The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a bad start to the 2014-15 NBA season, losing four consecutive games to legitimate playoff contenders. Even though Byron Scott’s squad was able to take the Los Angeles Clippers the distance and actually played well in the first half against the Golden State Warriors, the new-look roster still has yet to get a win.
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On Saturday, the Lakers traveled to the Bay Area to face off against the Warriors at Oracle Arena. Not many anticipated the Lakers coming out on top in the second game of a back-to-back and the fourth game in five nights, but the team played surprising well against a rested Warriors squad.
Unfortunately, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry proved to be too much to handle for the weary Lakers in the second half leading to a 23-point victory for Golden State.
After the game, Kobe Bryant talked to the media and once again appeared optimistic about where his team is headed, via USA Today:
“Just stay the course,” said Bryant, who shot 12 of 28. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
At this point in his career and considering the team constructed around him, taking an optimistic approach seems like the smart move for Bryant. The five-time NBA champion is fully aware he’s not playing on a title contender and building a legitimate playoff-caliber team without another proven star will take time.
The NBA did the Lakers no favors heading into the season with arguably one of the toughest schedules in the league right out of the gate. Not only have the Lakers had to face four legitimate playoff contenders, but they’ve had to do it in a matter of five days.
That kind of schedule would be tough even for the elite teams in the league. Unfortunately, it won’t get any easier in the fifth game of the season with Kobe and company taking on the Phoenix Suns for a second time on Tuesday night at the Staples Center.
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