2003 NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 6 San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, May 15, 2003 скачать в хорошем качестве

2003 NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 6 San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, May 15, 2003

SAS 110, LAL 82 - Tim Duncan and the Spurs Eliminate Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers Behind His 37-Point, 16-Rebound Performance. Shaq-Kobe Lakers’ reign ends in Game 6 rout. In the end, when the Spurs celebrated midcourt and Lakers coach Phil Jackson waved to the crowd, Malik Rose stood alone under the basket, taking it all in. He remembered the frustration of being swept out of the playoffs at the Staples Center two years ago and losing again last year after the Lakers' rallies. Rose glanced at the scoreboard, confirming the Spurs' 110-82 victory, ending the Lakers' reign. He bowed his head and smiled. "I’ve been hoping, wishing, praying for this moment for so long," Rose said. "I had to thank the Big Man upstairs." Tim Duncan, with 37 points and 16 rebounds, led the Spurs into the conference finals. "We’ve been beaten down by these guys the last couple of years," Duncan said. "Ending their reign meant a lot to me." Player of the game: Tim Duncan, 37 PTS, 16-25 FGM, 64 FG%, 16 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK Notable performance: Shaquille O’Neal, 31 PTS, 13-21 FGM, 62 FG%, 10 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK The Spurs dominated in the third quarter, holding the Lakers to poor shooting in the second half. Shaquille O’Neal, who once mocked the Spurs, admitted they were the better team. Manu Ginobili was everywhere the Spurs needed him, while Bruce Bowen held Kobe Bryant to 20 points. David Robinson, Rose, and Kevin Willis did their best to contain O’Neal. Tony Parker, who scored 27 points, responded well to coach Gregg Popovich’s tough love. Duncan produced his best playoff game, relentlessly attacking O’Neal and Robert Horry. "He’s a fantastic competitor," Popovich said. "He pulled everybody else along the last two games, making sure everyone knew what we had drawn up. He was an unbelievably focused leader, an inspiration to everybody on the team. They fed off him." Duncan was the standout player of the series, averaging 28.0 points per game with a shooting percentage of 53% from the field and 70% from the free-throw line. He also contributed 11.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks, earning a Game Score of 22.8. O'Neal was a close second with a Game Score of 22.7, averaging 25.3 points, 56% field goal shooting, 63% free-throw shooting, 14.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.8 blocks. While Kobe had the highest scoring average of the series at 32.3 points per game, his performance was somewhat diminished by his 43% shooting accuracy and 4.5 turnovers per game, which negated his contributions of 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals. This led to a Game Score of only 17.4 for Kobe. In basketball, possessions are crucial, as they can determine the outcome of the game. Missed shots, turnovers, and failure to secure rebounds all provide additional opportunities for the opposing team to score. Thus, despite high point totals, the Game Score highlights inefficiencies in other areas of play. The common belief is that Duncan dominated Shaq in this series, but that’s not entirely accurate. The Lakers lost because they relied too heavily on Shaq and Kobe, while their bench players struggled to contribute and get involved in the game. The Spurs had a well-balanced performance, with a median Game Score of 9.7 compared to the Lakers' 5.25. Additionally, the Spurs had seven players in their rotation who played over 100 minutes throughout the series, whereas the Lakers had six. Examining the top three Game Scores reveals a significant disparity: the Spurs had scores of 22.8, 11.2, 10.1, 9.7, and 5.6, while the Lakers had 22.7, 17.4, 6.5, 4.0, and 3.9. This highlights a notable gap and drop in the performance of their supporting players.