TheLakeShow: Los Angeles Lakers Re-evalution Has To Start Soon

Recently I wrote an article completely recapping the NBA match up between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings (Lakers-Kings: Kobe Bryant Saves Lackluster Los Angeles) and I too was celebrating with the multitude of Lakers fans when Kobe hit the three-pointer to win the game.

If you happened to miss the game, basically, the Lakers (26-6) fell behind the Kings (14-19) early in the game. Sacramento played tight defense, and showed of their young stars in Omri Casspi and Spencer Hawes.

The Kings led the Lakers at half time, 64-49. Once the third quarter began, Kobe put on his cape and rescued the Lakers, finishing with 39 points, after starting 3-11. Then, in the fourth quarter, Kobe won the game with a three pointer as time expired. 

So yes, we were reminded the Kobe Bryant is still one of, if not the, most dominant player in the NBA, but what did we learn about the Lakers?

We learned that the Lakers are more drama filled than a Spielburg flick in Hollywood, and know when to turn it on and put on a show. 

The buzzer beater is easily the most exciting play in basketball, but instead of rejoicing, I often time find myself wondering, "what went wrong during the game to make it this close?" 

The Lakers won three games at the buzzer in the last 29 days, against three of the worst teams in the NBA!

Yes, Kobe is 3-0 with the ball in his hand as time expires, but we already knew he was great. 

The Lakers bench in 2009 was one of the most important components to the NBA Finals victory, second only to the performance by Bryant. While of late, the bench has been nearly invisible, and can directly be blamed for the performance that the Lakers have been having.

No professional team can when without a strong bench. Depth is the key to every championship team, and as a Lakers fan, I'm worried for our boys in the playoffs. 

In the Lakers last second win over the Kings, the Los Angeles bench had only 11 points. No where near the total that a championship team should have, let alone against a below five hundred team. 

Without a bench that can contribute, starters will have to put in more minutes, thus increasing the chance of injury and ruin their playoff chances.

The Lakers offense will not be able to rely on Kobe Bryant to bail them out in the second half against Western Conference powerhouses like the Spurs, or the Suns. 

Los Angeles needs to play hard out of the gate, let alone who they're playing, with a tight defense and an aggressive offensive attack. When the Lakers are on point, they are nearly unstoppable and can go on incredible runs. 

In order to repeat as champions in the NBA, the Lakers must remember what their goals have been from the beginning of the season; win another ring. Once they begin to play with the same fire and aggressiveness that they had in their '09 championship push, Phil will have to start putting championship rings on his toes.