Pregame Notes - Lakers - Spurs Game 4

[Random thoughts before the game..............]

• Right, left! - Even though its been duly noted that Manu is a left hander, and that The Machine has been one of the few people to actually realize this, Ginoblii still lit up Los Angeles in Game 3. However, he did a lot of the damage on step back threes, and Sasha should continue to play the left. If he is going to continue hitting contested threes at a 72% clip, the Lakers simply have to accept it.
• Early success inside - Lamar Odom seemingly has the psyche of a 5 year old. As such, he needs to have early success for him to gain confidence. Thus, look for the Lakers to be in trouble if Lamar continually misses easy shots inside, early.
• Energy is the name of the game - The bench, ignoring the resurgent Farmar, was simply not very good. Even if they are being outscored, the Laker bench, the 'bench mob,' needs to be energetic on defense, and hopefully cause some turnovers. Furthermore, on offense, off the ball cuts, and an inside out game are necessary for success with Kobe on the bench.
• Pop not Doc - My criticism for Doc Rivers has been well documented. However, I was critical of Pop for his substitution patterns in game two, and Pop responded by showing that he was no Doc Rivers. Look for more usage of the effective Barry if one of the corpses, such as Finley, is struggling.
• Focus on Tony - As much the average viewer would like to focus on Eva, the Lakers need to focus on keeping Parker outside. Good things happen for the Spurs when Parker can penetrate effectively.