How Did This Lakers Team Beat The Spurs?@

[Bgil]

You've got to be kidding me. Ginobili is an all-star and the team's leading scorer. If Kobe had Ginobili's bad knee, then you can say the injuries canceled each other out.

Bynum is our team's best post defender, best rebounder, best shotblocker, and the zone buster. With Bynum in the game then Duncan doesn't play nearly as well as he did against Gasol and Pau starts looking like Wilt because he's guarded by Oberto. Not to mention Gino now has to keep Odom off the boards... which is not possible.

Bynum by virtue of being a game-changing big has far more value than the Spurs 2nd-3rd option (in the playoffs).

If both Bynum and Manu are healthy the series still ends in 4 or 5.

I'm saying Ginobili's impact on the Spurs rivals Kobe's impact on the Lakers.

Manu isn't the offensive engine that Kobe is... Not only does he not score as much but he doesn't create as much offense for his teammates or draw nearly the same amount of attention. No fricken way does a team built around Manu have dozens of players having career years or shooting career highs. No way is Manu responsible for creating Duncan and Oberto's offense like Kobe is for Gasol and Odom (neither did much of creating their own offense in the playoffs).
Manu's impact is on the level of Marion in PHX... maybe even a step below that because Marion is such a superior defender and rebounder.

[GuyverX]

I can't believe somebody just compared Ginobili to Marion. Ginobili is clutch. Marion can't even create his own shot.

[Iggyemu]

Bad officiating and an injured Ginobili I suppose.

[tkb]

I'm saying Ginobili's impact on the Spurs rivals Kobe's impact on the Lakers.

And I'm saying you're wrong. Very wrong.

Ginobili's impact probably rivals Pau Gasol's (or Andrew Bynum's the last month or two before he went down). Tim Duncan's impact is similar to Kobe's.

[tkb]

Ginobili had one good game against the Lakers. Guess what? That's the only game they won.

Funny enough I credit Duncan's 20 and 20 game the most for that win.

[microfib4thewin]

Spurs were simply not the team they were last year. People kept talking about the Spurs beating themselves, which is partially true because they don't have more consistent scoring options, but people also think that because they are using the quality of last year's Spurs team to compare against their opponents. This year's Spurs team is just one of the better teams in the league. Last year they were truly above everyone else save for two or three teams, but this year many teams have caught up to the Spurs while the Spurs themselves was a level off offensively and defensively.

For all the things people said about Manu's injury, no one bothered to mention he got injured on game 2 against the Suns, and he still averaged well over 20 points in the first two rounds. Now that he struggled against the Lakers, we get to be reminded he plays on a bump ankle. I have no doubt it affected his play, but it's no mere coincidence he happen to have lost it right at the WCF. The Lakers do deserve some credit for shutting him down, but I know it's too much to expect from the Spurs fans or anyone who has a disdain for the Lakers.

I can also go on about Bynum's impact defensively, but too many like to hinge on simple numbers to determine a player's worth. When Brent Barry got suited up to play in the postseason, nobody expected him to do anything because of his 4 month layoff, but he played well and was the primary reason why game 4 and 5 was even competitive. His 5.7 points a game does not say much of his importance, but his shooting and being able to match up against opposing PGs helped the Spurs out more than any number can represent. Similarly, Bynum's rebounding and being the defender at the last line changes the Lakers defensive schemes completely. Other teams are not as willing to attack the basket because of his shot blocking, and anyone who isn't blind can see that the Lakers have been outrebounded by every single team they have faced in the postseason, so there's no argument that Bynum's rebounding can help. Additionally, with Bynum's Pick n roll's defense there's very few switches on defensive assignments which can allow every Laker defender to stay with the same guy on a possession.

The Spurs had to deal with bad circumstances, but in the end, it was the Lakers who helped themselves win.*

*I'm prepared for a thousand conspiracy theorist to reply. Bring it.

[Bgil]

I can't believe somebody just compared Ginobili to Marion. Ginobili is clutch. Marion can't even create his own shot.

Marion is top 10 among active players in rebounding and steals. He's the vastly superior defender and shooter. He puts up big man numbers (20/11/1.5 blks) from the SF position. He's one of the leagues best offensive rebounders and probably the best at filling the lane on a break. It'd be easier to build a team around Manu but Marion is the better role player and is infinitely more consistient.

[JordansBulls]

Bad officiating and an injured Ginobili I suppose.