Lakers win ugly in Dallas: Five thoughts

November 11, 9:19 PMLos Angeles Lakers ExaminerColin Ward-Henninger

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Los Angeles Lakers Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Laker fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 106-99, Tuesday night in Dallas. It wasn't pretty, but the Lakers move to 6-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Here are my five thoughts:

Passing the test. The Lakers finally got the "test" they've been waiting for all year and they failed miserably...for three quarters. Ask anyone in the NBA, fourth quarter comebacks on the road don't happen often, especially against a team like Dallas that rarely loses at home. The Lakers could have easily chalked this one up to "it's just not our night" but instead they showed heart and pride by mounting a tremendous fourth quarter comeback.

Sasha's purple headband. We all saw it. Sasha Vujacic came onto the court with a bright purple Jane Fonda 80's aerobics headband. I would get on him a little more, but apparently channeling his inner Olivia Newton-John worked as Sasha put up his best game to date. I think he's ready to sign up for Body Fuzion!

Frozen in the fourth. After a stellar comeback early in the final quarter, the Lakers quickly showed that they haven't been in a close game all year. The triangle offense devolved into more of a question mark in the final four minutes, as nobody on the court looked to have any idea what is going on. With a two-point lead and about 30 seconds to go, the best they could get was a Derek Fisher airball that somehow found the hands of Pau Gasol who put it in the basket for a three-point play. I guess even the best teams need a little luck.

Gerald Green gets revenge. The youngster known for his dunk contest theatrics picked up a busted lip going after a loose ball in the first half. After getting some treatment, he made the boo-boo feel a lot better by posterizing Lamar Odom on a fast break one-handed jam. As soon as the video is available I'll post it, but just watch SportsCenter or NBA TV and I'm sure you'll see it. I can't wait to hear Rick Kamla's reaction to this one.

Defense when it counts. The Lakers looked atrocious on defense for the better part of three quarters, but buckled down when it got close in the fourth. Trevor Ariza proved that he is the defensive stopper and ball of energy that he needs to be, and defense like that is contagious.