Written by: Stan Park
So here we are again. It’s that part of the season when for some teams, there are far more questions than wins, ala the New Jersey Nets and perhaps even the Minnesota Timberwolves (respect to Rambis nonetheless). It’s pretty obvious what most of us would have to say in assessing the Nets or Wolves, but what about our very own defending champion Lakers?
Is it such a shock that even our beloved Lake show could have as many questions as Lost?
In the words of Tracy Morgan from his new movie that is a sadder sight than Joakim Noah’s jump shot, “NO”!
This is what makes NBA Basketball far and away the best professional sports league this world has to offer – it’s all about the DRAMA! Don’t get me wrong here. I have been as die hard about the Lakers as everyone else in the greatest city in the world the majority of my life.
From the days when Van Exel was yelling “Cancun” in the team huddle to the early glory days of Shakobe to flopping a 3-1 series lead against the ageless Steve Nash, I’ve followed it all with you step by step.
Still, I’ve got to admit that last year’s title run was a bit anti-climactic.
I think to some extent we all truly knew in our minds and hearts that our boys were going to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to LALA Land at all costs to culminate a redemptive 2008-2009 season.
To reiterate though, the season lacked a flair for the dramatic, especially when the Lakers firmly swept Boston and Cleveland. Yes, Bynum went down for the second straight year, but we still coasted through 82 with relative ease and faced hardly any resistance in the playoffs. Obviously Houston took us to seven games, but let’s be real.
The Lakers seemingly made that series intentionally hard for all of our entertainment and to provide themselves with the proverbial “hurdle” to overcome. Yeah, I said it. I know you have too.
All of that however, is very old news. You know how it is nowadays, we live in a “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY” kind of world and that is never truer than in the NBA. Sure, the title last year was unbelievably gratifying, especially for devoted Kobe fans.
But why is it that all I can think about is how much I want ANOTHER ONE and ANOTHER and…yes, ANOTHER.
That brings us to this point, second half of the NBA season 2010. This time last year, the team was 42-10, without Bynum for 8-12 weeks, but with an almost 100% healthy Kobe Bryant who easily outdueled LeBron in two MVPuppet matchups. How much things can swing in one year.
This season, Kobe has been operating at probably 75-85% and has been for much of the team’s run to the current 39-13 overall mark. Now, I’m really not one to get too hung up on regular season defeats because I think with each loss, the team is supposed to learn important lessons and keys about what it’s going to take to ultimately succeed in the long run.
Still, 0-2 against Cleveland is about as comfortable as watching an unanticipated nude scene in the movie theatre with your mom as she covers your eyes. That awkward moment has no age requirement by the way.
I think above all else though, what’s most frustrating about watching our Lakers play this year is really, just the lack of effort and focus that seems to permeate throughout the whole team far too often. We can’t seem to put together a winning streak after the 11 early in the season.
FYI, Cleveland is on a 13-game winning streak.
Last season, I watched all but 5 games during the regular season and playoffs combined and even when we lost games, I can’t recall feeling the kind of angst and annoyance that I do during some of our losses this year.
The way we are losing games and to whom we are losing is rather alarming because we aren’t really beating anyone good. Losing to Denver at home with Melo cracking jokes on the bench and to Cleveland without Mo Williams and King James rapping in-game are simply unacceptable.
In both games, the team completely blew double digit leads, albeit early on.
Yeah sure, we beat Boston at the Garden, so what? The leprechauns of the East are clearly a former shell of the title team two years ago and it’s definitely not getting any better any time soon for them.
This is where the climax of Kobe’s injury woes might be beautifully timed if there’s any consolation in it. I was actually advocating that he keep playing if he wanted to, but I have to concur that it was a damn good sight to see him just getting some good old fashioned REST for once. The man plays 150% all the time with this season being no exception, which I’m sure contributed to the extension of his injuries.
BIG UPS to D-Wade on winning his first All-Star MVP. Hey, at least he held it down for the two-guards in the world. For those of you living under a rock, the MAMBA has three (and counting).
Now I’d put my ‘Dark Knight’ edition Kobe V’s on the line and bet that Kobe would love to clinch a couple more Finals MVP honors over a fourth All-Star MVP. I waited two hours in the cold for those shoes by the way and I’ve never felt better about $130.00 spent (I know, as if the world needs more Kobe V endorsements, but still).
With Kobe getting some much needed time to redeem some R&R, hopefully the Lakers get to really reap the rewards of having chosen Artest over Ariza in the summer. Since the Boston game, Ron Ron has really been stepping his offensive and defensive game up to the level the teams needs to make a real run at a repeat. His offense and defense have also been as significant as Pau and Lamar’s performances during the 3-0 stretch without Kobe.
What’s scary is that the Lakers are far from peaking and playing cohesively as a unit. I’m not worried at all about Kobe feeling his way back into the flow of things if he does actually return tonight against the Warriors because he is a direct extension of Phil on the court. I am concerned though about the consistency of the bench.
It’s time for our long lost “Bench Mob”, “the Machine” included (unless they can get Hinrich), to re-establish their position as significant pieces of the championship puzzle. As much as the team will only go as far as Kobe can take them, he needs them just as much as they need him.
Don’t forget for a second that at the end of the day, basketball has always been and will continue to be a TEAM game. Kobe has given this city more than anyone could ask for in a basketball lifetime. I love watching the Mamba go to work and nothing excites me more in sports, but I would definitely love to see the Lakers as a complete team collectively find answers to all of the questions they’ve created 54 games in.
Honestly, I think it would be ideal if Kobe could go for 25-7-7 on a nightly basis, really focusing not so much on getting his, but being the floor general and making sure the team executes well throughout the game, the team will be fine and dandy.
Are we in crisis mode? Not at all given the impressive way with which the boys hit the All-Star break. Do we need to play better? We can always get better. Have we played our best basketball yet? I certainly hope not. Remember Laker fans, WE are all in this together.
The primary keys to attacking the second half of the season are going to be above all else, the team’s health and clearly, defensive execution. As amazing as Kobe’s injury riddled ironman run has been this year, the fact of the matter is that the Lakers are going to need him at 90%+ to realistically repeat.
DEFENSE wins championships and there is absolutely no reason to think that this season will require anything different.
The Lakers haven’t been fully healthy long enough this season to really develop that complete cohesive rhythm. Rhythm is everything in executing the triangle and creating efficient looks for everyone, which seems to determine how hard and focused they are on defense as well.
Are the Lakers a strong defensive unit? Ranking 9th in opponent points allowed and 5th in opponent field goal percentage suggests that there is definitely room for improvement even if it’s marginal. We all know that the team is more than capable of locking down and making things uncomfortable for any team in crunch time as we have seen of late. It’s really all about consistency and again, EFFORT.
I’m hoping to see Kobe come back for the last games with a refreshed ferocity with his teammates following suit. Wishful thinking, yes, but I really feel like the team has to put together a solid 12-15 game winning streak where they just hit a collective stride and start dominating, especially on the road.
This current NBA is a far cry from the days of the Bulls dynasty when total talent around the league was seldom comparable to MJ and company. The league now is way too stacked with superstars, hall of fame coaches, and deep benches to feel like the Lakers are just going to cruise to title #16.
The boys are going to have to “get it” and I mean ALL of “it”, at some point soon, just take control, and remind the rest of the league that the title is going to run through L.A. this year and for years to come.
No one said it was going to be easy. Would you have it any other way? Not me. Kobe wouldn’t either.
And oh yeah, I can’t forget – Shannon Brown…EPIC FAIL.
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