Maybe they're right. Maybe consider the Los Angeles Lakers' 101-95 loss to the Miami Heat as an encouraging loss. On paper, the Lakers had no chance against the Miami Heat and were likely on track for their third straight blowout loss.
But something happened on the way to Staples. And it is far and away the most encouraging sign I've seen all year for this shorthanded Lakers team.
What happened? The Los Angeles Lakers came to play.
I used to always preach to the championship-run Lakers to beware the downtrodden opponent. For those teams, facing the championship Lakers was equivalent to their own Game 7 NBA Final. The thinking being, our record may not reflect it, but we are NBA players too and we have pride and will not lay down.
And so it was Christmas Day with the Lakers—but the roles were reversed.
Miami is the two-time champ now. The Lakers are the team struggling to stay afloat amidst another season where the injury bug has hit hard. However, the energy, hustle and clear affection this squad plays with are a marked contrast to last year's dysfunctional team.
Everybody is contributing. Jodie Meeks' game has taken a clear step forward, Jordan Hill continues to bring it, and now Ryan Kelly is getting minutes? Awesome!
But I think for the foreseeable future (translation: until Kobe Bryant comes back) there are three Lakers in particular who will be key to this team's opportunity to rise above .500 and contend for a playoff spot.
Who are they? Glad you asked.
Jordan Farmar
At the beginning of the year, I thought that Farmar should be the starting point guard for the Lakers.
Obviously, that is crazy talk.
The chances of any Mike D'Antoni-coached team that has Ste...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
