Losers of three straight lopsided contests, the Lakers need to turn things around quickly if they hope to remain among the legit contenders in the extremely rugged Western Conference.
With the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks well in position to battle for the conference’s top seed, and Utah and Oklahoma City not far behind, the time is clearly now for the Lakers.
But how do they do it?
How do the Lakers bounce back into prominence in the Western Conference?
Defense, Defense, Defense
In my opinion, it starts with defense. In the Lakers’ 10 losses this season, they’ve allowed more than 90 points in all but one of them, and have allowed the opposition to break the century mark four times.
While Bryant may be a solid one-on-one defender with the capability of shutting down an opponent, depending on the matchup, the Lakers can improve their team defense mightily.
With bodies like Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum on the floor, Los Angeles has the pieces to take over a game defensively. Currently owners of the 15th ranked defense in the league—allowing 98 points per game—the Lakers have plenty of room for improvement.
Get it to the Bigs
The Lakers could also focus on working their offensive game plan around their big men a bit more—especially when trailing.
As evidenced by last night’s loss to San Antonio, the Lakers tend to heave it up from beyond the arc when trailing. To slow down the clock, work the ball down low to Gasol and Bynum and leave Bryant’s shot-making abilities as a last-gasp effort on each possession would serve the Lakers well.
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Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
