LakeShow
05-24-2008, 10:32 PM
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Lakers cautious as series moves to San Antonio
Spurs are hoping the change of venue will allow them to climb back into the series.
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
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EL SEGUNDO -- Final minute of the first half, with Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Friday night still very much in doubt:
Tony Parker gets a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner, one of the preferred shooting spots in San Antonio's offense. He takes his time to line it up and let it go, yet the ball never even rises above the level of the rim. The air ball looks like a soft line drive that doesn't make it out of the infield.
Tim Duncan goes to the foul line and misses his first attempt. After being handed the ball for his second try, Duncan practically squeezes juice out of the orange ball he stares down the rim so long. The second shot, when it finally comes, grazes the front rim, missing badly.
This was the turning point of the game — a 9-0 Lakers run — and these were not shots that the Lakers stopped the Spurs from making. Parker isn't really a proven 3-point marksman, but he can make them. Duncan often has trouble at the foul line, but he is at almost 70 percent for his career.
The Lakers spent Saturday pondering what might happen Sunday in Game 3 if they give up a similar number of open shots and a lot more foul shots to the Spurs at AT&T Center, where San Antonio is 6-0 this postseason.
"I told the team they (the Spurs) are going to be very precise about what they do," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They're going to have a lot of cohesion in the effort they're going to have.
"They're going to play with purpose. And when that happens, that team can do a lot of things, make their threes, get in rhythm, and their offense looks a lot better."
After two games of this series, the Spurs are well below their season averages in two areas that were projected to be key. Despite 76.1 percent regular-season success on free throws, they're at 63 percent. Despite 36.9 percent regular-season success on 3-pointers, they're at 25.6 percent.
"We're going home, and one of two things is going to happen," Duncan said. "Either we're going to turn it around and make this into a series, or we're not."
In reality, the Lakers are in great shape. The Spurs have to win four of the next five games to keep the Lakers out of the NBA Finals, and the Lakers haven't had a losing stretch like that all season except in January when they had lost Andrew Bynum and had not yet acquired Pau Gasol.
Although Jackson said Saturday the Spurs will be "much more energized" today because they're at home, he also said a few days before that San Antonio's fatigue was going to be a factor all series given there is only a day off between all games.
The challenge for the Lakers is not to consider the big picture and focus only on Game 3 — with Parker surely motivated after having been publicly criticized by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Manu Ginobili vowing to be "more me."
"There are certain areas there where we have to minimize their open looks," the Lakers' Kobe Bryant said. "Some of those shots … those are shots that they're not going to miss the next game, so we have to tighten up the screws."
NOTES
Derek Fisher, assigned to guard Parker, said the partially torn tendon in his right foot remains painful at times but is "not something I really have to worry about." … Jackson said he double-teamed Duncan so much Friday in part because Gasol got two fouls in the first 8:18. … Chris Mihm, who hasn't played this posteason, wasn't with the Lakers on Saturday because of gastroenteritis. It was unclear when he would join the team in San Antonio. … Sasha Vujacic was a healthy scratch for the first Spurs-Lakers game on Nov. 13 and averaged 18 minutes when he did play in the regular season. He logged 31 minutes in the past two games but still was the last Laker to leave the practice court Saturday.
Lakers cautious as series moves to San Antonio
Spurs are hoping the change of venue will allow them to climb back into the series.
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
Comments 0 (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lakers-going-spurs-2051532-game-duncan#slComments) | Recommend (javascript:recommendReview('OCRArticle2051532'))0
EL SEGUNDO -- Final minute of the first half, with Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Friday night still very much in doubt:
Tony Parker gets a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner, one of the preferred shooting spots in San Antonio's offense. He takes his time to line it up and let it go, yet the ball never even rises above the level of the rim. The air ball looks like a soft line drive that doesn't make it out of the infield.
Tim Duncan goes to the foul line and misses his first attempt. After being handed the ball for his second try, Duncan practically squeezes juice out of the orange ball he stares down the rim so long. The second shot, when it finally comes, grazes the front rim, missing badly.
This was the turning point of the game — a 9-0 Lakers run — and these were not shots that the Lakers stopped the Spurs from making. Parker isn't really a proven 3-point marksman, but he can make them. Duncan often has trouble at the foul line, but he is at almost 70 percent for his career.
The Lakers spent Saturday pondering what might happen Sunday in Game 3 if they give up a similar number of open shots and a lot more foul shots to the Spurs at AT&T Center, where San Antonio is 6-0 this postseason.
"I told the team they (the Spurs) are going to be very precise about what they do," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They're going to have a lot of cohesion in the effort they're going to have.
"They're going to play with purpose. And when that happens, that team can do a lot of things, make their threes, get in rhythm, and their offense looks a lot better."
After two games of this series, the Spurs are well below their season averages in two areas that were projected to be key. Despite 76.1 percent regular-season success on free throws, they're at 63 percent. Despite 36.9 percent regular-season success on 3-pointers, they're at 25.6 percent.
"We're going home, and one of two things is going to happen," Duncan said. "Either we're going to turn it around and make this into a series, or we're not."
In reality, the Lakers are in great shape. The Spurs have to win four of the next five games to keep the Lakers out of the NBA Finals, and the Lakers haven't had a losing stretch like that all season except in January when they had lost Andrew Bynum and had not yet acquired Pau Gasol.
Although Jackson said Saturday the Spurs will be "much more energized" today because they're at home, he also said a few days before that San Antonio's fatigue was going to be a factor all series given there is only a day off between all games.
The challenge for the Lakers is not to consider the big picture and focus only on Game 3 — with Parker surely motivated after having been publicly criticized by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Manu Ginobili vowing to be "more me."
"There are certain areas there where we have to minimize their open looks," the Lakers' Kobe Bryant said. "Some of those shots … those are shots that they're not going to miss the next game, so we have to tighten up the screws."
NOTES
Derek Fisher, assigned to guard Parker, said the partially torn tendon in his right foot remains painful at times but is "not something I really have to worry about." … Jackson said he double-teamed Duncan so much Friday in part because Gasol got two fouls in the first 8:18. … Chris Mihm, who hasn't played this posteason, wasn't with the Lakers on Saturday because of gastroenteritis. It was unclear when he would join the team in San Antonio. … Sasha Vujacic was a healthy scratch for the first Spurs-Lakers game on Nov. 13 and averaged 18 minutes when he did play in the regular season. He logged 31 minutes in the past two games but still was the last Laker to leave the practice court Saturday.