The very question itself is enough to cause a migraine.
After all, the Lakers are..well..the Lakers.
The Western Supremacy. The NBA’s favorite team. Home of some of the most legendary players to ever play on the hardwood.
But to the Bobcats, they’re just another team.
It may be the emergence of Gerald Wallace. When the Bobcats acquired him from the Sacramento Kings in 2004, his stats have jumped each season. Most recently receiving an all-star nod due to his average of 18.5 ppg and 10 rpg. Wallace is a bit of a matchup problem for the Lakers. He’s an athletic Small Forward who’s able to play at the 4 position.
But the real problem is the Lakers inability to defend their speedy point guards. The recent tandem of Raymond Felton and DJ Augustine have been able to slash to the basket whenever they want. Whether it’s a floater or an outlet pass, the Laker guards just can’t seem to impede them defensively.
So is the Lakers only chink in the championship-destined armor perimeter defense? The Bobcats have been the only team to exploit that weakness well.
Maybe it’s Coach Larry Brown. After all, he did handily defeat the Lakers in the 2004 Finals as the Pistons’ Head Coach. Brown took down a Hall of Fame cast of Shaq, Karl Malone, Gary Payton and of course, Kobe Bryant. The end result proved to be just a fling. If you think about it, the Lakers couldn’t shut down the backcourt at that time either. Chauncey Billups took over whenever the momentum began to pull away from them.
Maybe Larry Brown simply has the formula for L.A.’s demise. Just a thought.
The worse thing about this struggle is that the Bobcats aren’t exactly a star-studded team that just can’t find their way to the playoffs. In fact, other then Gerald Wallace and newly acquired Stephen Jackson, most NBA fans can’t even name five other players on that roster. Even Wallace had a hard time getting notice, despite his improving stats each season.
But Charlotte does matchup well against L.A.
Although the Lakers are a towering nightmare for nearly every team with Bynum and Gasol, both standing at 7 feet, the Bobcats have a lot of athletic players to get out on the floor for quick baskets.
Or maybe it’s the lack of defensive intensity of the Lakers. Pay close attention to the next game they play against Charlotte. Being that I have to look at the games with more detail, I realized what may be the reason the Bobcats defeat us so handily.
Once their guards pass Fisher, Farmar, or Shannon, there is a huge amount of space within the perimeter. The end result is usually a non-contested jumpshot or a pass to the weak side for an easier field goal.
This all leads to a very frustrated Phil Jackson when ever the camera pans to him. The media crew have a knack of catching Phil every time he makes a “You’ve got to be kidding me!!” look.
Next: Series Breakdown
[phpbay]Lakers, 3, “”Lakers”"[/phpbay]
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