Lakers-Spurs in the NBA Western Conference Playoffs: Two Would-Be Dynasties Clash

Of Dynasties and Destinies: The Shaq-Kobe Lakers didn't win enough championships to qualify as a Dynasty. The Spurs' quasi-domination of the league over the last nine years has not been consistent enough to qualify as a one. Yet these two teams seem to have had intertwined destinies for over a decade now, and both are now on the verge of becoming undisputed Dynasties.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs have met many times in the playoffs over the last ten years. Each franchise has caused the other countless heartbreaks. Each has won it all at the other's expense. It may not be a classic sports rivalry, but there's certainly a long history and sometimes, antipathy, here. The series should be a war.

Both teams are coached by a modern master of the art. Phil Jackson, he of the nine championships rings, not surprisingly gets the spotlight. After all, he's from Tinsel Town, working for the biggest name in professional basketball (if not all of sports), with the biggest star the NBA has. Greg Popovich, meanwhile, with his "measly" four championship rings, is quite content to remain relatively obscure. Similarly, Tim Duncan is a future Hall of Famer, just like Laker great Kobe Bryant, but he is largely ignored by the national media. It might be because he's with a small market team, or it might be because he's just a low-key professional who has never carried on like a prima donna or been arrested in Colorado. Chicken or egg? You decide.

Both teams have great coaches and first class organizations, but that's where any similarities end. The Zen Master and his glitzy Lakers have Malibu Beach and Beverly Hills and Hollywood while Pops and his blue-collar Spurs have... what? The River Walk? The Lakers have brash and bling, while the Spurs have lunch pails and hard hats.