I was rooting for the purple and gold when Happy Hairston was flipping both feet during his unique, but deadly jump shot. And when Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain and his octopus arms were flipping the ball off his fingertips into the basket as defenders watched helplessly. And when Jerry "The Logo" West was racing up and down the court scoring at will. And when Elgin Baylor's picture perfect jump shot was a thing of beauty. And when Gail Goodrich was West's running mate in the backcourt. And when Pat Riley and his mutton chop sideburns came off the bench to provide spark for the Lakers.
You see, I'm old school with the Lake Show.
I didn't run out and buy a Lakers T-shirt when Magic and Kareem invented "Showtime" at the Forum. Or when Kobe and Shaquille were dominating. Or when Kobe and Gasol recently won back-to-back titles at the Staples Center. I was there when the Lakers were the only game in town on CBS at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon.
But I must admit I'm getting a little anxious these days with the Lakers. I'm not feelin' the way they're playing. And I don't agree with coach Phil Jackson's comment about it not being playoffs yet. Look, I understand when you have the best player in the world and back-to-back championships you have a bull's-eye on your back every single game. Every game is a big game on the competition's schedule because they want to kick the champion's butt. I get it.
But with that being said, as two-time champs you have to be up for the challenge every night. You can't play one day and take the next night off mentally. You see there's a thing called home-court advantage in the playoffs. Ask the Boston Celtics about that; it...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
