The Lakers finally got some good news on the injury front. Jordan Hill, out since early January, has been cleared to play tonight. Naturally he is going to have a little rust on him. It'll take him a game or two to get adjusted. But if this series goes long his return could have a significant impact. The Lakers need his energy and offensive rebounding, not to mention that he's a credible backup center when Dwight Howard is on the bench. Welcome back, Jordan.
Someone, somewhere right now is referring to tonight's Game Two as a "must win" for the Lakers. That's not the case. But if they don't win tonight, they definitely need to win Games Three and Four back at Staples.
My prediction: the Lakers will fight hard but lose tonight, win Game Three on Friday, and then a ferocious battle in Game Four will determine if the series goes long. Hope I'm wrong about tonight, though. GO LAKERS.