1.VERSATILITY and BALANCE - The Lakers' personnel, along with the diversity of the triangle offense, allow them to give the Spurs different looks. They can beat you with pick-n-roll play. They can go inside-ouside with a combination of shooters like Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, and Derek Fisher. They can post up either Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and even Luke Walton. They can run-n-gun on transition with athletes like Jordan Farmar and Trevor Ariza. And above all, they've got the unstoppable Bryant doing whatever it takes to will his team to win, be it penetrate and dish, get to the foul line at will, create on the open floor for his teammates, or knock down three-point shots to deflate the Spurs at crucial moments of the game.
Meanwhile, the Lakers already know what the Spurs are going to come with - screen rolls with Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. High post entry passes to Duncan, who will look to drop off passes to Fabricio Oberto or Kurt Thomas down low. And iso's for Ginobili at the top of the key. Bruce Bowen waiting on the wing for wide-open three-point attempts after Duncan gets doubled and defenses are scrambling to recover. The problem for San Antonio is that the Lakers are good enough that they won't have to double team Duncan, thereby nullifying his outside shooters.
2. ATTACK MODE- Because of Bryant's leadership, the Lakers will continue to attack and penetrate the Spurs' interior defense like there's no tomorrow. Even The Machine will take it to the rack when defenders run out on him at the three-point line. Odom will get to the line at will and put the Spurs' power forwards in early foul trouble just like he did to Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer. Gasol will take it to Duncan in order to get him into foul trouble. Gasol will even pull Duncan out of the lane because Pau can hit the mid range shot that the triangle offense will give him. And we can't forget about the high-flying Ariza, who just adds another dimension to the Lakers' fast break attack. Either way, whether it's a slow down tempo or in transition, the Lakers will constantly attack the Spurs from all angles. Most importantly, they have the personnel to do it.
3. DICTATING TEMPO- The Lakers are excellent at accomplishing this because they have Bryant, who can get calls at any time. The Lakers will jump out to early leads in Games 1 & 2 and if they blow out the Spurs in both of these games, it will be very difficult for San Antonio to recover. The Lakers are more experienced than most would think. This nucleus, save for Gasol, has been together for three postseasons in a row and have tasted failure. They've grown and matured, learned how to play with toughness, and above all developed the hunger needed in order to take each and every possession like it's the last one. They learned this lesson after being up 2-0 on Utah. They woke up and finished them off. Killer instinct. And if the Lakers go up 2-0 against the Spurs and win these games easily, the defending champions won't have the firepower to overcome this Laker juggernaut.
4.THE MVP- No team, no player, no double-team, no triple-team can contain the incomparable Bryant. He can do it all and he is the only player in this league that can singlehandedly will his team to win a series. In the modern era of the NBA, a great offensive player on a great team will always defeat a great defensive player on a great defensive team. Once Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker feel the wrath of Kobe's fire, the Spurs will be mentally defeated just like they were in '04 after Fisher hit that shot with .4 left. San Antonio never recovered. The Spurs, overall, have been the best and most consistent elite team in the NBA this decade and I have the utmost respect for their franchise. But unfortunately, they have run right smack into a well-oiled machine called the Los Angeles Lakers. And L.A. has homecourt advantage.
You give Mamba homecourt and you've just given the greatest player this generation has ever seen another piece of ammunition in his arsenal.
Guess what ladies and gentlemen? THE ASSAULT CONTINUES...
And so does the interest. Remember the nickel I won from you? With interest, late fees, over the limit, guest ATM charges and a tie in with Barkley enterprises you now owe me 478,891.12. Will that be cash? There is a 2% discount for cash.
You're right on the money J-Dizz, they are really the more balance team right now and closing games is too ordinary for them. Got W no.1 and 3 more to go.
NIQUE: And what nicket are you talking about? From what I recall, the Boston-Detroit series is far from over.
SOCALF4N: The Spurs do recover fine from blowouts but then again these are the Lakers not the Hornets.
HOFFMAN: If the Lakers win Game 2, it will be over in five. If the Spurs manage to get a split, it will be Lakers in six.
NWHATDHECK: And to think that Trevor Ariza hasn't even joined the fray yet.
SPORTSREBEL899: If the Lakers can maintain their defensive intensity for a full 48 minutes, that's when they will be unbeatable. I still think the Lakers would have difficult matchup issues with the Boston Celtics. But so far so good...
J-DIZZLE
God knows we've played both ends of the spectrum here . Great and pis*s poor ! And so far it hasn't made a damn bit of difference.
So I think that we'll send in reinforcements.
If they can't do it then no one else can !
If nothing else it'll make me happy. The Pus*sy Cat Dolls !
Have a great one J-DIZZLE !
rampant' aka tophatal ............
Last edited by rampantfanatic on May 25th at 9:54 AM.
J-DIZZLE
Nicole Scherzinger may well be the most talented of them all. But from what I've been led to believe she wants a solo career for herself.
As to the Spurs Lakers' series , based on game 3 there may well be a long way to go. Now that Ginobili is back to his best this series could well be in for something of a turnaround.
See my two most recent posts and let me know what you think as to their merits ?
They're titled Poignancy And The Relevance of Memorial Day It Begins To Hit Home Hard ! Bill Belichick Is In The Employ of The NSA !
I'll look forward to reading your comments as and when you're ready. And once again have a great Memorial Day !
UC IRVINE graduate and proud to be an ANTEATER. My claim to fame is having played against the likes of Tayshaun and Tommie Prince, Jacque Vaughn, and Charles O'Bannon, plus getting dunked on by Schea Cotton in a CIF second round match in the nineties.
WIDELY KNOWN on FOX as one of the most biased LAKER HOMERS in blog history, highly criticized for hating on the PHOENIX SUNS fan base, and has been told on more than one occasion that LAMAR ODOM isn't worth the suit he's wearing.
Believe that "excellence is not an act but a habit."
Believe that the things you do and the things you don't do, they all send a message.
Believe that in order to know the world one must first know thyself.
And believe that it's the journey not the destination.
Finally, as the great Bruce Lee once said, "Man - he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that's when he stops growing."
This is the Way of the Dragon. Embrace it.
