The Lakers looked good again tonight, and won pretty handily, so LA will advance to play the Spurs (who also advanced by winning their Game 6 against Phoenix tonight) in the second round. The Spurs beat LA 4-0 this year during the regular season, but that means absolutely nothing now. Its playoff time, and in the last two years the Lakers are 8-1 against San Antonio in the playoffs, including 4-0 against the Spurs in San Antonio. The Spurs are a good regular season team, but they can't handle the pressure of the playoffs against LA, and I expect LA will win, and they'll probably win easier than people would think. LA starting these games on the road actually gives them somewhat of an edge I think, because LA is usually very good at getting that first game (I could be wrong, but I think they've only lost one Game 1 in their three championship runs, and got Game 1 against Minnesota, making them 12-1 in Game 1's over the last 4 years). If LA can go down to San Antonio and get that first game, I think the Spurs (who already have the Lakers firmly embedded in their heads) might wilt under the pressure of failure again and might give up Game 2 as well. If that happens, we're talking sweep, cause the last time the Lakers won those 2 on the road against the Spurs, the two home games (Games 3 and 4 of the 2001 Western Conference Finals) were won by 39 and then 29 points by the Lakers to complete the most lopsided sweep in Conference Finals history. Gotta give the Timberwolves some credit for fighting real hard and for getting two games I didn't think they would get. But its the playoffs, its take no prisoners, and its time to move on and hopefully take care of the Spurs :-)