After surprising the league with their promising start, 7-3, the Lakers have now fallen to 7-6 with their tough loss last night at the Staples Center, their third in a row. The Lakers led the Nets almost the entire game, then lost their lead in the 4th quarter. Down by 12, the Lakers rallied back and took the lead, with amazing play by Kobe Bryant. He was cold since scoring big in the first quarter, then started draining 3’s from deep. They took the lead again but Kidd and company were too much in the end, and won by two points.
Sure, 7-6 is not a great record. And though they are where most thought they would be, they should be pleased with their position, both in the standings, and as a molding ball club. They beat Phoenix, Utah, Houston, and Detroit and have had great production off the bench. And though Kobe is averaging over 27 points, he is carrying less weight, and trusting his team more.
The play from Andrew Bynum has been huge. Kwame Brown out was a blessing in disguise. Kwame sucks and always has; a project that never panned out. Bynum’s increase in minutes has given him over 10 points and rebounds a game, shooting at a high percentage. Odom, Fisher, Farmar, and Radmanovic are also averaging in double figures.
So what has happened between this year and last year? Why do we seem like a better squad? It’s the same guys. Wasn’t Kobe complaining at the lack of moves we made? Yes. And he was right. But there were a couple minor moves that helped us more than anyone thought. Bymun and Farmar have matured quicker than expected. Radmanovic is actually playing, after being injured the whole season. We got Fisher back, but more importantly, we got rid of Smush.
Fisher is good, a player with smarts and experience, but the presence of Smush Parker was an obvious problem that was handled way too late. It wasn’t until the final 3 games of the season that Phil Jackson replaced the park baller with Farmar. Jackson’s prejudice against rookies had to have come into play, because Parker had blown lay-ups, turned the ball over, and made poor shot selection the entire season. He single handedly lost the game that could have advanced the Lakers past the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Though they have played well as a team, their inability to close out games like last night demonstrates their inexperience, and will continue to be tested with a very difficult schedule. They play Kevin Durant and the Supersonics on Tuesday, then Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson come to town Thursday when the Lakers play the Nuggets. They will start a road trip that begins in Utah on Saturday.
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