| Lake Show Becomes Kobe Show Authored by Scott Essman - November 5, 2005 - 12:53 pm
Remember the Bulls? Not the six-time champion Chicago Bulls of the 1990s. We're talking the perennial also-rans of the 1980s. Those games where they would get 30-40 points from Michael Jordan and lose? That could be the destiny of the 2005-2006 LA Lakers.
Last night, coming off a tough win in Denver, the Lakers hosted the Phoenix Suns, where, despite the absence of their most formidable player, 22-year-old Amare Stoudemire, seven Sun players scored in double figures. How's that for bench scoring? What were the Lakers to do about such a balanced offensive threat?
Of course, the answer was to go to Kobe Bryant. Much like the 80s Bulls, who had Jordan surrounded by a less-than-stellar supporting cast, these Lakers have Kobe and a group of underwhelming role players. Last night, kobe attempted 26 shots and 14 free throws, by far the most attempts of any player on the floor.
Sure, he made 13 of each, for a game-high 39 points, but the Lakers got little support elsewhere.
Yes, Lamar Odom and Smush Parker each scored over 20, but no other Laker had as much as ten points. Like those doomed Bulls teams, who ostensibly featured the greatest player in the game but lost the majority of contests in Jordan's first decade, the Lakers seemed certain to repeat that pattern - great play from one individual and scant other offense around him.
If this trend continues, the only saving grace might be Kwame Brown's ability to rebound, but last night, he only grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes; the lion's share of the work on the glass went to Odom, with 16 boards.
If the Lakers are to succeed this year, more than one player is going to have to step up, especially against such skilled teams as the Suns. |
