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The Lakers are dead...finished...done...kaput. They won't even get out of the first round of the playoffs. At least these are the things that the Talking Heads, Lakers Haters, BCS Pollsters (they need something to do until August) and even some overly-demanding Lakers fans are saying.
The death knells of imminent doom are being sounded from coast to coast for a team that COULD win 60 games, have (as of this writing) a five game lead over the Mavs and Suns for the best record in the West with six games remaining, and will likely wind up with the second best record in the NBA.
But yet...they suck?
Perception is reality...if you're not properly evaluating reality.
The popular perception of the Lakers stems from one fact: they haven't played well since the All-Star break. Therefore, conventional sports wisdom says that momentum thing that most everyone harps on heading into the playoffs, but then forgets because it doesn't matter once the playoffs begin, says the Lakers are doomed.
Reality, however, imparts the following, more pertinent facts:
-Phil Jackson is a genius, one who knows that the way-too-long NBA regular season will pound a team into the ground if achieving regular-season greatness becomes a team's No. 1 goal. So, while...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
