Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the defending champion Golden State Warriors at the Oracle where the defending champs made it look easy as the Lakers got an inevitable old-fashioned butt whooping by the Warriors 77-111.
It is what it is as the final score suggested. We drank the "kool-aid" thinking that the Lakers might have a chance to upset the defending champions on their home floor and spoil their run at history, but we knew that the Warriors were going to straight up kick this Laker team in the @$$. And the end result was expected. I couldn't help but laugh because this game was laughable from the start to finish because this Warriors squad made the Lakers look like a JV basketball team out there.
(+)
No positives. Unless you count putting up 77 points on this Warriors team, fine. The Lakers did have some fight in the 2nd quarter, but this game was all bad to warrant no positives to take away from this game.
(-)
Basketball Fundamentals. The Lakers just lacked this all season long. No ball movement, no defense, what more can I say? I've lost count on how many lobs this Laker team allowed, how much they left this Warriors team wide open on threes, how much they let Curry work his magic. Players are not spacing the floor. Nobody is making an effort to go after the ball and give second chance possessions. Nobody is running. Nobody is cutting. Everybody's calling for "iso" plays and throwing up "Hail Mary" shots. Too much dribbling. There is no identity with this team! They're not an offensive team. They're not a defensive team. What exactly is this team? I know this is a young team; this is their first year together. However, what kind of identity will this team shape from now to the future? The soul searching just continues for this team and this game is the latest chapter of it.
Kobe Bryant, 4 points, 1-14 shooting. It's really hard to see Kobe Bryant's 20th season go up in smoke like this. He missed a lot of shots this game that he usually makes if he was still in his prime. Multiple air balls, in fact, he had a shot in which the ball got stuck between the backboard and the back of the rim and the refs had to call for a jump ball. And you got a lot of Kobe fans out there saying "Kobe is going to drop 30 points a game, he'll win MVP, and deliver the Lakers another NBA championship!" As a Laker fan and as a Kobe fan, I am embarrassed by those over-the-top statements because for the past three seasons, he hasn't been the same player. He's 37, has a lot of mileage, the injury bug finally caught up to him, his time is up. He even preached the young Laker squad to move the ball, but still, he tried to play hero ball this game and Byron Scott has the audacity to defend his shot selection, saying "he earned it." I've woken up to the harsh reality, but some would deny it and I bet they'll vote him on the All-Star ballot this season. I love Kobe, he defined my lifetime as a Lakers fan, but enough is enough already.
Conclusion
Well, excuse my semi-tirades on the negative list. Like I said in the 3rd quarter post, congratulations to the Warriors on making history to start the season at 16-0. There is no better fanbase that deserves this moment in history than those a part of Dub Nation. For the Lakers, this organization needs to be evaluated. They're bent on the notion that because it's LA and they have 16 championships, big time free agents will want to play for the Lakers. Well, if there's not a stable core of players in place and there's no contingency plan for the future, I don't see any star player play for the Lakers anytime soon. Sorry, but that's reality. The Raiders have gone through this process and are almost out of the hole and the Lakers are going through this turmoil since 2013 (I was eventually going to bring out this parallel path). I expect the growing pains to continue this season. I'll see you guys for the next televised game, whatever that is.
#FireByronScott
#FireJimBuss
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