Will That Phili Loss Cost The LA Lakers A Ring

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That Andre Iguodala shot was painful, but that game overall was a strange one.

We witnessed the LA Lakers blow a 14 point lead with about eight minutes remaining, enjoyed the thrill of another Kobe dagger with six seconds left, only to see Trevor Ariza forget to use the teams' foul to give, and play matador defense at the end.

However, looking back at it, we dominated nearly every aspect of that game.

• We shot 50% and held them under 45%.

• We hit eight threes to their five.

• They only hit one more FT than us.

• We out-rebounded them by five.

• We had 28 assists to their 22.

However, we did lose the turnover battle 18 to nine, and let's face it, the game came down to a handful of plays and we certainly did not make the best of them, which is frustrating considering it was on our home court.

A close game that should never have been close, and one in which we should never have lost. 

Another problematic stat is that we are currently 6-5 in games decided by three points or less...not the mark of a champion.

This game brings to mind the Charlotte Bobcats double overtime loss at home when Gerald Wallace got hurt in the fourth quarter. 

Will these games come back to haunt us?  Will they be the reason we lose home court to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals -- currently a full game ahead of us for best record overall and 32-1 at home?

This is why not only was last nights game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder important, but this whole seven game road trip is vital.

Cleveland plays eight of their final 12 games at home and you know they believe if they get home-court throughout, they will be unstoppable.

Little mental mistakes could be our eventual downfall.