NBA Playoffs 2012: The Los Angeles Lakers and Five Big Misconceptions

With the 2012 NBA postseason hitting a serious turning point for the Los Angeles Lakers and with tonight's Game 6 outing in Denver either ending the series or forcing a Game 7, viewers league-wide have begun to chime in on the polarizing Lakers. While some critiques have been well-warranted, others have not.

And for the sake of your favorite team, it's important that the world knows the truth about the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some will find these critiques to be false upon first examination. Once these slides are further researched by the very viewers who oppose them, however, common ground will be found.

Here are the five biggest misconceptions about the Los Angeles Lakers.

5. The Lakers Blew It with the Derek Fisher Trade

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Derek Fisher and a first-round draft choice to the Houston Rockets for unproven big man Jordan Hill, I was one of many who criticized the move.

After watching Hill put up three double-digit rebound outings, including two double-doubles, I'll gladly admit defeat and continue to watch in awe. 

What's most impressive about Hill's rebounding dominance has been the fact that he's yet to top 24 minutes in a game. In other words, low-cost and high-reward just got a new definition.

4. Kobe Bryant Is Just Learning to Trust His Teammates

To paraphrase every fan who dislikes the era's greatest player, Kobe Bryant is the "biggest ball hog in the NBA." He is not. Despite popular belief, this misconception is not a recent trend that's begun with his decision to give his teammates the chance to come up big with the game on the line.

The fact of the matter is, the Los Angeles Lakers' illustrious new millennium of postseason history has hinged on three people: Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Ron Artest.

Not the names you expected to see, is it?

While Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal have been at the heart of every title, so has the clutch shooting of the three men listed above. While Artest only has one year of clutch triumph, it was Kobe Bryant who gave him the Game 7 look with one minute remaining.

It was also Kobe Bryant who passed or conceded to Derek Fisher and Robert Horry, time after time, as they took the shot with the game on the line.

Exhibits A and B.

3. Lakers Do Not Have a Size Advantage

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol may be this generation's version of the Twin Towers (they've won the titles, Spurs fans). Beyond them, however, the Lakers are not that big.

Or are they?

The Lakers have five players that are taller than 6'10", as well as 6'9" small forward Devin Ebanks. While Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy rarely see playing time, the combination of four tall players receiving consistent minutes is a true advantage.

Ebanks has a height advantage over the average 3, while Gasol and Bynum make up the NBA's tallest front court. Jordan Hill is also a 6'10" rebounding machine, as he's posted double-digit rebounds in three out-of-five playoff games.

Hard to say the Lakers lack a size advantage when they have a multiple players at 6'10" or taller on the floor at all times. Or when they dominate glass on a nightly (besides Game 5) basis.

2. Pau Gasol Is the Weak Link

If you're looking for 20 and 10, Pau Gasol isn't going to give you that on a nightly basis. If you're looking for 10-15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, however, it's likely you'll get that.

Just do yourself a favor and look beyond the numbers.

At the start of the second and fourth quarters, arguably the two most important quarters in a basketball game, both Andrew Bynum and Kobe Bryant begin on the bench. Almost every night. The one star who remains on the court, however, is Pau Gasol.

With Bynum and Bryant on the floor, Gasol becomes a low-post facilitator who makes beautiful passes to set Bynum and company up for easy scores. He also becomes a defensive guru who blocks shots, boxes out and pulls down rebounds.

When they're not on the floor, he'll drop four-to-six points in the three-to-five minutes that his teammates are on the bench. Gasol is just as important as Kobe and Bynum.

1. Kobe Bryant Shoots Too Much

Those who make this argument fall into three possible categories.

1. Die-hard Michael Jordan fans who can't acknowledge others players are great as well.
2. Die-hard LeBron James fans who can't acknowledge that competition is a good thing; not a hindrance on the other's legacy.
3. Those who read the box score, but don't watch the damn games.

Kobe Bryant is a scorer. Therefore, every time the ball is in his hands, he should be thinking about scoring the basketball.

He does pass to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. He does drive-and-dish, as evidenced by three assists leading to wide-open three-pointers in Game 1. He does play team basketball. The fact of the matter is, he is one of the greatest scorers of all-time and should never pass up on an opportunity to put points on the board.

But he will hit an open teammate and place his trust in them with the game on the line.

If you watch the games, you'll know Kobe will have his cold streaks; as will any player. He may miss five shots consecutively, but he'll hit another five consecutive shots later in the game.

At the end of the day, I'll take his 13-for-30 shooting where he has hot streaks at all the right moments, hitting multiple shots in each quarter. I'll also take it over a player going 5-of-9 but hitting just one or two shots per quarter.

If you watch the games, you know the game. If you read the box score, you see the numbers. And contrary to what Jay-Z has told Jim Jones, numbers do lie.

The game does not.