NBA 2011 Playoffs: Admit It, Los Angeles Lakers Are in Trouble

Unless things have changed in the sports world, there should still remain the belief that clothes-lining is usually a term used widely in the sports arenas containing the premise of wrestling entertainment.

Feel free to correct any statement considered fraudulent, but referees and basketball franchises may look down upon using the forearm to knock an opponent senseless.

Jose Juan Barea was the latest victim of “When Athletes Go Mad” as Artest not only ran into his own teammate Lamar Odom, but put the icing on a loser cake by wrapping his arm around Barea’s face. Immediately afterwards, Artest attempted to keep Barea from hitting the ground.

The damage had already been done. The referees had already seen the mind-blowing foul that took place and were signaling an ejection. Artest walked off quietly and avoided questions and cameras as he left Staples Center.

The upside to everything that happened in games one and two is that Los Angeles knows what needs to be done in order to fix their on-court failures. If anyone can come back from an embarrassing start, the Lakers are entirely capable. There does stand a small problem in that course of action.

Andrew Bynum admitting to the public that trust issues sit dormant between the players that need to be addressed shows a fatal flaw in a team that was expected to sweep past the historically troubled Dallas Mavericks. Now, it seems Dirk Nowitzki and his merry men are sitting back watching the soap opera unfold.

Some advice for Bynum:

1. You had a great game. Do not spoil it with subliminal messages directed towards teammates who were looking for your help earlier in the season. They did it without you once before. Do not assume that you have achieved some sort of superstar status because you decided to show up.

2. Issues brought to the light, such as trust, would be repaired quicker behind closed doors. Do not feed reporters the ammunition to rip you and your teammates apart. The brotherhood should be thicker than your ego. 

3. If you are going to cry foul openly, then be prepared to openly discuss those flaws with the media. Kobe Bryant has earned so much respect when he speaks on the ill performances of the Lakers because he not only addresses the overall issue, but he provides further insight. He knows that if you are going to bring it up, you must be ready to efficiently explain.

Kobe Bryant may have been seated in front of the press with a freshly pressed suit brushing off feelings of doubt that sit upon his shoulders. Viewers know differently.

As stoic as Bryant’s attempts at a solid Laker forefront are much appreciated by Laker fanatics who refuse to view reality along with the rest of the world, they are in vain. Los Angeles is in trouble.

That is a statement that would only be associated with the stepson version of an LA franchise, the Clippers.

Even their future looks more promising than the Lakers because they will continue to build and grow. The youth provides an optimism that the Lakers do not have on their side any longer.

Accompanying the age factor lingering in the muscles of each player stroking their mid-thirties, LAL has lost the wow factor that hobnobbed in Staples Center once before. They do not have the faith in each other necessary to battle from behind or to latch on and maintain early game leads.

Pau Gasol getting booed by the fans, while having a home court edge, is putting a magnifying glass on everyone’s issues with the All Star. Giving way to the critiques that spotlight him as the Lakers’ ongoing issue, Gasol is dwindling in comparison to his brother Marc.

It seems as if there was an intergalactic occurrence that created the switch off process seen in movies such as “Freaky Friday” starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis.

While Marc plays with the ferocity of a man sporting a purple and gold jersey, Pau tries his hardest to find an offensive know-how from any direction he can. He is losing the battle and his teammates are growing extremely frustrated with his lack of will and intensity.

There must be credit given to the Dallas Mavericks. Generally, the Lakers are the big bodies towering over contesters and using their length to give their opponents issues on the boards. The Mavericks are shutting down this team with their size and agility.

A lob to Tyson Chandler, on multiple occasions, showcased Dallas’ ability to draw the defense to the perimeter, force the Lakers to leave a man unattended in the paint and before anyone notices, throw up a perfect pass to an eloquent finisher.

On the other end of the court, Dallas remains effective defensively, forcing the Lakers out of the paint and onto the perimeter. Shooting 2-of-20 from the three-point line is something that the Mavericks will live and thrive with.

Now, they are going home to the thousands of fans rooting for a change. The Lakers are going on the road faced with adversity that they have rarely known in the postseason. How they will react will put the stamp on their future? Have we seen the last of the almighty Lakers?