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| I think it is too late to add Captain Sully to the Lakers' playoff roster. 1 |
As you are likely aware, the Los Angeles Lakers were obliterated by 29 points by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the 2012 Western Conference Semifinals. I am not expecting the Lakers’ doom because I have a “sky is falling” disposition. I understand that Game 1 was played at OKC. I understand that in the NBA playoffs the series doesn’t really begin until the home team loses or Game 7, whichever comes first. The aforementioned notwithstanding, the Lakers are dead men walking.
WHO NOT TO BLAME
Teams often go as far as their stars can carry them. Kobe Bryant (28 PPG, 5 APG, 5 RPG) is the Lakers’ unquestioned on-court leader. Bryant is playing as well as I have ever seen him play in the post season, averaging 28 points per game in this year’s playoffs. Do not blame him.
Head coach Mike Brown calls the plays and sets the strategies. Most of the time during the 2012 season, it has worked rather well. He cannot make the players execute at 100% for 48 minutes. Mike Brown never hit Thunder forward James Harden in the head and cost the team its toughest defender, Metta World Peace, for six games of a first round playoff series. Do not blame him.
Scroll to 0:35 to hear who NOT to blame. Sorry, readers, but this is never going to get old to me!
The Jekyll and Hyde acts of Lakers center Andrew Bynum and forward Pau Gasol would befuddle the most un-befuddle-able of spectators. Yes! I said, “unbefuddleable”. Granted, Bynum did not play badly last night, with 20 points and 14 rebounds. But one never knows which Bynum is going to show up, especially on the road away from the Staples Center.
Last night he was almost a tiny silver lining in the dark cloud that was the Lakers. Tomorrow night, he could be completely aloof and checked out, picking up stupid technical fouls, not joining the huddle, and resisting Coach Brown’s game plan. One man rarely completely makes or breaks a basketball team. However, I feel quite confident that if Bynum were fully tuned in from each opening tip to each final buzzer, the Lakers would have disposed of the Denver Nuggets in five games, instead of trailing at home during the fourth quarter of Game 7.
If Bynum duplicates his efforts last night and his teammates to not repeat the abortion of a performance from last night, the Lakers could make the Thunder sweat during this series. When Bynum gives the Lakers a full, focused effort for every minute of all seven games of a seven game series, I’ll wear a purple and gold dress with Bynum’s #17 sewn on the back and the words, “I Was Wrong,” sewn on the name plate.
Pau Gasol (17 PPG, 10 RPG) had been as reliable an offensive post season player as the Lakers had in past years. This year, when he has checked into hotels on the road his mind checks out of the game at hand. Gasol has averaged a paltry 11 points per game and has failed to grab 10 rebounds in any road playoff game this season. Other than Game 7 of the first round series, Gasol has yet to elevate his game up to or beyond his typical game in the regular season.
| Blake Griffin was foreshadowing the Lakers' playoff fate, with the Thunder as the firing squad: boom, boom...POW! 2 |
CHANGES
The Lakers will not win this series. Because, in addition to playing a younger, faster, more athletic Thunder team, the Thunder are hungry and, from all accounts, pushing themselves to the limit during games and in practice. On ESPN radio, I heard a report that Thunder coach Scott Brooks had to veto a decision by his players to engage in two-a-day practices during their nine day layoff between the end of their first round series with the Dallas Mavericks and the beginning of the Western Semis with L.A.
In contrast, I haven’t seen anyone not named “Bryant” or “World Peace” playing with constant, urgent intensity from start to finish in every game. In World Peace’s case, that could be an occasional negative. His brand of intensity can lead to injuries and missed games; ask James Harden.
Point guard Ramon Sessions and reserves Steve Blake and Matt Barnes are solid role players that play their roles well. But playoff series are generally not won by the role players, they simply are not lost. Star players need to rise to the sky and I have little faith in World Peace, Gasol, and Bynum to simultaneously translate their intensity and focus into production on the court night in and night out.
This Lakers team, by its play, is going to send a glaring message to management that this core is not going to win another championship. When the Thunder either sweep the Lakers out of the playoffs or unceremoniously dispose of them in five games, that message will be sent loud and clear from both the players and the fans. This boat is sinking. It’s time to abandon ship.
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| History repeats itself; Life imitates art. 3 |
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2) Image from www.memecrunch.com
3) Image from www.kcalfm.com
4) Video from www.youtube.com
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