9:00- Parker comes down on the break, gets about halfway into the paint, then dumps it to Duncan for the easy bucket.  On the next trip, Parker gets into the paint and sets up Oberto for an easy basket.  The Lakers are going to have to do something to stop the ball earlier after penetration.  They can't let him get deep into the painted area, or Parker will dice them up.

Vlad Rad lays it in over Manu.  The Lakers are exploiting that matchup early, going right at Ginobili and taking advantage of the mismatch Vlad has in terms of length.   10-8 Spurs.

6:50- Nice play by Vlad, trailing on a run out from D-Fish.  He gets the tip in for two.  It looks like the strong play Vlad showed at the end of the Utah series has carried over into this one.  Good sign.

6:19- Timeout on the floor, SA.  12-10 SAS.

Not a bad start for the Lakers, or both teams, really.  The Lakers have had some trouble stopping Parker early, Duncan has had some good looks.  On the other hand, the Lakers are running the offense, finding opportunities down low, and exploiting the Rad/Manu matchup.  Not a lot of touches at all though for Pau.  They need to get him going and involved.  LO hasn't been part of the offense, and obviously Kobe hasn't really gotten going yet.

Horry in. 

Coming out the TO, Vlad lays a little too far off Manu, who whistles a pass to Duncan for the hoop.  On the retun trip, LO does a good job getting inside for the bucket.  He's got Horry on him, so I think he'll continue to be aggressive. 

Still no involvement from Gasol on offense yet.

4:04- There they go.  Off the inbound, Kobe quickly gets it to Gasol, who makes an aggressive move into the lane to drive past Duncan for his first points of the game.  Nice play by Pau.  Hopefully they'll get more looks. 

3:53- Udoka hits a three in the corner to give the Spurs a 19-14 lead.  Vlad a little slow to close.  On the next trip, Parker splits the Gasol/Fish screen double with a pass to Duncan, who gets the and-one on LO, then makes the FT.  22-14 SAS.  Parker is really controlling the action for San Antonio on that end, and thus far the Lakers haven't been able to do much to stop it. 

Kobe drives then kicks to Pau for a dunk. The Lakers need to continue getting the ball inside in one form or another and they'll be fine.

2:05- PJ calls a TO, down 24-16. 

1:14- After a great sequence from the Spurs results in a Ginobili three, the Lakers come back on the other end adn get the ball inside to Gasol, bodying up Oberto.  Pau goes over him, draws the foul and puts the ball into the net.  No TD on the floor, so the Lakers need to take advantage.  Pau makes the FT, and the Lakers are down 27-21.  SA's ball movement has been very crisp in the early going. 

Down by three after Jordan Farmar makes a triple, his first shot of the series.  That's a great sign for him.  SA will hold to burn as much clock as they can...

...and miss. Lakers get the last shot of the quarter, and Sasha's three rattles out.  That would have brought the house down. 

END OF THE FIRST:

Lakers down 27-24.  Not a terrible quarter.  Neither team really pushed an advantage or took control.  It was more a process of feeling each other out.  Parker had too much freedom, for sure, but let's be honest, it'll be tough to shut him down completely.  The key is to figure out a way to mitigate his effect, whether it's by limiting his options off the dribble, or trying to force the ball from his hands.  the Lakers were caught a couple times by SA's superior ball movement, and no question the Spurs look very sharp in that regard.  Offensively, the Lakers are doing some nice things- they're not getting jumper happy or forcing bad shots.  The attack has more or less been at the rack, led by Vlad Rad of all people, who has been very aggressive.  They need a little more Gasol, LO hasn't really made an impact, and of course at some point, Kobe will crank it up.

AK with Q2.

SECOND QUARTER

11:42 - Some good D by Sasha forces Manu to make an awkward pass to Udoka in the corner.  Unfortunately, Luke is late for the close out, then can't recover quick enough when Udika moves past.  The floater is good. 

10:13 - A three point play for Farmar, courtest of a streaking layup that draws contact from Ginobli.  It's been a very good start for Jordan so far, who could seriously use one.  These previous two series have been nothing short of brutal for him. 

9:50 - Good D from Turiaf forces an airball by Duncan.  47 seconds later, he draws the foul on TD while missing the mis-randge jumper.  One of two fall for Ronny.

8:34 - Turiaf snags a big time offensive board after Sasha's missed trey, throwing it down with huge enthusiasm and prompting Gregg Popovich to call time out.  It's now a 33-33 tie, the frame's three point deficit at the outset now knotted up.  And all with Kobe sitting.   

By the way, this Odom-Turiaf-Farmar-Vujacic-Walton unit has worked very well together on a few occasions in the past.  I specifically remember them putting away the Clippers earlier this season.

7:34 - More good work from Ronny against Duncan, forcing the miss and drawing a loose ball foul on the Big Fundamental to boot.  That's his second.

6:39 - Bowen's left wide open for days in the corner, and while the dude's terrible at the stripe and has no mid-range game to speak of, he's killer where the sideline and baseline connect.  The shot's drained.

5:03 - Some great work by Kobe hounding Parker along the perimeter and in the corner, which eventually forces a bad shot from 19-feet out, goes for naught after Mr. Longoria slips past LO to snag his own miss.  The ensuing layup attempt goes down much smoother.

3:54 - Farmar successfully funnels Parker into traffic, the sea of Laker bodies forcing Parker to lose his footing and eventually cough up the ball.

3:00 - As much as I like seeing Sasha drive the rack, he's gotta pick his spots a little better.  Trying to bust out the flash to pull a reverse layup with Duncan patroling ain't gonna happen, whether he's looking for the bucket or the foul.

2:32 - The Lakers catch a break after a much too cute (not to mention low) pass from Kobe to Gasol hits some San Antonio legs before trickling out of bounds.  The Mamba's can obviously dish with the best of them, but that wrist flick was a little too heavy on "needle thread" intentions.

2:05 - The Peyton Manning Kobe just threw to LO, however, was right on the money.  That Odom didn't come through with the layup ain't Bryant's fault.

4.4 - Ginormous shot from Sasha just inside the downtown stripe after a couple fakes and a step or two forward.  The make cuts the Spurs lead down to single digits (8) and also provides the Lakers with a chance to gain some mo heading into the locker room, assuming San Antonio's final shot...

....doesn't fall!!!  Manu is errant from 24 out, leaving his squad's lead at 51-43.  The Lakers aren't connecting at a fantastic clip (44%), with Kobe and LO a combined 3-9 for 6 points between them.  For that matter, the pair's starting brethren failed to carry the early quarter mo created by the subs to kick things off.  A few sloppy turnovers here.  Getting outrebounded 11-8 there.  The Lakers aren't playing horribly, but the edges are in need of some sharpening upon hitting the third frame.  BK will be in charge of it.    

THIRD QUARTER:

Sluggish start for both teams in Q3 until Duncan banks in a jumper over Pau.  Then Gasol misses near the rim on the other end.  The Lakers have had some looks over the opening two minutes, but nothing is going down.

9:59- Not a good play from LO, who loses Oberto along the baseline, and the Argentine gets the pass from Duncan for the easy and-one chance.  Fortunately, he missed the FT, and the Lakers are "only" down by 14, 57-43.  SA was generally very bad in third quarters against the Hornets, but have come out strong here.

8:03- Not a good start to the third.  SA has run the lead out to 15, 58-43. The Lakers are totally out of sorts offensively, missing every shot they've taken from the floor in the quarter.  Kobe has missed a couple jumpers, and is having trouble getting inside (they could use a few more ball screens to loosen him up off Bowen), but they're also not making the Spurs do a whole lot.  The ball movement isn't putting pressure on SA, and neither is the player movement.  Obviously down by 15, they're in a tight spot, but L.A. has to resist the urge to start forcing things.

LO and Fish out, Sasha and Farmar in out of the TO.

Better trip off the TO- Kobe runs off the screen and is open for the short J, which he buries.  Only his second FG of the game.

6:25- Bowen is pushing Kobe way out on the high post, so even when he gets the pass, it's not with great position.  Missed J.  On the other end, Parker takes the ball coast to coast and draws the foul on Farmar.  He hits both FTs.  On the next trip, Duncan hits another shot over Pau, this time a lefthanded hook.  Bottom line- right now the Spurs are executing, the Lakers are not. 

They're going to have to try something different on TD in a few more trips.

5:01- Kobe gets a nice lob into Gasol for the hoop, though even that play was almost mucked up by Parker, who nearly got a hand on the pass.  The bucket cuts the deficit to 16.  The Lakers need to figure out a way to get themselves a little more penetration, or they're going to be forced to shoot their way back into the game.  The way SA can get the ball back upcourt off a miss, that's a dangerous proposition. 

Trouble on both ends, as the Lakers can't get much offense, but are also having trouble getting stops.  Parker is still having his way, and Duncan is abusing Pau.  14-6 thus far in the third. 

4:20- Good screen from Farmar to spring Kobe for the three.  He gets the pass out of the high post and buries the three before Udoka can shake the screen.  Well done all around.

Next trip, he isolates on Udoka, and drives the lane for the bucket to draw the foul on Udoka.  That's his fourth.  Barry in for him, which likely puts Manu on Kobe for the time being....

2:20- Great screen and roll down low from Kobe to Pau.  Kobe scrapes through the lane to get space, Duncan drifts out to help Manu, and Pau is open for the lob.  That gets the Lakers to within six, and Popovich calls a timeout.  He's going to have to get Bowen back on Kobe relatively soon.  Manu is struggling. 

Out of the TO, Manu picks up the offensive foul.

1:48- The Lakers double on Duncan in the post, and the ball quickly swings around to Ginobili, who hits the three.  That's why they were hoping to avoid doing it.  On the next trip, though, Duncan is again alone on Pau... and hits the shot off the glass.

Kobe uses his patented up and under little baby shot off the glass for a bucket, then on the next trip penetrates and kicks to Gasol underneath.  Bowen has been sitting on at the scorer's table for about a minute trying to get back in the game.  Pop might have waited a possession or two too long to get him back on the floor.  Kobe was beating up Manu pretty good. 

END OF THE THIRD:

Nice run to end the quarter, and the deficit is a much more manageable seven points, 72-65 LAL.  The Lakers made some progress with a more aggressive Kobe at the end of the third, but will have to sustain the pressure on the defensive end.  They'll need some stops.  But what could have been a disaster is now a competitive fourth quarter.  They needed to respond, and they did.

AK with the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER

10:18 - Walton sends Duncan to the line for a pair of makes, ending nearly two minutes of fruitlessness for either side.  His good freebies match an earlier layup from Kobe as the only points added since the frame began.

8:59 - Lot of work by Fish on that layup, whether you're talking the work to shake Jauques Vaughn along the perimeter, the work twisting between defenders or the work navigating the ball down through a bit of traffic.  Well worth the effort.

8:26 - Kobe brushes to the right off a screen from Gasol, then slashes his way in to put up a four-foot runner.  His make from seven feet out on the ensuing possession cuts the Spurs' lead back down to a trio.  Unfortunately, it's bumped to six before I can even finish typing this sentence as Kobe allows Bowen too much space outside the arc, essentially daring Mr. Scissorhands to take the only shot he's really good at.  Much better off getting up on him and forcing him to put the ball on the floor, which you figure he's not wanting to do.

5:50 - Loose ball foul on Duncan going over Pau's back.  His third.  Time out Lakers, as they're now fighting a four-point SA advantage.

4:57 - I can see why Bowen is upset after picking up his third whistle.  As is also my understanding of the rules, you're totally allowed to wrap up a cutter as they head to the basket, as he did to Pau while he was trying to reach Kobe's bounce pass.

4:13 - Big block by Pau on a driving Ginobli.  That leaves the Spurs with only six on the clock before TD tries to go glass with no success.

3:19 - It's been a seriously tough contest for Lamar tonight (3-11 as we speak), but his spinning layup falls at just the right time for both him and his team.  81 apiece, with Laker daylight increasingly on the horizon.  Time out San Antonio, as the Lakers are on a 16-9 run.

2:42 - Kobe going baseline draws both a fifth foul on Bowen and a fifth team foul on SA, earning The Mamba a trip to the stripe.  Both freebies are solid, giving the Lakers an 83-81 advantage, their first lead of the entire game.  Better late than never. 

1:55 - Gasol stays over Parker and blocks his layup attempt after the PG snagged a missed long jumper from Udoka.

1:05 - The Lakers dodge a major bullet when Duncan loses the ball out of bounds after getting hit on the wrist by Gasol with no whistle.  The replay shows the sequence should have clearly gone San Antonio's way.

23.9 - Big bucket by Kobe in the paint with the shot clock winding down.  Not bad having this Bryant fella on your side as the game's final seconds are shutting down.

7.3 -A scrum ensues after Ginobli's missed three ball and Sasha's the lucky one emerging with the rock.  He's hit with a breakway foul by Finley, then comes through at the line on both shots.  It's enough to push the lead to 89-85 and clinch a win for the Lakers.  After an often sluggish opening two quarters and a downright awful-at-times third, the Lakers cranked up some pressure on SA, dropping their shooting percentage from 49% to 40 while only turning the ball over one time.  Throw in Kobe's 14 fourth-quarter points and it's a nice recipe for success.  More to come later.  Thanks for dropping by.