1Parker1
04-14-2008, 11:16 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApAW2p7i2UQobfFbD4GNS.c5nYcB?slug=jy-spurslakers041308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
LOS ANGELES – Ira Newble threw in another three-pointer, Kobe Bryant and Ronny Turiaf traded chest bumps and the Los Angeles Lakers skipped off the Staples Center floor Sunday afternoon having secured the Western Conference’s No. 1 … no?
Oh. The No. 1 or 2 …
… or 3 playoff seed.
Provided, of course, the Houston Rockets don’t lose to the Denver Nuggets or then …
Whatever. After routing the San Antonio Spurs 106-85, the Lakers will wake up Monday morning leading this scrambled conference race, and that’s good enough for them and the latest contender they filleted.
Said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: “They are, officially, the best in the West.”
Officially, that could change in the next 24 hours. Wait a day and the top six West seeds could replant themselves in a different order. On Sunday afternoon, NBA officials were reviewing their tiebreaking rules to determine what would happen if the Lakers, Rockets and New Orleans Hornets all finish with identical records.
The answer: We’ll get back to you.
For now, though, the Lakers look to be as good a favorite as any. In the span of three days, they rang up a 30-point lead on the Hornets then overwhelmed the defending champions by limiting them to just 32 points on 29.7 percent shooting in the second half.
Even with Andrew Bynum’s status iffy, at best, for the playoffs, the Lakers hope to enter the postseason with the one thing all contending teams hope to have.
“We all know going into the playoffs it’s about momentum,” Bryant said. “It’s about who’s playing well. And we sure are playing good basketball now.”
It was hard to dispute that Sunday. Bryant barely broke a sweat against the Spurs, scoring 20 points in 32 minutes. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom combined for 31 points and 25 rebounds while the Lakers’ bench, spotty at times this season, provided 39 points.
“I think we kind of found our defensive identity,” Bryant said. “We’re very aggressive. We have a tremendous amount of versatility.”
Bryant showed as much last summer when he hopscotched from talk show to talk show, first demanding the Lakers trade him, then saying, oh, he didn’t really mind staying, then again demanding a trade. Phil Jackson, however, didn’t share Bryant’s pessimism about the team and told him and his agent as much in a meeting shortly before the start of the season.
“We said we hope Kobe gives this team an opportunity to perform because we think it’s a lot better than he thinks it is,” Jackson said. “We have a chance to be much better than people think we are.”
A little more than five months later, the Lakers are now looking down on the rest of the West. They’re young and have flaws, including some health concerns, but so does just about everyone else prepping for the West playoffs.
The Hornets haven’t been through a single postseason battle together. The Rockets are missing Yao Ming. The Jazz can’t win on the road. The Suns are trying to gain a little more traction now that Shaquille O’Neal’s running with them. Same goes for the Mavericks and Jason Kidd. The Nuggets and Warriors are still deciding which of them wants the conference’s final playoff berth the most – or least.
And no one’s looked shakier the past couple of weeks than the guys who always seem to play their best this time of year. The Spurs have won 10 of their past 13 games, but those three losses have come against the Jazz, Suns and Lakers by 26, 17 and 21 points. In all three of those games, the Spurs labored for scoring and eventually melted in the second half.
It didn’t help that the Spurs were missing Manu Ginobili on Sunday because of a groin injury. Ginobili said he was healthy enough to go but couldn’t convince Popovich, who said his leading scorer “will definitely play” when the playoffs start.
“We’re better off to be a lower seed with a healthy Manu,” Popovich said, “than a higher seed and not have Manu available.”
Popovich also hopes to get some minutes in the final two games for Brent Barry, whose lingering calf injury has kept him from playing since he re-signed. Popovich isn’t nearly as optimistic about Robert Horry, who is sidelined with a knee injury. On Sunday, San Antonio opened the fourth quarter with Jacque Vaughn, Damon Stoudamire, Ime Udoka, Fabricio Oberto and Michael Finley.
Without Barry and Horry, the Spurs haven’t spaced the floor well enough for Tim Duncan, who’s made just 19 of 52 shots in the past three games. Some within the team also think Duncan might be suffering from a mild case of Shaq-itis: He looks bored with the 82-game, regular-season thing and would prefer to get the playoffs started yesterday.
In the meantime, Popovich has championed the theory that seedings won’t carry as much value this season in the muddled West. The Spurs hope he’s right considering they might open the playoffs holding No. 6.
“I think,” Popovich said, “we’ll have as good a chance as anybody.”
Added Ginobili: “I don’t think anybody is counting (out) anybody in the West.”
That goes for the Lakers.
“I just can’t think of a matchup that’s great for us in any setting,” Jackson said.
The Lakers at least know they can lock up the No. 1 seed with a victory over Sacramento on Tuesday. But if they lose?
Check back Wednesday. No one would be surprised to find a new favorite.
LOS ANGELES – Ira Newble threw in another three-pointer, Kobe Bryant and Ronny Turiaf traded chest bumps and the Los Angeles Lakers skipped off the Staples Center floor Sunday afternoon having secured the Western Conference’s No. 1 … no?
Oh. The No. 1 or 2 …
… or 3 playoff seed.
Provided, of course, the Houston Rockets don’t lose to the Denver Nuggets or then …
Whatever. After routing the San Antonio Spurs 106-85, the Lakers will wake up Monday morning leading this scrambled conference race, and that’s good enough for them and the latest contender they filleted.
Said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: “They are, officially, the best in the West.”
Officially, that could change in the next 24 hours. Wait a day and the top six West seeds could replant themselves in a different order. On Sunday afternoon, NBA officials were reviewing their tiebreaking rules to determine what would happen if the Lakers, Rockets and New Orleans Hornets all finish with identical records.
The answer: We’ll get back to you.
For now, though, the Lakers look to be as good a favorite as any. In the span of three days, they rang up a 30-point lead on the Hornets then overwhelmed the defending champions by limiting them to just 32 points on 29.7 percent shooting in the second half.
Even with Andrew Bynum’s status iffy, at best, for the playoffs, the Lakers hope to enter the postseason with the one thing all contending teams hope to have.
“We all know going into the playoffs it’s about momentum,” Bryant said. “It’s about who’s playing well. And we sure are playing good basketball now.”
It was hard to dispute that Sunday. Bryant barely broke a sweat against the Spurs, scoring 20 points in 32 minutes. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom combined for 31 points and 25 rebounds while the Lakers’ bench, spotty at times this season, provided 39 points.
“I think we kind of found our defensive identity,” Bryant said. “We’re very aggressive. We have a tremendous amount of versatility.”
Bryant showed as much last summer when he hopscotched from talk show to talk show, first demanding the Lakers trade him, then saying, oh, he didn’t really mind staying, then again demanding a trade. Phil Jackson, however, didn’t share Bryant’s pessimism about the team and told him and his agent as much in a meeting shortly before the start of the season.
“We said we hope Kobe gives this team an opportunity to perform because we think it’s a lot better than he thinks it is,” Jackson said. “We have a chance to be much better than people think we are.”
A little more than five months later, the Lakers are now looking down on the rest of the West. They’re young and have flaws, including some health concerns, but so does just about everyone else prepping for the West playoffs.
The Hornets haven’t been through a single postseason battle together. The Rockets are missing Yao Ming. The Jazz can’t win on the road. The Suns are trying to gain a little more traction now that Shaquille O’Neal’s running with them. Same goes for the Mavericks and Jason Kidd. The Nuggets and Warriors are still deciding which of them wants the conference’s final playoff berth the most – or least.
And no one’s looked shakier the past couple of weeks than the guys who always seem to play their best this time of year. The Spurs have won 10 of their past 13 games, but those three losses have come against the Jazz, Suns and Lakers by 26, 17 and 21 points. In all three of those games, the Spurs labored for scoring and eventually melted in the second half.
It didn’t help that the Spurs were missing Manu Ginobili on Sunday because of a groin injury. Ginobili said he was healthy enough to go but couldn’t convince Popovich, who said his leading scorer “will definitely play” when the playoffs start.
“We’re better off to be a lower seed with a healthy Manu,” Popovich said, “than a higher seed and not have Manu available.”
Popovich also hopes to get some minutes in the final two games for Brent Barry, whose lingering calf injury has kept him from playing since he re-signed. Popovich isn’t nearly as optimistic about Robert Horry, who is sidelined with a knee injury. On Sunday, San Antonio opened the fourth quarter with Jacque Vaughn, Damon Stoudamire, Ime Udoka, Fabricio Oberto and Michael Finley.
Without Barry and Horry, the Spurs haven’t spaced the floor well enough for Tim Duncan, who’s made just 19 of 52 shots in the past three games. Some within the team also think Duncan might be suffering from a mild case of Shaq-itis: He looks bored with the 82-game, regular-season thing and would prefer to get the playoffs started yesterday.
In the meantime, Popovich has championed the theory that seedings won’t carry as much value this season in the muddled West. The Spurs hope he’s right considering they might open the playoffs holding No. 6.
“I think,” Popovich said, “we’ll have as good a chance as anybody.”
Added Ginobili: “I don’t think anybody is counting (out) anybody in the West.”
That goes for the Lakers.
“I just can’t think of a matchup that’s great for us in any setting,” Jackson said.
The Lakers at least know they can lock up the No. 1 seed with a victory over Sacramento on Tuesday. But if they lose?
Check back Wednesday. No one would be surprised to find a new favorite.