Spruce Derden–USA TODAY Sports
Every Lakers game follows the same script these days. The opponent is irrelevant. The outcome is the same.
Tonight it was the Memphis Grizzlies’ turn to play their exhibition game against the NBA’s version of the Washington Generals.
But before the Lake Show could give another easy W to a struggling opponent they first had a team meeting to air out their grievances. Sticking to the script whatever was discussed in that meeting made no difference. Come the fourth quarter it was Memphis who aired out Los Angeles in a 106-93 no-contest.
Those 106 points scored by the Grizzlies are shocking only in the sense that they’ve been having trouble breaking 90 recently. Not when the Lakers are in town. More of the usual Mike D’Antoni recipe was served up as a sloppy up-tempo offense again coughed up the rock routinely, never got back in transition defense and conceded 60+ points in the paint.
How can any NBA team lose when they shoot 49% as a team and keep getting to the cup with ease?
All night it was one defensive breakdown after another as Kobe Bryant lost rack of Tony Allen, Steve Nash got abused by Mike Conley and every Laker got out-worked on the boards.
We all knew that there was no way this defense was going to improve under Coach No D Antoni so that it remains this bad is not a surprise. However that the Lakers offense is still nothing more than standing around and watching Kobe there is plenty of reason to believe we won’t be seeing a second of playoff action.
Bryant and the Lakers did come out aggressive unlike most of their games this season. But that was about the only effect you saw from the supposed heated meeting. The rest of the game it was KB24 trying to impose his will on the Grizz while everyone else in a Purple shirt just stood around waiting in the bread line for their crumb.
The man expected to orchestrate this mess on the floor, Nash, led the team with 6 turnovers.
The man that was supposed to be the defensive anchor in the middle, Dwight Howard, was a non-factor again for his 14 minutes on the floor. D12 departed this embarrassment early as he appeared to reinjure his labrum.
Looks like the man that was supposed to be the Lakers’ newest sixth man, Pau Gasol, is back in the starting five. Much to the chagrin of Coach No D no doubt.
The team that was supposed to contend for the tile is 8 games below .500 with no reason to believe they’ll ever bounce back. The wheels are off and this train is out of control. All that remains is to sit and watch as the carnage complies with each passing game.