If you’re a Lakers fan, it’s hard to see the beauty in what the Dallas Mavericks did to completely dismantle the Lakers to take a commanding 2-0 series lead without ever playing a single game on their home floor. It’s difficult to set aside your own biases and just watch a player like Jose Juan Barea weave his way in-and-out of the Lakers defense and come up bigger for his team than his physical stature would suggest. How much time has to pass for Lakers fans to appreciate the excellence in what Dirk Nowitzki has been able to do offensively against their team? He at times takes the most difficult shots and makes them look so effortless.
Maybe the Lakers have us fooled, spoiled even with their enormous size and strength that’s said to be unmatched. Now it’s looking like the scaled down, championship-Lakers-like model Mavericks have the defending champs right where they want them—completely baffled on offense and ineffective on defense. The Lakers’ length is the reason why they have won two titles. However their inability to get the ball inside, acts more like a curse than a blessing when they opt to take long jumpers and three-point shots—something they haven’t been good at all season.
Yes the Lakers are down, but they’re not out. If their current game execution could inspire at least a smidgen of confidence, I might say they could be the fourth team in NBA history to come back and win a seven-game series after dropping the first two at home. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
Next: Lakers must find a way to get Gasol going
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