With Malice…

Hard to tell if it’s bias, wishful thinking, a gut-feeling, or a reasoned opinion.
Probably go with the ‘gut feeling’. But I think the Lakers have game 2.
I know the Spurs will come out hard.
I know that San Antonio won’t be overly bothered by the game 1 loss.
It’s not going to get in their heads, they are not - pointedly - the Suns.
But… I think it’s the Lakers who improve performance from game 1 to game 2.

Only Kobe really got going in game 1, although Sasha did perform phenomenally on his defensive effort on the supreme Argentine flopper player, Manu Ginobli. You’d have to expect that Gasol, Odom et al get going a little more than ’solid’.
I mean… please, Fabricio Oberto?

Yes, the same could be said of Manu, but he is still injured, and the playoff toll is beginning to tell. Thus far he has not been too good with only a day’s rest… and guess what? Every game of the Western Conference Finals is on one day’s rest.

So the Lakers. And do not forget you can have your dose of PHENOMENAL coverage from TNT - it’s up now - you have a choice of Tim Duncan cam, Kobe Bryant cam, a robo-cam that follows the action, and an arena robo-cam that follows the action from a bit back… or a mosaic of all 4. It’s up now - during the shoot-around.

Betting AOL Fanhouse NBA will also have live-blog… heading over there.

Yup, the Lakers. My reasoned opinion.
Or my gut.
Whichever.

Update: apparently no live blog at Fanhouse… so head over to LA Ball Talk for their Live Blog!