To Those Who Said He Lost A Step

It doesn’t take a rocket science to realize the Lakers are playing like champs again.  “Potential to be as good as any team I’ve coached with the Lakers.” Remember, Phil Jackson has already coached one Lakers three-peat.  Consider that club a decade ago had not only Kobe, but Shaq in his prime.  The potential to reach legendary status as one of the all-time great teams not only in Lakers history, but in NBA history.  Think about it for a moment. After cruising to a Game 6 win, they now understand the rare feat is only 12 victories away.

You might say, “you have a short memory.”  How can you even put the Lakers in a discussion comparing them to legendary NBA teams? They don’t even belong in the same conversation, you just cannot mention them with the likes of Jordan’s Bulls, Magic’s Lakers, or Bird’s Celtics; let alone the Kobe and Shaq-led Lakers. “How can you forget Games 1 and 4?” Valid points, however, you are forgetting something.

The Lakers are the best when it comes to learning from mistakes.  It’s almost unprecedented the way they conduct business.  “We’re good at making adjustments and learning,” Bryant said. “So the more a series goes on, the more we learn. That comes from our coaching staff. That comes from us and the amount of experience we have, being able to pick teams apart the later we go in a series.” After successfully containing the pick-and-roll against the Hornets in Game 5, the Lakers kept at it and defended it even better.  In Game 6, the Hornets were held to only eight points on pick-and-roll plays, their lowest total during the series.  A sign of a champion: their ability to adjust.

Adjusting as the series goes on is what makes the Lakers an extremely tough out in a seven-game challenge.  This is what makes good teams great.  This is what separates those who have the ability to be the best with those who exercise that ability and become legendary.  The difference is how they adapt to a team when that certain team has exploited an area of weakness.  How fast they adjust and quickly turn the tables, something the Lakers excel in accomplishing, is paramount.  They thrive on their ability to make that adjustment – it’s what makes them great.  Its what makes them the two-time defending champs; something they are looking like more and more since the loss in Game 4.

Also, it simply helps when you have size on your side. “Every time he got an offensive rebound, it was deflating,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “You don’t really realize how good he is until you face him in a series. Kobe’s Kobe, but I thought Bynum decided the series. He was that good.”  When Bynum is playing at a high level, watch out.  When Kobe isn’t the difference-maker, you know your team is loaded.

Surely, the Lakers imposed their will on the Hornets this series.  “The size and depth of our team wore them down in the end,” Jackson said. “It took us a little time to figure out this team.”  In Game 6, the Lakers once again dominated the painted area.  They outscored New Orleans in second chance points 21-4 and out-rebounded them 43-30. On the offensive glass, they stung the Bees by doubling (14-7; 8 complimentary of Bynum) their output.  Defensively, they held the Hornets to only 3-14 from the land of plenty and under 43% shooting from the hardwood.  Also, they forced Chris Paul into five turnovers and limited him to just 10 points. Yet, amidst all of this, the question is: As the Playoffs progress, can they continue to rely on their size to bully teams on the glass and on defense?  The story of the boards will be different next round, when they face an improved Mavs squad.  Defensively, perimeter super-scorers like Dirk and Durant will be tough to handle.  The task at hand for Lamar Odom and Ron Artest is clear-cut, with the objective of this: get physical, be physical, and stay physical.

In the end, the champs knew how to apply the finishing touch. “They’re the champs and they know how to put the pedal to the medal — and they did.”  It’s exactly what true champs are made of.  They know how to put teams out.  Seemingly, they have that killer instinct, that look in their eye.  Through its title run, the team is now 9-1 in “close out games”. Certainly, they are at their absolute best when it matters the most.  You can’t say that about most teams. Needless to say, if Bynum keeps playing the way he does (whenever he registers a double-double in the Playoffs they win), while the intensity inside stays channeled, and Kobe is Kobe – their will be more opportunities to enhance their record in close out games.  On behalf of the Purple and Gold: Four down, 12 to go towards a three-peat!  The message and goal remains the same.

Western Conference Semifinals, Game 1 vs. Mavericks: 7:30 PT, At Staples Center