Pivot Points: Laker Thoughts, Verbal Shots, and Things of That Sort, Pt. Two

Laker Thoughts: The recent injury to Ron Artest has gone a long way towards demonstrating how important his presence has become to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the need to get him back as soon as possible.

Many people felt Artest would be a distraction, but he has proved just the opposite. He has, by all accounts, been a perfect teammate, and his assimilation into the Laker framework has been seamless.

He just seems to fit into the scheme, and his grasp of the complexities of the triangle offense are a testament to his overall knowledge of the game and understanding certain situations and how to react once they present themselves.

He remains one of the top defenders in the game, and his play has afforded Kobe Bryant the comfort of not having to guard an opponents' best player the majority of the time.

Bryant, an excellent defender himself, has been able to team with Artest to give the Lakers arguably the most formidable shooting guard, small forward defensive combination in the NBA.

In Artest's absence, the Lakers have reverted to their nominal defensive ways, and have lacked the toughness and intensity that came with Artest in the lineup.

In a close win in Sacramento and a loss in Phoenix, the Lakers have looked soft and uninterested, and have lacked the mental edge that Artest provided through his rugged defensive play.

Thankfully, coach Phil Jackson expects Artest to make his return in the Lakers next home game against Golden State, which brings me to another point about Artest and his injury.

I would love to know the circumstances under which the injury occurred, because based on Artest and some of his recent confessions, the opportunities for speculation are endless.

The fact that he sustained an elbow injury and a concussion means that he took quite a tumble, and I would love to know his physical and mental state at the time of his mishap.

Could it be that Artest over-indulged in a little of the liquid spirits after the blow-out loss to Cleveland, combined with the fact Christmas is a time to be merry, may have contributed to the events which led to the fall?

We may never know, but that seems as good a possibility as any, and considering the type of character personality that Artest possesses, there is nothing much he could say that would surprise me anyway. Just a thought.

Verbal Shots: A big verbal shot goes to the fans that attended the Christmas Day massacre at the Staples Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and their rude and rowdy behavior near the game's conclusion.

Los Angeles Laker fans everywhere had the right to be disappointed in the performance of the purple and gold, but to resort to throwing objects on the court is downright disrespectful.

That type of attitude is one of the many reasons the Lakers are hated by so many, and even though I could care less what people think about the Lakers in other situations, in this one they are right.

One of the greatest advantages the NBA enjoys is the proximity of the fans to the court, a situation that is unique to the league and one which gives fans the opportunity to interact with players.

The actions of the Staples Center crowd lends credible evidence to the school of thought that says the rules need to be changed, a move that would be bad for the sport and the fans that attend the contests.

We have a responsibility as fans to hold ourselves to a standard which doesn't include throwing objects on the court that could possibly injure players or other spectators.

That type of behavior only reinforces the image of professional basketball as a sport populated by thugs and hooligans, and the best place to catch a fight outside of a boxing ring.

Things of That Sort: I'm still trying to figure out how the Boston Celtics managed to drop a game against the lowly Los Angeles Clippers recently, a loss that puzzles me due to the Celtics previous road history.

Until that game, Boston had been the best road team in the NBA and were coming off a signature win in Orlando which Paul Pierce didn't participate in due to injury.

Could it be the Celtics were just victims of a Christmas Day hangover, or does the loss speak to what the NBA has evolved into today?

It has been shown over and over this season that no game is a surety. Teams must come prepared to play every night, and in the case of the Celtics, teams will be more motivated because of the aura surrounding the team.

The loss also proved that although the Celtics are a title contender there are still areas of their game that need to be improved, and their propensity to sometimes take opponents lightly must be corrected.

In my opinion, the top three teams in the NBA remain the Lakers, Celtics, and Orlando Magic, and all have demonstrated chinks in their armour that must be mended as the season progresses.

As Clipper feature writer Jose Salviati so eloquently stated, the impact for the Clippers is something they can build on, and it gives them hope going forward, especially with the much-awaited return of Blake Griffin to the roster.

Still, I can only imagine the outcry if the Lakers had dropped a game like this to a lesser opponent, and on the road, no less. The reaction would run the scope of the Internet, and the cries of Laker fraud would run rampant.

Thanks goes to Jose for exposing something that would have likely gone unnoticed on the pages of Bleacher Report due to the refusal of Boston fans to notice the flaws in their team.