Podcast: Lakers vs. Spurs, Kobe Bryant Twitter controversies, Mike D’Antoni’s fit in L.A.

Summary: Three games into their Mamba-less era, a few factors for the Lakers have been reliable enough to gain a Swiss watch’s admiration. On the positive side, the Lakers are newly recommitted to the defensive side of the floor, and for the time being have been very effective. Opponents have been held to under 38 percent in each, and in Sunday’s Game 1 against the Spurs in San Antonio, Steve Blake in particular was phenomenal while checking Tony Parker. Unfortunately, the other steady trend is the struggle to score, something the Lakers couldn’t overcome Sunday. The outside shooting was especially dreadful, mitigating the size advantage of Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. The Lakers fell 91-79 to the Spurs, and time at the drawing board remains necessary in order to pull an upset. We reacted to the loss and other emerging storylines, and looked ahead to Wednesday’s Game 2. Among the talking points: * Before we even discuss Game 1, what’s with Kasa de Kobe suddenly becoming the place to be? Derek Fisher spent a decade-plus as Kobe’s teammates without ever stepping foot inside Chateau Bryant, and now the place is Grand Central Station. Brian offers a theory as to why The Mamba is suddenly okay with guests popping by. Also, to paraphrase MTV Diary, you think you know how buried Devin Ebanks is, but you have no idea. * With the Lakers now down 0-1 to San Antonio, what are the big takeaways? Are the Lakers failing to milk their size advantage? Can Steve Nash improve on a disappointing Game 1? Is there anything that can be done to even up the series heading back to L.A.? * The game’s biggest storyline, however, might have been the Great Kobe Bryant Twitter Controversy. Mike D’Antoni didn’t appreciate 24′s in-game commentary (or at the very least, having to be asked about it) and his on-podium response rubbed many the wrong way, sparking debate over whether Bryant overstepped his boundaries in 140 characters or less, or the media was simply chumming the waters. Is #Vinospeare making the right decision not to Tweet during Game 2 (https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/326411855054643200)? * Speaking of D’Antoni, everyone questions whether his system makes him a bad fit in L.A., but is there a bigger problem flying under the radar? The post Podcast: Lakers vs. Spurs, Kobe Bryant Twitter controversies, Mike D’Antoni’s fit in L.A. (http://landolakers.com/2013/04/24/podcast-lakers-vs-spurs-kobe-bryant-twitter-controversy-mike-dantonis-fit/) appeared first on LandOLakers.com | Web Site of Andy and Brian Kamenetzky | The Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, and Anything Else That Comes to Mind (http://landolakers.com).