Jordan Farmar, Lakers
101-71 win vs. Spurs
14 pts, 5-7 FG, 2-4 3-pt FG

Derek Fisher, Lakers
101-71 win vs. Spurs
11 pts, 4-5 FG, 3-3 FTs

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
101-71 win vs. Spurs
22 pts, 10-17 FG

Before the Western Conference Finals, perhaps the biggest question facing the Spurs was how to defend Lakers forward Lamar Odom. San Antonio did a solid job in Game 1, but Odom showed why he is a matchup nightmare in Game 2. Working over several Spurs, Odom operated inside, making short shots and getting to the line. He also was a factor on the defensive end with 12 rebounds and four blocks.

Robert Horry, Spurs
101-71 loss at Lakers
0 pts, 0-5 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

Manu Ginobili, Spurs
101-71 loss at Lakers
7 pts, 2-8 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG

Tony Parker, Spurs
101-71 loss at Spurs
13 pts, 6-15 FG, 0-2 3-pt FG

In their quest to repeat as champions, the Achilles' heel of the San Antonio Spurs may be Manu Ginobili's left ankle, which he injured in the postseason opener and has gotten progressively worse to the point where coach Gregg Popovich considered not using him. "There was some thought given to shutting him down for the game," Popovich admitted. "We knew it would catch up this game, not last game. We thought the first game was our best shot to get something here and just dig down and do it." That came as a surprise to Ginobili, who also had the nail of his left middle finger torn off in Game 7 vs. New Orleans. "Today I felt better than two days ago," he said. "It's not like the ankle is limiting me. ... I've just gotta play better." That was one area where player and coach were in total agreement. "The bottom line isn't about X's and O's," Popovich said. "We have to have more people playing better." To get back into the series against the Lakers, one of them has to be Ginobili, who is 5-of-21 with six turnovers through two games. "I know I played terrible but I believe I can perform better and be more me," he said.

With their team coming off a highly inopportune first home loss of the postseason, Boston Celtics fans are suddenly looking for indicators that may help their team as it heads to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a pair of telling games. One good sign coming out of Game 2 was the re-emergence of Ray Allen, who ended a prolonged slump by scoring a postseason-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The eight-time All-Star had been averaging just 9.0 points on 31 percent from the field - including 5-of-30 from the arc - in his last nine games. But do the Celtics really need big games from their shooting guard? When Allen has scored 20 or more points in this postseason, Boston is 0-3. But when he is limited to single digits, the Celtics are 4-1. A couple of more telling trends may be Paul Pierce's points (Boston is 5-1 when "The Truth" scores a score or more, 4-6 when he is held below 20) or Rajon Rondo's assists (the Celtics are 9-2 when he has six or more, 0-5 when he has five or less). One trend that clearly cannot continue is Boston's inability to win on the road, where it is 0-6 in the postseason.