duncan228
05-25-2008, 01:25 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052508.9C.BKNspurs.lakers.keys.27d78a22.html
Spurs' keys to victory
Find a faith healer
Coming into the series, the big worry for the Lakers was finding a way to defend both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili without completely taxing Kobe Bryant. Ginobili, however, hasn’t quite been Ginobili. Bothered by a jammed ankle and torn fingernail, he’s managed just 17 points on 5-of-21 shooting while guarded by the likes of Sasha Vujacic.
Ginobili eschews the easy excuse of injury — “I just played terrible,” he said — but his injuries certainly seem to be a factor. If the Spurs can’t miraculously get him well, Parker is going to have to be aggressive enough to pick up the slack.
All hands on deck
So far in this series, the Lakers’ second line is killing their Spurs counterparts.
Lakers reserves have scored 55 points in the series. The Spurs’ bench has scored 37, and that number was padded by Game 2 garbage time.
Not even the return to the bench of Ginobili, the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, was enough to lift the Spurs’ backups in Game 2. The Spurs are going to need more production from guys such as Ime Udoka, Robert Horry — and maybe even Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry — especially with Ginobili hobbled.
Remember New Orleans
If the Spurs are psychologically battered after the wild swings of Games 1 and 2, they would do well to remember this: They’ve been in an 0-2 hole before, as recently as 16 days ago, and lived to tell about it.
The Spurs dropped the first two games of the conference semifinals against the Hornets by a combined 37 points, then rallied to win the series.
That resurrection started at home, with back-to-back blowout victories in Games 3 and 4. The Spurs could draw strength from that memory, though it won’t matter if they don’t start making some shots.
- Jeff McDonald
Spurs' keys to victory
Find a faith healer
Coming into the series, the big worry for the Lakers was finding a way to defend both Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili without completely taxing Kobe Bryant. Ginobili, however, hasn’t quite been Ginobili. Bothered by a jammed ankle and torn fingernail, he’s managed just 17 points on 5-of-21 shooting while guarded by the likes of Sasha Vujacic.
Ginobili eschews the easy excuse of injury — “I just played terrible,” he said — but his injuries certainly seem to be a factor. If the Spurs can’t miraculously get him well, Parker is going to have to be aggressive enough to pick up the slack.
All hands on deck
So far in this series, the Lakers’ second line is killing their Spurs counterparts.
Lakers reserves have scored 55 points in the series. The Spurs’ bench has scored 37, and that number was padded by Game 2 garbage time.
Not even the return to the bench of Ginobili, the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, was enough to lift the Spurs’ backups in Game 2. The Spurs are going to need more production from guys such as Ime Udoka, Robert Horry — and maybe even Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry — especially with Ginobili hobbled.
Remember New Orleans
If the Spurs are psychologically battered after the wild swings of Games 1 and 2, they would do well to remember this: They’ve been in an 0-2 hole before, as recently as 16 days ago, and lived to tell about it.
The Spurs dropped the first two games of the conference semifinals against the Hornets by a combined 37 points, then rallied to win the series.
That resurrection started at home, with back-to-back blowout victories in Games 3 and 4. The Spurs could draw strength from that memory, though it won’t matter if they don’t start making some shots.
- Jeff McDonald