Post#19 » by Rich-D-Fish » Sun May 8, 2011 5:26 am
Long time, first time. I just had to post my opinion of what is going on. I've watched every Laker game since the 80's including many summer league games. Even thought I agree Pau has his head up his a## right now, I think the rest of the team is right there with him. He's just, goofy and awkward and an easy target. The main culprit for this recent decline is EGO, especially at the end of the games. What I see from the Mav's in the last 6 minutes of games is what I saw from the Lakers last year. The Mav's are making the tough shots and pulling ahead at the end for the win. The Lakers have come into the end of games #1 and 3 with a pretty good lead, and then blow it. Here's how.... They got the lead by moving the ball, playing within the offence. The ball goes in and out of the post....players cut...easy baskets are made. This is all within the flow of the game and it still comes naturally for these guys. And then comes crunch time. All of a sudden the offense turns into strictly one-on-one play. And they take turns doing it! If the ball goes into the post, Pau goes holds onto the ball, makes ten fakes, and then throws up a tough shot that doesn't come close. Next posession the team has lost "trust" in Pau, so Kobe holds the ball forever, as if he has all the time in the world, and takes a crazy shot. Next Lamar. Etc etc. This is because of EGO!!! Do you see the calm in Kobe's and Fish's face at the end of these games, and during the post game interviews? They are so full of themselves that they actually believe they are still capable of winning it all the way they are playing. They are the two time defending champs after all. Last year Kobe made these tough shots, so did Fish, and even Artest. This year Kobe's trying to do it on a bad knee and ankle with a bad finger. I don't think Kobe's too old. I just think he's too cocky to admit that he's hurt. Pau is too shell shocked to realize that his problem is trust from his teammates. He figures he better hold onto the ball and take any shot because if he gives it up he isn't getting it back. Fisher needs to realize that the ref's have all now seen his flopping oscar reel so nothing is believable any more. Lamar is playing awesome, but needs to realize that the longer he holds onto the ball the easier he is to defend. Drew is a beast. Wish he was still the defensive force he was after the all star break, before he remembered he could score 20 points. But he's making his shots so the public forgives him. Artest needs to fire his shrink that tamed him and become an animal again in the paint, and forget 3pt shots. Perhaps the ultimate blame lies with the Zen master, or now EGO master. After all, he's the one who pointed out that the Mav's are closing out games better than they are, but nothing seems to change. That's his job.
The Mav's are not doing anything special to win these games. They are playing consistent and solid. And it shouldn't be enough to win these games. The Lakers are still the much better team. The Lakers give up these leads by going to selfish one-on-one basketball. If they can continue to move the ball the way they did to get the lead....they could win all of their games! They know it. Just look at their swagger even in defeat. The problem is they don't seem to recognize it during the last 6 minutes of a game. I'm going to watch the next game with some hope left that they will figure it out. I'm pretty sure it will be less than a 10pt game with 4 minutes left to play. If the one-on-one offense emerges again....it's vacation time. If they pass the f###ing ball.....it's game 5 and 6 and 7...... Go Lakers!!
