LA Lakers: Is it too Early to Crown Their Ass
Written by MC Homer, Wednesday December 23 2009
Prior to 1960, the Lakers called Minnesota, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, home. Fast forward 50 years and a thousand miles, the “Lakers” are still NBA royalty, only now they perform in front of celebrities in the City of Angels, as opposed to the Paul Bunyan’s of the world.
The franchise was born when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen bought it in 1946, immediately moving it from Detroit to Minneapolis. The Lakers had immediate success, winning back to back championships in their first two seasons led by the great George Mikan. Prior to the move out west, they managed another three titles.
When owner Bob Short moved the team to LA in 1960, they became the first NBA franchise to call the west coast home. Fifteen championships, 14 Hall of Famers (and four HoF coaches), eight MVPs, and 2,992 wins later, not all of which were in LA of course, the Los Angeles Lakers can legitimately claim the honor of being the greatest franchise in NBA history.
Yes, the Celtics have more championships, with 17, but no one in history has more wins or a better winning percentage than the Lakers. They also have more Finals appearances than anyone (30). Their 33-game winning streak during the ‘71-‘72 season is not only the longest the NBA has ever seen, but the longest any major professional American sport has ever witnessed.
I’m not here to talk about the past though (thanks to Big Mac for that quote). I’ve said before that I have no interest in sports history. I am very much a believer in what have you done for me lately. Well, lately, the Lakers have back to back Finals appearances, and barring nothing less than the apocalypse, they will notch number three this year.
The Lakers have the best player in the game, Kobe Bryant. We all know about the super Spaniard, Pau Gasol, and the offseason addition of Ron Artest. Derek Fisher, at his advanced age of 35, is still out there mixing it up with the youngsters. Andrew Bynum is healthy, for now, and Lamar Odom, as inconsistent as he can be, is still the most difficult matchup in the entire league.
I’m not even sure you can call Phil Jackson a coach anymore at this point. To me, his title should be Head Suggestor, because that’s really all he does, well, that and call a timeout every once in a while. This is not an article chronicling Jackson’s successes as a coach, but it is hard to argue that he is not the greatest coach ever, what with his 10 rings and all. Some people are just blessed with greater fortune than the rest of us.
I’ll give you three guesses as to who has the best record in the NBA, but the first two don’t count. At 23-4, the Lakers are already four games up in the Western Conference, ahead of fellow division leaders Dallas, then Denver (4.5 back). The Celtics have just five losses in the East, and like LA, are 9-1 in their last 10. Should we be gearing up for another Boston-LA Finals? David Stern sure hopes so. Anything but a Detroit/San Antonio rematch, right?
Why are the Lakers the odds-on (and off and everything in between) favorite to get back to the Finals? Remember way back in elementary school when the teacher said there was no such thing as a dumb question? Well, she lied, this is one of them. Instead of why are they so good, maybe we should ask what don’t the Lakers have going for them?
They don’t have the superstar who can score at will. Oh, wait. Okay, but they don’t have two legit seven footers that clean the glass every night. They have that, too? Well, surely they don’t have a lockdown defender. What’s that? I’m wrong again? I hate being wrong almost as much as I hate losing. I know what they don’t have. They don’t have the experience; the veteran leadership. Huh? The team is full of that? Unlike Phil, I’m all out of suggestions. Do you have any?
As a team, they do not rank in the top 10 in field goal percentage, three-point shooting, or free throwing. So what? They are tops in rebounding and third in assists. They average over 103 points per game which is good enough for seventh in the league. Where they separate themselves however, is on the defensive end.
They allow less than 95 points a night, only four other teams can say that. Whether they are getting favorable calls, which we all know never happens, or LA is just that good, teams only average 22 free throws against them in 48 minutes; only the New Orleans' Chris Paul's allow fewer. There is only one team in the league that holds their opposition to under 30% shooting from beyond the three-point arc, I'll let you guess who (this is why Orlando is no match for this year’s LA team, or last). If the Lakers hold their opponents to such a low percentage from long distance, it should be no surprise that they are tops in FG% against as well.
They say defense wins championships. The Lakers do it better than anyone. I say you can't win if you don't score. They are very proficient at that also. They can play up-tempo with teams like the Suns and they can grind it out against the likes of the Spurs and Cavs. This team has every necessary ingredient that makes up an NBA championship roster. They may no longer be “Showtime”, but they can definitely still put on a show.
Kobe isn’t leaving, Pau just got his three-year extension, Ron Artest signed on for three years as well, Andrew Bynum is still a baby (at 22, he’s the youngest player on the team), and Lamar Odom signed a new contract this offseason just like Artest. Owner Jerry Buss and GM Mitch Kupchack know a good thing when they see one I guess. If you think this team isn’t a dynasty in the making, think again.
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2 comments
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He just sat out his third straight game tonight in the domination of the Jazz IN Utah. I'd assume he'll take the All-Star break off too. Just what the rest of the league wants to see, a healthy Kobe. The Lakers really are that much better than everyone else I think.
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when is Kobe gonna stop going for his numbers and rest!!