The defending champion Spurs came roaring back in Game 3 at home, using a 28-15 edge in the second quarter to catapult themselves back into the series with a 103-84 win. For the Lakers, the game marked a stark contrast from Game 2 in which they scored 101 points in a balanced offensive attack.
“I think it was more our fault than their credit,” said Pau Gasol, who scored only 15 points on a poor 7-18 from the field. “They did a good job contesting shots and trying to protect their rim, but we didn’t finish. We should have finished much better than we did tonight, especially by the rim. We were not strong enough, decisive enough, aggressive enough to be able to finish those plays, because we are not going to get the benefit of the doubt on any calls. We just have to go out there and finish no matter what.”
Manu Ginobil led the Spurs’ attack with 30 points off the bench on an efficient 9-15 from the field. Tony Parker also made 9-15 shots to score 20 points after being called out by Spurs Coach Greg Popovic for a dismal 13-point effort in Game 2.
“He (Ginobili) made a conscious decision to play aggressive no matter how he played,” said Lakers guard Derek Fisher. “He didn’t seem to be tentative, he seemed to go right at it the second he checked into the game. He played the kind of game he’s capable of playing. It really made the difference in the game in terms of the energy with which they were playing.”
Continue reading ‘WCF Game 3: Lakers at Spurs Post-Game’
While many teams would be demoralized after losing a twenty point lead in a pivotal playoff game, the Lakers don’t expect the blown lead to affect the Spurs much, if at all.
“We expect them to come back with renewed energy,” said Coach Jackson after today’s practice, noting that the Spurs came to Los Angeles hoping for a split and they still have an opportunity to get one in Game 2.
Derek Fisher praised the youthful Laker squad’s ability to muster up the strength to make a big comeback against such a formidable opponent.
“Those are the type of wins–at least for the men in the room–that puts a little hair on your chest,” said Fisher, revealing that he believes the win will help foster a winner’s mentality with this current team.
Although Jackson’s teams have never lost a series after winning the opening game, Jackson reiterated that you can’t take anything for granted despite his amazing track record.
Continue reading ‘Lakers Expect Spurs to Come Out Firing in Game 2′
After a series of epic battles over the past decade, the Lakers fully understand how difficult it will be to knock off a Spurs team that they hold with the utmost respect.
For Kobe and Derek Fisher, just being mentioned in the same conversation as the Spurs is an accomplish in and of itself.
“We’ve had our battles,” said Bryant. “We’ve had some pretty classic confrontations, the last of which being Derek’s miraculous shot. We’ve had some great matchups. It feels good to be back at this level, matching up with the San Antonio’s.”
Fisher added, “I think it lets you know often times how close you are and the opportunity that you have. When you play against the Spurs in the playoffs, for the most part, you’re doing something right. These guys have established themselves as the consistency, the power in our league, the team that has shown the ability to over a 10-year period to duplicate success, to replicate what they do out there on the court.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers Know Road to Title Goes Through San Antonio’
With Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals set to tip off tomorrow night, the Lakers talked about some of the matchups they’ll see against San Antonio.
As always with the Spurs, the conversation centered around former NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan and what the team has to do to slow the center down.
“We’ve tried not to have to double team against Tim in the past knowing that so much of their offense relies on three point shooting from the perimeter and he’s a good passer that really breaks down the defense too,” said Coach Jackson. “But, there are always extenuating circumstances; people get in foul trouble and you have to start doing something to protect players to help your team out so there’s a chance we may have to double team him.”
Jackson said that the Lakers will initially throw Gasol at Duncan, adding that he expects the Spurs to go inside to Tim early and often.
“Without a doubt, he’s going to have to play him (Duncan),” said Jackson. “They’ll see what it’s like, they’ll test it out early to see if they can create a foul situation. That’s not unusual in that situation. We’ll probably do the same thing.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers Talk Matchups Against Spurs’
After a close win in Game 5, the talk after practice today was all about energy and execution as the team looks to take the series victory night in Salt Lake City. Coach Jackson said that if the Lakers want to win Game 6 on the road—something only the Pistons have been able to do in the Second Round—they’ll need to play at least 10 points better.
Looking back on last night’s win, Jackson said, “The energy was frenetic, the pace was awfully high and because of that, our execution suffered a little bit. I just think that the idea of the importance of this game to these players lifted the level of their energy considerably.”
With the team flying out this afternoon for tomorrow night’s contest, Jackson rested Kobe, Odom, Gasol and Fisher while the rest of the team scrimmaged.
“We thought we could have played better last night,” said Odom. “It was an emotional game, everybody was fired up, we played with a lot of energy. I think you have to save that for the defensive end and on the offensive end, you have to slow it down, keep our composure, make the right plays, execute our offense and just take our time.”
Continue reading ‘Odom, Lakers Ready to Seize Moment’
After winning the first two games against the Jazz at home and losing the next two in Salt Lake City, the Lakers fully understand the significance of tomorrow night’s pivotal Game 5, but aren’t about to shy away from the big-game pressure.
“We’re looking forward to getting back out there and competing,” said Derek Fisher. “I think at this level, that’s what you love to do most and sometimes things don’t go the way you plan them to, but you’re always ready to get back out there and compete.”
With the series so close, Derek said that the Lakers need to be ready to play for every second of the 48 minutes they’re on the court.
“There aren’t any letdowns,” said Fisher. “There aren’t any opportunities to take a breath or take a step back and not compete as hard as you can, every opportunity you have. There’s just no margin for error and when you play against a team that prides itself on executing and they play hard and they play physical, your margin for error is even smaller.”
Continue reading ‘Lakers Ready for Pressure of Game 5′
The Lakers made a furious rally in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, but wound up running out of gas against the Jazz, suffering a 123-115 series-tying loss.
“There was definitely a great chance after coming back,” said Pau Gasol (23 points, 10 rebounds) of the Lakers’ near comeback. “We had them where wanted them, and we weren’t able to execute. We didn’t get the shots that we needed to get in overtime. They got pretty good looks, and offensive boards. That is what gave them the victory.”
“It comes down to a couple defensive stops we have to make,” said Coach Jackson after the game. “I really had to jump our second unit a little bit again tonight, because they let us down in the fourth quarter. We had to come back and play out of a double digit deficit again. It put a lot of pressure on the starters to have to play at a pace in which they were pretty exhausted going into overtime.”
Continue reading ‘Game 4: Lakers vs. Jazz Post-Game’
The Lakers trailed for much of the game, but rallied to within four of the Jazz at before a critical turnover gave Utah their first win of the series 104-99 and the Lakers, their first loss of the 2007-08 post-season. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 27 points an a playoff career high-tying 20 rebounds as his team won for the fortieth time in 45 tries this year at Energy Solutions Arena.
“(Kobe) fumbled the ball that’s what’s wrong,” said Coach Jackson about the team’s critical turnover in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. “I don’t know if he was trying to get it out of his hands too soon or what happened but it looked like he had it, and he just didn’t wrap it up.”
“We turned the ball over quite a bit,” said Bryant after the game, drawing parallels to his final mishap and the team’s sloppy play throughout the night. “Down the stretch in a critical situation we put them on the line four or five straight possessions and gave them easy opportunities. We clawed back, but with that said we can’t turn the ball over 18 times. We had a lot of open looks that just didn’t go for us. You can sustain a night like that, when shots don’t fall. We’ve really got to keep our turnovers down and not allow them to get out in transition and get some easy points.”
Continue reading ‘Game 3: Lakers vs. Jazz Post-Game’
On a night when Kobe Bryant received the top individual award in the sport–the Most Valuable Player Award–his team shined, using a balanced effort to knock off the Jazz 120-110 to go ahead 2-0 in their best of seven series.
The newly crowned MVP scored 34 points in addition to pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out six assists. After the game, Kobe said that his team was “excited” to head into Salt Lake City with a two game lead in the series, crediting the rhythm the Lakers established heading into the postseason.
Coach Jackson praised the Lakers’ fast start, using the energy of a gold-clad STAPLES Center crowd, obviously amped up after Bryant received his MVP award prior to tip-off.
“We got off to a great start,” said Jackson. “The energy of the crowd and Kobe’s night gave us a real quick start. I just didn’t think we played well the second quarter, and they kind of carried the ball from there on out the rest of the game. They kept attacking and we were able to manage point for point, but we were never able to gather momentum in the second half.”
Continue reading ‘Game 2: Lakers vs. Jazz Post-Game’
After the Jazz went 37-4 during the regular season at Energy Solutions Arena–with one of the losses coming at the hands of L.A.–the Lakers are grateful they have home court advantage in the series, but welcome the challenge of playing in front of one of the toughest crowds in the NBA.
“I think in terms of their personnel, they play really well on their home court…I think that the energy that’s in the building, the fans are excited, the players are really excited,” said Derek Fisher, who spent last season as a member of Utah’s Western Conference Finals runner-up squad.
“At times, I think their intensity in their building is one that isn’t equaled or matched anywhere else. I don’t think it’s the altitude or anything else, I just think that the Jazz play at an intensity on their home floor that’s different sometimes from any other place. It’s always been that way for as far as I can remember.”
Coach Jackson–well accustomed to the Salt Lake City crowd from his days with the Bulls–said, “The energy they play with, the crowd sits on top of the floor, it’s as noisy as any place you’ve ever been in. It energizes the team, it intimates referees who go in there to referee the games. It’s tough—it’s a tough environment to win in.”
