Immediately prior to tip-off Friday night in Los Angeles, the Staples Center lighting failed. Everyone, from the stars courtside to the teams themselves, were cast into perfect, deafening darkness for a period of a few moments.

Immediately after the game Friday night, the same might be said of the Spurs’ hopes to repeat as NBA Champions.

In getting annihilated 101-71 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs looked ancient. San Antonio never led, shooting just 6-23 from beyond the arc. They appeared slow where they are usually quick, unsure where they are usually decisive, and anxious where they are usually in command. Most troubling for Greg Popovich’s crew is that this rout was not the hangover effect of blowing a 20-point second half lead in the extremely winnable Game 1. San Antonio has too much veteran savvy to be unnerved to such an extreme. Instead, the Spurs are staring at a more trouble proposition than mere nerves or mettle. It is not their hearts or heads that can’t compete with these young, feisty Lakers. It is their legs.

San Antonio has tired legs and looked weary on both ends of the floor. In the second half, they were totally devoid of rhythm on offence and were picked apart and beaten down by a Lakers team operating at a higher level of offencive efficiency than any team has this season. Only Duncan (12 points, 16 boards) and Parker (13 points, four assists) were in double figures compared to five players on Los Angeles. The Spurs had no answer for the Laker offence, and unlike in Game 1, they had no clue how to contain Lamar Odom, who went for 20 and 12.

“Either we’re going to turn it around and make this thing into a series,” Duncan said afterwards, “Or we’re not.” It would appear that the grueling seven-game battle with New Orleans stole much of the Spurs’ fire and vitality. The Hornets’ youthful courage gave them the confidence and energy to knock San Antonio around and even though they lost Game 7, they clearly pushed the Spurs’ aging bodies to the brink. San Antonio simply has no response left with which to counter the Lakers’ youth and depth.

For his part, Popovich tried to downplay the importance of his team’s physical condition. “I think being out of gas had somewhat of an effect, but not as much as the good play of the Lakers, ” he said afterwards.

That said, it is clear that star guard Manu Ginobili has some serious injury (be it his finger or his ankle) that has him completely out of sorts. Ginobili was awful for the second game in a row: after shooting 3-13 in Game 1, he slumped his way to 2-8 shooting and a mere seven points on Friday. The Spurs need Ginobili’s energy, passion and versatility on offence even more than usual when matched up against such a lively team as Los Angeles. To this point Ginobili’s play has made him akin to the Balki character he so resembles: a perfect stranger.

Teams down 0-2 are 14-208 all-time. In San Antonio’s favour is the fact that they themselves are already counted among those 14 with their comeback against New Orleans. But the Lakers haven’t blown a 2-0 lead since 1969. Even more telling: Coach Phil Jackson hasn’t done it ever.

San Antonio now returns home to the River Walk, where they are 6-0 this postseason. That their collective play is elevated at their own friendly confines is clear. They are scoring 103.3 per game at home (compared to 86.6 on the road) and allowing almost six points fewer at home than away. But to achieve any kind of success back in San Antonio, the road-weary Spurs must start shooting. In the first two games they are only 37.4% from the floor, and a ghastly 25.6% from three (including 3-12 in the first half Friday).

But even more surprising than the Spurs’ shooting woes were the sounds bordering on resignation coming from the San Antonio club after the defeat. Popovich conceded that his team was deflated by the 9-0 Laker run at the end of the second and that they’ll need more life to make this a series.

Can the Spurs rise from the ashes yet again? Of course. Are they likely to win both Game 3 and 4 at home to bring the series back to Los Angeles all tied up? Definitely. Is there still hope for them repeating? No doubt. Until the Spurs are dead and buried, no one should feel safe counting them out.

But Friday night’s performance by the Lakers was lights out, literally and figuratively. Now the Spurs hope to keep the light on at home.