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Lakers Need To Man Up On Defense

Chris Pisar |
November 17, 2010 | 6:00 p.m. PST

Staff Writer

Dear Lakers,

They say defense wins championships.

And seeing as you are the defending world champs, I’m assuming that hanging another banner in the Staples Center is your end goal this season. Yet the way you have been playing defense lately isn't even good enough to get you out of the first round of the playoffs.

You have allowed more than 100 points per game in eight out of your first 11 contests, most of which have been against less than stellar opponents.

Teams taking home the Larry O’ Brien trophy surely play defense better than that.

With a team full of great individual defenders, playing a high level of team defense shouldn’t be that hard. It all comes down to effort, and it doesn’t seem like you guys are giving it your all.

For years, your Achilles heels on defense have been guarding the the pick-and-roll and keeping up with quick guards.

Watch game tape of your first round playoff matchup with the Thunder last season and ask Russell Westbrook if he agrees.

It’s a different season, but the same old problem.

Just recently Steve Nash came to town and torched you for 13 assists as he drove the lane at will.

I have a special name for that kind of defense: matador.

When a matador waves his red cape to entice a bull to charge him, his full intentions are for the bull to run right by him.

This strategy is particularly effective in bullfighting, but in basketball...not so much.

You are now 11 games in and still have yet to put together a strong defensive performance outside of holding a playoff-caliber Portland squad to 96 points.

But it’s not as if we haven’t seen this before.

This happens all the time. You guys, unmotivated by the previous year's success, coast through a good portion of the regular season playing mediocre “D” until a month or two before the playoffs are set to start.

Then, when you begin to see a flicker of light at the end of that regular season tunnel, you somehow get back to business and flip the defensive switch.

Why not play solid defense all season long?

I see no harm in knowing who your best defenders are and who’s willing to do the dirty work early in the season.

Or finetuning your defense earlier rather than later so you will be ready for the likes of true contenders like the Celtics and the Heat.

Instead of the usual “turn it on at the end of the season” approach, do me a favor and turn it up a couple notches now.

And just in case you become too enamored with your offense and don’t feel the need to give it your all on defensive end, think back to Game 7 of the NBA Finals last June.

Remember, it was your DEFENSE that held the Celtics at bay, giving your offense just enough time to get going. We all know how well that turned out.

So I’m challenging you now to start playing better defense and make raising that next banner a whole lot easier.

Yours truly,

Chris

To reach reporter Chris Pisar, click here.



 

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