To Live and Die in LA
Make no mistake about it, the title of this post isn’t merely a Tupac reference (I am far too young to earnestly be referencing the movie). The fate of the Spurs will be decided on the star-studded hardwood of the Staples Center. I believe we will see a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals in the penultimate round of the NBA playoffs. And, although I will admit that the Lakers will be the favorites and rightly so, I believe we have the potential to beat them in a 7 game series. We may have to bring in another piece to do so, but the potential is certainly there.
After our most recent win against our greatest rival, Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold asked me a question or two about what that win meant in terms of our playoff hopes:
What can and should the Spurs (and their fans) take away from the win in the last meeting? That this is a team, come May, will be right there in long, hard-fought series with LA?
Obviously it was a boost of confidence to get a win against the Lakers but I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on it, partially because it is January, partially because your bench wasn’t at full strength. The Lakers still remain the one team in the West I believe we would lose to in a 7 game series. I believe, if fully healthy, that it would be a more competitive series than last year because I, unlike a lot of people, actually believe this team has gotten better, not worse. But I still believe, as currently constructed, we would most likely lose.
That being said, we have made some personnel adjustments that I believe give us a better chance against the Lakers. In particular we are leaving an offensive minded squad on the floor for a greater percentage of the time. As game one of the WCF last season demonstrated, I don’t believe we have the defensive prowess to create a lead and merely hold it. If we want to win games we have to be constantly expanding that lead. Or, more likely, making some sort of attempt to match you guys shot-for-shot.
Now, obviously we can’t do just that, but if Bowen is at the point in his career where he is getting burned by Kobe anyways, why not just let Mason get burned and leave oursleves with a more versatile offensive weapon on the floor. Throughout the season Pop has slowly begun creeping away from his stodgy, defensive-minded lineups and deploying more balanced, offensively sustainable groups. Subsequently we are experiencing far fewer of those abysmal offensive droughts we were known to experience last season. This trend gives us a better shot at toppling the Lake Show.
As I said, I believe we would lose to you guys in 7 but I still think we are your greatest threat (in the West). Duncan will play magnificently in the post season as first ballot hall-of-famers are known to do. Parker will continue to create match-up problems for your backcourt. Manu will remain a threat to explode offensively at any given moment. Mason will hopefully make a couple of late game daggers where Barry failed to. But most importantly, this is a team that is not afraid of LA. We have lost and won high stakes contests time and time again. We will not easily be phased. If anything, the inability of the Spurs to be intimidated is one of the things I might take from the first game.
Related posts:
- On Manu’s injury and playoff seeding
- Game 1: Memphis Grizzlies 101, San Antonio Spurs 98
- The third quarter execution that wasn’t enough
SPURS