I’m sitting here thinking of a clever way to write about another loss where the Lakers give up a bunch of turnovers (18), Dwight Howard misses too many free throws (13-for-22) and Kobe is nowhere to be found on defense.
I have seemingly run of ways to describe “lack of effort,” but not coach Mike D’Antoni: “We put ourselves in a hole by playing very uninspired basketball both offensively and defensively.”
What’s getting under the skin of just about every Laker fan is how this team can go down by 16 points, then battle back to almost win the game. It leaves us all scratching our heads and left to wonder why the Lakers can’t put together a whole game with that type of effort.
By a score of 100-94, the Purple and Gold lost to a team that came into the game with only four wins (Wizards, 76ers, Hawks, Clippers). Kyrie Irving, playing in his first game back off injury, lit up the Lakers’ slow-moving defense. The soon-to-be NBA star racked up a double-double (28 points, 11 assists) and has struck the first blow in the rivalry between he and Kobe Bryant.
After the game Byant shared that he’s just as confused as the rest of us.
“I just keep driving and driving and going harder and harder, I don’t understand it,” he said. “I don’t know if we’re just too slow of a team and we have to change things up a bit. I don’t know, I don’t have the answers.”
As he has done this whole year, Bryant also continues to say “I have to be better” when his teammates aren’t playing their best games. But when you score 42 points in a game, as Kobe did against the Cavs, I think it’s fair to place some of the blame elsewhere.
Only two other players scored in double digits against the Cavs, Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard.
Metta who indeed “Represented” (it’s in quotes because it’s the title of his new single) with a near double-double (13 points, nine rebounds) is keeping cool after this loss as he has yet to find “a reason to panic.”
In that boat with him is Dwight Howard. As he’s also done since the beginning of the season, Howard stressed patience after the game.
“It’s frustrating to lose and the way we lost and the way we been losing,” he said. “We have to stay positive. We have to stay together. It’s a great test for our team.”
Yes, this just about sums up another disappointing loss.
Or at least all I’m writing on this one.
The Lakers stay on the road, heading into hostile territory against the red-hot New York Knicks, who will look to expose some of the same weaknesses the Lakers have been showing all season.
You can follow JD Carrere on Twitter at @SportsNetJunkie.