SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Spurs left wondering if they can salvage one win Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Derek Anderson showed up, David Robinson woke up, and the San Antonio Spurs still got clobbered. Tim Duncan and the Spurs had to wonder if anyone could beat the Lakers on Friday. And were embarrassed in the process. The Spurs aren't dead yet, but they might as well be, considering no team has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series. The streaking Los Angeles Lakers put the Spurs in such a position Friday night, leading all the way in a resounding 111-72 victory at Staples Center, where they can complete a sweep of the Western Conference finals on Sunday. How do you rebound from that? Afterward, an angry Spurs coach Gregg Popovich questioned whether his players believed they could beat the Lakers. "If you get beat that bad, assuming you have no talent problems, assuming you know the character of your team, you know it's not the character, so you have to wonder if it's their belief," Popovich said. "If deep down in their guts, it's their belief that has waned, and it (ticks) me off. "I don't know if I'm astonished or disappointed. ... I think I'm both." When asked about Game 4, Popovich said: "You go play. There's no elixir. I don't know any drills we can do. You just come out and play hard." Anderson, San Antonio's second-leading scorer during the season, played for the first time since separating his right shoulder May 5 on a flagrant foul by Dallas' Juwan Howard, and was ineffective throughout. Anderson started at small forward in place of Danny Ferry, and never got rolling. Rick Fox blocked his first shot, and Anderson went scoreless in the first half, missing five shots while playing 14 minutes. He finished with only two points -- on free throws early in the third quarter -- and was 0-for-8 from the field. Anderson was thought to be San Antonio's best defensive weapon against Kobe Bryant, but didn't guard the Lakers star at all. Instead, Antonio Daniels again handled the assignment, and was again ineffective. Lakers coach Phil Jackson had said this week that Anderson's return could work to the Spurs' disadvantage considering he spent nearly three weeks on the sidelines. It proved to be an accurate assessment. "Shots just didn't go down," Anderson said. "Those are shots I usually hit. I didn't feel (rusty), my wind is there, everything felt good. Shots just didn't fall. "It's very disappointing to lose a game; to get blown out really hurts." Robinson, who had only 21 points in the Spurs' two losses to the Lakers in San Antonio, was much more aggressive and effective in Game 3, scoring eight points in the first five minutes and 24 overall -- all in the first three quarters. But it did the Spurs little good since Anderson was unable to contribute, and star Tim Duncan, who scored 69 points in the first two games, had only nine, shooting 3-for-14 from the field and 3-for-8 from the foul line. "Tonight was just a total dismantling of our team," Robinson said. "Wow, this was bad. I haven't experienced anything like this. I thought we'd respond well off the two losses. I'm very surprised we didn't." At this stage, San Antonio's season-best 58-24 record means absolutely nothing. And the Lakers' 18-game winning streak including 10 in these playoffs means everything. "We never had an answer for them," Duncan said. "When it goes bad, it all goes bad. They've defended us well the whole series, and we haven't made shots. It was a poor effort, we let them run wild." The game was history after three quarters, with the Lakers holding an 86-64 lead. Even with Duncan and Robinson, their 7-foot Twin Towers, the Spurs were outrebounded 63-35, and the Lakers had 22 offensive rebounds. And the Spurs, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting during the season, were a miserable 1-for-12 behind the arc. They made only 9-of-31 from 3-point range in the first two games. San Antonio's defensive effort was poor for any team, especially one reputed to have one of the NBA's finest defenses and in a such a big game. "Of course, they're playing well," Daniels said. "The thing is, we've been playing well. To lose by 39 points, that's ridiculous." Despite their precarious situation, the Spurs appeared flat at the outset, and didn't make a layup or dunk until early in the second quarter, a surprise considering their size. It was 34-21 entering the second quarter, and Duncan didn't make a field goal until the game was 15 minutes old. The Spurs got as close as five points in the second quarter, and could have made it three when Avery Johnson drove for an uncontested layup with a little over two minutes left before halftime. He missed, the Lakers scored the final five points of the half for a 54-44 lead, and the Spurs didn't pose a serious threat after that. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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