O’Neal, Bryant Must Step Up

After mastering the art of winning ugly in going unbeaten over their first four games of the postseason, the Lakers’ lethargic play finally caught up with them in a three-point loss to San Antonio in Game 2 on Tuesday. The Lakers’ challenge is to regain their rhythm on the road and take back home-court advantage from the Spurs. And it will not be easy, based on how they played in the opening two games of a series where strategy is often as important as talent. A breakdown of Friday’s Game 3:

LAKERS’ MOVE--Center Shaquille O’Neal and swingman Kobe Bryant have to get their acts together and play a full four-quarter game. They didn’t in Game 1, and the Lakers escaped with a win. They didn’t in Game 2, and the Lakers lost.

Although he will not admit it, O’Neal’s toe and hand injuries are affecting his play. He’s unable to burst into the lane as he used to and the Spurs are taking advantage of that by beating him to his favorite shooting spots. When O’Neal is sound, he not only powers over his defenders but also jumps over them. That didn’t happen often in the first two games. O’Neal normally has great hands, but his inability to handle the ball cleanly because of his injured finger also has been a problem.

If O’Neal continues to struggle, the Lakers may be better off by having him adjust his game and take a page from the Spurs’ Malik Rose. By positioning himself better to grab every rebound on both ends of the floor, O’Neal can still dominate and his points will come.

San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen has done a solid job defending Bryant by moving his feet and playing physically. Bryant can’t afford to take the matchup personally and force more shots. His teammates need him to set the table in the Lakers’ triangle offense and they have to step up when they have the chance. Unless role players such as Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Derek Fisher and Brian Shaw move more without the ball, the offense will continue to struggle against the Spurs’ collapsing defense.

SPURS’ MOVE--Tim Duncan will always be the focal point of San Antonio’s attack, but his supporting cast, headed by Tony Parker, Rose, Antonio Daniels and Bowen, won Game 2 for the Spurs.

Parker’s ability to break down defenders and the Spurs’ overall aggressiveness made the Lakers scramble a lot more than usual. Although the Lakers played much better defense in the second half Tuesday, Rose’s ability to get key offensive rebounds late in the fourth quarter kept the Spurs in control. Daniels and Bowen are not the most consistent shooters in the world, but they knocked down perimeter shots when needed.

Coach Gregg Popovich may have been outcoached by the Lakers’ Phil Jackson in last season’s playoffs, but he came up with an effective wrinkle Tuesday. Whenever Jackson had O’Neal defending Rose and double teaming Duncan, Popovich had Duncan look for Rose cutting to the basket. Look for more of the same if the Lakers continue this tactic in Game 3.

Another strategy the Spurs will stay with is fouling O’Neal hard on his moves to the rim. Mark Bryant and Rose may give up size but they know how to play rough. It’s not O’Neal’s game to be fancy, but he has tried more finesse moves in this series than he did throughout last season’s playoffs.

KEY POINT--San Antonio is hoping that center David Robinson is sound enough to play in Game 3 after sitting out the first two games of the series because of a back injury. Robinson may be soft, but he can give the Lakers problems if he focuses on rebounding and knocking down open mid-range jumpers. Because of the quickness of Parker and the defensive ability of Bowen, Robinson should be more effective against the Lakers than he was in last season’s playoffs.

Robinson also gives Popovich an extra big man to bang inside against O’Neal and that has to be a plus.

If he’s sound enough to get a couple of weak-side blocks on defense, Robinson also would help the Spurs’ transition game. Getting easy baskets was one reason behind San Antonio’s success in Game 2.