As it turns out, rebounding did decide the outcome of the San Antonio Spurs’ 89-88 win over the L.A. Lakers on Thursday. The concern had been that the Lakers had rebounded poorly on defense all season, and that the Spurs’ superlative offensive rebounding, led by young DeJuan Blair, would exploit that. The irony of Antonio McDyess’ heart-jolting tip-in to seal the game is that the Lakers actually did a great job on the glass until that fateful moment. San Antonio had just nine offensive rebounds in 41 opportunities to that point, about average in a category the Spurs expected to win.
Spurs Vs. Lakers: Antonio McDyess’ Fortuitous Tip Edges San Antonio Over L.A. In Defensive Struggle
Of course, these things have a funny way of working out. And so McDyess ensured that rebounding decided the game with a brilliant tip at the buzzer.
There’s so much that has to go so right for that tip to fall. The Lakers immediately allege offensive goaltending, that the ball was in the cylinder. The TNT crew keeps us in suspense for a solid minute plus before finding the right angle that shows the ball was outside the cylinder and that the basket should count. It’s high drama, high stakes fortune and a brilliant finish to a sloppy game full of weird bounces.
Kobe Bryant still took more shots than any other Laker (18, plus six free throws), but his performance was far more muted than the last time these teams met in December. Bryant hit just five of those 18 shots to total 16 points, but he added 10 assists and nine rebounds in the near triple-double. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 19 points, and Andrew Bynum augmented his 10 points and 10 rebounds with a shocking six assists.
McDyess had six offensive rebounds in total, and as with the final play, Lamar Odom was frequently the victim. Gasol and Bynum were able to keep Blair off the glass (zero offensive rebounds), but Odom had no luck with McDyess. That final shot by Tim Duncan wasn’t the best play I’ve ever seen, and Big Fun was pretty bad all night (eight points on 3-12 shooting). But it worked, and nights like that are rare for Duncan. Tony Parker had 21 points, and Richard Jefferson was a big boon with 18 points on 7-12 shooting.
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