NBA Loud - by Arnold

San Antonio Spurs Kobe Bryant - NBA Loud

Preview: Lakers vs Spurs

May 21st 2008 05:21

The Lakers are back in the Conference Finals, and they're facing the team they beat in a dramatic series back in '04. Most basketball fans remember than clutch shot against the Spurs hit by Derek Fisher with 0.4 seconds left in the game. As a Lakers fan, I loved that moment, and with Fisher back in an LA uniform, I'm looking for a repeat performance. I'm going to try and keep the bias aside for this preview, but I can't help but pick the Lakers to win this series in 6 and I'll explain why.

The Lakers rolled their way through the first two rounds rather easily by sweeping Denver and taking Utah in 6. Everyone expected LA to take out Denver, but there were a decent amount of people who thought Utah could take the series. I remember reading a John Holinger article a while back and he picked the Jazz to make it to the NBA Finals. From a statistical point of view, the Jazz were one of the best teams in the West and the Lakes outplayed them in four of their six games. The Lakers have proven that their high-powered offense can conquer any obstacle in their way. Bryant is still playing MVP worthy basketball and Gasol has stepped up his game to a whole new level.

I think the Spurs will be their greatest challenge yet, but I don't think they have what it takes to keep up with the Lakers. I admit, San Antonio has proven me wrong time and time again, but I think their luck has just about run out. Duncan and Gasol match up nicely as they can both score the basketball down low and have good shot-blocking abilities. Bryant will most likely be matched up against Bowen. Bowen will have Kobe on a short leash and create some problems for him, but in the end, I think Bryant can break free and score when his team needs him to. Odom will be the X-factor in this series. Anyone put on him will be a mismatch. If he's guarded by a big defender, he should be able to shake his man from mid-range and either take the shot or drive to the basket. A smaller defender will have even less of a chance against Odom as he has drastically improved his post game this season. I expect Fisher to get beat by Parker off the dribble, but with Parker's inability to hit the long range ball, I think his impact will be limited as he will have to drive past Gasol, Turiaf and Odom to get his points. With that said, I do believe that Parker has the ability to turn the series in San Antonio's favour. His performance against the Hornets (and Suns) has been one of the best PG performances I have seen in a while, although he has been shadowed by CP3's even more spectacular play. I don't think Ginobli can be stopped, so the Lakers will have to deal with him scoring 20 points, and just hope that he doesn't break loose for a huge game.

I can't see anyone outside of the Spurs' big three having an impactful series, which is why I think the Lakers will take the series. The stars matchup fairly evenly, but once you factor the bench and the role players, I think the Lakers have the advantage when it comes to skill and offensive firepower. The young guys on the Lakers' bench will mop the floor with the Spurs older bench vets. If Popovic wants a chance at making the NBA Finals, I think he's going to have to run his starters a lot more than they are used to. The Lakers' depth it what makes them dangerous, and I think it is what will win them this series.