Last Week & The Lakers: What Me, Worry?
Kobe Bryant passing the ball as Thabo Sefolosha guards him in the first half of the Lakers 90-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. (AP Photo/James Schammerhorn)
A week ago Lakers fans while enjoying the All Star festivities still were a little apprehensive after three consecutive losses on the road to Orlando, Charlotte and Cleveland. Maybe apprehension isn’t the right word for it. Panic. Yes, that’s it. A wave of hysterical panic made its way all throughout the Southland from the deserts to the valleys to the beaches to even the isles.
OHMYGODTHELAKERSAREAWFULWENEEDMELOBYNUMSUCKSKOBEISOLDPAUISSOFTOHMYGODLET’SJUMPOFFABRIDGENOW!
Since the All Star Break the Lakers routed the Atlanta Hawks, won at a place they rarely win at in Portland, shut the Griffins down and decided to take some charges in a defensive stand in Oklahoma City.
So this makes me wonder why anyone would pay attention to the Lakers before March. Well unless they were remarkably horrible or on the verge of breaking their own consecutive game winning streak, what’s the point?
They’re a veteran team that knows what it takes to win it all. So they lose back-to-back games to two of the worst teams in the league. Everyone knows they will turn it on when they need to. Everyone has seen that script before.
Need we be reminded last season when the Lakers lost seven of their last 11 regular season games? Hell they didn’t even turn it on in the first round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But there they were at Game 7 of the NBA Finals at STAPLES Center, and after that atrocity of a game they were the ones standing on the podium while we all set taxi cabs and downtown businesses on fire in celebration.
So why worry?
Other Weekend Stuff
The Ducks finally won a game! Congratulations.
Baron Davis spoke to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and said it was hard to play for an owner who heckled you every day.
Aussie Open champ Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in the Dubai Tennis Championships Final. Both will be headed to Indian Wells for the BNP Paribas Open in March. LAist will be there covering the semifinals and finals for both the men’s and women’s events. Hello sunscreen!
While the Oscars were going on, the Miami Heat continued to prove they can’t win close games. They blew a 15-point first half lead and lost to the new-look New York Knicks 91-86.
Hey college basketball. Who the hell wants to be the best team in the country? Doesn’t seem like many since the top ranked team has lost in three consecutive weeks.
Tut tut. It looks like a lockout. In the NFL that is.