Putting the Losing Streak in Perspective

Here we go.  The three-game losing streak is here and the ensuing panic from Laker fans is undoubtedly following hot on its heels.  While I understand that the seriousness of the losing streak is only amplified by the fact that such a streak hasn’t happened in these parts for over two years (and by these parts, I mean just the Lakers, if I was being geographically specific, then this would be a pretty regular occurrence due to the Clippers total ineptitude), but is it really that bad?  If you say, “yes” then please peruse these following points before you take that irreversible final step off the ledge:

Alright guys, huddle up, keep your cool, this slump really isn’t as bad as it seems.

• The Bobcats loss was pretty terrible, agreed, but the other two losses came against good teams (not that Charlotte isn’t good) and were by a combined five points.  If Kobe had hit either one of his potential game-tying shots, then this isn’t even a story anymore.  In fact, Laker fans probably would be downright giddy that the Lakers defeated the Magic again and would have forgotten about the other two losses entirely.
• The Laker defense is still the second-best defense in the league despite their recent struggles.  Before the streak, the defense was actually the best in the NBA and despite what the team’s defensive performance this last week suggests, the Lakers didn’t suddenly forget how to play excellent defense.  The team is merely struggling with focus and communication right now, not a fundamental breakdown in defensive scheme or personnel.  Think about it, a week ago everyone was swinging from Ron Artest’s nuts after his string of shutdown defensive performances.  Now, the whole team apparently sucks.  Sorry, I’m not buying it.  They’ll get their act together soon.
• Losing streaks happen.  Sorry, but they do.  I know that the Lakers are to be held to a higher standard and I don’t have a problem with that, but that doesn’t mean the Lakers are forbidden from the rare slump.  As everyone knows, they haven’t lost three games in a row since Pau became a Lakers.  Do you realize how absurd that is?  That not only takes a lot of talent, but it also takes a great deal of luck.  Sometimes that luck runs out (i.e. Kobe having his big toe on the three-point line at the end of the game, meaning the Lakers still trailed by one rather than tied the game).
• This road trip was a recipe for disaster to begin with.  The Lakers and Miami always play tight games.  Charlotte inexplicably owns the Lakers.  Orlando is one of the best teams in the league and is intimately familiar with the Lakers after playing them in the Finals.  Let’s not forget to mention that all three of the games were on the road.  I’m not saying the Lakers couldn’t have won a game on the trip but rather that if you told me before the trip that they would lose all three games, I really wouldn’t have been that surprised.
• The Lakers lost to Orlando, but they busted their ass in the process and that is a giant step forward for them after seeing them coast through their last several games even before the losing streak started.  The effort was there from every single one of the Lakers in Orlando, they just came out on the wrong side of the game.  Gasol actually showed some real fire in the game when he started getting frustrated and wrestling with Dwight Howard in the fourth quarter.  Bynum was a dominant defensive presence (when he was on the floor and not in foul trouble, but at least he was trying).  Heck, Derek FREAKING Fisher nearly got in a fight in the game!  That is like hearing that the Dalai Lama took a swing at a guy.  This is the fire and passion they have been missing the last few weeks.  It is a crying shame that it took three straight losses to coax it out of the roster but sometimes you got to break some eggs to make an omelet.
• Not to make excuses, but the Lakers are a pretty tired team right now.  This losing streak all happened within four days and even for pro athletes, playing three road games in four days is no easy task especially when several of them are hindered by a variety of injuries.  They will get their rest and a chance to heal up their injuries before the post-season, so in that respect, the Laker will be in much better shape when the playoffs start.
• A three-game losing streak really isn’t that scary, they happen all the time, even to good teams.  Yes, the Lakers went over two years without one, but now that they lost three in a row guess how long the new “no three-game losing streak” is in the NBA?  30 games for the Denver Nuggets.  That isn’t even half of a season much less two-plus seasons.  I think it is pretty safe to say that this losing streak, as of right now, just isn’t that big of a deal.

Tags: Analysis, Andrew Bynum, Charlotte Bobcats, Derek Fisher, fatigue, injuries, Kobe Bryant, losing streak, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Sanity Check