Even before their hard-to-swallow loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers have been floundering. It’s been a rough season, as rough as it can be for the best team in the Western Conference. Gasol has missed 17 games. Ron Artest missed some time with a concussion around Christmas and really hasn’t been the same since. The bench was struggling—still is—and future Hall of Fame shooting guard, Kobe Bryant has had to do everything, including drill game-winning jumpers over Miami, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and, more recently, Boston.
Relive the game winning shots of this season, so far, including some instantly infamous Bryant highlights (at right).
Wow. Kobe’s terrific, but look a little closer. Yeah, they really had to scratch out wins against Sacramento and Milwaukee. I know both teams have improved, but c’mon. We’re talking about the defending NBA champions having trouble beating teams that are unlikely to make the playoffs (although Milwaukee has a chance). To beat the Kings, it took Kobe scoring 39, but the neither of the Kings top scorers Kevin Martin nor Tyreke Evans played. On the other hand, the Milwaukee win was okay, and I won’t hassle the Lakers too much, except to mention that Kobe had to do too much, finishing with 39 points, again. Still, the Lakers have relied on Kobe too much, even to barely beat teams they should dominate.
That the Lakers scraped out wins against Miami and Boston is only slightly better, until you start thinking about it. Wade was 7/21 from the field in that game; he was also 12/18 from the free throw line. If Wade had a better game, it wouldn’t have been close. In the Boston game, the Lakers took an early ten point lead, only to be down most of the game. Down by 11 in the fourth quarter, the Lakers clawed their way back into the game. Their scoring was balanced and Kobe only had to score 19, but that’s only half the story. In this game where Boston led most of the way, Rasheed Wallace (with only 14 points) outscored Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Pau Gasol. In fact, combined Garnett and Allen had only 17 (Pierce finished with 15). As a Laker fan, I’m happy that Garnett and Pierce had more turnovers, combined, than Allen had points. Seeing as though the Lakers won by one though, I’m not so impressed by the effort of the purple and gold.
In their most recent game, 44 points and the Laker record for most points scored for the franchise, while great accomplishments for Bryant, were overshadowed by a 95-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Although Artest missed the potential game-winner, he scored 18 and pulled in 5 rebounds. Kobe, uncharacteristically, missed five free throws during the game. Overall, though, Kobe was brilliant, shooting 16/28 and 4/7 from three, and finishing with 44, Jerry West’s number. Despite Kobe’s brilliance, the Lakers could not win.
So, how can the Lakers right the ship and progress on their way back to the NBA Finals? Obviously, everyone needs to be healthy. The Lakers also need more balance offensively and consistent effort on defense. Ron Artest needs to return to form. Andrew Bynum has to become the rebounding-block machine that Phil Jackson wants him to be. Finally, Kobe needs to forget about the record books and remember that being a great distributor makes him an even more potent offensive weapon. The Lakers will be fine, but they need to get back to that old cliché, playing the right way.
R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
