Spurs Just Not Able to Hack It

In the NBA playoffs, every seven-game series is like a chess match. Because strategy often plays as big a role as talent, the team that makes the best adjustments between games usually advances. So far, the San Antonio Spurs haven’t been able to make the right ones and that’s a major reason why they trail the Lakers, 3-0, in the Western Conference finals. A breakdown of Game 4:

* SPURS’ MOVE--After the Game 3 debacle Friday, San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich questioned whether his players truly believed they could defeat the Lakers. He’s probably right, because if the Spurs had any confidence heading into the series, they lost much of it once Popovich failed to make the correct moves to give his team a chance.

A lot of blame for San Antonio’s collapse has fallen on the shoulders of center David Robinson and the Spurs’ poor shooting, but that doesn’t tell the entire story. The Spurs simply have not been prepared well enough and their in-game adjustments have not worked. When San Antonio tried to surprise the Lakers in Game 3 by inserting Derek Anderson into the starting lineup at small forward and keeping Antonio Daniels at shooting guard, the Spurs didn’t really have a backup plan in case Anderson was too rusty to be effective. So when Anderson failed to make an impact, the Spurs continued to struggle.

Instead of trying to make adjustments to get his team rolling, Popovich’s best chance may be to focus on moves to slow the Lakers. Because nothing has worked so far, trying Hack-a-Shaq would be a good place to start. The Lakers scored 111 points and had 22 offensive rebounds Friday, so putting Shaquille O’Neal on the free-throw line as much as possible couldn’t hurt. San Antonio has enough big men in Robinson, Tim Duncan, Malik Rose, Samaki Walker and Shawnelle Scott to make sure O’Neal tried at least 30 free throws today, which would help keep the ball out of the hands of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers’ perimeter shooters. The tactic may not be popular, but O’Neal did miss six of nine free throws in Game 3.

Offensively, the Spurs need to relax. Popovich is not a free-spirit type of coach and his players have played tight. How else can you explain the open layups missed in the series by veteran point guard Avery Johnson or the numerous perimeter chances blown by Terry Porter and Danny Ferry? The Spurs need to take a page from Phil Jackson’s book and loosen up a little bit.

* LAKERS’ MOVE--It’s amazing to watch the Lakers play team basketball so well, especially when you think back to how badly they played during the regular season. The key to their turnaround has been Bryant, who has destroyed opponents in the playoffs by finally allowing the game to come to him. With Bryant not looking to shoot every time he touches the ball, the rest of the Lakers do not hesitate to move to open areas because they know passes come more frequently. It wasn’t too long ago when the Lakers stood around and watched either O’Neal power inside or Bryant go one-on-one.

The biggest adjustment the Lakers have to make for Game 4 is to not get complacent. There is a big difference between being a cocky team and a confident one. If the Lakers are not careful, their tendency to turn the ball over could come back and haunt them. The Lakers had 15 turnovers Friday with O’Neal, Bryant and Horace Grant combining for 10. If the Lakers continue to force unnecessary plays and not take care of the ball today, they could give the Spurs life.

* OVERLOOKED--When the Spurs opted to go with a small lineup with Anderson or Daniels at forward, they forgot about Rick Fox. Throughout the playoffs, Fox has been a monster on defense and he has locked down any player the Spurs have thrown at him. Fox is quick enough to run with shooting guards and normally too strong for them to push around. Normally, the advantage of going with a small lineup is to get more offense, but not against Fox. San Antonio would be better off going with a big lineup and with a physical player such as Rose to make the Lakers adjust to a more rough-house type of game to help combat O’Neal’s dominance inside.