With another dominant win over the New Orleans Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers can forget all about that troubling Game 1 in which Chris Paul made the two-time defending champs look like yesterday's news. Should L.A. advance past New Orleans, the team's second-round opponent would be the Dallas Mavericks or Portland Trail Blazers; that excellent series, now tied 2-2, has proven that neither roster has a guard quick or skilled enough to pull a CP3 on Derek Fisher.
So now Fisher and the Lakers guards who are forced to help him on defense -- that'd be Kobe Bryant, in large part -- just have to survive Paul himself. A second win in southern Louisiana would all but end the series; you don't give the Lakers three chances to clinch and expect miracles. Not against Kobe. Not against Phil Jackson. So for Paul to extend his postseason and continue to remind everyone why so many think he -- not Derrick Rose, not Deron Williams -- is the best point guard in the NBA, the Hornets need a home win.
To do that, someone has to slow down Andrew Bynum. The kid has dominated New Orleans in this series, and has essentially realized the awesome potential most have seen since the early days. You wonder why everyone falls in love with young big men? Because this is possible, with hard work, fortune and good coaching. Big men prospects are like giant lumps of clay. It's not a given you'll get something beautiful out of them, but with the right conditions and vision, and if the clay cooperates it can be amazing. No one ever really knew if Bynum was cooperating. As it turns out, he had some ideas of his own. As it turns out, they were good ideas, and the Lakers are reaping the profits.
Emeka Okafor's had his hands full all series, and that doesn't figure to change in Game 4, which begins at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT. Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Hornets hub for full series coverage. For more on the Hornets, visit At The Hive. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles.