Dire straits

Lakers-Kings showdown no longer seems so inevitable

Lakers or Kings?

Kings or Lakers?

All season long, it was the only question that mattered in the NBA. Any discussion of what team would win the 2003 NBA title began and ended with those two powerhouse clubs.

Many believed Sacramento, toughened by last year’s heartbreaking near-miss, was ready to take the next step.

Others believed Los Angeles, with Shaq and Kobe, was still the team to beat.

5.7 Robert Horry's 3-point percentage during the 2003 postseason. Horry has missed all 15 of his tries during the series against the Spurs. "When we figure out how to stop someone in the fourth quarter, or score in the fourth quarter, we're going to be dangerous." -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, after his team narrowly averted another fourth-quarter collar job against the Lakers. Weren't teams supposed to be able to figure out Dallas' zones in a long series?

Few gave the Spurs -- let alone the Mavs -- much chance to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.

Well, it’s officially time to throw open the NBA title race again. Heck, let's throw the Nets into the mix while we're at it.

Thanks to a Texas Twister that roared over the NBA landscape Tuesday night, the Lakers and Kings suddenly find themselves on the brink of elimination.

In San Antonio, the Spurs blew a 25-point lead but survived when Robert Horry’s game-winning 3-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer. Like Sacramento last year, the Spurs can’t put away the Lakers no matter how big a lead they build. Silly turnovers, terrible shots and missed free throws all contributed to what would have been a devastating loss.

The good news for San Antonio is that it has been able to get away with mostly single coverage on Shaq and Kobe. Instead of doubling them and leaving guys like Horry and Derek Fisher open, the Spurs are staying on the Lakers' role players and denying them good looks. Meanwhile, the Lakers are forced to double Tim Duncan and that’s opening the floor for Bruce Bowen, Stephen Jackson and Emanuel Ginobili.

It’s a good strategy, and it has worked for the most part. However, San Antonio has yet to show the mental toughness needed to drive a stake through the heart of the Lakers. If it goes to a Game 7 in San Antonio, the Spurs really are going to start feeling the pressure.

In Dallas, the Mavs used a 29-10 third quarter to squelch the Chris Webber-less Kings and take a 3-2 series lead. Inspired by a record home crowd at American Airlines Center, the Mavs stepped it up defensively. Even Dirk Nowitzki was blocking shots and moving his feet to stay in front of smaller guys.

But the Mavs also benefited greatly from foul trouble to Kings' centers Vlade Divac and Keon Clark. With Webber already out with a knee injury, the absence of Divac and Clark left Sacramento with few ways to exploit Dallas’ soft interior defense. The Kings’ inability to make outside shots, in turn, helped ignite the Mavs’ fast-break offense.

Like the Spurs, the Mavs seem to have confidence issues of their own. With a chance to bury Sacramento in Game 4, they rolled over. One gets the feeling that the Kings, who feel they got cheated a year ago, will find a way to force a Game 7 as well.

Near misses. Foul trouble. Injuries.

Whatever the reasons, the Lakers and Kings are in dire straits. Before the season, few would have believed it possible. But it sure has made these NBA playoffs a lot more fun.

	AP Stud: Raja Bell, F, Mavericks With Adrian Griffin sidelined, it was vital for the Mavs to get something from their small forwards. Bell stretched out the Kings' defense by nailing his jumpers and closed things out with an emphatic jam, finishing with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.		AP Dud: Keon Clark, C, Kings With Vlade Divac in foul trouble, the Kings turned to Clark to maintain their first-half lead. Five bricks later, the Mavs were back in the game. Clark also accumulated five fouls in 14 minutes and the Kings never regained their spark.
	AP Stud: Kobe Bryant, G, Lakers They didn't win the game, but man, was he something. Kobe's barrage of 3-pointers keyed a rally from 25 down that was a quarter-inch from shocking the Spurs in Game 5. He finished with 36 points, seven rebounds and six assists.		Brian Barr/NBAE/Getty Images Dud: Devean George, F, Lakers George was a hero for playing in Games 3 and 4 on his sore ankle, but he didn't move nearly as well in Game 5, and the result was an 0-for-7, 2-point night that was a big reason the Lakers fell behind by 25 points.

The Sixers are banged up heading into Wednesday night’s Game 5 in Detroit. Tyrone Hill (torn calf muscle) is out, while Eric Snow (foot tendinitis, bruised hand), Derrick Coleman (left hand) and Kenny Thomas (right heel, quad strain) are ailing. By adopting the best-of-seven format in the first round, the NBA had 15 additional games that generated about $15 million in additional revenue, according to the Sports Business Journal. Think David Stern isn’t glad he made the switch?

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

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