Jerry West to Lakers: Beware the Celtics

Here’s a thought.

Maybe all those nights the Lakers were getting out-worked by their opponents, was actually just a sign the Lakers were just too old to stop teams in transition.

Perhaps it isn’t that the Lakers aren’t trying to play defense, they just aren’t able to keep up with the young and athletic squads. You know, the OKC’s and Bulls of the world.

All this time we thought the Lakers were attempting to coast through games and then flip the imaginary switch at just the right time to get the win. Turns out father time doesn’t have an off-and-on switch.

While the Lakers’ numbers on defense aren’t completely terrible, there’s room for improvement. Although they got off to a shaky start implementing their new defensive strategies, now that they’ve gotten a hang of it, they’ll just have to aim for consistency.

But is it fair to say the Lakers age is a detriment to their defense? Mr. Clutch seems to think so.

Lakers legend Jerry West recently spoke to a crowd of automobile dealers at a luncheon and commented that he doesn’t “think the Lakers will be good for much longer.” He said age could become a factor, then added that Boston was a “very dangerous team,” and he “would not want to play them every other night.”

Gulp.

Next: What the Lakers have that the Celtics don’t and vice versa