Overconfidence Isn’t a Problem Now

Minnesota point guard Troy Hudson may have surprised some with his dominating effort against the Lakers in Game 2, but he shouldn’t have. Not if you watched Hudson play 87 games with the Clippers, as I did as the team’s beat reporter from 1999-2001.

On any given night, Hudson can be unstoppable.

With an accurate jump shot that has range far beyond the three-point line and an ability to create offense off the dribble, Hudson can give an excruciating headache to even the best NBA defenders. Just ask the Lakers’ Derek Fisher, who got an up-close look chasing Hudson all over the court Tuesday, watching him score a game-high 37 points.

The good news for the Lakers is that Hudson seldom has two big offensive games in a row. He’s a streaky scorer who sometimes loses his shooting touch in a blink of an eye.

A breakdown of Game 3:

LAKERS’ MOVE -- Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and crew may have been a little overconfident after an easy Game 1 victory, but not now. Not after being held to 36.3% shooting and getting outrebounded, 52-35, by the Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Look for the Lakers to turn to O’Neal early and often tonight. Against the Timberwolves’ collection of “soft” big men, O’Neal should be given an opportunity to score on every Laker possession. That didn’t happen in the second quarter of Game 2 when he attempted only three shots. When O’Neal is making free throws as he has in this series (17 of 22 from the line), he needs to get the ball.

On defense, the Laker perimeter players can’t afford to go behind Minnesota screens as they did Tuesday. The Timberwolves have too many good shooters to take advantage of the additional space. Don’t be shocked to see rookie Jannero Pargo, the Lakers’ quickest player, get more playing time early if Fisher struggles.

It also might help the Lakers to give the Timberwolves some of their own medicine by starting the game with full-court pressure. Minnesota looked a little shaky taking care of the ball Tuesday when the Lakers turned up the intensity on defense in the second half.

MINNESOTA’S MOVE -- Since Coach Flip Saunders shook things up for Game 2 with a variety of different tactics and the Timberwolves won, expect more of the same. Hudson will continue to have the green light to shoot, instead of looking to pass first; and 6-foot-10 Joe Smith, who started Game 1 at small forward but did not play Tuesday, probably will be the odd man out again because of the success Minnesota had going with a small lineup.

By going with Anthony Peeler at shooting guard and Wally Szczerbiak at small forward, the Timberwolves are a much quicker team. They used their speed well in closing out on the Lakers’ perimeter shooters such as Rick Fox, Robert Horry and Fisher.

Center Marc Jackson may not be much better defending O’Neal than starter Rasho Nesterovic, but he’s a threat on offense and he does rebound. In the series, Jackson is eight of 12 from the floor and is averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 20 minutes a game.