Sports Illustrated's Arash Markazi recently discussed the Lakers who've become one of the best teams in the NBA's Western Conference. And since the Eastern Conference is strictly JV to the Western Conference, that makes them one of the best teams in the NBA.
For those of you who don't follow the Association, this is something of a surprise. The Los Angeles Lakers drama began in the 2003-2004 season when the team imploded under the stress of all the egos on the team. Hall of Fame bound centre Shaquille O'Neal got traded to the Miami Heat. Hall of Fame bound head coach Phil Jackson retired. And shooting guard (and noted diva) Kobe Bryant was left to carry the team on his broad shoulders.
The Lakers struggled with Bryant being their sole offensive and defensive threat, and so owner Jerry Buss appealed to Jackson and persuaded him to come back and right the ship. He met with some success, but Bryant still demanded trades.
Which brings us to this season where the Lakers are working effectively. They're tied with Dallas for the second best record in the West and fifth best in the NBA, and they're talking playoffs.
"If we can survive this period of time, we have a good chance of maintaining what we want to do. That's to finish in the top four in the Western Conference, which would get us home-court advantage in the first round. I think that's a realistic goal for this team."
I think that this is the final piece to Jackson's legacy. The knock of his previous championships had always been that he had teams that no one could lose with. The Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls. The O'Neal-Bryant Lakers. He's always been in positions to win.
But with this season, Jackson is taking a team poisoned by Kobe Bryant's ego ad loaded with Never-Wasses like Kwame Brown, and is making a serious run at the playoffs in a very competitive West. This should be one of the leading stories of the NBA this year: Phil Jackson is having the season of a lifetime - - and he's already won a record nine NBA championships.
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