After having their hearts ripped out last month by a 1-point loss thanks to a last-second tip-in by one of the most unlikeliest of players (Antonio McDyess), the Lakers payed a trip to San Antonio to play a Spurs team with the best record in the NBA at 51-11. Since the All-Star break that the Lakers entered on a rather sour note losing three in a row including a loss to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, L.A. has looked every bit like the back-to-back champions that they are, having won all six games since the break. But if they were to keep their second half resurgence alive, they'd have to go through not only the Spurs, but also their franchise-record 22 consecutive home winning streak. And with San Antonio coming off their biggest win of the season, serving the Miami Heat with an embarrassing 30-point shellacking, the defending champs seemed to have their hands full. Instead, the Spurs ran into an early roadblock named the Laker defense.
Having been highly criticized for their soft defense even by one of their very own -- Hall of Famer Jerry West, Phil Jackson's squad kept the high scoring San Antonio offense to only 37 first-half points and led by as much as 28 at the half. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant victimized his opponent and led all scoring with 26 points. Not even anti-venom could've saved George Hill from the Black Mamba who also added 7 rebounds and 5 assists. With his team playing their best ball of the season, head coach Phil Jackson sent a message to his counterpart Greg Popovich by leaving his star players out on the court until the final minutes of the game, despite San Antonio facing it's largest deficit of the season at 32 points before ending at 16 with the Lakers in route to a 99-83 victory.
Though it may only be another regular season win, for the Lakers to register quite possibly their best all around game of the season both offensively and defensively against the league-leading Spurs, speaks volumes. With an upcoming match-up against the Heat in Miami on Thursday, the win just might be what the doctor ordered to help ignite the Lakers down the stretch and help them avenge their Christmas day debacle. And what better time to pay South Beach a visit than now with the self-proclaimed 'Heatles' losing four straight, including their most recent defeat to the visiting Chicago Bulls that ended in tears coming from Miami's locker room. The game can be seen at 7 p.m. on TNT, as the Lakers look to add salt to Miami's wound.
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