L.A. Lakers - Playoff Flaws

Hold on, Lakers fans! Don’t plan on your championship parade yet. The Lakers may be winning and have one of the best records for the 2008-2009 season but there are some concerns. Here are nine things that might be giving Phil Jackson some additional stress:

1. The Lakers have developed the bad habit of giving up significant leads. The latest game against the New Jersey Nets is just one example. In that game, the Lakers squandered a fourteen point second quarter lead and a twenty two point third quarter lead. Phil Jackson has characterized this flaw as a lack of a “killer instinct”. What other teams now know is that the Lakers will go through a lull and allow a lead to slip away. Against competitive teams in the playoffs, this may mean a shift in the moment during the fourth quarter. And that can prove costly.

2. The Lakers have focused on defense this year. However, their guards are not able to stop opposing point guards from penetrating into the painted area and forcing the Lakers forwards into foul trouble. Traditionally, the Lakers have had trouble with defending the pick-and-roll. However, point guards are making layups and that is a weakness that will be exploited repeatedly during the playoffs. Is there one point guard rotation that the Lakers have stopped successfully this season?

3. Sasha Vujacic is having a terrible season scoring the ball. His shooting percentage from three point range has dropped dramatically from last season. This allows the defenses to collapse, focus on Pau Gasol and take away the driving lanes from people like Kobe Bryant. Sasha Vujacic is not the same player as he was last season, when he was shooting so efficiently that people were calling him “The Machine”. Perhaps Sasha Vujacic has not recovered from Ray Allen. In the finals last season, Ray Allen decimated Sasha Vujacic. One wonder what that does to a player like Sasha Vujacic.

4. A couple of the Lakers have been playing two years of extended basketball. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol went from the 2008 NBA finals to the Beijing Olympics to the 2009 NBA season. There has not been a significant break away from serious basketball for those two Lakers starters. It may catch up to them during the forthcoming playoffs. In the last game, against the New Jersey Nets, Pau Gasol played over forty four (44) minutes. There must be some fatigue in those legs.

5. Derek Fisher is one of the acknowledged leaders of this Lakers team. He brings experience and professionalism to the Lakers. He has played on championship teams and is a three point scoring threat. Derek Fisher will make the long distance three point shot at key junctures of the game. It remains a mystery why Derek Fisher has so much trouble finishing a layup. It happens repeatedly. Lakers coaches should forbid Derek Fisher from driving all the way to the basket. He is far more efficient if he stops and takes a jump shot - and not go to the hoops for a layup (a layup attempt).

6. Bench play was one of the Lakers strengths. Now, it is a major concern. The “Bench Mob” has had trouble on both sides of the ball. They have not been able to keep the lead that the starters have earned and they have had trouble scoring the ball. One reason may be that there have been continual changes as to who is playing with the second unit. However, one notable difference is that the second unit is not as aggressive as they were at the beginning of the season. They are not having fast break opportunities - and resultant easy points - as they were at the start of the season. The effectiveness of the second unit for the Lakers may be a flaw that opposing coaches will exploit in the playoffs.

7. Zone defenses tempt the Lakers into long distance shooting. The scoring efficiency drops dramatically (see the previous comments about Sasha Vujacic). When confronted with a zone defense, Pau Gasol becomes completely forgotten. The Lakers stop trying to collapse the zone by passing the ball inside to Pau Gasol. By shooting the lower percentage shots from the perimeter of the zone, the Lakers are doing exactly what was intended. As such, the Lakers may see much more of such defenses during post season play. Will the Lakers regret trading Vladimir Radmanovic?

8. Kobe Bryant needs a holiday. He has played basketball at a high level since the 2008 finals. He has two injured fingers, plus he injured an ankle during the New Jersey game. What may be the telltale signs of a long push towards a possible NBA championship is that Kobe Bryant has been missing free throws. In addition, in the New Jersey Nets game, he was one for seven and then two for ten from the field. A healthy Kobe Bryant is not a twenty percent shooter.

9. Where is Luke Walton’s confidence? If found, please return to the lakers training facility at El Segundo. There may be a reward.

Catherine Forsythe