One more reason to like the Spurs against the Lakers

[Mugen]

That's a flawed argument. If your defense is solid, you can withstand scoring lapses. Denying their two is as good as making your own.

not really but okay.

[rascal]

not really but okay.

The spurs had solid defenses in the early 2000s from 2000 to 2002 and could not get past the lakers becausae they could not score enough during that span.

Robinson and Duncan on the same team and the spurs could not surround those two with the right players to get a le until the Lakers broke up Kobe and Shaq.

[rascal]

LA is just out-of-sync now. They have a lot of upside when they get their act together. It's hard to keep up the intensity when they've been to the Finals 3 straight years.

Agree. There is plenty of time for the Lakers to right the ship which I expect them to do. Too many here counting them out already.

[Mel_13]

The spurs had solid defenses in the early 2000s from 2000 to 2002 and could not get past the lakers becausae they could not score enough during that span.

Robinson and Duncan on the same team and the spurs could not surround those two with the right players to get a le until the Lakers broke up Kobe and Shaq.

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=230515013

[rascal]

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=230515013

Thanks for the correction.

[xellos88330]

Spurs have a speed advantage. That is why Odom was in at the end of the game, not Bynum. Bynum is a huge guy sure, but he isn't the fastest big on the court at any time against the Spurs.

The Lakers have a slow style of play and have had trouble stopping speedier teams. When they play slow paced basketball they are great. The problem is that the Spurs have a speed advantage at every position when Bynum is on the floor. Bynum just can't seem to rotate fast enough, and when he does, he can't get back into position once his help is not needed anymore. This flaw will only compound once Bonner is healthy.

For me, the keys to beating the Lakers is to limit their bigs scoring opportunities and polishing the glass. If the Spurs can get one (hopefully both) of those things to happen, the Lakers are in serious trouble regardless of the pace of the game.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

"It's all about making shots"

[HarlemHeat37]

The Lakers' core players have been in 3 deep Finals runs in the last 3 seasons..Kobe has the 2nd highest usage % of his career, only next to the 2005-2006 season..they have had the easiest schedule in the NBA..you can talk about the Lakers having "another level" in the playoffs, but this is an old team with a lot of mileage the last few years, there's a better chance of key players playing hurt than there is of them "turning it on"..

Last year's Lakers team was 16 games over .500 against teams with records of .500 or better, and that includes their poor stretch to end the season, when Bynum was injured and on the sidelines..this year's Lakers team is at .500 against teams with records of .500 or better, they have struggled vs. these teams, both when healthy and when key players are hurt..

Last year's Lakers had an offensive rating improvement of +5 in the playoffs, but a defensive decrease of -5..you can account for the level of compe ion, obviously, so while I suppose you can say that they "stepped up" in the playoffs, it wasn't by much..they did not have a dominant run to the Finals..they beat the Thunder by a put-back clincher in game 6, they beat a mediocre Suns team(for WCF standards) by an Artest buzzer-beater that led to the clinching game, and it took them a 7th game to beat the ECF winner..

Can the Lakers be as good as last year?..sure, with some improvement, they can..however, there's a major difference..they will have much better compe ion than last year, they will have to go without HCA in probably both the WCSF and the WCF, and most important of all, this is extra mileage on their legs, which plays a key factor..

The Lakers can obviously still win the West, but the Spurs should have plenty of confidence if the teams meet in the WCF..

[Vito Corleone]

Phil knows what he is doing. There will be many tears in here after the spurs go down. This regular season record is playing for a big letdown and disappointment.

The Spurs aren't playing for regular season records. They never have, they are preparing for the post season, just like the Lakers. The Spurs are winning while keeping the minutes of their older guys in check. This is something that should scare the rest of the League. The Spurs have about 2 or 3 more levels they can also turn it up.

Exactly. I'm pretty sure Bynum will be closing out games in the playoffs, and I also think the Lakers will turn it up a notch or two in the playoffs. Maybe they're no longer as strong as the last couple of years, but that remains to be seen.
Both the Lakers and the Spurs will alter their games in some ways once the playoffs start. Duncan will definitely get more touches (and play more minutes), but I guess the Spurs would be wise to try and go with the up-tempo game we've seen so far this season.
LA would be a very tough team to beat - if they will be at the top of their game, that is.

Exactly, I know the Lakers will turn it up in the Playoffs, but so Will San Antonio.

The spurs had solid defenses in the early 2000s from 2000 to 2002 and could not get past the lakers becausae they could not score enough during that span.

Robinson and Duncan on the same team and the spurs could not surround those two with the right players to get a le until the Lakers broke up Kobe and Shaq.

??? The Spurs beat the 3-peat Lakers with both kobe and shaq. Learn your history before you post.

[21_Blessings]

The Lakers can obviously still win the West, but the Spurs should have plenty of confidence if the teams meet in the WCF..

If as in if the Spurs can actually beat the Bees. Sorta funny how Spur fan is already penciling their team into the WCF. Now, Laker fan can do that when the West has effectively been LAL's jerk-off towel the past three years.

I hope SA won't be using a couple worthless regular season victores wins from Dec/Feb as confidence for a playoff series though... isn't actually that stupid, is he?

[mingus]

some of use don't need two reg. season wins over LA to see that the Spurs will be a force that LA will have to deal with. been sayin' it since the off-season...while everyone else was sayin how OKC would be LA's best compe ion for years to come.

Spurs when healthy have a good shot at beating LA. point to the times these two teams have been healthy and played against eachother and it usually goes down to the wire. i expect the same thing this year if everyone stays healthy.

scared lakers fan is scared.