The Series:
Pacers at Lakers, NBA Finals, Game 6 in Los Angeles.

The Question:
Which player is more critical to his team's performance in Game 6?

Jalen Rose		Kobe Bryant
By Fred Carter Special to ESPN.com The guy who just has to play well if the Pacers are going to win this game is Jalen Rose. Los Angeles can and has gotten by without Kobe Bryant on the top of this game or out of action. Not to take anything away fro Kobe, but Rose is relied on more. He has to score points for them, first of all, and in this series he has been taking Glen Rice out of the game. So it's two-fold with Rose. It's so important for Rose to get off to a good start. He doesn't really get to the line, he does damage as a field-goal maker, whether he's creating or getting shots off a kickout. Coaches often say you score off the defense, but Indiana doesn't. They need offense. And when Rose doesn't play well, it's so much pressure on Reggie Miller, Rik Smits and Austin Croshere. You just don't know when the latter two will perform. Indiana has been a poor road team recently, and they will need everything going their way in Game 6 to win, and Rose is a big part of that. The guy is so versatile, can play three positions, and you can't guard him because he brings point guard skills and two-guard moves. He's critical.		By Greg Collins ESPN.com Everyone throughout the Finals has been saying Shaquille O'Neal is the key to the Lakers. Go ahead, pencil him in for 35 points and 15 rebounds -- the Lakers have done that five times this series, and have lost twice. For the Lakers to win Game 6, they must get an all-around game from their other superstar, Kobe Bryant. Bryant has the ability to change the flow of the game at both ends of the court. On offense, he can quicken the tempo by taking early shots outside the Lakers' triangle offense like he did in Game 4's overtime. Defensively, the first-team all-defensive player can shut an opponent down. That might be the more important part of his game against the Pacers because Indiana's offense is so predicated on getting the correct shots from the proper places on the floor. The one element missing from Bryant's game since his ankle injury has been his explosiveness to the hoop. He has yet to attempt a free throw since returning from the injury. With another two days of rest after Game 5, Bryant should have more of a spring in his step and exploit the Pacers' lack of athleticism on the perimeter.