Los Angeles Lakers: Resilient Streak of Road Wins Exemplifies Team's Potential

Who called the Los Angeles Lakers old?

It really seems like the Lakers woke up from their heart-wrenching losses in Detroit and Washington last week.

They now have won four straight games, including three in a row on the road. They improve to 9-14 away from the Staples Center, and all of a sudden the team has got its swagger back after two consecutive overtime victories and 111 minutes of basketball played in two different cities in as many nights.

What's most impressive is how Kobe Bryant has played over 100 minutes of basketball in the last two nights. People were ready to call his career over before the start of this season, yet he's defying expectations and has shown that he deserves MVP consideration.

Last night, he looked just as good in his 100th minute of play as he did in his first. If that's not awe-inspiring, then nothing is.

A Laker fan might have been just content with last night's double-overtime victory over Memphis, a young playoff team that the Lakers had to come back on after being down by 17 points earlier in the game.

As expected, the Lakers started off slow on Wednesday night in the Big Easy. They had played a long game the night before and had to fly in late to New Orleans. It wasn't a surprise to see a slow start.

When they were down 17, it was easy to write the team off because of fatigue. Recent history showed that this season the Lakers were 2-8 on the second game of back-to-backs on the road. 

With the numbers and odds against them, the resilient Lakers fed off the confidence and momentum they attained last night, and they were able to win another thriller in overtime.

Once again, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum were major factors in the victory. Kobe had 33 points in 49 minutes while Bynum had 25 points and 18 rebounds. Pau Gasol also added a double-double.

Who needs Dwight?

These last two wins were important because the Lakers now know they can win on the road, no matter the opponent or the deficit. Obviously they don't want to get in a habit of getting down big early, but being able to come from behind helps, especially on the road. It helps bring the team together and builds confidence.

It seemed like they lost that swagger when the league nixed the Chris Paul deal. It was easy to write off the Lakers. They had a new coach, unfamiliar faces on the bench and the team was in a state of malaise. 

Give credit to head coach Mike Brown's defensive schemes, Kobe's dominance, Bynum's surge, Gasol's patience and focus amidst all the trade rumors, and management's faith in the team ever since the team lost to Dallas last season. They didn't overreact and make a boneheaded trade. They stuck with their guts.

The team showed today they're a championship contender. It doesn't matter who you play. The circumstances for the Lakers in Memphis were dire, yet they came away with the victory.

They'll have a delightful flight back home to Los Angeles and try to continue their success at home.