The Lakers rolled into Indiana on a three game winning streak, a season high.
The Pacers were on an eight game losing streak so they were feeling desperate. Guess what happened?
One team cared about winning and the other team…well, from the opening tip they were disinterested. “We were outplayed tonight”, Byron Scott said. It was a calm way of saying we were soft as tissue paper.
Kobe was more analytical.
"“All our shots were short. We didn’t give ourselves an opportunity to win the ballgame. It was one of those nights. They shot the ball pretty well.”"
The Lakers started the first half as if one hand was tied behind their back. Everything missed. No credit goes to the Pacers defense which was good but not spectacular. The Lakers just missed shots. A lot of them. Almost every one of them. They made 7 shots in the first half. At one point they only had one rebound.
If body language was anything to go on, the last place the Lakers wanted to be was on the court. Their lack of urgency was in direct contrast to the first two games they played on this road trip. Not one player did anything remotely resembling grit and effort and the Pacers, who have struggled all season long scoring the ball, were the hungrier team, not to mention the better one.
In the second half, the Lakers played the way they should have to start the game. “The only adjustment was to play harder”, Byron Scott said. They did. They had energy and actually played as if they cared about wining. Competitor Kobe showed up. He was all over the court. He yelled at the refs, he sprinted all over the court, he deflected passes for steals, he made layups, he missed jump shots.
"“We learned what if felt like to play that hard defensively. You learn when your back is against the wall. You exert more energy. You compete.”"
Ronnie Price and Ed Davis pressured the ball and the lead dwindled to 20 points. But not enough offense hampered the comeback and the lead swelled to 30 again.
If there was any bright spot to this disaster, it was that Jordan Clarkson got some playing time. He played thirteen minutes and even though he wasn’t particularly effective, being on the court in a game that meant absolutely nothing allowed him to make mistakes and learn. Not that it mattered in this game, his paltry education. The Pacers sat on the lead and the Lakers tried a comeback but trailing by 34 is an impossible hill to climb.
Kobe summed it up in his sarcastic best.
"“Sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back for an atrocious job.”"