Lakers-Spurs: Los Angeles Shuts Down San Antonio 101-71

The Spurs were looking to get back on track after losing both a 20 point lead and the first game of the series.  It wasn’t meant to be tonight as the Lakers got off to a fast start in game two and took an early lead.

The Lakers didn’t face a deficit tonight; there was no need to make a comeback.

Kobe Bryant scored 22 points; Lamar Odom contributed 20 points and had 12 rebounds as the Lakers took command late to rout the Spurs 101-71 and take a 2-0 series lead.

Derek Fisher and Lamar Odom struggled in game one and the coaching staff made it a point to get them going early this game with easy shots.

Both players stepped their game up.  The two combined for 12 points in game one, then turned it around and combined for 31 points in game two. Derek Fisher had seven points in the first quarter.

Kobe Bryant didn’t wait to until the second half this game and scored eight points in the first quarter.

The Lakers played with a better offensive rhythm in game two.  The Lakers defense held the Spurs scoreless the last 3:50 and ended the first quarter leading 21-16.

The Lakers received great energy from their bench and even though it felt like the Lakers should’ve been up big the Spurs were close.

Jordan Farmar had a tremendous highlight reel shot block on an Ime Udoka lay up that got the Lakers crowd on their feet.

It provided us with the rare occasion of seeing the Lakers 6’2” number five pin the shot of the Spurs 6’5” number five.

The Spurs chipped away at the lead and tied the score at 37-all with 2:41 to go in the second quarter. The Lakers picked up their momentum at the end of the half and never let up.

The Lakers went on a nine to nothing scoring run to finish the quarter.  The score at halftime was 46-37.

The Lakers defense was a factor all game and continued to stifle the Spurs in the second half.  The Spurs started the quarter down by nine and they wouldn't get any closer.

The Lakers did have reason to be concerned after the Spurs outscored them 14-2 to start the third quarter of game one.

Kobe Bryant scored seven points in the first two minutes of the quarter and Lamar Odom added seven more during a 20-10 scoring run that gave the Lakers a 66-48 lead.  

The Lakers lead 74-57 to start the fourth quarter, and then made it a blowout by outscoring the Spurs 14-3 to begin the final period to make it 88-60.

The Spurs appear to be a tired, beat-up team in trouble.  Perhaps, the Spurs can take solace in the fact that they’ve been in this predicament before.

The Lakers were one step quicker than the Spurs.  The Lakers have an underrated defense that held the Spurs to under 35 percent shooting and forced them into 14 turnovers.  

The Spurs appear to be gassed and worn down and the Lakers continue the onslaught.  The Lakers outscored the Spurs 64-34 after the game was tied.

The Spurs are struggling to score and coach Popovich is looking for scoring from anybody.  The Lakers are simply better than the Spurs.

The Lakers are beating the Spurs at their own game, a slow down, half court game.  The Spurs will play better at home, they’re 6-0 at home in the playoffs.

Something isn’t right with Manu Ginobli and it's killing the Spurs.  They are getting minimal scoring from their bench.  The Spurs coaching staff will make adjustments, but scoring will be tough.

Tony Parker getting into the painted area sets the tone for the Spurs offense and gets everyone else involved.

The Lakers are doing an excellent job defensively of keeping him out of the paint. That defense got better with the return of Trevor Ariza, giving the Lakers the addition of another very good defender with quickness and length.

There were a lot of long faces on the Spurs bench and several players that were in disbelief.   

The Lakers know that they’ve simply guaranteed a sixth game at this point and need to win in San Antonio.  The Lakers have developed the necessary killer instinct to be champions.

Teams that have gone up 2-0 are 201-14 all-time in seven game series'.  The Lakers are seeking perfection as well as working towards winning a championship.  Now they’re two games away from the Finals.  Game three will be in San Antonio  on Sunday night at 5:30pm PST.