Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: L.A. Lakers 57-25, San Antonio 56-26
Game 1 on Wednesday, 21 May: San Antonio loses at L.A. Lakers, 89-pts-85
Game 2 on Friday, 23 May: San Antonio loses at L.A. Lakers, 101-pts-71
Game 3 on Sunday, 25 May: L.A. Lakers lose at San Antonio, 103-pts-84
Game 4 on Tuesday, 27 May: L.A. Lakers win at San Antonio, 93-pts-91
Game 5 on Thursday, 29 May: San Antonio loses at L.A. Lakers, 100-pts-92

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: Dethroning the defending NBA champions and ending their six-series winning streak, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 100-pts-92 for a 4-games-1 victory in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051. With the series 1051 victory, the Los Angeles Lakers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 58-27 overall and 23-5 in the Semifinals. With the series 1051 loss, the San Antonio Spurs see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record fall to 24-15 overall and 4-6 in the Semifinals. The win order for the victorious Los Angeles Lakers in series 1051 was WWLWW: Series 1051 thus becomes the tenth best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series, the 46th best-of-7 NBA series (all rounds), and the 92nd best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow this win order to completion. Los Angeles trailed series 1051 Game 5 by 13 points after one quarter: In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff games, teams down 13 after one quarter irrespective of site had had a game record of only 12-41 (.226).

After Game 4: The Los Angeles Lakers visited and defeated the San Antonio Spurs 93-pts-91 to take a 3-games-1 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 27-1 series record and a 17-11 Game 5 record. The sole Laker series loss upon having led 3-games-1 occurred in their last such series (series 977, in which they lost Games 5-7 and the series to the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Preliminary round). When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the San Antonio Spurs have a 0-6 series record and a 4-2 Game 5 record. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series from 1947 through the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals, teams leading 3-games-1 with Games 1-2 at home and Games 3-4 on the road (such as the Lakers in series 1051) have a 21-0 series record in the NBA Semifinals and a 114-1 series record in all rounds of NBA playoffs.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051 in Texas for Games 3-4, the San Antonio Spurs hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 103-pts-84 to narrow the Laker series 1051 lead to 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 32-5 series record and a 21-16 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1, the San Antonio Spurs have a 1-10 series record and a 5-6 Game 4 record. The sole Spurs series win in this situation occurred in just the last best-of-7 playoff round completed by San Antonio - the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals victory over the New Orleans Hornets in series 1049.

After Game 2: Posting the largest victory margin in Game 2 of a best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series since MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 273, in which the New York Knickerbockers pummeled the Boston Celtics 129-pts-96 en route to a seven-game win over the Celtics and eventually the 1973 NBA championship, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted and bested the San Antonio Spurs 101-pts-71 to take a 2-games-nil MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Lakers have a 35-1 series record and a 19-17 Game 3 record. The sole Laker series loss in this situation occurred in series 215, wherein Los Angeles lost the 1969 NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics despite having won Games 1-2 at home. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the San Antonio Spurs have a 1-6 series record and a 5-2 Game 3 record. The sole Spurs series win in this situation occurred in just the last best-of-7 playoff round completed by San Antonio - the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals victory over the New Orleans Hornets in series 1049. In the history of best-of-7 NBA playoff series (from 1947 through the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals, inclusive), teams leading 2-games-nil irrespective of site which win Game 2 by 30 or more points have a 4-0 series record.

After Game 1: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted, surmounted an eight-point halftime deficit against, and defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 89-pts-85, to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 48-7 series record (with an active 13-series winning streak) and a 36-19 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs have a 5-10 series record (with an active five-series winning streak) and an 8-7 Game 2 record. From series 597, the 1991 NBA Finals which the Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls, to series 815, the 2000 NBA Quarterfinals series which the Lakers won against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles had been absent from best-of-7 NBA playoff action. The Lakers won Game 1 in the 1991 Finals against Chicago, then lost Games 2-5 and the series. Since their 2000 return from their protracted hiatus from best-of-7 play, the Lakers have a 13-0 series record upon winning Game 1 of a best-of-7 NBA playoff series.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished one game ahead of San Antonio. From 1947 through the 2008 NBA Quarterfinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by a single regular-season game, they have posted a 15-16 (.484) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1051 is the 39th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for San Antonio, and the 85th for the Los Angeles Lakers. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, San Antonio has a 24-14 series record, a 4-5 Semifinals series record, and a 23-15 Game 1 record, while the Los Angeles Lakers have a 57-27 series record, a 22-5 Semifinals record with a four-series winning streak, and a 55-29 Game 1 record. Series 1051 is the ninth best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers. Previously, Los Angeles won series 409 (1982 Semifinals), 424 (1983 Semifinals), 843 (2001 Semifinals), 866 (2002 Quarterfinals), and 932 (2004 Quarterfinals), while San Antonio won series 690 (1995 Quarterfinals), 790 (1999 Quarterfinals), and 898 (2003 Quarterfinals) between the two.