Hawks Rattle Lakers' Homecourt Bid

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Thanks to the inconsistent play from their bench, the Lakers’ season goal to gain homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs has virtually been erased.

With today’s 86-76 loss in Atlanta coupled with the Cavaliers 102-74 pasting of the Mavericks, the Lakers are now two full games behind the Cleveland with only nine games remaining.

The Lakers still have to play in Charlotte on Tuesday and in Portland on April 10 and have fallen on bad times in both places in the recent past. Should they lose another game, it will be virtually impossible for the Lakers to catch the streaking Cavs, who have won twelve straight.

In all, the Lakers have four more games away from the Staples Center.

The Cavaliers also have four games on the road in Washington, Orlando, Philadelphia and Indiana while hosting San Antonio and Boston at the Quicken Loans Arena.

Even though the entire squad went 4-20 from beyond the arc, I have to put the blame once again squarely on the Lakers’ bench. Their play has been so dismal of late that Phil Jackson has had to keep his starters in the game much longer than he would like.

In today’s matchup in Atlanta, it became clearly evident that the starters are out of gas.

I cannot criticize them in any way, shape, or form for launching 20 three-point shots instead of trying to work the ball into the post. Launching three-point shot after three-point shot is what players do when they are tired, lethargic, unable to tap enough energy to pass the ball around four or five times and drive into the post.

In three successive games, the Lakers bench has only scored 15, 12, and 14 points. Today, Sasha Vujacic spent 21 minutes on the court and could not even score one measly point. He was 0 for 4. Josh Powell was on the court for 17 minutes and also went 0 for 4.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol had to log in another 40-minute plus game.

Despite how depleted the bench’s offense has become, their defense is even worse. Phil Jackson would be better off sending in the Laker Girls to replace his beleaguered starters. If nothing else, they at least have some decent moves to show the crowd.

Kobe Bryant playing on a sore ankle and weary legs in general scored 17 points on 7 for 19 shooting. Pau Gasol was again high man for the Lakers with 21 points on 7 for 10 shooting and 11 rebounds. No one else was in double figures.

Mike Bibby scored 21 points for the Hawks. Ronald Murray off the bench had 14 points and former Laker Maurice Evans had 13 points. Zaza Pachulia snared 13 rebounds for the Hawks and added 11 points.

Lakers will go to Charlotte Tuesday night to face the Bobcats who always give them trouble at Time Warner Cable Arena.

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