After the Blowout, Nothing Could Spur This Team

The San Antonio Spurs needed swagger. They needed nastiness.

Instead, they lived up to their reputation as the gentlemen of the NBA and politely deferred to the defending champion Lakers.

There are hugs and handshakes at the end of a big series, but at some point there needs to be bad blood. Somebody for the Spurs needed to make a physical stand. It never happened.

I think back to a series in the 1970s when Darryl Dawkins of the Philadelphia 76ers was telling a young Seattle SuperSonic team he was going to knock their heads off. The Sonics were intimidated until Paul Silas pointed out to Dawkins that he had a head too. Seattle won the series.

A team built to succeed in the playoffs usually features a Silas, a Kurt Rambis, a Bill Laimbeer, somebody willing to get physical.

It’s just not in Tim Duncan or David Robinson’s nature. Malik Rose is the type of player who would stand up and battle, but he’s a gnat compared to Shaquille O’Neal.

There is nothing to be ashamed of in getting blown out in a playoff game. It has happened to many championship teams. But the first time it happened to the Spurs, they had a serious identity crisis and never recovered.

The Laker strategy in Game 4 was to force the San Antonio guards away from screens and into one-on-one basketball. Terry Porter was aggressive, but none of the Spur guards possess enough quickness to create opportunities that way.

On defense, the Spurs tried denying passes on the perimeter. Predictably, the Lakers responded by getting the ball to O’Neal, and he dominated. Strategically, you can’t say San Antonio didn’t try a few things, but the Lakers had all the answers.

The impact of Derek Fisher shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s no coincidence that the harmony between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant improved after Fisher returned from his injury. Next to those two, he is the most important guy on both ends of the court.

Fisher is a selfless player equally adept at blending in and stepping up at crucial times. And he has turned into a player who doesn’t miss a shot. I think he is putting more arch on his shot than he did before his injury, and he’s shooting three-pointers like they are free throws.

Who’s next?

Philadelphia is so banged up, it’s hard to picture the 76ers giving the Lakers any kind of series. Dikembe Mutombo can’t stop O’Neal, but he can guard him one-one-one, make him earn his points and give his teammates a chance to double-team Bryant and guard the other guys.

Milwaukee can’t contain the Lakers in a million years. The Bucks are shooters, so if a few guys can put up 30 points they might win one or two games.

As for this game, I must confess I left at halftime. And I felt like stopping by the locker room and asking if any of the Spurs wanted to join me to beat the traffic.