The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be in some serious trouble… too bad I don’t care! Just kidding… but truth be told I am not nor ever have been a Lakers fan (I’m a Celtics fan… and Lakers vs Celtics is considered one of the great rivalries in sports). However the story of their struggles is compelling and has been a source of debate throughout the sports world.
No matter your spectrum of sports knowledge or expertise, you have to have heard of the Los Angeles Lakers and perhaps even the name Kobe Bryant is somewhat familiar to you. Ladies (yes I’m making a generalization), if reality TV is your thing then Lamar Odom should also ring a bell. The Los Angeles Lakes are one of the most recognizable franchises in the NBA, having won 5 NBA titles since 2000 and having recruited some of the best players in the league. So why am I calling them the Lost Angeles Lakers?
Let me say one thing before I get into the apparent identity crisis the Lakers are going through: the Dallas Mavericks are a good team and I don’t want to take anything away from their wins. It wouldn’t matter what team the Lakers lost to; the reason it’s making headlines is that the Lakers don’t lose the first two games in the series… AT HOME!! These losses coupled with having one of their players (Pau Gasol) comment that the team has “trust issues” has the fans reeling. Trust issues? Really?
Yes, like any good relationship, things that might happen off the court and lack of trust in abilities on the courts will lead to foul play. Despite being professionals, off court drama happens and it affects how they perform. Even a slight hesitation on a pass can bring a turnover or cause players to miss uncontested (open) shots. The Lakers have been in the spotlight at time during the regular season, bearing criticism for their mid season “slump.” Yet, they still made it to the play-offs, just like the Celtics and the Heat who faced similar situations. They also have one of the winningest coaches in NBA history in Phil Jackson… this man has more NBA championship rings than fingers to wear them on (11).
But getting out of a 0-2 start in their 7 game series is going to take more than a great coach. The Lakers are going to have to man-up and confront whatever the drama it is that ails them. Additionally, flagrant, unnecessary fouls such as the one committed by Ron Artest have to stop. Perhaps essentially clothes lining a player with about 24 seconds to go may be a physical manifestation of just how frustrated the Lakers really are, but now Artest has managed to put additional pressure on the other players to perform as he has been suspended in game 3.
Who knows, maybe the Lakers thrive on this kind of drama and the “come from behind” scenario? And if the Lakers can manage to win this series against the Maverick, the title of my next blog could be “Lost and Found.”
Until next time….
GO MAVS!!! I hope they win tonight and beat out the Lakers!!
ReplyDeleteI think too many people are making a big deal about these "trust issues" and other chemistry issues the Lakers may have. Nobody seems to talk about how maybe age has caught up to the Lakers. Kobe is getting older and has many, many miles on those legs. While he's still one of the best 3 players in the NBA, he can't dominate on a night to night basis like he used to. Other guys are definitely showing signs of age (Fisher, Artest) and Gasol is living up to his rep as being a sissy on the court.
ReplyDeleteThey also have a terrible bench once you get past Odom. Steve Blake? Matt Barnes? Shannon Anderson? These are not the guys you want playing a lot in the playoffs.
Plus, they don't have anyone who can come close to guarding Dirk. The only advantage the Lakers have (other than Kobe) is Bynum, and they should get him the ball more if they want to win. Although, he shouldn't have said what he did to the media. Gotta keep that stuff in house.
Have I ever told you about the dinner I had with Kobe? As for basketball...just not my thing. Maybe I haven't had anything to love in quite awhile, because I remember watching it religiously especially Lakers/Celtics when I was younger, and then Jordan/Pippen/Rodman when I got older. Then when Rodman went off on his bridal tangent, I kinda followed him and never found a reason to go back to basketball. Apparently, I haven't missed much.
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