SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Spurs staring into abyss Associated Press SAN ANTONIO -- It was not supposed to happen like this for the San Antonio Spurs. Not with a healthy Tim Duncan. Not with the NBA's best record. Not at home. Despite Duncan's 40 points and 15 rebounds and Antonio Daniels' career playoff-high 24 points, the Spurs blew a 14-point first-half lead Monday night and lost 88-81 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs trail the Lakers 0-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals. "Tim was great. He is doing everything we can ask of him," said David Robinson, the Spurs' other 7-footer, who got into foul trouble and played only 27 minutes. "With two of us out on the court, we put pressure on them. With one of us out there, we put pressure on Tim. It is key that I'm out there." San Antonio now faces the daunting task of trying to win in Los Angeles against a team that has a 17-game winning streak, including nine in the playoffs. The Spurs can only hope for some help in Game 3 on Friday, when injured starting guard Derek Anderson could return. "We've got to pick our heads up and keep moving forward," Daniels said. "Just as easy as they came here and beat us two games, we can go to L.A. and do the same thing." The trouble Monday night began when Robinson picked up his third foul a little more than one minute into the second half and then drew his fourth for arguing the call. It was then that the Lakers, who had trailed since early in the first quarter, began their surge. They grabbed their first lead, 64-63, on a 3-pointer by Robert Horry late in the third. Robinson's fouls "gave them a lift," Duncan said. Duncan gave Malik Rose credit for the job he did defending O'Neal in Robinson's absence. "He did a great job of staying in front of Shaq, not giving him any easy ones," Duncan said. "He did that all night, but to have David in there, just another 7-footer in there, things just happen, and we didn't have that down the stretch." Robinson drew his fifth foul midway through the fourth quarter and finished with seven points on 3-for-9 shooting. "I feel like it changed the momentum of the game," Robinson said of his fifth foul. The Spurs' other major problem was their 3-point shooting. The best long-range shooters in the league during the regular season and in the playoffs, the Spurs went 4-for-16 from 3-point range Monday night. They went 5-of-15 against the Lakers on Saturday. "I think we're not getting as many looks as we're used to throughout the game, and then all of the sudden they double team and we get these open looks and people aren't warmed up or whatever it may be," Duncan said. The Spurs lost two straight games for the first time in three months. San Antonio finished the regular season with the league's best record, 58-24, and tied for the best home record, 33-8. The Spurs also had won all five of their home games during the first two rounds of the playoffs. Heading into the playoffs, the Spurs believed they finally had a real chance to duplicate their 1999 NBA title. Last year, with Duncan sidelined by a knee injury, they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by Phoenix. But against the defending champion Lakers, the Spurs have been playing without another star player. Anderson separated his shoulder in Game 1 of the second round against Dallas after a flagrant foul by Juwan Howard. Daniels filled in nicely Monday night, going 12-for-12 from the foul line and eclipsing the career playoff-high 20 points he scored against the Lakers in Game 1. But the Spurs clearly have missed Anderson's athleticism and quickness. "Injuries are irrelevant to what we do on the court," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "You just have to look at Tim last year to understand. We're not going to put him (Anderson) in harm's way. It's not worth it. If he's ready, he'll play. If he's not, he won't." San Antonio is 0-17 in playoff series when it has lost the opener. Against the Rockets in the 1995 Western Conference finals, the Spurs lost the first two games at home, went on to win two games in Houston, but ultimately lost the series. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

ALSO SEE Lakers rally from 14 down, take 2-0 lead vs. Spurs Jackson ejected after two technicals in Game 2