13 Jan 11 San Antonio Spurs' Bench Could Help Close Gap Against Los Angeles Lakers

Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesThe real test for the revamped San Antonio Spurs will come next month at the Staples Center, when the Lakers should have Pau Gasol back.With a hobbled Kobe Bryant, who did not play in the fourth quarter after experiencing back spasms in addition to a broken finger on his shooting hand, and no Gasol,Tuesday's gamedid not amount to a fair litmus test for San Antonio.The Spurs will take the 105-85 win nonetheless. Do not expect Gregg Popovich to call the league office tomorrow asking for a replay of the game when both Detroit Lions
squads can suit up their full compliments.Finally, this $80 millionroster grabbed a signature win against a foe not from Texas.Finally, the Spurs put a collective foot on the gas pedal late in the fourth quarter and ran away from a team they might face in the postseason.Waxingsub-.500 opponents was no fun for South Texas' championship hopeful. The Spurs needed this contest a lot more than the Lakers, and that will be reflected when the squads meet again in L.A.They needed it, and they snatched it like a dog wrestling its favorite toy from its owner.Popovich knows he cannot expect toreplicate a58 percent shooting performancein the remaining three meetings with the Lakers. If someone figures out how to Xerox such things, he won't race to the phone to find the brilliant inventor.The Spurs coach values defense too much to ever condone a steadyreliance on putting the ball in the hole at a high percentage.He also should not anticipate or want to face a Bryant at 50 percent again.There is a reason sports writers often joke about him someday scoring 30 with a severed leg. Bryant would not have headed to the locker room multiple times for a minor ailment.If Bryant left the court for good with 12 minutes still to play, the pain must have been excruciating.There is, however, one thing the Spurs can count on happening again.The Spurs reserves outscored their Lakers counterparts 42 to 20. Many of those 20 bench points for L.A. came with Bryant out and San Antonio in a brief daze.At one point, the guys in white enjoyed a 25-2 advantage in points scored by players off the pine.The Spurs boast the NBA's highest scoring bench. Tuesday night, in a game San Antoniohad to have, the reserves hit their season average.George Hill led the charge with 13 points. He cut the baseline and dunked off a pinpoint Green Bay Packers jersey
feed from Antonio McDyess. Hestripped Bryant at midcourt and sprinted to the other end for a two-handed slam to electrify the ATT Center crowd.McDyess came to play early, nailingtwo mid-range jumpers and cutting to the rim for two layups.His eight points and five rebounds helped San Antonio erase an early 12-4 deficit.Manu Ginobili delivered six gorgeous dimes to go along with nine points. He drilled a pair of three-pointers and sliced to the rim just after Duncan corralled an offensive rebound for a backbreaking layin to swing back the momentum to the Spurs side.Roger Mason Jr. looked sharp from long distance early, swooshing several20-foot jumpers and draining a trey for nine points.Even Marcus Haislip hit a three-pointer in his brief minute or so of mop-up duty.The Spurs bench has produced at this level on most nights, and it would be reasonable to expect similar production in a potential playoff matchup.The Lakers have struggled to get consistent contributions from the bench brigade outside of Lamar Odom and what Shannon Brown can do on some nights.Even with Gasol, the reserve corp for the champs remains a concern.It could remain a boon for the Spurs.Duncan played 39 minutes Tuesday, but Popovich can afford to play his franchise star that many minutes in big games.Continued terrific outings froman upgradedsupporting cast will help Duncan keep his minutes at a career-low level. This will allow him to be fresher for jousts with the Lakers and other contenders.Meanwhile, Bryant has logged several 40-plus minute games againsta fewsub-.500 outfits.Duncan can rely on one of the other bigs to produce a double-figure effort at least once a week. Dejuan Blair and McDyess have each lit up defenseless teams more than once this season.I have not mentioned the injured Matt Bonner or Michael Finley. Finley is a clutch scorer oozing veteran savvy, and Bonner stretches interior defenses with his long-range bombing.Even Ian Mahinmi produced in the last week. After two years spent donning sport coats, Mahinmi wore a jersey Sunday nightand scored 15 points to help San Antonio pull away from the woeful New Jersey Nets.Tuesday, there were glimpses of problems the Spurs still need to fix, with five turnovers to start the fourth quarter at the top of Houston Texans jersey
the list. They have a long way to go to get to the Lakers' level.A healthy Gasol and a semi-healthy Bryant available in clutch time will provide a more sufficient test of the Spurs' titlemoxie.For now, a victory against an elite foe, really anyone with more wins than losses, will do.The Spursbench closed an early gap Tuesday night; it could do the same in May andJune.