There’s not much you can take away from a loss to a team that’s only won two of their last 29 games. A team the Lakers beat handedly in January by 55 points. It’s merely a reflection of the Lakers’ inconsistency, something that if they don’t remedy soon could lead to their misfortune.
So what can we make of the Lakers’ loss to the Cavaliers?
Not a thing. The game isn’t even worth a second look. For the Lakers, the loss is a tell-tale sign of the challenging road ahead. It only gets harder once they reach the playoffs, seeing as how they’ve completely taken themselves out of the running for the top seed and slowly separate themselves further from the number two and three spots. Don’t even bother to check how the Eastern Conference stacks up; the Lakers will have a tough time just getting it out of the West.
Over the last two seasons, the Lakers have dominated the West, have been able to beat the lowly and top tier teams just the same and made it a point to protect the value of their home court. The offense was cohesive, the communication effective, the defense stifling and the desire apparent to the naked eye. Now all that remains is the memory of what was. That memory plagues us and causes us to hold the Lakers to a higher standard.
That standard can only be met if everyone, from top to bottom can remember what part of their game makes them so great. Their attributes that fit so perfectly in the puzzle that Mitch Kupchak and his team of experts put together.
Next: The Lakers need to play to their respective level of skill
