3 Reasons to be Pessimistic about the Lakers

Let’s talk about my favorite basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers. They received a roster makeover and straight balled out the later third of the season. At 43-39, they are slated to play in the 7-8 play in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And if they are successful in this play in tounament, they will move on to play the no. 2 seed or the no. 1 seed in the Western conference. I have to give credit where credit is due. Rob Pelinka has done an outstanding job of getting the right pieces around Lebron and AD. I wasn’t so sure about Darvin Ham’s coaching but he too has done a hell of a job coaching this team. He is flexible and he tinkers with the lineups for the best outcome night in and night out. But I am concerned. I hope I am wrong but I think the end of the road is coming very soon for this Laker team. Here are my three reasons to be pessimistic about the Lakers getting past the 1st round.

No. 1 The Lakers are tired.  They have been playing balls out hard for a month straight.  The team has had to really turn it up a notch and play hard in long spurts, game after game, to put together enough wins at the end of the season to get in this spot.  Because of that, they appear a bit fatigued.  Tired teams can lead to slow starts and injuries.

• Lebron and AD haven’t been able to start the beginning of games with energy lately.  They eventually pick it up in the 2^nd half but that can’t be counted on when you get to the play-in game(s) and later, hopefully, the playoffs.  And we know both of them are now susceptible to lower body injuries this season.  

• Dennis Schroder has been out with an Achilles strain.

• Austin Reaves is wearing a sleeve on his leg because he got banged up recently. 

• DeAngelo Russell is just coming back from a hip injury that kept him out of important games the last two weeks.

Fatigued players playing at the highest level in physical playoff battles get nicked up, hurt or injured more easily than rested players.  I fear that’s what’s about to happen with the Lakers if they advance to a playoff series and get into a tough playoff battle. 

No. 2 Lebron will try to do too much in crunch time.  We know Lebron is still great and can still direct an offense and get others open shots or get buckets himself, both at a high rate.  But Lebron has a tendency to receive a pass and then hold the ball a long time while surveying the defense.  He sometimes ends up holding the ball too long while using up the shot clock and puts up a very tough shot or makes a tough pass.  When that happens in 3-4 minute stretches throughout the game, that chokes the life out of the Lakers offense.  Even a Lebron & AD pick and roll is not a play that works time and time again. Hopefully Lebron continues to trust his teammates to run the offense effectively and make game winning plays in crunch time, even after a mistake.  But then again, those players have to make those effective plays consistently or Lebron WILL take over the offense.  A Lebron-centric or Lebron & AD offense in crunch time will not work as effectively as it used to.  

No. 3 The other teams are sitting, waiting, salivating to play whoever lands in that 7^th or 8^th spot.  Denver and Memphis (and Sacramento too) are tired of hearing the media talk up the Lakers, the Clippers, Golden State, Phoenix and not hearing enough good things about their teams.  Denver has been overlooked all year because of their recent lack of success in the playoffs.  Memphis has been passed over every since the Ja Morant off the court stuff. 

These teams have been sitting back and resting the past couple of weeks.  So not only are they pissed off, they are also rested.  If the Lakers win a play in game and get to play Denver or Memphis, those teams will be locked in, highly pissed off and ready to go right at the Lakers.  There will be no rest for the weary Lakers if and when they get to the playoffs this weekend. 

And those are my three reasons why I don’t think the Lakers will advance out of the 1^st round of the playoffs.  Again, I hope I am wrong.  I just don’t want to go into this playoff season thinking with my heart instead of my head.  Let the games begin tonight!