5 things Lakers need to do to beat the Spurs

Los Angeles Lakers players Dwight Howard #12, Earl Clark #6 and Steve Nash #10 walk to the sideline while playing against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2013. (Getty Images)

The Lakers’ season seems to be drawing to a anti-climatic end. After all the struggles they went through in the second half of the regular season to try and sneak in to the postseason by the skin of their teeth, they are now running away with their tail between their legs because of the San Antonio Spurs. All the heroic sacrifices by Kobe Bryant, all those injuries through which their team played through, it all seems to be amounting to nothing. Unless you count making the playoffs as a moral victory.

For a team as overstuffed with talent as the Lakers are, even without Kobe, it seems like a waste of a season to go out in the first round. But they are up against the very formidable San Antonio Spurs. Not the easiest of teams to get the best of. The question is, can the Lakers get the best of the Spurs?

Here are 5 things they can do to do that:

1. Dwight Howard needs to dominate

There have been talk of Kobe passing the torch of the Lakers to Dwight Howard after he retires. With his competitive fire it seems that the only way he will retire is when they run out of substitute body parts to replace the ones Kobe wears out. Regardless, he will be out the door before Howard, assuming that Howard remains a Lakers player.

For a center to don the Lakers uniform and be called the best center in the league at the same time, the pressure is humongous. One would think that being acknowledged as the best center in the league is enough validation in itself, but he is playing in the shadow of Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal. When he became a Laker he butted heads with Kobe for a greater role, and seemingly in a Faustian bargain, he has got what he wanted. The games he is playing in now have the highest stakes of the season, and he doesn’t have Kobe in the line-up. A very small part of him must have relished the prospect of being big brother for Kobe and bringing home the bacon for his injured teammate.

The Lakers have lost the first two games and Dwight Howard has played decently. But the word decent for a franchise center in Los Angles does not apply. Dwight does not need to be decent. He does not have to be good. He has to play like the next games are the last ones of his life. He needs to dominate and get Tim Duncan, Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair in foul trouble. He needs to drop 30 and hold down the defense for the Lakers. He needs to get into the faces of his teammates and have them all playing with a burning intensity. Anything less than a transcendent performance from him will be a sign of failure. He’s only had 36 points in the two games thus far. He needs to have that in one game if the Lakers are to win.

2. Steves need to get the team involved

“We’ve all fought and fought and fought and not got a lot of joy out of it. That’s why I’m still thrilled to get a chance to play in this series, thrilled to try to fight for my teammates and try to make something good happen out of all of this,” Steve Nash said.

Nash. bothered by his hamstring, isn’t moving like he is accustomed to. Regardless, he needs to take full advantage of the size of the Lakers and get the ball to their bigs in good position. The same goes for Steve Blake. San Antonio plays a stifling defense, which does an excellent job of taking away the primary options of their opponents. The Lakers need to adjust to the Spurs’ defense and it starts with the dribble penetration and ball movement by their two Steves, who can get the ball to their bigs. They need to be aggressive on offense, but it all starts with the attention their bigs draw. And when they do that, the Steves need to hit their shots. The Lakers have been clanking a lot of their jumpers. Blake has shot 11-28 in the two games thus far.

“I’ve got to just (do) patchwork and try to fight and try to will the ball in the basket,” Nash said. “At this point, you can’t pass open looks. On our team, I still think I’ve got to try and create some offense, because we need that balance. Like I said, it is what it is,” Nash added.

Steve Blake #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with teammates Dwight Howard #12, Steve Nash #10, Pau Gasol #16 and Metta World Peace #15 before resuming action against the Spurs . (Getty Images)

3. Gasol needs to average a triple double

Pau Gasol‘s versatility has been criminally underutilized this season. Only towards the end of the season has his greatness shone through. He is one of the best passing big men in the league and can score in a variety of ways. The Gasol to Howard passes we have been seeing really seem like an unbeatable combo. He needs to do that and more. From that 7 foot high vantage point of his, he can survey the court and see plays develop, which others can’t. When Gasol has the ball in his hands, good things happen for the Lakers. He had 13 points, 9 boards and 4 assists in game 2 and 16 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists in game 1. He needs to be able to run the offense through him and get more assists.

4. Contain the big three

If you want to be beat by the Spurs, you’d rather be defeated by the trio of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. The Lakers need to commit their defense to clamp down on the stars of the Spurs. They are such an unselfish team that anyone on their roster can hurt you significantly on any given day. But limiting the damage done by their big three gives teams a good shot at wining. They have had 110 points together thus far already.

5. D’Antoni needs to make adjustments on the fly

This holds true for any coach on any day in the league. But Mike D’Antoni needs to have an answer for the system of the Spurs, thus far he hasn’t been able to outdo Popovich. Not that many coaches in the league can, but when a team like the Spurs decimates you on offense and on defense, you as a coach need to find an answer.

Game 3 is on the 27th April at 8 AM IST.