Los Angeles Lakers: A Meaningless Game Against the Spurs

After a three and a half month wait for another classic confrontation between arguably the two best teams in the Western Conference over the last decade and a half, NBA fans will be disappointed because Kobe Bryant will sit out the game in San Antonio.

This game was so important to Gregg Popovich that he made a decision in December 2011 to leave his three stars at home rather than play them in Salt Lake City against the Jazz two days before the Lakers game.

Through a quirk in scheduling caused by the strike and the truncated NBA season, the Lakers and Spurs were not scheduled to play until the last two weeks of the season. In an even stranger quirk, the two teams will play three times within the last 10 games of the schedule.

San Antonio was not a preseason pick to contend for the Western Conference title. Most sportswriters picked Oklahoma City to be in the NBA Finals, pointing out the Spurs were too old and rebuilding.

NBA fans know better than to pick against a team coached by Popovich. He is the only coach in the NBA who would sacrifice an 11-game winning streak to rest his star players.

It was exactly this kind of coaching that guided the Spurs to the NBA title during the last strike—shortened season while earning Popovich unanimous acclaim as the best coach in the league.

While Popovich cleverly prepares for the playoffs, Mike Brown is coaching a disorganized and arguably disgruntled Lakers’ team. Instead of resting his star players, Brown has played Bryant and Pau Gasol more minutes per game than either played under Phil Jackson.

Besides Kobe’s injuries, Brown is coping with a moody Andrew Bynum and a disinterested Metta World Peace. And, fans are watching Pau Gasol’s minutes, concerned that he will tire before the season’s end.

No one knows which Lakers’ team will show up for tonight’s game. Will Bynum have his head in the game? How many turnovers will a Kobe-less Lakers’ team commit against a good defensive team like the Spurs? And, where is the offense going to come from?

More importantly, tonight’s game will not give NBA fans a preview of the likely playoff match up between the teams. With a seven game lead in the loss column, the Lakers have practically no chance of catching the Spurs.

And with the Clippers folding up like an old chair, it is unlikely the Lakers will drop for the third position in the Western Conference combined standings. Even with Kobe out indefinitely, the Clippers face a tough schedule.

The Clippers play six more road games including stops at Oklahoma City, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta and New York. The Clippers must also play Oklahoma City at home while the Denver and Phoenix games are back to back on the road.

For the Lakers, the likely road to the Western Conference Finals will go through San Antonio with the Spurs holding the home court advantage.

Fans were looking forward to seeing whether Steven Jackson could still effectively guard Kobe. Many fans also wanted to see an aging Tim Duncan play an aging Pau Gasol in a whose-got-the-most-left-in-the-tank match up.

The thought of Ramon Sessions playing Tony Parker has to excite any fan. Sessions, who played in the Eastern Conference, has played little against Parker. The match up of two speedy point guards will go a long way in providing clues for a potential playoff match up.

But a better barometer of whether the teams are competitive will occur next week when the two teams play twice. Hopefully the Lakers will be at full strength. If not, the Spurs will not be as much of a problem as the Clippers sneaking up on a Kobe-less Lakers teams.

Kobe’s injury has provided an unexpected level of interest in games that would not otherwise have much effect on the standings.

Denver, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Utah will wrestle for the last three playoff positions. Denver and Dallas both play the Lakers this weekend. Kobe’s absence could give both teams an advantage in the standings.

It is rare that the Lakers are exposed to as many changes in potential playoff match ups as they are this year. In light of their road record and Kobe’s lingering injuries, the last eight games of the season will be an adventure for Lakers’ fans.