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LA Lakers at San Antonio


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  • 3 months later...

Hmm, there was a report that Bryant will miss the Spurs game like 5 mins ago on Lakers' official site, but when I came back for the ling, it was gone.

 

Edit:

The Lakers' biggest star, however, will not play.

 

Los Angeles will again be without Kobe Bryant on Wednesday night when it visits the Spurs in a matchup of division leaders.

http://www.nba.com/games/20120411/LALSAS/gameinfo.html

Edited by Sℏãℓïʠ
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Thank God this isn't on ESPN.

 

I hope the Spurs decide to take it easy this game, maybe underestimating a Kobe-less Lakers team. I was also hoping that I would win the mega millions, so...

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Thank God this isn't on ESPN.

 

I hope the Spurs decide to take it easy this game, maybe underestimating a Kobe-less Lakers team. I was also hoping that I would win the mega millions, so...

:lol: Anyhow, the odds for the Lakers to win this one on my betting site go as high as 5.9 6(!). :o

 

Edit: SIX!

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/ftq4r9.jpg

Edited by Sħãlïq̵'
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I've said it all along, Bryant isn't the problem for SA. It's the lakers length and size that kills the Spurs.

 

Playing Blair and Bonner with Tim against Bynum and Gasol is [expletive]ing retarded. Splitter and Diaw>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Blair and Bonner

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Avoiding the Lakers and Memphis is key for the Spurs. OKC doesn't give the Spurs anywhere near as much trouble as LAL, or Memphis does.

 

 

The really sad thing is the Spurs have 2 legit "bigs" in Tiago and Tim Duncan, yet Pop has played the 2 together for a total of ZERO minutes this game.

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I rewatched that abomination of a game last night (Yeah I like to torture myself) and it was just as painful as the first time :lol: This is what I came up with.....

 

-Any Spurs fan who can't recognize the Lakers are by faaaaaaaaaaar the worst matchup for the Spurs in the playoffs (in the West, at least) needs to return their fandom card and go find another sport, tbh.

 

-Danny Green earned a starting spot going into the playoffs

 

-Stephen Jackson was one of the few who didn't get scared.

 

-Speaking of scared, I didn't know the Lakers traded for Mike Conley ... I thought they traded for Ramon Sessions. Tony Parker was ANYTHING but a MVP canidate tonight. After Bynum blocked Tony early in that game Parker refused to drive anymore. In screen and rolls Parkers man would go under the screen allowing Tp to shoot. Well he had several clean looks and his jumper was not falling.

 

-The last two times in San Antonio, the Lakers just played volleyball above the rim. Sure, the Lakers hit fluke shots tonight but it didn't matter. If they missed those shots, they were going to get most of the rebounds anyways.

 

-If the refs wouldn't have gifted numerous calls in the Spurs' favor, the Lakers would have won this game by 40.

 

 

 

All that said, at the end of the day, the key is for Pop not to allow this to be the start of a downward spiral. Last season, the Lakers clobbered the Spurs in San Antonio and then Pop panicked, changed everything and the Spurs were never the same. Pop has to just blow this off as no big deal and just keep it rolling. If Pop tightens all his sphincters again this season, we may witness yet another collapse.

 

Don't overreact. Keep a level head. Go hard tomorrow night and try to get back on track. Then you have two more games against the Lakers to show you can adjust (*cough* Duncan and Splitter together *cough*)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But at the end of the season, if the Spurs need to tank a few games to get out of the Lakers' half of the bracket, they should absolutely do that.

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Great recap^^^

 

The Los Angelas Lakers are still a very dangerous team without Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and, after recapping this game, without Kobe Bryant as well.

Edited by Art Hues
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Spurs Game Grades....... :(

 

Tim Duncan D+

Tim Duncan did some good things tonight. First of all, while 14 points doesn't look too impressive, it's an enormous improvement considering he scored 12 points in 85 minutes against the Lakers all of last season. Secondly, his post defense was really good. The main reason why Bynum and Pau Gasol shot so poorly was Duncan's interior D. However, both of those positives were more than negated by his flaws. Offensively, he held onto the ball way too much, killed the ball-movement, had iffy shot selection and wasn't nearly physical enough. But his most unforgivable negative was his defensive rebounding. Considering Duncan is rebounding better than ever on the defensive end, it's shocking how poor he was tonight. I know that Bynum is long and reasonably athletic but there's simply no way to excuse getting out-rebounded by 28 boards. That just can't happen.

 

Manu Ginobili D+

Coming into this game, the one area where the Spurs had a significant advantage was their bench. Manu Ginobili is the head of that snake and San Antonio needed him to destroy L.A.'s reserves. Instead, the Lakers grew their lead when Ginobili entered the game. Offensively, while he made a few really good passes, the rest of his production was subpar. He had no explosion when going to the rim and didn't attack with any assertiveness. Ginobili also was responsible for more than half of the team's turnovers. Defensively, he had energy in spurts but was below average on the whole; Ginobili didn't offer much effective help in the post and his closeouts on shooters were slow.

 

Tony Parker F-

It was just a pathetic, pathetic effort by Tony Parker. He couldn't hit an outside jumper to save his life, which was especially damning because the Lakers were going under every screen. While I can accept Parker missing shots, I can't accept Parker wilting and playing a timid brand of basketball. He's a leader (if not the[/b] leader) on this team -- he has to play like it and show some heart. Curling up into a fetal position on offense and playing pitiful defense is not the answer. If the Spurs are going to do anything in the playoffs, they can't have Parker fail to compete like he did tonight … and like he did last year in the playoffs, for that matter.

 

Danny Green A-

Danny Green is one Spurs player who could leave the arena with his head held high. Early on, I thought his tenacity was the only thing that kept the Lakers from blowing the game wide open. He drove the ball to the basket, took open shots with confidence and even mixed in a few great passes. His help-defense was really good, especially when doubling on the post. Green cooled off a bit in the middle two quarters but then stepped up and was able to make things respectable in the fourth quarter. Overall, I was really impressed with what I saw out of him. When everyone around him was playing tentatively and seemed afraid to make the wrong move, Green was going all out in a desperate attempt to keep the Spurs afloat. I think this outing proves he deserves to keep his starting spot for the foreseeable future.

 

Kawhi Leonard C

First of all, Kawhi Leonard played five minutes in the fourth quarter so only about 13 of his minutes came in the guts of the game. During that time, Leonard really made little to no impact. Offensively, he oscillated between being too passive and too aggressive. (Leonard is now 0-for-5 on three-pointers in the month of April -- that's something to keep an eye on.) Defensively, he tried to help defend Bynum and Gasol but he didn't make much of a difference; Leonard needs to learn how to be more forceful when coming to double-team bigs. With the Lakers dominating the glass, it would have been nice if Leonard pulled down a few contested boards … but that didn't happen. After scoring in double-digits in 11 of 14 games, Leonard has scored less than eight points in six straight outings. It's safe to say he has hit some sort of rookie wall. Let's hope it's temporary.

 

DeJuan Blair D-

On paper, DeJuan Blair versus Bynum is a mismatch. In reality, it was a mismatch of epic proportions. Blair tried hard to defend Bynum on the block but it was futile. Rebounding-wise, Blair's shortcomings on the defensive glass were magnified. Blair didn't even register as a speed bump when Bynum wanted to grab an offensive board. On the other end, Blair had no hope when looking to score over the Lakers bigs. Honestly, while Blair was a massive negative, I don't know if he's even capable of fulfilling the role the coaching staff asked him to fulfill. I'm not sure what more could be expected when Blair is going against players who are faster, more athletic, more talented and a half-foot taller.

 

Stephen Jackson B+

Outside of Green, I thought Stephen Jackson was the bright spot. He brought much needed physicality to the game. Jackson was strong when defending the post, came with purposeful double-teams and his individual D was solid. He also gave really good effort on the boards. Offensively, Jackson took smart shots, passed the ball well and kept running the plays even when everyone else was panicking. He probably could have attempted to pick up more of the slack but I was satisfied with the way he played. If more of his teammates played with his level of fight, things would have been much different.

 

Patrick Mills D-

With Gary Neal out with a stomach ailment, Patrick Mills was the backup point guard. Let's just say that the Spurs really missed Neal. In all facets of the game, Mills was extremely underwhelming. He didn't have his typical energy on defense. Instead of pestering the ball, he could only offer half-hearted hand-waving. Offensively, he took a few horrible shots and just didn't play smart. Assertive shooters work in the Spurs system … but Mills is taking it too far. Mixing in more passes and getting the Spurs into their sets with crisper action would have really helped. As ugly as Neal is to watch at times, he runs circles around Mills right now when it comes to being able to create plays for his teammates. That said, I suspect Mills was tired tonight. He just wasn't moving with his usual pizzazz.

 

Matt Bonner D

While Matt Bonner knocked down his three-pointers, that was the extent of his positive play. He was much too active with his dribble; I don't mind it every now and then but it can't be a staple of San Antonio's offense. Defensively, he was definitely part of the problem. He played some passable post defense but he was mostly just too small and too weak. The lowlight of his night was when he allowed Josh McRoberts to blow by him for a dunk. And do I even need to explain why Bonner needed to pull down more than one rebound in 20 minutes?

 

Boris Diaw C

If Boris Diaw is trying to earn a spot in the rotation, he's not doing a very good job. Offensively, his passing up of shots was annoying -- especially since the Lakers bigmen were sagging so much. Diaw's three assists came long after the game was already in the bag for the Lakers. Defensively, he didn't do anything special. His post defense was decent but not much of an improvement over anyone else. He double-teamed a lot but his timing was poor. Diaw wasn't bad but he also didn't give the coaching staff any reason to make room for him in the rotation.

 

Tiago Splitter B-

On offense, Tiago Splitter took advantage of the few touches he received. He could have been more demanding about getting the ball but most of the blame should be directed at his teammates. Splitter has been a huge part of the bench's success yet he was largely ignored tonight. That's something that needs to be addressed going forward. Defensively, I didn't like much of what Splitter did. He allowed Gasol and Bynum to get optimal position on him repeatedly. He also wasn't protecting the rim as much as usual. Splitter didn't box out well and he was definitely another weak link on the boards.

 

Pop F

I've been whining all season about Pop failing to build chemistry between Duncan and Splitter. Tonight we saw why I've been so adamant about the importance of that combination. When faced with a tall frontline, Duncan and Splitter should be an option. However, due to Pop's complete and utter mismanagement of his bigmen, he doesn't have the ability to trot out Duncan and Splitter with any sort of cohesiveness. It's a huge coaching mistake that may ultimately cost the Spurs their playoff lives. On top of that, I thought Pop should have given Leonard more time since he's the best perimeter rebounder on the team. He should have had a quicker hook with Blair and given more minutes to Jackson and Green. And while it was good to give Mills playing time so he could gain experience, I thought he should have pulled the plug and gone with Ginobili as the backup point guard.

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