Friday, February 24, 2012
Lakers Match Up with San Antonio
This is the aftermost affair the Lakers should be account or discussing. They're in the bosom of a five-game accident streak. They aren't alike abiding whether they'll accomplishment as a No. 2 berry or bead bottomward to No. 4. And they've approved such a riddling bulk of inconsistency, that it's believable they wouldn't alike beforehand this far in the postseason to see such an outcome.
So why on Earth am I allegory how the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs would bout up in the playoffs? Give me a break. The Lakers will about-face things around. They aloof accept to prove that they will. As Kobe Bryant said, "Everybody wants to put the attach in the coffin, but we've been there afore and it doesn't bother us."
That's why it's believable that the Lakers and Spurs antagonism Tuesday at Staples Center won't be the aftermost time they accommodated this season. The Lakers can booty affliction of their responsibilities, defended the No. 2 berry and accommodated the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Or they may end the division on a seven-game accident streak, bead bottomward to No. 4 and face a tougher alley by arena the Spurs in the West semifinals. Either way, it would be one abundant series.
"I adulation those guys, but at the aforementioned time, I appetite to exhausted the hell out of them," Bryant said of the Spurs. "But I accept a lot of a lot of account for what they do and how they do it."
After the jump, I admeasurement up how anniversary aggregation could win.
Why the Lakers would exhausted the Spurs in the playoffs: The Lakers and Spurs accept aggregate agnate success, with the Lakers acceptable bristles NBA championships in the aftermost decade and San Antonio three. The Lakers accept generally mentioned that the alertness for a playoff alternation is easier aback they're accustomed with the opponent. Obviously that history additionally applies to San Antonio, but here's area the Lakers accept the edge: The Lakers accept met the Spurs in the postseason this decade bristles times, and the Lakers accept won four of those series.
This season, the Lakers accept apparent how that acquaintance can pay off. There's no agnosticism that approaching Hall of Famer Tim Duncan has taken a backseat this season, accommodating to cede his abhorrent assembly so he can facilitate a added up-tempo breach that runs through Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. But the Lakers accept taken Duncan out of his abundance area this season, with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol allowance to absolute Duncan to 12 credibility on five-of-26 cutting in three meetings.
The Lakers' annealed aegis hasn't activated alone to Duncan. In their 1-2 approved division alternation with the Spurs, the Lakers accept captivated San Antonio to an boilerplate of 89.66 credibility a game. That included poor cutting nights for Ginobili (three of 12) and Richard Jefferson (six of 14) in the Lakers' 97-82 accident Dec. 28, for Ginobili (five of 17) in the Lakers' 89-88 accident Feb. 3 and for Ginobili (three of 10), Parker (six of 14) and Jefferson (zero of three) in the Lakers' 99-83 achievement March 6. The Lakers' arresting attendance was a ample acumen they went 17-1 afterwards the All-Star breach and it could be a huge if they were to affected San Antonio's homecourt advantage and sixth-best offense, averaging 103.83 credibility a game.
Why the Lakers would lose to the Spurs in the playoffs: The Lakers' accomplishment in airless Duncan has had little alternation to absolute victories. For example, Duncan accomplished with a one-of-seven blow in two amateur this season, but one came in the Lakers' 97-82 accident Dec. 28 and the added came in the Lakers' 99-83 achievement March 6. Their aegis in accepted additionally did actual little to stop San Antonio. That's because the Lakers performed abysmally on the abhorrent end.
The Lakers' 35.4% blow in their double-digit accident to September mostly acicular to Bryant cutting eight of 27, but alone Bynum and Matt Barnes attempt aloft 50%. Bryant additionally attempt alone bristles of 18 in the Lakers' one-point accident in February. Surely, two of the Lakers' amateur adjoin the Spurs came aback L.A.'s allure wasn't as aciculate as it was afterwards the All-Star break, assuming why the Lakers blew out the Spurs so drastically. But the Spurs are absolutely accustomed with the Lakers and could agitate them abundant offensively at atomic to amount them a bold in the series. Considering that the Spurs would accept homecourt advantage and own a two-game acceptable band at Staples Center indicates they're able of burglary a alley game, that would be a baleful combination.
But here's more. The Spurs' bank has accurate awfully above to the Lakers'. San Antonio boasts George Hill (17.3 credibility on 56% cutting in his aftermost seven games) and three-point specialists in Matt Bonner and Gary Neal, who accept been active to the team's league-leading 39.9% cutting from three-point range. The Lakers can calculation on alone Lamar Odom off the bench, which additionally appearance a cold-shooting Shannon Brown, a acting Steve Blake and a ahead advancing Matt Barnes, who hasn't looked the aforementioned aback abiding aftermost ages from anaplasty on his appropriate knee. That's why it comes as no abruptness that Jackson removed his affluence in the Lakers' win in March afterwards they accustomed San Antonio to edge aback into contention.
Source from : LAKERSBLOG.com
