 |
| |
|
 |
 |
Missed opportunity Spurs put themselves in another hole in L.A.Posted: Sunday May 05, 2002 10:56 PM
LOS ANGELES -- "Move it or lose it, baby," a playful Kobe Bryant cracked to two unwitting pedestrians who were blocking his golf cart as it made its way out of Staples Center after Game 1 on Sunday. Bryant might as well have been talking to the Spurs. For the second time in two years, San Antonio is on the verge of being run over by the Lakers. Though it was only one game, the Spurs have to be wondering privately if they can keep the Lakers from sending them to another early May tee time. Even on a day when L.A. shot 39 percent and lost stars Shaquille O’Neal (finger) and Bryant (knee) for part of the second half with injuries, San Antonio failed to come up with the plays down the stretch needed to win the game. "We had opportunities," Spurs guard Bruce Bowen admitted. "We just made a couple mental mistakes down the stretch… That’s what bothers us the most." In a subdued postgame locker room, the Spurs hammered that optimistic theme. Instead of dwelling on another late-game strangling by Shaq or Kobe, they chose to focus mostly on how their defense held L.A. to its lowest output of the playoffs. Especially since they managed to do so without injured center David Robinson, who's on the shelf with a sore back. "Defensively, I thought we were pretty solid," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "Our game plan was there, but it’s just about putting some balls in the hole." The problem, as the Spurs have learned, is that it’s far easier said than done. With Shaq not having to worry about chasing the Admiral, the Lakers’ behemoth was free in Game 1 to play free safety on Duncan. Though Duncan missed some easy shots on his own, Shaq’s increased presence helped contribute to the 0-for-10 Duncan Donut the Spurs star posted in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Spurs rookie point guard Tony Parker was unable to fully take advantage of his edge in quickness to get in the lane. Though Parker hurt L.A. early with some drives, he stopped doing so in the second half and finished with just two assists. "We had too many possessions where we got a little frenetic and didn’t make them guard [us]," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich admitted. Perhaps more than any strategic change, however, the Spurs need to stay confident. Lakers forward Samaki Walker, who played last year for San Antonio, says he believes the Spurs were "mentally defeated" after the second game of last year’s series. San Antonio can’t afford any such doubts this time around. Maybe that’s why they were insisting Sunday’s loss wasn’t that big of a heartreaker. A few more made baskets, a few more chances to push the tempo, a few fewer turnovers, they said, and they will get back in the series in Game 2. "We’re still pretty confident," Duncan said. "As I said, [we need] to hit a couple more shots." The Spurs are well aware, however, that time is running out. As Malik Rose was packing his bag and getting ready to leave the locker room Sunday, he was asked what was the team’s mindset right now. "Our mindset," he said, "is that Tuesday is a big game."
Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
