5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Western Conference Finals, Game 2

And then there were four. In the latest of our continuing series, we look at the Western Conference Finals, Game 2 tonight between the Spurs and Lakers. Be sure to stop by later for our LiveBlog of Game 1.


1. One Would Think You Wouldn't Forget About Him: San Antonio, Kobe Bryant is not David West. He's not Chris Paul. And he's definitely not Carmelo Anthony. So maybe just maybe, covering him straight up is not the answer. The Spurs didn't bring the double team on Kobe until he'd already lit the fires, and once that happens, you can cover him with flame retardant blankets and you're still getting cinged. Greg Popovich won't fall for the same trick twice. Expect heavy double teams at the wing from Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka, and for the under side of picks to aggressively trap him. It might work. It might not. In reality, with the way Kobe's playing right now, that's pretty much up to him. The Spurs have a much better chance against...

2. The Pau-Wow: Pau Gasol came to the startling realization in Game 1 that Tim Duncan is a mite bit better than Mehmet Okur. Gasol needs his mid-range working against the Spurs, and in order to get anything inside, he's got be pulled kicking and screaming by Kobe. When Kobe started going ballistic in the fourth, he kept hammering passes at Gasol. He never got angry, even when Gasol dropped them, he just kept tossing them at him and encouraging him. The Spurs need to keep him floating outside of the paint. Gasol's not comfortable getting down and dirty, and the Spurs need to encourage that.

3. Manu No Man-Up: I'm no math whiz, but I know 3-13 from the field is not a pretty percentage. Well, at least Manu Ginobili didn't turn the ball over that mu... 4 turnovers. Ouch. The Lakers had a pretty simple approach. Pressure Ginobili's ball-handling on the perimeter and cut off his left side drive. It's not rocket science. The blueprint on how to stop Ginobili isn't impossible to discover like it is with Duncan, it's just a matter of actually doing it that's the issue. That said, it was pretty obvious to everyone under the sun that he wasn't physically well in this game, and he likely will be after a day in the hot tub. Expect a big rebound for Ginobili in Game 2, more than likely aggressively using the double team.

4. The Double Trouble: The Hornets stumbled on to something in their series with the Spurs. Bring the immediate double team, and Duncan gets a little rattled. He'll still get 10 on you that way, but it just ... bugs him. So what Pop did, was he brought Manu to that side as the entry man. "Fine. You want to bring the immediate double from the wing? Let's see how you like leaving Ginobili open in a spot up shooter spot." The Hornets never figured it out. Part of me is convinced Popovich went away from it in Game 6 simply to make the Hornets forget about it. Well, the Lakers didn't forget about it. They went for the big risk. They essentially brought a simultaneous rotation upon the entry. If Duncan got the ball, the wing defender doubled, and immediately, the top side defender rotated to Ginobili. It froze them. Ginobili knew to make the extra pass, but the Spurs on the weak side were too far spaced and not in comfortable positions. The Spurs subsequently shot .250 from the arc. Expect an adjustment to more corner shooters and altered spacing for the Spurs.

5. Play The Same Song: Still, for all of these issues, the Spurs were up by 20. 20. And they would have won if it weren't for that pesky Kobe. Shutting down Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher are key, and intimidating Gasol and frustrating him into his soft reputation. Perimeter shots from veteran shooters, and Tony Parker attacking the basket on pick and rolls. Next time the Spurs will be ready for Kobe. We'll see if he's ready for them.