Ejection. Turnovers. Loss. In their final game of the tumultuous 2012-2013 season, the Lakers were defeated 82-103 by the San Antonio Spurs.
There is very little to analyze in this one. It's been the same story all series. The Lakers were unable to take advantage of their interior play due to their extremely limted back court. Dwight Howard, who had been frustrated with the officiating all series long, was ejected in the 3rd quarter after receiving his second techincal foul. Kobe Bryant joined his mates on the bench shortly after amidst cheers from the Staples Center crowd. When Pau Gasol left the game late in the 4th, he too was greeted with a standing ovation.
Credit San Antonio for being focused and having no mercy on the depleted Lakers. As a competitor you always want to take your opponent's best shot. San Antonio certainly didn't pull any punches. Good luck to them in the next round.
What's Next?
As for the Lakers, this now begins a time when many decisions will be made. Should Pau be traded? Should the amnesty be used? Is Coach D'Antoni going to be the coach going forward? Will Dwight Howard re-sign? I'll cover some of these topics and more in follow on posts throughout the offseason so stay tuned.
This year has been trying. Coaching changes, media drama, and catastrophic injuries have left their mark on this team. And much like those friends who only hang around you when you're doing well and things are going good, all the bandwagon fans have fallen to the wayside. Free to join the OKCs, the Clippers, and the HEATs of the world. I, like so many other loyal Lake Show fans across the world, choose to stay and remain loyal.
This year has had its good times too. The first time we watched Kobe, Nash, Pau, and Dwight in uniform together was special. Watching Kobe dominate at age 34 on his way to earning the nickname "Vino" was something I'll never forget. And lastly watching the team bond through the race for the final playoff spot...it was just simply a lot of fun. Before Kobe went down the league was on notice, trust me. However, it just didn't work out for us this year.
Season Notables:
The Good:
- The team bonded through adversity
- Dwight got much better as the season progressed
- Kobe was every bit "Kobe" and then some
- Some promising young players began to develop (Clark and Hill)
- The race to make the playoffs was just as exciting as the playoffs themselves normally are lol
The Bad:
- Unsure if the team was able to forge an identity when it comes to play style
- Defense was a problem for the majority of the season
- Health uncertainty for next season
- Roster uncertainty for next season
We've been through tough times before, we will rise again. Remember missing the playoffs the year Shaq left? Yeah, we'll be back... ;)
GO LAKERS!!!
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