Conclusion
Tanking? What tanking? After a couple of narrow losses, the Lakers finally close out a close game and win against the Toronto Raptors. It took an extra period, but it still counts. Kobe Bryant looked like the Kobe Bryant of old, setting up his teammates early and taking over the game late with relatively fresh legs. The rest of the Lakers helped out and shared the scoring burden with Bryant and immeasurably enhanced their trust with him, which could help them win games in the long run. Their defense is still a giant thorn that pricks every fan who wants to embrace this team, but at least they are showing they can shut down one aspect of an opponents offense when they focus.