On The Yellow (and Purple) Brick Road to 3-Peat: How The Lakers Get Back To Oz

There’s a funny scene at the beginning of the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy and Toto are trapped inside a house as it is being carried away by a tornado.  They watch in amazement as cows, chickens, a little old lady knitting in her rocking chair and even two polite men in a row boat float in, out and around the spinning house. 

It’s funny because that’s exactly how this Lakers’ season feels at the moment; only the Lakers are Dorothy, Toto is the championship that they are striving to hold on to, and the tornado is this season’s rough ride on the road to a three-peat.

As the home losses (too numerous to mention), losses to good teams (see Miami, Boston, San Antonio, etc.), losses to bad teams (too numerous to mention) and all-around head-scratchers (one word: Cleveland) continue to pile up, this season indeed seems to have been sucked into a twister. 

And, as if all this wasn’t enough, somewhere out there lurks the inevitable match up with the Wicked Witch of the East, a.k.a. the Boston Celtics, who take every opportunity to remind Los Angeles that they are out to get the Lakers and their little dog too!

Well, guess what Laker Fans, as Dorothy aptly puts it once the house comes crashing down, “…we’re not in Kansas anymore!” 

 

With the All-Star break officially behind them, the Lakers seem to have gotten lost on their way to Oz.  Fans and pundits alike have all but declared that the champs no longer have what it takes, and rumors are swirling as the trade deadline approaches. 

So, what’s gone wrong?  Why has this team seemingly lost its way? And just what will it take to keep Dorothy on the yellow brick road and Toto from being snatched out of the Lakers’ hands?

 

The Lion, The Scarecrow and The Tin Man

Across the board, the Lakers seem...