Deron Williams.  He torched- torched!- the Rockets in the first round: 20.8 ppg, 8.5 apg, 59% from downtown.  During the regular season you can make a very solid argument that Williams was the best PG in the league not named “Chris,” “Paul,” or both.  He’s very strong, and can work his way into the lane, work the break, and hurt a team from outside. The Lakers did a decent job of limiting his distribution during the regular season, holding him to an average of 6.5 dimes in three games, nearly four below his average.  He did, though score 23.3 points a night, which was about five above his regular output.  That’s a trade the Lakers will make.  But given the trouble they’ve had as a squad against talented PGs, if Williams tees off on them today it could set a bad tone for the rest of the series.
Rest:  Too much vs. too little.  The Lakers haven’t played since Monday, and expended about as little energy to win in the first round as is possible in NBA playoff basketball.  They spent most of the week scrimmaging against each other, nursing injuries, and resting.  Utah finished off a physical series against a very persistent Houston squad on Friday night.  They’ve had little time to prepare for LA, and virtually no time to rest, especially when factoring in travel from Salt Lake to LA.  So who wins that battle?  Is it better to be sharp but a little more bruised, or rested but without a honed edge?  It might hurt LA for the first six or seven minutes of the first quarter, maybe even a half, but overall, it’s hard to argue with the benefits of rest. 
Vlad Radmanovic.  His best game against Denver was the fourth one, and it wasn’t because of his shooting.  Vlad round himself cutting to the basket, grabbing a few boards, and standing up to a physical challenge from Denver, something that isn’t necessarily his calling card.  But overall, it wasn’t a good series for Phil Jackson’s favorite Martian.  The Lakers can win without him, but when Vlad Rad is able to knock down shots from the perimeter, it opens up huge swaths of real estate in which the other four guys can operate.  A better showing from Radmanovic would amount to a huge advantage for LA.  Luke Walton shot 71% against the Nuggets, and while there’s no reason he won’t can’t continue to play well, there’s playing well, and then there’s 71%.  The other

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