Dave Smith

With the Utah Jazz safely dispatched in 5 quick games, it’s time to look ahead to a probable matchup against Houston in the Western Conference semi-finals. While the Rockets are a better team than Utah and more of a challenge, I can’t imagine the series going more than 5….

Sure, Yao Ming is a huge challenge, especially with Andrew Bynum struggling. They also are one of the few teams with a player capable of guarding Kobe Bryant….

And not only can Ron Artest give Kobe problems defensively, he’s also a very good offensive player who makes you work both ends of the floor…

Still, the Lakers are better in almost every department and shouldn’t have much trouble dispatching them….

As for last night’s game, it was a close out win for the Lakers; but the series should have been a sweep and a chance for Phil Jackson to give his players some much needed rest….

But the reason they lost Game 3 popped up again last night; they do not defend well and blow big leads because of it. On Monday night, a 22-point 4th quarter lead was quickly trimmed to 6; mainly due to silly turnovers and horrendous defense….

The Lakers managed to regain control and win, 107-96, but their nonchalant attitude when holding big leads figures to bite them at some point; maybe in the Finals….

It’s easy to pick out reasons the Lakers will not win the championship, but with everyone healthy they have the best team in the NBA….

Sure, they don’t defend the three-point line, aren’t great defensively and have a disturbing tendency to blow big leads; but top-to-bottom they have better players than the Cleveland Cavaliers, their most likely opponent in the Finals….

But that doesn’t mean the Lakers would win the series, because the Cavs play harder defensively….

And that could be the difference in a seven game series….

With the Lakers up 2-0 over Utah in their Western Conference playoff series, all signs point to L.A. getting to the Finals and facing LeBron and the Bronettes for the NBA title. But if they don’t start playing better defense, it’s going to be another offseason without a championship ring….

There’s no doubt the Lakers have the best talent, but Cleveland defends hard on every possession and makes you earn every point. Yes, they’re not as good offensively, but if the Lakers are giving up uncontested layups and not defending the three-point line, LeBron will be lifting the hardware over his head come June….

The Lakers problem defensively? In my opinion, it’s the coaching staffs philosophy of double teaming the post and poor rotations….

For some reason, Phil Jackson does not believe in defending the three-point line, believing it’s a tough shot. It’s been burning him all year, but evidently he’s too stubborn to change….

Whenever the ball goes into the post, the Lakers run a double team, even though there are very few good post players in the league. And with Andrew Bynum and Pao Gasol down there, there is no reason to double team….

So the ball goes into the post, the Lakers collapse, the ball rotates back outside and the opponent gets a wide open shot. The Lakers are always two steps late rotating to the shooter, and the result is an easy shot for most NBA wing players….

Why Phil continues this philosophy is a mystery, but it’s going to result in another year without a trophy if things don’t change….

I’ve been watching “Hatton-Pacquaio 24/7″ and as usual HBO has done a magnificent job….

The May 2nd fight at Mandalay Bay figures to be a war and HBO has done an excellent job of whetting boxing fans’ appetites….

Someone needs to give Floyd Mayweather Sr, Hatton’s trainer, his own reality show, because he is a fascinating character. There’s no one alse like him in boxing and some cable channel should simply follow him with a camera and watch the rating soar….

Throw in his brother Roger, estranged son Floyd Jr. and the various characters surrounding Floyd Sr. and watch the meter move….

Prediction? Hatton is one tough SOB and has never lost at 140 lbs, but the Pacman’s superior power and hand speed will be the difference….

I like Manny by mid-to-late round knockout, but it’s not going to be easy. Ricky is in his prime, fighting at his best weight and wants desperately to bounce back from his loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr….

Unlike Oscar De La Hoya, who meekly took a savage beating from Pacquaio last year, Hatton is going to fight back and make it a tough fight….

Manny by knockout, but it will be much, much more difficult than the De La Hoya fight….

The early rounds will be unbelievable, as both men will not take a backward step and the bombs will be flying. Both men will land and do damage, but Pacman will have his hand raised after a brutal fight….

Make sure you order this on pay-per-view, because this has fight-of-the-year potential….

Yes, the Angels are currently 5-8 and three and a half games out, but as long as they hang in there until their injured players return, they should be fine. The A’s, who figure to be Los Angeles toughest rival in the A.L. West, are also off to a bad start….

I don’t believe the Mariners are going to be a factor, so as long as the Halos are hanging around the A’s and Rangers, I’m not worried….

It kills me to say this, but I really like this Dodgers team. The young players are all good, they have a great player in Manny and if they get any pitching at all they’ll run away with the N.L. West….

God I hate saying that….

For years, I’ve been on a one man crusade to eliminate the sacrifice bunt. To me, it’s similar to kicking a field goal or punting on fourth-and-one; in other words a gutless, cowardly move….

The sacrifice might have been an effective weapon years ago, when the ball was soft, the parks were huge and the defense wore garden mitts instead of gloves. Back then, you played for one run and moved runners along like pieces on a chess board….

But today, especially in the American League, it’s an outdated, counter-productive move….

I read a statistic recently where the percentages actually favor teams who don’t bunt. In the column, the author proved that teams had a better chance of scoring with a runner on first and no outs than with a runner on second and one out. In other words, don’t give away outs and make the defense earn every one of them….

So why do managers continue to employ this silly move, even though it rarely works? Because baseball is a game of tradition and doing things the way they’ve always been done. So if a manager used the bunt 50 years ago, it’s going to be used today…. Wednesday night was a perfect example of how giving away outs comes back to haunt you….

In the seventh inning of a game against the Mariners, the Angels were trailing 4-3 and had runners on first and second with no outs. As Jeff Mathis walked to the plate, I dropped to my knees in front of the TV and began begging Mike Scioscia not to bunt. “Please, Mike, this is no time to give away an out, especially when you’re behind and have .150 hitting Manny Aybar on deck.”….

Alas, my protests went to no avail, as Mathis sacrificed the runners to second and third, but wasted a precious out….

As Aybar came to the plate, I had a bad feeling; because after wasting an out the pressure was on him to do something. Because if he doesn’t, it’s unlikely the Angels are going to score….

Sure enough, the light hitting Aybar struck out and now the Angels were really up against it. Because of the wasted out, it was up to Chone Figgins to come through; in other words less than a 30% chance for success….

Sure enough, Figgins struck out, the inning was over and Angels had allowed a golden opportunity slip away….

And after the bullpen blew up in the bottom half of the inning, all hope was lost…. I know the argument baseball people use to back up the sacrifice; you’re trying to stay out of the double play and get runners into scoring position….

To me, that’s a defeatist attitude. The thinking should be that if my gets a base hit, we start a huge inning and win the game….

And if you want to move runners along, why not play hit-and-run or attempt a straight steal? This way, you move runners up and save the out….

You only get 27 outs, and if I’m managing I’m going to make the opponent earn every one of them….

Pressure, pressure, pressure!….