PHILADELPHIA VS. TORONTO MILWAUKEE VS. CHARLOTTE SAN ANTONIO VS. DALLAS L.A. LAKERS VS. SACRAMENTO

Wednesday, May 30 Spurs in good shape with Daniels By Dr. Jack Ramsay Special to ESPN.com Derek Anderson's playoff-ending shoulder injury is damaging but not fatal to the San Antonio Spurs because they have Antonio Daniels waiting to step into the starting lineup. Antonio Daniels started 23 games during the regular season. Daniels, who can play both guard spots, is a solid all-around player with a similar style to Anderson. Although he doesn't drive to the basket as well as Anderson, Daniels is a sound defensive player and a more consistent shooter (46.8 percent to 41.6 percent for Anderson). He is safe with the ball and had an excellent 2.79 assist-to-turnover ratio. While the responsibility falls on Daniels' shoulders to fill in for Anderson, the injury also shortens the Spurs' guard rotation. He backed up Anderson and also played point guard along with Terry Porter and Avery Johnson. In Game 4 of their first-round series with Minnesota, when Anderson was 0-for-4 from the field, Daniels stepped up and scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes. The Spurs have replacements for, but nobody equal to, Tim Duncan and David Robinson. But depth is one of the Spurs' finest qualities; it will help them absorb Anderson's loss. With Daniels and Porter starting at off guard and point guard respectively, Johnson can enter the game for Porter, and then Porter can come in to rest Daniels. Because Daniels is equal to Anderson as a defender, Anderson's loss won't affect the Spurs' matchups against the Mavericks. Daniels' defensive assignment will be Michael Finley, who is capable of erupting against any defender. But the Spurs have done a nice job against Finley with their team defense. Daniels, meanwhile, is a lean, tough player who is ready to step into Anderson's role and is relishing his opportunity. At the beginning of the season -- and the playoffs -- I picked the Spurs to reach the NBA Finals and win the title. But because of Anderson's injury and the way the Lakers are playing, I would now say the Lakers are the favorites. I would not discount the Spurs' ability to win the title; they still have the homecourt advantage in the Western Conference playoffs. While neither team can afford to look past their opponents, the Spurs would need everything in their arsenal to beat the Lakers. Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay is a game analyst for ESPN Radio and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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