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 Little big men Spurs-Lakers may be decided by guard play after all
Posted: Thursday May 20, 1999 12:14 PM
Alex English, an eight-time All-Star with the Denver Nuggets, takes a look at the most intriguing second-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs -- the Western Conference showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. This series has “going the distance” written all over it. After Game 2 Wednesday night, the Spurs are up 2-0. But both games have been close, and now the series moves to Los Angeles. It's an interesting series, probably the best of any going on right now. Some of the best big men in the NBA are playing in this one, which makes for a physical, punishing games. So don’t be surprised if the team that wins this is the one that consistently hits the outside shot. That’s right. This knock-‘em-down fight may be decided by the little guys. That might not be the case if this were just Shaquille O’Neal against Tim Duncan or David Robinson. But this is O’Neal against Duncan and Robinson, and sometimes Will Perdue, too. And Malik Rose. With all the double-teaming Shaq will face, he’s going to have to kick out the ball to his perimeter shooters and hope they come through. The same is true for the Spurs. When Robinson is double-teamed, or when Duncan is, the Spurs will have to find their shooters on the outside. The problem with that, of course, is it’s tougher to double-team two guys than it is one. So, if you’re the Lakers, who do you want taking the shots for the Spurs? Well, certainly not Duncan or Robinson. You have to keep the double-teams on them whenever you can. Mario Elie is doing a good job hitting his outside shots for the Spurs, and so is point guard Avery Johnson. So you don’t leave them, either. If I’m Kurt Rambis, the Lakers’ coach, I want to make somebody like Sean Elliott make his shots. He’s capable. But he may be the best bet. Now, if you’re the Spurs, who do you want to force to take those outside shots for the Lakers, once you double-down on Shaq? Well, not Glen Rice. If he gets going, it’s all over. Not Kobe Bryant, either. He’s a little streakier, but if you leave him alone, even if he’s not hitting his outside shot, he can break you down off the dribble and score that way. If the Spurs leave Derek Harper open too much, he’s capable of knocking it down. I’d look for him to try to score more as the series progresses, just to try to open the middle up a little more for Shaq. If I'm the Spurs, I make point guard Derek Fisher take the shot. Or J.R. Reid. I think the Spurs have a little edge not just on being better perimeter shooters, but on being better perimeter defenders. Elliot’s a better defender than Rice. The biggest advantage the Spurs hold in this whole scenario is those three 7-footers they have -- Duncan, Robinson and Perdue. They can afford to hack Shaq all night long, and when they double-team him, it's much harder for him to see his open teammates on the court. The Lakers can go big, too, with Sean Rooks teamed with Shaq. But that’s not a great lineup for them. And, again, they have two good, big offensive players to guard -- Robinson and Duncan. Still, look for Rambis to try to use Rooks and Shaq together at times, especially if O’Neal stays out of foul trouble. The Lakers are playing the best they’ve played all season right now. They’re really coming together. I can’t help but think what this team would be like with Elden Campbell and Eddie Jones, who were traded away in the deal that got Rice earlier this season. I think L.A. lost big-time in that. Eddie Jones can give a team the scoring Rice can, and he can play defense, too. And Shaq could use Campbell. One more thing about the Lakers. I think Kurt Rambis deserves to come back as coach, no matter what happens in this series. This is a team that could have folded at many times during the season -- when Del Harris was fired, when the Rice trade came through, when all the stuff was going on with Dennis Rodman. But the Lakers never folded, and you have to give a lot of credit to Rambis for that. I think he’s done a great job of bringing that team back. The team is responding to Rambis. These guys, suddenly, are winners. Can they get past the Spurs? It's not looking good so far. But stick around. This one may be headed for a Game 7. Alex English is the NBA analyst for CNN/SI, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. Be sure to catch English on "This Week in the NBA" Sundays at 10:30 a.m., then replayed at 11:30 p.m. on CNN and CNN/SI. His column, the English Lesson, appears every week exclusively on CNNSI.com.
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