In fact, only three teams have ever dropped the first two games at home and won the series. The other two, ironically, are the 1969 Lakers and the 2005 Mavericks.
The story line almost points in the opposite direction than where it should, though. All the chatter is about how the Mavericks lost the 2006 finals up 2-0 and how the Lakers are still the champions. The argument is that you can never count out the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. These arguments are completely unrealistic.
The Lakers have a huge mountain to climb and haven't exactly looked like they're in a mountain-climbing mood. Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant have both suggested that this might be a series they won't win. Pau Gasol isn't even looking like the best Gasol in the playoffs, nor does he even seem bothered by this. Ron Artest might be suspended for Game 3 for a stupid foul. Andrew Bynum is talking about trust issues.
When it comes to the clutch moments, the Lakers have been anything but. In the last quarter of the first two games the Lakers have been outscored by nine points in the first game and six in the second. This is not the team that guts up and closes things out. Neither is Dallas looking like the team that shrinks back and fails down the stretch.
It cannot be ignored that the Lakers, in a must-win game at home, couldn't win. There simply wasn't another level they could reach. This wasn't like Game 1 where they nearly won. They didn't just lose—they got beat.
Let me explain though what I mean by "couldn't win." I don't mean they couldn't have played better. Certainly they aren't going to shoot 2-of-20 every night from three, B...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
