Kobe Almost Waited Too Long to Rally the Lakers

By Craig Kwasniewski

I got home from Staples Center 3 hours ago and I'm still buzzing from game. It's an incredible feat that the Lakers rallied from down 20 against the defending champs in any case, but to happen in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals... it's just another chapter in this great rivalry.

Anyway, was it fatigue from extended airline issues or the emotional Game 7 win on Monday that aided in the Lakers rally? Did the extended rest along with the early start (the stadium was half-full at tip because of LA Traffic) throw the Lakers off and allow the lead? Definitely yes to all of those. Here are some other thoughts from what I saw in my seat in Section 316 (bear in mind I'm a little drained):

Down 20, I thought Kobe waited too long to take over. Here's a text that I sent my friend Matt at Basketbawful as the Spurs took a 20-point lead with less than six minutes left in the third quarter:

Kobe lost this game by not setting an aggressive tone. No excuses in playing possum. Game 1 is all about sending a message and the Lakers failed miserably in that. I wish I could change the channel.

I really felt that the Lakers needed to open Game 1 with a similar flurry as they did with Utah. The Spurs were weary from a long series against NOLA and I figured the Lakers would roll. Instead, Kobe opened the first half in full-blown facilitator mode. Four minutes into the game it was quite obvious that both Odom and Fisher were still in Salt Lake City and Kobe needed to become aggressive to get the Lakers out of their funk. Instead, he continued to play facilitator until the 8-minute mark in the third quarter. They won, but it might have been a lot easier.

Is it too early to block-quote myself? Of course not! Here's what I wrote about Manu Ginobili yesterday:

Spurs fans can claim Manu Ginobili as their postseason savior but as he's continually proven in his playoff career he's still very inconsistent. He'll kill the Lakers for a few W's, but not for an entire 7-game series.

Well, Manu was a non-factor with 10 points while shooting 3-13 from the field. But Spurs Nation need not fear, I fully expect Manu to return with a 20-plus effort on Friday.

Speaking of no-shows, where were Odom and Fisher? Seriously what the hell happened to Lamar Odom last night? This is what continues to plague his career. For every brilliant 18 and 14 game with excellent defense he comes back with a stinker like last night. The Spurs defense never allowed him a lane to the bucket and his frustration translated on defense with several dumb fouls (like the And-1 against Oberto). He's always due for a thoroughly crappy game in every series, but unlike Ginobili, I'm not sure he'll be better in Game 2. He even had trouble against the older and shorter Michael Finley. The Lakers can't beat the Spurs with Odom in 2002 Sacramento Kings mode.

After being the difference-maker in the Utah series (the Lakers won every game that he was not in foul trouble), I was stunned by Derek Fisher's disappearing act. Tony Parker thoroughly killed him, blowing by him and scoring at will. And he was worse on offense, going 1-9 from the field killing several fast breaks along the way. At least Jordan Farmar's quick hands and feet allowed him to stick with Parker.

What happens next for the Spurs? Any other team in the league (especially the Suns) would have a major letdown after blowing such a huge lead. But as long as Greg Popovich is running the show, I see a more determined Spurs for Game 2. I expect the them to space the floor out on offense and open lanes for Manu Ginobili to create or get to the freethrow line. I don't see too many line-up changes...yet (they'll start Thomas in Game 3 just to make the series more physical).

What happens next for the Lakers?Will the Lakers learn from Game 1 and bring a playoff effort at the start or will they believe that no lead is insurmountable and trail most of the way? The latter would be true in the Shaq-Kobe era, but I think these Lakers will come out strong from the get-go. Odom will try to open aggressively going for his 4 dunks (his theory this post season is that he needs 4 dunks a game to be effective). If Fisher continues to struggle against Parker, I expect Farmar to get more minutes. But Lamar Odom will be the key for Game 2 as he needs to counter the expected scoring from Ginobili and the expected drop-off from Radmanovic.

The Bynum surgery. Just a quick thought on Andrew Bynum's arthroscopic knee surgery yesterday... what took the Lakers so long? The guy's been out of action since January and *NOW* he has surgery? Come on!

I HATE American Idol: And finally, since I'm not a fat woman or gay I could care less about that damn show. After last night, I hate the show even more! Across the street at the Nokia Center were the American Idol Finals and traffic all over downtown LA was absolutely terrible. Mix in the early start and the game lacked a playoff atmosphere at tip-off.

Comments

[dave]

argh! i was really hoping the spurs could steal game 1, but they just couldn't find the basket. they let that one slip away. i think their legs gave out in the 4th. the spurs gave that game away just as much as the lakers won it. however, i'm still positive because the spurs showed that they can control the pace of the game. all they need is for one of the "big three" to step up and have a big 4th quarter. i feel pretty confident about a split in l.a.

[Craig]

"i feel pretty confident about a split in l.a." I'm totally worried about that. The Lakers got away with not showing up for 2 1/2 quarters. They won't win another game with that type of effort.

[Happydaze]

Despite a much too close win for the Lakers last night, I'm actually pretty encouraged because far more went wrong for the Lakers than the Spurs and LA somehow still came away with the win.

Like you, I wanted to change the channel midway thru the 3rd q, but I didn't and now I'm glad I stuck with my boys. Just like Gino will almost assuredly come back strong in game 2, I think the same holds true for LO (at least he ended well, and I think it will carry over) and D-Fish. Also, I'm hoping the Lakers drive the paint more and try a bit harder to get to the line, although it's tough cuz the Spurs are so good at playing good D without fouling -- I was amazed once again by how good they are at this.

All and all, I'm looking forward to a great series and hopefully a Lakers win.

Happydaze

[nike air max 90]

why break from a system if he believe it's the best system for easy offense? He makes excellent in game adjustments and like Craig said, his teams almost never commit dumb mental errors during important playoff games and his teams are generally only beaten by teams with superior talent and mental fortitude (think pistons