6 days Ago
C onsidering that the Lakers were burning rubber on the second night of a back-to-back set, it was fair to expect them to have less energy yesterday. Yet, it was evident from the get-go that they weren’t just physically handicapped. For some reason, they appeared to be mentally drained as well.
To contend that it was inexcusable despite their fatigue would be an understatement. After all, the Pelicans likewise suffered from a quick turnaround following a hard-fought contest, and were further hampered by the absence of no less than six vital cogs. In short, the Lakers were up against supposed patsies featuring overmatched players.
As the set-to progressed, however, it was is if they had lead feet; they were routinely beaten off the boards and on so-called 50-50 balls, not to mention predisposed to committing inexplicable mistakes. They found themselves down early, and — with 39-year-old LeBron James looking sluggish with little rest — in danger of giving up an eminently winnable outing. And even when they managed to build a double-digit lead in the final quarter, they gave off a bad vibe.
Which, in a nutshell, was why the Lakers struggled to put the game away. Certainly, the Pelicans deserved no small measure of credit for plodding on regardless of the score, for taking the match a moment at a time, for utterly refusing to consider that a setback was preordained. In fact, they managed to take the lead with a little over two minutes left in the payoff period.
The 18,761-strong crowd at the Smoothie King Center was on its feet and rejoicing; through sheer grit and determination, success was at hand. In the final analysis, the Lakers walked away with victory only because they had depth. Even as they missed the services of Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood, and Jared Vanderbilt, they coaxed solid contributions out of such notables as Dalton Knecht, Max Christie, and Christian Koloko.
And, of course, they had James, who made up for costly miscues and an uneven showing with timely baskets under pressure. There will, of course, come a time when the Lakers get burned for playing with fire all too often. For now, though, they get to bask in the glory of five straight triumphs and nine overall in 13 encounters.
Clearly bent on defending their In-Season Tournament title, they know well enough to ride the wave. All the same, they need to clean up their act, and fast. Else, their fourth-place standing in the highly competitive Western Conference will be exposed as nothing but a mirage.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, oprerations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
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