Los Angeles Lakers: 15 Reasons They'll Still Beat the Spurs in the Playoffs
The San Antonio Spurs sure are surprising a lot of people.
While most expected them to be a playoff team as they usually are, there are few people league wide that thought they'd get off to such an incredible start.
Currently sitting at 34-6 just shy of the midway point of the season, the Spurs are playing some seriously great basketball and have effectively put the rest of the league on notice.
The Lakers, sitting in second place at 30-11, have been playing very improved recently after a losing streak that had most of the team's fan base in an uproar.
However, there are 15 prime reasons that nobody in Lakerland should be worried about the Spurs when it comes time for the postseason.
15. Ron Artest
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Some might laugh, but Ron Artest is a serious difference maker.
He's nowhere near the offensive player that he was just a few seasons ago, but Artest's defensive presence has never been felt so strongly.
Using that pesky left hand, Ron Ron has really been a thorn in the side of opposing teams and he should continue to be an effective weapon for the Lakers on D.
14. Rest
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The Los Angeles Lakers have the good fortune of resting their stars down the stretch, whereas the San Antonio Spurs may not exactly have that luxury.
With the Lakers being rather deep on the bench with veterans still capable of producing, the team can let Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the crew rest in the fourth quarter of games.
And all that extra rest is going to pay huge dividends when it comes into crunch time.
13. Health
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Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum appear to be in full health, whereas Tim Duncan's aching knees seem to keep him rather limited these days.
Manu Ginobili has been great thus far, but it's only a matter of time until he deals with a nagging injury of some sort.
It's going to be awfully important to keep everyone in full health, because the Los Angeles Lakers are going to need contributions from every player on the team to pursue another title.
12. Potential Dynasty
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If the Los Angeles Lakers once again return to the finals and take home the championship, they will be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jordan's Bulls and a younger Tim Duncan's Spurs.
They'll be the definition of a dynasty, having won three championships over the last three seasons, and the lure to come play for the Lakers will be as strong as ever.
Paging Mr. Dwight Howard?
11. Big Three
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Duncan, Ginobili and Parker for the Spurs.
Bryant, Gasol and Bynum for the Lakers.
With Lamar Odom off the bench.
As Chad Ochocinco would say, "child please!"
10. Familiarity
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Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili have all played together for quite some time, but how about the rest of the team?
There are a whole lot of fresh faces on the San Antonio roster, whereas the Lakers have been playing with the same cast of characters for quite some time.
Did you know Kob Bryant and Derek Fisher have been together since they both entered the league in 1996?
Although there are a few new contributors on the bench for the Lakers, they've all readily adapted to the triangle and look primed to be an integral part of the approach.
9. Desire
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The Los Angeles Lakers are a different team in the playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs might be a great regular season team, but there is a reason that they haven't won a championship over the last few seasons.
No player matches the work ethic of Kobe Bryant, and that type of passion and fire rubs off on his teammates in a big way.
8. Pursuit Of Legendary Stature
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If Kobe Bryant goes on to win his sixth ring, he'll finally reach the summit of Mt. Jordan.
When it's all said and done, Kobe will be just behind MJ in the record books as the second greatest player of all time.
But if he wins a seventh, or even an eighth? Watch out.
7. Three Peat
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Phil Jackson only wins his championships in series of three.
He did it twice with the Chicago Bulls, and now stands on the brink of completing it twice with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Phil's Bulls and Lakers will be mentioned in the same breath as two of the greatest teams of all-time, spearheaded by the two greatest players of all time.
That type of motivation drives you to be the greatest you can be.
6. Potential Distractions
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Lamar Odom might be married to a Kardashian, but even he doesn't make the headlines like Tony Parker does.
Parker, in the midst of an ugly divorce after an alleged affair with ex-teammate Brent Barry's wife, hasn't exactly been able to give his 100% focus on the court.
It hasn't affected his play too much, but that is the type of thing that starts to mentally wear a person down when one needs to be at his sharpest.
5. Bench
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The San Antonio Spurs' bench has been productive to say the least, but there's no matching what the Los Angeles Lakers have.
With Lamar Odom, Steve Blake, and a healthy Matt Barnes in the eight-man rotation, the Lakers have one of the deepest (if not the deepest) offensive attack in the entire NBA.
Sorry, Gary Neal, but you're no L.O.
4. Coaching
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Gregg Popovich has an impressive coaching resume, but with all due respect, nobody in today's NBA has the credentials of Phil Jackson.
There's a reason that they call him the Zen Master, and it's because he adapts to the strengths of his players marvelously.
The Lakers made the right call to lure him out of possible retirement and back onto the bench, because they wouldn't be the same team without his guidance.
3. Experience
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As mentioned earlier, the San Antonio Spurs don't exactly have a lot of playoff experience on the roster outside of their big three.
Tiago Splitter is a rookie, DeJuan Blair is in just his second season, and Gary Neal has been playing the European version of basketball prior to this season.
James Anderson is an exciting rookie, but he's still just a rookie, and he hasn't spent enough time on the court to make a serious impact quite yet.
The Los Angeles Lakers, and their core group, have all been there before. They know what to expect, and what it takes to win.
2. Size
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How are the San Antonio Spurs possibly going to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers' size?
Andrew Bynum is a legitimate 7'1", Lamar Odom is 6'10", Pau Gasol is 7'0", and even Theo Ratliff stands 6'10".
The Spurs have an undersized Blair who checks in at 6'7" starting at center, and it's obvious that the clear size differential will create several mismatches for the team to exploit.
1. Kobe Bryant
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The Black Mamba.
He's the best closer in the game.
At one point last season, Kobe Bryant had more game-winning shots by himself than the rest of the league had combined.
There's nobody else you'd rather have with the ball and the game on the line, and every player in the NBA can tell you exactly that.
There's a reason he's considered one of the greatest of all time.
He's really that good.
