Lakers Lock up the Spurs, 92-83

The Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 92-83 on Wednesday night in one of their more impressive victories all season. Playing from behind in the second half of a tough road game in a playoff-type atmosphere, the Lakers made like Soulja Boy and turned their swag on (Just for the record, I think Soulja Boy sucks but I like this song because it was Matt Kemp's walk-up song last year. I guess that proves the power of Pavlovian reinforcement). The Lakers performance was impressive in many fashions, not the least of which was their attitude. After coasting through much of the regular season (angering many Lakers' fans, including myself) the Lakers turned up the intensity in the Alamo City. Trailing by eight to start the 3rd quarter, the Lakers upped the defensive pressure and held the Spurs to 35 second-half points. It all started with one man, Ron Artest.

Ron-Ron took over on both ends in the third quarter, scoring 9 of his 16 total points while locking up Manu Ginobili on the defensive end to help the Lakers outscore the Spurs 30-18 in the quarter. Ron continued the pressure in the fourth quarter forcing a few more turnovers. All in all, Artest finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. Artest showed the impact he can make on a game defensively as he disrupted the Spurs offensive flow. There have been a lot of critics of Artest's play this season (I'm looking at you Bill Plaschke) but last night's game showed why the Lakers were interested in him last July. I have been a proponent of the signing since Day 1, and personally I think people have been too hard on Ron. His points are down this season, but that is a product of him being the fourth-option on offense. Many people thought he was going to have issues taking fewer shots than he was used to taking, but he has been strikingly unselfish all season long. Others thought he would wreck the Lakers' chemistry, but he has been a great teammate as well. Sure, Ron's integration has not always been smooth. He has struggled at times on offense and defense (with plantar fasciitis slowing him down) but for the most part he has made the team better. And once the playoffs begin, Laker fans will be happy to have him around. He is a great defender who takes pride in his defense. Artest gives Kobe a chance to expend less energy on the defensive end since he takes on all the tough assignments. This will also pay dividends in the playoffs as Kobe will be able to contribute more offensively. The Lakers have been frustrating at times this year, and Artest is the easy scapegoat since he is the new guy, but he is an incredible asset and I think this fact will become more obvious once the playoffs begin.

Back to last night's game.. Lamar played great with 19 points and 13 boards. He had a highlight reel sequence at the end of the 1st quarter in which he ripped the ball away from Richard Jefferson on the baseline and took it 94 feet the other way for a layup (with his right hand I might add). When Lamar Kardashian is on his game, there are few in the league like him. He has the ability to impact the game in so many ways, whether it be on defense, rebounding, scoring or distributing. (Random Tangent: Have you noticed how many commercials Lamar has been in since marrying Khloe Kardashian? Coincidence? I think not. It looks like Kris Jenner is doing work for L.O.) Anyways, I love watching Lamar play at a high-level more than any other Laker not named Kobe.

Speaking of Kobe, the Black Mamba played great. I have been on Kobe all year for forcing his offense at the expense of the team. On Wednesday, he did exactly what I like to see him do. Kobe was an efficient 11 for 16 from the field, finishing with 24 points and 6 assists. He never forced his own shot and instead took good looks within the offense. And then when the Lakers had the Spurs reeling in the fourth, number 24 delivered the knockout punch with two 3 pointers and a pretty baseline jumper. I love seeing games like this from Kobe and hopefully he'll continue to play within the offense until the need arises for him to turn into Superman.


Pau Gasol struggled offensively last night. He finished 4 for 11 from the field with only 10 points. But Pau did have 12 boards and more importantly he shut down Tim Duncan on the defensive end. Duncan finished with only 6 points. As Pau said in is postgame interview, it's important for him to impact the game in some way if he doesn't have his offensive game going. He clearly did it on Wednesday night in San Antonio.

What impressed me the most about the win was the Lakers' attitude. They seemed to flip into "eff you" mode and clearly took it to the Spurs. It is an attitude I want to see on a more consistent basis from the Lakers. I personally think the Lakers need to win a minimum of 4 out of 5 on this road trip. I want to see them start beating good teams on the road and get their swagger back as they head into the playoffs. On Wednesday, they clearly had it, from Ron Artest blowing kisses to the crowd to Kobe high-fiving Lakers' fans courtside after hitting a dagger three from the corner. The Lakers were in control of the game and were not willing to relinquish it. If the Lakers come with that attitude the rest of the season, I think they have to be the favorites to win it all. The question is, can they maintain it from game to game?