Parker Driving the Point Home

Bob Cousy, Nate Archibald, Randy Smith and Kevin Johnson were great diminutive point guards who dominated NBA games with speed and quickness.

The way the Lakers have defended Tony Parker, you can add him to that list. In falling behind, 2-0, in their best-of-seven series against San Antonio, the Lakers have looked pathetic against Parker, who has ripped through their defense as if they were the Washington Generals.

Coach Phil Jackson has a history of turning to Kobe Bryant to slow down smallish high-scoring guards such as Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson and Sacramento’s Mike Bibby. And the Lakers had success in those series.

Jackson may be forced to use Bryant in that role again because so far, Parker has been able to do whatever he wants.

Lakers’ move -- In Game 2, the Lakers shot an impressive 51.4% from the floor and outrebounded the Spurs, 42-33 ... and still lost. That’s not a good sign for Sunday’s Game 3.

The Lakers’ overall team defense has been subpar, allowing the Spurs to shoot 52.2% on Wednesday. By assigning Bryant to guard Parker, the Lakers would make the Spurs adjust their half-court sets and get Bryant more involved on defense.

On offense, the Lakers have to be stubborn and keep pounding the ball inside. Shaquille O’Neal had a strong game Wednesday (32 points on 15-of-21 shooting) but he needs help, especially from Karl Malone, who has fallen in love with rainbow shots from the perimeter. Malone is still a physical player who needs to attack the basket and force Tim Duncan to work on defense.

The Lakers can get both O’Neal and Malone scoring in the post by getting them to move their feet and the ball.

Spurs’ move -- Over the years, Coach Gregg Popovich hasn’t received enough credit for his flexibility and in-game adjustments.

San Antonio is getting the job done with defense. In Game 1, the Spurs erased a five-point fourth-quarter deficit by holding the Lakers to one basket over a 10-minute stretch. In Game 2, San Antonio broke open a tight game by limiting the Lakers to six-of-16 field-goal shooting in the final quarter.

Role players such as Rasho Nesterovic and Hedo Turkoglu might not be great individual defenders but they are solid when put in the right situation. Popovich has done an outstanding job of making sure they are in the right position against the Lakers, who turn into a one-on-one team when a defense disrupts their half-court spacing.

Manu Ginobili and Parker have combined for 10 steals in two games against the Lakers, who have had only eight as a team. The Spurs’ ability to entice the Lakers into passes they do not want to make has been the difference in the series.

Something to look for -- In their first-round series against Houston, the Lakers received a huge lift when Malone began to throw his weight around and got inside the Rockets’ heads.

The Lakers certainly need some of that attitude in this series. Don’t be surprised to see the Lakers stop playing nice and start taking out some of their internal problems on the Spurs.