By Jerry Mittleman

It’s the time of year when the Los Angeles Lakers get serious about winning another NBA title, even though they’ve played like that other Staples Center tenant for the better part of the season. Springtime is when the trees bud, the flowers blossom and the Lakers get it together for their customary late season magic act.

This year that annual rite of spring might be tougher than ever. Even if the Lakers seem back on track, they are more vulnerable than ever to strong Western Conference rivals with greater depth, like the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

This current Laker team has made a habit out of doing the improbable on the way to championships. Hair-raising moments have punctuated each of the past three seasons. A miraculous fourth quarter rally in a deciding playoff game against the Portland Trailblazers propelled the Lakers to their first title. They had to overcome crippling friction between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, before steamrolling the opposition in the playoffs the following year. Last season, the Sacramento Kings were most likely the superior team, but Robert Horry’s Hollywood-style heroics and some help from the officials pulled the Lakers back from the brink of elimination.

Though the Lakers have made miracles seem common-place, nothing compares with the obstacles they have faced and the depths they have reached this season. A title this year would be their greatest miracle of all.

For the greater part of the season, the Lakers have been a highly dysfunctional team due to a myriad of difficulties. Shaquille was absent and then until recently has been far from 100% physically. For most of the season, the effort on the court, particularly on defense, just wasn’t there. Their role players weren’t functioning and they were too worried about the luxury tax to strengthen their bench. There was friction in the locker room and the old Zen Master Phil Jackson didn’t seem to have a clue and I suspect was burnt out himself.

For a long time, the Lakers struggled just to reach a potential playoff spot, but set their ship straight through greater effort, superhuman performances by Kobe, plus Shaq’s return to health. The Lakers have made a practice of gliding through the regular season and turning it three notches up in the playoffs. It’s an illusion that this season is similar to previous ones. The Lakers’ travails might very well cost them this year in prolonged playoff series against quality opponents with greater depth.

When the great Bill Russell did color commentary for ABC’s NBA broadcasts in the early 1970’s, he often observed that teams that have to expend a lot of energy to make up huge deficits run the danger of not having enough gas in the tank at crunch time, and often fall a little bit short. He was talking about game situations but I wonder if this might be true of the Lakers as a team this year. The Lakers are neither the most talented nor the deepest team in the playoffs, but have always pulled through with superior mental toughness, and big stuff from Kobe and Shaq. Could there be a limit to this, especially after this season’s exceptionally rocky road?

The success of Phil Jackson’s Laker teams and his Chicago Bull dynasty have always been predicated on a delicate physical and emotional balance. They depend on two mega-stars, a bevy of role players and the brillance of possibly the greatest coach in the history of the NBA. Even their offense, the Triangle, is a complicated precision tool that takes 2-3 years to master and can easily fall into disarray.

It would be a dangerous mistake for the Lakers to start thinking they can overcome any obstacle. Both the Kings, with the addition of Keon Clark and Jimmy Jackson and the Spurs, through the addition of Emanuel Ginobili and the maturation of Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson, are stronger and deeper then last season. The Lakers have stood still and that famous “mental edge” just might be eroded at this point. The Lakers will need to be firing on all cylinders, possibily cylinders they don’t have, to once again overcome teams as talented as the Kings and Spurs.

Speaking of Bill Russell, this current Laker squad reminds me of the 1968-9 Boston Celtics, which was the final season for the famous Russell-led dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 seasons. That team was tired and old, and during the regular season finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, somewhat like the Lakers who finished fifth in the West this year. And while Shaq and Kobe certainly aren't old, a few other guys are getting up there.

Through a combination of savvy, smarts, experience and mental toughness, the Celtics, though no longer the best team in the NBA, went on to win a final title. In the Finals, they beat the Lakers in a seven game series, where interestingly enough, the visiting team won every game. This year, win or lose, we could be seeing the end of the current Laker dynasty.


Jerry Mittleman is a frequent contributor to InsideHoops.com.