When the Lakers host the Pistons today, they won’t simply be going for a fifth straight victory. They’ll likewise be angling to keep intact a perfect run against opponents with losing records. Since the season began, they’ve faced 18 such rivals, and they’ve emerged triumphant every single time. Not that they’ve done so with ease; against the Suns and the Pelicans last week, for instance, they needed to keep perennial All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the court deep into the fourth quarter to preserve an outcome they appeared to be well in position to secure as early as in the first.
Not that the Lakers are complaining. A win is a win, and they’re certainly having fun en route to staying on top of the loaded Western Conference. Their outings are replete with spectacle on both ends of the court. That they have the talent to provide highlight reels isn’t in question. What remains a mystery two-fifths into their 2019–20 campaign is their capacity to compete at their level best from opening tip to final buzzer. So far, they lack the consistency to make even their most optimistic fans supremely confident of their chances to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Creditably, the Lakers are taking care of business and winning the games they should. It’s a virtue that cannot be undervalued as they seek to be greater than the sum of their parts. They’re far from complete, though; if their seemingly comfortable leads are eroded, it’s because they have a shaky bench. Ball movement stagnates whenever James sits, while coverage becomes spotty during Davis’ time on the bench. Which is why load management — purple and gold style — hasn’t succeeded at all. The notion that the two can spearhead the early erection of significant advantages and then rely on the rest to protect it late has been exactly that: a notion and nothing more.
So, yes, the Lakers are playing with fire. The good news is that James and Davis have proven too potent a pairing, allowing them to emerge unscathed time and again. The bad news is that they’ve become crutches. They can’t win the championship by themselves, and the earlier everybody else understands it and acts accordingly, the better.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing the Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
