NBA Playoffs 2011: Can the Lakers Defeat the Hornets and NBA History?

No Phil Jackson coached team has ever lost a playoff series where they have won the first game. But they have won postseason series where they have lost the first game.

That bit of history suggests that the Los Angeles Lakers still have a decent shot of defeating the New Orleans Hornets in their first round playoff matchup despite losing Game 1. But another bit of history might suggest that the team's quest for a three-peat is already over.

No Lakers team has ever captured the NBA Championship after losing in the very first game of the playoffs, and it is against this back-drop that the Lakers will resume their series against the Hornets on Wednesday night.

It remains to be seen if the Lakers have a shot of erasing that little nugget of franchise history, but a good place to start would be winning Game 2 of their current series tonight.

Falling into an 0-2 hole would not mean immediate doom for the Lakers, but their chances of beating the Hornets would diminish exponentially, and it would cast even more doubt on the team's ability to reach the 2011 NBA Finals.

It's no secret that the Lakers struggles over the last week of the regular season have carried over into the playoffs, and what seemed like a potentially easy series against the Hornets has adopted a new tone.

I wouldn't venture as far to say that Los Angeles has reached desperation mode, but if they can't find a way to contain Hornets point guard Chris Paul, desperation could be just around the corner.

The return of reserve guard Steve Blake from chicken-pox should give the Lakers another player to contend with Paul's penetration, but the team's problems extend past their inability to defend at the point of attack.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said after Tuesday's practice that forward Pau Gasol approached Game One to passively and relied on letting the game come to him instead of asserting his will, and hopefully Gasol received the message.

Because if Gasol disappears from Game 2 in the same manner as he did Game 1, the Lakers will not have to worry about the prospects of facing Dallas instead of Portland in the next round of the playoffs.

Most people over-looked the Hornets in anticipation of a potential second round matchup with the Blazers, who some were considering to be a strong candidate to upset the Mavericks.

But Dallas now has a commanding 2-0 lead in their series over Portland, and a favorable playoff pairing with the Mavericks is firmly in view for the Lakers, if they can regain control against New Orleans. 

On paper it appears to be an easy task since the Lakers dominated the regular season series against the Hornets, and New Orleans is without their top interior player in David West.

But Game 1 proved the faulty logic in relying on regular season success as a measure of how a team will perform in the playoffs, and it supports the theory as to why matchups are so important.

Paul's ability to dominate the point guard matchup should not be enough to defeat the Lakers under ordinary circumstances, but the Lakers have proved they are no ordinary team.

The Lakers have the tendency to play down to their opponent, but if their motivation and sense of urgency is not intensified from losing Game 1 to a short-handed Hornets team, then an early playoff exit is assured.

Los Angeles has enough talent and experience to buck their franchise's unfavorable history, but the bigger question is, do they have the will and resolve to prove it on the court?