Kobe is mainly defending Zhang Yang. With Garnett on the wing and paired with Gasol protecting the basket, the Lakers' defense has greatly improved compared to the first half of the quarter, reaching nearly full starter status.
Tonight, Zen Master's coaching is painful, and Coach is not much better, either.
Carlisle knows the Lakers' actual defense is far better than their 13th league ranking in terms of data, but the real encounter, it still exceeded his expectations!
Zen Master indeed made a wrong decision regarding Kwame Brown's weight arrangements, but the basket protection continuity brought by Gasol's addition is very real. Kwame Brown and Gasol take turns protecting the basket, and as long as Garnett is on the court, there's a big center behind him! Come playoffs, by increasing Kidd and Garnett's playing time, their playoff defense performance is bound to improve more than half a notch compared to last season.
