duncan228
03-13-2009, 01:01 PM
Lakers send a Texas-sized message to the Spurs (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-crowe13-2009mar13,0,1918732.column)
Jerry Crowe
They'd already won at Boston and Cleveland, so the Lakers' Thursday night victory at San Antonio wasn't their most impressive road win, but it ranks among the top five, at least. . . .
This one might reverberate. . . .
As TNT's Charley Barkley noted at halftime, with the Lakers threatening to turn it into a Texas-sized blowout, "They wanted to send a message tonight: Y'all can't beat us." . . .
Not without Manu Ginobili.
******************************
Lakers running away with the West (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-spurs13-2009mar13,0,969285.story)
They clinch the Pacific Division, a playoff spot and increase their lead in the conference to 8 1/2 games over the Spurs with a 102-95 victory. Bryant and Gasol score 23 points apiece.
By Mike Bresnahan
Reporting from San Antonio -- The banner will never be hung at Staples Center, not even the slimmest of chances, making the Lakers' clinching of the Pacific Division a mere sidebar to the bigger event Thursday night.
They entered one of the more feverish NBA milieus and beat back the San Antonio Spurs, more than salvaging a three-game trip against playoff-worthy teams in the Western Conference.
Playing in Texas for the second time in as many nights, the Lakers rolled to an 18-point first-quarter lead and, after some tense fourth-quarter possessions, increased their advantage in the West to 8 1/2 games over the second-place Spurs with a 102-95 victory at the AT&T Center.
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way with 23 points each, and the Lakers answered each late Spurs score with one of their own.
And you thought a few days ago that they might go 0-3 on this trip?
It looked as if it could happen when they got crushed in Portland and were told they'd be without Lamar Odom against Houston.
But 24 hours after Bryant pushed them past the Rockets, the Lakers (52-13) took one for the team, as a team.
All five starters scored in double figures, and all five reserves scored either four or six points, a study in symmetry the Lakers gladly accepted. Odom had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation against Portland.
"We were really determined to win this game," Bryant said. "We had a really terrible showing in Portland. We were really excited about this back-to-back trip, Houston and San Antonio."
Excited to play, but not exuberant after winning.
Someone apparently delivered "2009 Pacific Division Champions" T-shirts to the visitors' locker room, but they never came close to being worn.
There are bigger things at stake. If winning the division is the best the Lakers do this season, it'll obviously be a long off-season for them.
In fact, many of the players didn't even know they clinched the division, not to mention the automatic playoff berth that comes with it.
"Really? Cool," Bryant said.
So there was going to be a huge celebration on the flight back home after the game?
"Yeah, you know, we're really big on Pacific Division titles around here," Bryant said sarcastically.
For the record, it's the team's 20th Pacific Division title in the 39-year existence of the division itself.
"It's news, but it's not something that we were specifically pointing towards," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.
The Lakers were cruising to an easy victory after taking a 35-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
This being San Antonio, though, it's rarely that simple.
In fact, Tony Parker's three-point shot brought the Spurs to within 95-93 with 2:19 left.
Bryant answered with a three-pointer over rookie George Hill as the shot clock wound down to give the Lakers a 98-93 lead with 1:46 to play. It was all they would need.
Spurs fans began filtering out of the arena when Michael Finley was short on an 11-footer. With so few people left after a timeout, an "M-V-P" chant by Lakers fans rebounded throughout the arena during the game's final seconds.
Back-to-back victories for the Lakers in Texas. If their fans get their wish, it'll be back-to-back seasons of Bryant's name on the MVP trophy. "For me, it's just go out there and do my job and help us win games," Bryant said. "That's all I'm here for, is to help us win. If the MVP comes with that, man, that's great."
******************************
Bench Mob comes through for Lakers (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-lakersweb14-2009mar14,0,1141700.story)
Asked to protect a lead against the Spurs, Powell, Vujacic, Farmar, Walton and Mbenga combine for 24 points overall with 14 rebounds during 102-95 win at San Antonio.
By Broderick Turner
Reporting from San Antonio -- The Lakers' vaunted Bench Mob had been inconsistent as of late and had drawn the ire of Coach Phil Jackson because of its selfish play.
That group found itself in the middle of an intense, heated game Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs and it was given the opportunity by Jackson to succeed, to carry the moment.
The Bench Mob came through, delivering in the fourth quarter, playing a big role in the Lakers' 102-95 victory over San Antonio at the AT&T Center.
Lakers reserves Josh Powell, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and DJ Mbenga combined for 24 points on 11-for-20 shooting. They produced 14 rebounds and four assists.
"I just think that the more we can trust each other, on both ends, and the more patience we have, the better we'll be," said Powell, back with the reserves after starting Wednesday night's game because Lamar Odom was serving a one-game suspension. "I think that the first half, it was like we were out there kind of rushing instead of just being patient and letting things happen on both ends of the court. I think in the second half, we were able to get that back."
In the all-important fourth quarter, the Lakers reserves scored 12 points. They missed only three of their eight shots.
"They made some turnovers, but they were able to score," Jackson said. "It was nice to see them fight back in this ballgame and get back in it."
The reserves were impressive in the fourth. Powell, Vujacic, Farmar and Walton began the fourth with starter Pau Gasol and they were asked to protect an eight-point lead.
There were some tenuous moments, such as the two times that the Spurs cut that lead to four points.
But Jackson stuck with them and they earned his trust by opening a 12-point lead before turning the game back over to the starters.
"We understand what our job is, what we have when we're out there," Vujacic said. "We're just trying to do our best and extend the score in our favor. So that's what Bench Mob does and we try to speed up the pace a little bit and play good defense and just move the basketball. When we play like that, there's not one team that can beat us."
After the Lakers' lead dipped to 81-77 early in the fourth, Walton got a steal that led to an eight-foot jumper by Powell.
Powell then tipped in his own missed shot. Vujacic made a 16-foot jumper and Walton scored on a layup after passing inside to Gasol and then cutting to the basket.
That gave the Lakers an 89-77 lead.
"I think that we were finding mismatches because they went small and we were just taking advantage of it," said Powell, who had four points and three rebounds. "That came with being patient. Then on the other end, we were talking on defense, trying to get stops. That's really our biggest problem. I think if we can get that under control, get that trust back again and stop worrying about stuff and just play, then we'll be back to the way we were and that'll be more consistent."
In the last two games, Vujacic has been on the court when the game hung in the balance.
That's how it was last season, but it hasn't been the case as much this season.
Vujacic played seven of his 12 minutes in the fourth, even getting back in the game for the final 2:18.
He made his only shot and both of his free throws. He finished with six points.
"Finally, finally," Vujacic said about being in the game late. "I'm not going to hide it. I feel like last season again but even better. It's good. I live for those last five minutes of the game. Yesterday I had an opportunity to play. Even if I didn't get any shots, I'm there. Today, I still got another opportunity, which was great. The important thing is that we're winning."
Jerry Crowe
They'd already won at Boston and Cleveland, so the Lakers' Thursday night victory at San Antonio wasn't their most impressive road win, but it ranks among the top five, at least. . . .
This one might reverberate. . . .
As TNT's Charley Barkley noted at halftime, with the Lakers threatening to turn it into a Texas-sized blowout, "They wanted to send a message tonight: Y'all can't beat us." . . .
Not without Manu Ginobili.
******************************
Lakers running away with the West (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-spurs13-2009mar13,0,969285.story)
They clinch the Pacific Division, a playoff spot and increase their lead in the conference to 8 1/2 games over the Spurs with a 102-95 victory. Bryant and Gasol score 23 points apiece.
By Mike Bresnahan
Reporting from San Antonio -- The banner will never be hung at Staples Center, not even the slimmest of chances, making the Lakers' clinching of the Pacific Division a mere sidebar to the bigger event Thursday night.
They entered one of the more feverish NBA milieus and beat back the San Antonio Spurs, more than salvaging a three-game trip against playoff-worthy teams in the Western Conference.
Playing in Texas for the second time in as many nights, the Lakers rolled to an 18-point first-quarter lead and, after some tense fourth-quarter possessions, increased their advantage in the West to 8 1/2 games over the second-place Spurs with a 102-95 victory at the AT&T Center.
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the way with 23 points each, and the Lakers answered each late Spurs score with one of their own.
And you thought a few days ago that they might go 0-3 on this trip?
It looked as if it could happen when they got crushed in Portland and were told they'd be without Lamar Odom against Houston.
But 24 hours after Bryant pushed them past the Rockets, the Lakers (52-13) took one for the team, as a team.
All five starters scored in double figures, and all five reserves scored either four or six points, a study in symmetry the Lakers gladly accepted. Odom had 12 points and 10 rebounds in his return from a one-game suspension for leaving the bench during an altercation against Portland.
"We were really determined to win this game," Bryant said. "We had a really terrible showing in Portland. We were really excited about this back-to-back trip, Houston and San Antonio."
Excited to play, but not exuberant after winning.
Someone apparently delivered "2009 Pacific Division Champions" T-shirts to the visitors' locker room, but they never came close to being worn.
There are bigger things at stake. If winning the division is the best the Lakers do this season, it'll obviously be a long off-season for them.
In fact, many of the players didn't even know they clinched the division, not to mention the automatic playoff berth that comes with it.
"Really? Cool," Bryant said.
So there was going to be a huge celebration on the flight back home after the game?
"Yeah, you know, we're really big on Pacific Division titles around here," Bryant said sarcastically.
For the record, it's the team's 20th Pacific Division title in the 39-year existence of the division itself.
"It's news, but it's not something that we were specifically pointing towards," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said.
The Lakers were cruising to an easy victory after taking a 35-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
This being San Antonio, though, it's rarely that simple.
In fact, Tony Parker's three-point shot brought the Spurs to within 95-93 with 2:19 left.
Bryant answered with a three-pointer over rookie George Hill as the shot clock wound down to give the Lakers a 98-93 lead with 1:46 to play. It was all they would need.
Spurs fans began filtering out of the arena when Michael Finley was short on an 11-footer. With so few people left after a timeout, an "M-V-P" chant by Lakers fans rebounded throughout the arena during the game's final seconds.
Back-to-back victories for the Lakers in Texas. If their fans get their wish, it'll be back-to-back seasons of Bryant's name on the MVP trophy. "For me, it's just go out there and do my job and help us win games," Bryant said. "That's all I'm here for, is to help us win. If the MVP comes with that, man, that's great."
******************************
Bench Mob comes through for Lakers (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-lakersweb14-2009mar14,0,1141700.story)
Asked to protect a lead against the Spurs, Powell, Vujacic, Farmar, Walton and Mbenga combine for 24 points overall with 14 rebounds during 102-95 win at San Antonio.
By Broderick Turner
Reporting from San Antonio -- The Lakers' vaunted Bench Mob had been inconsistent as of late and had drawn the ire of Coach Phil Jackson because of its selfish play.
That group found itself in the middle of an intense, heated game Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs and it was given the opportunity by Jackson to succeed, to carry the moment.
The Bench Mob came through, delivering in the fourth quarter, playing a big role in the Lakers' 102-95 victory over San Antonio at the AT&T Center.
Lakers reserves Josh Powell, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and DJ Mbenga combined for 24 points on 11-for-20 shooting. They produced 14 rebounds and four assists.
"I just think that the more we can trust each other, on both ends, and the more patience we have, the better we'll be," said Powell, back with the reserves after starting Wednesday night's game because Lamar Odom was serving a one-game suspension. "I think that the first half, it was like we were out there kind of rushing instead of just being patient and letting things happen on both ends of the court. I think in the second half, we were able to get that back."
In the all-important fourth quarter, the Lakers reserves scored 12 points. They missed only three of their eight shots.
"They made some turnovers, but they were able to score," Jackson said. "It was nice to see them fight back in this ballgame and get back in it."
The reserves were impressive in the fourth. Powell, Vujacic, Farmar and Walton began the fourth with starter Pau Gasol and they were asked to protect an eight-point lead.
There were some tenuous moments, such as the two times that the Spurs cut that lead to four points.
But Jackson stuck with them and they earned his trust by opening a 12-point lead before turning the game back over to the starters.
"We understand what our job is, what we have when we're out there," Vujacic said. "We're just trying to do our best and extend the score in our favor. So that's what Bench Mob does and we try to speed up the pace a little bit and play good defense and just move the basketball. When we play like that, there's not one team that can beat us."
After the Lakers' lead dipped to 81-77 early in the fourth, Walton got a steal that led to an eight-foot jumper by Powell.
Powell then tipped in his own missed shot. Vujacic made a 16-foot jumper and Walton scored on a layup after passing inside to Gasol and then cutting to the basket.
That gave the Lakers an 89-77 lead.
"I think that we were finding mismatches because they went small and we were just taking advantage of it," said Powell, who had four points and three rebounds. "That came with being patient. Then on the other end, we were talking on defense, trying to get stops. That's really our biggest problem. I think if we can get that under control, get that trust back again and stop worrying about stuff and just play, then we'll be back to the way we were and that'll be more consistent."
In the last two games, Vujacic has been on the court when the game hung in the balance.
That's how it was last season, but it hasn't been the case as much this season.
Vujacic played seven of his 12 minutes in the fourth, even getting back in the game for the final 2:18.
He made his only shot and both of his free throws. He finished with six points.
"Finally, finally," Vujacic said about being in the game late. "I'm not going to hide it. I feel like last season again but even better. It's good. I live for those last five minutes of the game. Yesterday I had an opportunity to play. Even if I didn't get any shots, I'm there. Today, I still got another opportunity, which was great. The important thing is that we're winning."