It’s April 11, 2012 and the (36-22) Los Angeles Lakers are in Texas for the finale of their three-game road trip and first of three games against the (40-15) San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers came from behind to beat the New Orleans Hornets 93-91 on Monday April 9th without star guard Kobe Bryant.
According to Lakers’ trainer Gary Vitti, Bryant’s injured shin is improving and the walking boot has been removed, but he will miss his third straight game.
The Lakers have embarked on a difficult stretch of games. They have eight games left in the regular season, six of their opponents have a record above .500 and, including tonight’s game, there are only four remaining on the road.
Kobe Bryant is a warrior who has played through several injuries over the years, but the Lakers have to decide what is more important: finishing the regular season at full strength or resting Bryant and having a healthy Black Mamba for the post season?
L.A., like San Antonio, is preparing for a playoff run. A huge part of that preparation is resting veteran players as much as possible while still remaining competitive. The Spurs were riding an 11-game winning streak and their star players – center Tim Duncan, point guard Tony Parker and shooting guard Manu Ginobli – did not travel with the team to Salt Lake City, Utah where the Spurs then lost to the Jazz.
All three of the Spurs’ star players will be in the lineup for the Lakers’ 30th road game. L.A. is 13-16 on the road while San Antonio owns an impressive 23-4 record at home.
This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams, who have split the last two season’s series (2-2). The Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 games overall against the Spurs. Los Angeles is 5-5 in its last 10 games at the AT&T Center.
The Spurs have played at a high level, but under the radar, all season. They are the deepest team in the league with an excellent mix of veterans and youth on their roster. The most telling statistic: a few games ago their bench scored 82 points.
A huge part of preparing for a playoff run and possible second round meeting are the multiple adjustments required. When you face a team in a seven-game series, it is a ‘night-and-day’ difference from facing that team during the regular season.
A series provides a team the opportunity to focus in on one opponent. The result is knowing what the strengths and weaknesses of that opponent are, being able to take away what it does best and then forcing it to adjust. Tonight’s game will be the first of four chess matches in which the Lakers’ and Spurs’ coaching staff will engage.
This contest will be a tough assignment for the “Kobe-less” Los Angeles Lakers. They have to establish center Andrew Bynum and power forward Pau Gasol in the painted area and allow them to go to work. Bynum has to come up huge in his match up with Spurs’ forward DeJuan Blair. The last time L.A. faced San Antonio – almost a year ago to the day on April 12, 2011 – the Lakers won 102-93. But the Spurs rested their star players and still had six players score in double-digits.
Los Angeles’ defense has to rise to the occasion and find a way to match the intensity of San Anonio. This is a match-up of two of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Lakers have to play solid against the pick-and-roll play, stop the dribble penetration of the guards, get back in transition, control the tempo, control the boards, defend and quickly rotate out to open shooters.
The Spurs shoot .385-percent from behind the arc and rank 2nd in the league. The Lakers shoot .318-percent from the behind the arc and rank 27th in the league. In several games this year, three-point shooting has been the difference in the game. L.A. must avoid this happening again.
Starters
Lakers: R. Sessions, D. Ebanks, R. Artest, P. Gasol, A. Bynum
Spurs: T. Parker, D. Green, K. Leonard, T. Duncan, D. Blair
Tip-off: 5:30 PM PST
Television –
- Los Angeles: KCAL 9 (Bill Macdonald & Stu Lantz)
- San Antonio: FSSW (Bill Land & Sean Elliott)
Radio –
- Los Angeles: 710 ESPN (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)
- San Antonio: WOAI-AM 1200 (Bill Schoening)
Injuries –
Lakers:
- Kobe Bryant (Tenosynovitis, Left Shin) Out
- Andrew Bynum (Sprained Left Ankle) Probable
- Jordan Hill (Sprained MCL, Right Knee) Questionable
- Ramon Sessions (Sprained Left Shoulder, AC Joint) Probable
Spurs:
None