Sacramento Exposes Continuing Lakers Problems

Do the Los Angeles Lakers become bored? In past seasons, for some inexplicable reason, the L.A. Lakers have problems with teams that they are expected to beat. These are teams with losing records or with little chance of reaching post season play. The Lakers sometimes lose to these teams and sometimes a win becomes a matter of escaping disaster.

The game against the Sacramento Kings should have been an easy victory. The Kings are depleted by injuries and have a losing record for the season. At one point, the Lakers had a nineteen point lead in the fourth quarter. An elite team like the Lakers should be able to protect a nineteen point lead.

At least, that would be the expectation. The Lakers, however, squandered that lead and Sacramento narrowed the margin to four points. The Lakers finished with members of their starting unit and won the game. However, weaknesses were exposed:

• weaker teams can lull the Lakers into playing poor basketball.
• quick guards are still a nightmare for the Lakers defense. Here is an example of the success that the Kings guards had: John Salmons - 24 points; Bobby Jackson - 15 points; and Beno Udrih - 8 points. The Lakers continue to have problems stopping the opposing guards.
• once the guards go by the initial defenders, there is not much help. The Kings scored 58 points with a healthy Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum playing.

The Lakers now have an eleven game winning record against one loss. They are clearly one of the better teams if not the best team in the league, at the moment. Nevertheless, the Lakers do not make it easy for themselves. With a nineteen point lead, they should have been able to easily finish the game. Instead, the Lakers gave the Kings an opportunity. With a few more shots dropping for the Kings in the last quarter, it easily could have been a loss for the Lakers.

The Lakers won this game against the Kings with offensive input. The defense needs to find ways to help the guards stop penetration. It is a weakness that other teams will try to exploit all season. Sacramento just served as a reminder.

Catherine Forsythe