Bynum is basically a lesser developed Dwight Howard, so having Shaq on him was the first thing I had in my mind.
Gasol was guarded well by Z last year. So I was hoping that matchup could be used again.
These two men negated everything Dwight had last year in the Finals. Because they had more to throw at D12. Just like we finally had two legitimate offensive and lengthy (and somewhat strong) big men, better than last year of course.
So Odom was the one that worried me. Andy was really ready for him this time. Andy usually can stick it to them, but got hit hard when he didn't expect quickness and ability from big guys like Lewis and Odom. Odom really got frustrated.
This matchup was clearly possible because of Shaq. Last year, Ben guarding Pau and Andy guarding Bynum was just not in the cards for good results. Now you see the difference it makes from the previous year.
And the twin towers isn't meant for a full season. Neither guy has any real foot speed to help compensate for the other, like Tim was able to do with David in the last year of his career (2003, and Dave wasn't too slow either). But it's a good possibility against the contenders. Just wish Mike could've figured it out in preseason, but oh well... lesson learned.
Shaq can deal with Perkins, Dwight, and Bynum just fine as we see. Z can hold his ground against Wallace, Gortat (who has no offensive game), and Pau. Garnett is a difficult cover that may need multiple people. Rashard, Odom, Davis, among the other perimeter bigs are a good shot to be guarded by Andy, Jamario, J.J. (if he's actually able to hold his ground for a minute or 2), Leon (if he can come back healthy), and LeBron.
We have some outs, but we'll need some luck, decent seeding, and ability to play at the highest level like we did tonight (calling Coach Brown).
Twin Towers FTW-at-least-against-big-lineups-right...