The Los Angeles Lakers are in serious, serious trouble. After falling to Phoenix 93-85 last night, they fell to .500 for the first time all season. In just a couple of weeks, they’ve gone from a 5th or 6th seed to being in danger of missing the playoffs entirely. With the Clippers and Warriors hot on their trail, they need to right the ship quickly.
Losing four in a row and eight of ten is never a good thing. But when you’re coming down the stretch and trying to clinch a playoff berth, it’s a downright disaster. Ever since February, the Lakers have been simply awful. Since February 1, their record is 12-22. Had they just played .500 basketball since February, they could have had a first round series with the Jazz, a far more intriguing prospect than what faces them now: Dallas, Phoenix, or elimination.
So what the hell is the problem? Injuries have taken their toll all season but for the most part, the Lakers are a pretty healthy bunch right now. After playing the entire season without Kwame Brown, they actually had him in their lineup for all of March. Lamar Odom is healthy and he’s put in some great efforts over the last couple weeks. So how do you explain losing streaks of six games, seven games, and four games since February 1?
It’s certainly not Kobe Bryant’s fault, although some people will surely place the blame on him. Bryant’s scoring average of 31.2 points a game is the best in the NBA. He was cold last night, scoring just 17 points. But two nights ago, he dropped 50 points and watched the Clippers come from 17 down to win. With just two games remaining, the Lakers sit 7th overall in the Western Conference but just half a game ahead of both the Clippers and Warriors. It should be a very interesting week in Tinseltown.
