131 to 92. Boston took the Lakers out to the proverbial wood shed for a good old-fashioned 39-point whipping. In the finals, no less! And you know what, it wasn’t even that close.
As a lifelong Laker fan dating back to the days of Kareem and Magic, this crash and burn ending is on one level a total bummer.
On another level, however, it’s a somewhat poetic, KOAN-like expression of essential truth.
Let me explain. The Lakers, and the Zen of Phil Jackson (PJ), are about an offensive scheme known as The Triangle, which is mostly about passing, cutting and spacing to create opportunistic, high percentage scoring situations.
Unfortunately, so much of the defensive edge in the triangle is predicated upon the offense clicking.
Thus, kill the triangle and you kill the Lakers.
Boston figured this out and plays true team D in terms of closeouts, spacing management and isolation avoidance so it was a bloody mess, and despite the Lakers winning two games in this series, there was never a full game where the Lakers were "The Lakers" in terms of flow, poise and execution.
The riddle for PJ and the Lakers in the off-season is with the Western Conference getting so much better, and Boston and Detroit being strong D types of teams, you need to have a DIFFERENT LOOK for when the opponent is crushing the triangle.
For all of the talk that PJ made after the Pau Gasol deal about all of the different styles the team could play depending on the opponent, there really was only one look that the Lakers threw out there.
It’s like the fastball pitcher who needs a second or third killer pitch to be lethal and invincible.
All of that said, I was actually pretty serene as the Lakers were getting killed. Why? They go into the off-season with no illusions that another year of the same pitch will be good enough to win the championship.
This is the KOAN, the paradox and the riddle that will stick in the guts of the (once) mighty Lakers in the coming months, like a fine meal turned rotten having been exposed too long to the elements.
And you know what, as hard as that truth is, they are pretty darn close to phenomenal if they can figure out the above riddle, and pick up an off-the-bench gamer or two (ala James Posey) during the off-season.
Honestly, I never understood why the Lakers were so heavily favored, as much as I love them and as proud as I am of their accomplishments.
It is generally a truism that the best D beats the best offense.
Nothing should take away from a great year, though -- one of the sweetest and most magical I have experienced as a Laker fan -- albeit one with a very sour ending.
A final note. I would be remiss if I did not give props to Kurt and the gang at Forum Blue & Gold, a site full of true, knowledgeable gamers. This site really made the playoffs extra special. Here is their post on the finals blowout, ‘There’s Got to Be a Morning After.’
Related Links:
- Lakers-Celts and the Sporting Metaphor: on sporting metaphors and rivalries.
