Against the wall
Don't expect Lakers, Kings to roll over facing elimination
Posted: Thursday May 15, 2003 12:06 PM
Updated: Thursday May 15, 2003 3:11 PM
The Lakers and the Kings, respectively, went into the 2003 NBA playoffs as the top contenders for the title. Suddenly they’re both on the brink of elimination.
Injuries, bad bounces and fired-up opponents have conspired to leave L.A. and Sacramento each down 3-2 in their best-of-seven series.
Thursday night, they will try to keep their title dreams alive by holding off the Spurs and Mavs, respectively. In NBA playoff history, 83 percent of the teams that won Game 5 after being tied 2-all went on to win the championship. But the Lakers and Kings will be at home for Game 6.
Will this be the end of Shaq and Kobe’s reign? Will the Kings have to wait for yet another year?
One dynasty. One rightful heir. One final chance for them both.
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San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers
8 p.m. ET
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| Series Snapshot |
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| Game 1 |
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87 |
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82 |
| Game 2 |
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114 |
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95 |
| Game 3 |
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110 |
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95 |
| Game 4 |
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99 |
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95 |
| Game 5 |
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96 |
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94 |
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The past … The Lakers still can’t believe Robert Horry’s last-second three-pointer didn’t go down in Game 5. After outscoring the Spurs 41-18 over the final 14:37, L.A. truly believed it was about to pull off another miracle. Now the three-time defending champs have to wonder if it’s just not meant to be this year. The fact is the Spurs dominated them most of Game 5, once more taking L.A.’s thin cast of role players out of the game. Even Shaquille O’Neal (20 points, 12 rebounds), bothered by knee tendinitis, wasn’t himself. Only Kobe Bryant’s brilliance -– and San Antonio’s total collapse -– enabled the Lakers to make it close. At least L.A. coach Phil Jackson -- who returned to the bench after missing Game 4 to recover from an emergency angioplasty -– survived the shock of Horry’s heartbreaker.
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O'Neal AP |
The present … The Spurs know they’re going to face a desperate Lakers team tonight in Game 6. The key for them will be to withstand L.A.’s initial energy boost and just play their game. The Spurs have controlled much of the action by using single coverage on Shaq and Kobe, and denying L.A.’s role players open looks at the basket. If they stick to the plan, and guys like Emanuel Ginobili, Stephen Jackson and Malik Rose stay aggressive, they have a chance. Look for L.A. to try to get Shaq more involved. They had success using him more in the high post in Games 3 and 4, where he could find teammates with passes. Horry (0-for-15 from beyond the arc in this series) has got to start making some shots.
The future … The Lakers are 4-0 in elimination games under Phil Jackson. The Spurs have yet to show the kind of mental toughness needed to win a game like this. Take Kobe and Shaq in a must-win at home, and clear the calender for Game 7.
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Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings
10:30 p.m. ET
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| Series Snapshot |
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| Game 1 |
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124 |
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113 |
| Game 2 |
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132 |
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110 |
| Game 3 |
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141 |
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137 |
| Game 4 |
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99 |
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83 |
| Game 5 |
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112 |
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93 |
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The past … It took the Kings an entire season to get in position to win an NBA title, and only 12 minutes to possibly lose it. In the fateful third quarter of Game 5, Sacramento managed to hit just three of 25 shots, allowing Dallas to run up a 29-10 edge en route to a stunning victory. Even without star Chris Webber, lost to a knee injury in Game 2, the Kings were expected to have enough firepower to survive Dallas. But fueled by a record home crowd, the Mavs played with a rare defensive intensity in key parts of Game 5. Meanwhile, Kings centers Vlade Divac and Keon Clark got into foul trouble, eliminating Sacramento’s ability to take advantage of Dallas’ soft defensive interior.
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Stojakovic AP |
The present … Dismissed all season as pretenders despite their league-best record, the Mavs suddenly are riding high and anxious to silence the critics. With shooters like Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Nick Van Exel, they’re extremely dangerous in any game -– more so in this situation when there’s really no pressure on them. The emergence of Raja Bell (13 points in Game 5) as a replacement for the injured Adrian Griffin has been a lift. The Kings will look to get their inside-outside game going again in Game 6. As long as Divac and Clark stay out of foul trouble this time, they should be OK. Also, Sacramento can try to use Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu more in the post.
The future … Arco Arena is known as one of the toughest places to play, but the Mavs have been one of the best road teams the past two years. With nothing to lose, they’ll be in it until the end. But Sacramento needs it more, and will find a way to gut it out.
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