timvp
11-05-2004, 05:00 AM
Spurs get to taste Shaq-free Lakers
Johnny Ludden
LOS ANGELES — His own postseason experience limited to 13 games in nine seasons, Brent Barry has often spent late spring at his beachfront property near here, checking tide levels as well as the occasional NBA playoff telecast.
Barry watched much of last season's Western Conference semifinals as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win four-consecutive games against the Spurs. He gleaned enough knowledge from those battles, as well as the teams' previous playoff encounters, to offer a suggestion as to how the Lakers might defend Tim Duncan now that Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone have departed.
"I guess sacrificing live chickens is out of the question," Barry said, "but something close to that might be good."
After years of devising their own how-do-you-stop-Shaq rituals — Will Perdue joked he used to push his car up a nearby hill in preparation for their meetings; Malik Rose once advised buying life insurance — the Spurs get their first look tonight at their old rivals since Superman relocated to a South Beach phone booth.
"The beginning of the year is kind of fun," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Every team has a new wrinkle, different people, and you have to kind of learn them all over again."
Los Angeles' botox clinics haven't seen as many new wrinkles as the Lakers now have. Since the Spurs last visited Staples Center, O'Neal was traded to Miami, Phil Jackson joined the New York Times bestsellers' list, Gary Payton has took his scowl to Boston, Derek Fisher signed with Golden State, Rick Fox retired and Malone is mulling doing the same.
The Lakers have undergone so many changes that Kobe Bryant proclaimed the teams' rivalry dead. For now.
"We have a lot to prove to make it fresh," Bryant said. "From that standpoint, it's us trying to catch up to them. It's not a rivalry by any means right now."
Though Chris Mihm may not induce the same spine-chilling emotions as O'Neal once did, the Spurs still respect Bryant enough to not discount his new team just yet.
"They'll have a lot of pride," Popovich said. "Kobe wants that team to stay in the thick of things and he's going to do everything he can to pull that team along. He has the ability to do it. Even though Shaq's not there, they're still going to be a team that has to be dealt with."
The Lakers proved that, for one night at least, when they defeated Denver in Tuesday's season opener.
"That's what's going to make this season interesting," new Laker Lamar Odom said. "It's going to be fun to be the underdog."
Some of the time. Twenty-four hours later, the Utah Jazz wiped the Delta Center floor with Odom and his teammates. The Lakers set franchise-record lows in shooting percentage (.294), shots made (20) and assists (seven) in the 104-78 loss.
Bryant scored 38 points against Utah on 21 shots, a reasonable amount considering the number he occasionally hoisted with O'Neal at his side. On Tuesday, Bryant was particularly unselfish, setting up his teammates as he occupied the Nuggets' defense.
"I guess he understands what it's going to take to win," Duncan said. "He's not going to be able to do it all season (by himself). There's going to be nights he's going to be able to do that, but if he wants to win consistently, he's going to have to do it with his teammates. It looks like he is willing to do that."
With O'Neal gone and his replacement, former Sacramento center Vlade Divac, on the injured list, Los Angeles has turned up the tempo. Rudy Tomjanovich, the Lakers' new coach, has started Odom at power forward the first two games, with Brian Grant coming off the bench.
"They're more of a fast-break team now," the Spurs' Rasho Nesterovic said, "but definitely for (opposing) big guys it's easier."
Nesterovic should know. He was assigned to guard O'Neal in the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the first with Minnesota. Though O'Neal was less dominant than in previous years, he did enough to help lead the Lakers past the Spurs.
"They played a heck of a series last year," Duncan said. "Of course, we wished we could have won that one. We didn't. It's a whole new year.
"We've got our goals and they are to get back to the championship. Whoever gets in our way, that's who we want to go through."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA110504.1D.BKNspurs.lakers.25f91cf4.html
Johnny Ludden
LOS ANGELES — His own postseason experience limited to 13 games in nine seasons, Brent Barry has often spent late spring at his beachfront property near here, checking tide levels as well as the occasional NBA playoff telecast.
Barry watched much of last season's Western Conference semifinals as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win four-consecutive games against the Spurs. He gleaned enough knowledge from those battles, as well as the teams' previous playoff encounters, to offer a suggestion as to how the Lakers might defend Tim Duncan now that Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone have departed.
"I guess sacrificing live chickens is out of the question," Barry said, "but something close to that might be good."
After years of devising their own how-do-you-stop-Shaq rituals — Will Perdue joked he used to push his car up a nearby hill in preparation for their meetings; Malik Rose once advised buying life insurance — the Spurs get their first look tonight at their old rivals since Superman relocated to a South Beach phone booth.
"The beginning of the year is kind of fun," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Every team has a new wrinkle, different people, and you have to kind of learn them all over again."
Los Angeles' botox clinics haven't seen as many new wrinkles as the Lakers now have. Since the Spurs last visited Staples Center, O'Neal was traded to Miami, Phil Jackson joined the New York Times bestsellers' list, Gary Payton has took his scowl to Boston, Derek Fisher signed with Golden State, Rick Fox retired and Malone is mulling doing the same.
The Lakers have undergone so many changes that Kobe Bryant proclaimed the teams' rivalry dead. For now.
"We have a lot to prove to make it fresh," Bryant said. "From that standpoint, it's us trying to catch up to them. It's not a rivalry by any means right now."
Though Chris Mihm may not induce the same spine-chilling emotions as O'Neal once did, the Spurs still respect Bryant enough to not discount his new team just yet.
"They'll have a lot of pride," Popovich said. "Kobe wants that team to stay in the thick of things and he's going to do everything he can to pull that team along. He has the ability to do it. Even though Shaq's not there, they're still going to be a team that has to be dealt with."
The Lakers proved that, for one night at least, when they defeated Denver in Tuesday's season opener.
"That's what's going to make this season interesting," new Laker Lamar Odom said. "It's going to be fun to be the underdog."
Some of the time. Twenty-four hours later, the Utah Jazz wiped the Delta Center floor with Odom and his teammates. The Lakers set franchise-record lows in shooting percentage (.294), shots made (20) and assists (seven) in the 104-78 loss.
Bryant scored 38 points against Utah on 21 shots, a reasonable amount considering the number he occasionally hoisted with O'Neal at his side. On Tuesday, Bryant was particularly unselfish, setting up his teammates as he occupied the Nuggets' defense.
"I guess he understands what it's going to take to win," Duncan said. "He's not going to be able to do it all season (by himself). There's going to be nights he's going to be able to do that, but if he wants to win consistently, he's going to have to do it with his teammates. It looks like he is willing to do that."
With O'Neal gone and his replacement, former Sacramento center Vlade Divac, on the injured list, Los Angeles has turned up the tempo. Rudy Tomjanovich, the Lakers' new coach, has started Odom at power forward the first two games, with Brian Grant coming off the bench.
"They're more of a fast-break team now," the Spurs' Rasho Nesterovic said, "but definitely for (opposing) big guys it's easier."
Nesterovic should know. He was assigned to guard O'Neal in the playoffs each of the last two seasons, the first with Minnesota. Though O'Neal was less dominant than in previous years, he did enough to help lead the Lakers past the Spurs.
"They played a heck of a series last year," Duncan said. "Of course, we wished we could have won that one. We didn't. It's a whole new year.
"We've got our goals and they are to get back to the championship. Whoever gets in our way, that's who we want to go through."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA110504.1D.BKNspurs.lakers.25f91cf4.html