The Los Angeles Lakers have been an absolute mess on the road this year, having amassed a 7-14 road record thus far. At home, however, the Lakers play like a completely different team. It is one thing to play great at home and then go on the road and play at or around .500 basketball, but it's another to absolutely dominate at home and have such struggles on the road like the Lakers have. The Lakers play like a team possessed at Staples Center in L.A., where they are 18-2 on the year and have won 18 of their last 19.
One of those 18 wins includes their 97-94 victory over the Boston Celtics on March 11. The Lakers got out to an early lead and were aggressive against the Celtics for most of the first and second quarters. The Lakers had built up a lead as big as 15 but watched that lead slip away as they finished the half up just two points. Late in the game the Lakers trailed by five - the Celtics biggest lead - but closed things out on an 8-0 run to win the game by three.
The Lakers' play against the Celtics was definitely admirable and showed their resilience when playing at home. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol both recorded double-doubles on the night and Kobe Bryant added a game-high 26 points. Not to mention that Metta World Peace added 14 points of his own and shot 60 percent from beyond the three-point line, making 3-of-5 shots. The Lakers bench wasn't exactly spectacular, but World Peace and Derek Fisher stepping up for a combined 23-point effort certainly helped the Lakers big three of Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant.
If the Lakers keep putting forward these types of offensive efforts, then they are going to be a difficult team to beat come playoff time. The key, at least in my eyes, will be finding a way to bring their energy and offensive coherency on the road with them. If they can't do that, then they are going to continue to struggle with winning on the road - especially against teams they should be beating.
I loved to see the Lakers come home and win a game before having to head out on the road for a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets. If the Lakers can win both of those matchups, that would be a huge boost of confidence for them as they continue to play on the road. 12 of their finals 25 games will be on the road, and they are going to need to continue winning to stay in the third spot of the Western Conference.
In the meantime, I'm curious to see if the Lakers will move Pau Gasol before the March 15 trade deadline. I think it may be an inevitable move, especially with the regressing big man due to earn around $19 million the next two seasons. Any thoughts on that topic?
David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions - all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, "Not knowing any better". Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.
You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp
Sources:
NBA.com. Lakers vs. Celtics Recap. NBA 2012.
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