3/1/09 12:30PM on ABC Lakers (48-12) @ Suns (34-25)

[phat_24]

I recall back to back losses this time last season against bottom feeder teams like Washington and Memphis. We will be tested come Tuesday. Those faces on the milk cartons better be found. I'm talking to you Lamar and Jordan. Did anyone get over double figures apart from Gasol and Kobe?

[Lakers4Lyfe]

Game pissed me off...I heard that we have like the third "easiest" schedule coming up so hopefully we can maintain HCA...am I the only one who was bugged by the officiating? (even though we cant really just blame a loss on that)

[DEEP3CL]

Also: We didn't lose any ground today. Boston lost.

Just a moral victory Ice..............but I guess it's the only one were getting today.

[Lakers4Lyfe]

"Also: We didn't lose any ground today. Boston lost."

LETS GO HAWKS! Its the Cavs turn to lose today.

[iamworthy]

Silver Lining: Unlike Boston/Dallas etc. our losses aren't followed by constant questions regarding our mettle. Even the champions of yesteryear lost games like these from time to time. Loss number 12. Keep in mind this is March. Remember the last time we had anywhere close to that amount of losses this late in the season? Here's a hint: someone beat the Pacers in the Finals that year.

Next game.

After the defense we've played for the past three months or so, I don't see how our mettle can't be questioned. It's not about the number of losses, it's how we're playing.

The sky obviously isn't falling; far from it. We still have the best record in the league by two games. We're a damn, damn good basketball team.

But anybody who doesn't have at least a tiny bit of doubt in the back of their mind concerning our ability to consistently stop anybody over the course of a seven-game playoff series is in complete denial.

I never understood why you take every game to heart. Anyhow, there are 2 other good teams in the league maybe 3, Cav's, Boston and Spurs. Lakers obviously play to the level of there competion in the regular season..and we still have the best record. Lakers defense has been just fine when we play a top tier teams. Except against the loss to the spurs. At this point I rather the lakers lose by 30 then to win by 2. Players tend to learn alot more than when they win by a couple......Per Phil Jackson.

[semi-sentient]

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

Question for you guys.

Do we need to pick up someone to sure up our bench? The bench has been MIA for the last 2 weeks

Joe Smith or Drew Gooden. We definitely have to grab one if they become available.

I agree, if one can be had. We should look at it. A big coming off the bench for games like this where Odom just doesnt show up.

[Anklebreaker702]

Give Phoenix credit: The simply outplayed us today. They had great energy, Shaq had a tremendous game and Barnes had the game of his life.

Our character will be tested. We haven't had a three game losing streak this season. We need one to get our confidence rolling again.

Very good post TL, I concur with all you stated.

[DEEP3CL]

You guys see why we miss Drew now ? They're just getting lay ups at will. The next person that says we're better with out Drew needs to have their membership here deleted. And these people KNOW who they are.

We aren't better with out Drew in any capacity what so ever.

Deep I 've been catching heat for spitting that same bit of wisdom. It's catching up to us. We don't have a shot blocker in the middle & no intimidator. People better start recognizing

Like the old saying goes anklebreaker you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

[Sedale Threatt]

I never understood why you take every game to heart. Anyhow, there are 2 other good teams in the league maybe 3, Cav's, Boston and Spurs. Lakers obviously play to the level of there competion in the regular season..and we still have the best record. Lakers defense has been just fine when we play a top tier teams. Except against the loss to the spurs. At this point I rather the lakers lose by 30 then to win by 2. Players tend to learn alot more than when they win by a couple......Per Phil Jackson.

It's not the loss, it's how it went down -- by playing about six minutes of solid defense and while spending the other 42 running around without a clue, which has happened way, way too much this season for my tastes.

I mean, what exactly are we supposed to be learning here? That defense is important? We should have figured that out last season in the Finals. We certainly shouldn't be needing pick and roll tutorials 3/4 of the way through the regular season.

The fact that we do doesn't leave me brimming with confidence.

I don't buy the whole "play down/up to the level of our competition" argument. You're talking about a minute sample size, basically 10 games, in relation to our defense against the top teams.

What exactly does this prove? And what exactly does it say about the team? That we're supposedly on a championship mission, yet we can't be bothered to play sound defense for the full 48 except when we're playing one of a handful of teams?

An exaggeration, of course, but if this is indeed true, that's not a positive quality in my opinion.

I just want more effort, more consistency and more cohesion on the defensive end is all. I dare anybody to tell me that would be a bad thing.

[iamworthy]

I never understood why you take every game to heart. Anyhow, there are 2 other good teams in the league maybe 3, Cav's, Boston and Spurs. Lakers obviously play to the level of there competion in the regular season..and we still have the best record. Lakers defense has been just fine when we play a top tier teams. Except against the loss to the spurs. At this point I rather the lakers lose by 30 then to win by 2. Players tend to learn alot more than when they win by a couple......Per Phil Jackson.

It's not the loss, it's how it went down -- by playing about six minutes of solid defense and while spending the other 42 running around without a clue, which has happened way, way too much this season for my tastes.

I mean, what exactly are we supposed to be learning here? That defense is important? We should have figured that out last season in the Finals. We certainly shouldn't be needing pick and roll tutorials 3/4 of the way through the regular season.

The fact that we do doesn't leave me brimming with confidence.

I don't buy the whole "play down/up to the level of our competition" argument. You're talking about a minute sample size, basically 10 games, in relation to our defense against the top teams.

What exactly does this prove? And what exactly does it say about the team? That we're supposedly on a championship mission, yet we can't be bothered to play sound defense for the full 48 except when we're playing one of a handful of teams?

An exaggeration, of course, but if this is indeed true, that's not a positive quality in my opinion.

I just want more effort, more consistency and more cohesion on the defensive end is all. I dare anybody to tell me that would be a bad thing.

What you buy into and whats happening are two different things. Im not saying your wrong...But I cant believe you are ignoring the laker pattern.

[Sedale Threatt]

I don't feel like I'm ignoring anything. I just think the whole "don't sweat it, we got this, we play great D when we play the better teams so we've got nothing to worry about when we let somebody score 110 points on 50% shooting for the fourth time since the AS break" mentality is a total cop out. With all that's at stake, I'd like to see us be a little more proactive than that.

[DEEP3CL]

I don't feel like I'm ignoring anything. I just think the whole "don't sweat it, we got this, we play great D when we play the better teams so we've got nothing to worry about when we let somebody score 110 points on 50% shooting for the fourth time since the AS break" mentality is a total cop out. With all that's at stake, I'd like to see us be a little more proactive than that.

I agree 100% here Sedale, that's a lazy ass mentality to have and also consider ourselves to be a championship team at the same time. This turning on the "switch" stuff on the elite teams is getting redundantly old.

[iamworthy]

I don't feel like I'm ignoring anything. I just think the whole "don't sweat it, we got this, we play great D when we play the better teams so we've got nothing to worry about when we let somebody score 110 points on 50% shooting for the fourth time since the AS break" mentality is a total cop out. With all that's at stake, I'd like to see us be a little more proactive than that.

I feel you. I just have more faith in our ability to defend good teams then bad...hopefully you make mod one day...I like the way you post.

[Sedale Threatt]

Thanks, man, but I don't have nearly the maturity or the patience to do that. I'd be running people off left and right.

At any rate, I seriously hope I'm wrong. But touching on what Deep just said, I've only ever seen one team flip the switch like that, and as far as I can tell this team ain't that team.

[kobeaki]

I don't feel like I'm ignoring anything. I just think the whole "don't sweat it, we got this, we play great D when we play the better teams so we've got nothing to worry about when we let somebody score 110 points on 50% shooting for the fourth time since the AS break" mentality is a total cop out. With all that's at stake, I'd like to see us be a little more proactive than that.

heres how i see this, and i may be wrong and thats fine, but as we learned today opinions are just that....

any way, basketball is a game of waves, or runs...and you can see and feel this in a palpable way, generally in a game their are three major scoring waves or runs...the lakers have been playing at a high level all season whether it seems like it or not.

they are nba public enemy #1....everyone brings their A game, every squad has an ex player or coach or something...,

they are at a point in the season where the lulls and doldrums and wear and tear are coming on fast...we see it with every contender at this point...no one is dominating, to that point the top 4 teams may just all kill eachother to the point where a spurs creep in, i hope not its possible.

but my real point is that the lakers are in a down cycle right now, low energy etc, but that will pass if you understand numbers, markets physics etc you'd see there has to be. peaks and valleys.

what i think frustrates the hell out of us fans is that lakers are not a team defined by an identity, our signature game is that we have none, which in the down times is what a fan base leans on, holds onto, covets, hence the face or personality of the team....that our squad deliberately is amorphus in character...

but indeed we need to stop with the three pointers, and we need to develop that elusive identity that we can lean on when the chips are down...

all that said, we are okay...really really we are,if we should make it 15 losses before 50 wins then ill pulling a wallstreet window dive my damself....

until then...

[DEEP3CL]

^ Good post kobeaki. You hit the nail square on the head in your paragraph toward the end about "identity" and the fact that is what a fan base want to hang their hat on. Much like the "Bean eaters" on least.......uh east coast, they flaunt their so called defense ( which is illegal ).

Face it fam we're an offensive titan, when they're on they're unbeatable. When they're not like Friday's game we're beatable period.

It's about peaking at the right time, it's only 7 weeks left let's see where we're at in 3 weeks.

[DEEP3CL]

Thanks, man, but I don't have nearly the maturity or the patience to do that. I'd be running people off left and right.

At any rate, I seriously hope I'm wrong. But touching on what Deep just said, I've only ever seen one team flip the switch like that, and as far as I can tell this team ain't that team.

I've been knowing that Sedale, in 01 they just took names and delivered ass kickings period.

[Anklebreaker702]

Only Kobe & Pau showed up to play.

[microfib4thewin]

I have to agree with Sedale on this one. Although Shaq was a great mismatch for Pau the same issues came up again. Guys are either left open for layups or long jumpers. Hill and Barnes shot over 50%, Barbosa was close to that mark, some of that was due to Shaq's presence, but most of it came from poor rotation on pick and roll plays. There is a great lack of communication on the defensive end, and it has been a recurring problem since our 10-0 start. Spurs are known to play at first gear in the regular season, and you don't see them having trouble putting up stops every game.

This team has remained virtually the same from last year. With all these talks about not needing to practice the triangle anymore and extra sessions on defensive drills they should become better, but quite frankly I don't see any difference between this team and the Smush/Kwame Laker team when it comes to defense.