It was not a sight many Lakers fans wanted to see. The team just lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in embarrassing fashion, 119-90, and faced a series deficit for the first time in the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
However, perhaps the most surprising image of the night was the one on the Lakers’ bench. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol chatting on the sideline for quite some time, even after most of the team exited the court and headed to the locker-room.
The Lakers did not come up with a lot of energy and many people thought this was just a show and a time to make the world see that they were still engaged. Nevertheless, Bynum said after the game that his talk with Gasol focused on getting better for Game 2.
“We really just talked about what we’re going to do offensively as far as trying to get most of us more involved in the high-low (game) because we have a big advantage there and we’ve got to get to it,” Bynum told TNT.
Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds in the game, while Gasol put in 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Still, the big men did not have a very effective game and they had trouble stopping penetration. The Lakers need a better effort from their front-court or else they can very easily fall down 0-2.
These two have been very inconsistent this season and many have criticized their level of energy. Bynum has shown everyone that he has the ability to be the best center in the league, but he has lack the enthusiasm at times. As for Gasol, he is one of the most skilled forwards in the NBA, but his tendency to play soft and lose confidence as hurt the Lakers mightily.
