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I don't think it'll get back to Minnesota now, Game 5 will be the last one.
Defensively the Wolves problems all surround Shaq, not Kobe. As good as Kobe is (and he's a freak no doubt, although McGrady would have something to say about him being the "best offensive player in the NBA"), with Hassell and Spreewell the Wolves have at least got reasonable match-ups for him. When it comes to Shaq, they have nothing. Olowokandi is nothing special, Miller is a big body backup, and Ervin Johnson is a servicable player but not a star. If they had a Ben Wallace, they'd be in a far better position.
Given that they can't stop Shaq, why both trying any harder? Let him get his and close down on the rest. Seems to be the pretty obvious way to look at it. You've got someone you can't stop because you don't have a match-up for them, so you focus on the other players, as good as they are.
In this series, Shaq is option 1, Kobe is option 2. Watch the Lakers repeatedly dump the ball into the low post and not run the triangle as per normal and you'll see that.
Pippen was still always servicable. He didn't have to score 25 to have an impact. It's one of the reasons he's one of the most complete players of all time, he could dominate a game without scoring. If the Wolves hold Kobe to 15, as well as keep Malone, Payton, Fisher and George in check, they have a chance. Given how hard that is, their chances are extremely slim.
On top of all that anyway, they need Cassell to be fit enough to play a full game, and for him, Spree, Wally and co to hit outside shots.
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