ought to be thinking about their next opponent, they are now only thinking on how to survive the series against the upstart Oklahoma Thunder.There are so many questions, so few answers.
Let's deal with the front court first. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol are both 7 footers while Lamar Odom is 6'10". With these three behemoths guarding the rim, it shouldn't be a problem swatting the ball from those pesky Okies, right? Wrong. Not only are the young gunners attacking the rim with reckless abandon. They are also blocking shots in the paint like shot-blocking will be outlawed next season.
So why are the Laker giants not getting it done?
Answer: On defense, they plod and are slow on the switch. On offense, the back-court players are throwing bricks from way out. With two reliable dunkers like Bynum and Gasol, the ball should be consistently played in the paint, right? Wrong again. Jordan Farmar, a guard who never sees a bad shot if it bites him, keeps on hoisting ill-considered 3s he puts Antoine Walker (remember 'Toine?) to shame. Not be outdone, Ron Artest (hired specifically to play defense), puts on a nauseating 12-for-40 streak beyond the arc. With the rock clanging off the rim with numbing regularity, the happy Okies are having a field day grabbing the rebounds. Since the Thunder are young turks (their average age is only 25) who love to sprint all night long — hell, they will run all year-long if allowed — the ensuing fastbreaks on the other end turn into a nightmare. Here both Bynum and Gasol are in agreement as to why they are not grabbing those loose balls. They can't. The ball is bouncing so far away from the rim that it's physically impossible for them to grab it. "Too many," Gasol ruefully shook his head when asked after Game 3, "too many jumpers."
Now let's peek under the hood on the Lakers back-court. We have the indefatigable Derek Fisher and The Man Himself, Kobe Bryant. Derek, to his credit, is a tireless no-nonsense player who is nothing but reliable in tight situations. But Derek is 35
and can no longer race sprints with the feisty Okies. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are literally running Fisher to the ground with constant movement. What about The Man? Kobe, sadly, has aged in the last several weeks. His shots are simply not there. With his drives to the basket perpetually blocked by a phalanx of active hands, Kobe has opted to go with his hero-making 3s. As of Game 4, he is 9-for-22 on the 3s and is clearly the culprit if Phil Jackson's heart suddenly seizes.When all is said and done, the Lakers are not going to repeat this year. In the off-season last year, the brain trust decided to part with 24-yr old Trevor Ariza (who played a very important role in rebounds and points-in-the paint for their championship run that year) and sign on 30-yr old Ron Artest. Many Laker old-timers questioned the decision but Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers GM, ignored common sense and brought in Ron Artest. And upon such small things is the reason why dynasties inevitably crumble. Mitch thought they needed Ron's alleged defensive prowess. So far, Ron-ron has absolutely done nothing to stop the Kevin Durant juggernaut. In fact, he is a contributor as to why the Lakers are in the hole: he loves 3Js too much he is making Phil rethink his Zen philosophy of non-violence. §§§
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