Spurs must adapt after tough trip to face Lakers in West finals

Quick!

For the San Antonio Spurs, who play Game 1 tonight of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers, it meant having to familiarize themselves with a new team with new stakes on the line in a matter of a couple of days.

It was only Monday that the Spurs, the defending NBA champions, had to beat the Hornets in New Orleans in Game 7 of their playoff series.

Then the veteran Spurs, who have only one starter under the age of 30, spent Monday night on a grounded charter plane in New Orleans because of mechanical problems, and they did not arrive in Los Angeles until yesterday and did not practice Tuesday.

So, the onus for adaptability is on the Spurs tonight when they face the well-rested Lakers at Staples Center.

“I think the situation speaks for itself,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said at this morning’s shoot-around at Santa Monica High. “There are four teams left out of 30 teams that were trying to be where the Lakers and Spurs are right now. So in that sense, not too much needs to be said. Everybody knows what they are playing for.”

Popovich added that he didn’t expect his players to be distracted, despite their difficult trip here.

“They’d be no more tired than if it was the regular NBA season. So we stayed on the plane – big deal,” he said. “All kinds of things have gone on in the season that you wish didn’t and you want to stay fresher. But we had all day yesterday and we’ve got all day today, so no excuses.”

As for the Spurs’ rivalry with the Lakers, it’s been nothing but respect offered from both teams so far.

So far.

“You guys probably made that up in the first place,” Popovich joked with the media this morning. “You’ve got to have stories, jobs just like us. You want to keep your job. Throw something out there.

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Lakers center Andrew Bynum underwent a successful 30-minute arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today in New York and he should be fully recovered by training camp, the team said.

The surgery was done by Dr. David Altchek, who removed some cartilage and smoothed rough spots under Bynum’s kneecap.

Bynum, 20, has been out since Jan. 13 because of a bone bruise in the knee and a subluxation of the kneecap – a brief dislocation that popped back into place.

Initially, the Lakers hoped Bynum would be ready for the playoffs, but last month during workouts he said he was suffering from pain in his knee.

 jonathan.abrams@latimes.com