The Lakers rallied and landed the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will face off against the San Antonio Spurs. They’ve been plagued by injuries throughout the season including star point guard Steve Nash. He missed the Lakers last eight games due to a combination of a hip and hamstring injury, but he practiced fully on Friday and hopes to return for game one against the Spurs on Sunday. Read more after the jump.
From Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:
“Mentally, I’m champing at the bit and physically, I’m getting there,” Nash said Friday. “So, I’m very optimistic that I’ll be able to play on Sunday, and I just don’t want to overpromise and get ahead of myself. The last three weeks now, I wake up every morning thinking, ‘Today’s the day,’ and then I want to hang myself after practice. So, I don’t want to overpromise at this point, but I’m very optimistic.”
Without Nash, and without Kobe Bryant the last two games, Steve Blake has stepped up his production playing in the starting point guard spot. His numbers over the past two games — playoff-clinching wins over the Spurs and the Rockets — have been nothing short of striking. Blake averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while playing 36 minutes against San Antonio, and 48 minutes during the overtime win over Houston.
Should Nash return, he and Blake could very well see time together in the starting lineup. Jodie Meeks has started at the two in each of the past two games, but hasn’t shot the ball well at all, going a combined 5-21 from the field in 36 minutes per game during that stretch.
