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Lakers Lose Kobe To Suspension, Game To Knicksr

This was the kind of game that justifies NBA mania. It came equipped with sensational plays in the clutch. A flurry of lead changes in the late moments of both regulation and overtime. A couple of dramatic win-tie-or-lose shots. And to top it off, the game was as meaningful as it was exciting.

Since the Suns, Mavs and Jazz are way ahead in their respective divisions, the Lakers and the Rockets are trying to overtake the Spurs for the fourth playoff seed in the West and the home-court advantage in the opening series. Also, since the Lakers had overcome the Spurs in both of their previous meetings, San Antonio had to make a statement.

But meaningful games even at this stage of the season can also demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of both teams. So, in the light of San Antonio's breath-taking 96-94 win, let's investigate what went right and what went wrong for the winners and the losers.

SAN ANTONIO had numerous entries on the plus side of the ledger.

Whenever the Lakers allowed Tim Duncan to operate one-on-one against young Andrew Bynum, TD was a monster — 10-23, 31 points. It must be noted, though, that early in the game Bynum did force Duncan into taking some very difficult shots.

Whenever the Lakers two-timed Duncan, he was able to quickly move the ball to open shooters. Hence his nine assists.

As the game raced to the finish line, Duncan's long-armed defense locked up Bynum, controlled the boards (14 rebounds) and protected the Spurs' basket (three blocked shots).

The same uncontested shots that the Spurs were mostly missing for the first 45 minutes of the game, they made when the chips were down. Notable among these were a big trey by Bruce Bowen and several large triples by Michael Finley (including the game- winner).

Robert Horry knocked down a couple of early 3-pointers, and his wily defense also shut down Lamar Odom for much of the second half. Horry also contributed an important blocked shot late in the action when Bynum was rising for a dunker.

Whereas Tony Parker's energy was surprisingly low for most of the game, he zipped to the hoop (off a solid screen by TD) as the fourth quarter concluded, and then, in OT, burned Smush Parker with a high-speed left-to-right cross-over for a layup plus one. Overall, TP was 6-17, with two assists, two turnovers and 19 points.

If Manu Ginobili's stats were unimpressive — 6-16, 21 points — he made several critical plays on defense. Knocking Odom off his feet as he captured a loose ball they were both pursuing. Sacrificing his body parts every time he drove to the basket — 9-10 free throws. And, above all, hustling to deflect a jumper by Kobe that might have won the game in regulation.

Jacque Vaughn took Beno Udrih's spot in the rotation in the second half and was able to step up the pace, and also pressure Smush Parker into making several mistakes.

And if one factor can be isolated as THE reason for the win, it would be San Antonio's ability to attack the offensive glass. Fabricio Oberto had four offensive boards (and even hit a turnaround jumper!). Horry chased down six. And TD managed four. In all, the Spurs had 16 offensive rebounds to the Lakers' five. And that's why they also had 13 more shots than L.A. (95-82).
The Spurs also recorded plenty of bummers.

Going into the fourth quarter, their collective field goal accuracy was 30%. Brent Barry started and was 0-4. Until his humongous 3-ball, Bowen had been 1-7. Udrih and Vaughn combined to miss all six of their shots.

The Spurs began the game in slow motion and committed numerous unforced turnovers.

Vaughn and Udrih both repeatedly over-handled the ball and therefore stalled whatever offensive rhythm the Spurs had established.

Until Duncan did his Bill Russell impersonation, the Spurs' baseline rotations were uncharacteristically erratic.

Ginobili was caught turning his head on defense and was beaten by Kobe for a backdoor cut and dunk. Ditto for Bowen.

Whenever the Lakers diligently ran their triangle offense (particularly their speed-cut option), the Spurs' defense yielded open jumpers and layups.

For too much of the game Duncan was their only reliable weapon on offense.
What do all the pluses and minuses add up to for San Antonio?

Playing well late in a game can overcome poor play early on. Players with championships in their resumes have the wherewithal to win games that also-rans tend to lose. The only numbers that count are on the scoreboard at the final buzzer. Tim Duncan is the best big man, and therefore the best player, in the NBA.

Many of the Spurs are on the downside of their careers and can't play all-out for 48 minutes night-in and night-out, but come the money games, the old-timers will be resurrected. Barring injuries to core players, the Spurs are just as likely to come out of the Western Conference playoffs as any other team.

LOS ANGELES showed some positive signs.

Kobe played a well-balanced game, acting as a facilitator when this was appropriate (seven assists), and as a go-to scorer when necessary (13-25 for 31 points). Kobe hit his normal share of spectacular shots in the clutch, and also did a fine job of variously containing Smush Parker and Ginobili.

Young Bynum was courageous in his game-long battle versus Duncan. He finished with 11 rebounds, three assists, one block, only two turnovers, and 16 points on 4-12 shooting. Give him (and Abdul-Jabbar) credit for good hands, quick ups and a nice lefty baby-hook. Now he needs to develop some kind of jumper, master a right-handed jump hook, and also to learn how to safely clamp down on ball-penetrations by guards and wings. To say nothing of saying nothing to the refs when they toot him for a foul he swears he didn't commit — a tech he was given in the third quarter might have made a difference in the outcome.

Lamar Odom showed some quickness and enthusiasm early in the game, driving baseline and also down the middle (What great hands this guy has!). He was generally unselfish — 6-12, 10 rebounds, six assists, no turnovers and 18 points. As his minutes added up, however, he was reduced to being a jump shooter. He's still 6-7 games away from being Kobe's full-time sidekick.

Smush Parker dropped an important trey, and made a pair of steals on quick double-teams.

Vladimir Radmanovic also hit a couple of critical 3-balls and a fadeaway jumper in the lane that seemed to put the Lakers in command in OT. His line was 5-9, nine rebounds, no assists, 13 points.

Jordan Farmar played effective deny defense against Parker, drew a charge on Ginobili, ran Bowen off of several 3-point attempts, scrambled his way into two steals, and drove hard to the hole. Farmar certainly makes the most of his limited physical talents.

Sasha Vujacic made a pair of textbook close-outs when rotating to perimeter shooters.

Kobe teamed with Radmanovic on a handoff-and-go that eventuated in a dunk by the big man, plus a screen/roll that Bynum punctuated with another jammer.
Unfortunately, the Lakers' effort was blighted with too many mistakes.

Smush took several bad shots, repeatedly dribbled into trouble and made several dumb passes — 4-12, zero assists, five turnovers,10 points.

Radmanovic forced two shots (not really a high number for him), and could not be hidden on defense.

Odom was uninvolved in the offense for long stretches, and never did post up.

Vujacic made two horrible close-outs on perimeter shooters.

The Lakers' bigs failed to control their defensive glass and were late on several interior rotations.

In two-timing Duncan in the pivot, the perimeter players frequently failed to rotate to the passer who had made the entry into TD. As a result, Duncan was able to make easy passes out when the defense collapsed on him. This is how, and why, Finley was so open when he converted his game-winning 3-pointer. Had the Lakers' rotation forced the Spurs to make one or two extra passes around the horn after TD was jumped, they likely would have won the game.

The Lakers' free-throw shooting was a disgrace. Odom was the main culprit, going 4-10. Ronny Turiaf didn't help the cause by misfiring on both of his attempts. In all, L.A. was 18-31 from the stripe.
So, then, what message does the scoreboard have for the Lakers?

Especially given his newly-developed maturity, Kobe gave still more proof that he is indeed the best non-big man in the NBA. Without Luke Walton (he was out with a sprained ankle), the triangle was too often flat. Odom will be a big boost when he recovers his timing. Radmanovic giveth and taketh in almost equal parts. Farmar is a useful player who knows his geometry. Maurice Evans was 0-5, but played good defense. (Why didn't Phil Jackson make offense-defense substitutions with Evans and V-Rad down the stretch?) Whenever Kobe takes a blow, the offense is a hodge-podge. With just about half a season left, the Lakers will certainly become more proficient in running their offense. But their chances to grab a fourth (or even a fifth) seed depends upon how they will fare in their upcoming eight-game road trip.

It says here that they will be a dangerous foe come the playoffs, but their margin of error is much too thin for them to have championship aspirations.

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 13 books about hoops, the current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA."

See more at http://msn.foxsports.com