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RIP Lakers. This final humiliation is the latest in a long line of humiliations for the defending Champs this season. To think that Bryant and company are going to be able to just flick a switch and take over the Western Conference come playoff time is quixotic at best and impossible at worst. This sorry Laker team as it is now playing will likely be knocked out in the first round this year. The argument that LA could beat any team in a seven game series when healthy and motivated has now reached joke status.
It was the 5th game in 6 days....more important than losing to Cleveland....they lost their last 3 games in a row.
They played their guys heavy minutes too so we can't blame this on them coasting.
Pretty much their defense was crappy and they had some shooting issues from Kobe (tired) and Bynum.
This really isn't anything new. They were 30-11 in mid-January and looked like they were coasting but going 8-8 since they are clearly struggling outside of Kobe, Gasol and Odom. The lack of bench kills them in stretches like this.
Honestly, I'm really going to take a wait and see approach. I thought they were ripe to lose last year, and had to eat a plate of crow. A loss to the Cavs though, when they need to be REALLY pushing to get some HCA, these are the kinds of losses that make or break you.
I was totally stunned (as a Cavs fan)...I first checked the score in the 3rd quarter w/9 minutes to go and they were up 9, had to do a double-take. At that point, I fully expected them to implode as I watched the rest of the game remembering they lost by 55 points just 36 days earlier to those same Lakers, but for the first time really since opening night when they beat the Celtics, they played defense and stayed composed down the stretch, even as the Lakers cut a 10-point lead to 2 in the final 2 minutes. Sessions played a fantastic game, I expected that type of play out of him all season...hoping he just needed some time to get acclimated to the system/team as he has played much better the past month or so. Of course, the day after he plays his best game as a Cav, there is a rumor that the Hawks are going to try and acquire him!
If I'm an opposing coach I'm taking note of the Lakers short bench and aging legs. I'm going to hound them, run like crazy and keep subbing to wear them down in a game and a series.
IMO it's really the Lakers D more than anything since they still generally get plenty of O from thier big 2 + others. Artest and Fisher in particular are way down and Kobe cannot play killer D and score heavily for 40minutes a night anymore but they have no one to even help Fisher and Artest let alone spell him.
the numbers hold true, in the lakers losses kobe shoots way to much and pau not enough. pau got closer to kobes shots number with 15 to 24 but in a game where pau is killing the other team kobe should have been passing and not shooting. kobe shot 33% and 1-6 from 3 while pau went 14-14 from the FT line. pau is the key to their season as he has been since he got there but i think kobe deep inside (or not so deep) wants to continue to be the man so he has a bit of one-ups-manship going on. there was an article a couple weeks ago about the myth of kobe the closer, and it was in full swing last night. the article talks abotu how kobe is easy to goat into holding onto the ball and taking a so-so shot where he shoots less then 40% and that was the last 5 minutes of the game last night for sure. he got a so-so look at a 2, down by 4 with 20 seconds left last night and it was not even close. that was how it went for him.
pau is the key, and he is more tired then anyone it seems. as i have said before all the long runs deep into the playoffs and pau playing 2 of 3 years in the summer has worn him down. kobe will get his but pau is the key.
the numbers hold true, in the lakers losses kobe shoots way to much and pau not enough. pau got closer to kobes shots number with 15 to 24 but in a game where pau is killing the other team kobe should have been passing and not shooting. kobe shot 33% and 1-6 from 3 while pau went 14-14 from the FT line. pau is the key to their season as he has been since he got there but i think kobe deep inside (or not so deep) wants to continue to be the man so he has a bit of one-ups-manship going on. there was an article a couple weeks ago about the myth of kobe the closer, and it was in full swing last night. the article talks abotu how kobe is easy to goat into holding onto the ball and taking a so-so shot where he shoots less then 40% and that was the last 5 minutes of the game last night for sure. he got a so-so look at a 2, down by 4 with 20 seconds left last night and it was not even close. that was how it went for him.
pau is the key, and he is more tired then anyone it seems. as i have said before all the long runs deep into the playoffs and pau playing 2 of 3 years in the summer has worn him down. kobe will get his but pau is the key.
I'm curious how Kobe "ages gracefully" with the Lakers.
I'm curious how Kobe "ages gracefully" with the Lakers.
i dont know that he can. i think his pride and his desire will over power his "grace". i dont remember jordan being graceful as he aged either. i think kobe is going to end up kinda like chuck liddell and go way past where he should retire or "pass the torch" and end up sorta messing his legacy up. similar to what shaq has done over the last couple of years. shaq at 38 should be done but he expects to play another 2-3 years, time to hang it up.
i dont remember jordan being graceful as he aged either.
Are you kidding? Jordan at 35 was the best anyone has ever been at that age. Hell, Wizards Jordan was the best anyone has ever been at 40. He was still one of the 15 best players in the league as a Wizard.
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