This isn’t really how anyone pictured the preseason going for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Let’s be honest, with players like Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, it is pretty easy to win at least one game. Albeit those four stars were only on the court at the same time for only one night, but still, 0-8, Lakers? Really?
With the exception of the Utah Jazz and Portland, the Lakers played only divisional opponents during the preseason. The Los Angeles Clippers are the only other contender for the Pacific Division crown, but isn’t it shocking that the Lakers couldn’t manage to win a game against the likes of the Kings or Warriors?
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Dwight Howard has not experienced what it feels like to win a game as a Los Angeles Laker and the 0-8 record may not affect the regular season, but should it be a cause for concern? The preseason is a time for all the new players to get accustomed to the franchise and to develop chemistry with their teammates.
The Lakers will be trying to figure out their rotations for the entire season, but it is in these exhibition games that that process begins. The fact that Los Angeles could not win a preseason game raises some eyebrows and in comparison to the preseason record for previous championship teams, this current Lakers roster may not be as successful as they were projected to be.
Preseason 2011-12: Lakers record: 0-2
Postseason result: Eliminated 4-1 Western Conference Semi-Finals
The Lakers did not have a lot of time building their team chemistry in the 2011-12 preseason due to the lockout. The NBA was forced to limit the number of exhibition games so that it could get in as many regular season matches in as possible.
In the preseason, the Lakers played two games against the Clippers and ended up losing both of them. The newly revamped Clippers were running on adrenaline with the recent acquisition of Chris Paul and he proved vital in their new quest to take Los Angeles’ throne.
The Lakers had a .000 winning percentage in the preseason, but obviously something like that would never happen to the Lakers franchise, even though the Bobcats were pretty darn close to that mark last season.
Los Angeles ended the regular season with a .621 winning percentage and took home the Pacific Division crown. In this case, the 0-2 record against the Clippers was a not a legitimate predictor for the regular season since the Lakers beat the Clippers two out of three games.
Next Page: 2010-11 Preseason
