The Los Angeles Lakers enter the week in a sprint to the finish line with three games in four days before the All-Star break. Following the previous week where they only had three games, the Lakers need to grit their teeth and grind out this dense stretch to finish out the first half of the season. It is, however, a tough week ahead, and not just because they play Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but they face three tough opponents, Portland, Dallas, and for the first time this season, Oklahoma City. If they stay focused and give it all they’ve got, they can feel good about themselves as they get some much-needed R&R as they have a week off.
The Lakers are looking like they have started to get into a comfortable offensive rhythm. They have already adopted Mike Brown’s attitude towards defense, as they have become one of the league’s best defensive teams. They hold their opponents to 90.7 points per game, 4th best in the league, while they are 3rd in the NBA in keeping their opponents to a low 41.8 field goal percentage.
Unlike last year, it has not been their defense that has been the problem; but instead it is their offense that is struggling. The Lakers are averaging 93.1 points per game, 22nd in the league; compare that to last season where they averaged 101.5, which was 9th best.
One could chalk up the offensive woes to a few things — a new coach, a new system, and individual players not knowing what their role is. However, one word sums it all up, inconsistency. Metta World Peace was believed to be having trouble with the way Mike Brown was coaching but denied that rumor and simply left it up to inconsistency. Metta was quoted as saying, “Just looking for the consistency of whether I was on the bench or whether I was playing, just looking for the consistency. Once you find the consistency you already know where you stand at and you can move forward and win games.”
Every coach needs time to learn each player’s strengths and weaknesses. How they play on his team, how they fit into his system, how a player plays alongside the rest of the guys on the team. It’s beginning to look like Brown has figured out how, where, and when he will use his players. The bench has started to show improvement during the last few weeks as the Lakers scoring is reaching the mid-90’s, and with this tough stretch, the Lakers are going to need all the points they can get.
The week starts off (not including the loss on Sunday night) Monday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers as the second game of a back-to-back. The Trail Blazers (17-15) are a tough, physical team, but like the Lakers, they struggle on the road (5-10). They are led by power forward and first time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who is averaging a career best 22.5 points and 8.3 rebounds. They are also led by starting point guard Raymond Felton, who is a fast, strong, and physical player. Both are the type of guys that give the Lakers guards nightmares.
In this game, Los Angeles has to be patient on offense and utilize Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the post. They must make Aldridge play physical, tough defense so that he has to use his energy on both ends of the court. Most importantly, the Lakers’ guard play on the defensive end must be strong, keeping the Blazers’ guards out of the paint. Portland thrives on dribble penetration, which lead to wide-open 3-point shots, or alley-oops to Aldridge or Marcus Camby.
Wednesday night in Dallas, followed by Thursday night in Oklahoma City, will be the biggest test for the Los Angeles Lakers this year in measuring where they are as a team against the best of the West.
Next Page: The Mavs and Thunder
The first game against the defending NBA Champions will be the first time the Lakers return to Dallas since the embarrassing Game 4 loss that knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs last May. Not to mention the hostility the Dallas crowd will have towards center Andrew Bynum for his unprofessional forearm shove to former Mavericks guard J.J Barea. The Mavericks and Lakers have faced each other once this season. It was in L.A., and took a buzzer beating 3-point shot from Derek Fisher for the Lakers to slide by with the victory.
This game, however, is in Dallas, where the Mavericks have started to play to the level that won them the championship last year. With a 20-12 overall record and 12-5 at home, the Mavs have won six of their last seven games with wins over Denver twice, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Philadelphia 76ers. It is imperative that the Lakers take their time on offense, rotate on defense quick and efficiently, and most importantly, limit the turnovers. The Mavericks are a team that will make you pay for your turnovers. They can get out on the break and run while successfully converting lay-ups and 3-points at a very high rate. If the Lakers possess the ball, limit their turnovers, and take high percentage shots, they will beat the Mavs.
By far the toughest game for the Lakers will be Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder (23-7), the best in the west. Led by All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder are the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the 2012 NBA Finals. This squad is scary good as they are the complete basketball team. They play solid, physical defense anchored by their center Serge Ibaka, who leads the NBA in blocks and unprecedented 3.03 per game. On the other end of the court, the Thunder are offensively sound led by Kevin Durant. Although Durant has struggled in the past when guarded by Metta World Peace, it is usually the play of point guard Russell Westbrook that ultimately kills the Lakers.
At 6’3 and 187 pounds, Westbrook’s explosiveness unravels the heart of the Lakers defense by getting into the middle of the key and dishing the ball to the perimeter for open shots, or taking it all the way to the basket and having the ability to score around the rim. The key to a Lakers victory is easier said than done — keep Westbrook and back-up point guard Eric Maynor out of the paint.
As the Lakers head into one of the toughest stretches of the season, they have the luxury of the All-Star break ahead, but before they can relax on their six days off, they are faced with three teams that all have great guard play, the Lakers’ Achilles heel. This could exploit that weakness by exacerbating the problem even more, or proving that the guard play is not the problem. Anyway you see it, Portland, Dallas, and Oklahoma City are three important games for the Lakers to not only win, but also play well in to give themselves the belief that they are still a championship contending team.