|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Collision course Lakers, Spurs headed for Western Conference showdown
They are on a collision course. They will be the ones competing for a championship. They are the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. Make no mistake about it; these are the best two teams remaining in the playoffs. The two teams are so similar that it's scary. Think about it. They both have two superstars. The Lakers have the outside-inside punch of Shaq and Kobe, while the Spurs have the dynamic duo of Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Notice that one name is sufficient for each of the Lakers' twosome, but it's necessary to say the entire names of the Spurs'. One duo has the Hollywood glitz, while the other has the Alamo grits. The striking similarity is in their need for each other. They're two very different styles, but they both equal wins. I know you've heard the expression, "If the left won't get you, the right will." That's the perfect symmetry with which these stars play together on the court. Both pairs have laced their fingers with one championship ring, and both are hungry for their second. The Lakers are the defending champions. Some might say the Spurs are as well, since they weren't able to defend their championship last year because Duncan was injured.
Let's look deeper. If your game plan is to slow down the tempo against the Lakers, your team will feel the wrath of Shaq. A slower tempo almost dictates that Shaq will touch the ball on most possessions. He's proven he is too much to handle. But speed the game up, and Kobe is unleashed. He's proven that he's at his best in the open floor and it gives him the safety net of taking shots within the offense. There goes the "Kobe shoots too much" controversy. Try the same thing with the Spurs. Slow the game down, and Duncan and Robinson punish you on the blocks. They score at will on the low post. Speed the game up, and you risk playing against the two best running big men in the game. Are you sure your power forward and center can keep up? Finally, if you decide to speed the tempo up on either the Lakers or the Spurs, you risk losing sight of these superstars on the defensive end and it becomes to hard to double-team them. You are going to double team them when they get the ball, right? Did I also mention that you have four out of the top 10 defensive players in these guys? Add in a few unassuming role players, with the first qualification being an unconcernable ego. For the Lakers, it's Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Horace Grant (who, along with Ron Harper, played the same role for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen ). For the Spurs, it's Avery Johnson, Terry Porter, Danny Ferry and Antonio Daniels. So make no mistake about it. The Western Conference championship games will be for the whole chip! And I will go with the Spurs for one reason only: The Spurs never deal with off-the-court dilemmas. Their only problems have to be solved on the court, which is their slight advantage. Kenny Smith works as a studio analyst with host Ernie Johnson for TNT and TBS telecasts. He joined Turner Sports for the end of the 1997-98 regular season and playoffs, primarily as a studio analyst. Check out Kenny's sites: www.theusbc.com and www.carolinabasketballcamp.com.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
