Game Blog: Spurs @ Lakers - Feb. 8

[easy7]

We need to get Shaq in here so he can throw everyone under the bus.

[Chomag]

That is not Pop, he is the most consistent Spur

haha' true that :toast

[Manu-of-steel]

manu back to the bench after hitting a 3? wtf

[Blackjack]

Damn, Gasol gets credited for rebounds the way Rodman did back in the day; tip the ball and keep it alive is all it takes..

[slick'81]

and the lakers dont even have bynum theyll fkcn kill small ball

[wijayas]

Manu is back!

[Ice009]

RJ for the MOTHERFUCKING WIN.

[ElNono]

LOL... Now we put Manu back

[slick'81]

you rock bogans really

[byrontx]

I hope room service offers RJ some tampons at the hotel.....maybe the VAGINE and luke can comfort him

If RJ gets offensive tonight it will be when he puts a liplock on Walton.

[hitmanyr2k]

Duncan...DEMAND THE FUCKIN BALL. You're letting Bogans shoot? WTF?

[easy7]

Farmar is going off like a porn star in an orgy movie.

[Ice009]

BOGANS for the MOTHERFUCKING LOSS.

[KuntryDude]

I thought Kobe wasn't playing tonight.....Oh shit there he is wearing #1

[picc84]

lol

Farmar tears it up, Fisher is brought in and immediately gets swatted out of bounds.

Thanks Phil.

[ElNono]

Somebody tell Pop Kobeis not playing... No need for Bogans and RJ out there

[slick'81]

gasol going nutz

[hitmanyr2k]

Gasol goes from end to end without being picked up? :lol

[KuntryDude]

c'mon refs...u whistle happy bitches!

[phxspurfan]

This team is good enough to contend..but this small ball bullshit is all on Pop

^

[timtonymanu]

Are the Spurs even running plays?

They look like high school kids that play basketball after school.

[ElNono]

Lol at coach bud... Yes Pop, yes Pop

[Ice009]

Pop doesn't give a shit anymore looking at him on the bench there.

[KuntryDude]

RJ at least shot the fucking rock dude. u just might get lucky

[alchemist]

why the fuck is Pop laughing?

[Chomag]

ummm Pop and TP laughing!?! wtf...

[ElNono]

You know what, I can't fault Dick for these lineups... He just isn't a PF

[slick'81]

Pop doesn't give a shit anymore looking at him on the bench there.


yeah he looked about ready for the allstar break

[oligarchy]

at least the Spurs won't have to play the Lakers in the playoffs

[TD 21]

Why the fuck is Bogans in the game? The team can't make a shot, can't defend this team anyway and he's got their least talented perimeter player in the game? Unbelievable. McDyess should be in, or since he's obsessed with playing small, either Hill or Mason. The Lakers don't have a credible wing scorer to worry about and Artest has been a non-factor, so there's no reason for Bogans to be in the game.

[phxspurfan]

Execution issues...

If Jerry Sloan coached this team, we'd be 39-13.

[VBM]

LOL at Duncan tuning out Pop

[spursfan09]

Why is Pop yelling at Duncan for this shit?

[Spurologist]

:wow

Pop was layin into TD at half time

[slick'81]

wow pop really intense with timmy at halftime

[phxspurfan]

:whiteflag

[ElNono]

Same old Lakers... Pack the paint and beat us from outside... We can't buy a bucket

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

the lakers are actually playing some good team basketball

[spursfan09]

Seriously does this team even care what pop has to say?

[Chomag]

LOL at Duncan tuning out Pop

I would give anything to see Tim just out right deck Pop right now. :lol

[Duncan2177]

This games over.

[timtonymanu]

Honestly I can accept a rebuilding team. But I want one that at least tries and takes the games seriously. Even if they suck but gave alot of effort, that's all that matters.

[slick'81]

yes and we still get to watch spurs in denve coming up

[phxspurfan]

Lakers' transition D has been good all game. And their length + contesting all shots has bothered us...

[Spurologist]

:pctoss :pctoss

:pctoss :pctoss

[anonoftheinternets]

why does tony keep taking that jumper ..manu is playing well...get him the ball....goddamn ..

[slick'81]

gasol fckn wit the slam

[DAF86]

A 23 foot 2 pts shot with a man on and 20 secs on the clock, really Tony?

[Ice009]

Phil owns TP mentally.

TP can NEVER EVER HIT shots against LA.

[Manu-of-steel]

spurs with the small ball. I wonder why Mcdyess was not sent in when tha lakers are manhandling the spurs inside the paint

[Chomag]

This games over.

So seems the Spurs from what it looks like

[picc84]

Right now Dick is like me with my girlfriend after a 1/5 of vodka. He's penetrating aggressively but just can't finish.

He needs to go to the bench so he can operate and let Manu start.

[anonoftheinternets]

denver is going to be brutal....

[ffadicted]

Parker, wtf, that is literally the worst shot in basketball, half a foot inside the 3 point line :pctoss

Manu has been hot, why isn't he taking the last shots GODDAMN IT RAGE :pctoss

[ElNono]

Execution issues...

If Jerry Sloan coached this team, we'd be 39-13.

No doubt. And RJ would be on the doghouse, plus we would play defense...

[VBM]

So honestly...no one is surprised by how this game played out right?

[Chieflion]

Can we give Pau Gasol the MVP now?

[Quiet Strength]

I dont fucking understand pop.. i see some a damn talented spurs team but pop doesn't know what the fuck to do with the talent but waste it. This is a pathetic loss and once again it is all on pop. He's lost it in his head or someone is paying him to lose games..

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Phil owns TP mentally.

TP can NEVER EVER HIT shots against LA.

sarcasm?
TP has been hitting his fair share of jumpers tonight imo

[TD 21]

I hope the Nuggets pound these jokers by 50 and force their hand into doing something to inject some energy into this team. This is a dead, lifeless team, lacking in speed on the front line. They're at the point where they just need to make a change for the sake of it. I'm not saying do something ridiculous, but Thomas for expirings would be nice, maybe something else minor, heck I'd even like to see them play Mahinmi and Hairston, something to look like an NBA team. As it is, they look old, slow and weary, despite being well rested coming in.

[angelbelow]

hmm

[Banzai]

Can the spurs end their Relationship with Richard Jefferson?

[neboat]

great shot TP....

[Duncan2177]

Pop is a asshole he needs to look at himself in the mirror and not take it out on Tim. Duncan needs to speak up to Pop.

[Xylus]

This is hard to watch. Not the Spurs team I'm used to watching. Seems like every play is an iso with Parker, Jefferson, or Ginobili.

[Budkin]

What can you say? There is nothing to say.

[ElNono]

35% FG for the Spirs on the last 3 quarters.. Gotta credit the Lakers D

[Refocus]

Finley on Odom.. awesome..

[hitmanyr2k]

Small ball WOOOHOOO!!

[Spurologist]

Every time I see FIN play defense, a part of me dies

[Allanon]

Can the spurs end their Relationship with Richard Jefferson?

No, but I think Luke has.

[ElNono]

Pop playing Finley at PF... nice touch

[Manu-of-steel]

odom with an easy lay up against finley

[KuntryDude]

a lot of wasted talent on this team. i'd rather see Manu surge on another team worthy of HIM! Pop has really fucked off alot of good players. Benu, Stephen Jax, Speedy Clax just to name a few...

[slick'81]

Can the spurs end their Relationship with Richard Jefferson?


if they could find anyone retarded enough to want him and that gross year he has left on his deal

[Quiet Strength]

Finley on Odom.. awesome..

:depressed

[Gouken]

The Fisher King with the dagger!

[ElNono]

Fish looking like MJ.. Thank you Manu

[ffadicted]

/game lol

[slick'81]

and fisher has double figures time to vomit

[phxspurfan]

Gasol owns Duncan. It's now safe to say hell has frozen over.

[Chomag]

LOL @ Finely playing PF at crunch time minutes.

[DesignatedT]

lmao duncan and parker a combined 0/4 in the 4th quarter????? 4 fucking shots combined??????????????????

[Biggems]

every ticky tack contact is a foul on the Spurs.....its complete bullshit. these are grown men and there will be contact, let them fucking play already. its a shame that the Lakers are getting so much damn home cookin, cause they really dont need it. The Spurs suck this year.

[slick'81]

fckn sad that is all

[Mavs<Spurs]

This has been so depressing. I am not surprised that the Lakers won or that we didn't play well. I am surprised by how badly we played. It has been very difficult to watch.

:(
:flag:

[ElNono]

LOL Protecting the paint

[bigdog]

I'm honestly not surprised the Spurs came out and played this shitty. I had more faith in this team, but it's become clear there needs to be some changes.

[Austin_Toros]

This is hard to watch. Not the Spurs team I'm used to watching. Seems like every play is an iso with Parker, Jefferson, or Ginobili.

You know its not the spurs of old when there's four guards on the floor at the same time. And it is hard to watch at times..

[Ditty]

were not going to win if parker is shooting outside jumpers and gets some balls and takes it to the hole

[wijayas]

Game Over boys...

Yep, we are on-track to 37 Win season!

[IronMexican]

spurs brah

[TD 21]

Pop is a asshole he needs to look at himself in the mirror and not take it out on Tim. Duncan needs to speak up to Pop.

If I were Duncan and this old, ugly piece of shit came to me and lost it over anything, I'd completely go off on him, in front of the team, in front of the national audience. Fuck him. It's bad enough that he has to guard a bigger, more mobile guy at his age, but now he's asking him to do that AND have no other big on the floor to support him? What an asshole. I hope this coach resigns because, I've had enough.

[picc84]

Fisher and Sasha suck every day of the year but they lace the fuck up when the spurs come to town. Machine drilling 25 foot 3 pointers, Fisher throwing up floaters like Chris paul. :lmao

[ohmwrecker]

Can the spurs end their Relationship with Richard Jefferson?

Just send him an e-mail telling him not to bother showing up in Denver.

[TD 21]

Pop is a asshole he needs to look at himself in the mirror and not take it out on Tim. Duncan needs to speak up to Pop.

If I were Duncan and this old, ugly piece of shit came to me and lost it over anything, I'd completely go off on him, in front of the team, in front of the national audience. Fuck him. It's bad enough that he has to guard a bigger, more mobile guy at his age, but now he's asking him to do that AND have no other big on the floor to support him? What an asshole. I hope this coach resigns because, I've had enough. And I'm sure the players have too, particularly the big three.

[ffadicted]

lol how long as it been since the lakers missed

[Chieflion]

Come on Gasol, get your 20-20-10 and embarrass us.

[slick'81]

thanks god this shit is over

[alchemist]

Timmy going hard in garbage time = slap in the face to fanbase

[Austin_Toros]

16th game for RJ under ten points. :(

[Biggems]

if Fisher could play the Spurs 82 games a year, he would be a HOFer

[ffadicted]

*sigh* Can't believe i stayed up till 2:15am for this :cry:

[slick'81]

and big bird speaks

[KuntryDude]

....and Fin guards Odom as the clock expires....Good D Fin! Good goddamn D.

[phxspurfan]

I wonder what Chuck's gonna say about us. I'd bet he will come off the bandwagon tonite.

[Biggems]

i can handle the Spurs losing....what I cant handle is this farce that they are calling basketball this season.

[slick'81]

and there goes the best big man on the planet :vomit:

[Cant_Be_Faded]

ROFL
the lakers mvp is totaly pau gasol
kobe isn't even the most vital cog in his own machine

yeesh
oh well, all good things come to an end.

[Allanon]

Good game guys. See you at the next one.

[easy7]

Why were you so effective tonight? Gasol "Because I was playing against a bunch of midgets, that is why."

[phxspurfan]

Oh, and people must hate the Spurs because right now they're getting everyone's best.

[Manu-of-steel]

wtf was pop thinking on this one? Mcdyess was rebounding well, defending well on the first half. Then during crunch time, he'll insert the fossil of finley to defen odom?

[Mavs<Spurs]

i can handle the spurs losing....what i cant handle is this farce that they are calling basketball this season.

+1

[Budkin]

So is this officially the low point of the season or have we not hit that yet? Not just a loss to a Kobe-less Lakers team... but BLOWN OUT.

[KuntryDude]

Well WILL NOT...repeat WILL NOT make playoffs this season

[DesignatedT]

Pop played 11 players tonight 11 FUCKING PLAYERS. how can u expect anyone to get rolling with that type of shit... 11 fucking players!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ditty]

thursday is a must win game or there wont be no cofiedence going into the all star break

[Nathan Explosion]

blame Pop, for playing blair on Gasol start of the 4th.

But Blair was supposed to be the answer. This was what I was talking about on draft night. Blair can help in so many ways, but in the end, against the Lakers, the one thing he can't do is grow 6 inches.

Again, if I'm the Spurs, I'm exploring trades for a big man to help Tim in the paint on offense and defense. Unfortunately, it may take dealing Gino to get it done.

[Libri]

Good game guys. See you at the next one.

:lmao

[Capt Bringdown]

Gasol with the monster game: 19 boards, 8 assists, 5 blks and 21 points.
He knocked Duncan's dick in the dirt.

[sabar]

This team sucks from top to bottom. There is no single point of failure. Everything sucks.

Sucky offense
Sucky defense
Everyone is a choker
Sucky lineups
No heart
No energy
No hustle
Senile coach

It's going to take a ridiculous trade to cure all of that.

[KuntryDude]

:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao


thursday is a must win game or there wont be no cofiedence going into the all star break

[Pauleta14]

Timmy going hard in garbage time = slap in the face to fanbase

:lol

I was surprised too!! WTF?:wow

[timtonymanu]

forget must wins. this team has thrown in the towel. 21 losses before the all-star break. Nearly out of the playoff race.

[Budkin]

thursday is a must win game or there wont be no cofiedence going into the all star break

Dude, come on. Really?

[siraulo23]

fuck, how frustrating it is to watch this team

oh well

[ffadicted]

Timmy going hard in garbage time = slap in the face to fanbase

Not just timmy, everybody. Fucking shameful

[easy7]

Expect no vaseline on Thursday.

[KuntryDude]

Oh how i miss Bruce!

[Pauleta14]

What happened to Hill??! -23!!!

[picc84]

Relax guys, you'll be fine. Spurs are 1-1 against the Lakers this season, remember.

[Manu-of-steel]

But Blair was supposed to be the answer. This was what I was talking about on draft night. Blair can help in so many ways, but in the end, against the Lakers, the one thing he can't do is grow 6 inches.

Again, if I'm the Spurs, I'm exploring trades for a big man to help Tim in the paint on offense and defense. Unfortunately, it may take dealing Gino to get it done.
Blair is just a rookie, he's not an answer for gasol, but he played well. We have bigs, yes, the problem is, pop's not using them. Manu has been playing well lately, especially on this game. Without him, it would have been more brutal

[bigdog]

Okay, so the Lakers(and a bunch of other teams) are better than the Spurs right now. That's fine, but what bothers me is the fact that the Spurs don't seem to play with any fire. That really, really bothers me. The coaches are just sitting there, too, looking bored while the team is getting demolished. That's pathetic.

[Nathan Explosion]

Manu, Duncan, and Parker should all demand to be traded!

Gino is the most likely candidate to be traded. Maybe to Phoenix.

[KuntryDude]

And Melo is suiting up Thursday! oh shit. we get to see a lot of that dumb ass Bogans

[J_Paco]

Wow, we've fallen on our faces again. Can this team become anymore pathetic and uninspiring??? Richard Jefferson is the biggest piece of shit, soft-ass, pussy to ever put on a Spurs jersey. God, I miss the days when guys would dive on the floor for loose balls and actually play with heart. We are officially in '97-'00 Houston Rockets territory. :depressed:depressed:depressed:depressed

[Manu-of-steel]

Manu, Duncan, and Parker should all demand to be traded!

Agree. But it's not their personalty to demand a trade. Pop should be in the doghouse right now.

[MmP]

I never usually rant. But this team was simply outhustled and outenergyzed. And seemed like they didn't even cared. Which really worries me. I saw finley and dice go for scrumbled balls like if they were running with 20 pounds bag on their shoulders.
Paker and Manu had a terrible night on defence they couldn't hold anybody today. I give them an F- for the effort as well.

The offense was out sync. No chemestry at all. Just pick and jumper.

I usually belive but with what they showed us tonight it makes u wanna kick their fucking balls for staying up so late.

[iminol]

What happened to Hill??! -23!!!

He wasnt starting.

[Budkin]

RJ 2-9. 9 pts. Amazing.

[Nathan Explosion]

Blair is just a rookie, he's not an answer for gasol, but he played well. We have bigs, yes, the problem is, pop's not using them. Manu has been playing well lately, especially on this game. Without him, it would have been more brutal

That wasn't the tune being sung all summer. See, I warned people about Blair. I said he was a rookie. I said Thabeet wasn't Gasol. I said he needed to grow 6 inches. Again, Blair can help this team. What he can't do right now is guard Gasol. The thing is, the bigs they had can't put points on the board. McDyess was playing great D and grabbing boards, but he wasn't putting the ball in the hole.

Ratliff can't score either. They didn't have defense, but considering that they couldn't score, all the defense in the world won't help this team. I wish someone could hit an outside shot for once.

[Crookshanks]

We need a big man!!!! And that's what all the commentators are also saying. Brent Barry was just talking about when the Spurs had Elson and Oberto. And the game announcers were talking about how good the Spurs were when they had David and even Robert Horry. The Spurs just have to get a big man - they're getting creamed inside.

This is so hard to watch - and Richard Jefferson is a total bust - and everyone knows it!!

[Manu-of-steel]

Denver comes next with their big frontline. If pop uses small ball on this, we're deadmeat.

[iminol]

Can we officialy announce to put Dick to Stephon Marbury/Allen Iverson club? Cancersons, The.

[Ditty]

Dude, come on. Really?

yah losing to the nuggets and waiting for a week to play another game its going to be hard mentaily and on all of us fans who still have hope like me

[Crookshanks]

It's hard to be a Spurs fan right now - and Brent Barry concurs.

[midnightpulp]

I don't remember the details, but why did the Spurs get rid of Nazr? Always thought he was a nice fit.

[J_Paco]

Timmy going hard in garbage time = slap in the face to fanbase

I didn't see the end of the game, turned that pathetic bullshit off, but what do you mean by that comment?

[Ditty]

spurs werent agressive tonight they're not taking it too the hoop and just shooting long outside jumpers while the laker guards are taking it in the hole missing layups by pau or odom is there for the cleanup im getting sick of smallball

i dont know what this team needs i believe they need one more big man over 6 foot fucking 7 who can rebound and be some kind of defense presance and maybe another perimeter defender who takes it to the fucking hoop

[Ditty]

theres no fucking heart or leader on this team who has the balls to call out his team and player even dumbfuck coach NOW who puts the most stupidest lineups im sorry but i disagree with yall hating on jefferson he's not the problem but we have such a dumbass coach NOW that doesnt know how to use talent

[scottspurs]

Seriously, who do you think should replace Pop?

Everybody wants him to go, but who is their better than him to coach this team?

[VBM]

Seriously, who do you think should replace Pop?

Everybody wants him to go, but who is their better than him to coach this team?

http://blogs.abc.net.au/thesportsdesk/images/2007/12/22/avery_johnson_in_flight_for_the_spu.jpg

[JustinJDW]

Argh, bad loss. I live near L.A and everyone at school knows I am a Spurs fan. I am going to get a lot of crap from everyone tomorrow. Ugh.

Good game by the Lakers though. Gasol played well. He really needs to be more aggressive when going up though. A lot of missed lay-ins.

Spurs need to get better though. We could have definitely won this game, but we didn't put in enough effort. It's not like the Lakers were playing unstoppable basketball. Artest shot 6-16, Gasol was 8-20 and Brown shot freaking 3-13. This wasn't God like basketball. We could have won this game.

The problem was our offense. We had way too many possessions that ended with a jumpshot. We didn't do enough penetration or posting up. I don't know why we didn't post up with Timmy until like the last two minutes. Very weird. I know he struggled a little bit, but that's no excuse. Gasol wasn't going to stop him all game. And he didn't have the score, just let him get the ball on the block and get the offense moving. Timmy creates offense.

And this small ball crap needs to go. No more playing Richard Jefferson at Power Forward and Dejuan Blair at Center. I mean seriously, what is that? Simply put, it doesn't work. Maybe you can get a few flashy Regular Season Home wins with that small ball crap, but it doesn't work in the Playoffs and it doesn't work against real teams like the Lakers. What was the point of signing Theo Ratliff if we weren't going to use him?

Well, at least Ginobili and Tony played fantastic. Ginobili had 21 points on 7-11 shooting and Parker had 20 points on 50% shooting, along with 8 assists. Very nice. Our Frontcourt just didn't do a good enough job. Well, enough of my pointless rambling. Hopefully the Spurs will play better in Denver this Thursday. Ugh, Denver. :(


:hang

[justinandimcool]

Is Timmy of all people becoming someone we can't trust when it matters? He was a flat out ghost in the 4th quarter. Credit to Pau maybe but shit Tim.

But the blame right now is on RJ. There's something about his attitude the rubs off on the rest of the role players...Bogans, Mason, etc. He has done nothing but negatively impact this team and I want him fucking out of here.

[J_Paco]

Seriously, who do you think should replace Pop?

Everybody wants him to go, but who is their better than him to coach this team?

Okay, he's got four titles we understand. But, this thing is falling apart at the seams and the coach is always the first person held accountable.

[alchemist]

I didn't see the end of the game, turned that pathetic bullshit off, but what do you mean by that comment?
1 Minute left, he got the ball in the post and pounded Gasol, I know he's carried the Spurs this season but waiting until the final minute to start being aggressive and attacking the paint is complete horse shit. :pctoss

Ginobili did the exact same thing, waiting until the final minute to attack. :bang

[Killakobe81]

Wow just wow I thought Spurs by 6 ...tough game to swallow ...
I agree though I dont blame pop but if RJ was in triangle id think with the way he cuts he could be useful ..he seems like bad fit with Parker IMHO ...
But he seems to have lost confidence ...

Dfish and Sasha seem to enjoy playing Spurs ...

STILL dont think Spurs are done ... but if yu are you will be missed ... classy team

[justinandimcool]

If the Spurs owe anyone class it's to themselves and to us fans. They quit, they have no class. Fuck them if they don't adjust down the stretch.

[duncan228]

Updated.

Lakers beat Spurs 101-89 without Bryant, Bynum (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010020813&prov=ap)
By Beth Harris

No Kobe, still no problem for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pau Gasol had 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots to lead five players in double figures, and Los Angeles beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89 Monday night as Bryant missed his second consecutive game with a sore left ankle.

Andrew Bynum sat out with a bruised right hip.

In their absences, the Lakers used a collective effort to win in their final home game before this weekend’s All-Star break. Ron Artest added 18 points, Lamar Odom 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher had 13 each.

“It’s got to be reassuring for the rest of the team and for the guys that don’t play that much that are now stepping up,” Gasol said. “It was fun. It was a good challenge for us. We played hard and got a nice win.”

Manu Ginobili scored 21 points, Tony Parker 20, Tim Duncan had 16 points and 15 rebounds and Antonio McDyess 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who have lost four in a row to the Lakers at Staples Center.

“We knew they were going to come hard and going to play hard,” Parker said. “Especially with Kobe out, you’re going to have guys who are going to step up and that’s what they did.”

Los Angeles again showed it could win without Bryant. The Lakers snapped a five-year losing streak at Portland with a victory Saturday, when Bryant ended his streak of 235 consecutive games played and Bynum missed the second half.

Bryant said he skipped another game because he can’t push off on his left foot.

“I can’t move to play. Can’t go,” he said, adding he would be a game-time decision Wednesday at Utah. “If I’m ready to go, I’ll play.”

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti would like Bryant to rest through All-Star weekend in Dallas. Bryant said he couldn’t commit either way at this point.

“I don’t know what it’s going to look like on Sunday. I’m not clairvoyant,” he said, laughing. “I’m not an idiot. If it’s an injury where I feel like I can play through it and have it heal while I’m playing, then I’ll play. But if it’s the type of injury where it’s going to get worse when I play, then I won’t.”

The Lakers extended their lead to 81-70 early in the fourth, equaling their largest lead to that point, capped by Shannon Brown’s 3-pointer.

Mostly though, the final period was a messy affair, with the Spurs throwing the ball away on three occasions and the Lakers stumbling through a cold stretch after their strong start.

But they regrouped and ended the game on a 17-11 run after going 4 1/2 minutes without a field goal.

“We finished relatively well for a game that seemed to be a struggle,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “I don’t think we’re playing that well, but we are winning the games. We settle in and play good defense. We can shoot the ball better than we are doing.”

Los Angeles led 68-57 on a 14-4 run in the third. Gasol scored seven in a row and Odom had three. But the Spurs closed the quarter with an 11-5 spurt, capped by Ginobili’s 3-pointer, to trail 73-68 going into the fourth.

“The Lakers were obviously a little shorthanded and played mentally tougher than we did and physically tougher than we did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Don’t ask me why.”

Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Farmar and Josh Powell started the second quarter for the Lakers along with Gasol. The youngsters’ energy paid off as the Lakers scored the first seven points to take their first lead since early in the game.

The Lakers made 5 of 6 free throws to end the half ahead 50-47.

The Spurs raced to a 9-0 lead to open the game before Artest sparked the Lakers’ offense with consecutive 3-pointers. Parker scored 12 of his 15 first-half points in the opening quarter when he wasn’t dishing off in traffic.

Notes: The Lakers improved to 55-33 without Bryant in the lineup. However, they’re 19-23 in 42 games without him since the 2003-04 season. … The Lakers tied the season series 1-1, having lost 105-85 at San Antonio on Jan. 12. … The oft-injured Spurs were completely healthy. … They fell to 10-11 on the road.

[J_Paco]

I thought Timmy played Gasol well tonight. He played solid post defense and had three blocks. Gasol did most of his damage during that 8 or 9 minute stretch in second half with Blair on him.

[scottspurs]

http://blogs.abc.net.au/thesportsdesk/images/2007/12/22/avery_johnson_in_flight_for_the_spu.jpg

And who taught Avery?

[objective]

I don't remember the details, but why did the Spurs get rid of Nazr? Always thought he was a nice fit.

He shot a three-pointer to avoid a shotclock violation in a blowout against Sacramento in the playoffs and had the misfortune of nailing it.

Pop blew up at him and chained him to the doghouse.

Then swore from that day forward he'd rather lose with smallball than win with normalball.

Okay, that last part I made up.

[jbspurs]

Pop's coaching philosophy "The more you suck, The more you play!!". You hit a three, You block shots, You fight for rebounds.... You'll hit the bench!

[nevitt_&_smrek]

Pop's coaching philosophy "The more you suck, The more you play!!". You hit a three, You block shots, You fight for rebounds.... You'll hit the bench!

That's what Warriors fans say about Don Nelson's decisions and strategies. He sends effective players to the bench for not apparent reason.

[timvp]

the spurs aren't going to lose tonight.you must not have watched the spurs lately.

fml.

[TheMACHINE]

damn took me 40 minutes to read every post in this thread. Well worth it. lol

ANyways...lots of you guys call out Kobe for demanding trades and saying "ship his ass out" about certain players. I think its time for Duncan to do somethign like that. None of you guys should be happy with the moves the SPurs are making. You guys are getting guys like Dice and Dick, while other teams are getting Artest, Gasol, Kidd, Shaq, Carter etc. WTF?! lol

[J_Paco]

Hey, can anyone explain to me what went down between Duncan and coach Pop?? Was it something they showed during the broadcast?

Oh, and a old ass Kidd or O'Neal definitely wouldn't help this team out. In fact, they'd only compound our problems.

[duncan228]

Hey, can anyone explain to me what went down between Duncan and coach Pop?? Was it something they showed during the broadcast?

They showed Pop and Duncan on the bench after halftime before the third started. Pop was talking, Duncan was staring straight ahead, not looking at Pop. Some took that to mean Duncan was tuning him out.

[Dro210]

Hey, can anyone explain to me what went down between Duncan and coach Pop?? Was it something they showed during the broadcast?

Oh, and a old ass Kidd or O'Neal definitely wouldn't help this team out. In fact, they'd only compound our problems.

O'Neal would be a major factor on this team.

[easy7]

O'Neal would be a major factor on this team.

O'Neal would have already publicly thrown Dick under the bus.

[Chieflion]

O'Neal would have already publicly thrown Dick under the bus.
Maybe. But he will piss on himself by saying Tim Duncan is the best big man in the history of the league or something like that.

[VBM]

And who taught Avery?

Same guy that lost to Avery in the lone playoff series they played against each other. That and Avery actually gave a damn about teaching a team of soft offensive-minded players to play some defense. The golden st. series was (although hilarious) just a brutal matchup for Dallas.

[duncan228]

Game Notes: Spurs at Lakers (http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/02/game-notes-spurs-at-lakers/)
With Bryant and Bynum out, Gasol goes off.
by Sean Ceglinsky
SLAM

Whoever said the Lakers couldn’t win without Kobe Bryant was sadly mistaken.

For the second time in as many games, the Purple and Gold went out and handled business, defeating the Spurs 101-89 on Monday night while No. 24 received treatment on his bum ankle and watched from the Staples Center sidelines.

The win comes days after Bryant missed an impressive 99-82 victory at Portland, snapping his string of playing in 235 consecutive games.

Speaking of impressive, Pau Gasol was impressive from start to finish against San Antonio. Seemingly unstoppable on both ends off the floor, he finished with 21 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks in 46 minutes of action.

Four other Lakers scored in double figures. Ron Artest had 18 points, Lamar Odom added 16 and Jordan Farmar and Derek Fisher ended up 13 points apiece. It’s worth noting that Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic had 8 each.

Apparently, Los Angeles isn’t a one-man show.

Bryant status for Wednesday’s game at Utah is unclear at this point, although he indicated that if he‘s capable of playing, giving it a go, that he‘ll be out there in the lineup. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen.

PRE-GAME

*** Andrew Bynum will be in civilian clothes. He’s been troubled by a swollen left knee and now you can add a bruised right hip to the list of his injury problems. As it stands now, Bynum won’t play against the Jazz later this week.

*** Tim Duncan is a pro’s pro. Well before the opening tip, The Big Fundamental is out on the court, working on his game. He starts with some free-throws, moves to baseline and fires up a few jumpers before working his way over to the wing and knocking down a several bank shots. Dude is fun to watch, regardless of the circumstance.

*** Magic Johnson is in the house. And he’s making his rounds, stopping and talking to the media, and fans alike. You know, it’s funny, there’s something about that infectious smile of his that always seems to light up a room.

FIRST QUARTER

*** The Lakers have no answer for Tony Parker early on. He hits a pair of baskets inside and a couple mid-range buckets to give the Spurs a five-point lead at 8:22. Parker finishes with 12 points in the first 12 minutes.

*** Odom answers. With Parker draped all over his back following a switch, Odom takes the ball to the hole, with relative ease, for an easy dunk to give the Lakers their first advantage of the game,12-11, with 6:56 left.

*** Here comes Manu Ginobli. At 6:16, he comes off the bench and makes an immediate impact. Ginobli buries a three-pointer, makes a floater in the lane and converts four free-throws. The Spurs are back on top by nine points.

*** At the end of one, the Lakers trail 34-28. Odom, however appears to be on his way to a triple-double. He has 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists this far.

SECOND QUARTER

*** Gasol is the only starter on the floor. He’s joined by Luke Walton, Josh Powell, Farmar and Vujacic. It will be interesting to see where the offense comes from.

*** Vujacic gets hot from the perimeter. He knocks down his first three shots, two from way downtown, to give the Lakers a 35-34 lead at 10:34.

*** What is Walton thinking? He fouls Richard Jefferson on a three-pointer which makes no sense considering how poorly the veteran has been playing lately. Jefferson steps to the line and makes two of three from the stripe. Spurs are up three with 8:32 left.

*** Parker is up to his old tricks. He weaves down the lane, draws the defense toward him before dropping off a nice pass to Duncan for an uncontested layup. Lakers trail 44-41 with 4:01 remaining before the break.

*** The Lakers go on a 9-3 run to close out the half and take a three-point advantage at intermission. Gasol has 6 points and 10 rebounds so far.

THIRD QUARTER

*** Brown does what he does best: Play above the rim. In the opening minutes, Artest tosses an alley oop that Brown snatches out of the air with both hands and finishes with his right to extend the lead to 52-47.

*** Gasol scores seven straight points, highlighted by a three-point play the conventional way. The Lakers start putting some distance between themselves and the struggling Spurs, 61-53, at the 6:56 mark.

*** Poor Duncan. He bites on an Odom pump fake and nearly ends up falling. Odom proceeds along the baseline and dunks over DeJaun Blair to give the Lakers a nine-point advantage with 3:55 remaining.

*** Parker and Blair combine for eight points down the stretch. Ginobli makes a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 73-68 at the end of three.

FOURTH QUARTER

*** Duncan has been on the bench for a while, perhaps too long. At 7:00 he returns, but it might be too late. The Spurs are down seven points. Time is of the essence from here on out.

*** Gasol gets busy. Again. He makes a pair of free-throws and is on the receiving end of no-look pass from Ron Artest that leads to a slam.. The Lakers increase the lead to 90-79 with 3:43 remaining on the clock.

*** Fisher hit’s a jumper, Ginobli fouls him on the play and he converts the subsequent free-throw to give make it a 95-81 game at 1:47. This one is over. Well almost, seconds remain. That’s all she wrote, Lakers win, 100-89.

POST-GAME

*** Parker, with his wife Eva Longoria in attendance, finished with 20 points and 8 assists. Afterward, he acknowledged the well-rounded effort put forth by the Lakers, saying, “Especially with Kobe out, you’re going to have guys who are going to step up and that’s what they did.”

*** In the locker room, Bryant did his best to fend off questions about his injury and whether it would keep him out of the All-Star Game this weekend in Dallas, Tex. “I can’t move to play. Can’t go,” he said. “If I’m ready to go, I’ll play. I don’t know what it’s going to look like on Sunday. I’m not clairvoyant. I’m not an idiot. If it’s an injury where I feel like I can play through it and have it heal while I’m playing, then I’ll play. But if it’s the type of injury where it’s going to get worse when I play, then I won’t.” Seems fair enough. Stay tuned for more details.

[duncan228]

*** Tim Duncan is a pro’s pro. Well before the opening tip, The Big Fundamental is out on the court, working on his game. He starts with some free-throws, moves to baseline and fires up a few jumpers before working his way over to the wing and knocking down a several bank shots. Dude is fun to watch, regardless of the circumstance.

This is an incredible thing to witness. Anyone with a chance to get into an arena early enough to catch Duncan's pregame routine should do it.

[Mhak]

I was at the game.. I must say its pretty embarassing when you have finley and RJ playing the 4th spot.. i also notice that when duncan goes out of the substitution POP waits for about 5-6 min to put him back in. I know duncan is old but i remember before when duncan goes out the other team rallies to score points. Its the same this year. But its worst because POP plays small ball..

If we dont have an trade to improve our front court. might as well tank the season. we will not win with small ball and bonner, RJ and Finley playing PF..

[dbreiden83080]

Did i hear this right last night?

Pop said that Pau Softer than Ice Cream Gasol is the most "Skilled big man in the world" and "Kobe is the best player player in the world" Is there a reason he likes to suck up to the Lakers every now and then?

I mean WTF

[TheMACHINE]

Did i hear this right last night?

Pop said that Pau Softer than Ice Cream Gasol is the most "Skilled big man in the world" and "Kobe is the best player player in the world" Is there a reason he likes to suck up to the Lakers every now and then?

I mean WTF

Dont you guys agree that Pop knows his basketball.

[easy7]

Did i hear this right last night?

Pop said that Pau Softer than Ice Cream Gasol is the most "Skilled big man in the world" and "Kobe is the best player player in the world" Is there a reason he likes to suck up to the Lakers every now and then?

I mean WTF

If you think about it and Pop said instead "The Lakers suck and Gasol is soft." Where would that leave the Spurs who just lost to a team that the coach just said that it sucked and has a soft guy who had his way with your midget ball? I mean, really...