Lakers’ Bigs Play Small in Loss to Cavs
The calendar reads January but Andrew Bynum is already playing like its June. No need to call on David Blaine. Bynum is capable of making himself invisible.
Speaking of June, if the Lakers and Cavs meet again in 2010 it will be Cleveland who will have homecourt should the two teams finish with equal records in the regular season. If Bynum continues to do his best Elden Campbell anytime he’s on the court with Pau Gasol then the Lake Show won’t have to worry about seeing the Cavs or any other team from the Eastern Conference come June.
Laker fans will remember just how much trouble Campbell had playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal. If you don’t recall this phenomenon, just watch Bynum and Gasol play together.
Bynum has posted just 11 points and 14 boards in over fifty minutes of playing time against the Cavs this season.
But he is not alone in his shortcomings. Gasol is right there with Bynum.
Pau has totaled 24 points and 14 boards in the two tilts with Cleveland.
Both men have been held well below their averages by the rough and tumble Cleveland defense which translates into the dynamic Laker offense being relegated to something that resembles Pat Riley’s Knicks in the 90’s.
A team that, on average, hangs 103 on the scoreboard couldn’t even break the 90 point plateau on two separate occasions against the Cavs.
Look no further than the Bynum/Gasol Houdini act as the biggest reason why the James Gang swept the season series from the Lakers.
The 93-87 loss in Cleveland makes it 5 losses in the last 6 road contests for the Lake Show. Not the way you want to begin an 8 game swing away from Staples.
While the effort at Quicken Loans Arena was an improvement from the Christmas Day debacle, it still was not enough and the same problems have reared their ugly head once again.
If Gasol has any designs on stepping out of Kobe’s shadow and proving he too is a franchise caliber player, then he needs to clutch up in the big games. Pau can start by actually making free throws when the game is on the line. Shooting 86% from the charity stripe means nothing if your misses are coming at big moments. Next, Pau needs to be more decisive when he’s being bullied in the post. The L.A. Sportsman of the Year is at his best when he reads the defense and reacts quickly. Whenever Pau is posturing and posing, it becomes clear that his defender is in his head.
Bynum, on the other hand, continues to show his youth. The bigger the game, the smaller the seven footer plays.
Having reached the season’s midpoint, the Lakers still own the best record in the league. However, that means little if they’re not rising to the challenge posed by the league’s elite. One year ago it was Cleveland who had the best record during the regular season yet endured a sweep by the Lakers.
Sound familiar?
For the Cavs, last year ended with 66 regular season wins and no Finals appearance. If Bynum and Gasol can’t develop a rhythm and rise to the occasion, it could be a similar ending for the Lakers this season.