Western Conference Wrapup

The better team won. That's right, you heard me say it, in overall talent and ability, I think the LA Lakers are a better team than the San Antonio Spurs. They just have more dynamic pieces to work around. Doesn't mean I like the Lakers any more or that I'm jumping on their band wagon, I'm stating a simple fact, the team with the better roster won. Despite a valiant effort by both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, the rest of the Spurs were simply out hustled and out played by a younger Lakers team. Robert Horry didn't hit the big shots like they needed him to, Michael Finley played his usual Jekyl and Hyde basketball, no one on the rosters outside of Parker and Duncan are tremendously consistent. Sure Ginobili played the best season of his career, but when it came to the playoffs, he didn't have much left to give. He beat his body up again and again and this time, it just didn't have enough juice to run through the last stretch. All in all, it was a good run, I thought that the older team with the experience and the desperation would be able to pressure the younger Lakers (especially the bench) into bad plays, they proved me wrong.

I never expected the Spurs to stop Kobe, I likely won't expect anything short of an early exit from the game (due to injury or ejection) to keep me from pencilling him in for at least a good 25 points every game. I think that all in all, Kobe did a good job of stepping up the bar for his young teammates and leading them to this hard earned win. He's building a team that understands, despite having the best player in the game, they can't just sit and watch him do his magic, they're on the floor for a reason, and they have to do their part. He's convinced Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujajic, Luke Walton, Vladamir Radmonovic, etc... that they need to play together, and they've done it well. They look at the Spurs and realized that this is what made them a championship team, it wasn't Tim Duncan's amazing fundamental post ability (though that sure does help), it isn't Tony Parker's speed and penetration ability (that helps too), it wasn't Manu Ginobili's ability to make so many "impossible shots" (certainly doesn't hurt), but it was the fact that they functioned as one unit that made them so deadly. They stepped up to the challenge, and in the end, the younger legs and better talent won out. Certainly it doesn't hurt to have the best player in the league on your team too.

Spurs have realized that they need fresher and younger legs, while I admit that the Lakers are a better team talent wise, I think much of it was that the Spurs beat themselves. Role players weren't playing their role (a kudos as well to good Lakers defense), weren't able to play their roles, and the lumbering machine from San Antonio was brought to a grinding halt. I think the defense that Spurs played was phenomenal, the series produced some of the Lakers' worst offensive performances in this postseason. However, when they needed the shot to fall, it wasn't there. With Tony Parker being the youngest player to crack the rotation (age 26), and all other players hitting their 30s, Popovich and the Spurs front office need to bring and infusion of youth into their roster. It's obvious that while Ginobili is still kicking, the aggresive style of play that he so favors is wearing on his body. As Spurs slip into a quiet phase of rebuilding (I imagine they'll be just as quiet if not more so than Detroit), they'll continue to contend, they have to. The teams in the West are young and talented, we've seen this with Utah, with New Orleans, and now with the Lakers (don't even get me started on the Blazers).

I could go into the David Stern "Showtime" conspiracy, but, I hold no grudges, I thought the veteran team could pull the win, but I was wrong. Good job Kobe, way to hold your team together.