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Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals didn’t exactly play out the way many had expected.  No offense early from Kobe, no offense period from Manu Ginobili.  The Lakers didn’t score much generally, and saw San Antonio build out a 20 point lead in the third quarter, despite having just capped off a grueling seven game series against the Hornets two nights before. 

Then, over the last 18 minutes of the game, Kobe basically put everything back into place, scoring 23 of his 27 points over that span.  Lakers win, 89-85.  But, like the cockroach or Steven Segal, the Spurs are indeed hard to kill, and are expected to come back strong in tonight’s Game 2.  Here are five things to watch.     

1) Kobe.  Does he do the whole first half/second half thing again, or does he come out firing from the get go?  Typically, the Bryant has picked his spots early while his teammates carried the load, and fair to say the results have been positive for LA this season.  But would it be a surprise to see Kobe come out and try to put his stamp on this one from the get go? Not really.  If nothing else, Kobe could try to show San Antonio that he is, indeed, ultimately in control of everything going on in the series, whether they like it or not. 

2) The Demoralization Factor.  Yeah, they’re the Spurs, full of experience and tougher than jerky, but isn’t it at least possible that they could be deflated after blowing such a big lead so late in the game on Wednesday?  Even Gregg Popovich admitted that one would be tough to swallow.

3) To Double or Not to Double?  Phil Jackson continued to elect not to double team Tim Duncan, and certainly the Big Fundamental made him pay for it.  30 points, 18 boards, and four blocked shots (not that a double team would change that last one…).  But by staying with single coverage, the Lakers limited San Antonio’s ability to use Duncan both as a scorer and a facilitator.  He became far more one dimensional.  After it was done, Jackson said that when Ronny Turiaf was in the game, they were set to double more often.  Well, look for San Antonio to try and get Pau Gasol in early foul trouble, to make Turiaf play more minutes.  More doubles mean more open looks for the Spurs.

4) Bounce Back Games.  From Ginobili for the Spurs, from Lamar Odom for the Lakers.  The fomer was 3-13 from the floor in Game 1, the latter 3-12.  Odds say at least one of the two bounces back tonight.  The one that bounces, um, highest could determine the winning margin.

5) Physical Play.  Popovich said Wednesday night that the Lakers did a much better job in the second half getting physical on the high screen and roll, which helped limit Tony Parker to six second half points.  In the first half, however, Parker roamed free and wrecked serious havoc on the Laker defense.  Finding him space to get into the lane will be key for San Antonio tonight.

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