Lakers Should Be Nervous
During TNT's "Inside the NBA," at the end of game one between the Spurs and Lakers, Reggie Miller was ready to call the series.
As Michael has already mentioned, the Spurs didn't need to win game one and they don't need to win game two tonight. They have four chances to win in LA, and they've used up just one. Wednesday night was just one game, like tonight is just one game.
1. The Spurs have slept three nights in a bed, as opposed to on an aircraft.
2. Pop will make adjustments. He always does. Expect the Spurs to be more aggressive, more physical tonight. Expect more minutes for Oberto and Horry. Expect the Spurs to widen their advantage on the boards. Expect Kobe to play better, but Gasol, Radmanovic and Vujacic to play worse.
3. The Lakers didn't win game one as much as the Spurs lost it. And the Spurs know what they need to do tonight.
"This is very reminiscent of when the Spurs beat the Suns in game one in the first round series. Emotionally it took everything out of Phoenix and they could not regroup in that series. I don't think the Spurs can regroup, being up 20 points in the second half, and come back to win the series."Frankly, it was a disappointing loss, but the Spurs were not favored to win. They were just coming off an emotional, exhausting seven-game series against the Hornets, had spent Monday night on their broken down charter plane, and were playing a well-rested Lakers team at home. And yet, they were leading 65-45 with just six minutes left in the third quarter. The game was tied 85-85 with 41 seconds left. They almost stole one at Staples.
"In playoff basketball, you can't afford to give away games. This is a game that the Spurs should have won."
As Michael has already mentioned, the Spurs didn't need to win game one and they don't need to win game two tonight. They have four chances to win in LA, and they've used up just one. Wednesday night was just one game, like tonight is just one game.
Tim Duncan was leaning against the wall of a conference room in his hotel, fielding media questions, when someone asked him if Game 1 had created “doubt.”Despite the fact that Reggie Miller is ready to write off the defending champs, the Lakers are the team that should really be nervous, for three simple reasons:
He rolled his eyes. “It was ONE game,” he said.
1. The Spurs have slept three nights in a bed, as opposed to on an aircraft.
2. Pop will make adjustments. He always does. Expect the Spurs to be more aggressive, more physical tonight. Expect more minutes for Oberto and Horry. Expect the Spurs to widen their advantage on the boards. Expect Kobe to play better, but Gasol, Radmanovic and Vujacic to play worse.
3. The Lakers didn't win game one as much as the Spurs lost it. And the Spurs know what they need to do tonight.
The Spurs shot 3-for-21 and committed five turnovers while being outscored 24-13 in the fourth quarter.Tim Duncan and the Spurs have got some cleaning up to do tonight. It's going to be a great game.
“We’re very pleased overall with what we did defensively,” Popovich said. “Our problem was we have to keep scoring, and we didn’t last night.”
“Poor decision-making,” Duncan said. “We turned the ball over, got shots late in the clock, things we can clean up.”
posted by D Strickland at 2:36 PM
5 Comments:
Hmm, for some reason, I think your 3 reasons the Lakers should be worried didn't exactly turn out as well as you expected.
1. The Spurs have slept three nights in a bed, as opposed to on an aircraft.
Result: Spurs lose by 30 instead of by 4.
2. Pop will make adjustments. He always does. Expect the Spurs to be more aggressive, more physical tonight. Expect more minutes for Oberto and Horry. Expect the Spurs to widen their advantage on the boards. Expect Kobe to play better, but Gasol, Radmanovic and Vujacic to play worse.
Vujacic KILLS Ginobili again. Both Horry and Oberto killed the Spurs out there. Those adjustments didn't work out too well.
3. The Lakers didn't win game one as much as the Spurs lost it.
Well, whether or not the Lakers won it/Spurs lost it, you can't say that about tonight's game. The Lakers clearly woke up after Game 1 and won Game 2. After that 9-0 run to end the half, the Spurs were never in this game again. The entire second half was pretty much an unrelenting beating.
Well the Lakers did what their supposed to do which is protect home court, but just barely if you factor in game 1.
The Lakers are smart enough to know what the Spurs are capable of back on their turf. Simply put, they play lockdown defense then score the with relative ease when Parker goes through the paint at warp speed.
The problem for the Spurs, aside from Manu's slump (injury related) is that the Lakers have the firepower to score on them with Kobe spearheading the effort.
The only hope for the Spurs is if the Laker bench under performs. Their production is the key to Lakers success on the road. Without them the defensive presence at home will be too insurmountable.
I believe the Lakers will get in done in six. The Spurs are too good and too proud to get swept.
In the last 5.5 quarters, the spurs have been outscored by 50! points.
That is all i have to say.
john from la, you're right, last night didn't turn out as I had expected.
Pop starting Finley instead of Ginobili didn't make much difference. He should have let Manu sit out and rest his ankle and groin injuries. I'm not sure what Pop will do in SA tomorrow night, but he has options.
Horry played well on defense, but his stat line doesn't show it. He was the only Spurs player with a positive +/- last night.
I still believe the Spurs can win their next two games at home and make this a three-game series, but only if we see the return of the Manu Ginobili who got us here. Otherwise, the Lakers are headed to the Finals.
I don't think the Spurs can come back from being down 0-2 for a second straight series.... plus the Lakers aren't the Hornets and won't choke like that....
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