New Look Lakers off to Slow Start

When the Lakers made the acquisition of All- Star center Dwight Howard this offseason, they immediately established themselves as the dominant power in the West, and the main contender with the Miami Heat for the 2013 NBA Title. Creating their own version of the “Big 3″ with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard, the Lakers set themselves up to take down the Heat. On top of that, they were able to add veteran point guard Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns, who last season even at age 38 had a career season. Looking at this team on paper, NBA experts and people from all around the league began predicting extremely high win totals for the Lakers, while forward Metta World Peace even went as far as to predict an unheard of 73-9 season. Needless to say, the amount of hype surrounding this team in the Los Angeles area and all across the country was as high as ever.

The bottom line however, is that hype doesn’t win championships, performance does, and after the first four games of the 2012-2013 season many Lakers fans were disappointed with the 1-3 record that this “super team” had posted. Regardless, it is far too early for anyone to panic, and the fact is that this team still has the talent to take them all the way if they can put it all together. What people forget is that these guys haven’t had the chance to play together at all, and chemistry doesn’t just come easily – it is the product of playing together for many games and learning how to play with your teammates. Also, for Dwight Howard, this is his first time back on the court after a serious back surgery, and getting his body back into NBA game shape is no easy task. The one thing that Lakers fans can definitely be happy with is the play of 5 time NBA championship, and former MVP, captain Kobe Bryant, who has been averaging 26.8 points through the first four games. The main point is that despite the slow start, it is no time to jump ship for Lakers fans as this season still holds the promise of an NBA championship.

Image 1 via: elitedaily.com