All that matters is they made the Lakers put out for 48 mins. Kobe played for 42 mins and took 24 shots. When Nash returns, they will beat the weak sisters easily.
Will they? They can't seem to stop anybody. I don't see how Nash helps with that. This team shouldn't need Nash to beat the freaking Bobcats because they missed a chip layup. They were down huge this game. And it was in LA!!
hm....i guess those 2 FT at the end of the 3rd quarter is one of the factor for the W for the lakers.
Ever since the Bobcats' inception into the NBA, the Lakers have had problems with them. I was really surprised to see LA favored by 12.5 points tonight considering their struggles this year. There was a lot of value in taking Charlotte to cover the spread tonight.
As much as I want the Lakers to fail, Nash will make a huge difference for them. The problem is he can't play 35 mins/game and we don't know how healthy he will be long term. Yes, the Lakers defense is bad, D'Antoni doesn't coach defense and Nash is a terrible defender. Their other problems have also been discussed. But, IMO, Nash will be the glue guy that gets everyone on the same page. They won't be a contender, but the Lakers will be much better. Unless something weird happens, they are playing for 5th seed. If the Nuggets wake up like I think they will (their schedule up to today was historically difficult), make it 6th seed. P.S: There is a chance that ball-hogs Nash and Kobe don't mesh. I'm betting they eventually will.
I've been saying this many times. What they need Nash for is not so much his plays but his leadership. He's the only hope they have to bring the team together.
Nash's leadership won't help LA defensively. If anything he will make it worse. His leadership has never helped in that area, individual or team wise.
Nash only effective when he have da ball. If you think kobe gonna give up da rock you must not know kobe. Kobe gonna kobe. He'll get 30 shots/isos a game come hell or high water. But lets pretend for a minute they can share da ball. Now instead of just sharin wit kobe, howard have to share wit nash too, which mean even less touches. And lets not talk about D, dont matter if da Lakers offense avrg 120 pts a game if they givin up 122 on defense
Leadership is not about offense or defense. It's about chemistry and cohesiveness, about teammates trusting each other, about motivation, about reaching common goals. The Lakers' defensive efficiency is not too far off from the league average. It got a little worse after D'Antoni took over, but that's expected. They have the personnel to be a decent defensive team if they are motivated. Defense is not their real problem. Leadership is. I don't really know if Nash can actually fill the role. But he's their only hope now.
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