Thought Starter
Gotta have it.
Certain nights throughout a season can be described as “show me” games. One where the context clearly demands a certain level of effort and performance if a team is going to demonstrate the requisite seriousness and focus to consider themselves a legitimate playoff threat, let alone a title contender.
Tonight’s game against the Heat at the Crypt? It’s a “show me.”
Miami arrives with a middling record (20-18, 10-11 away from home) and without Jimmy Butler, who continues to serve a team-imposed suspension. So on their home floor, the Lakers ought to win this one. But more importantly, the last 16 minutes of Monday’s loss to San Antonio were an embarrassment. Up 10 with four minutes left in the quarter—and up eight with three minutes remaining—the Lakers went on to lose by 24. It’s not easy to lose a 16 minute stretch by 36 points, but here we are. And this was on a night where the Lakers, at least on the surface, pledged to bring it on behalf of the city.
That doesn’t mean they’re going to win, but the capacity to maintain focus should have been there. (And if it had, they win.)
The wild swings this team makes are just as revealing as anything they do inside games. They’ve shown flashes of being the type of team that can compete credibly in the playoffs and maybe get through a couple of rounds. They’ve also made being blown out part of the routine. It happens... a lot.
Whether the Lakers have enough on the roster to really make a push remains to be seen. At the least, the flaws are there, and they’re real. But if they’re not going to be the team that overwhelms with talent, they need to be one that does it with precision and heart.
It’s not easy, but it’s required.
—BK
Other Big Questions In This Episode
1. How do the Lakers replace the defense of Dorian Finney Smith (doubtful, personal) tonight?
2. What type of team do the Lakers want to be?
3. What can the Lakers fix on defense? How much of it is “play harder,” and how much of that comes down to LeBron and the cues he sends?
