Bottom line: The Los Angeles Lakers played soft!
Take a look at the above picture because this what the Lakers spent their time doing while the Dallas Mavericks made their run. Complaining to the referees and not getting back in transition defense.
In the second half, the Dallas Mavericks showed that they are legitimate contenders in the Western Conference. That means they can withstand an early surge from the Lakers and not fold under the pressure.
LeBron had the Staples Center rocking early. AD hits Caruso with a no-look pass and the “CaruShow” was in effect.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1201253516729188352
But, this game brings back memories of opening night against the LA Clippers. The Mavs held up under the pressure and continued to play aggressively and that wore on the Lakers.
In the 3rd quarter, the Lakers found themselves begging for foul calls instead of matching Dallas’ intensity. The Lakers were outrebounded 51-45. That shouldn’t be even up for discussion with the size of the Lakers’ frontline. Just ridiculous. At last count, the Mavs outscored the Lakers 23-5 on second-chance points.
Get the picture here? Finally, this is an issue that needs to be addressed by Tuesday.
Alex Caruso deserves Rondo’s minutes. Period. Frank Vogel is going to have to get with the program here. The Lakers were a good team with Caruso on the floor while Lake Show Life is still looking for and piece of video where Rajon Rondo has played defense this year.
When the Lakers were getting killed in the 3rd quarter, Caruso knocked down back to back 3-point shots to spark a 10-0 run to get things somewhat close. Plus he plays defense? Lake Show Life had a discussion before the season about this potential problem. Who cares if AD loves this guy? If he wants an NBA title, Rondo has to sit.
Lake Show Life always states the moniker of, “This post-game is about this game. Nothing more, nothing less.” This post-game is about the upcoming road trip. Is this a freak out situation? No. The Lakers are 17-3 and tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have to show what they really have with a much tougher schedule in the month of December. Have the Lakers faced poor competition this season? Sure. Take that up with the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. That’s not the Lakers’ fault.
This is the time however to develop good habits and not fall into the trap of allowing the superstars to cover up major issues in winning against bad teams.
The Lakers travel to Denver to play the Nuggets on Tuesday.