Download our Free Mobile App!
Faster with Fewer Ads

Get App
Lakers Nation
  • Rumors
  • Schedule
    • Lakers 2025 Preseason Schedule
  • Videos
    • YouTube
    • Podcast
  • FAQ
  • About
    • About Lakers Nation
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
  • Download Our App

Download our Free Mobile App!
Faster with Fewer Ads

Get App
Lakers Nation
  • Rumors
  • Schedule
    • Lakers 2025 Preseason Schedule
  • Videos
    • YouTube
    • Podcast
  • FAQ
  • About
    • About Lakers Nation
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
  • Download Our App
Search
  • Rumors
  • Schedule
    • 2024 preseason
    • 2024-2025 regular season
  • Videos
    • YouTube
    • Podcast
  • FAQ
  • About
    • About Lakers Nation
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
  • Download Our App
Follow US
© 2024 Medium Large Sports Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers News > Lakers’ Past Haunts Them, Present Fails them, Future to Redefine Them
Lakers News

Lakers’ Past Haunts Them, Present Fails them, Future to Redefine Them

Nadya Avakian
Published: 05/09/2011
9 Min Read
SHARE

Just like Jackson isn’t a rah-rah type coach, the Lakers aren’t your atypical go-with-the-punches, dig deep within the depths of themselves and win despite facing adversity type of team. In reality that last characteristic of teams isn’t atypical at all. It’s something the Lakers had carried with them after they were bounced 39-times over by the Celtics in 2008 and apparently shrugged it off somewhere between now and then.  

“When I think about this series and I think about this game,” Odom said, “[Dallas’] bond on the basketball court was better than ours, it seemed like. They were able to come back from 16 [in Game 1]. Come back from seven or eight with three minutes to go, and there was something missing [from us].”

The warning signs, the red flags were all there. They were so abundant during the regular season that they would’ve outnumbered the Laker flags seen riding on the cars along the Interstate-405 freeway 36-to-1. The Lakers had losing streaks of five games, four games and three games (twice), something they hadn’t done in the previous 217 games since acquiring Pau Gasol.  Each time they had a perplexing, disheartening loss they never came back with the same fire and fervor that they had during their two previous runs at the title.

“I don’t know where we lost it. That certain drive and bond that we had, that we had in the past. That cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity,” Odom said.

They had an opportunity to bring the Heat back down to earth on Christmas Day in front of their home-crowd, but failed. They beat a lowly Cleveland Cavaliers team by 55 points and then lost to that same team by five points the following month. They had two consecutive double-digit defeats at home by teams with a sub-500 record. Their post All-Star break run of winning 17 games in 18 tries, that once appeared incredible now looks more like an illusion.

Next: More signs the end was near

[phpbay]Los Angeles Lakers, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Previous Page1234Next Page
ByNadya Avakian
Nadya is a staff writer for Lakers Nation after joining the staff in 2010. To read more of Nadya's work click here. Follow Nadya on Twitter @NadyAvak.
Sign Up for Our Newsletter
Get breaking Lakers News direct to your inbox.

Categories

  • News
  • Rumors
  • Games
  • History

Information

  • Advertise
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Get breaking Lakers News direct to your inbox.

© 2025 Medium Large Sports Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?