In what seems to be a reoccurring theme this season, the Los Angeles Lakers look to have hit another low point after their 28-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The team was thoroughly dominated and the fans in the building let their disappointment be known by raining down boos throughout the second half.
Players have been saying the right things all season long about what needs to be done, but without a doubt, the positive voice for the Lakers has been big man Dwight Howard. All season long, Howard has continued to stay positive and try to keep the Lakers’ spirits up and that did not change after Sunday’s loss with Howard stressing the importance of the team staying positive.
“Have to,” Howard said following the team’s loss. “It’s really easy to give up and throw in the towel and say negative things. I’m really lost for words, but we got to stay positive. We can’t sulk in defeat and we can’t quit on each other. I know it’s been a very rough season, but nah, I think that’ll be bad.”
Despite all of the issues the team has faced on the court, the one thing that has not come out is issues between the players. The team has continually expressed their belief in one another and what they can be, even as it hasn’t materialized on the court.
As for what cost the Lakers against New Orleans, Howard couldn’t point to one moment, but rather the lack of effort throughout the game, and the Lakers’ failure to stay composed when things began to get out of hand.
“I thought it was the whole game,” Howard added. “They just came out with a little more effort and energy and once they got going and hit some tough shots they were able to play out of the pick and roll a little bit. Brandon [Ingram] was able to get to his spots and shoot over the top. … But our body language has to be better when things like that happen.
“When we have a situation like this where we’re getting blown out, we got to make sure we’re keeping ourselves composed as tough as it can be.”
Those issues have plagued the Lakers all season long whether it is falling behind and things getting worse, or blowing leads and not being able to change the tide of the game. Teams have noticed that the Lakers are vulnerable and can crack when things aren’t going their way, which gives them all hope that against the Lakers they can win. So far the Lakers have done nothing to disprove it and it has led to disappointment after disappointment.
Howard believes Lakers can still end season positively
But being the positive force that he is, Howard still is not giving up hope on the Lakers. He will not accept any excuses about the team not being in the ideal shape and insists the Lakers can still end the season on a good note.
“We can’t make any excuses because of the break or anything like that, it’s just our effort,” Howard noted. “We’ve been saying it all year, so don’t need to say it again. But, the only thing I can say is stay positive. That’s it. There’s no need to be negative. I think that’s just going to pile on, so we just got to keep our minds in the right place. We’re having a tough break this year, but we can still end it on a positive note.”
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