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Saturday, April 14, 2012

San Antonio Spurs: 5 Things We Learned from the Laker Loss - Bleacher Report

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After what the San Antonio Spurs had shown during their 11-game win streak, playing the Lakers at home without Kobe Bryant looked like a breeze. 

It turned out to be a disaster.

The Spurs were dominated inside, especially in the second half. The loss dropped the Spurs to a full game behind the leading Thunder, and moved the Lakers within four and a half games of the Spurs for second in the West.

Gregg Popovich obviously is not very concerned about their seeding for the playoffs.  He rested many of his starters against the Utah Jazz earlier this week in a game they lost.  Perhaps Pop was resting his veterans for the statement game against the Lakers.

Well, the statement they made was that they still have serious issues to work out before the playoffs.  However, with all bad comes a little good, so let's look at the five things we learned from the Spurs 98-84 loss to the Lakers. 

Tony Parker Is Not an MVP Candidate

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Tony Parker was never the favorite to win the MVP this year, but he was still having one of his best seasons.  Averaging a career high 7.7 assists per game along with a respectable 18.8 points per game, Parker certainly looked like a dark horse in the MVP race.

Realistically, Parker really had no shot.  Between LeBron James and Kevin Durant there is little room for another name.  Besides, Parker shot 2-12 from the field against the Lakers for a grand total of four points. 

When Parker isn't on, neither are the Spurs.

One of his few cold shooting nights fell on an important date, but at least he got it out of the way before the playoffs.

Danny Green IS a Scoring Threat

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Harry How/Getty Images

Danny Green led the Spurs with 22 points against the Lakers.  He was the hot hand all night, shooting 7-11 from the field including 5-6 from behind the arc. 

Green has really provided a much needed boost with Manu Ginobili suffering from injuries, but Popovich has seemed to really grow fond of Green.  He had the most playing time of any player against the Lakers, and has really emerged as a threat next to Tony Parker.

With Manu Ginobili still getting back into the groove, Green will continue to get plenty of playing time to prepare for the playoffs.  If Green can keep up the production, he will be a key player for the Spurs going forward.

The Spurs Are Still Weak Inside

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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Spurs added Boris Diaw halfway through the season in an effort to beef up the front line, but it appears to still not be quite enough.

Tim Duncan is on the back side of his career, Dejuan Blair is tough but undersized, Matt Bonner is a skill player, and Tiago Splitter has trouble matching up with the more physical forwards in the Association.

The Spurs have been great so far throughout the season, especially with Manu Ginobili missing so many games.  However, the 14-point home loss to the Lakers certainly shows that there is a glaring weakness in this team.

San Antonio struggles against bigger, physical teams.  Avoiding the Lakers and even the Memphis Grizzlies should be a goal when positioning for playoffs as they both will provide difficult matchup issues.

Tim Duncan's Window Is Not Closed

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The best power forward in NBA history still managed 14 points on 7-14 shooting against a much bigger, physical and more athletic front line.

In the last couple years the San Antonio Spurs, namely Tim Duncan, have been criticized for their age.  The Spurs have addressed much of the criticism with some new additions, but even Duncan is showing he still has some left in the tank.

After showing weaknesses inside against the Lakers, Tim Duncan's play in the center of the Spurs' offense and defense will be the most important component for a deep playoff run.

Patty Mills Has Plenty of Room for Improvement

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images

While Tony Parker was having a tough shooting night, it would have been nice for another point guard to step in and pick up some of the slack.   Patty Mills has been the guy lately, but proved he still needs to improve to be a true backup to Tony Parker.

Coming off the bench, Mills contributed seven points on 3-11 shooting in 21 minutes.

Not exactly the production needed with a struggling Tony Parker.

Now it is understood that this article exposes some of the flaws for the Spurs for more than they really could be.  The Laker loss was only one game, but a little more fight was expected out of San Antonio. 

Going forward, none of these issues with the Spurs can't be overcome, but they will certainly have to be addressed before the playoffs begin.

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