Schmeelk: The Los Angeles Lakers - A Dynasty Is Dead
By John Schmeelk
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The Lakers' dynasty is dead.
There will not be a second three-peat.
Phil Jackson will not win a championship in his final year coaching the Lakers and Kobe Bryant will not tie Michael Jordan with six NBA championships, at least not yet.
Even with the Maverick's track record of spitting the bit, I'm confident enough to declare this series over. The Lakers are a great team with an all-time coach and player that won't make it easy, but right now the Mavs simply look better.
(I'm trying hard not to sound giddy here, but my distaste for the Lakers, Jackson and Bryant is hard to contain)
As much as I'd like to throw this at the feet of Kobe for being a bad teammate or shooting too much, I can't this time. Losing two at home against Dallas has very little to do with Bryant. Has he lost a step? Sure, for goodness sakes, an almost-forty Jason Kidd can stay in front of him now. Might a superhuman effort have put the Lakers over the top in one of the two games? Maybe, but to expect something like that on cue is asking a little too much.
The truth is Bryant has received very little help. Last year, Pau Gasol established himself as one of the top power forwards in basketball. His defining moment in the playoffs came when he went chest-to-chest with the Celtics -- and proved he was tough enough to beat the likes of Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. It seemed as though he had turned a corner and was on the verge of super-stardom.
That Gasol has yet to show up in these playoffs. He's averaging just 13 points per game and shooting 43% from the field. He's only grabbing eight rebounds a game. All those numbers are way down from his regular season totals.
The Lakers need Gasol more than ever, considering the regression of Los Angeles' supporting cast. Steve Blake never found his offensive game this season and is showing no confidence with his shot. Ron Artest has been brutal all season. Derek Fisher continues to age like a fossil, not a fine wine. Andrew Bynum's scoring dropped from 15 to 11 points per game this year. Only Lamar Odom has really improved. The Lakers have needed Gasol's scoring and rebounding and he has been absolutely invisible at times. They can't afford that.
The Lakers just don't have enough firepower to play with the Mavericks, who have obviously found their groove and look like they've gotten over their mental block in the playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki is playing like the first-team All-NBA player that he is. Shawn Marion and Kidd are turning back the clock. JJ Barea and Jason Terry are giving them a spark off the bench, and Peja Stojakovic is doing his best to make up for the absence of Caron Butler.
Most important, Tyson Chandler and Brendan Haywood are providing some of the best interior defense in the playoffs. The Lakers have won against teams that have this sort of size, but these two giants are holding their own against Bynum and Gasol. The Mavericks are balanced offensively, play good defense and have a superstar closer. They are a complete team and this series is more about their good play than the Lakers' deficiencies.
This is the Mavericks team I thought we'd see before the season started (I predicted them to go all the way to the NBA Finals). Right before the playoffs began, with the loss of Caron Butler, I picked them to lose in the Western Conference Finals after knocking off the Lakers. I'm starting to regret that pick. Right now the Mavericks look like the best team in the NBA.
I haven't heard many people mention it, but give a lot of credit to Rick Carlisle. It's obvious that this team is well coached both offensively and defensively. Their execution is flawless.
For all you Lakers haters out there, thank the Mavs for kicking Los Angeles out of your NBA playoff life.
You can follow me on twitter for everything on the NBA playoffs: twitter.com/#!/Schmeelk
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