The LA Lakers are not at their finest moment right now. Just like it happened to the Boston Celtics, the Lakers are getting slower, older, and just not as shiny and in focus as they used to be. And yes, to be fair to the comparison, it certainly appears as if the Celtics have done a much finer job at getting old. All though the Lakers are still the favorite team to win the NBA Championship this year and this is the most successful team since the turn of the century (winning two out of the last three NBA Finals and 5 in the last decade) on the other hand, their most recent performances have raised some concerns about the team’s overall stability.
Yes, the Lakers have Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest on their roster and that’s just the supporting cast for non other then Kobe Bryant. But the most star-filled team in the western conference has lost to the likes of the Sacramento Kings, the Charlotte Bobcats and the league-weakest link: the Cleveland Cavaliers. And that’s just in the last month alone.
And yet, for the most part, it seems as if these early signs have not been considered much of an alarm signal, not even a warning sign. But there are certain -lets call them symptoms- that could or should be taken into consideration. For starters, Derek Fisher is 36 years old and certainly in the twilight of his career. Lamar Odom is certainly not at his finest, while the always troubling and a bit delusional Ron Artest is as unreliable as he is talented.
The only thing that we are left with is the experience that this team has, and overall, the undeniable fact that the LA Lakers are a strong all around team capable of winning when it matters most.
And then there is another factor. It seems as if this time around, working their way into the Finals should certainly be an easier task for the Lakers then for any of the Eastern Conference counterpart. Yes, this time around the Chicago Bulls, the New York Knicks, The Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics are going to have to bring on their A-game to face the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
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