Learning Curve: What Have We Learned So Far About the Los Angeles Lakers?

10 and one and what do we know so far? In and around the top at scoring, points allowed, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks, but the most meaningful of stats is being number one in point differential. We hear all the analysts talk about this, but why are they bringing it up and what is it telling us?

It's telling us the Lakers are stopping their opponents from scoring, while their opponents are unable to stop them. The Lakers are +13.5 on point differential while the next closest are the Cavs at +7.66. 

For all of us who were wondering if Andrew Bynum would make a difference, now we know. The only question left is whether or not it'll last throughout the whole year. But let's not give young Andrew all the credit. Let's not forget that it was actually his injury that added the new dimensions to this team. Without Andrew going down, there is no Pau, and it is Pau's presence that made this team championship contenders.

With Andrew coming back, however, the Laker squad became a new team from the one we want to forget from Game Six of the finals. Drew's presence in the starting lineup actually solidifies the bench. Odom provides stability to the high-energy, high flying, gun-slinging second squad.

These guys are the ones who are actually responsible for the point differential statistic. The reason that its so high is because no other second team can compete with these guys, and sometimes not even opponent starters can keep up for an entire 48 minutes.

Let's take a look at the 10 wins. In those wins, we see, for the most part who the Lakers are. They are  team that dictates the tempo of the game in both their methodical ways via the starters as well as their high-energy ways via the bench.

They are capable of grinding out wins in the fourth quarter via Kobe alla Denver game No. 1 with AI or dominating inside with Pau alla Bulls game. They share the ball and playing time, allowing them to stay fresh for those dreaded back-to-back games. These wins tell us that the Lakers have the tools, and the stones to take back what's rightfully theirs—the NBA championship.

Let's take a look at the one loss. In that loss, the Lakers did not bring it. They allowed Detroit, with AI, to dictate tempo, control the boards, and shoot the lights out. The second team played flat, and Kobe couldn't throw stones into the ocean. Pau couldn't keep up with Sheed on the outside and Andrew Bynum got outplayed by, of all people, Kwame-freakin'-Brown.

This kind of loss tells us that the Lakers are still young and capable of these kinds of nights, and still capable of letting a team like the Pistons or the Celtics bully them from the NBA Championship. 

Drama. We all love to hate it and we all hate to love it, but we do. The Lakers wouldn't be the Lakers without it. But even this year, they've done a good job of keeping things in-house. Without Shaq spilling there to spill the beans to the media, and with the bigger picture of a championship on everyone's to-do list, the drama has been minimal.

If the most drama the Lakers have had this year has been between Sasha and Ariza, the Lakers are in good shape. With Odom's gripes about coming off the bench quieting down, the only other drama the Lakers have had has come from their favorite former Laker, the drama king himself, Shaq.

Surprisingly, (well not really) he's had good things to say about the Lakers, but only after saying controversial things. He claims things were taken out of context, but Shaq is constantly contradicting himself (like when he pointed to his ring finger in Phoenix shortly after getting traded there). 

In Thursday's game against Phoenix, the Lakers handled the Suns easily, then disposing of the Nuggets on Friday for the second game of a back-to-back. This two game road-to-home trip only confirmed what the rest of the league has been talking about. They are without a doubt, the best team in the NBA right now.

They beat an 8-4 Phoenix team that has been playing well lately, and a Denver team that was 7-1 since Billups arrived. One win on the road, one win at home. The mark of a good team is that they can beat anyone, anywhere. Holding home court is as important as winning on the road. Doing it on back to back nights shows the depth and youth of the team. 

We've learned a lot in these first 11 games for the Lakers. The only other questions we have left are—will they remain consistent throughout the year? and can they stay healthy? We'll find out next June if I'm writing here on Bleacher Report from Figeroa about Andrew Bynum bustin Freestyles and Sun Yue trying to outdo Mark Madsen. One can only dream...