Kobe dealt with rape allegations while statistically putting on the best few seasons of his career. In the wide scheme of things, nothing has changed in Laker Land. It’s the same old story with this team; their preseason mindset often stretches through January, which often includes a couple of ugly losses along the way. Many claimed the apocalypse was coming as the Lakers were blown out on their home court during their Christmas battle with the new Big Three.
This still shouldn’t come as a huge surprise though, as the Lakers have limped to a 2-7 record in the last 9 tries on Christmas but still managed to make it to the NBA Finals 5 times out of those 9. The bottom line is, the Lakers like coasting for the early part of their journey and then showing off their potential around the All-Star break and onward. Andrew Bynum is looking great in his early development back to the playoff form the Lakers need him to be. Building a championship team is an endurance race, not a sprint to the finish line.
With that being said, there are some trends the Lakers need to resolve if they plan to keep up with teams like San Antonio, Miami and Boston. Their play of late has been reminiscent of the dreadful Smush-Kwame days, where Kobe fires up 25-30 shots as the team falls behind during long stretches of games. Nevertheless, this isn’t the only reason the Lakers are sputtering. Here are three things the Lakers need to get in order to regain their Championship swagger and return to prominence.
