To live and die in L.A.

Well….mostly die.

Unless you have been under a rock, you know how the Spurs did in Games 1 and 2 against the Lakers in Los Angeles. And if you were under a rock and don’t know…..when I tell you, you might want to head back under. With 5:39 left in the third quarter of Game 1, San Antonio was ahead 65-45. They had come off a tough 7-game series with New Orleans, then had to deal with airplane problems causing them to get to the West Coast much later than expected…not good for an older team. All that and they were up 20! Everything looked great….then a funny thing happened.

And by funny, I mean in the “Oh look, its not Mrs. Bates, it’s Norman in a dress!” way.

The Spurs did not score another point until 1:54 left in the quarter. The Lakers scored 14. LA outscored SA 20-6 to end the 3rd and 24-13 in the 4th to steal Game 1 89-85. The Spurs were determined not to give up another big lead in Game 2. The good news is, they stuck to that plan….the bad news is, the Spurs never led and lost by 30.

So what now? (Ok….haven’t we been here before? )

First, make shots. I know what you are thinking..”hey genius, you think that up all by yourself?” Hear me out though. Since the 20 point lead in Game 1, the Spurs are shooting a cryogenic 32%, 25% in the time from the 20 point lead to the end of Game 1. Good Laker Defense? Yes to a point. LA is playing good D but a good portion of those shots were missed wide open looks and layups. Layups! The Spurs have missed 16 layups so far. That is the first thing you learn in basketball. What I would do is go grab a local high school coach and make the Spurs players do layup drills for 2 hours and for every one missed, $1000 per to charity. Think they will miss any more?

Second, confidence. Spurs players, you had it for 2.5 quarters, you need it back or this ends in 4. Study tape, get to shootaround earlier, beat your kids in Halo, whatever you need to do.

Third, aggression. (Hmm…this too sounds familar). Parker and Ginobili used to be in the lane so much, they paid rent. Now its like someone mined the key and they are afraid to venture there. Also, if Fabricio Oberto weak arms one more layup attempt, he needs to be traded to the Silver Stars for Sophia Young. At least she isn’t afraid of going strong to the basket.

Fourth, I would like to see more Kurt Thomas. God Bless Robert Horry and his career and what he has done for my team but big man, your time to step aside has arrived. A couple of 3 point bombs in Game 7 against the Hornets prolonged your stay but its over. You need to sit and Pop needs to sit you. Now.

Lastly, how healthy is Manu Ginobili, really? I know he is hurting but right now he is hurting the team as well. I don’t go for excuses. Some of my fellow Silver and Black denziens are saying “but Manu is hurt.” Hey, if you are on the court, you need to be an asset to your team, not a liability. The good thing is that Manu tends to feed off of adversity so I have a feeling we will see a big Game 3. Good, it will be needed.

A lot of Spurs fans are thinking “Hey, we were 0-2 to the Hornets, we can come back from this”

Two things:

A. “we” didn’t do anything….don’t drop the “we” and “us” card folks, it makes you look pathetic. Be better than that.

B. LA is not New Orleans, the Lakers are a better team.

I do get where you are going though. The Spurs have proven that when the chips were down, they could get off the mat and win. They will have to rely on that ability the next two games because they need both games and need them badly.

As I said when facing the same situation in the previous series, all is not lost. Remember, it takes 4 wins to claim a series. The Lakers are closer but the Spurs are not dead. If the Spurs take both games at home, all will again be well in Spur Nation. These next two games are very winnable. Let’s hope that sleeping in their own beds is the tonic the Spurs need to get back into this series and prove to LA that they will be getting a series after all.

To think the Lakers can’t finish this off in the Alamo City is foolish. To think San Antonio cannot come back and win this would be equally as foolish.

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