| Lakers Back To Old Selves Authored by Scott Essman - December 19, 2005 - 3:55 pm
In a low-scoring home game against the Rockets, the Lakers looked more like the struggling team that opened this season than the streamlined one of late. In a very close affair, three Lakers were left flat-footed with less than a second to play play as Rocket guard-forward Tracy McGrady went unchecked for a layup to give visiting Houston the edge 76-74. After such a heated game, to watch that final play,
all were left in stunned silence except one: on the bench after the layup, with 00:03 seconds remaining, Laker guard Kobe Bryant, who scored 24 points to lead all players, could been seen mouthing the name of a very famous Middle Eastern carpenter, born almost exactly 2005 years ago. Smush Parker's final shot with 00:03 wasn't even close.
Why did McGrady go in to the basket unguarded? Initially, Laker forward Devean George was on McGrady at the top of the key. But George was quickly outmaneuvered and soon found himself chasing McGrady from behind. Next, center Kwame Brown was frozen as McGrady passed on Brown's left heading towards the basket. Ostensibly, Brown didn't want to commit a foul, but why take the chance? (To his credit, Brown, though shooting poorly at the free throw line, had a decent game with 11 points on eight field goal attempts.) Lastly, Lamar Odom made a last ditch attempt to block McGrady right at the goal, but by then, it was too late. McGrady eased the ball off of the glass for the winning goal.
In fairness, McGrady, who is less than a year younger than Bryant, has superstar qualities. The man can consistently hit three-pointers, drill jumpers, rebound, shoot free throws, and make assists. What's more, at 6'8", he is a full two inches taller than Bryant. At times, such as the one at the ending moment of the game, McGrady is literally unstoppable.
Of course, the game might not have hinged on the final play had other Laker starters pulled their weight. Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, and Chris Mihm combined for 9 points Sunday night. As in their previous games, the Laker must get balanced scoring from all starters to be effective as a team. A pivotal Tuesday night game against Dallas may address said concerns. |
