Is the Lakers' Downward Spiral We were Expecting?

Question: What do the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers have in common?

Answer: Aside from being considered elite teams in the NBA (with the Cavs the only team coming from the Easter Conference), all those teams have defeated the Lakers since coming off the impressive winning streak. The Lakers have lost four of its last five games.

Nobody seems suprised because all the losses came after the crucial injury to Lakers center Andrew Bynum and key reserve and fringe starter Trevor Ariza. You could argue of the high quality of the Lakers' opponents, but a loss is a loss. The thought of the Lakers lording it over the Western Conference is now a distant memory-- nobidy thinks they are an elite team with a depleted lineup.


Tags: Lakers