Spurs Running Out of Options

After blowing fourth-quarter leads at home in Games 3 and 4, the bottom line for the San Antonio Spurs is that they need a second scoring option to complement Tim Duncan.

David Robinson, Steve Smith, Danny Ferry and Terry Porter aren’t options; their best days are behind them.

Bruce Bowen and Malik Rose are better on the defensive end, and Tony Parker and Antonio Daniels are too inconsistent as shooters to be counted on.

That’s the main reason the Spurs find themselves one game from being eliminated by the Lakers for the second consecutive season.

Although the best-of-seven series has been a lot tougher than the Lakers probably expected, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Co. find themselves right where they want to be heading into tonight’s game at Staples Center. A breakdown of Game 5:

SPURS’ MOVE--Coach Gregg Popovich has made a lot of good moves to give his team a chance to win, but he blew it in the final seconds of Game 4 by not having Parker on the floor and going with Porter.

The result was a poorly executed play that ended with a weak fadeaway attempt by Duncan that fell short at the buzzer.

Parker and Daniels are the only Spurs other than Duncan who give the Lakers a scare, because of their quickness and athletic ability. When Popovich teamed them in the backcourt with Bowen at small forward in the second quarter Sunday, the Spurs had the Lakers on the run. Laker Coach Phil Jackson was forced to play seldom-used Lindsey Hunter with Derek Fisher, and that’s not a good backcourt mix for the Lakers.

Robinson was much more aggressive in Game 4, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but the Spurs need him to be more active on the offensive boards. With Robinson on the floor, minutes have been taken away from Rose, who has given the Lakers fits with his offensive rebounding in the series.

Although O’Neal has done a decent job at the free-throw line, the Spurs are still not fouling him enough; he attempted only 10 free throws in Games 3 and 4 combined. Remember, every time O’Neal shoots a free throw is one less time Bryant has the ball in his hands.

LAKERS’ MOVE--Robert Horry, Rick Fox and Fisher continue to get the job done in supporting roles to O’Neal and Bryant. They do not score a bunch of points, but they do the little things that help the Lakers win. They combined for six offensive rebounds in Game 4, the same number grabbed by the Spurs’ top three big men (Duncan, Robinson and Rose).

Now that Samaki Walker no longer starts, he has become a real force off the bench. His eight points and six rebounds, including four on the offensive end, in 19 minutes, were huge in Game 4. Veteran reserve Brian Shaw’s contributions are often overlooked because he doesn’t score much, but his ability to take care of the ball (no turnovers in Games 2, 3 and 4) gives the Lakers stability when he’s on the floor.

In the first half of Game 3, Parker ripped the Lakers for 20 points but since then, Fisher has been able to slow down the rookie. Parker has missed 14 of his last 20 shots mainly because Fisher has prevented him from going to his left, which is his better shooting side.

KEY POINT--The Spurs, looking to keep their season alive, can look back to the first two games of the series for inspiration when they left Los Angeles with a split.

But Popovich can’t afford to keep giving minutes to Smith and Ferry, who have been doing little more than taking up space on the floor. In the two games at the Alamodome, Smith made three of 13 shots, but that was better than Ferry, who missed all five of his shots.

One option for the Spurs may be former Clipper Charles Smith, who saw his first minutes of the series in Game 4. Smith, who has been sidelined because of a shoulder injury, is a good defender who played well on offense during the regular season.