| 06 April 2010
For the longest time, I - and nearly every other LA Lakers fan on the planet - was waiting for that "signature win". Waiting for LA to burst forth from the lethargy that seems to dog them... I've been wishing, hoping to be reminded of Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1 where he declares:
Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder'd at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
(Henry IV part 1, I.ii.197-210)
But sadly, it has not happened yet... and I despair of it ever happening. Verily, my mood changed - and I became sure that LA would slowly build momentum, rising out of the murk they're mired in to develop a head of steam - I guess for a bit of visual imagery, I could harken back to my youth - and comics: the Swamp Thing rising from the muck.
But what reality are we faced with? A simple lethargy, a seeming lack of focus, an apparent disdain for the games that they face, and a pure apathy towards... well... anything.
Think Brad Pitt's Floyd in True Romance.
It's hell on the fans - it's not so much as they can't get it done as they just don't seem to care about doing it.
Hold on the hope that maybe the Floyd of True Romance becomes the Tyler Durden of Fight Club 'fore the playoffs...
Look - there's no question that LA can do it, this is still a very, very good team. And even with this lackadaisical game-play that we're all subjected to, I still believe that this is a championship caliber team. No doubt in my mind. I'm sure that the Lakers believe it, and matter o' fact: I think that it's part of the problem. They believe they can turn it on when it's needed.
I just think that they need to get motivated to do so, and the current set of games aren't providing much in the way of a motivation.
Ever since the dawning of the realisation that they weren't going to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA's best record, LA have played with a "we-don't-care" laissez fair that would not have been believeable prior to it actually occurring.
But believe me: there are still things to play for in these last few games. It's not a given that the Cavs will even come out of the East, and LA are but a solitary win ahead of Orlando - the next-best the East have to offer. Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest & crew need to realise that merely being 'rested' won't get it done. Yes, we've all heard all the excuses of "repeating's tougher than winning" and how it's difficult to get motivated ad infinitum...
We're talking an NBA Championship. Back-to-back no less.
Make your own damn motivation.
