The Lakers are offensive but are they still too soft?

Beneath the glamour and glitz; beyond the greatness of Kobe; look deeper than the entertaining athleticism and the dominant 15-2 record and there is a battle still raging for the very soul of the Lakers.

It’s Father Merrin vs. the Devil and the bed is levitating.

Are the Lakers still soft or are they hard?

Are they physically tough or, at their core, a bunch of Mr. Softees -- yummy on the outside but soft ice cream nevertheless?

You watch them give up 118 points at Indiana and ask: Are they still too pretty and too reliant on finesse and too disinterested in playing tough D? Or was that just one of 82?

I’ve been watching, covering and psychoanalyzing the Lakers for 35 years and I still don’t have the answer.

Phil Jackson says, "We are what we are. A good offensive team." But is that good enough in June?

The Christmas Day mega-matchup against the Celtics may offer a clue, but only a clue. The Lakers will be home, emotions will run high, they’ll have revenge in their hearts. It will be a test, but not the litmus test.

They’re much better now with Bynum and Ariza. Their second unit is in a class by itself. But opposing points guards break down Fisher and Farmar with dribble penetration almost on a nightly basis, and that is still their strategic Achilles heel, one that could keep them from a June parade. But even that is not the $64,000 Laker Question.

That still is: soft or hard?

-- Ted Green

Ted Green is a former sportswriter for the L.A. Times and National Sports Daily. He is currently Senior Sports Producer for KTLA Prime News.

Photo: Sasha Vujacic is shown after the Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers 118-117 on Tuesday. Credit: Darron Cummings / Associated Press

Comments

[zopi]

The same problem as ever with the Lakers, it starts on the bench, it isn't that they are too soft or can't defend, it is the type of defenses they play,
The type of man and one-on-one defenses the Lakers are being asked to play puts a lot of pressure on the guards and the perimeter, which makes it possible for the other teams' guard to penetrate the lane at will with simple picks.
It is the bench philosophy whether it's from Jackson or whomever is in the design. Have you ever seen the Lakers play a zone defense? It's mainly man with a lot of swithching and double teaming, which always leaves open players and mismatches. The other teams/coaches have already figure this out. And this is why you have usually mediocre guards scoring big against this defense.
I remember Jack Haley once calling this defense helter skelter, and if you've noticed you'll see a lot of the Lakers chasing from behind.
The Lakers again will have to outscore the other teams, which they are highly capable, but they will run against tougher teams, like the Celtics, and will get their asses kicked once again. And we can't expect Jackson to start playing zones anytime soon, so expect another disappointment at the end of this season.

[CamaroMan]

Phil's calm energy is harmful to a team when the lead is 20+. Hard to be motivated to play D when coach is on the sidelines with his arms and legs crossed and the bench is having laughs about a previous play.

[Steven Morris]

I think that the Lakers are solid enough offensively to hang with Boston or Cleveland any night. But I also agree with the article stating that their D is too soft...Farmar is still young and Fisher is getting older. If simple picks get opposing point guards looks all night and noone coming off the bench can put forth a better effort on D than either Fish or Farmar then yes LA is too weak on defense. Not only does their defense let them down sometimes, but ill advised offense when the triangle is not implimented kills them. For instance I have watched more than one Laker game in which they have lost after leading by more than ten because Sasha Vujacic has shot them right out of the game, shooting 25 footers with 16 seconds still on the shot clock creating long rebounds for the opposition leading to easy buckets. Simple basketball knowlege is easily overshadowed by the spotlights of LA. But if the young guys meaning Ariza, Vujacic, Bynum, and Farmar can come into their own and find their role on the team and play it well LA is going to be very tough in years to come.

[alonzo winborne]

These are the same old Lakers, and are still second to the Celtics. I am a long time Laker fan, but am very disappointed with how they play. They talk defense, and rebound, but are still a solf team, and will not win a championship from the East. Those Europaen players can not play USA professional championship baseketball. You might get one outstanding role playing, but they can't be to much of your main team. I am sorry to say, but my heart is with the Lakers, but my money is on the Celtics.