Lakers Were Soft, Feeble Before Delivering Knock Out Punch To Celtics

It happens instantly and inexplicably, on a pleasant evening at Staples Center, a locale nearly exploding on every possession and forced a fuming Doc Rivers to signal for a timeout when the rabid crowd exploded amid an energized frenzy. The Lakers survived on a night the celebrities and non-celebs attended to witness Team Hollywood avenge an embarrassing 39-point loss two years ago in what was the worst elimination defeat in NBA history.

He wasn’t scowling or grinding his teeth like a vampire anxious to devour the Boston Celtics blood, but he was fiercely the dictator on the floor for setting the tone early in an onslaught against his archenemies. He seemed much too enraged in his home gold uniform, willing to secure his legacy and establish redemption, but more importantly beat down the Celtics to direct the Lakers to its 16th title and pull one shy of Boston.

Rather than acknowledging that the Lakers aren’t soft, undermined or relapsing, the everlasting misgivings allows a cynical individual to disregard the much-improved toughness of a core once ridiculed for softness and a feeble-minded mindset. At one point, the Lakers were insulted for perishing in the regular-season, in which the lords of basketball began to downplay the mental toughness and shrewd efficiency.

There is, believe it or not, a reason not to dismiss Bryant and his teammates. Finally diminishing lethargy and imprudence, realizing much is at stake. It’s clearly evident that the blueprint in resounding pride and polishing in a win over the despised rivals is to disclose the Celtics blemishes. If you haven’t noticed the Lakers are tougher and more potent, unlike two years ago when they were manhandled and shoved around by the much physical and aggressive Boston.

But this season alone, the aging Celtics were sabotaged at times and the slowness in matching the intensity of younger and faster teams revealed flaws in the transiti...