This season hasn't gone according to plan for the Lakers. We all know that. One of the reasons for that is the amount of injuries the Lakers have had to deal with. Steve Nash started off the season with a big time injury and missed 24 games. Dwight Howard has been in and out of the lineup with various injuries including his current shoulder problem. Jordan Hill hasn't seen the floor in months and now we have Pau Gasol who has been playing very well in the past week or so and he could be out a month or more.
How unlucky can one team get with injuries? I don't think any team in the league has had to deal with more meaningful injuries other than maybe the Timberwolves. They have had some rough luck with injuries as well. The Lakers season could fall apart right now. That is how badly they need to win games. If they happen to lose 3 or 4 in a row right now they could just fold in the towel.
Luckily for all of us in Laker land we still have Kobe Bryant. Even in his 17th season he can still will teams to victory with his talent. Don't get me wrong. It won't be easy, but he can still do it. Also, Earl Clark is playing like he could be something special in a few years and Nash is finally knocking down open shots. If Dwight can come back in the next couple days and the Lakers can steal a few wins while waiting for him to return I don't see any reason why we can't make the playoffs. The season is 82 games long and though the first 50 haven't quite been as brilliant as we wanted there is still time to turn things around.
Tonight we go up against the just as ageless Boston Celtics. I don't know how the Lakers and Celtics aren't the two oldest teams in the NBA, but then I realized that they do have some very young players on the bench that don't see any time which brings down their averages. At any rate, those players on the court have seen a lot of each other over the years and this is still the best rivalry in NBA history hands down. No matter what era you are playing this game means something to the fan bases of both teams. Laker fans hate losing to the Celtics as I am sure the opposite is just as true.
The 50th game of the season and the Lakers are still on the outside looking in. If they can't at least make it to the playoffs this year this offseason is going to be an interesting one. Hopefully, we can discuss the offseason after raising another banner up into staples center. I may be optimistic, but I know talented teams when I see them and this team has as much talent as any title contender. The issue I see isn't winning another title. The issue is can we make the playoffs and be healthy enough to win a title. Only time will tell. Go Lakers!
Back to the Los Angeles Lakers Newsfeed