Spurs at Lakers Previews

[duncan228]

San Antonio (46-29) at Los Angeles (55-21) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010040413)
Game info: 3:30 pm EDT Sun Apr 4, 2010
TV: ABC
By Alan Ferguson

The San Antonio Spurs could clinch their spot in the postseason by the time Sunday ends. They could also get a good look at their potential first-round opponent.

The Spurs will try to lock up that berth against the host Los Angeles Lakers, who could be in line to wrap up the Western Conference’s best record.

San Antonio needs a win over the Lakers or a Memphis loss to Orlando later in the evening to reach the playoffs for the 13th straight year. The Spurs (46-29) took a step toward that berth as Manu Ginobili scored a season-high 43 points in a 112-100 victory over the visiting Magic on Friday night.

“We couldn’t beat anybody the first 40, 50 games of the good (teams),” Ginobili said. “I’m very glad we started doing it. It’s better late than not doing it at all.”

San Antonio has won 14 of 19 despite not having starting point guard Tony Parker in the lineup for the past 15 games due to a broken ring finger. Ginobili has led San Antonio to 10 wins in Parker’s absence, including three over division-leading clubs.

In his last 14 starts, Ginobili has averaged 25.1 points - nearly nine above his season mark - on 51.7 percent shooting.

He scored a team-leading 24 points against the Lakers on March 24, but George Hill was the only other player in double figures with 21 in a 92-83 home loss, the Spurs’ fourth in the past five meetings with Los Angeles.

San Antonio has also dropped four in a row at Staples Center, including a 101-89 defeat Feb. 8. Ginobili scored a team-best 21 points in that win while Pau Gasol matched his output for the Lakers, who were without Kobe Bryant due to a sore left ankle.

That losing streak might not end Sunday as the Lakers are riding a seven-game home win streak that includes Friday night’s 106-92 victory over Utah.

In its first game at Staples Center since March 21, Los Angeles (55-21) got a season-high 26 points from Lamar Odom, 25 from Bryant - who signed a three-year contract extension earlier in the day - despite a 5-of-23 shooting performance and a near triple-double from Gasol.

The Lakers are closing in on a third straight Pacific Division title as well as the top seed in the West. They need wins in five of their final six games to have back-to-back 60-win seasons for the first time since they did it four straight seasons from 1984-85 to 1987-88.

“The focus is to win and try to close up that spot so we don’t have to put pressure on ourselves at the end of the season,” Odom said.

The Lakers could have a little more depth for Sunday’s game with the expected return of Luke Walton. The reserve forward hasn’t played since Feb. 10 because of a pinched nerve in his back.

*********************

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Tim Duncan SA 18.0
Kobe Bryant LAL 27.2

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 10.2
Pau Gasol LAL 11.2

Assists
Tony Parker SA 5.7
Kobe Bryant LAL 5.0

[duncan228]

Danger Zone Ahead (http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2010/4/3/1403780/danger-zone-ahead#storyjump)
by Saurav A. Das
Silver Screen and Roll

So, our beloved Los Angeles Lakers just won a pretty decisive game against what are currently one of the best teams in the NBA in the Utah Jazz. That's a nice recovery from last game, yes? But I doubt many of us, if any, would believe it is sufficient in itself to display that the Lakers are ready for war. Most fans, and likely the coaching staff, would believe they need to keep pushing. However, one of the key issues with this team has been the tendency to take the foot off the Pedal, whether this manifests itself in a 'Random Quarter Collapse' (as our friends at resident Spurs Blog Pounding The Rock (http://www.poundingtherock.com/) would say - do visit, it's an excellent site with brilliant fans. I shouldn't need to remind you to be civil, and in reality you'd feel bad behaving at any less than your utmost in such company), or in a let-down game after a big win.

The 'big win' has occurred. Will this be the let down game? If this team is made of the stuff true dynasties are moulded from, absolutely not. Any truly dominant team would still feel humiliated at the level of play these Lakers have been displaying, and thus keep their foot on the gas from here on out until hoisting a banner. Does this sound likely, considering the mentality of this team? Nope. As such, I'm busy mentally preparing myself for a loss in order to not suffer dissapointment. Even as recently as last season, one would believe that after last game the Lakers were well and truly on their way to turning it around and gaining momentum, but now one cannot be sure.


*****

These Spurs, previously written off as old and frail, have pulled a typical San Antonio Zombie Spurs move and have come out of nowhere to be beating teams like Orlando by double digits. Newsflash: Orlando is playing better than us. Unless these Spurs have a let-down game of their own, which is unlikely considering the professionalism of the team and the fact that they always get fired up playing their old rivals the Lakers, we're not favoured to win this game.

However, if we truly have turned it round, we're talented enough to blow these Spurs out of the water. I don't think La Connectione Francais is playing, so that leaves a two-man punch of Timmy D and Manu Ginobli for us to focus on. Manu Ginobli is fire. Somewhere, Ron Artest is meditating in preparation for this game. All Ron needs to do is to avoid fouling (or anything resembling a foul, Manu is damn good at flopping), try keeping him out of the paint, and get a hand to every shot. Typical defense, and I'm most definitely not qualified to tell Ron-Ron anything about defense - very few people are. When Ron's not on him, it's Kobe time. Those two should allow us to single-cover him throughout the game (it's awesome having two all-World defenders on the same team, ey?).

Tim Duncan is a future Hall-of-Famer, Greatest-Power-Forward-In-The-Game-type player. But, to repeat to tired cliche, he's getting old. Even after this, he's quietly putting up good numbers in lowered minutes, but the unavoidable fact is that his lateral quickness is virtually nonexistent these days. While this doesn't affect his offense too much, as he relies on his pure skill to score, and nor does it affect his low-post defense against traditional bigs too much; the notion of having to attempt to defend the crafty and quick Pau Gasol doubtless keeps him up at night. Once again, single-coverage should suffice.

Other Spurs starters include George Hill, starting in place of Tony Parker. He dropped fire on us last time, and while Derek Fisher actually managed to play sustainable defense on Deron Williams, we shouldn't keep playing with fire and Phil should therefore place Shannon Brown on Georgie as much as possible. His length and strength should create issues. Just put a shock-collar on Shannon that gives him a couple (hundred) volts whenever he takes on of his typical terrible shots.

RJ... God, Spurs fans hate him. He's failed to live up to expectations this season. Hell, when he got traded to San Antonio, I was scared, I thought they had dynasty potential. What stopped them was a combination of age, chemistry issues, and RJ failing. Regardless of how much he's sucked this season, he has put together a couple strings of decent games from time to time, and it just may be a good idea for Kobe to actually defend him instead of playing 'free safety', just as a precaution against the ever-present possibility of Ricko going off.

Dyess is old and slow, and not living up to expectations. Lamar Odom is going to feel like a kid in a.... man, he's gonna feel like he's Willy Wonka's factory. Perfect matchup for him. Work off the elbow or top of the key, use his speed, get to the hoop. The 26 and 10 he dropped against Boozer and Millsap? Here, he could drop that in his sleep.

The Spurs' bench, with George Hill pressganged into the starting lineup, is not that deep. Roger Mason is a decent player, but nothing special. Matt Bonner is a decent offensive player, but an absolute sieve on D. Dejuan Blair is a beast, but he's hit the wall. Plus, he's shorter than Kobe, for chrissake. There's no-one else worth really mentioning.

The Lakers are better at nearly everything statistically than the Spurs, except for the actual act of putting the ball in the hole - San Antonio has a significantly higher TS% and eFG%; and this alone gives them a higher Offensive Rating. The Spurs are also better on the defensive glass than L.A, as L.A has a tendency to give up offensive boards to their opposition - however the Lakers are better than them on the offensive glass, so it all evens out on the glass. The Spurs also allow fewer threes per game, but L.A's excellent three-point defense negates any potential advantage that could allow - besides, it's not like we really want the Lakers shooting threes, anyway.

Side note: Who would've thought in a matchup of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers would be the defensive power? Also, it's scary how similar the two teams look on the stat table..

The timing of the game means it's at 5 in the morning here, so I can't be stuffed watching. Somehow, I doubt I'll miss much.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

"Danger Zone Ahead": very good, objective preview. That blog is legit (as is PoundingtheRock--some very intelligent analysis going on over there with some quality humor mixed in).

Should be another classic, provided both teams bring their "A" game.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Danger Zone??? More like Cakewalk Zone. This is a stupid candy ass'd writer. We're going to do what we always do to the Spurs, bend them over, fuck em with no Vaseline, and leave them humps right where we found them.

Riiiiiiiiight.

Go back and finish your nap. I know you must be tuckered out from your little playdate in lala land. You can wake up when your mommy finishes making dinner.

[Man In Black]

Seriously LL, Vaseline?

This is 2010, no one uses Vaseline anymore unless they're 9 with sores in their nose.

It's funny how he talks about the Spurs bench, why doesn't he talk about the LAL bench, or better yet, their real lack of one plus an over-reliance on their starters?

[vander]

:lol if mouse tried to create a loathsome, despicable, caricature of "laker fan" he couldn't do any better than lakaluva... :lol that guy really lowers the bar for whole fanbase, he comes off worse than a raider fan even.

[longtimelurker]

Don't sleep on the vaseline, son, especially if you going brokeback.

fixed....


not that there's anything wrong with that

[duncan228]

ABC Sunday Dime (http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/sundaydime-100404/abc-sunday-dime)

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0402/nba_g_duncan_bryant1_576.jpg
Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant have stood tall in the West for a decade. Can either reach the Finals?

Western Philosophy: Change Coming? (http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/sundaydime-100404/abc-sunday-dime)
By John Carroll
Scouts Inc.

The Lakers and Spurs have represented the Western Conference in 10 of the past 11 NBA Finals and have taken home a combined eight Larry O'Brien trophies in that span.

However, the two franchises' dominance in the West will be harder to maintain this season.

Although they have the best record in the conference (54-21) and the second-best record in the league, the Lakers have hardly looked championship-caliber of late, having lost three of their past four. The Spurs, meanwhile, have surged since March, winning 12 of their past 15. But with age and injuries becoming more and more of a factor as the season goes on, there's no telling how far this battle-tested playoff team can last.

So what's in store for both teams for the stretch run? Here are three keys for each team heading into Sunday's ABC matchup at 3:30 p.m. ET, and before a possible first-round series:

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

The Lakers are coming off an Eastern swing having lost three of their past four games. They look disinterested at times and like they are simply going through the motions before the playoffs. Although the Lakers are in first place in the West, they are only 13-8 since the All-Star break. They are back home Sunday versus the Spurs in a game they should win. However, if they are to win back-to-back NBA championships, they need to continue to improve as the playoffs quickly approach.

1. Which Kobe is going to show up on a nightly basis? The one who is the best or second-best player in the NBA, or the one who is going to jack up shots, not stay within the team's offensive flow and just do whatever he wants on the defensive end of the floor? When Kobe is focused and on point, there may not be a better player in the league and the Lakers are extremely tough to beat. But when he is going one-on-one from the top of the key and wing with no regard for his teammates, or he is roaming on defense and not playing team defense, or when he is verbally torturing a fellow teammate, the Lakers are extremely vulnerable.

2. Feed Pau Gasol the ball. When Pau gets touches, the Lakers are a better team. It is important for him to command the ball, work hard for position and go strong to the basket. When he is a focal point of their offense it gives the Lakers much more of an inside-outside attack. There are times when Kobe and his teammates look him off and do not get the ball to Gasol on the box. He is their only true inside post presence until Andrew Bynum returns.

3. The defense is slipping. The Lakers have allowed opponents to score way too easily of late, allowing opponents to average 102.6 points and over 48 percent in their past three losses. Defense is something a team must work on and be committed to during the entire season, and the Lakers did that in their run in last season's playoffs. They must get back to defending individually and make the necessary commitment to team defense that helped them win a title.


SAN ANTONIO SPURS

This is not the San Antonio Spurs team you are used to watching. It is, however, a broken-down version of the championship-caliber team that has been one of the NBA's model franchises. But the Spurs have played very well of late, going 12- 5 in March, even without the services of Tony Parker in the past 14 games. In the past two weeks, San Antonio has beaten Miami, Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston. Unfortunately, its loss to the Nets this past Monday (without Ginobili) also tells you how vulnerable this team really is.

1. Manu Ginobili has played at an extremely high level during the past two weeks. In his past eight games, he is averaging 25 points and virtually carrying the team on his back. Manu is back to his old self, attacking the rim, shooting 3s, running pick-and-rolls, grabbing steals and dishing out assists. He is doing it all.

2. Parker has been out of the Spurs' lineup since March 8 with a broken hand. He is expected to be back in time for the playoffs; if not, the Spurs have no real chance. Still, George Hill has stepped in for Parker and done a very good job, averaging 18.4 points over the past eight games. If Parker does come back healthy, the experience that Hill has gained in this starting role will pay big dividends come playoff time.

3. Richard Jefferson has been a major disappointment for the Spurs this season. Acquired to bring scoring and athleticism to the lineup, Jefferson has been an incredible tease who continually disappears and looks lost. He is a high-level athlete who can defend, score and get to the rim. If he can somehow find the will to play at a high level in April and continue that in the playoffs, he might be able to resuscitate the Spurs' playoff chances.

[vander]

I still (perhaps foolishly) believe that RJ will come through for us in the playoffs

[Stringer_Bell]

Don't sleep on the vaseline, son, especially if you going bareback.

We don't use vaseline, our women produce natural lubricating agents. OKAY!

[silverblk mystix]

Don't sleep on the vaseline, son, especially if you going bareback.

THIS is all spurs fans need to know about

LAKADIKLUVA

He has a gay FABIO pic, he brings up subjects like VASELINE and going BAREBACK....

oh well...L.A....you know

[silverblk mystix]

In the ass?!!! :lol I'd love to meet one.

there he goes again talking about---in the ass...

geez LAKADIKLUVA...

we GET IT...okay...

Go lubricate yourself and play with your FABIO pic and stop OBSESSING about the spurs

[silverblk mystix]

I'd bend you over. WHAT ARE A GIRL OR A SOFT GUY. Post a pic.:whine

ok...I'll play along...

I look....like....


















...










FABIO!!!!! :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao

[LoneStarState'sPride]

there he goes again talking about---in the ass...

geez LAKADIKLUVA...

we GET IT...okay...

Go lubricate yourself and play with your FABIO pic and stop OBSESSING about the spurs

It's all part of his M.O.--always checking the rear view mirror (pun fully intended), just like his team.

[Stringer_Bell]

In the ass?!!! :lol I'd love to meet one.

Whoa, who said anything about putting things in poopers? Que gacho!

[Stringer_Bell]

What the fuck you thought I meant when I said "bend them over?"

That doesn't mean you have to put it in the bootyhole. Now you're going all MiamiHeat, sheeeeeeeeit!

[ezau]

lol Fabio pic

[tdunk21]

if we win this one...it could be a very good win on road and could boost the confidence of fans and the team......

[duncan228]

Lakers to face potential playoff opponents (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-fyi-20100404,0,6727017.story)
Los Angeles plays the Spurs, Trail Blazers and Nuggets over the next week. Each is a possible postseason foe.
By Broderick Turner
LA Times

Over the next seven days, the Lakers will face three teams that could possibly be playoff opponents.

One of those teams is the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers' opponent Sunday at Staples Center.

But if the playoffs started today, the top-seeded Lakers would face the eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs; the Lakers host the Trail Blazers April 11.

The Denver Nuggets are another team the Lakers could face in the playoffs. They meet Thursday in Denver.

"San Antonio and Portland loom as highly potential first-round" playoff opponents, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "And of course Denver has been in our playoff situation the last two years. So these are important games for us. We really want to go in and play them and play hard — maybe not show our whole hand, but still have that kind of game that we want to play."

Building momentum

The Lakers have six regular-season games left.

The goal is to win as many games as possible so they have momentum going into the playoffs.

"Obviously it's a mental focus, a mind-set you have to play with every single night," Pau Gasol said. "Then the results will help that momentum. So if we're able to finish these six games off on a high note, feeling good about what we're doing and how things are going, I think it'll be a plus for the playoffs."

Injury update

It's been two months since Luke Walton has played in a game for the Lakers because of a pinched nerve in his back, but he plans on playing Sunday against the Spurs.

Walton said his back was a "little sore" after practice Saturday, but it was "nothing too bad" that might keep him out any longer.

"Hopefully tomorrow is still the day," Walton said.

Andrew Bynum, out with a strained left Achilles' tendon, was examined by Lakers team physician Steve Lombardo on Friday night. Bynum is to have an MRI either Monday or Tuesday.

[duncan228]

Lakers look to keep momentum rolling (http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2010/04/03/lakers-look-to-keep-momentum-rolling/32997/)
by Janis Carr, OCRegister.com

The Lakers stepped it up in the fourth quarter and beat Utah on Friday to snap their two-game losing streak. Now, can they make it two victories in a row? It was a question that seemed difficult to answer on their recent road trip.

But they are home now and are coming off a 106-92 victory against the Jazz that could kick start their momentum as they head into the final stretch of regular-season games.

Phil Jackson, though, was somewhat vague about his team’s chances against their next four opponents.

“We know this is an interesting week,” he said after Saturday’s practice. “We have Sunday games from one weekend to the next, then at Denver and arduous trip to Minnesota the next day.

“One thing we look forward to this week is meeting perhaps some of the opponents that we perhaps could see in the playoffs.”

Two such teams are San Antonio, who the Lakers play Sunday, and Portland, who they face next Sunday. The Spurs (42-29) currently are the No. 7 seed, while Portland (46-30) is a half-game behind at No. 8.

“Those loom as highly potential first round opponents,” he said.

Pau Gasol took a lighter tone when talking about the Lakers’ chances of extending their winning streak to two games. He was encouraged by the team’s energetic finish Friday night despite defensive lapses in the second and third quarters and said maintaining a high level of play shouldn’t be a problem.

“It was mostly up (Friday),and as long as we are mostly up in that direction, we will be OK,” Gasol said.

*********************

Lakers Sunday: vs. San Antonio (http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2010/04/03/lakers-sunday-vs-san-antonio-1230-p-m/32993/)
by Janis Carr
Lakers vs. Spurs
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Site: Staples Center
TV/radio: KABC/7; ESPN/710, KWKW/1330

How they match up:
Lakers: 102.4 points, 96.9 points allowed, 46.0 FG%, 76.6 FT%
Spurs: 101.2 points, 96.2 points allowed, 47.3 FG%, 74.5 FT%

Outlook
The Spurs moved up to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference with victories in four of the past five games, counting Orlando and Boston among those victories. The Spurs would like to hang onto the higher seed and avoid a first-round series against the Lakers since they have lost two of three games this season to them. The Lakers could clinch the Pacific Division title with a loss by Phoenix on Saturday. The Lakers could get a boost off the bench with the return of Luke Walton, who has been sidelined since Feb. 10 because of a pinched nerve in his back. Andrew Bynum is out. Guard Tony Parker (hand) is out for the Spurs.

[Danny.Zhu]

If we win this one, we are finally a title contender this season.

[mesothorny]

it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll

[Rick18]

Waking up at about 5:30 to watch this one if my maths is correct...hopefully it's worth it.

[Muser]

8:30 start here, sweet!

[Bruno]

Lakers are the better team and should win this game at home.

The big dark cloud against Lakers is Bynum's injury. News aren't good on that front and Lakers without Bynum are way less scary. If he is out or nowhere near 100% for the playoffs, reaching the final won't be the cakewalk it should have been for the Lakers.

[Spursfanfromafar]

Lakers are the better team and should win this game at home.

The big dark cloud against Lakers is Bynum's injury. News aren't good on that front and Lakers without Bynum are way less scary. If he is out or nowhere near 100% for the playoffs, reaching the final won't be the cakewalk it should have been for the Lakers.

Lakers are indeed the better team; but the way they are playing lately, the Spurs have more than a decent chance. It all depends on how well Duncan plays. Last time at AT&T was a bad performance. But with just 24 minutes clocked in the previous game and him looking in very good touch against the Magic, I expect Duncan to play a major supporting role to Manu. I won't be surprised if the Spurs surprise the Lakes at Staples.

[bigfan]

This would be a good game to attone for the NJ Nets embarassment.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Sun. Apr 4
San Antonio @ L.A. Lakers: Bennett Salvatore; Bennie Adams; Tony Brothers

[Flux451]

ambigious homoerotic dudebronoIamjustexperimenting thread

[duncan228]

Preview and Chat: The San Antonio Spurs (http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2010/04/04/preview-and-chat-the-san-antonio-spurs-5/)
Forum Blue & Gold

Records: Lakers 55-21 (1st in West, 2nd in NBA), Spurs 46-29 (7th in West, 8.5 games behind Lakers)
Offensive ratings: Lakers 109.1 (10th in NBA), Spurs 110.0 (9th in NBA)
Defensive ratings: Lakers 103.3 (5th in NBA), 104.6 (9th in NBA)
Projected Starting Lineups: Lakers: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol
Spurs: George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Tim Duncan

Injury Updates: Andrew Bynum was reevaluated after Friday’s win (http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5053361) and is making progress in his recovery process. However, that means that he’s still not ready for physical activity and will have another MRI on Monday or Tuesday. While it’s tough waiting for ‘Drew to get back, I think we can all agree that it’s best that he’s as close to 100% healthy as possible before his return. Sure, the Lakers could use his presence in the paint right now, but they’ll truly need him in the playoffs. If rushing him back now in any way jeopardizes his playoff availability that would be worse news than the original injury. Hopefully by Tuesday we’ll have a new timeline that has him back within the week. As for Luke Walton, he participated in his first full practice on Saturday and should be ready to play in today’s contest. Phil has said that while Luke is not some second unit savior, his presence does provide the second team another offensive initiator outside of their guards (and it’s not like they’re doing a ton of initiating anyway). If there’s one thing that Luke does well it’s run our sets with the attempt to get everyone involved, so I’m happy to have him back. We’ll see if he gets some quality minutes today and hope that he can shake off the rust and make a difference on the second team.

The Spurs Coming in: Not too much has changed for San Antonio since the last time we saw this team. They’re still playing well and still piling up the wins. In the 5 games that they’ve played since the last time we played, they’ve gone 4-1 with wins over Cleveland, Orlando, and Boston. Their only loss was to the lowly Nets, but that was on a night where Ginobili didn’t play and where the Nets were looking get their 10th win and pass the 1973 Philly 76ers mark (9 wins) to no longer be considered as the worst team of all time. And Ginobili not playing is a pretty big deal. He’s continued his hot streak since the last Lakers game and is carrying this Spurs team on offense every game. In the Spurs’ last game, Ginobili torched the Magic for 43 points and made shot after shot down the stretch to put Orlando away. The man is just playing amazing basketball, on both ends of the court (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCqefcY7lpI), and has really taken over the lead playmaking role with Parker out.

Spurs Blogs: As usual go visit 48 Minutes of Hell (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/) and Pounding the Rock (http://www.poundingtherock.com/) for everything on the Spurs. And if you’re not all Spurred out by that point, also check out Project Spurs (http://projectspurs.com/).

Keys to game: Since the Lakers just played this team 5 games ago, everything that needs to be done to beat this team should be fresh on the minds of the players. On offense, the Lakers need to go into Gasol inside and also get the ball into the hands of Kobe and Odom on the wings so they can attack the Spurs’ defenders that don’t match up well with them. LO will likely be guarded by McDyess again and that is a match up that is tilted heavily in the Lakers’ favor. Odom needs to use his speed and quickness in both transition and in the half court to make plays. As for Kobe, in the last game he was very efficient shooting the ball (11-16) and was able to score at will against Ginobili, Hill, Jefferson, and Bogans. And while hoping for that level of efficiency again may be wishful thinking in today’s game, it’s quite possible as none of those players are “lock down” defenders that can bother Kobe for long stretches.

On defense, the key to this game is slowing Ginobili, Duncan, and Hill. In the last game Ginobili was on fire from behind the three point line early, but Artest made him work for most of his buckets. We’ll need that same level of effort today, but will need to pay more attention to him behind the three point line and especially watch for his step back move where he feints a hard drive only to pull back and shoot the long ball. Marking him in P&R situations is also key as he’s really found ways to set up his teammates by turning the corner and compromising the defense. Slowing Hill is also the other tough task for the Lakers. Hill cut up the Lakers defense in the last meeting and put up 21 points in the first half of that game. However, the Lakers were able to slow him down in the second half and limit him to only one FT. Hopefully the Lakers looked at the game tape from those last 24 minutes and have a better plan in place going into this game to limit Hill’s effectiveness. Lastly, I don’t expect Duncan to have two bad games against us in a row. On March 24th Duncan only had 6 points on 11 shots and was bottled up by Gasol quite nicely. So, today, I look for an aggressive Duncan and for Pau to have his hands full. In the last game, Duncan couldn’t really get it going inside but never adjusted his game by going to his mid range jumpshot. Today, I think we may see Duncan go to his wing bank shot and for him to run the P&R with Manu where Timmy can pop to the top of the key and shoot that 18 footer that he likes. If he can knock that shot down today it will open up the rest of his game on offense. As I said earlier, Pau will have his hands full today. I think a big key will be Pau staying out of foul trouble so he can play as many minutes against Timmy as possible.

Overall, this is another building block game for the Lakers. We just had a very nice win against Utah, but all of that will quickly be forgotten if this game is lost. So, I hope to see an inspired Laker team today and one that can knock off another tough Western foe that we still have a good shot of seeing in the playoffs. Wins against a team like this can go a long way in reestablishing the confidence that has been absent over the last few weeks. Let’s go out and get that win.

Where you can watch: 12:30pm start in the West, nationally on ABC. Also on ESPN radio 710am.

[vander]

Lakers are the better team and should win this game at home.

The big dark cloud against Lakers is Bynum's injury. News aren't good on that front and Lakers without Bynum are way less scary. If he is out or nowhere near 100% for the playoffs, reaching the final won't be the cakewalk it should have been for the Lakers.

this is why the 8 seed would be great, Bynum at his least healthiest.

also, game in 25 minutes and still no Game thread?

[jimo2305]

this should be our MO this game after the last game..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b9Rus6stEE

[silverblk mystix]

FUCK---

B.Salvatore------AND-----Tony Brothers

[ohmwrecker]

It would nice if RMJ could pull his nappy head out of his ass long enough to give us a Jaren Jackson game 2 '99 WCSF performance.