson's ponytail bopped around the court, stifling drives, catching lobs and closing out shooters, Portland's interior game suffered.

There will be dozens of articles about the only series that started with a road team's win. Many will pinpoint key moments, like Miller's 3-pointer or Martell Webster's twin blocked shots near the end of the third.

But to me the essential moment came with 6:26 left. That's when Suns coach Alvin Gentry sat Amundson in favor of the shooter Frye. Phoenix is unapologetic in its commitment to offense, where Frye excels. But everyone in the building knew the substitution had the potential to hurt at the other end.

The game was tied at 83.

Things happen fast in the NBA. Little leaks in the defense can quickly flood. Miller, Bayless, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum ... The Blazers scored on eight of their next ten possessions to lead 99-92 less than five minutes later. Try as the visitors might to let the Suns back in over the final 1:29, the contest was decided.

The signature play of the run came off a Batum miss. Aldridge waltzed down the lane and flipped up an unlikely putback, which dropped in. It was a little lucky the shot fell, but it was no coincidence that Aldridge got to the hoop unimpeded. No Sun touched him, which will be something to think about for Game 2

ESPN NBA editor Royce Webb e-mailed that Andre Miller's performance in Monday night's Blazer win over Oklahoma City was "as impressive a game as I've seen all year." Miller has become a big part of the Trail Blazers -- especially (and this may soon be increasingly important) when Brandon Roy is out and the ball is Miller's to use as he see fits. Webb agreed to explain a bit more:

Ball don’t lie, box score don’t lie, plus/minus don’t lie, final score don’t lie. They all say that 34-year-old Andre Miller dominated up-and-comer Russell Westbrook last night: the old guy from the Y taking the decathlete to school, et cetera.

But what I noticed more than anything was Andre played to win, every second he was on the court. He’d play well, and then his replacement, Jerryd Bayless, would screw things up for a few minutes, and then Miller would come back in and resume reshaping the game to his will. That sort of supreme concentration is a difficult skill to learn, but last night the OKC kids saw what it looked like:

You probe incessantly and you find a way to get to the basket (and finish, for 9-of-16 FGs). If you get in a tough spot, you force contact on Kevin Durant and foul Serge Ibaka out of the game to lead a fourth-quarter comeback. You find teammates (seven assists). If you need to get a stop, you take the ball away (four steals, four defensive rebounds).

Lots of Portland folks were concerned that Miller’s introverted style would muck up the Blazers’ precious chemistry, but it’s becoming clear more than ever his ball-above-all personality has been a great tonic for a team of likeable young players. They could’ve gotten down and written the season off, but with cool cat Dre showing up every day and (along with Nate McMillan) giving this team a grittier way to play, they’ve quietly become the league’s most impressive nine-lives routine.

• The Spurs have been opting for a lot of small-ball lineups this season, to mixed results. Timothy Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell is "surprised to see that small ball treats San Antonio well, and more often than people want to admit," but also wonders whether the decision to put four perimeter players on the floor doesn't compromise the Spurs defensively: "It’s hard to funnel the guards into shot-blockers when they’re sitting on the bench..."
• The people have spoken on LeBron-Kobe.
• Kevin Durant describes Derrick Rose's dunk in Phoenix last night as "NBA live 2004-ish."
• Kevin Garnett returned to the floor for Boston last night. Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub notes that, after the game, KG was looking for feedback from teammates on his pick-and-roll defense: "One of the 25 best players ever, a member of the 20,000-point club ... comes back from an injury and he’s concerned most about…how well he’s jumping out to cut off penetration on screen/rolls? If Amaré Stoudemire made screen/roll defense, oh, I don’t know, the 27th-highest priority on his list, he might be someone people talk about as a great all-around player and franchise cornerstone."
• Kyle Weidie of Truth About It visited with Wizards' guard Mike James, who's been unhappy this season with his lack of playing time. James tells Weidie that, amid the disappointment, there's been one highlight: "James said the lone bright spot for him this season was when he played against the Pacers. Not because he actually got to play in an NBA game, but because he got to be on the court with A.J. Price, his basketball protégé with whom he often speaks. James and Price share a hometown in Amityville, NY, and James hopes that someone was able to capture a picture of the two on the floor together back on that early November night."
• New Orleans has had depth issues in recent seasons, but last night the reserves sparked the Hornets. Niall Doherty of Hornets247: "No coincidence that Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton and Julian Wright were all on the floor for both those stretches. Individually, all three of those guys had some great plays tonight, but it was a whole different ballgame when they were out there together. It was some Captain Planet, by our powers combined-type ish."
• What would you have said a year ago if someone told you that a Grizzlies-Thunder matchup would be the gem of a busy Friday night slate of games in January 2010?
• Portland Roundball Society chronicles how the Trail Blazers almost pulled off an improbable upset in Boston: "Andre Miller and Martell Webster led the Blazers on a near-heroic comeback to force overtime. Each showed steely nerves, scoring five points apiece as the regulation clock wound down."
• How do a team's offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency influence each other? Bret LaGree of Hoopinion asks, "How much is a team's offensive efficiency related to how often they force turnovers or how well they rebound defensively? Conversely, does a team's defensive efficiency reflect its ability or inability to score on a high percentage of its offensive possessions and thus get its defense set?" Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops offers some insight from the Bobcats' look in Atlanta last night: "On Atlanta's 6 steals, they scored on 5 of those possessions, with one play being one of their and-ones, so 11 points on those 6 chances."
• Paul Pierce yuks it up with the Boston media (via Green Street).
• Shawn Marion hearts NY.
• Dan Feldman of PistonPowered digs through media archives to see if there's a deeper history to the exchange that occurred last night between Detroit head coach John Kuester and Tayshaun Prince.
• Devin Harris is unlikely to play when the Nets look for their fourth win of the year in Salt Lake City tonight. Keyon Dooling will get the start in his place, according to Dave D'Alessandro. Dooling tells D'Alessandro that Terrence Williams -- who will move into the backup point guard role while Harris is sidelined -- has "been the best player in practice. His talent is through the roof."
• Incredibly, the Raptors ride their zone defense to a comeback win over Milwaukee. That might say more about the Bucks' dearth of guys who can shoot the ball from the perimeter than the Raptors' strategic wizardry.
• The next time I complain that it's 54 and rainy in Los Angeles, remind me to click on this.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

• The Blazers have found an individual to accept their money. The Sixers drafted Jrue Holiday out of UCLA, but will clearly need to fortify things at the point.
  
• Will Big Ben return to Detroit and retire as a Piston? 
• Third Quarter Collapse notes that Matt Barnes listed Stan Van Gundy as one of the primary reasons he chose Orlando: "Are you hearing this? Are you believing this? Van Gundy, the man whom some Magic fans wanted fired after his team blew a 14-point, 4th-quarter lead to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, is now almost a big a draw for free-agents as Dwight freakin' Howard is." Whatever unfair stigma Van Gundy carried into the late spring, it's fair to say that label has expired. As Ben Q. Rock states in the post, Van Gundy has joined the ranks of elite coaches, and a difference-maker for guys exploring their options around the league.
  
• Nets owner Bruce Ratner -- now accepting investors. Dave D'Alessandro of the Newark Star-Ledger says that if and when a suitor legitimately emerges, the team is likely Brooklyn-bound: "So far, nobody's buying. But according to numerous officials throughout the organization, Ratner may soon find someone to help alleviate the team's crushing debt load and facilitate the construction of the Atlantic Yards project, and the candidates range from the former CEO of Yahoo to a billionaire industrialist from Russia -- each of whom would still move the team from New Jersey."
• Zach Randolph says that the Grizzlies are "embracing me like no other team had." I can't decide if this says more about Randolph or the Grizzlies. 
• Tim Donahue of Eight Points, Nine Seconds on the Pacers finally extricating themselves from Jamaal Tinsley, and turning the page on a rough patch in the franchise's history: "There is a sense of overwhelming relief flowing throughout the Pacer faithful. With Jamaal's departure, the team is rid of the last of the players identified with the utter embarrassment that has befallen this franchise in the five years since the infamous Malice in the Palace in November 2004."
• Basketball Reference has added transactions to each player's page. Hooray! No confirmation as to whether Tony Massenburg's page required BBR to acquire additional server space.
  
• Rajon Rondo's jumper: Not improving. The silver lining, according to Zach Lowe, is that Js represent a smaller slice of Rondo's overall shot selection.
  
• Smart post by Zarar Siddiqi of Raptors Republic on Toronto's point guard platoon of Jose Calderon and Jarrett Jack.
  
• If you're keeping score at home, Basketbawful's epic Livin' Large series has a new flow chart.
  
• Video from day one of USA Basketball mini-camp [Hat Tip: Brandon Hoffman]
  
• First Blake Griffin strains his shoulder, and then he gets his first lesson in Los Angeles parking lot etiquette: "Don't u hate when ur waitin for someone to pull out of a parking spot and someone else comes and takes it? That just happened to me!"

Matchup problems are a two-way street, you know. For Magic fans, this trip up the mountain feels a whole lot different. And it's time for certain GMs to make some tough decisions about their 2010 free agents. 

Bill Bridges of Forum Blue & Gold: "The focus of the pre-series review has emphasized that the Magic pose matchup problems for the Lakers. Perhaps. However, I contend that the matchup problems that the Lakers pose for the Magic dwarf the former ... [Trevor] Ariza on [Hedo] Turkoglu? No mismatch there. Then how will [Rashard] Lewis punish [Pau] Gasol? Not by posting him up obviously. By shooting perimeter shots? As Memo knows, Lewis will be surprised at how good Gasol is at defending the perimeter jump shot. He will find that shooting jumpers over the length of Pau's outstretched fingers not quite as easy as shooting over Mo Williams or Delonte West. Lewis' best chance is to take Gasol on the drive. Even here as well the advantage is not so clear cut ... Phil [Jackson] must see Gasol versus Lewis and be licking his pleasingly-smooth chops. Move Gasol around on the block, get him the ball, make strong cuts and what do you have? Single-covered, easy scores by Gasol. Double-covered, layups by cutters, open 3's by Ariza/[Derek] Fisher/Kobe [Bryant], and fouls on [Dwight] Howard defending the basket. This mismatch might become such a problem that I predict that SVG is the first to blink and play a Howard/[Marcin] Gortat front line to counter."

Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily: "You could say the local team spirit has returned to the glory of 1995, the last time the Magic reached the NBA Finals. Only this time, it's better. Back then, the city didn't really know what to think. The sudden trip to the NBA Finals was unexpected, exhilarating, and spoiling for the Magic fan base, which really didn't understand how lucky it was. After all, some franchises go decades without reaching the NBA Finals. The Magic franchise was only five years old, and there weren't any lifelong fans who suffered through some bad times ... Current fans of the team -- the ones who've been following the team since the Shaq days -- have suffered through some pretty upsetting times. Shaq's departure, Penny Hardaway's injuries, Grant Hill's injuries, T-Mac's falling out, the 21-win season, Fran Vazquez -- please, somebody stop me ... The Magic weren't just a bad team post-Shaq. They were, at times, a poorly run team that seemed to have little idea on what it took to build a successful team. The players suffered, the team suffered, and the fans suffered. Of course, the current regime doesn't fall under that umbrella. These guys have done an amazing job building this team, and here we are: the NBA Finals. It feels good."

Jeff McMenamin of Philadunkia: "As Eddie Jordan walked up to the Sixers podium in the press room he wasn't a man who was nervous but a man who was calm, collected, and ready to take this young Sixers team to the next level ... Jordan is big on X's and O's and he is a very vocal and charismatic coach, something the Sixers haven't been used to seeing in a long time ... The word which Jordan used a lot during his press conference was 'team.' For a supposed team that tore apart at the end of this season, that is a word that must be a point of focus during the off-season. Players were throwing blame in all the wrong places and the quiet locker room we all thought the Sixers had turned into an army test base. Even team leaders like Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller were firing off rounds. One of the ways in which Eddie Jordan thinks the Sixers will become a 'team' once again is through the use of the Princeton offense."

THE FINAL WORD
Hardwood Paroxysm: Caveat emptor on Jameer Nelson.
Valley of the Suns: Amare Stoudemire has one foot out the door.
Raptors Republic: Time to ship Chris Bosh out of town.

(Photos by Lisa Blumenfeld, Fernando Medina, Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)