The Lakers played great against a solid Jazz squad, and won by 18 points. This had many Laker fans saying, "Where has that been all season?"
Then Sunday comes along and the Lakers welcome the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder to the Staples Center. A Thunder team that beat the Lakers handily two weeks prior. Instead of laying another egg, the Lakers played what has been their best all-around game of the season and beat the Thunder, 105-96.
These past two games have given me one last gasp of optimism that the Lakers can put together a second half push and enter the playoff picture. Although most people have given up hope, here is why Laker fans should not completely lose hope, yet.
The Lakers defense the past two games has been what most people expected all year. They were active, did not miss many rotations and were outstanding on the boards. In the past two games they have out-rebounded the Thunder and Jazz by a combined 17 rebounds. The Lakers had been getting killed on the offensive boards during their most recent losing streak, but limited the Thunder to 10 and the Jazz to nine. The Lakers gave up 16 offensive boards in a recent loss to Memphis and 14 to the Bulls.
Although I wouldn't expect to see Kobe Bryant have more assists than shot attempts like he has in the past two wins, the "new look" Kobe has shown us what can happen when Kobe defers more to his teammates. Kobe has displayed his excellent passing ability these past two games, finding the open player when the double team approaches and has found Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard on the break for easy dunks and layups. He still showcased his deadly arsenal of scoring abilities during the fourth quarter of the Thunder game, as he hit two jump sho...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
