Empty the Bench

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers survive through the 2008 NBA playoffs, Empty the Bench’s West Coast correspondent Christopher Thell will be submitting a local fan’s take on his beloved Lakers postseason trials, tribulations and successes. In this edition he’s pleased with the win, but left wanting more (or less).

There’s a bagel place across the street from the building I work at in downtown Los Angeles where most mornings I order a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted, with extra cream cheese.

And most mornings, the same dashing bagel associate fashions my bagel with so much cream cheese that it’s more accurate to say I’m having cream cheese with a bagel.

The thing is, I truly appreciate her gusto – her desire to please the customer, and I’ll be gosh darned if I’ll be the guy who says he wants extra cream cheese, but not too much extra.

You can’t be that guy.

Well, that said, I’m going to be that guy.

The Lakers beat the inferior Nuggets by fifteen on Wednesday night in a game that once again felt sloppy – as if the Lakers haven’t quite forged the proper playoff resolve.

Los Angeles goes to Denver after the jump…

I know, Kobe was out-of-this-world amazing, notching 49 points and ten dimes (one point shy of his playoff career high). He dazzled with acrobatic lay-ups and deep threes, creating easy shots for his teammates in between.

And good lord, stop the presses and call a school holiday, Fluke Walton poured in eighteen to tie for second leading scorer with Gasol, who also contributed ten rebounds.

How can you possibly complain when your team wins by fifteen going away and you get such a sterling performance from Bryant and a bravo show from Fluke? Particularly since you know that the team that wins the first two games takes the series over 90% of the time.

Because this is what number one seeds are supposed to do – tear through inferior eighth seeded opponents with tenacious alacrity.

2 down. 14 to go.

Our first honest glimpse into whether or not the Lakers are true title contenders comes in Saturday’s contest in the Mile High City. Will LA, on enemy territory, possess the killer instinct to take the series by the throat – or will it allow its prey a bit of wiggle room?

As much as I would like to say I think the Lakers will rise to the challenge, I predict a game three letdown and a Lakers loss.

I hope I’m wrong.

Tags: Postcards from LA, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Luke Walton

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