Trouble in Paradise?

The series is tied, Kobe is hurting, and Pau is still a bit timid.

This may be alarming for the two-time defending champs, but should they be pressing the panic button?



Your Batman is suffering a sprained ankle. Your Robin isn't performing up to anyone's standards. And your Joker is on a level playing field.

This is just about what the Lakers are staring at right now. Kobe is dealing with yet another injury, Pau isn't playing like himself, and the Hornets have just knotted up the series.

This would be a scary situation for some teams, but the Lakers are different. The Lakers have won two straight NBA titles. The Lakers are still a dominant force. And yes, despite the numerous speed bumps they have encountered this season, the Lakers are still the best team in all of basketball.

So what will it take for the Lake Show to overcome the nuisance that is the New Orleans Hornets?
Well here's a short list:

1. Limit Chris Paul's activity
Yes, this is an obvious task the Lakers must accomplish to break out the bug spray--but Paul is much more valuable than most believe. Not only are his passing skills and quick hands unparalleled among today's point guards, Paul's knowledge of the game is brilliant. If you watched any of the four games you quickly realized that Chris Paul is extremely deceptive when drawing fouls, he always keeps the pass as an option, and he brutally exploits the Laker defense off the pick-and-roll.

In order for L.A. to contain him, they must continue to switch off different defenders on Paul as they did in Games 2 and 3. Throwing a variety of defenders such as Fisher, Blake, Bryant, and Artest will sidetrack any type of flow created by CP3. It has worked in the two wins so Phil Jackson must go back to that plan.

And just to put the numbers in perspective:

Paul's averages in Games 1 and 4 (Wins): 30.0 PPG, 14.5 APG, 10.0 RPG
Paul's averages in Games 2 and 3 (Losses): 21.0 PPG, 8.5 APG, 4.0 RPG

Chris Paul is a totally different monster in those two wins.

2. Somebody call Pau Gasol "soft"
It seemed to work the past two seasons for the Lakers. After their embarrassing 2008 Finals loss to Boston, many pointed fingers at Pau's inability to defend Kevin Garnett. The reason being that he did not play a physical enough series.

However, Pau answered the call and came up huge in the past two Finals victories. He performed at an extremely high level against the likes of Dwight Howard, Kendrick Perkins, and Garnett from '09' to '10.

But that grit has seemed to fade away a bit thus far. If Gasol throws his body around more, plays his offensive game, and crashes the boards with intensity, the Lakers will steamroll through New Orleans. And due to Kobe' ankle sprain, Pau will have to carry some added responsbility to his defensive game.

3. Just play like the Lakers
Let's face it...when the Lakers play up to their potential, there's no one better. They have the most balanced team in the NBA and have argubly the best player since Michael Jordan.

They have to outrebound the Hornets for one. In both of their wins, the Lakers have outrebounded the Hornets 87 to 74. It's very simple...allow Bynum, Gasol, and Odom to dominate down low.

And second, Kobe just has to be Kobe. He can't attempt over 30 shots a game and he can't play Mr. Distributor. The Lakers have to see the well-balanced Kobe that we have become accustomed to the past few years. The Kobe that take 20-25 shots a game, leads the team in scoring, and gets everyone on the floor involved.