Pivot Points: Lakers' 35 Point Win Over Dallas Is Reminder Of Potential

Lately, the Los Angeles Lakers have been victim to bouts uninspired play.

That has left room for critics to question the merits of their viability as contenders and  defenders of their Western Conference crown.

The only questions left after the Lakers trounced the hapless Dallas Mavericks was why can't the Lakers consistently turn in these types of performances?

On a night that saw Kobe Bryant take a break and Pau Gasol succumb to a hamstring injury, the Lakers turned in what may be their best overall team performance of the season so far.

Reserve Jordan Farmar led the scoring with 24 points, and Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic chipped in 11 points apiece. Yes, I said Sasha Vujacic actually came off the bench and contributed with a double-digit performance.

The good vibes were felt all around as Andrew Bynum scored 19 points on 8-for-8 shooting, and Lamar Odom contributed 15 points and 15 rebounds in a performance that overshawdowed the loss of Gasol.

The last thing the Lakers need is to face another stint without Gasol; however, the injury is considered to be a strain of the left hamstring which is not the same one injured previously.

He goes for an ultrasound today. Forward Ron Artest was cleared for full practice, which bodes well for his return to game action when the Lakers face Houston on Tuesday.

This night though was for the players that participated, and they put on quite a show. The Lakers shot 63 percent from the field and an even more impressive 81 percent from long distance.

It got so bad that after three quarters, Los Angeles held a 40-point lead, and coach Phil Jackson was able to go extensively with his bench—a rare occurrence in the past three weeks.

The Lakers can't match this type of performance on a nightly basis, but it does show the type of game the Lakers can play when they maintain their focus and adhere to defensive principles.

Although the validity of the Maverick's lofty status in the conference can be questioned, they are by no means pushovers. They already owned a previous road victory over these same Lakers.

To be honest, Dallas suffered from an extremely poor showing and couldn't seem to buy a basket to save their lives at times. But the much-maligned Laker defense has to be given credit for making the task difficult for the Mavericks.

It seems that much of the criticism Los Angeles has faced recently may have been overstated. Their demise has likewise been greatly exaggerrated, because they remain the top overall team in the NBA.

This victory does not erase the Lakers' shortcomings, but it does demonstrate the potential to overcome them. Los Angeles showed improvement in most of the areas that have been a major reason of concern.

They kept the Dallas guards out of the lane, and when their defense was breached, they challenged the opponent at the rim. They rebounded, played the passing lanes and rotated on defensive switches.

In other words, they looked like the defensive unit that their skills suggest rather than a group of players thrown together who looked dazed and confused, and unshooled on proper defensive techniques.

It should be noted that Dallas lacks the type of quick guards who have traditionally given the Lakers' fits, but inspiration can still be found in the way that Los Angeles was aggressive at the point of attack.

It's not that the stable of Laker guards are incapable of defending the perimeter. It's just that none of them had shown the ability to do it consistently up to this point.

The confidence gleaned from this performance can't be taken for granted. It should serve players such as Farmar and Brown well when pressed for service in the future.

The message sent to the rest of the NBA in the wake of a 35-point win against the second-best team in the Western Conference reverberates throughout the league.

Though they may be wounded, the Lakers are still the team to beat in the Western Conference and the entire NBA until someone proves otherwise through the strength of a seven-game series.