The "Lake show" almsot over

After a let down last night in Dallas the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves one game closer to elimination. The two-time defending NBA champions have not looked themselves all postseason and now it’s about time to stick the proverbial fork in them, as no team who has ever trailed 3-0 in the NBA playoffs has ever come back to win the series.




Offensively the Lakers have been inconsistent. Pau Gasol continues to play terrible in this NBA postseason. He looks tired and just unwilling to attack the paint at times. Fall-away jump shots from 18 feet are not going to cut it for a guy who can dominate a game in the paint. He’s got good touch around the rim and is one of the better interior passers in the NBA. When the Lakers went on their championship runs the last two seasons Gasol was an integral part in that success. Getting to him early in the paint and in transition sparked the team and the Lakers were able to take an inside-outside approach that won them back-to-back championships.



On the other hand, Gasol’s frontcourt mate Andrew Bynum is having a rather solid series. Bynum is averaging 15.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg, which is really all that you could ask of this guy. When the Lakers have the 1-2 punch of Gasol and Bynum working effectively, and Lamar Odom coming off the bench, they’re awfully tough to beat. Fortunately for the Mavericks they have Dirk Nowitzki, which by all accounts is THE deal breaker.



The Lakers have had no answer for Nowitzki, especially down the stretch in games. His size make’s him a nightmare for post players who have to guard him on the perimeter. He can either take them off the dribble or shoot the jumper over them, probably off his off leg, too. Oh, not to mention, he’s shooting his free throws at an 88% clip lifetime in the postseason, so you can’t foul the guy either. He’s certainly a force that the NBA has not seen before. Nowitzki has torched the Lakers for 28, 24, and 32 respectively in the first three games. He could ultimately be the key factor in L.A.’s demise in the series.



Dallas will close out this series in Game 4 in Dallas on Sunday. Even with Ron Artest back in the lineup, I don’t think it makes a difference. The Lakers are too tired and too deflated to pull this one out or sned the series back to Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant or not, when you have a team that has played as deep into the postseason as the Lakers have, there’s going to be some wear and tear on those bodies. It really just goes to show you how much of a grind the NBA playoffs really are.
 
written by Shane McFarland