| Lakers Can't Finish Authored by Scott Essman - December 28, 2005 - 1:32 am
Twice they had a chance to win late in a road game, and twice it slipped away. The Lakers made it a very close affair against the Miami Heat on Christmas and against the Washington Wizards the following day. But they lost both games.
Why did this happen? Surely, the losses cannot be pinned on Kobe Bryant, though the star failed in the clutch at the end of each game. Without Bryant, the Lakers aren't even playing close basketball in any of their 2005 games. The superstar guard scored 31 against the Wizards and 37 against the Heat. But in both games, Bryant was upped by an opposing player.
In the Miami game, ex-Laker guard Gary Payton scored 21 key points off of the bench in 30 minutes of playing time. In the Wizard game, guard Gilbert Arenas scored 34 on 11-23 shooting on a night where the rest of his teammates shot poorly (other key starting forwards Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler combined for 12-34, about 35%).
No, instead one must point the finger inside the Lakers' inner circle. In the Wizard game, guard Smush Parker and center Chris Mihm each had good games, with 16 and 11 points respectively. But other Laker offense was a rare find - not one other player scored as much as 10 points. Against the Heat, forwards Brian Cook and Lamar Odom scored 15 and 14 points respectively, but no other Laker could be heard from
very much on the offensive end (Odom was spectacular
defensively with 16 rebounds).
Closing a game out is a measure of consistency, teammwork, and individual dependability. Of note, the Lakers have shown these three qualities in spades over the past month. However, in recent clutch games against Washington, Miami, and Houston, they have been absent.
With three losses in their last five games, the Lakers have slipped, bringing their overall record to 15-13. This .535 winning percentage puts them on a course to win 44 games over the whole season. That should be good enough to secure a playoff spot, but at this juncture, the Lakers would have the eighth and final spot if the season ended today.
The Lakers have a chance to regain their December momentum with a home game against Memphis on Wednesday night. |
