8. Winning games when not at your best
It’s easy for a team to win games when all of their shots are falling and everything comes together exactly as it should. That’s true at every level of all sports. But, the reality for any team is that it’s just not possible to play at your best every single night.
It is, of course, much harder for a team to win a game when it isn’t playing very well. That takes more digging in, making that extra effort, doing whatever it takes. Sometimes it’s called “winning ugly”. It’s a quality that often separates the best teams from the merely good teams.
A classic example occurred in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals when the Lakers defeated the Celtics 83-79 to capture the title despite shooting only 32.5 percent from the field. It was an ugly game…but it was a beautiful win!
This year’s Lakers have shown the capability to win games while not playing their best. It happened Monday night against Miami when the team seemed to be caught up in the sentimental final match-up between James and his former teammate Dwyane Wade, and crisp play and execution took the night off. It also occurred in earlier victories against both Dallas and Utah. It just might be a good omen for the future.
So what does all this mean about the rest of the season? Is the Lakers express about to take off? Is the team ready to win the NBA title?
Whoa, let’s take it one step at a time. Remember that the real goal for the team this season was to qualify for the postseason and to gain valuable experience for the Lakers young core. Neither Kuzma, Ingram, Ball nor Josh Hart has yet to play a single NBA playoff minute.
If the Warriors Big 4 (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson) are all healthy for the playoffs, Golden State is clearly still the strong favorite to return to the Finals for the fifth straight year (the first team to do so since the 1960s Celtics) and to earn their third straight crown. That’s true even if DeMarcus Cousins isn’t physically able to contribute very much to the cause.
But, the Lakers haven’t yet peaked, and they’ve still won 75 percent of their last 20 games. Since they should only get better as the season progresses, it’s tempting to conclude that finishing at least 2nd in the West is well within their grasp, right? What can possibly derail the Lakers train?
Well, for starters, free-throw shooting remains their Achilles heel. Other than Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, only one Laker, Lance Stephenson, is shooting above 73 percent. Walton has deftly used KCP, who is connecting at nearly 93 percent and has rediscovered his 3-point shot, at the end of games when other teams are forced to foul. But according to recent rumors, KCP may soon be traded. Will anyone else step up at the free throw line?
Also, young players are notorious for having their ups and downs. It remains to be seen if Kuzma, Ingram, Ball and Hart can all continue on an upward trajectory throughout the year. Some inconsistency would not be surprising, especially since the pressure will increase as expectations rise.
Then there is the unprecedented competitiveness of this year’s Western Conference. Excluding Phoenix, the other 14 teams all harbor playoff aspirations and are currently separated by a mere 5.5 games. Obviously, most of their remaining games will be played against one another, so the standings will get jockeyed daily.
Which teams will make the playoffs? It’s impossible to do anything but guess. Here’s a stab at it: Warriors-Thunder-Lakers-Nuggets-Rockets-Blazers-Pelicans-Jazz. But, about all that can be accurately predicted is that every team will have both good and bad streaks. The ones that avoid key player injuries and lengthy losing streaks should fare the best.
The remaining two-thirds of the season promises to be a rollicking, exciting ride. How will the Lakers end up? Right now they seem to be well on their way to earning a playoff berth but nothing is guaranteed. Most important is that they continue to improve both collectively and individually as they lay the groundwork for sustainable success in the years ahead.
All statistics courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com