Game 5 of the Lakers-Spurs Western Conference Finals is tonight at 9:00 PM ET and we’ve got our keys for both teams. Every NBA fan right now is talking about the very controversial call in Game 4 , otherwise known as the Brent Barry no call. I’ve explained in my new blog about how the game would’ve went had it not been for the horrible officiating. But I’m not here to talk about that, I’ll leave it up to you guys.

Anyway, we’re up 3-1 against the defending Champs but we should be aware of the fact that these San Antonio Spurs don’t have 4 rings for nothing. They play with heart, and sometimes, they play better when their backs are against the wall. Look for this game to be a close one, unless, LA outplays the Spurs like they did in Game 2.

For the Lakers – They have been in this situation before (versus Suns in 2006), and they know what happens when you take off your guard. Of course, this year’s Lakers are way better than those of ’06, as the Spurs are better than the Suns. LA should play this game as if they are the one facing elimination and take away that “It’s Over” mentality.

• Keep the perimeter shooters shooting – This has been one of the Spurs’ weakness all series long. Take away Game 3 (probably their finest 3-pt shooting in this year’s playoffs), the Spurs are shooting 26.9% (18-of-67) from behind the 3-point line. They like shooting the threes, but you have to know that’s not their game at all, so take the passing lanes to Duncan away and live with them shooting the three.
• Aggressiveness – Usually when LA plays aggressively, putting pressure on the the opposite team, they often get to a strong start. I also like the fact that they were putting a second defender on Tim Duncan but not committing too much on him. They are presenting him with different defenders and giving him different looks.
• Watch out for Tony Parker – Tony Parker yet to explode in this series as he did versus New Orleans. Gregg Popovich will likely get the ball to the French point guard and give him a chance to be aggressive by either making isolation plays for him or some pocketful pick-and-rolls. LA has done a good job on Tony Parker, but they must prepare for a Game 5 Parker barrage.

For the Spurs – Game 4 hurts, but the truth is, they didn’t deserve to win. Forget everything bad that happened in that game and try to stay focused on the positive things. These are veterans anyway, a little “washing off” will do.

• Contain Kobe - So far the Spurs are not doing a good job on Kobe Bryant, well, except for him going to the foul line only once in Games 3 & 4 combined. The problem is, this year’s MVP has not been talking with the refs about not getting a trip to the charity stripe, but is finding a way to get the points by making his J’s. Unless Pop notices that Kobe is being way too comfortable playing with Bruce Bowen, don’t expect them to win. Try double-teaming Kobe at least once in a while, it doesn’t hurt.
• Rebounding Advantage – Los Angeles has been out-rebounding San Antonio all series long, 173-154 to be exact. Tim Duncan accounts for 46.7% (72 of 154) of SA’s rebounds. San Antonio should capitalize their size advantage considering they have Fabricio Oberto, Tim Duncan, and Kurt Thomas who are all excellent rebounders, both offensively and defensively. Too bad, Kurt Thomas is getting more minutes than he should.
• More from Manu - Kobe Bryant added the Argentinian shooting guard to the list of international players whom he totally locked down (dating back to last summer’s FIBA tournament). I predicted that Manu Ginobili wouldn’t be as good as he was in Game 3, but I didn’t expect him to be as passive as Simon Cowell’s love life is. I just didn’t see an aggressive Manu in Game 4. I hope that he plays more aggressively and with more heart tonight. Well, every Spur should be, because if not, they might see themselves packing everything in their lockers for an early vacation.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for Game 5 Lakers-Spurs Live Blog tonight!