Lakers-Spurs: Los Angeles Dominant in 101-71 Win

Label Game Two of the Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Spurs, "Total Domination."

The Lakers had five players in double figures while the Spurs had only two. Tony Parker just 13 points,and Tim Duncan, 12 points. Both way off their season averages.

From the very start, the Lakers were always a step quicker and a lot more aggressive. Their intensity, especially on defense, was in overdrive while the Spurs seemed stuck in neutral.

With an all—around team effort, the Lakers were able to do what their Eastern Conference counterparts, the Boston Celtics, were unable to do in the first two games of their conference finals—hold home court advantage.

And they did it in convincing fashion.

The Lakers held serve the first quarter, 21-16. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher had much faster starts than in Game One. Bryant was 4 for 6 with eight points. Fisher had seven points. The Lakers defense held the Spurs scoreless for the last 3:30 of the quarter.

The Spurs came back to tie the game at 37 with 2:14 left in the second quarter. They would never take the lead.

The Lakers defense stiffened, and they went on a 9-0 run to close out the half with a 46-37 margin over the defending NBA champions.

Bryant and Fisher, who combined for only two points in the first half of Game One, had 22 between them. Bryant had 13 points on 6 for 10 shooting while Fisher had nine points going 3 for 4 from the floor.

Sasha Vujacic gave the Lakers offense a boost with his seven points on 3 for 3 shooting. But the big story was Vujacic’s tenacious defense holding Manu Ginobili scoreless.

Tony Parker was high scorer for the Spurs with 11 points. Tim Duncan had 10 points and an impressive 13 rebounds, five on the offensive boards, as well as three assists.

The Lakers shot 54% from the field and held the Spurs to just 35%

The Lakers led by as much as 18 points in the third quarter, 66-48, at the 5:39 mark. From that point, the Spurs attempted to make a run at the Lakers just like the Lakers did in Game One.

They got the lead down to 12 points. But the Lakers came back with layups by Gasol and Odom to finish out the quarter with a 74-57 lead, shooting nearly 60%.

In the final quarter, the Lakers rotation players quickly ran the lead up to 21 points, 81-60, with 8:46 left. Greg Popovich had seen enough. He decided to concede this one and rest his starters for Game Three back home in San Antonio on Sunday.

The Lakers bench closed out the game against the Spurs bench, 101-71.

Odom and Fisher made up for Game One. Odom had 20 points (7 for 10), 12 rebounds and four blocks. Fisher wound up with 11 points and three assists. Bryant put up 22 points. Five less than he had had in Game One. He also added five assists. Gasol finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Jordan Farmar, who had a poor series against the Utah Jazz, has been money in these first two games of the WCF. He finished with 14 points on 5 for 7 from the field and 2 for 4 from behind the arc and played air-tight defense.

In fact, Farmer had the defensive play of the game. He stuffed a sure two-point layup from behind on a breakaway by Ime Udoka that brought the Staples Center crowd to their feet.

Sasha Vujacic was also a defensive standout with a +23 for the game.  That means, when Vujacic was on the court, the Lakers outscored the Spurs by 23 points.  Kobe Bryant was a +24.

The box score for the Spurs was rather bleak. Tony Parker ended with 13 points and four assists. Tim Duncan, who had 30 points in Game One, finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds. No one else was in double figures.

The Lakers made 55% of their shots while holding the Spurs to only 34.5% from the floor.  The Lakers "Bench Mob" outscored the Spurs reserves, 34-26.

Even though the Lakers completely dominated the Spurs from start to finish, Phil Jackson was not taking anything for granted. When asked if he felt confident about the Lakers 2-0 lead in the series, Jackson responded, "This is not a series until somebody wins on the other team’s floor."

Greg Popovich admitted that he conceded the game early in the fourth quarter in order to give his starters a much needed rest. But he certainly hasn’t conceded the series.

When asked if this 0-2 felt different than being 0-2 against New Orleans. Greg Popovich just shrugged and said, "It feels like 0-2."

When it comes to the Spurs, you can throw away all those statistics about how many 0-2 teams have never gone on to win a seven-game series. But the Spurs were the last 0-2 team to come back and take the series. And it happened just last week against the New Orleans Hornets.

So, while the Lakers can take heart in their 30-point victory over the defending champions, they certainly need to realize that the hard part still lies ahead.

The River Walk will be no cakewalk.