As Kobe Bryant describes it “bi-polar”, a symptom that has the Lakers high or down and spinning in circles. Still, we are trying to figure out this team, trying to gather evidence of an ever changeable mood swing as Los Angeles navigates in a playoff run to attempt a return to the NBA Finals.
The problem is that the Lakers are dysfunctional, never knowing what to expect and can never predict the forecast of a series until it reaches a point when the Lakers must win or go home in a sudden death of Game 7. And when it seems the Lakers have overcome emotional symptoms, another loss derails considerably NBA’s most talented franchise, a team that just do not play with enough diligence and consistency.
Once the best talented team falters, it turns into a laughable circus and draws media frenzy. Of late, it evokes mockery for the Lakers, when its peculiar inabilities to dominate as expected makes the average devotee cringe. It was supposed to be the villainous team in the West, it was supposed to be the most powerful and biggest threat.
These days, it's not easy buying into the Lakers. At least, it's rationally the way to think when lapses transpired in the Houston series with uninspiring meltdowns against the Rockets, a series that shouldn’t have lasted seven games. In the last series, they were challenged and damn near blown out of the second-round, which would have went down as the biggest upset in NBA history?
And now this, the Western Conference Finals, a series that could conceivably prolong to seven games if the Lakers lingering struggles lengthens. As usual, on a typical night at Staples Center, celebrities were out and the spiritual L.A. cheerleader Jack Nicholson rested in his reserved courtside seat to watch the Lakers react Games 4 and 6 of the last series, humiliated in each contest.
But the difference against the physical and fierce Denver Nuggets, there hasn’t been humiliating routs, though it’s a resemblance of the Houston series when the Lakers arrived confused and complacent on certain nights. After all, they are “bi-polar.” And Thursday night was when the mood changed in the midst of a probable 2-0 lead over the Nuggets, suddenly modifying from fundamentally sound to dysfunctional. It's an unfitting relapse for people who believe in the Lakers, familiar and weary of the inconsistent, puzzling performance.
Every other game doesn’t mean take the night off. It means to win it all if possible, but for some elusive reason it seems as if the Lakers are too careless and mindless whenever it has a commanding lead, eccentric ethos that have followed them throughout the playoffs. Pitifully, after blowing a 13-point lead, makes you ponder and have second thoughts.
Are they worth the hype? Or are they overhyped? See how confusing that is, trying to understand if the Lakers are championship-driven or unnecessary hype anticipating an epic classic in June. Quiet down with all the hoopla, pointless bias of a one-on-one duel, which may not even emerge as NBA’s main event, an appealing bout the masses are dying to witness in the next few weeks.
Television ads already are promoting a Kobe-LeBron crusade, in Nike commercials where each is puppets and the Vitaminwater ads with endless debates creating much hype. It's all premature publicity, in which the Lakers and Cavs must defeat the toughest challengers yet before we can start discussing “The Great Debate." But until then, Bryant has to lead the Lakers into the Mile High City, where the Nuggets are fiercely dynamic and have been consistent.
On the other side, the finesse Lakers have struggled, barely stealing one on Houston’s court in the last round. There are already speculations that they cannot win in Denver. In a low-attitude atmosphere, the air is just as thin as the Lakers. And now, momentum shifts back to the Nuggets, who are traveling home for Games 3 and 4. The Lakers frailty persuades us to believe that the franchise in L.A. is the biggest riddle, and not the most talented. Before each game, you never know what is anticipated, which makes the Lakers erratic and difficult to bet on, particularly traveling to the Mile High City for a rocky road ultimatum.
WIN OR GO HOME!
If they expect to win the series and advance to the NBA Finals for a new chapter involving the overhyped Great Debate, then great things might happen by dominating on the road. Unfortunately, the mental disorder kicked in during the second-half, when the Lakers surrendered to the relentless Nuggets. Rather than denying the truth, let's strongly believe the Lakers are on upset alert. In the second half, the Lakers controlled momentum amid a comeback that mustered a 14-2 run with the last two points benefiting the Nuggets. By playing smart and small ball, it exchanged momentum, giving sizable leeway and home court advantage to Denver, a unit that has found its culture since Chauncey Billups was acquired for his leadership and ability to change a tumultuous culture into championship caliber.
The Nuggets are competitive and crafty late in games, when Billups inbounded the ball twice off Bryant’s back, cleverly picking it up a laying it in en route to a tense 106-103 win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. In reality, it has informed us of the stubborn-minded disorder that has impaired and dismantled talent, giving us enough sense to believe this team is a riddle, ambiguity that remains to be seen whether the Lakers are talented or a fluke. But it wasn’t hard reading the Nuggets minds. No fortunate tellers were necessitate for the gifted, late-miracle, shot-clutching Carmelo Anthony, who continued his postseason dominance with 34 points and nine rebounds.
Late as time dwindled, Billups converted on three of four free throws. From there, the Nuggets basically controlled tempo, and ran it up and down as the Lakers surrendered, something talented teams rarely orchestrates in the postseason. But the Lakers commit a foolish habit too frequently by playing soft and carelessly. Championship teams never stop playing, and considering that the Lakers are championship bound is just confounding. They have fallen back into undermined contenders where temptations remains immense, but of late, veering criticism that was never envisioned.
It wasn’t the team many had in mind. Instead this was considered the most dominant and suited franchise to win a championship, and redeem themselves of a humiliating letdown to Boston a year ago. But as it seems, the Lakers were closer to worst humiliation, damn near allowing the Rockets to pull off the greatest upset in history. And once again, the Lakers have encountered a fierce team, in which some are confident Denver can survive and clinch a berth to the NBA Finals.
But this was supposed to be the year of the Lakers. This was supposed to be NBA’s villains. Turns out, Team L.A. isn't villains. And if anything, they’re softies. They take games for granted, when the primary focus should be playing like it's the last game. Eventually, the Lakers will have to play with passion, care, tenacity, vehemence and finesse, ingredients it comprises of, but has failed to utilize its gifted capabilities.
With an unpredictable frontline of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, two big men who takes bundles of criticism for the lack of inside presence each offers, the Lakers haven't returned to form. But in Game 2, at least in the first-half, a mental deficit wasn’t a problem and the big three Gasol, Bynum and Lamar Odom, combined for 11 points.
Then, there was Bryant, who bristled inside to escape Denver’s defensive force Dahntay Jones. While defending Kobe, he picked up four fouls in the first quarter, clearly showing us his defensive weaknesses against the greatest player on the planet. We can debate whether the Lakers will meet the Cavs in the upcoming weeks.
First, there's business to take care of against Denver. Meanwhile the man to blame for these up and down emotional spins, is head coach Phil Jackson. He has suddenly modified from the Zen Master to Zilch Master. He is the second best coach who has collected nine rings, thanks in part of coaching monumental dynasties, which were built with tremendous talent.
With Chicago, he coached the Bulls to six championships, while he was led by NBA’s greatest and legendary guard Michael Jordan, followed by three more with the Lakers where Kobe and Shaq bailed out his coaching infirmities. Many of those rings have to do with the players he has coached in previous years. Fortunate enough to have coached gifted players, we should assumed his players won it all as he was and still represents himself as an average coach, leading a dysfunctional franchise.
Before we start politically debating a Kobe-LeBron contest, we must realize the Lakers are not in the greatest position, traveling back to Denver tied. Even so, talking about this Kobe-LeBron opposition is prematurely overhyped drama, in which the masses overlooked another matchup, currently occurring in this series.
That’s Kobe-Melo.
Not only does this league revolves around the talent of James or Kobe, but it also revolves around the remarkable talent of Carmelo Anthony, a replica of Bryant with his finesse and artifice of withstanding pressure situations by nailing unstoppable jumpers. Even with his strength, he beleaguers inside in which Thursday night the Lakers never had an answer for Anthony.
It was the finest and superb win for coach George Karl, who was sadden to sustain such a near-miss in Game 1. There was Kenyon Martin, the NBA’s “thug” and bully in the middle who played efficient with a score of 16 points. And a surge came off the bench, when Linas Kleiza had eight points and eight rebounds in the second quarter. To give respect, Anthony is the second hottest player in the playoffs other than James.
His opponent and good friend Bryant, who scored 32 points, came two points shy of winning the physical duel, while defending him was a challenge. Anytime Bryant had the ball, Anthony accepted a challenge and put hands directly in his face, but there’s no throwing off the greatest player’s rhythm. Only Anthony is the better player than Kobe, and the Nuggets are the better team as the Lakers still remain an unsolved mystery. After all, there might not even be a Kobe-LeBron epic feud, if the Lakers continue to remain a riddle.
Right now, consider it a crazy riddle that wasn’t anticipated.
