Lakers Look To Correct Road Woes

If the Los Angeles Lakers played half as well on the road as they did at home then we’d hear less talk of trades and more discussion of parades. Coming off of their signature win this season by throwing a wrench into the Miami Hype Machine the Lakers are poised to improve their road woes.

This week the Lake Show will roll through the cities of Detroit, Washington DC and Minneapolis. With all due respect to those great towns, for the most part their pro hoops franchises are more focused on the NBA draft lottery than the playoffs. Minnesota is on the cusp of breaking through but their uneven nature of play will likely keep them home for the postseason once again.

Simply put, if the Lakers can’t get some momentum on the road during this trip then their title hopes are undoubtedly over.

Last time the Lake Show hit the road for an extended period they were on their annual Grammy swing. Prior to that trip there was a lot of doom and gloom given their inconsistent play away from Staples. Surprisingly the Lakers played well enough to nearly pull off a winning record on their six-game trip. Unfortunately they didn’t execute well enough in a few of those contests to close out strong.

This trip should be much different.

I can’t stress the ‘should’ in that sentence above enough. There is no telling what you’re going to get from this team on any given night.

One game they’re dominating one of the NBA’s elite from start to finish and the next they look nothing like a veteran group with a champion’s grooming. But those roller coaster performances are becoming fewer and further between.

Mike Brown’s system is finally beginning to take shape. What we saw against Miami is the formula for success the Lakers must stick with from here out. This team isn’t going to run the opposition off the court but they can make life miserable for their opponents with stifling defense. Plus with the Masked Mamba balling like its 2006 there is reason to believe the Lakers can continue their inspired play.

It all begins tonight in Detroit where the Lakers will look to take it to the struggling Pistons. A win in the Motor City followed by a solid performance against the steadily improving Wizards could start something so unexpected that I tremble as I type it – a road winning streak.