Lakers eliminate Houston (finally). But what's up with TNT tools?

Ok, in our relief we can all finally admit the Lakers struggled more than we thought against Houston. But they are moving on, and have found themselves in a conference finals matchup against a team 2-20 at the Staples center. So far so good.

But what has been bugging me is this chorus of Laker hating from the LA Times to the TNT tool shed. From questioning Phil Jackson's substitution patterns (TJ Simmers) to observing that the Lakers are just plain arrogant (Kenny Smith on TNT). And then tonight it was Charles Barkely giving his nighly whine, "(the way they play) it pisses me off."

Well lets take a look at their performances vs that of the defending NBA champs - the LOVED Boston Celtics.

If you recall the C's played 3 straight 7 game series. So lets look at the C's 2nd round opponent, the Cavs in 2008. The C's lost 3 of those games by a total of 40 points, including a 24 point evisceration in game 3. The Lakers lost their 3 games by a total of 35 points (the worst of which was a 15 point loss in game 6).

So I'm perplexed. While the Celtics showed heart and determination, the Lakers are underachievers after taking Houston to task at home by 40 and 19 points (games 5 and 7) and advancing with better style points than the C's did in 2008.

While I do think they should have swept the Rockets, folks are forgetting the difficulty of returning to the finals. It's NOT EASY! Heck ask the Celtics! Advancing to the playoffs is not about style points - it's about living to play another day. While the Lakers were pushed they punched back - hard - and will open against the Nuggets Tuesday.

Suck it.