Game 5 Spurs at Lakers

[WayOutWest]

Predictions/Keys

Lakers:
Role players need to show up.
Gasol/Odom need to hold their own on the boards.
Kobe needs to get to the rim and FT line.
Keep Tony Parker out of the paint.
Lakers need to close on the Spurs 3pt shooters.
Lakers need to balance their 3pt shooting.

Spurs:
Role players MUST hit their 3pt shots.
TD needs to have a monster game.
Manu needs to have a good game.
Tony Parker needs to get into the paint and limit his outside shooting.
They need a good lead going into halftime.
Sustain their energy level going into the 3rd period.
The bench needs to be productive and take some minutes from the starters.

I think the Lakers smell blood in the water and will blow the Spurs out.  Kobe must keep himself and his team focused.  The Spurs have all the heart in the world and will not lay down, if the Lakers think this game is an automatic win they will get burned.

[westkoast]

Man I need a sponsorship so I can do like Doug Collins BUD LIGHT KEYS TO THE GAME!  Better yet they can give me a Bentley Phantom, like the white one Kobe has, and I'll do Koast's Keys To The Drivers Seat Sponsored by Bentley/RR

Lakers:

-Match the intensity and exceed the  energy level the Spurs come out with by using the crowd and their youth.  As the younger team they should be able to raise the energy level and keep it there for the entire game.  Wearing down the Spurs is important if they want to win but also important if they do infact lose tonight.  You want Friday to be spent sleeping!

-Work on getting easy layups/shots from solid interior passing.  This is one of the keys I brought up before the series started and it so far has been right.  The interior passing of the Lakers has and will continue to hurt the Spurs as long as they are crisp passes.

-Continue to make Manu's life miserable.  If he doesn't get 25-30 points it's not going to be a win for the Spurs tonight.  Even if Barry steps up for a 3rd game in a row.


Spurs:

-Try and take the crowd out of the game early.  Do not let the Lakers feed off the crowd and add pep to their step.  The Spurs are already much slower then the Lakers and getting a crowd boost is only going to make that more apparent.

-Make it a point to get a lot of penetration in the paint.  The Spurs shooters need all the room they can get on the 3 point line.  When the Spurs shoot poorly from 3 they lose.  They've been pretty bad on the road from 3 in this series.  A lot of that has to do with not forcing the Lakers defense to collapse as much as it should.

-Do NOT let the Lakers dominate the glass.  Defensive rebounding last game left a lot to be desired.

-Take care of the ball.  The Spurs gave up a lot of easy points off turn overs.  Everytime they cough up the ball the Lakers sprint to the other side, blowing the Spurs in the dust, and get a lay up.

[rickortreat]

The Spurs put up such a disappointing performance in game 4, I don't know what to expect.  The Lakers were clearly the better team, and every time the Spurs tried to catch them, they would choke, and LA kept the lead.

This is not what I expected and had the game ended without the stupid non call, I would give the edge to the Lakers.  But the non-call now that the NBA admitted that a foul SHOULD have been called, gives the Spurs legitimate anger, and the officials a slight guilt complex. 

If anything can spur the Spurs on, it will be that slap from the officials.  Game 4 was the first game where I felt like the Lakers were really the better team.  They can and should feed on that, because the Spurs have to win or they're done.  The series is in doubt, but they can't go out like this, can they?

I predict Manu comes back in this game and the Spurs extend it, because it would be too much of a shock for LA to close them out in 5.

[WayOutWest]

Wow, Spurs fought like a lion to the death.  Is it just me or have the Lakers never shown as much respect to another team after a series as they did tonight with the Spurs?

[westkoast]

Wow, Spurs fought like a lion to the death.  Is it just me or have the Lakers never shown as much respect to another team after a series as they did tonight with the Spurs?

I think they have a lot of respect for the Spurs but I don't see them giving an over the top props to them.  This is a tough team and in order for the Lakers to become champions they had to beat one.  So that learning experience was important to focus in on rather then beating their chests about it IMO.

Anyone else think that whole WCF ceremony was kind of lame?

[WayOutWest]

Wow, Spurs fought like a lion to the death.  Is it just me or have the Lakers never shown as much respect to another team after a series as they did tonight with the Spurs?

I think they have a lot of respect for the Spurs but I don't see them giving an over the top props to them.  This is a tough team and in order for the Lakers to become champions they had to beat one.  So that learning experience was important to focus in on rather then beating their chests about it IMO.

Anyone else think that whole WCF ceremony was kind of lame?

I thought the fans were lame for booing the Spurs.

[westkoast]

Wow, Spurs fought like a lion to the death.  Is it just me or have the Lakers never shown as much respect to another team after a series as they did tonight with the Spurs?

I think they have a lot of respect for the Spurs but I don't see them giving an over the top props to them.  This is a tough team and in order for the Lakers to become champions they had to beat one.  So that learning experience was important to focus in on rather then beating their chests about it IMO.

Anyone else think that whole WCF ceremony was kind of lame?

I thought the fans were lame for booing the Spurs.

Agreed.  That was beyond stupid and really doesn't surprise me when people outside of LA don't like Laker fans.  What else can you expect?

Not to let all Spurs fans off the hook as the sportscasters out here kept talking about how people in SA would out right say they hope Kobe rips his Achilles , breaks both legs, and goes 2 for 20 in games lol

[Lurker]

Congrats Laker fans.  The key in game 5 was the same...the Lakers closed out the quarters better than the Spurs.  In the last 2-3 minutes of each quarter the Lakers showed more hustle & determination than the Spurs.  Kobe finally had one of his unstoppable games even though he really had to work for his points.  I thought it was telling that Jackson tried using Kobe on Manu but went away fairly quickly...not because Manu was burning Kobe but IMO to keep Kobe from exerting too much energy on the defensive end.

Congrats again...and here's hoping Kobe has a few 2-20 games in the finals (no injuries though).   

[SPURSX3]

Nice win Lakers!  The Spurs just did not have enought to get over the hump this year.  Kobe just looks like he is getting to that Jordan type of game where he can just decide when to win it for the team.  Not there yet, but he looks like he is getting there.  Good luck next round.!

[WayOutWest]

Congrats Laker fans.  The key in game 5 was the same...the Lakers closed out the quarters better than the Spurs.  In the last 2-3 minutes of each quarter the Lakers showed more hustle & determination than the Spurs.  Kobe finally had one of his unstoppable games even though he really had to work for his points.  I thought it was telling that Jackson tried using Kobe on Manu but went away fairly quickly...not because Manu was burning Kobe but IMO to keep Kobe from exerting too much energy on the defensive end.

Congrats again...and here's hoping Kobe has a few 2-20 games in the finals (no injuries though).   

I had a Reality moment in the 4th quarter when Bowen was out of the game and Kobe was getting hot.  I was like "where is Bowen?", then I was like "GO KOBE!  Bowen is on the BENCH!  GO!".

I was really glad to see Kobe take over the game because the Lakers were starting to get alligator arms and lead heads.  Turnovers and bad shots were looking like the Lakers undoing but Kobe saved the day.

I wish the Lakers could execute the way the Spurs have been doing.

[msc]

Thanks Lurker and SPURSX3.  I must admit, beating the Spurs was extra special this season.  Not because they are our enemy or arch nemesis or any of that nonsense, but because they are and have been the best franchise in the league over the past 9 years.  It means a lot to beat the best and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I have to acknowledge just how much I like and respect the Spurs.  From the top down, they are a class organization.  I have nothing but respect and admiration for them and their true fans here on this board.  If I weren't born and raised a Laker fan, I could easily see myself jumping on their bandwagon. 

I really agreed with Magic Johnson last night.  When the other TNT guys (Kenny, I think) were saying the Spurs needed to make "wholesale changes" Magic was quick to point out that they already have a strong nucleus and RC Buford and Pop will make the right moves in the off-season and be in the thick of things again next year.  I completely agree with that sentiment and was glad to see Magic give props where they are due. 

It's absolutely unfathomable to me that someone could not want Popovich as their coach.  To me, he is on a very short list of the top coaches in the league.  His no nonsense, straight forward approach is second to none.  He never makes excuses and exudes intelligence and class.  This series wasn't lost because of Popovich.  He put his players in a position to succeed.  They just met a team that is peaking and had a little bit more energy at this late stage in the season. 

[Reality]

I had a Reality moment in the 4th quarter when Bowen was out of the game and Kobe was getting hot. 

And the reality of the moment caused you to poop yourself.  Then the nanny finished wiping you and westkoast, flipped you over and you were back in front of the set!

I was like "where is Bowen?", then I was like "GO KOBE!  Bowen is on the BENCH!  GO!".

[/b][/color]  And don't forget, "GO POP!"