Written by: Fernando Rea
Are 4 losses in a row the championship Death Knell?
With the Lakers losing their 4th in a row Wednesday night the Lakers’ fan base once seemingly indelible confidence has been shaken. While there will always be the fair share of fans with the sky is falling mentality after each loss, this current string of losses is a legitimate cause for concern for all fans. You would believe at this point that even the most optimistic of Laker fans now have some doubt creeping in after 4 straight losses; 2 of which by likely non playoff teams. The questions about the Lakers’ superiority, which seemed absurd to be posed when the Lakers were crushing the league at 13-2, are now reasonable after four straight losses.
Is the Lakers’ roster too old to contend for another title?
Are the Lakers dependent on Bynum anchoring the middle? If so, do the Lakers’ chances of winning their 3rd straight championship hinge on Bynum’s health?
Is Kobe finally reaching that point of gradual decline in his play due to age? Is the early season play of Kobe an indication of how he’ll play this season?
Does Artest’s game fit on this team and in this system?
Was the great bench play displayed early on an anomaly?
Will the inability to guard the quick penetrating guards finally be the Lakers downfall this season?
You will probably hear many of these questions about the Lakers come up in conversations at sport bars, by the water cooler at work and as topics on sports talk shows all over radio and TV. The answers to all of those questions will have to play out over the season.
However, I did want to look into the past to see where the Lakers’s current demise compares to others in NBA history.