Los Angeles Lakers Vs. San Antonio Spurs: Game Two Preview

A dramatic come from behind game one win for the Lakers and a bitter pill to swallow for the Spurs. The Spurs don’t usually give up a 20-point lead.

The Spurs looked lethargic and appeared to have tired legs. The Spurs are the champions and are not making any excuses.

To a man, they realize that they let a golden opportunity slip through their hands. That was a game that the Spurs had won, and then Kobe Bryant took over and ripped their heart out.

Manu Ginobli isn’t right, and it showed. Manu and the Spurs looked gassed in the second half. If Manu isn’t right, that’s bad news for the Spurs, which means that this series could be shorter than several expected.

The Lakers put on a tremendous team performance, and everyone contributed to the win. The younger Lakers’ bench outperformed the older Spurs’ bench.

The Lakers did a phenomenal defensive job to lock the Spurs up in the second half and will have to do the same thing again in game two to continue to be successful.    

Kobe Bryant has done a great job of being a facilitator and getting his teammates involved, but he needs to be more aggressive in the first half and take more than three shots.

He is the MVP and needs to take over the game earlier than the middle of the third quarter.

There will be several adjustments by both teams in this series and a serious chess match between Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. These are two of the best coaches in the league.

The Lakers missed five lay-ups in the first half.  In the event that they made those lay-ups and Kobe was more aggressive, the Lakers could’ve easily blown out the Spurs.

The Lakers need to be aggressive offensively, especially Lamar Odom, who went to the basket too tentatively in game one.

Tim Duncan is a great player, and he put on a great performance in game one, but he isn't the best shot blocker in the world and shouldn't deter him from attacking the basket.

That would’ve been a good thing for the Spurs who would’ve felt like we lost one game, and we’ll get you next time. By losing the way they lost it takes a lot out of you.

I don’t know if they’ll be able to recover from the loss. However, the Spurs are the defending champions, and if anyone can recover from this type of loss mentally, it is the Spurs.

Look for the Spurs to come out with a more spirited effort in game two. Tony Parker will try to get in the painted area and do damage, and the Lakers will have to slow him down.

The Lakers turned Manu into a jump shooter and kept him out of the paint. The Lakers are younger have a speed advantage and will look to run the Spurs off the court.

The Lakers look to hold serve on their home court and go to San Antonio up 2-0. Game two is set for tonight at the Staples Center 6:00pm PST.