Laker fans were able to breath a collective sigh of relief after Wednesday night's victory over the Rockets. The win put them in 7th place to make the playoffs, avoiding the Thunder in the first round, but matching them up with the San Antonio Spurs. And while the Spurs are far less athletic than the Thunder, they are also more savvy. Not to mention they have championship experience. This series will be anything but a walk in the park...
Who They Are:
San Antonio is the type of team that plays what most people call "team basketball". All this means is that they typically run a system of plays to score their points instead of relying on isolation plays from a dominant superstar. They will however resort to isolation plays when their offense breaks down, or when they feel they have a mismatch available. With a core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli they have the weapons necessary to play that style. Tony Parker is one of the best point guards in the league, and he's absolutely lethal in the pick and roll. Duncan's resume speaks for itself. He can be more than a handful down low. Ginobli causes problems by getting to the rim with the ability to pass out to shooters beyond the arc. In addition to their core the Spurs also have solid role players in Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Gary Neal who can all contribute. They're just a solid team from top to bottom. It's no secret why they have the 2nd best record in the conference.
How We Can Win:
With all that being said about the Spurs, the Lakers are more than capable of meeting the challenge and winning the series. Here's how:
Rebounding
The Lakers were 4th in the league in rebounding this season. Even with Jordan Hill out, they have the personnel to dominate both sides of the glass. With Kobe out, each possession becomes even more important. Every rebound they get is another possession, and another opportunity to score. This also allows the Lakers to control the pace of the game more. In the Lakers last few victories of the season, their rebounding is what saved them and made up for poor shooting percentages.
Defense
It's obvious that they need to play defense to win, but there are some specific things they can do to make life difficult for San Antonio. The Spurs most potent weapon is the pick and roll with Parker and Duncan. It's likely the Lakers will aggressively hedge the screen (where the defender of the screener steps out to slow down the attacking ball handler) and try to force Parker to be a passer. If they do hedge it will be imperative for Dwight to recover to the roll man (likely Duncan) before he can do damage. The rest of the Lakers will be in help & recover mode. They'll have to do this quickly and consistently to make sure the Spurs don't get wide open looks from 3. Regardless of how you play him, Parker will get to the rim. In which case Dwight will step up to contest him. Then it's imperative that the other Lakers step over to cover Dwight's man. This is called helping the "helper", and if the Lakers do it effectively they can win the series.
Pound 'em Inside
Dwight and Pau need to be dominant in this series. I like how Coach D'Antoni has used them down the stretch. Give them BOTH touches in the low post. There's no reason it has to be one or the other. If Pau and Dwight can establish some rhythm down there it will open up the perimeter for the Lakers' shooters. When the Spurs start double teaming, Pau and Dwight are very adept at finding their teammates. Pau needs to facilitate from the elbow, and when Dwight is matched against a slower defender he should attack from the face up position.
X-factors
- Coach Vino. If you didn't know, since Kobe got hurt he's been calling in adjustments from the hospital and his home. It might be a week or two before he can join the team on the sidelines, but that's not stopping Kobe from putting his stamp on the game.
- Health is a major factor for both teams. Will Nash be ready to go? Will Parker and Ginobli be effective?
- The Lakers will need solid bench play from Jamison, Clark, and Meeks (if Nash starts)
- Hack-a-Howard. Coach Popovich will clearly resort to this tactic if he gets desperate. As long as Dwight knocks them down it won't be a probable.
- Rally around the flag effect. We've all seen how the team has bonded over the devastating injury to their captain Kobe. The team has stated they've taken on his identity now. We just saw a legendary run in the NCAA tournament by Louisville after one of their players went down with a gruesome injury. Anybody ready for the NBA equivalent?
The Lakers can win series if they put forth maximum effort and execute the game plan. It's time to get the playoffs started and the Lakers are ready to roll! GO GET 'EM LAKESHOW!!!
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