Who takes the last shot for the Heat? Should James work off the ball more? Does Chris Bosh have to be more aggressive? These are all questions that remain unanswered and with only a handful of games left this season, the time is running out for the Heat to figure themselves out.
The Lakers don’t have that problem.
“The difference between us is we all know what our roles are, everything is cemented for us,” Kobe Bryant told the media during practice Wednesday. “I think for them, they’re still trying to figure that out.”
Bryant’s the closer, Gasol is the multi-dimensional skilled post-threat, Artest is the defensive specialist, Bynum clogs up the lane, Fisher does the little things, Odom provides an offensive spark off the bench and the Renegades—well, they’re there to maintain and build leads.
When everything works to plan and everyone is in sync, the Lakers are that much harder to beat.
Aside from having to figure out who serves what role on the team, the Heat still have to figure out how to play under the media glare and microscope. The Lakers have had that covered too—going on three years now.
“You can’t run away from challenges, I mean they’re defending champions, two-time champions,” said Dwyane Wade. “The [Lakers] carry a bulls-eye every night, every city they go in and that’s something that we’re going to have to learn and continue to grow over the course of our careers playing together.”
Kobe’s response? “It takes a little adjusting, I guess,” Bryant said of wearing the bull’s-eye. “I don’t know. I’m still trying to kill people. I don’t really look at it that way.”
Next: Heat should take a page out of the Lakers how-to media book
