Why I'm not upset

What can Albert Einstein possibly tell us
about the Lakers? Everything.

According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Lakers were crushed in game 4 at the hands of the surging Denver Nuggets. Laker fans are demanding answers. Why? After 16 inconsistent playoff games, the Lakers have proved that there are no answers. There is no common sense to crushing Houston by 40 one game, and losing by 20 the next. There is no rhyme or reason to playing Denver as tough as you’ve played all season for three games, but quitting in the fourth. And then there’s Lamar Odom. I’m not even touching that one.

If we’re following Einstein’s definition of insanity, it is clearly insane to expect anything different from this Laker team then what they are giving us. This team will not play defense for 48 minutes. So why are we demanding them to? This team will jack up 20-30 three pointers every game. So why ask them to stop? This team will not run their offense through Gasol and Bynum because that’s the logical advantage the Lakers have over Denver, even if Phil does everything in his intellectual power to make us believe any different. So why ask them to try? This team will live and die by the jump shot. So why are we surprised when Fisher shoots 10 a game?

Where am I going with all of this? I’m done being upset. This is not the Kobe and Shaq Lakers and it surely isn’t the Lakers of the 80’s. This is a good team with a great player, with a legendary coach, with a storied name on the front of the jersey. That’s it. They’re a finesse team with finesse players. Even Kobe drives to the basket less and less. Not because he can’t, but because he doesn’t want to end his career at age 32 getting killed in the paint. Combined with the incredible shots he takes and makes with consistency, why would he sacrifice his body when he doesn’t need to? Jordan did the same thing during his second three-peat. By the way, two of the highest basketball IQ’s ever.

I don’t know how game 5 will play out. And I guess that’s the point. A huge victory. A bitter defeat. An emotional last second win. A pain staking buzzer beating loss. Nothing will surprise me. Because if it did, clearly, I would be insane.