Pops Screwed Up
Gregg Popovich had a big decision to make. His Spurs trailed by two and the Lakers had the ball with 28 seconds left. Should he play defense and hope for a last second shot, or should he foul and attempt to trim the margin? Popovich decided to play defense. Wrong move.
When you play defense, if the Lakers score the game is over. If they get an offensive rebound the game is over. If you lose the rebound out of bounds the game is over. If the Lakers draw a foul late in the possession the game is over. If there’s a long battle for the rebound your ensuing offensive possession is cut in half. And the Spurs didn’t even try to steal the ball. They just let the Lakers walk it up court. Under Popovich’s strategy the best case scenario was being left with 1-4 seconds in which to tie the game. Not so good.
Fouling would have lengthened the game. The Lakers are a good foul shooting team, but only Kobe and Fisher are automatic. There’s a good chance a free throw will be missed. There’s a good chance you’ll get an easy two. There’s a good chance you’ll get an open look at a three. When you foul, the worst case scenario is that you have to make two straight three pointers. That’s almost as good as the best case scenario when you play defense.
So Pops screwed up, then managed to weave his way through the post-game press conference with dignity. You know he’ll get a slap on the back from David Stern for that performance. On the other hand, the TNT reporting team is sure to get a lump of coal from Stern for their focus on the subpar officiating. So will Phill Jackson. In what proved to be the highlight of the night, Jackson responded to questions about the final no-call by referencing another final minute missed call that went against the Lakers (Jackson managed not to mention the horrendous late lose ball foul that gave Lamar Odom two free throws—Odom clearly held Tim Duncan with his left arm.)
Despite the idiocy of Kenny Smith’s reasoning about the final play (it was a foul, but a good no-call), he’s right. I’m happy a playoff game was not decided with a foul call on that type of play. Barry could have gotten the call if he sold it. He didn’t. The pump fake-draw the foul simply wasn’t a move in his repertoire. He didn’t have the skill to make Fisher pay for his defensive mistake.
It’s now clear the Lakers are the superior team. In both game 1 and game 4 the Spurs gave the Lakers their best shot. Gave everything they had. Both times the Lakers responded. Both times the Lakers turned up the switch and put the Spurs away. You know what I’m getting at. Lakers fans, it’s time to start buying those commemorative 2008 Western Conference Champion mousepads.
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