Coach Jackson said it best, "my team is part jekyll part hyde." TNT commentator and 2-time champion Kenny Smith called the Lakers "arrogant." In any observation the Lakers are as talent rich as some of their championship purple and gold predecessors. Which is why game 4's feeble lost to a woefully undermanned Houston team was so shocking. Complacency after hearing of the Yao Ming injury may have crept in, but would it not register to the team that losing game 4 would guarantee flying back to the hell hole that is Texas in game 6?
On the upside, it was encouraging to see the Lakers play in a must win game on Tuesday and utterly eviscerate the Rockets by 40. Aside from a number of anamolies, few NBA teams have won a championship without playoff adversity Certainly one team comes to mind, the 2002 Lakers - who lost all of 1 game in route to their 3rd straight championship. But the field is littered with former champs pushed to the brink throughout the playoffs - none more recent than the 2008 Celtics who never won a single road game until game 5 at the Staples Center where they came back from a 25 point deficit. The Celtics played 27 out of maximum 28 games last year in the playoffs (the Lakers played 22).
So all is not lost on the game 4 debacle. The question is, what part of this team is Jekyll and what part Hyde? Your guess is as good as mine (and coach Jackson's).
Around the NBA, the Nuggets closed out Dallas 4-1 Wednesday night. I think everyone could see that the game 3 missed intentional foul call was the end of the Mavs. As for the Nuggets - this team appears loaded. They have shooters nearly at every position and one of the best scorers in the game Carmelo Anthony. But, if I'm a Nuggets fan, I would be concerned that they have yet to play a team that is even halfway committed to defense. Phyiscally they have not been tested by a front court of any substance. So assuming they meet the Lakers, it will be interesting to see how they deal with Bynum and Gasol both on defense and offense.
The last time the Nuggets made the conference finals? 24 years ago - in 1985 against the Lakers...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILsvopMHo0
The Lakers beat the Nuggets 4-1 aided by injuries to Calvin Natt and Alex English. The Lakers would go on to beat the Celtics 4-2 in the NBA championship.
In the east, I'm beginning to think the Celtics are destined to meet the Cavs. They just refuse to lose. I'm also thinking that the C's might give the Cavs fits. Much like the Nuggets, the Cavs have yet to be challenged. Again almost every champion in the history of the NBA needs to play in a must win situation PRIOR to the finals.
Which is why I think a Cavs/Celtics series would be a tossup.
But as always, I hate Boston.
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