Halftime Hype

The 2010 Los Angeles Lakers. The defending champions. The team that just went 2-3 on a road trip, losing by double digits to Atlanta & Oklahoma City and tanking against New Orleans. Suddenly, things aren't going so well in Lakerdom. Cleveland, on the other hand, is feeling a whole lot better...

There's no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers are the most talented team, at least on paper. Save Derek Fisher, all the starters make for a tough matchup on both ends of the court. The Lakers couldn't ask for a more versatile sixth man than Lamar Odom (though, they could ask for a more consistent one). So why have the Lakers been playing like the Clippers lately?

First of all, there's the conventional excuse: fatigue. After 70 NBA games and countless practices & workouts in between, you can imagine these guys are worn out. The more relevant reason, though, is that they are now firmly out of reach of both the Cavs and rest of West. Right now, they could care less about losing games here and there, or as Kobe described it, "lollygagging".

That's not to say the losses don't affect them. Frustration mounts (see Kobe's face and Sasha Vujacic v. Coaching staff). And confidence rises - for the opposing team(s). The Lakers' three potential 1st round matchups relish times like this. Oklahoma City is still smiling at its score vs. the Lake Show. Portland, already notorious for prevailing vs. the Lakers at the Garden, must be extremely giddy after the Lakers' recent road trip. And San Antonio now has a little hope. Oh, and every other team in the hunt, to one degree or another, now believes they have a shot versus L.A. When you're playing bad, one of the worst things you can do is help the other team play better. Remember that, Lakers.

However, the playoffs and regular season are totally different beasts. For some, the playoffs are a destination. For the Lakers, they're supposed to be part of the journey. More than anyone else in the league, unquestionably more so than Lebron James, Kobe Bryant wants to reach the destination - scratch that, SUCCEED in his destination. Make no mistake, KB will go to great lengths to win an NBA championship - and he will demand the same from his team. The Lakers may have a roadbump or two, but there's no question they'll emerge as the Western Conference champions. I guess you could argue that this isn't a convenient way to enter the playoffs, performing sub-.500 on a road trip. But, then again, expect the Lakers to step up.

It's all a matter of beating the Cavs. Despite the fact that the Cavs aren't exactly a guarentee (who remembers Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals last year?), their chances of making it to the NBA Finals are just as high as the Lakers, if not higher. Assuming the Finals are between the Lakers and Cavaliers, without fully acknowledging the "step-up in the playoffs" factor, the Cavs have the edge. And it's simply because the Lakers can't perform away from Staples.

The Show must go on - now it's a matter of stepping up.