What I learned about Kobe and the Lakers this season

It’s manufactured. Championship teams are chosen by David Stern and backed. It’s pretty disgusting but what can you do… Not to take away from the Thunder. They have an amazing group of talent. Kevin Durant is a legit scorer, Russell “Hothead” Westbrook is scarily fast, James Harden is arguably a top 5 shooting guard, Serge Ibaka is just too athletic. But they’ve had something the Lakers haven’t had: the zebras.

Kobe’s getting old. He’s just not the dunk any and every ball, number 8 Kobe anymore. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still top 3 in the League no question about it. And those 5 or 6 dunks in the last game brought back memories. Kobe is a never say quit kind of guy, even when his team is down 15, 20, 30 points with a minute to go. But, the late game turnovers and mental mistakes are uncharacteristic of the Mamba we’ve grown to love. Now, the best players are the ones that get free throws on bogus calls while Kobe gets hacked every game - all you Kobe haters can’t deny that he gets hit almost every time… I was legitimately sad during the last half of the fourth quarter when it was basically Kobe against the Thunder, down 15, 16, 17. He’s running out of precious time for that sixth ring and his supporting cast basically abandoned him. Sad.

Mike Brown can’t make adjustments. Hate to blame the coach when not every player is engaged in the quest for a chip, but Potato Head just isn’t a capable coach. The Lakers just couldn’t close out games 2 and 4 against the Thunder because of the aforementioned turnovers and late game mistakes but, who decided to have Steve Blake guard James Harden? Really? Who doesn’t tell his players to go over the screen when Westbrook and KD are pretty much guaranteed a midrange jumpshot? I mean yeah, it’s tough to fight through the screens when they’re all illegal (Kendrick Perkins is the reason why the Thunder won this series). 

The thing is, the Lakers just didn’t look motivated. Yeah, they’ve shown flashes, but for the most part, it was Kobe trying his best to carry this team. Obviously he couldn’t… I hate to admit it, but we do need a shakeup. When we got Ramon Sessions, I was sure that he was the missing piece. Nope. His first try at the postseason wasn’t bad, he was actually alright. But it’s because of his nervousness and the pressure on him that just isn’t the same as having old Fisher. I’d pick Sessions over him, but he just doesn’t have the quintessential locker room presence that stuck the team together.

I can go on and on about all of this, but what’s the point really? Are my thoughts and opinions going to persuade the Laker FO? Probably not. Is this post gonna make the thousands of fake Laker fans appreciate this winning franchise? Of course not. Can we blame the shortened training camp and the lack of familiarity with all the new faces and the CP3 scandal and Kobe’s divorce and lack of good officiating and whatever the hell is going on with Pau Gasol? We could, but it’s the Lakers we’re talking about. There’s no excuse. Ever. With that said, I’m still gonna be a Lakers fan with or without Kobe, Pau, Drew, Fisher, Ron, Lamar. We’ll come back next year for that ring, fellas!