The Los Angeles Lakers once again fell below .500 Tuesday night when they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers out-hustled the Lakers for nearly the entire night and it was clear that this Lakers team is no where close to championship form.
After the game, Kobe Bryant called the Lakers “old” and “slow,” and there was certainly frustration in his voice. No one expected Los Angeles to be below .500 at this point of the season, and there are major concerns for Mike D’Antoni’s team. The Lakers have still yet to figure out the new offense and Steve Nash told the Los Angeles Times that time is running out for this team.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Nash told reporters after the loss. “We’re running out of time here. We can’t necessarily hit the panic button, but there needs to be a better sense of urgency.”
“It’s confounding,” Nash said. “It’s frustrating. We’re in a tough position. We really have a lot of ground to make up. We’re not finding a lot of answers right now, and we’re struggling a little bit.”
The Lakers have dealt with a lot this season, from the complete roster overhaul in the summer to the coaching change made just weeks into the season. In addition, the Lakers have faced a lot of injuries as well, meaning the star players have not had a lot of time on the court together.
The Lakers have a lot of ground to cover if they want to claim a top spot in the division or even the Western Conference. As of right now, the Lakers are 9.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the Pacific Division, and in the tenth position in the conference.
