- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Whether you love or hate them, there is no denying the Los Angeles Lakers have provided some brilliant theatre throughout the 2012/13 NBA season.
Their campaign is perhaps best compared with a runaway train; as they hurtle down the tracks there have been times when they appear in relative control, however far more often it has been a miracle they have not completely derailed.
As a result, it’s been hard to look away.
Two games in particular best define 2012/13 for the Lakers: a loss to Phoenix, and a win over New Orleans (not exactly powerhouse sides, I know).
Heading into the final quarter, the Lakers looked in complete control over the lowly ranked Phoenix Suns; with 10 minutes to go they held a comfortable 13-point lead.
From that point on, the Lakers crumbled to quite an incredible degree.
The Suns went on to snatch victory, outscoring the Lakers 29-13 in the final quarter. Kobe Bryant was 2 of 7 from the field throughout the final 12 minutes, and his offensive struggles were mirrored (and then some) by his teammates.
Even when placed in the context of their underwhelming season, it was an unacceptable loss.
In stark contrast to this embarrassment, their most recent victory over the Hornets in New Orleans provided an extraordinary display of the grit, determination and belief that still exists in the Lakers outfit – despite how dormant these qualities have been at times.
With 6:22 left in the final quarter, the Lakers were down by 14. From that point, the Hornets didn’t score again.
Kobe took control, refusing to lose the game. He scored 13 of the Lakers final 20 points in a colossal effort to get his team over the line.
It is these incredible highs and unfathomable lows – blended with remarkable inconsistency – that has defined the Lakers season.
When they unveiled their new line-up preseason, the Lakers shot to the top of Championship contention.
By midseason they had well and truly failed to live up to the hype.
However, in a testament to the quality of their line-up, it has been hard to ever write them off completely.
This week the Lakers’ finals hopes were kept alive (off the back of Kobe’s 47 points) with a dramatic win over a gallant, undermanned Portland.
This leaves the Lakers with three must-win home games against Golden State, San Antonio and Houston to finish the season.
Utah sits just one game behind and has both an easier draw and the knowledge that an equal record would see them elevated to eighth by virtue of their victory in the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Lakers this season.
On the run home, Utah plays Minnesota twice (once at home) and Memphis away.
As it’s poised, both teams have almost equal hope of a finals berth.
The beauty of this situation from a sports fans perspective is its unpredictability – we can thank the Lakers for the majority of that.
However, perhaps the most unpredictable outcome of the whole situation is that it has led me to a conclusion I never thought I would arrive at, something that goes against all I thought I knew.
I want the Lakers to succeed.
Mid-way through the year I got a kick out of their failures, I laughed in the face of my Laker-fan friends.
Now they have somehow managed to go from formidable (and easily unlikeable) championship contenders, to my most favoured underdog.
In the end, whether the climax of their season comes in the form of a nail-biting win over Houston to drag them into the post season, or (at the absolute edge of possibility) somewhere far deeper into the finals series, either way, the drama the Lakers have provided this season deserves a big finish.
We are all aware of the potential the Lakers possess – we have seen it, albeit in inconsistent streaks.
But if they can garner some consistency heading into playoffs (and actually make the playoffs), there is little doubt that Kobe would drag them as far as any player could.
Can’t a guy dream for a Kobe versus LeBron James showdown?
I know, laughable.
I guess I just hope the Lakers season doesn’t end as disappointingly as it probably should.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.