- Playoffs Preview: (1) Spurs vs. (2) Lakers
nba.com/spurs/beat | May 16th, 2011
SAN ANTONIO -- With both Conference Semifinals now completed, the San Antonio Spurs move on to the Western Conference Finals versus the Los Angeles Lakers, a team with whom the Spurs have had some hard-played encounters this year... 1st and 2nd seeds collide again in what will be, on a quick glimpse, at least six games for the ages. The Spurs are one seed ahead, and thus have homecourt advantage for four out of the seven games in the series. This series has been looked forward to by many, due to reasons such as the clash of two shooting guards like Manu Ginobili and Kobe Bryant; the return of Tim Duncan for the Spurs, having missed Game 5 of the team's first round series against the New Orleans Hornets and the entire Semis against the Dallas Mavericks; and this two teams colliding in the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Ginobili is one of those rare players who has a unique scoring style, one that we haven’t seen before with his shot release and his famous eurostep. You can only hope he misses -- when he’s on, hope can become lost during his hot streaks. That wasn't the case against Dallas in the Semifinals; in all five games, he averaged 13.8 points, shooting below 27 percent. DeShawn Stevenson and Shawn Marion did a flawless job on him, but the Mavericks didn't count on Tiago Splitter and Drew Gooden to have an excellent series like they did. After Manu, the Spurs have to find another guys to take the scoring on their shoulders. With Tony Parker running the show, guys like Corey Maggette and Splitter benefit the most from the Frenchman's ball-handling, both in transition and when taking the time to draw a play for them.
On defense, one believes that the Spurs have a good personnel to force the Lakers into tough looks. However, the Lakers can create some favorable matchups, and that can lead to offensive rebounding and second opportunities. Both Kobe, with his ability to draw double teams, and Lamar Odom, when coming off the bench, can cause unfavorable rotations that can leave the back side glass wide open. Honing down on Kobe, contesting the Lakers offense and win the rebounding battle will be the keys for the Spurs this series. If they do those things, Los Angeles will have a tough time and the Spurs can end up having a very successful series.
When speaking about the Lakers, you almost have to begin and end with Bryant. Defending him wasn’t easy for the Spurs: they did an awful job on him this season. Kobe used his entire offensive repertoire to lead the Lakers in scoring in all four regular season matchups. San Antonio threw multiple defenders at him -- Ginobili, Maggette, Parker and Larry Hughes, all spent some time trying to slow him down, and “The Black Mamba” found a way to score against all of them. When he’s had smaller defenders on him (Parker and Hughes), he’s taken them down in the post using the Triangle or simply shot over the top of them. With bigger defenders (Ginobili and Maggette) he was more prone to start on the perimeter and attempt to beat them off the dribble in isolation plays. Ginobili might be the best individual defender on Kobe, but even he lacks the defensive play that guys like Shane Battier or Raja Bell have -- or a certain Bruce Bowen had -- who have done some of the better jobs on him in recent memory. But if you send double teams at Kobe, that means you could end up leaving all the other four Lakers on the court alone and that could be an issue.
Now, when Kobe is not having an easy time, the offensive approach needs to go to Pau Gasol. The Spaniard had a hard time against the Spurs in the regular season (averaging 11.0 points per game on .459% shooting). If the Lakers want to reach the Finals, they will need to look for Gasol early and often, and get him the ball in positions where he’s comfortable. Gasol will mostly be guarded by Duncan and while Pau offers good size, he’s not especially quick and will have a long, long night if double teamed. Speaking of defense, Andrew Bynum will be the defensive key for the Lakers in this series. He is their best defensive big after Gasol and is the type of long, tenacious rim guardian that can make a difference. The Lakers will look to capitalize on both of them whenever they attack, and if both can put pressure on the Spurs defense, it will be a long series.
♦ 2010, December 28 --- LAL @ SAS --- Kobe's 55-point outburst leads Lakers over Spurs in thriller, West race still way open: The San Antonio Spurs were leading by 6 points in the first minutes of the contest, when Kobe Bryant suddenly got hot. Oh, did he get hot. Bryant scored 16 points in the first quarter and 34 on the first half to finish with a season-record 55 points, and power the Lakers to a 114-109 win over San Antonio, in a pivotal regular season game as Bryant's team reduced the games behind the Spurs to only 1. Bryant also finished with 4 points and 4 steals. “Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn't have been able to stop him,” said Spurs guard Tony Parker, who wasn't bad himself, getting 19 points and eight assists following his contract extension feud with the team. “I didn't realize it,” Bryant said when told about his scoring spree. “You just get into one of those rhythms, you don't keep track of your points. You look at the jumbotron every now and then, but only that. My teammates were looking for me, it just feels like the ball finds you.” Parker gave Kobe credit for his explosion, but said there's no excuse for allowing a player to score so many points. “He hit every jump shot, every layup. Dunked on everyone,” he added. (Read More ... )
♦ 2011, February 3 --- SAS @ LAL --- Fisher's buzzer-beater kills Spurs in most anticipated game of the year: Derek Fisher just demonstrated that he will always appear on San Antonio's nightmares. Fisher threw in a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to give the Los Angeles Lakers a thrilling 112-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, as the Lakers now are 1.5 games ahead of the Spurs. The Lakers lost at the buzzer four days ago to the Boston Celtics, and Fisher was almost the hero again -- Rajon Rondo blocked his potential game-tying layup at the horn to preserve a win for the C's. This time, with 4.3 seconds left, Lamar Odom threw a inbounds pass to Fisher, who dribbled past Tony Parker and shot with only 0.7 seconds on the clock. His basket brought a roar from the crowd at the Staples Center and stunned every member of the Spurs. Almost 0.4 seconds, like that famous occasion. “'Fisher's got the ball with 4 seconds left'... like the announcer says,” Fisher joked. ”It's good for your morale. Of course, it's a great feeling. I think I'm not welcome at the AT&T Center anymore.” Odom said the play developed just as coach Phil Jackson drew it up. (Read More ... )
♦ 2011, March 6 --- LAL @ SAS --- Duncan, Parker spark Spurs to 5th win in 6 games; defeat Kobe, Lakers with perfect second half: The San Antonio Spurs' confidence and enthusiasm impressed LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson... he wished he'd seen some of the same from his own squad. Tony Parker had 15 points and added six assists and three rebounds to help San Antonio beat the West-leading Lakers, 101-90. “I told the guys, if this is a test, then you have to see how you respond to them,” Jackson said. “I think I give us a C.” San Antonio won their fifth game in the last six, and their average margin in those five triumphs is 13.4 points. “Another game where most of our starters must play and our young guys must be patient,” said Parker. “But I gave them some minutes in the second half. Thank the starters they got a nice lead.” How lopsided was this one? San Antonio led by double digits throughout almost the entire second half and seven Spurs scored in double figures, shooting 45 percent from the field. “We shot well but had only 16 assists... a sign we're not moving the ball very well,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We got the ball to the open guy 16 times, but the individual skills of our players won.” San Antonio's reserves outscored the Lakers's, 38-20, led by Tiago Splitter's 12 points and Larry Hughes' 10. “Tiago, that's what he does,” Manu Ginobili said. “He comes in the court, makes a huge impact and we feed off of him.” (Read More ... )
♦ 2011, April 12 --- SAS @ LAL --- Coaches don't rest key players; Manu and Kobe take spotlight, but Spurs earn a new victory: Manu Ginobili was on fire in the first half, but cooled off a little in the second. His supporting cast turned up the heat after intermission. Ginobili scored 17 of his 23 points before halftime, staying perfect from the field, and Tony Parker had 17 points as the San Antonio Spurs rallied for a 102-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. In overcoming an 8-point, second-quarter deficit, San Antonio (62-19) tied the Miami Heat for the best overall record in the league. “Emanuel was very aggressive,” said Parker, who added nine assists. “If he keeps playing like that every night, we'll be a helluva team in the playoffs and you better watch out for us.” Corey Maggette scored 14 points, 12 in the second half, for the Spurs, who shot 45 percent (38-of-84) from the field, had five players on double figures, all over 14 points, didn't miss a single free throw and also outrebounded Los Angeles, 49-33. San Antonio will play against New Orleans in the first round, who clinched the 8th seed last night with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. “It's actually a nice first round for us,” said Maggette. “We didn't lose a game against them this season and hopefully we can continue the same way in the postseason.” (Read More ... )
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Kobe & Crew
I am hereby hoping, wishing and cursing for a LAKERS - CELTICS FINALS!
