Lakers can't handle a defending champ

The San Antonio Spurs didn't like what they saw in their near future, so they dipped into the past with an effort that made the Lakers hem and haw at every juncture.

It was the type of game that has brought the Spurs four championship parades since 1999, an aggressive mix that led to a 103-84 victory Sunday in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

The Lakers shot 42.7% and found little space to operate, making the sweltering heat outside seem less confining than what greeted them inside AT&T Center.

The Lakers still lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1, though Game 4 is also at AT&T Center, on Tuesday.

Afterward, long after all the missed shots had been tabulated and the Lakers' locker room had cleared out, Coach Phil Jackson and assistant Kurt Rambis stood in front of the whiteboard, drawing plays and diagraming schemes next to a pile of towels and discarded plastic hangers.

Far from panic-stricken, the Lakers expected the Spurs' best shot. They just didn't expect it to go practically unanswered.

Not exactly the way to capitalize on their 101-71 thrashing of the Spurs 48 hours earlier in Game 2.

"I think it was summed up by [consultant] Tex Winter's wife, who said simply, 'That wasn't very much fun, was it?' " Jackson said.

Making matters even less enjoyable for the visitors, Manu Ginobili suddenly reappeared, scoring 30 points after hitting only five of 21 shots in the first two games of the series.

Kobe Bryant was the only functional part of the Lakers' offense, scoring 30 points on 13-for-23 shooting, although he had only one assist. Everything else was a series of blotches on the Lakers' landscape.

Lamar Odom made two of 11 shots and had seven points. Pau Gasol was seven for 18 and scored 15 points. Derek Fisher had two points. As a whole, the Lakers made eight of 17 free throws (47.1%).

"We feel like they did some things defensively that bothered our rhythm somewhat," Bryant said.

The Spurs weren't bothered at all.

They employed more motion in their offense instead of the traditional pick-and-roll schemes with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. There were fewer post-ups for Duncan, more shots from the perimeter by Ginobili.

All the added movement worked to perfection.

Ginobili made five of seven three-point attempts and converted all seven of his free throws. He had 22 points as the Spurs built a 49-39 halftime lead.