Los Angeles Lakers Fall to Cavaliers: Which 2011 Loss Is The Worst?
Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers' woes reached a new low. Despite 30 points and 20 rebounds from Pau Gasol and a double-double from Kobe Bryant, the team lost to the league-worst Cleveland Cavaliers 104-99.
This made the defending champs' record 38-19 on the season. They held onto first place in the Pacific Division, but this raised concerns for fans regarding how well Phil Jackson's squad could compete in a talented Western Conference come playoff time.
That being said, let's take a look at all 19 of the Lakers' losses and see which is the most fans should be concerned about.
No. 19: 11/11/10 To The Denver Nuggets, 118-112
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Now, this was the Lakers' first loss of the season after starting out 8-0, so I'm going to kick off with it. They were on the road, so there's one factor against them, plus the Nuggets were running on all cylinders.
Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony went toe-to-toe for most of the game, scoring 34 and 32 points each, but it was bench shooter J.R. Smith (pictured at left) who proved to be the X-factor. His three-pointer with 4:12 left in the 4th quarter started an 11-0 run for the Nuggets that ultimately sealed the deal.
A respectable effort from LA, but just not enough. Still, it was the first loss after a good start. It gets a pass.
No. 18: 11/14/10 to The Phoenix Suns, 121-116
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Again, this was only the second loss of the season for the Lakers, so it gets something of a pass. The Phoenix Suns came to the Staples Center, so naturally it was a high-scoring affair.
Jason Richardson (pictured at left) led the assault with 35 points as the run-and-gun Suns made 22 three-pointers (including seven from J-Rich) en route to a stunning victory over the defending champions. Kobe and Pau finishing in double figures, once again, was not enough.
No. 17: 2/3/11 to The San Antonio Spurs, 89-88
3 of 19The best way to describe this loss is two simple words: bad luck. The Lakers had an 88-87 lead and the Spurs had the ball.
With just over a second left, Duncan missed a fadeaway jumper. Thanks to the Lakers not boxing out, veteran big man Antonio McDyess was able to tip the ball in at the buzzer and give the Spurs the victory.
Watch the video to see this highlight ending!
No. 16: 11/30/10 to The Memphis Grizzlies, 98-96
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Despite the score being extremely close, there's only one thing to say about how the Lakers played in this game against Memphis. They looked like total crap.
The team only had 16 assists and Kobe Bryant was 9-25 from the field despite scoring 29 points. Memphis point guard Mike Conley (pictured at left) took control of his team as he scored 28 points on the way to victory.
No. 15: 12/10/10 to The Chicago Bulls, 88-84
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It was the Derrick Rose Show in this game, and the Lakers couldn't find a way to take it off the air. The young point guard lit the defense up for 29 points as the defending champs just couldn't find their flow.
Once again, Bryant was the Lord of Bad Shots as he had 23 points, but was only 9-23 from the field. Combine that with bad bench scoring, and the Lakers should consider themselves lucky that it was only a four point loss as opposed to Chicago Massacre Part II.
No. 14: 11/26/10 to The Utah Jazz, 102-96
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This game was by no means an awful loss. It was a matchup of two very similar teams, and the better one came out on top. Only problem is that in this case, the better team was the Utah Jazz.
Deron Williams did what he does best (besides drive Jerry Sloan to resignation) and scored 29 points to go with 12 assists. Big man Al Jefferson added 20 as the Jazz were able to pull away despite 31 points from Kobe.
No. 13: 11/28/10 to The Indiana Pacers, 95-92
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Kobe looked great in this game. He scored 41 points and was 14-33 from the field. It turns out, that might have been the problem as the next highest scorer was Lamar Odom with a mere 15 points.
In a prime example of why the Lakers need to be more than just the Kobe Show, the Indiana Pacers shared the ball and communicated well on defense to beat LA at home. Big man Roy Hibbert (pictured at left) led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds as the young and inexperienced Pacers made the defending champs look foolish.
No. 12: 1/16/11 to The Los Angeles Clippers, 99-92
8 of 19Going into this game, the Lakers were on a seven game winning streak. Having watched the battle for city pride on television, I was left with one thought after the final buzzer: "The Clippers??? Really????"
In what was expected to be a blowout, the Clippers kept this game close. Key shots for the Lakers just refused to fall and Clips guard Eric Gordon ran the table with 30 points.
Even crazier, the game was highlighted by an altercation/shoving match after the buzzer. Blake Griffin, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis and two other players ended up being ejected (see video at left).
No. 11: 1/19/11 to The Dallas Mavericks, 109-100
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In January, the Lakers went into Dallas and got beaten by the Mavs. The sad part is that it wasn't Dirk Nowitzki (pictured at left with Shawn Marion) who beat them.
Guard Jason Terry came off the bench with Marion and the two each scored 22 points. In the starting 5, veteran point man Jason Kidd had 21 points and 10 assists. Four Lakers finished in double figures, but it just wasn't enough against a well-rounded Dallas squad.
No. 10: 12/1/10 to The Houston Rockets, 109-99
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I'm going to be perfectly honest. If your team is playing a Yao-less and thus underachieving Houston Rockets team, there isn't any reason they should lose. That being said, what happened with the Lakers here??
The Lakers just couldn't keep up with the young Houston squad in this game, as the Rockets communicated well and did a good job of containing Pau Gasol. The Lakers' big man only had eight points in 39 minutes in a game that had fans' mouths agape.
No. 9: 1/28/11 to The Sacramento Kings, 100-95
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As I have said in previous pieces, the Sacramento Kings are a young team with some talented players. Yet, they don't do well due to the lack of a leader.
That didn't stop them from marching into LA one night and defeating the Lakers. Rookie center DeMarcus Cousins (pictured at left in the purple) led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds as Kobe once again hogged the ball. He scored 38 points, but that wasn't enough as Pau Gasol was held to only nine.
Needless to say, the Lakers should have made short work of DeMarcus & Co.
No. 8: 1/30/11 to The Boston Celtics, 109-96
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In a rematch of last year's NBA Finals, the Lakers went into Boston looking to make a statement. Instead, they left licking their wounds.
Many say how the Celtics are old and over the hill and how the Big Three Era is done, yet this game proved the haters wrong. Ray Allen (pictured at left) scored 21 points as each of the Big Three finished in double figures. Kobe finished with 41, but once again the Lakers proved to be a one-trick pony in games against elite teams.
No. 7: 12/28/10 to The San Antonio Spurs, 97-82
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Well, where do I begin with this one? Kobe only had 21 points and was 8-27 from the field, and the Lakers just couldn't contain a well-communicating Spurs team.
Tony Parker (pictured at left) had 23 points as the Spurs made short work of the Lakers despite only two points from veteran big man Tim Duncan.
No. 6: 2/13/11 to The Orlando Magic, 89-75
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In what ABC made their Sunday Game of the Week, the Lakers just didn't show up. Matched up against the team they beat in the NBA Finals two seasons ago, their hearts just weren't in it. Kobe only had 17 points, and that led the team!
Dwight Howard scored 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as the Magic took the defending champs to school in playing lockdown defense and just looking more confident shooting the ball.
No. 5: 12/25/10 to The Miami Heat, 96-80
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Honestly, what NBA fan doesn't love watching Kobe and LeBron James shoot it out on the court? This game was televised on Christmas Day as fans and their families tuned in to what was easily the most highly anticipated matchup of the season. Instead of it being close, Miami made the Lakers look like amateurs.
LeBron had a triple-double (27-11-10) as Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade finished in double figures too, and all Kobe could do was watch as the Heat dismantled his team. He finished with 17 points, once again leading the team in a game where they just appeared aged and overmatched.
No. 4: 1/2/11 to The Memphis Grizzlies, 104-85
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The first time around, it was Mike Conley who buried the Lakers. The second time, it was Rudy Gay (pictured at left).
In the Grizzlies' trip to LA, Gay scored 27 points and also had three steals as the young Memphis squad made the defending champions look aged once again. The Grizzlies also combined for 30 assists. You know how many the Lakers had? Just 13. That's pathetic!
Kobe led the Lakers with 28 points, but once again it was proven that a team can't win with just one player.
No. 3: 12/21/10 to The Milwaukee Bucks, 98-79
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In this game, the Lakers just looked lost. Kobe only scored 21 points, and the rest of the team just couldn't make their shots. Even worse, they let five-foot-five point guard Earl Boykins (pictured at left) score 22 points off the bench.
Here's the way I see it. The Lakers are a championship-caliber team with a deep roster, and they can't even contain someone like Earl Boykins???? That's like a one-on-one street game featuring Shaq against Muggsy Bogues, and Bogues winning!
Seriously, Lakers. You dropped the ball on this one.
No. 2: 2/16/11 to The Cleveland Cavaliers, 104-99
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Overall, the Lakers looked pretty good in this game. Pau Gasol had 30 points and 20 rebounds, but Kobe only managed 17 as the Lakers let Ramon Sessions (pictured at left) beat them.
Sessions came into the game in place of an injured Mo Williams, and managed to score 32 points. Even more amazing, he made 13 of 14 free throws! By letting one man get fouled so frequenty, the Lakers dug their own grave.
Call me crazy, but letting the worst team in the NBA beat you at the free throw line isn't something you should let happen after a loss the head coach deemed "embarrassing."
No. 1: 2/14/11 to The Charlotte Bobcats, 109-89
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Going into this game, the Lakers were expected to wipe the floor with a young and underachieving Bobcats team. Instead, their offense stumbled out of the starting gate and trailed the entire game, ultimately losing by 20 points.
Kobe only managed 20 points on 8-20 shooting, and both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum couldn't contain Gerald Wallace. The Bobcats' young stud finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson (pictured at left) said he was embarrassed with the loss, and that's what makes this game the team's worst loss of the season. Phil Jackson is easily the best coach in NBA history. He shouldn't EVER be let down that badly.
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