LAKERS NOTEBOOK: NOTHING SWEET BAOUT DEFENSE.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND 

Staff Writer

Like a person with a cavity being force-fed sugar, the Lakers have had their season-long defensive problems exacerbated in this first-round series by Phoenix and its effective screen-and-roll offense.

At the start of the series, the Lakers knew they had a significant challenge, but through the first two games they didn't do much to improve, as Steve Nash mostly had free reign to run the court.

After the Suns' 126-point effort in Game 2, the Lakers didn't seem to have many answers.

"It's tough because we've been struggling with screen and rolls all year, and now we're playing Phoenix, which has 20different ways to run their screen and rolls," Lakers forward Luke Walton said before Thursday's Game 3. "And they've got the best point guard in the league, who picks defenses apart.

"We have to be more aggressive and be there for each other. We can't think, 'Oh, if I leave, my man might be open for a 3.' We have to close down that lane and keep rotating for each other and do it for the whole game, not just a few possessions."

The Lakers did a solid job of keeping the Suns off balance offensively in Game 1, but everything collapsed in Game 2.

Suns center Amare Stoudemire roamed the paint freely and recorded many of the easy baskets that the Lakers set out to eliminate before Game 3.

Stoudemire scored 20 points in 24 minutes in Game 2 and had made 18 of 29 shots in the series.

"It's the pace that they play at," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "In the first quarter (of Game 2) we let the pace get pretty high. When that happens, Nash gets better angles, instead of starting the screen rolls above the 3-point line. He gets interior position for the offense and it makes it hard for guys who are quick and can jump, like Stoudemire."

Showing improvement: One positive -- perhaps the only positive -- out of the first two games for the Lakers was the play of backup center Andrew Bynum.

Bynum had nine points and 12 rebounds in Game 2 and fared well, even though most of his time came with the game's outcome already decided. Bynum is 7 of 11 from the field in the series.

"He's made some strides," Jackson said. "I think he's recovered his endurance and his energy has come back and he's played a lot better in the last month in a secondary role."

Protective measures: Suns guard Leandro Barbosa wore a protective sleeve on his shooting arm. Barbosa had dealt with mild elbow issues late in the season and had fluid in his elbow.

Barbosa also wore an orange jersey, as the Suns chose to go with their alternate jerseys instead of their traditional purple road jerseys. The Suns had a 9-2 record this season in the orange jerseys.

Step up: There were some logistical issues in the pregame press conferences.

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni (6-foot-2) sat in the tall chair used by Jackson (6-8) and nearly slid off a couple times before he got secure in the seat.

"I guess this is Phil's chair," D'Antoni joked.