The Aging Lakeshow


There was a time that, no matter how I feel about him personally, when Kobe Bryant had the ball in his hands in the deciding minutes of a game, I felt like the Lakers were going to win. Now, it's more like a toss up. Is this how LeBron James fans feel? Ok, that was a low blow; but, still, Kobe's no spring chicken anymore.

Five NBA Titles (I just like writing that) and a bunch of playoff games have taken their toll. This last run, which saw the Lakers in the Finals three straight years and many of the stars in the Olympics in the summer of 2008 seems to have aged the group. Pau Gasol doesn't look that imposing anymore, Lamar Odom is working on reality shows full-time, and Ron Artest has become Metta World Peace. Then there's the missing Derek Fisher component, who is now on the bench for opposing Oklahoma City.

The Lakers trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with OKC, but if they don't win tonight it's hard to see how they stand a chance in the series. Two years ago, it was the Lakers that were in the drivers' seat with the Thunder. Now the shoe is on the other foot and the window of opportunity for another title seems to be closing.

The Lakers have a large payroll, too much invested in a handful of stars that no longer form the nucleus of a great team. The rest of the pieces around them feel like spare parts. (Sound familiar Miami fans?). And the thought that, in 2-3 years, the Lakers would be built around Andrew Bynum is enough to drive any Laker fan batty.

Bynum has long been viewed as an untouchable prize. Sometimes he seems like it; like when he's pulling down 30 rebounds. Other times he seems like the basketball equivalent of the S.S. Titanic, like when he's getting ejected, suspended, or pouting by shooting threes.

The point is, the time comes when all great franchise runs must end. For Kobe and the Lakers, it's hard to escape the feeling that time might be now... that is unless they win three more games against the Thunder, stick it to the aging Spurs, and beat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. Then forget the last 500 words...

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