Lakers vs. Spurs: Game 4 Preview

Game three was a must-win game for the Spurs and the defending champs stood up to the challenge. The Spurs had to regroup after that 30 point beat down the Lakers put on them because if the Lakers had won game three, this series would’ve been over.

The Spurs needed to score more points and were looking gassed. In game three, the Spurs not only knocked down shots, they knocked down ten three-point shots.

This was the difference in the game. Manu Ginobli is a champion, a relentless competitor, an excellent player, and a true professional.

He stated that he played poorly, owned it, and wouldn’t accept any excuses.  You’ve got to love a guy for that. He was the player of game three and he is the Spurs motor. He has to be the best player for the Spurs to be effective.   

The Spurs are the defending champions and are the team to beat until they’re defeated. When you’re dealing with the Spurs, you need to slow a member of the core of their team. The core of their team is the trio of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli.  

The trio combined for 72 points in game three. You might see Manu double-teamed at times to get the ball out of his hands.

The NBA Playoffs are all about adjustments. The team that loses the previous game needs to make adjustments for a different outcome in the next game. The Lakers now need to make some adjustments to counter what the Spurs did to them in game three.

The Spurs know what Kobe Bryant can do, so the focus was on eliminating everyone else. This could be seen with Kobe scoring 30 points and the remainder of the team being effectively shut down. The Lakers need to regroup after the 19 point thumping.

I hate to put it all on one guy, but Lamar Odom has to be more of a factor.

He’s a guy with a tremendous amount of talent and should be a 20 point, 15 rebound, six assist a night guy. Unfortunately, he isn’t. After a good game, Lamar Odom has had Lakers fans asking the “Why can’t he do that every night?” question. He is a good guy and an excellent teammate who has had difficulty being the number two scorer on the team.

That changed when the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom, being the consummate teammate, seems to defer to Kobe and Pau a little too much. He has to be more aggressive and attack the rim.

He is similar to a talented role player that can impact a game. However, Lamar is better than a role player and needs to rise to the occasion.

He has a height, speed and talent advantage over whomever the Spurs put on him.  He has to annihilate whoever his defender is for the Lakers to win. Lamar Odom is an enigma. It’s time to stop the Jekyll & Hyde impersonation.

The best thing for Lakers fans is that it sounds like he gets it. Kobe Bryant said that with Lamar never being in this position before that he was too anxious. I can buy that, but it becomes reality when he can do that on the floor consistently.

The Lakers coaching staff has all the ammunition they need to get their point across. They need a complete team effort to beat the defending champs.

The adjustments that the Lakers need are better ball movement and better player movement. The Lakers had three assists in the first half of game three and that needs to change.

The Lakers need to come out with better energy and make it a point to get to loose balls and do a better job of rotating defensively. Pau Gasol, like Lamar Odom needs to be more aggressive and attack the rim.

The Lakers need to continue to involve Tim Duncan in pick & roll plays to take him away from the basket. This forces smaller players to defend the rim which is something the Lakers can capitalize on.

The Lakers also need to control the tempo of the game and play at their pace. There has been a lot of cross matching in this series and I expect that to continue.

Bruce Bowen did a good job of beating up Kobe Bryant in game three; he has averaged two free throws a game against the Spurs.

Credit the Spurs defense for that because they play excellent defense and don’t foul. Kobe Bryant has to get into the paint and go to the basket this is the only way he will get to the free throw line and the Lakers need for this to happen.

Expect Kobe Bryant to start off fast tonight and take the lead scoring and being a facilitator for his teammates. This should help the Lakers get into a better rhythm offensively.

Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher need to come out the same way they started game two. The Lakers need more production from their bench to avoid the scoring droughts that plagued them in game three.

Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton have to knock down open shots. 

The Spurs will come out with another spirited energy filled effort at home the Lakers need to match the Spurs intensity. The Lakers defense needs to improve and close out on the three point shooters and force the Spurs into rushed mid range shots.

The focus also needs be on keeping Tony Parker out of the painted area and limiting his patented one man fast breaks.  This will be another exciting NBA playoff game as the Spurs look to tie the series at two-all and the Lakers look to take a 3-1 series lead. Game four will be tonight at 6:00pm PST in San Antonio.