
Any Celtics fan who has followed the Celtics for any length of time has a deep seated hatred for the Lakers. Our favorite teams are the Celtics and whoever's playing the Lakers on a given night. So, it is with a bit of pleasure that we have been watching the Lakers do a meltdown to start the season.
All we heard in the offseason was how dominant the Lakers were going to be with Steve Nash and Dwight Howard joining Kobe. I said then that they were going to have problems with their age and injury histories. Steve Nash has been healthy in Phoenix, but it never fails that an older player will be healthy while in Phoenix but fall apart once they leave Phoenix. It happened to Shaq. It happened to Grant Hill. And it happened to Nash. Kobe has been struggling with his health the past few years. And Dwight Howard is coming off back surgery.
Then there's the personality difference. I figured it would be just a matter of time until Kobe blew up at Dwight for not taking games seriously enough. Howard is easy-going and known to smile on the court and have fun while he's playing. Kobe Bryant is the exact opposite: all business and very intense. And then there's the coach who doesn't have the confidence of his players and is known as Mr Potato Head by their fans. The Lakers are now 1-4 in the regular season and went winless in the preseason. Kobe is mad and frustrated and Dwight isn't.
from ESPN:
Bryant’s frustration was apparent long before his final exit: He got into it with referee Ed Malloy after being called for a charge in the second quarter; he punched the ball inbounds rather than passed it when there was less than a second left in the third quarter; and he was caught on camera staring down coach Mike Brown when he was sitting on the bench during a timeout in the waning moments of the fourth.
Howard said after the game the Lakers would be better off bottling up those negative emotions.
There seems to be some trouble in La La Land. Excuse me if I don't feel sorry for them. I know, just like the Celtics, they will eventually get it together and start winning. But, I don't think it's going to be as smooth as everyone was saying. I can tell you one thing. Kobe is definitely not a happy camper.
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