This series can either take a turn for the best, the Lakers going up 3-1, or a turn for the worst, the Spurs tying it up at two games a piece. Game 4 is a very pivotal game in this series and can either put a team deep in the hole or revive them entirely.

The Lakers won games 1 & 2 at Staples Center in a Hollywood type of way, the first game was a 20 point comeback in the 2nd half, and the second game was a 30 point massacre. Unfortunately, game 3 was very different in San Antonio. The Lakers really struggeld and had lots of problems creating any type of offense.

The Lakers offense has been key in the team’s success against the Spurs thus far. The Spurs are well known for their lock down defense and the Lakers have been quite successful at breaking it down and making it look more like the Memphis Grizzlies defense (after losing Pau Gasol). On Sunday night at the AT&T Center, the Lakers couldn’t get a single thing going on the offensive end.

Rather than review all the mistakes the Lakers made in game 3, I’d prefer to go over some ideas for game 4 so that they can fly back to LA a bit happier about a 3-1 lead in a best of seven series.

As Phil Jackson would say, “All this loss means is that it’s become a five game series.” Let’s keep it that way.

The triangle offense is extremely complicated however very successful when ran correctly. It requires constant movement of the ball and of the players. This is obviously key in any offense, but especially in the triangle because if a player doesn’t move in the proper configuration, the triangle falls apart and you must pray that Kobe can bail you out.

The Lakers have adjusted a lot since they have acquired Pau Gasol as the addition of a center that can create his own plays, catch difficult passes, and score practically at will is something Kwame Brown was not able to do. Unfortunately, the players haven’t quite realized that Pau Gasol isn’t a physical player but instead a European mentality athlete. Pau is a soft finesse type player that relies on his soft hands and play making ability rather than dominating another players space. When the Lakers start looking for the smart passes, they tend to find plenty of alley oops and easy baskets for Pau. This will be great for the teams offensive efficiency and energy.

Another key to the Lakers offense will be the play of Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher. Fisher is a crafty veteran that knows the game, especially the San Antonio Spurs. He has played so many series against the Spurs that I wouldn’t be surprised if he scouted them instead of one of he coaches. Fisher hasn’t been shooting all that many 3′s in this series, and I’m a bit unhappy with his sudden passiveness as he leads the NBA Playoff teams in three point shooting percentage.

Lamar Odom has a unique ability to do practically whatever he wants when he wants to. His enormous 6’10″ frame is one that is difficult to defend and the Spurs especially don’t have a player that can compete with Odom. Lamar has been aggressive at times and passive at others. I would like to see Lamar drive to the basket and draw some fouls. Lamar Odom shot the highest number of free throws for this team last game, and shot them quite poorly at that. Putting Tim Duncan in foul trouble could be a very vital part of this teams offense and could create a big advantage for LA. Since the Spurs have this gaping hole with a lack of a tall lanky and quick player, Lamar Odom should be abusing the Spurs by driving to the basket and picking up some fouls. Even if he makes 1/2 free throws, picking up 3 fouls on Timmy early in the 2nd could be very important to the result of this game.

Overall, I think the Lakers are a far superior team to the San Antonio Spurs. The teams are very similar in terms of talent, ability, knowledge, and even experience (Kobe and Derek Fisher are really all the experience you need). The difference in this series is age. The youth of the Lakers should be taking advantage of the elderly bench of the Spurs. San Antonio is simply much older than the Lakers, and using a combination of many different players (yes, I’m petitioning for Trevor Ariza to get more minutes), will give the Lakers an opportunity to take over this series and essentially win it.

Let’s get this over with and start preparing for the NBA Finals.