Tiago Splitter

The San Antonio Spurs gathered at their training facility last fall to watch a film showcasing their playoff defense. It could have been titled: "I Know What You Didn't Do Last Summer. " They were mostly flat-footed as Russell Westbrook sped past them for layups and Kevin Durant elevated for jumpers and James Harden made the late three-pointer that ultimately swung the Western Conference finals toward the Oklahoma City Thunder. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich forced his players to view their Game 5 defeat in that series in its entirety, a 108-point presentation on botched defensive rotations and missed help opportunities.

Tony Parker scored 23 points and Matt Bonner hit five three-point shots and the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz, 106-102, Monday night in Salt Lake City for their 11th consecutive victory. Richard Jefferson's three-pointer with 6.5 seconds left sealed the victory for the Spurs, who have not lost on the road since Jan. 29 in Dallas. San Antonio is 7-0 on a nine-game trip. Al Jefferson had 20 points and Paul Millsap 16 for Utah, which fell below .500 for the first time since Jan. 2. The Spurs kept the NBA's longest win streak alive despite injuries to Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter, both expected to miss two weeks.

Reporting from San Antonio — History hasn't been kind to the Clippers when they have faced the San Antonio Spurs. There was the time the Clippers lost 18 straight games to the Spurs. There is the 29-113 overall record the franchise has produced against the Spurs. There is the nearly 10-year drought for the Clippers in San Antonio, site of Wednesday night's game. Not many teams have had success against the Spurs, who won four NBA championships from 1999 to 2007.

Some things to watch when the Lakers (39-22) host the San Antonio Spurs (43-16) Tuesday at Staples Center. 1. Look for the Spurs to approach their rematch differently . The Lakers are anticipating that San Antonio will punch back hard  after losing in double-digits to the purple & gold without Kobe Bryant. They were given an easy victory Monday against Golden State, who appeared trying to tank to pick up some lottery balls. Although the Spurs aren't killing themselves over securing the West's No. 1 seed, they likely see the value in not giving the Lakers too much confidence they can handle them in a playoff series.

The White Mamba. The Blake Mamba. Whatever nickname you could conjure for Steve Blake on Sunday night worked. The Lakers guard scored 18 points in his first 18 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs, actually surpassing the nearly point-a-minute pace Kobe Bryant had produced two days before his torn left Achilles' tendon appeared to rupture his team's season. "Man, it's almost you don't even think anymore," Blake said of a stretch in which he made seven of his first eight shots.

On the first night of the rest of their season, the Lakers without Kobe Bryant looked like Steve Blake's bright purple low-cut sneakers. They were ungodly ugly, but delightfully fun. It's impossible to imagine them taking more than a few steps before splitting apart at their bubble gum seams, but it's going to be interesting to watch. "Hey, you're talking about them, right?" said a smiling Blake. He was referring to the shoes, but he could have been talking about the team, which defeated somnolent San Antonio, 91-86, Sunday to move within a breath of the playoffs.

SAN ANTONIO - Let's not give in to the age-old stereotypes here. Lest of all the old-age ones. Some would have you believe the Western Conference finals will match the San Antonio Spurs, a collection of methodical Methuselahs, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, an infantile bunch whose point guard dresses like something out of aDr. Seuss book. Well, that analysis has some growing up to do. While it's true that Spurs center Tim Duncan was listed as "DNP - old" in a box score this season and the Thunder's Russell Westbrook recently wore a shirt adorned with colorful fishing lures as well as thick red glasses with no lenses - "I see better without them," he explained - varying maturity levels exist on both teams.

SAN ANTONIO - Nasty worked for the San Antonio Spurs. So did cutesy. There was Manu Ginobili midway through the third quarter Tuesday night at the AT&T Center, flipping a behind-the-back pass with his left hand. Tony Parker received the ball in the corner and spotted up for a three-pointer that gave the Spurs a 20-point lead. It was a freewheeling moment for a precision-oriented team, and it proved equally effective. It also served as a metaphor for San Antonio, which continued its rampage through the postseason with a 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

Some things to take from the Lakers' 121-97 loss Friday to the San Antonio Spurs. 1. The Lakers were outworked. One fourth-quarter play epitomized everything about the lack of hustle by the Lakers (40-24). It also captured how the Spurs (46-16) appeared to be younger and more energetic by fighting for possesssions and making timely passes. Spurs center Tiago Splitter passed out of a double team. Spurs guard Manu Ginobili found a wide-open three-pointer. The shot bricked off the rim, but Splitter fought for the long rebound over Pau Gasol and Matt Barnes and passed to Ginobili.