Here Comes the Real Test

The Lakers took care of business against the red-hot Denver Nuggets tonight and ended their eight game winning streak. Andrew Bynum made his triumphant return to the court after missing 32 games with a torn MCL. Bynum looked shaky at first, completely missing the iron on a jump hook. He finished with three points and four boards in the first half. However, in the second half, he seemed to get his timing down and he finished the game with 16 points and 7 rebounds on 7-11 shooting. He played only 21 minutes and I think the Lakers have to say they were happy with the way things turned out. Shannon Brown was the first guard off the Lakers bench and he provided good energy and finished with a +14 on the night. Kobe Bryant looked great as he sliced and diced the Nuggets' defense on his way to 33 points on 11 of 19 shooting. Pau Gasol had a monster of a game with 27 points and 19 boards. I am very pleased with the way the Lakers looked tonight. Their ball movement was sharp, they controlled the boards, and they played solid defense. The common belief is that the Nuggets will be the Lakers biggest challenge in the West, and this game showed just what the Lakers can do when healthy. If Bynum continues to get his timing and footwork down over the next three games and the first round of the playoffs, then the rest of the league needs to look out because the Lakers will be extremely tough to beat.

The Lakers now move on to Portland to take on the upstart Blazers. Portland has been a difficult place for the Lakers to play (last win up there was 2003-2004) and now their chances of obtaining the best record in the NBA hinges on this game. The Lakers are finally at full strength, and they are going to need everyone to play well if they are going to exorcise their Rose Garden demons. The Lakers finish with two games they should win easily (home versus Memphis and Utah) and so a win tomorrow night would go a long way towards helping the Lakers finish the season with the 66 wins that I think will be the magic number to clinch the league's best record. I know the Lakers still need the Cavs to lose a game, but for some reason I can' t shake the feeling that the Cavs will drop another game before the end of the regular season. Boston or Philadelphia will knock them off, putting the Lakers in prime position to gather home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Tomorrow night's game will be a great test with the playoffs starting next weekend. The Lakers will be playing a road game in a playoff atmosphere against a great home team. The crowd will be displaying their typical animosity towards the Lakers. There will be at least one or two Portland runs that put the Lakers on the ropes. However, if the Lakers can pass this test and go on to win the final two regular season games I think they will be starting to peak at the right time. Bynum is healthy and ready to go. Gasol is ready to avenge his poor NBA finals. Kobe wants a title without Shaq. All the pieces of the puzzle are there for the Lakers. They have no excuse not to win this postseason. A win Friday night could help immensely in getting the Lakers to the level they need to get to before the playoffs. I'm ready to see how they respond to the challenge.. Will they stand up and fight against the adversity or will they take the easy way out? We shall see in a matter of hours...